Chicken Thistle Farm CoopCast

Don't you love it when people say something exciting, positive, motivational and then...  add in the BUT! We just announced last week that new episodes are on the table - here's the BUT.

All great stories need to come to their rightful conclusion...  join us for the Alpha of the Omega with the hosts of the Chicken Thistle Farm Coopcast!

As the year draws to a close, we share some thoughts about life that has transpired since our last episode on March 31st... Farming has been a lot of fun and a lot of hard work.  We have shared some of our highest highs and lowest lows as a result of our farming endeavours. We hope we have cultivated some ideas and new farmers and look forward to the unknowns a offers!

The fine legslative geniuses in MD keep the bees safe -  Soon your bacon will be genetically engineered -  And we review the piece of movie garbage known as Batman vs Superman

Want to get people fired up and yelling for no reason - mention raw milk...  which we did and this episode dissects the fun that follows. But before we got to that conversation we talked about spring planting plans and the beehives!

This episode is mostly listener questions that we answer about our hoop house, construction methods, and gardening inside the hoop house.  We also touch on garden planning and winter beekeeping. Hoop house hoop bender - http://www.lostcreek.net/ Hoophouse book -   

This entire episode is dedicated to the 2016 Farm Meeting where we discuss the vegetable gardens, seeds, chickens, pigs, ducks and all things farm related.  After deciding we were going to cut back on the farm in 2016 this meeting helped us put it all into perspective in terms of what we are and are not going to be doing. CHeck us out on social media to join in the conversation - facebook.com/chickenthistlefarm, @chickenthistle on Twitter...Or - follow Farmer Andy @farmerandyman on Twitter and Instagram!

From the farm this week we share a few updates (but it's a slow season for a slower year).  We also discuss our seed order, country of origin labeling of meats (WHO), beekeeping and review Star Wars Links that matter include :  We ordered from Burpee Seed - no special link or promocode...  but if you DO order from them - tell them you heard about them on our show - we put our name in the link to maybe get some attention from their web people!!! (at this time looks like new visits get 20% off!) Forbes (Teeve Torbs) link about the change in country of origin labeling of imported meats Local Harvest: Kelli's StichFix signup link - do it - she appreciates it!

This episode is the last broadcast for 2015.  So Merry Christmas everyone! We talk a bit about update around the farm and how it's a bit strange to not have so much "farm" to worry about.  We also answer some Facebook listener questions about the trees we planted, the fields, the berry patch and other things left unsaid around the farm. Then we conclude with a mention of a few of our favorite things - things for the farm, things in our personal life and favorite wines and spirits. Farmer Kelli's list includes offering this signup referral to any and all listeners who want to try out her new favorite service - 

After the Thanksgiving turkey wore off we decided to get back to the farming podcast...  and we talk about the most recent pork cuts we picked up.  We then talk about some of the food we made for Thanksgiving and deer season and Farmer Andy shares the Thanksgiving morning story of his big buck! We wrap up the episode with Farm U on E. coli O157:H7, what it is, where it comes from and Dr. Farmer Kelli shares a resource (cdc.gov) to learn more about infectious diseases and foodborne diseases.

This episode we talk about the taking of the pigs to the processor, some updates from around the farm and about deer season... and the highly anticipated tomato round up from the vegetable garden.

After posting that we were taking a pig to the processor and hurting some folks feelings...  we decided we didn't really care.  Toughen up folks.  So we make fun of them. Then we talk about the deer season to date and update people on the honey harvest from our first year of bees. In general - it's a bunch of farm updates.

We return with pig, chicken, bee and vegetable garden updates.  We then talk a bit about a discovery about the stiffness of your arrow and the placement of a broadhead shot (yeah - giggle if you want) as it pertains to archery / bowhunting.  And the nwe conclude with some listener emails and a discussion about a sugar free diet.

In this episode we just shae some udpates and clarification about the fate and future of the farm.  We also talk a bit about some of the veggies we discovered still thriving in the gardens.

