Thursday, May 14, 2009


The end of the school year is always a busy time and this year it seems even busier – probably because I have been gone the last three weekends and the laundry fairy hasn’t made an appearance. The last few weeks have also been filled with packing. As of May 22, I will be trading textbooks and students for children and chickens. I have enjoyed teaching the last 14 years but am excited about this new adventure as a full time mom and farm hand.

With endings, also come new beginnings. On May 9th, we had our first Tips and Tastes party. Jim and Jennifer Tillberg were very gracious hosts and we shared farm fare and fellowship with several other couples. If you’re interested in hosting a Tips and Tastes party in the fall, please let me know. It’s a great time to find out more about how your food is raised and meet your farmers.

This seems to be a time for firsts. Beginning May 23rd, Dale Family Farms will be attending the Greensburg Farmers Market. After two years of looking for a farmers market that would fit with our production model and distance, we finally found a place to go. We are very thankful that they are allowing us to come and are sure that it will be a learning experience.

I think last month I wrote that we had received a huge amount of snow at the end of March. The moisture has continued and we’ve received 6-7 more inches of rain during the last month. Everything is green and growing. My husband, the optimist, assures me however that we are always two weeks away from being dry again – the hazards of living in the desert. I’ll enjoy it for now.

We still have chickens available at this time and they will be available around May 30, June 13, June 27, August 22, and October 3. If you’re interested,
please email me and reserve them. Remember because of state statues, home processed poultry must be sold ON the farm. Several people have asked if we sell cut up chickens. Not yet – I’m still learning how to cut them up and my parts don’t look very pretty yet. Possibly next season if enough people seem interested. For now, check out the YouTube video on our website showing how to cut up a chicken – it’s really not that hard.

We always have eggs available. Our hens are very faithful layers. Allison was very puzzled one evening – we collected 41 eggs from 40 hens! They’re also prone to field trips. They hitch a ride on the back of Kurt’s pick-up and once he finds them, they get to ride home in the caker.

We are still taking orders for quarters, halves and whole sides of beefs. We plan to have cuts and hamburger available for the summer as well. Check out the website for available cuts and pricing. If there’s something not listed, let us know and maybe we can add it to our list. Kurt’s also working on a beef bratwurst that we hope to have available this summer.

Now since several family members are on our mailing list, I’m going to take a minute to brag on the girls.
Allison can ride a bike! Woohoo! This has been an accomplishment several years in the making.

Natalie is no longer afraid of any farm animals. She and the dogs have made nice and are now friends. She throws grass to the chickens to “feed” them instead of running away and has even helped her dad collect eggs.

Anna’s vocabulary is expanding by the day – she’s adding words like “down,” “Grandpa,” and everybody’s favorite, “yeehaw.”

Until next month. . . .

Sunday, April 19, 2009

April 2009


Greetings!

As you may have noticed our update has a real name this month. A huge thank you to everyone who sent us ideas. I was amazed by the response and you had great ideas - we have very clever customers! Congratulations to Malori Clark of Phoenix, AZ. Kurt and I are very pleased with "The Cattle Rattle" but it was hard to pick. We'll be archiving our newsletters on the website thanks to my mom, the webmaster.

Moisture. Be careful what you pray for or you might end up with 30 inches of snow. Many of you know that we had a blizzard in Kansas during the last weekend in March. We had drifts almost 10 feet high in places and were homebound for about three days. I've attached a couple of pictures. Thankfully, all of our cattle survived and we only lost one laying hen to frostbite. The snow and subsequent rains have provided much needed moisture and pastures are really greening up.

New life. Sping is popping out all over. About half of our calves are on the ground and we've had very few problems - calving in April is much easier than January. The first baby was born the day AFTER the blizzard. Chicks arrived last week and are growing quickly. Two chicks even survived show and tell in the 2nd grade AND day care.

Web site. If you have a chance, check out http://www.dalefamilyfarms.com/ We've posted a few new recipes - some Dale Family favorites.

Party. We are excited to host our first Tips and Tastes party (thanks Clarisa for the name!). Good friends in Lindsborg have agreed to be our hosts in May. We're taking a Pampered Chef/Tupperware approach. We'll be sharing samples our beef and poulty and answering questions about how we're raising food on the farm. Please let us know if you're interested in finding out more about hosting your own party.

What's available? We're getting ready to butcher beef the first part of May. Please let us know if you are interested in ordering sides or quarters. We will also have chickens ready on or around May 31, June 13, June 27, July 22 and September 3. We'd be happy to reserve some for you.

We continue to be encouraged by your positive feedback about the good food we're producing.

Blessings!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

March 2009

I'm going to try my hand at a monthly newsletter - keep you up to date on what we're doing and what's coming up. If you'd prefer not to receive it, please let me know.

Spring is here! Even though we haven't had significant moisture in several months, things are trying to green up and grow. Rain soon is necessary. We have a good chance of snow this weekend and it would be welcomed.

A real farmer is created. I (Andi) am about to become a "real" farmer and home economist in May. After 14 years of teaching, I'm going to take an extended leave of absence to stay home and raise children and chickens. I'm excited about the opportunity and have even bought my first pair of REAL work boots to help Kurt outside.

Beef. We are starting to take orders for sides and quarters of beef. Meat should be ready around the first of June. Please let us know if you are interested. Currently, we have single cuts of meat available on the farm. Check out our prices per pound at http://www.dalefamilyfarms.com/

Eggs. Our layers are in full production. They are enjoying the fresh pasture and have started to leave the dogs' food alone in favor of green grass.

Poultry. We will have whole broilers available this summer and are excited about this new adventrue. If you are interested in purchasing chickens, please let us know and we will reserve some for you. Chickens must be purchased on the farm and will be available on or around May 30, June 13, June 27, July 22, September 3.

Blessings!

Andi Dale
Dale Family Farms
526 AVenue K
Protection, KS 67127
620.622.4473
thedales@unitedwireless.com