Yep, spring is here, I can tell because of the bites on my arms after working outside all day. I like this time of year, grass instead of hay, yea like it a lot.
We didn't have a opportunity to get into the update of our "Resources" page for the web site at our May meeting, but I will start work on it and we can get back to it early in the fall.
The Maryland and New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festivals are behind us with the Massachusetts Festival yet to come. Both of the early events had larger crowds than those of the last couple of years and in Maryland, the sales were up for all of the vendors I had a chance to speak with. I don't think the same will be said for New Hampshire but more people can only be a good sign.
Most of my readers know that I have been involved with the American Sheep Industry Association and it's American Wool Council for the last several years. This last January I term limited off of the Executive Board and left the Wool Council at the same time. I will remain a part of the Association as a producer and a avid supporter of our industry. Mr. Keith Stumbo from New York replaced me on the Executive Board representing the North East producers. Keith and I are starting a project to hook up ASI with all of the Sheep and Wool festivals nationwide and creating a data base on the ASI web site for all of them. Should be eyeopening for the Western producers to see a market they don't fully understand and that is HUGE!
Get your fleeces out and skirted, the great gathering starts this month and we will be shipping our wool in June for next years blankets. The June meeting is at Owl Ridge farm for stomping the bags full! See you then!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
We've been Planning
The first Tuesday in April is our annual planning meeting and last night was the night. The really good thing about this meeting is that the members show up with lots of good ideas for topics. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
For those of you who missed the meeting, the potluck dinner was outstanding and the Taylor family were great hosts.
The business meeting dealt with a couple of issues needing attention. ASI is offering money to support the "Mentors" program but we need to get a plan together by the middle of this month. I volunteered to look at that. We have also been contacted by Becker College signaling their interest in meeting with our producers and exploring ways they can use our expertise and Becker's resources to a mutual benefit. (I don't know what that means, but doesn't it look great?) You will see this in next year's schedule.
OK, here is what we think is the plan for next year.
8 Oct, 2013--Owl Ridge Farm/Farm Tax Prep
5 Nov, 2013--Stony Farm/Becker College
3 Dec, 2013--Christmas with the Kerns
7 Jan, 2014--St Francis Episcopal Church in Holden/CSA
4 Feb, 2014--Sweet Fern Farm--Farm Insurance Options
4 Mar, 2014--Lightening Ridge Farm/Pasture Management
1 Apr, 2014--Taylor Farm/Planning Meeting
6 May, 2014--White 's/Cook Book Recepies(bring sample to share)
3 June, 2014--Owl Ridge Farm/Stuff Wool Bags
As an additional note for the 6 May meeting, I want to update the "Resources" page on our web site so please look at it and bring any additions or deletions with you. Also, I want to add a new section on that page that will list equipment, books, etc; that would be available for a member to borrow on occasion. The purpose is to reduce the amount of stuff we all have to own and better utilize that which we do own!
That's all folks.............has anyone located Spring?
For those of you who missed the meeting, the potluck dinner was outstanding and the Taylor family were great hosts.
The business meeting dealt with a couple of issues needing attention. ASI is offering money to support the "Mentors" program but we need to get a plan together by the middle of this month. I volunteered to look at that. We have also been contacted by Becker College signaling their interest in meeting with our producers and exploring ways they can use our expertise and Becker's resources to a mutual benefit. (I don't know what that means, but doesn't it look great?) You will see this in next year's schedule.
OK, here is what we think is the plan for next year.
8 Oct, 2013--Owl Ridge Farm/Farm Tax Prep
5 Nov, 2013--Stony Farm/Becker College
3 Dec, 2013--Christmas with the Kerns
7 Jan, 2014--St Francis Episcopal Church in Holden/CSA
4 Feb, 2014--Sweet Fern Farm--Farm Insurance Options
4 Mar, 2014--Lightening Ridge Farm/Pasture Management
1 Apr, 2014--Taylor Farm/Planning Meeting
6 May, 2014--White 's/Cook Book Recepies(bring sample to share)
3 June, 2014--Owl Ridge Farm/Stuff Wool Bags
As an additional note for the 6 May meeting, I want to update the "Resources" page on our web site so please look at it and bring any additions or deletions with you. Also, I want to add a new section on that page that will list equipment, books, etc; that would be available for a member to borrow on occasion. The purpose is to reduce the amount of stuff we all have to own and better utilize that which we do own!
That's all folks.............has anyone located Spring?
Friday, March 1, 2013
Dare I say March and Spring in the same breath?
We have a meeting coming up on the 5th of March at Owl Ridge Farm in New Braintree. We need to be there early as the Speaker needs to start while we eat at 6:30 PM. Don't forget to give Chris a call to let her know if you will be there.