In this episode we return to the coopcast to discuss the future of our farm and all the different enterprises we have in play.  

In the first ever solo recorded Coopcast Farmer Andy shares the events of the last month that have put our farm and future plans on hold.  This is a candid and honest monologue about where we are and what decisions we have ahead about the farm.

Since we are in the busy time of year it's just another update show around the farm! We talk about the process and the reasons why we castrate our piglets.  We also share the history of why we are so sure to do the castrations when we do them.  Then we talk about the pastured chickens, the egg layers and the vegetable gardens.  We wrap up with the latest beekeeping / bee swarm update.

This weeks episode is a short "SPROUTCAST" where we just tell the story of pig farrowing and the outcome of pigs on the farm this year.  It's recorded in the truck - but even lor fidelity is better than nofidelity, right?

This week we walk arounf the farm and update you on all the things going on. We captured a wild honeybee swarm and talk about what the process was and how we managed things.  We discuss the Cornish Cross chickens that are not being liek regualr chickens of past years. Then we talk a bit about the pig we are expecting to farrow any day now.  Then we finish up in the vegetable garden discussing some of what's been going on there! Busy time of year and a lot going on.

This episode sorta wanders all over in terms of updates.  Farmer Andy started a new way of eating and by cutting sugar out of his diet he's found a whole new way to live life.  We discuss some of our favorite wines (from boxes) and other cocktails...  then we move into the farm updates.  We talk about the chickens (broilers and layers), a exciting night with a critter in the coop, the pig getting ready to farrow, the greenhouse, beekeeping and more. It's a lot of updates - but we have a log of farming activites to update you about!

I this episode we talk about where we have been the last 2 weeks and why we haven't coopcasted.  We share the story of the chickens arriving early this year and their bad attitudes.  We talk about the moved pig, planting the vegetable garden and what's going on in the greenhouse (like fresh strawberries).

After getting our new beehive we have checked in on their progress and the hive is growing quickly.  We update everyone on the status and happening in the hive.  We then talk about the trees we have been planting as well as the early spring gardening efforts.  The potatoes are in, the peas and asparagus is up and the greenhouse is full.  Tune in to hear all the latest updates!

This is the first low qulaity audo episode we have produced as we were driving in the truck to pickup our beehive and still wanted to produce an episode.  So we talk a little about bees, the seedlings for the vegetable garden and the animals. It's 15 minutes of free content recorded ina truck - it's gotta be great!

This weeks episode tells the story of the Great Hedgerow Fire of 2015...  but it wasn't that great.   We then just field a bunch of listener questions from a Periscope session! Questions range from pig updates to tractors to beekeeping... Ohh - and you can leave us a voicemail now too for the podcast! :)

We start by setting the record straight after last weeks April Fools episode.  After we clean up the misinformation we move on to talking about seed starting, soil blocks, plans for the vegetable garden and greenhouse and seeding the pasture behind the chickens.  We also talk a bit about a chronic infection that may be plaguing our swine herd. Then we move to the Front Porch to discuss the "real" farm meeting for 2015 and what changes and plans we have in store for the farm.  This leads into a discussion about the work / life balance that is a real challenge when working a full time job and trying to run a full time farm.

Recorded on April 1st 2015 - this episod of the CHicken Thistle Farm Coopcast focuses on some lofty farm plans for 2015 that have all come together today.  Check out the episode all the way to the end to get all the details about the vegetable CSA and pig operations (and so much more) @ Chicken Thistle Farm.

Back from vacation in Florida, Farmer And puts his pants back on and sits down to talk with Farmer Kelli about the long list of springtime tasks ahead.  We refer to our community and how great almost all our listeners are...  and how cool it is to watch them smack down the weeds that crop up! Still waiting for the snow to melt we talk a little about beekeeping and a local supplier we came up with for our frames, gear and starter hive (Nuc). In the Community we share our thoughts on a small farm in NY that has been in the news for some not so positive reasons.  We also talk about how changing the food system is achievable when you vote with your wallet.

