Baby Ducklings

Muscovy hen and her ducklings

There isn't much that is cuter than a fussy little baby duckling. Mama Muscovy was parading these newly hatched ducklings around the farm this morning. She seemed pretty proud of herself! The ducks are my son Nick's project. He started off with just a couple ducks and now has more than I care to count. His hope is to be able to sell some of his flock this fall and make a little cash for himself.

Muscovy are fun to have around and they almost take care of themselves. They spend the day roaming the place catching bugs and eating grass. The Muscovy is a large duck with a lean dark meat and are the only domestic duck that is not descended from the Mallard. They are native to Mexico and Central and South America but feral populations are spreading in southern states where they can become a nuisance. Here they are just a part of the farm.

Pork Price List

We have had a lot of interest in our pork since we began selling it at the Clinton Farmers Market just over a week ago. The pork we are currently selling is of mixed breed. These pigs are pasture raised and antibiotic and hormone free. The price list for this very good tasting pork is below. Beginning in the spring of 2012, we will begin selling our red wattle pork at our Clinton Farmers Market stand. See you at the Farmers Market!

Ground Sausage with just the right amount of  spice!

Great Wieners! These are the real thing!

 

Click for larger view.

UPDATE: Pork prices have been updated and can be seen on our new "pork by the cut" page.

Pork For Sale at Clinton Farmers Market

We now have packaged pork for sale by the cut at the Clinton Farmers Market! A couple weeks ago, we took two hogs to Mark's Locker in Rowley, Iowa for processing. There lockers that are closer to us, but we chose Mark's Locker because of the quality of their processing. Mark's locker is a state inspected locker that is owned and operated by Tom Taylor. I first learned about Mark's locker through Tom's son Brad. Brad works for me as a Park Officer at Rock Creek Marina & Campground. When I'm not home on the farm, I work as the director of the Clinton County Conservation Department--but that's another story. We work hard to produce quality pork and we wanted a top notch butcher. The hams, bacon, brats, wieners and sausages from Mark's locker are second to none! In fact, Mark's locker just took first place at the 2011 Iowa State Fair for their smoked hams and third for their cooked brats. Congratulations to Tom Taylor and everyone at Mark's Locker (loud applause)! If you are looking for some truly great pork, come see us at the Clinton Farmers Market. The market is located at Four Squares Park on the corner of Roosevelt and Main Avenue in the Lyon's business district. We are there on Wednesdays from 4 to 6 pm and Saturdays from 8 to noon.

Our freezer is now full of packaged pork to sell at the Clinton, Iowa Farmers Market!

Boar Swap

We now have 8 red wattle hogs. 2 boars, 2 sows and 4 gilts. The 2 boars are father and son, so we could only use the service of one of them on our small herd without risking some serious inbreeding problems. One of them had to go. We thought we had the young boar sold last summer, but after several months and a dozen or so phone calls, it became obvious that the buyer was never going to show up to get him. So, we said thank you very much for the deposit and on to plan B. I saw an ad on the ALBC website offering a couple young, virile red wattle boars for sale or trade. A trade sounded like a good idea to me.A chance to get some new blood into our growing herd. I typed up an email and waited not so patiently for a response. Lucky for me, it wasn't long until I got a reply from Donna OShaughnessy. The hogs in the ad belonged to Donna and her husband Keith. Together, they operate South Pork Ranch. I already knew of  Donna. She writes one of my favorite blogs --  Midlife Farmwife. After exchanging pictures and pedigrees, we both agreed to a make a hog swap.

Friday morning, Jane and I got up before the sun to load Danny for the road trip east. The plan was for Danny to go to South Pork Ranch, and do what boars do...you know, makin' bacon . Problem is Danny hadn't been filled in on the plan. In fact, he had other plans. We backed the trailer up to the pen, opened the gate, and tried to entice Danny onto the trailer with a piece of bread, his favorite treat. But Danny said nothing doing. He saw a gap in the gate and made a run for it. Soon he was trotting around the yard, enjoying an early morning romp in the dewy grass. We tried to herd (or should I say chase) him back to the pen, but if you have ever tried to herd a 300+ pound boar, you know that they go where they want, not necessarily where you want. No surprise there, huh? One hour and a loaf of bread or two and a couple of bruises (us, not the boar) later, he was finally on trailer and we were finally on the road.

On our arrival at South Pork Ranch (I love that name, btw), Donna and Keith came out to meet us and gave us a quick tour of the place. They have a nice small farm where they raise hogs, cows, chickens, ducks and grand kids. They sell organic raw milk, beef, Donna's hand-made soaps, and of course red wattle pork. We picked out our new boar and met his parents, Deb and Max. They were fine looking specimens. Our boar Danny was happy to get out of the trailer after the long trip and settle into his new home. I think he liked the place! Our new boar, who is yet to be named (maybe Keith?) was uneventfully loaded on the trailer for the long ride home. When we got home, he was turned loose into a pen with a large puddle, where he quickly settled in for a relaxing mud bath. He needs his rest. Tomorrow he meets the twins, Wanda and Wilma!

Nothing like a good bath to relax after a long trip!