Monday, December 3, 2007
Come Visit the Farm
If you would like to see our herd all at once, this week is the perfect time! We will have them here atleast for the week, before moving most the leased land in Harker Heights. Email me at dobeckafarm@wmconnect.com if you'd like to come out!
Beef Available!
I have half the meat available from the last bull I processed - White Face. The customer that I was saving it for has lost their freezer, so I have lots of beef in mine!
If you are interested, please email me at Dobeckafarm@wmconnect.com to prepare a package for your needs.
I have the following available:
Per Quarter :
Hamburger 16 - 2# pkgs
Short Ribs 2 pkgs
Brisket 1
Arm Roast 1
Tinderloin 1
NYS 1
Fajita 1
Soup Bone 2
TBONE 2
Chili 1
Rump Roast 1
Chuck Roast 1
Rib Steak 2
Sirloin 4
7 Bone Steak 1
Round Steak 6
Stew 1
Pike Roast 1
Liver 1
If you are interested, please email me at Dobeckafarm@wmconnect.com to prepare a package for your needs.
I have the following available:
Per Quarter :
Hamburger 16 - 2# pkgs
Short Ribs 2 pkgs
Brisket 1
Arm Roast 1
Tinderloin 1
NYS 1
Fajita 1
Soup Bone 2
TBONE 2
Chili 1
Rump Roast 1
Chuck Roast 1
Rib Steak 2
Sirloin 4
7 Bone Steak 1
Round Steak 6
Stew 1
Pike Roast 1
Liver 1
More Government HELP
Following is taken from an e-mail I received from a friend. She has a wonderful small farm right in the middle of downtown Austin. You can find more about them at www.boggycreekfarm.com.
Last year, Leafy Greens in California's fields, irrigated by huge sprinkler systems, became contaminated by migrating cattle manure, and the leaves, mixed together in huge washing systems, shared the virulent strain of e.coli that caused sickness, and even death in those across our nation who later consumed the bagged salads. Hands were wrung over what caused this, how to correct it, and how to protect the eaters of America's salads.
Since the "official word" is that we will never entirely know how this all happened, finally (and, I guess, reasonably) it is decided that the responsibility to end all contamination rests on the bowed shoulders of the Leafy Greens farmers. Not just the corporate-sized farmers who grow 95% of the Leafy Greens, but all farmers, including those who grow very modest amounts. Proposals range from pathogen lab tests at every harvest to sterilizing fields so that no life lives in the soil other than the Leafy Greens.
Common sense has no power here. And, really, we may be too far down the path to a centralized system of food production, harvesting, handling and packaging to continue to allow small growers to produce for their local communities. For how can a small grower, growing three acres of Leafy Greens, pay for lab tests four times a week, for every variety grown, sterilize the soil, remove all vegetation around the growing area, and then persuade customers to buy two or three week old Leafy Greens, once they've passed the lab tests?
The proposals smell of the same type of regulations (NAIS) that are in line for the folks who own livestock. Eventually, if regulations become The Word, there will be few small farms left.
Information comes through the grapevine slowly, even in this computer age. So it is that in just the last few days, we find out that we are facing a huge threat to our collective nutrition. Monday it turns out, is the last day to comment to USDA if you are displeased over the impending regulations.
If you care to comment, here's a link: http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main Select "open document" and choose from the list "Leafy Greens." Monday is your last chance.
Here are two sites with information....
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_8679.cfm
http://cornucopia.org/index.php/protect-fresh-leafy-greens-and-family-farms/#more-362
This winter may be our last chance to eat Leafy Greens produced on our local farms.
Last year, Leafy Greens in California's fields, irrigated by huge sprinkler systems, became contaminated by migrating cattle manure, and the leaves, mixed together in huge washing systems, shared the virulent strain of e.coli that caused sickness, and even death in those across our nation who later consumed the bagged salads. Hands were wrung over what caused this, how to correct it, and how to protect the eaters of America's salads.
Since the "official word" is that we will never entirely know how this all happened, finally (and, I guess, reasonably) it is decided that the responsibility to end all contamination rests on the bowed shoulders of the Leafy Greens farmers. Not just the corporate-sized farmers who grow 95% of the Leafy Greens, but all farmers, including those who grow very modest amounts. Proposals range from pathogen lab tests at every harvest to sterilizing fields so that no life lives in the soil other than the Leafy Greens.
Common sense has no power here. And, really, we may be too far down the path to a centralized system of food production, harvesting, handling and packaging to continue to allow small growers to produce for their local communities. For how can a small grower, growing three acres of Leafy Greens, pay for lab tests four times a week, for every variety grown, sterilize the soil, remove all vegetation around the growing area, and then persuade customers to buy two or three week old Leafy Greens, once they've passed the lab tests?
