Somehow here at Foothill Frolic Farm, the past third of our 2024 farming year passed by in such a carrying wind that my farm journal post got carried away in the sweep. The best attempt for any sort of written words were my absolute necessary quick scribblings of important dates like herd rotations, hay counts coinciding with field, weather recordings, calf birth dates, and custom beef's butchered beef inventories. At the end of April, once our custom beef harvesting season started, my journal entries ended. Every week as we all here were plotting along going from one farm chore to the next, stories were happening throughout, and such good ones I might add. Often, I would have the months stories all composed within my head, but as the continual out breaths of moving and working activity was not relenting, the in breaths that bring such soothing expression in the form of composition never came. AHH but at last I sit here looking out the farm house's second story window, on a beautifully rainy day, watching the steer herd graze happily in their current field rotation. That is the way of Regenerative Cattle Farming, four months of seemingly endless chores within the undulating sea of grass, just hoping to not be undertaken amidst the unstoppable and absolute energy demand, to finally find your self all of a sudden laying peaceful on the shore proud of the feat and thankful for the liberation!
The late spring and full summer proved themselves to have an all or nothing mentality. We were presented with the most generous of springs. Precipitation, temperature, green lush sparkling beauty were given in abundance. Then summer up and decided to cast bleak moments of dryness and heat that conjured up pleas of mercy. Then just as the farm's functional ecosystem of growing grasses could not make it one more day, everything alive that was thirsty was granted ample drink, often in a forceful flooding type of way!! The landscape made yet again a 180 degree transformation and spirits were on the up and up. The summer's dryness returned one last time, but without such power in severity. Perhaps the fall will tip toe in with a little more moderate of a demeanor that strives to balance proportionally rain and dryness.
Despite the season's weather pattern, all three of our rotating herds have grazed ever so well and every herd's rotation has a good outlook at least for the next 4 weeks and this could continue if warm days and a once a week rain could fall. Really all our 234 animals have thrived this year.
Two of our most notable stories were ones that cusped on the edge of tragedy, but ended miraculously well.
During the summer phase when buckets of rain fell from the sky, in a flash flood type of way, we had a steer "Continental Divide" 249S get pushed into a raging creek in a moment of herd crowding. We had just rotated the steer herd into their new bottom paddock that is divided by a creek. The animals can end up on either side of the creek, which is very normal, but in this instance, in a matter of 15 minutes and 1.7" of rain, the large creek had turned into a raging river of sort and the animals were stuck on which ever side they were on, half on one side and half on the other side. This steer herd included all our remaining 2 year old Custom Beefs for 2024, all or yearlings for 2025, our 5 saved heifers, and a new breeding purebred angus bull "Butternut IronHorse 08". Matthew had just pulled their mineral bin into the paddock, as it began to pour rain and decided to wait it out in the truck to avoid getting soaked. It was from here he was able to see the event unfold. The new bull was with a group on side of the raging creek and he started making his bugle sound, which stirred up the other group on the other side of the creek and this is when "Continental Divide" got pushed in. Matthew barely caught the moment, but was pretty sure it was "Continental Divide" as he has a beautifully market face that is very distinguishable and has a green tag. He tried to get back up the bank, but the raging creek washed him away. Matthew saw this for certain and so he hopped out of the truck and headed downstream, looking for him, on the north side. This creek flows into Boone Lake eventually through a neighborhood called "Grand Harbor" so Dad, Eastenn Dutch, and I started our search there heading up stream. By nightfall, he had not been found and we knew we still had to get the steers moved out of their paddock they had just been put in because the flood had washed out two of our electric fences. We decided to move them to the next rotational paddock forward to what we call "Hamilton High" and they were closed in.
We went to bed late knowing we would start our search first thing in the morning, but since we had not found him we suspected the worst, but somehow I just could not believe that our good looking, healthy and robust 2 year old steer had drowned.
Come sunrise we made a plan, Matthew was going to start fixing the electric fences, Dad and Eastenn Dutch were going to walk the creek banks and I was to go with my steer herd list, eyeball and check off every animal to make sure no one else had fallen in. I was dropped off and I walked up the hill to find the herd. They were all resting underneath a cedar tree line, so with great anticipation I started down the line looking at each animal and checking them off the list. This herd was in the upper 40 count at the time. My heart leaped and my eyes did a double take when I looked up and I saw "Continental Divide". I mean I really could not believe it, but it was him, he was there. So at that point, I only presumed that Matthew had somehow mistaken the animal that fell in. We did have 3 other steers that were yearlings that had the black and white distinctive face markings, even though they were a little different, but they would have had reddish/orange tags, not green. I kept moving through the herd checking off one by one. When I finished I dropped to my knees and double checked my list and every single animal that was a part of the herd was there, no doubt. This was the miracle I was hoping for and I said my Thanks and reported back. No one could believe it, but it was true. Of course the puzzle still remains of how "Continental Divide" got back to the herd before we let them into "hamilton high" paddock at nightfall without any of us seeing him. My best older farmer friend, Robert, figured that "Continental Divide" was so startled by the event that with his strength, somewhere downstream, he fought his way out and once out, he was determined to make it back to the herd by running back up stream and breaking or jumping fences or anything that might would have stopped him otherwise. Also, Matthew originally was on the north side of the creek searching and the south side has more trees and brush, so the only thing we figure is that somehow Matthew missed "Continental Divide" as he was galloping up stream on the South more hidden side, but I guess we will really never know, will we?!
