Hi there!

Trevor here filling in for the vacationing Leona. It's been a while since I've had the chance to write a newsletter start to finish, so thank you for tuning in to my ramblings.

I've spent the entirety of 2019 down at the farm developing calloused hands and an even greater appreciation for farmers. My daily responsibilities include caring for the livestock that we harvest and feed to you. Below I will expand more on some of the nuances.

Speaking of meat, this week we do have some special Freezer Meat Bundles to announce. We recently have harvested quite a bit of beef, pork, and chicken and have bundled a variety of cuts for your convenience and savings.

Lastly, this week marks a long overdue milestone for summer - the arrival of sweet corn. This has been a "year for the record books," with record wet conditions timed perfectly at the worst timing, making it an exceptionally challenging year for farmers.

-Trevor and the Fresh Fork Market Team

Follow Trevor on Instagram
I've made it to the 21st century. I broke down and downloaded a social media app.

It was probably around Thanksgiving last year when I did it. Adam was on vacation at Ohio City Provisions, and he usually controlled the social media. I wanted to fill in while he was gone, so I went to the loading dock, found a private spot on a milk crate, and sat down to figure it out.

Out came the 21 year old cashier to bring out cardboard. I clearly startled her. "Whoa, what are you doing?" asked Mackenzie. With a mischievous look and a slight smirk, I proclaimed "Working on the 'gram." She laughed and got me started.

And that's how it all began. I feel very lucky that I've had so many amazing experiences in life and now I can share those with you via Instagram (which also duplicate post on Facebook).

You can follow me and the happenings of the farm at:
Pasture Based Farming is Unpredictable
As the days on the calendar click away, I stare at my list of half completed projects - somewhat disappointed in myself. It's one of those classic scenarios of "easier said than done." In January I was excited to take over daily operations of the farm and make the necessary changes for efficiency, quality, and productivity of the land and animals.

Reflecting on what I've seen on other farms over the years, I do think we are producing the best quality and healthiest food ever available at Fresh Fork, but being a tough critic, I always see room for improvement.

Each group of animals has presented its own challenge. In March and April, I built all new drag pens for the season - 30 total - to ensure we had a productive and healthy flock of broilers (meat chickens). Between the drag pens and the shade wagons, we raise broilers in groups of approximately 3,000 at a time. Each structure this year got new "water nipples," a pressure regulator to ensure proper availability of water, and a lower stocking density. The birds are moved daily to a new piece of grass. (top photo)

But each morning when we go to move the birds we find a surprise. Usually a handful of dead birds shredded by some predator such as a racoon or skunk. Maybe the predator figured out how to open the door, or it tunneled under the side, or the ground wasn't perfectly level. Over the course of 5 weeks, we could be losing as many as 150 birds to predators!

But what's the solution? Moving the guard dogs in means creating a dog proof fence around a 15 acre field. That takes a lot of time and money. And shooting the predators means staying up half the night to catch them in the action. Poisoning them probably means wiping out half of the neighbors feral kittens. What to do?
Then the beef. Big, social, and admirable. But when they get loose, they are destructive. We spent weeks this winter working on fence. We made the pastures smaller for more frequent rotations and created paths to rotate around the farm. Just when you have them where you want them, the GFCI pops on the electric fence charger. Next thing you know the beef are not where you want them. Maybe they scratch their head on a gate and figure out that the hinge wasn't tightened 100%. Then you wake up to 70 of them stomping up your tomato plants or breaking into the chicken shade wagons to steal the grain out of the feeder, in the process breaking water lines and stomping chickens into a muddy grave. (second photo down). Yes, this has happened too many times to be funny anymore.

To me those hiccups are all part of farming. What I'm most interested in for the beef is improving the sugar content of the grass on the pasture to fatten them more effectively. For a 100% grassfed beef farmer, adding fat cover and marbling is very difficult. Corn, for the guy with a feedlot, is cheap, easy, and fast sugar. The beef's body converts excess carbohydrates into fat to store for later use. Getting the same results on grass is much more difficult. We must have a blend of good genetics, intensive management, and a fertilization program for the pasture. All sound achievable, but also subject to weather conditions. Grazing pasture at the right time is a touchy subject. In the third photo, you likely see fat cattle with an abundance of grass. I see fat cattle with mature grass, some of it past the boot stage, that is less palatable and lower in available nutrients. The timing of rain and heat brought this pasture on faster than I could graze it. By using a mixture of grasses in the pasture, not all are over-ripe - in fact, a majority are perfect - but after each grazing I must mow the pasture to ensure that everything regrows evenly and at the young, tasty and most nutritious stage that the beef like.

In the bottom photo, you can see I got it just right. The beef had spent the previous day on the pasture to the left. It is mowed down uniformly just as they are about to enjoy the new pasture on the right. Isn't that crazy how much they eat and how fast?
Summer Meat Bundles
Every crop, including livestock, has an optimal season, particularly when you focus on pasture raised meats. Chicken, for example, only benefits grass and pasture when raised in the summer, so we raise all of our meat birds from May through October. Grassfed beef, similarly, does best in the summer.

In the winter months, beef is fed hay that is made during the summer. While this can be quite nutritious, it doesn't have nearly the same effect as grass. The beef gain weight through a combination of environmental factors, ranging from day length and temperature to the protein and carbohydrates in the grass. It is nature's way of letting the animal store away energy for the winter. For us, that's when they are the best eating.

Since mid-April, the beef have been on pasture with an aggressive rotation schedule. The goal is to gain 2 or more pounds of flesh per day. That means lots of grass. In fact, a mature cow, nursing a calf, can consume up to 160 lbs of grass per day over a 12 hour active grazing period. That's a lot of grass to process.