The proposals smell of the same type of regulations (NAIS) that are in line for the folks who own livestock. Eventually, if regulations become The Word, there will be few small farms left.
Information comes through the grapevine slowly, even in this computer age. So it is that in just the last few days, we find out that we are facing a huge threat to our collective nutrition. Monday it turns out, is the last day to comment to USDA if you are displeased over the impending regulations.
If you care to comment, here's a link: http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main Select "open document" and choose from the list "Leafy Greens." Monday is your last chance.
Here are two sites with information....
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_8679.cfm
http://cornucopia.org/index.php/protect-fresh-leafy-greens-and-family-farms/#more-362
This winter may be our last chance to eat Leafy Greens produced on our local farms.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Moving Cows!
What a week!
David has moved all of our cattle to our home place. Here, they will be rotated on thirty acres for three weeks so that they can receive two series of vaccinations. We couldn't have got it all done without help from Mr. Smith and his son, Jacob. They have been with David for the last four days loading and helping with the shots.
One bull, a tan mixed we call Czech Mark, because of the sign on his forhead, will be pulled from the meat program. He was looking very run down and David gave him a shot of penicillin. We treat animals if they are run down or sick, but they are not sold as meat from our farm. He will go to sale in two weeks.
Everyone else looks gorgeous! It's so nice to have everyone in our back yard - it's time for a bigger back yard!
David has moved all of our cattle to our home place. Here, they will be rotated on thirty acres for three weeks so that they can receive two series of vaccinations. We couldn't have got it all done without help from Mr. Smith and his son, Jacob. They have been with David for the last four days loading and helping with the shots.
One bull, a tan mixed we call Czech Mark, because of the sign on his forhead, will be pulled from the meat program. He was looking very run down and David gave him a shot of penicillin. We treat animals if they are run down or sick, but they are not sold as meat from our farm. He will go to sale in two weeks.
Everyone else looks gorgeous! It's so nice to have everyone in our back yard - it's time for a bigger back yard!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Tanning our first Hide!
This is the last sign of White Face. We called around to several taxidermists, but the cheapest was $700. So...we are attempting to do it ourselves. The last bit of meat came off well with a box knife and we salted it and are letting it dry on one of David's trailers. Here's a picture of our little helper!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Dobecka Family Farm
Six years ago, when my husbands parents retired from farming and moved to town, they gave us two cows and a young heifer. At that time, we only had ten acres to play with and these Red Women became our beloved pets. We have since grown our herd to thirteen mommas and a Big Daddy. The fifty plus acres that surrounds our home have become available for us to graze them on, as well as fifty acres that we have available in Temple with a good friend. Last year, we leased our first large property, consisting of 150 acres that is on Chaparral Road in Killeen. Our goal is to grow to at least thirty mommas and to be able to share our beef with families that are interested in natural beef.
We are striving to be a self-supporting family farm that produces quality grass-fed beef. We pride ourselves on letting you know when the calf you buy was born and to whom, as well as its history and diet information. Our cattle are never given antibiotics or hormones. They are fed quality coastal and sorghum hays, and are rotated on plantings of winter rye and natural Texas grasses. We also provide a salt lick and mineral blocks in winter for mommas with young calves to help replace nutrients that they may be loosing due to dry hay feedings. David likes to feed everyone a snack of range cubes every evening to help keep everyone tame and easy to gather together. Everyone hears Daddy’s truck and comes running!
Beef is available by the quarter for $3.00 per pound hanging weight. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us. We’d love to have you and your family out to see the herd and learn more about what we are providing.
David & Stacy Dobecka
Dobeckafarm@wmconnect.com
We are striving to be a self-supporting family farm that produces quality grass-fed beef. We pride ourselves on letting you know when the calf you buy was born and to whom, as well as its history and diet information. Our cattle are never given antibiotics or hormones. They are fed quality coastal and sorghum hays, and are rotated on plantings of winter rye and natural Texas grasses. We also provide a salt lick and mineral blocks in winter for mommas with young calves to help replace nutrients that they may be loosing due to dry hay feedings. David likes to feed everyone a snack of range cubes every evening to help keep everyone tame and easy to gather together. Everyone hears Daddy’s truck and comes running!
Beef is available by the quarter for $3.00 per pound hanging weight. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us. We’d love to have you and your family out to see the herd and learn more about what we are providing.
David & Stacy Dobecka
Dobeckafarm@wmconnect.com
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