The other story included my Dad's favorite Hereford Cow, G22, and the birthing of her fall calf. Dad had been checking her daily ever since I told him that she was showing very close signs of calving soon. Finally one day, she decided to seperate herself from the herd and start laboring. We acknowledged and left, and figured upon checking back, on our way to go bale, she would have had her calf. She was an experienced cow and there would not have been any doubt or concern of her successfully having her calf. When we checked back in though, two hoofs sticking out and that was it. Well that struck us as not quite right, based on the timeline and when we get a little closer Dad realized the hoof bottoms were pointed upward and not down. Generally a calf comes out front hoof first and with them pointed downwards or to the side with head right there on top. So just picture a calf spread out with front hoofs and legs stretched forward and head pointing forward slightly tucked in on top of upper legs and then main body and back legs stretched horizontally coming out last. Or think of yourself lying down flat on belly with arms stretched forward in full extension. This is the proper presentation of a baby calf being born.
At this point we decided to walk her into the barn. When I reached in to see if I could feel a head, the only thing I felt was the calf's ankles and legs, not a head. This confirmed that the calf was indeed backwards and up side down. So to envision this arrangement, just think of yourself lying down on your back with your feet and legs forward and arms extended backwards and flat on the ground behind your head. We called Mt. Empire as it takes an experienced vet to pull out a backwards calf, or at least someone that has done it regularly. If the pull is done improperly the cow's uterus could burst and the cow could bleed to death. I have never witnessed this in my life, so we are very appreciative that our cattle do not get into this predicament often! Unfortunately Mt. Empire was over booked on this day for their on farm emergency calls and time was of most importance for our beautiful girl and her backwards calf. They said it might be 3-4 hours before anyone could get to us. Gracious, that is a hard waiting game to play. Fortunately, when they put out to the request to their vets, Dr. Miller picked it up and added it to her already long day and squeezed us in. So, the wait time ended up being only 1 hour instead of the 4. The calf emerged large and alive and the ol' cow did just fine. We were so happy for them both. "Sunny Summersault" he was and here they are below.
We have accumulated over 800 large round bales from our 1st and 2nd cutting of hay thus far and still have a few more fields to go.
As many other stories were missed, here is a slide show reel of photos from when we started taking our beautiful and healthy custom beefs back on April 30th till current. Also here are a view video takes that captured our herds at different times from then till now.
Well here I am, saving All the important announcements for last.
By the end of August, all of our 54 Custom Beefs that were available for PreOrder, for our 2024 season, SOLD OUT. We are so very thankful for our beautiful heifers and steers that have and will make many local/regional families very fulfilled . This means that we were able to put over 20,000 lbs of high quality, delicious, edible beef onto locals plates. This makes us ever so happy. On average our beefs have thus far hung out at anywhere from 505 to 592, which equates to, on average, about 375 lbs of edible beef end product per beef. This on average was at least 30 lbs over what WHOLE beef customers and the broken down quarter, eighth, and sixteen shareholders expected to receive when they placed their PreOrder. Something that was already an unbelievable value, based on our practices, became an even sweeter deal!!
Even though we have SOLD OUT of our custom beefs for our 2024 season, the good news is that all the hard work we have put into our management, practices and "birth to beef" model has set our farm up to offer 50-60 whole beefs a year, directly and locally, from this season forward.
fWe have had so many wonderful custom beef shareholder compliments thus far and here is just one example of them that rings true in gist for all.....
"We are so TOTALLY satisfied with our whole experience. On Friday we grilled a package of the Sirloin Steaks and it was with all honesty the best grass fed meat, as a matter of fact, it was probably the best beef we've ever had. The flavor was delicious and the texture was perfect. Our bodies immediately recognize how healthy and satisfying it was for us. Thank You. We feel very blessed to have found you. Tonight I am making Shepard's Pie."
Lynn W.
Since we are SOLD OUT of Custom BEEF shares for the remainder of the 2024 season and because we are not planning on updating and launching our ONLINE BEEF SHOP PreOrder Page till around mid Fall, we have decided to go ahead and start a CUSTOM BEEF Waiting List Form.
Currently this can be found on our website under SHOP CUSTOM BEEF SHARES, just scroll down till you find it. I would recommend any shareholders or interested custom beef shareholders that want to make sure you are on dock for our 2025 custom beef harvest season, that will start in June of 2025, to take the time to fill out this quick form.
By being put on the Waiting List, you will have "first come, first serve" access to our Official PreOrders for 2025 when Foothill Frolic Farm's ONLINE BEEF SHOP is updated and posted live come Mid Fall of 2024.
Last but not least, our First Fall Date for our Farm Tours has finally been set...
Saturday October 5th 4-6pm.
We would love to have you and yours!
Please come on out to Learn, See, & Ask.
Until Next Time, Eat Well and Be Well and Please Pass Along through your favorite media!,
(even though we have held off on having a social media presence, we are perfectly fine for our readers to share.)
Allison Mills Neal of Foothill Frolic Farm
Loved reading the story about Continental Divide! ❤️