Goodbye 2014 and Hello 2015
2014 was a busy year for our little farm that came with many successes challenges, and changes. In 2013 the farm decided to use social media to provide customers with an easy way to order our products and follow events on the farm. Chez Koop had designed and maintained the Townsend website which went into use for the first time this year. We still maintain most of our customer relationships via phone and email but the website is fun and keeps our customers posted. We had a great visit from 2 of our local health inspectors this year after Dawn, Reuben, and Tyler had passed their food handling course. The farm and our delivery trailer are now government inspected and approved. This year will be our first foray into a farmers market and Townsend products will be available at the forks farmers market starting in may of 2014.
Reuben had a tough year this year. We had a brutal winter that was very hard on the pigs. As you know all of our pigs stay outside even in the cold and last year was hard on all the animals but especially the pigs. To top that all off, the genetics of our pigs were terrible and were just not growing the way we had hoped. Reuben and his mom went to the US and imported three new sows into Canada which was extremely interesting for all parties involved. Dawn had to stand in the Canadian vet’s office and cry to get the pigs across the border but all went well in the end and we are all smarter for the experience. Reuben has a boar in Ohio and we will be importing another batch of pigs in 2015. We did get some pigs to the butchers and have made some wonderful sausage, hams and bacon. We are perfecting our recipes and we are going to have pork this year to sell.
Traditional Hams Hanging
Sophia raised lambs and brought them to market. She did a very good job under very trying circumstances last year due to the weather being very uncooperative. She started the year with 10 ewes and ended it with 14 and so we are expecting a very good crop of lambs for sale this year. Besides her regular customers Sophia has a contract to begin supplying Crampton’s Market in Winnipeg this year with an initial order of 10 lambs. Thanks to Earl Funk for the wonderful butchering job for our lamb.
Annastasia was busy raising her custom steers and processing them for her customers. It was a sad year for our Galloway herd as our pregnant cow lost her calf due to a birth defect and the bull (who is now in the deep freeze) wasn’t growing properly. On the bright side all of our customers are happy with their beef, many thanks to Earl from Steinbach for his incredible help and patience. Annastasia has a new bull (The Grand Nagis) named after the Startrek Ferengi leader, and the cows seem to be pregnant and so we are expecting a crop of calves this year.
![IMG_0842[1]](https://townsendfarm.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IMG_08421.jpg)
Hyrum was the powerhouse of the farm and raised and distributed close to 500 chickens last year and expanded his poultry business from chickens and turkeys to pheasants and guinea fowl. We were going to do ducks and geese as well but our water fowl processor backed out at the last minute. We have our products in a couple of stores, Natures Pasta, and Crampton’s Market in Winnipeg. Deluca’s from Winnipeg have also placed an order for his pheasants. We are going to the Forks farmers market this year for the first time and so he is planning on raising at least 800 chickens this year. Hyrum is wishing for an incubator for his birthday
Dawn was extremely busy teaching children, being a wife, tending to the needs of small animals managing the farm under adverse conditions and generally tending to everyone’s needs but her own. Taking small animals to the processors is always hard especially when each animal is loved and has a name. She will spend every day doctoring animals and then children doing paper work and calling customers. If you ever come to the farm and see a beautiful woman racing around with a wild look in her eyes, slipping in the muck, getting attacked from the sheep and generally keeping the whole place from going to hell in a hand basket then I guess you will have seen the driving spirit of Townsend. Thanks to all of you who have supported our farming adventure and to those who eat good food sourced locally.