Lambing is underway for most of us and I would encourage everyone to keep in mind that there are plenty of us around to help, provide anything you might have forgotten or help you might need. I have already hit up a member for some colostrum for a set of twins who's mother had no milk(a ram got through the fence and she was not on the breeding list). At any rate, we are all here to help each other.
In looking through the statistics for this blog, several of you are looking in on a regular basis, makes me want to keep it up and try to be informative. I am currently working with our Hubbardston Ag Committee to bring forward a ballot question to eliminate the collection of farm equipment excise tax. Our first order of business is to get the Assessors to discontinue assessing our livestock and equipment under the personal property tax. Despite it contravening Mass General Laws, after four years, we are finally being heard. When this is over, I will be knowledgeable on the subject!!!!!
Hope today's weather qualifies as "Lion" so the rest of the month becomes a lamb. Stay warm and have a great month.
Lambing is underway for most of us and I would encourage everyone to keep in mind that there are plenty of us around to help, provide anything you might have forgotten or help you might need. I have already hit up a member for some colostrum for a set of twins who's mother had no milk(a ram got through the fence and she was not on the breeding list). At any rate, we are all here to help each other.
In looking through the statistics for this blog, several of you are looking in on a regular basis, makes me want to keep it up and try to be informative. I am currently working with our Hubbardston Ag Committee to bring forward a ballot question to eliminate the collection of farm equipment excise tax. Our first order of business is to get the Assessors to discontinue assessing our livestock and equipment under the personal property tax. Despite it contravening Mass General Laws, after four years, we are finally being heard. When this is over, I will be knowledgeable on the subject!!!!!
Hope today's weather qualifies as "Lion" so the rest of the month becomes a lamb. Stay warm and have a great month.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Does it always take this long to recover from the Holidays?
We had a great "family" Holiday season with trips to Florida for Thanksgiving, family home on the farm for Christmas and a big family birthday celebration in Savannah on New Years Day. Follow all that by a couple of lambs born in early January, the ASI Convention in San Antonio in late January and a quick trip home to Wyoming to wish Mom a happy 95th. Getting home to the farm became a priority as the months wore on and after firing up the wood stoves and re-bedding barns, all seems right with the world again.
The ASI convention was, as always, a great way to start the year. There was the usual broad menu of meetings and programs available. So many in fact, that there is not enough time to take it all in. This year I "cut" a Wool Council forum to take in one on the Lamb Council agenda. I was very interested in presentations from USDA, and others, on the plight of the lamb meat market; the causes and the path to recovery. Other presentations dealt with the soon to be available "Tenderness" labeling sticker for Lamb to be issued by USDA. There will a few hoops to jump through to qualify, however, in the presentation, it was stated that almost all the lamb tested from around the country qualified!
The Make It With Wool banquet and fashion show was again the perfect ending for the convention. Our New England entrants looked great on the runway and while they did not take home the award they would have wanted, they come back to us having done a great job in representing all of us. Anna Charest and Brianna Taylor......you are both the very best! Congratulations.
Our February Association meeting was held at Stony Farm in Holden and the speaker was Nick Forgione, a lawyer from Burns & Levinson, LLC in Boston. Nick specializes in Estate Planning for the agriculture community and his presentation was well received and brought forth an animated Q&A session. If you need contact info for Nick, you can call either me or Gordon for his number.
Our Association Blankets are here and if you have not picked yours up, please make contact with our program managers ASAP as they need their living rooms back. By the way, the blankets are bringing rave reviews.
More next Month!
The ASI convention was, as always, a great way to start the year. There was the usual broad menu of meetings and programs available. So many in fact, that there is not enough time to take it all in. This year I "cut" a Wool Council forum to take in one on the Lamb Council agenda. I was very interested in presentations from USDA, and others, on the plight of the lamb meat market; the causes and the path to recovery. Other presentations dealt with the soon to be available "Tenderness" labeling sticker for Lamb to be issued by USDA. There will a few hoops to jump through to qualify, however, in the presentation, it was stated that almost all the lamb tested from around the country qualified!
The Make It With Wool banquet and fashion show was again the perfect ending for the convention. Our New England entrants looked great on the runway and while they did not take home the award they would have wanted, they come back to us having done a great job in representing all of us. Anna Charest and Brianna Taylor......you are both the very best! Congratulations.
Our February Association meeting was held at Stony Farm in Holden and the speaker was Nick Forgione, a lawyer from Burns & Levinson, LLC in Boston. Nick specializes in Estate Planning for the agriculture community and his presentation was well received and brought forth an animated Q&A session. If you need contact info for Nick, you can call either me or Gordon for his number.
Our Association Blankets are here and if you have not picked yours up, please make contact with our program managers ASAP as they need their living rooms back. By the way, the blankets are bringing rave reviews.
More next Month!
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