This week spring appears to have made an appearance and the snows are slowly receeding!  Still things are slow on the farm and in the vegetable gardens so we talk a little about the tough decisions of a small business when it comes to firing a customer.  We also celebrated the fact that our AI was successful and our gilt is with pigs! Then in the community we talk about the farms newset adventure - raising bees.  Beekeeping was somethign we had thought about but the kind gift from a listener of ours has started us down the path to our first hive (and likely trip to the ER).  So we talk a little about the process we are taking to start up bees on the farm.  We are also excited about the impact on the vegetable gardens the added polenators should have! Finally in the community we talk about a great question a listener posted on our Facebook page about treated seeds and what that means and what our thoughts and practices are on using treated seeds in our vegetable gardens.

In this episode we discuss the crazy weather around the world and give our hopefull update on the AI situation with our gilt. In the Coopcast Community we discuss a new tractor and what implemnts we reccomend for that tractor.  Frontend loader, tiller and rotarty mower come to the top of the list...  but that's not it. In the Veggie Patch we circle back around to the Rowboat of Goodness from our listeners and list off some of the explicit varites we have selected.

This weeks episode shares our issues with a trio of cottontail rabbits that have been terrorizing our landscape and what we did to solve the issue.  We also complain about the snow and the cold on the farm.... because...  it feels good to complain.  We quickly throw in a mention of wood shavings and the chicken coop as well. Then in the Veggie Patch we talk about some of the notable varieties of seeds that we purchased this year and where we got them from. Finally in a the prototype hunting / fishing / land management / rural  lifestyle segment...  Farmer Andy talks a bit about a new part discovery that lets you move a scope and rings between different rifles a lot easier!

The updates this week are short as the cold weather has mostly kept the farming inside.  It's also hard to do much with over 3 feet (that's a meter for our international listeners) of snow on the ground.  We do take some time ot tell the story of Farmer Andy and his boxed wine tho! In this episodes Farm U we talk about the hard and factual science behind vaccines and the debate about vaccination.  We look at the mechanisms of the immune system and the research behind the methodology.  Farmer Andy and Dr. Kelli have a round table discussion clarifying the real science of vaccines. Finally we wind up on the front porch to share some of our closing opinions about the vaccine "debate" that's out there from our perspective.

This weeks updates include our struggles with a new gilt and artificial insemination this winter.  We also talk about the other challenges of the deep snow and our chickens. We then look forward to warmer days in the Veggie Patch segment where we talk about the process we go through ordering seeds for the vegetable garden.  Who we have ordered seeds from before and what we look for in a seed company.

** There's one bad word - so for the kids ears this is marked "EXPLICIT" ** This weeks episode was a tough one as we talked about the loss of one of our first pigs ever - our favorite sow Hermione.  We talk about the stuff that led up to her passing and then how we managed things after she was gone.  That includes how our one lone pig Snow White is doing this winter. Then we have some Ruminations about the farms online that don't share the lows of farming and only seem to like to share the positives.  We talk a bit about the following article - 

In this episode we review the happenings on the farm (and gardens) over the last few weeks. We talk about the chickens finally starting to lay eggs again (and the impact of extending their days with lights). We talk about some of the food we ate and made of the holidays and we discuss the missed opportunity with artificial insemination and our pigs.  Andy complains about the cold weather and then warms up while telling a hunting store from last deer season.

Our final episode of 2014 is dedicated to our listeners and fans around the globe this holiday season.  It's our huge thank you for making us the #1 farming podcast on the planet! We talk about emails, tweets, Face book comments and posts as well as personal interactions and phone calls we haven't gotten to but have most deffinately read!  Thanks to everyone in the community for listening and be a part of the CoopCast in 2014. For those of you who know how to use search engines we do talk about moving electic netting and moving pasture pens. :) Merry Christmas from Chicken Thistle Farm!

This episode brings us back from a few weeks off and updates about the events we had around here on the farm that kept us from coopcasting last week. We talk a little bit about farming and health care in proximity to the farm (given the recent events).  We also discuss our sick pig and the course of treatment we underwent to get her back to being a healthy girl again! In the Farmers Choice segment we share a few simple gift ideas for the holidays that might make your shopping easier!