So after three months on grass, the beef are finishing out nicely and we are harvesting as many as quickly as we can. But at Fresh Fork, selling beef online is difficult. Each cut is a different weight, and sometimes they vary a lot from animal to animal. So we literally have to list one animal at a time so that we can accurately fill your orders. This is difficult to do and sometimes limits our availability.

To solve this problem, we put together some bundles that allow us to sell to you in volume at a lower price, and reduce our cost to list and inventory the products. Below are some bundles we are putting together to help you stock your freezer.

These bundles are PREORDER and will be delivered on Week 10, the week starting in August 5th, to your primary pickup location as selected on your profile.
Steak, and nothing else: $120

No explanation needed here. Let’s get to the center of the steer. 100% grassfed. Price: $120. Approx 9#
-        2, Beef Ribeye Steaks (approx. 2.5#)
-        2 Beef T-Bone Steaks (approx. 2.5#)
-        2 Beef Sirloin Steaks (approx. 2.5#)
-        1 Beef Skirt Steak (approx. 1.5#)
Get Grilling Bundle: $100

This package incorporates our best cuts for the grill. Fast cooking, high heat cuts that you can enjoy even after frost. 

Price: $100. Approx: 13 to 15# of meat
-        Pork: 2, 2 packs boneless loin chops (approx. 2.5#)
-        Beef: 2 steaks, ribeye or T-bone (approx. 2.5#), 2# ground beef
-        Chicken: 2, 2 packs chicken breast (approx. 2.5#)
-        Sausage: 1 package beef and bacon burger patties (1.25#), 1 package smoked kielbasa (1.25#), and 1 package nitrate free hot dogs (1#)
Barnyard Basic Bundle: $60

This is a bundling of our most popular family friendly meat options, including chicken, beef, and pork from our own Wholesome Valley Farm. 
Price: $60. Approx 16#
-        Pork: boston butt roast (approx. 2.5#), ground pork sausage (2#)
-        Beef: beef pot roast (approx. 3#), stew meat (2#), ground beef (2#)
-        Chicken: 1 whole chicken (approx. 4.5#)
Breakfast 3 ways: $60

 Nothing wakes you up like the salty smokiness of our heritage pork bacon or the sweet notes of the maple breakfast sausage. Price: $60, 9# total. 
-        3# each of the bacon breakfast sausage patties, 3# maple breakfast links, and 3# nitrate free bacon. 

Barnyard Premium Bundle: $100

For those more adventurous in the kitchen, this bundle gives you a few cost effective challenges, including beef, pork, chicken, and duck from our own Wholesome Valley Farm. 
Price: $100. Approx 16#
-        Pork: Pork Spare ribs (approx. 2.5#), smoked ham hock (approx. 2#), and salt and pepper plain sausage (1#)
-        Beef: 2 crosscut shanks (approx. 3#), skirt steak (approx. 1#), 2 T-Bone Steaks (approx. 2.5#)
-        Duck: 1 whole duck (approx. 5.5#)
-        Chicken: 2, 4 packs chicken drumsticks and 2, 4 packs chicken thighs (approx. 3#)
Cluckin' Good Deal: $125

There is no disputing the quality difference between our pasture raised chicken and store-bought chicken. Use this bundle to stock up at a steal of a deal: $125, approx 25#
  • 4, 2 packs chicken breast, approx 6#
  • 2, 4 packs chicken thighs, approx 3#
  • 4, 4 packs chicken drumsticks, approx 5#
  • 2, 2# bags of wings
  • 2 packages Chicken Patties (4 patties per pack, 1.25# each, 2.5# total)
  • 2 packages Ground Chicken (2#)
  • 2 packages Chicken Brats (2.5#)
Order the bundles online now thru Tues, August 6th. Availability is very limited. Delivery will the week of August 5th.
Special Orders need to be placed & paid for in full by Tuesday at midnight to be delivered on this week's routes.
Bag Contents
THE MINI
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Green Beans
Green Peppers
Zucchini
Peaches



 





SMALL OMNIVORE
Maple Breakfast Links
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Green Beans
Fennel
Sweet Corn
Green Peppers
Medium Hot Stuffing Peppers
Zucchini/Yellow Squash
Peaches






LARGE OMNIVORE
Maple Breakfast Links
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Green Beans
Fennel
Sweet Corn
Green Peppers
Medium Hot Stuffing Peppers
Zucchini/Yellow Squash
Peaches
Jalapeno
Slicing Tomatoes
Cherries
Ground Chicken


 



SMALL VEGETARIAN
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Green Beans
Fennel
Sweet Corn
Green Peppers
Medium Hot Stuffing Peppers
Zucchini/Yellow Squash
Peaches
Apricots
Tomatoes






LARGE VEGETARIAN
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Green Beans
Fennel
Sweet Corn
Green Peppers
Medium Hot Stuffing Peppers
Zucchini/Yellow Squash
Peaches
Apricots
Tomatoes, double
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Jalapeno
Cherries


VEGAN
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Green Beans
Fennel
Sweet Corn
Green Peppers
Medium Hot Stuffing Peppers
Zucchini/Yellow Squash
Peaches
Apricots
Tomatoes


Carnivore Share Week 9 & 10
Group A
Braise
Pork Chops 
Chicken Patties
Chicken Drumsticks 
Sauerkraut

Group B
Steak
Pork Chops
Chicken Brats
Chicken Thighs
Pickles

You can still sign up for a Summer Carnivore Share. Add it alongside your regular summer subscription. Learn more!
OUR FAMILY OF COMPANIES