So Many Pigs, So Little Fresh Air. Most farmers make great neighbors. But if your farm includes thousands of pigs confined to buildings, and stinky outdoor anaerobic lagoons to hold all the pig waste, it’s difficult to be neighborly. A jury just delivered a verdict worth more than $50 million to ten plaintiffs who live […]
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The invention of the plow was a key development in human history. It allowed the mass cultivation of land to grow food. Nevertheless, in hindsight, it was a case of overstepping nature’s guidelines. In all but the most brittle environments, nature covers untilled soil with a living green boimass, that acts like a sponge. Rain […]
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Despite all the talk about cows being a major culprit in our weather woes, cattle, AND thus humans eating beef, can be a force for good in the world. The negatives associated with cattle are a management matter rather than an inherent cow issue. Throughout all of history, milk, meat, hides and other cattle products […]
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Grassfed or Grass Finished Beef? As the public has become more aware that “grassfed” beef has greater health benefits than the “feedlot” beef typically found in supermarkets and restaurants, advertising word games have begun. In fact, “grassfed beef” is starting to appear in many supermarkets and even fast food restaurants. But is it really? First […]
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We often talk about how through managed rotational grazing Pettit Pastures is improving soil health and the water cycle on our farm. In this article we go into more detail on how improved soil health and a functional water cycle are intertwined. Back in grade school, most of us learned about the water cycle. Rain […]
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San Francisco recently passed an ordinance that may affect the way livestock is raised in the US. The city is requiring major supermarket chains with at least 25 stores, and one in San Francisco, to share details about how antibiotics were used in the production systems that supply their meats. Now you may be wondering, […]
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NOAA scientists are reporting that this summer’s dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, at the mouth of the Mississippi River, is the largest ever recorded – 8,776 square miles. That is approximately the size of the state of New Jersey. The dead zone occurs because excessive nutrient pollution (particularly nitrogen and especially phosphorous) […]
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In the past, the Pettit Pastures blog has mostly been an update about what has been happening on the farm. Starting with this post, we have decided to change the format a bit. We will still give an abbreviated farm update, but in addition, we will be adding information relevant to the way we farm, […]
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It has been a while since my last farm update. I believe we were getting ready for calving season to begin. Now we are just finishing up with calving, working on spring planting, and starting our grazing season. We had 21 calves born this year, all without assistance from us. All our calves were born […]
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Spring is officially here! With all the warm weather winter seemed rather short, but we made the most of our warm winter, staying busy weaning calves, keeping customers supplied with beef, and fencing new pasture. Pettit Pastures made it through another weaning season with zero calves getting sick! We put a lot of thought and effort […]
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