We are calling this the "We eat good episode" since we are talking about simple, fast and delicious farm recipes including: Pressure cooker chicken Frozen veggies in chili Pre-made frozen cookie rounds Easy ways to help you can / freeze more food. In the Veggie Patch we climb on board the Rowboat of Goodness and discuss a few winter squash varieties and some of our favorite non-lettuce greens in the garden.

This weeks updates are around the pick up of the smoked pork (and we have customers coming as we are recording).  Farmer Andy shares a bit of a bow season update and we talk a little about the status of the hoop house. We close with a review of the local fruit CSA we were enrolled in and all the goodness and a little of the stuff they could have improved.

This weeks updates include a hunting season short session.  We talk about bo season so far and the only arrow this season to miss its mark thus far.  We also talk about the pork that's back from the butcher and the impact of the seasonal reduction in eggs. In Farmer Kelli's Choice, we take a trip down memory lane.  Visit our Facebookpage (login not needed) and scroll back through the pictures to our first post in 2010...  we walk through 2010 and 2011 remembering several of the highlights in photos!

This week's update is really an episode discussion around the end of the pork season for us - the moving of the pigs to the USDA processor.  We talk through what we did to get the pigs comfortable wit hthe trailer, how we use sorting borads to move the pigs on pasture into the trailer, our holding pen strategy, fencing and dropoff. It's really a retelling of the stories and some of hte skills we used to get this little piggie to market! 

In this episode the Updates include Farmer Andy's pants free romp becasue of the warm weather, Hermione moving back to pasture with the piglets and preparations for taking the pigs for processing. Then in the Veggie Patch we discuss an overview of our tomato varieties for 2014- what will stay on the rowboat of goodness and what gets tossed overboard! Varieties discussed: Juliet BHN624 cherry Sungold cherry Piriform Valencia Pink Beauty Cherokee Green New Girl Brandywine Cherokee Purple Defiant Celebrity Martha Washington San Marzano

This week's updates include our prep work in getting ready to move the pigs to the processor this year. We also put the vegetable garden to bed for the season and talk about the process and some of the suprise veggiesthis year. And of course, we have to talk about hunting season. In the Coopcast Community we respond to questions about black fly farming (maggots!), starting a CSA and the callenges involved and how some of our listeners have used our content at some very emotional and powerful moments in their lives.  It's insane to hear people listeing to us with a spouse on their death bed, recovering from cancer or training to defuse a bomb.

This week the CoopCast becomes a HoopCast! We spend the episode looking at photos of our greenhouse / hoophouse / high tunnel and talk through the design and the how nad the why.  We both share our thoughts and opinions on the evolution of our enclosed vegetable garden area and what we like about gardening inside a controlled structure. If you are following along all the images can be found on our Flickr page in the album  Also an indepth discussion when we built it is on our  as well.

This week our farm updates are simple as the season is slowing down to just the basics.  We talk about the plantings in the gardens in the greenhouse since frost is now in our area.  We are hoping to extend the season and keep harvesting vegetables and herbs for several more months.  There's also updates about pigs in pasture as well. In the Ruminations discussion this week we talk about businesses and how so many let opportunity slip through their fingers.  We share the details of a cheese making class we took at a local winery and the missed opportunities that were everywhere.  There's lessons to be learned in bad expereinces and this one was rife with them.  Although - making your own cheese is cool! We also talk about a business that asked us for input and HOPED we might mention them - .  It's a cool concept on .  It's a much better approach to a business than the first one (they asked us clearly for feedback and hoped we would mention them).  There are still some lessons to be learned here as well. The final business we talk about is Adams Holsters - the makers of the  you have ever seen -  - and one of the best gifts we have ever received from a coopcast listener!

Back from a break we talk aboutthe pigs in the pasture and how well they are growing, the late blight that got the tomatoes, the success we had with straw based potatoes and a whole lot more. We also go over the 500th iTunes review and answer some listener feedback on topics ranging from keeping stock tanks fresh to predators to game cameras.

This weeks updates start with the pigs scheduled for butcher, their pasture and their rapid weight gains after worming.  We moved the chicken netting fencing for the layers and have been busy in the vegetable gardens and kitchen.  Farmer Kelli has been canning and freezing all sorts of fresh veggies as well as baked, roasted, blanched and parboiled treats! The vegetable garden is producing and we are expecting be offer an end of summer share full of goodness - including a pasture raised chicken. The Farm U is part of a series we are starting called How We Do It - where we take things that have had lots of questions from listeners and do our best to show with pictures and explanations how we do things around the farm. This weeks episode is all about "Containment" - our fencing setup and why we made the decisions we did. To follow along with the images we are discussing - visit our flicker page and the album  Good ole Flickr link -  We are off for 2 weeks over Labor Day - so enjoy your celebrations and be safe.

After taking a week off for a trip to Empire Farm Days, we return with an update from the farm show.  We also share the story of a sick pig on the farm who contracted weaning swine meningitis and what we did to get Mr Green Beans back to health. We tour the Veggie Patch to talk about all the harvested and put up foods Kelli has been making / freezing / canning as she's enjoying a greate vegetable garden season this year.  The homestead is certainly going to be prepared for the polar vortex this winter! There's also a bit of fun discussions around the farm this week too!

This episode won't go down as one of the most exciting or passionate - but we do talk about the status of things mid-summer around the farm.  We continue to prep the pasture for the piglet weaning, the layers are laying and the vegetable garden and green house is producing LOTS of fresh produce this time of year. In the We Eat Good segment Farmer Kelli talks about some of her favorite recipes for the fresh veggies that are piled on the counters this time of year.  They are all paper printed recipes so no links - but pay attention and she tells you where to find them or what to Google. You might find some things here: http://www.chickenthistlefarm.com/blog/tag/recipe or here http://www.chickenthistlefarm.com/blog/category/recipes

This weeks farming updatesinclude our experience this week processing chickens on anotehr farm as helpers.  We also moved the pigs to fresh pasture and are getting ready for weaning.  Finally the vegetable garden and the greenhouse are producing all sorts of fresh veggies...  so Farmer Kelli takes us through what they are and what she has been doing with them. In the Coopcast Community segment we catch up on the listener backlog of emails, posts, tweets and all sorts of other forms of questions.  From a solider in Afgahanastan to listeners in Europe to the ever popular Doctor Who and Star Trek questions - we try and answer them all. In a Coopcast produced and directed by Farmer Andy...  things in this episode don't follow any stinkin agenda! 

This episode discusses the setup and work that goes into chicken processng BEFORE the actual chicken processing event.  There's a lot more than just catching and plucking involved on a well run chicken processing event and we thought it might be worth while sharing those stories and preps as well. We then share a bit of a retrospective on the actual events of the chicken rocessing day and how we run the event. Finally we have a Farmers Choice segment that answers so many of the continual questions and misinformation out there about the Cornish Cross chickens we raise.

After a week of on farm vacation and frozen fresh fruit libations enjoyed on the deck, we are back with a bunch of updates around the pastured chickens, a recent hoophouse project and the vegetable gardens.  We also talk about the pigs and some general happenigns around the farm. In the Veggie Patch we talk a lot about the success of the peas, the success we have had training and pruning the tomato plants this year and an update on our mulching. This week on Close Encounters with Free Ranging Farmers on the Front Porch - we talk about a seemingly non-farm thing...  The recent firing of "shock jock" (what a stupid title) Anthony Cumia from Sirius XM's Opie and Anthony show and why EVERYONE should be outraged.  Not at his tweets and not at his show...  but becasue it appears anyone, anytime, can be fired for their opinions when not at work if they are unpopular, unaccepted, not politically correct or whatever.  Think this has no impact on you - what if there's "outrage" becasue people don't like you promoting an "unsafe" food - something, maybe, like raw milk?