Eggs Eggs and Eggs

The new laying flock has finally hit its stride and laying rate is about 70%, likely to go as high at 90%. Which means 100 birds will lay 70 eggs every day!

Which means I have lots of eggs. I really need you to find friends and neighbours to buy eggs this winter.

By the way, eggs are not the bad guy we have been led to believe re cholesterol. You can’t increase your colesterol levels by eating eggs!

So I have a deal for you, if you promise to keep eating your regular amount of eggs, or more.

We’ll offer three dozen for the price of two. That means you can give one dozen away to a friend or needy person with ease. Large size is $5/doz, XL is $6.75 and Jumbo is $7.50.

These are organic eggs, from organic layers fed organic grains from a local organic farm. It doesn’t get any better than this!

Old 99Farm, week of Dec 1 2018

This week we have:
- kale, collards, carrots, cabbage
- beef: ground, stew and roasts
- pork: all cuts except smoked items
- chicken: roasting and stewing hens
- parsley, arugula
- potatoes, onions, garlic
- celeriac
- stone ground flour: wheat
- roast goose, butchered this fall
- lard, rendered or minced
- apple cider pressed here, frozen
- blackberry cuttings, rooted

A major climate summit is happening in Katowice (katovicha) Poland this week: COP24: the 24th conference of parties to the UN framework on climate change. Remember2015? The Paris Agreement where Justin T proclaimed ‘Canada is back!’? Well not quite. We’re way back there, in the standings of states meeting their own voluntary commitments to reduce CO2 emissions. Go here for a YouTube channel set up to share the links from over there. If you are not already on the member list of the ScientistsWarning.org website, then please get on that. That will be the best means of distribution for the full set of programs from COP-24. If you subscribe to the ScientistsWarning.TV channel, then you will get notified with each upload. That is the preferred means really.

I had an exhilarating time at the Soil and Nutrition conference put on by Bionutrient Food Assoc. I’ll be introducing ideas for boosting your own garden produce nutrition as well as here at O’99 by starting a study group. Watch for news at Community Permaculture Lab on facebook.

Yeah, healthy eating!
Ian and Cami.

New NAFTA: Don't sign it Justin!

Today the National Farmers Union (NFU) sent a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Freeland urging them not to sign the new NAFTA agreement in its present form.

See why on the NFU website

“It has recently come to light that the published text – which is available only on the US Trade Representatives website and in English — contains clauses regarding dairy tariff-setting authority that differ from what Canadian negotiators agreed upon,” noted Katie Ward, NFU President. “The fact that the negotiated final text either does not exist or has not been made public is reason enough to cancel the planned signing ceremony.”

“The new NAFTA, or United States-Mexico-Canada-Agreement (USMCA) would severely damage our supply management system, which is the envy of struggling dairy farmers in the United States and around the world,” noted Cam Goff, NFU 1st Vice President (Policy). “The agreement would also compromise the quality control system that is the foundation of the Canada’s international reputation for premium quality grain exports, and it would allow undue corporate influence over our seed registration system. With the USMCA’s ongoing renegotiation process starting in year six, we may well see an acceleration of the destruction of our supply management, grain grading and seed registration system.”

The USMCA grain section requires Canada to give imported US wheat the same grade as our own, and would prevent Canada from identifying country of origin for US wheat on our grade certificates. To implement these measures, we would have to amend the Canada Grain Act, but The Canada Grain Act requirements are the foundation of Canada’s reputation for quality assured grain.

Here are email addresses for PM Trudeau justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca and Chrystia Freeland, Foreign Trade Minister Chrystia.Freeland@parl.gc.ca
Please take a minute and send them your concern.

Healthy eating (while we still can control what we eat)
Ian

Old 99 Farm, week of Nov 25 2018

This week we have:
- lots of eggs,$5/doz. lg
- kale, collards, carrots, cabbage
- beef: ground, stew and roasts
- pork: butchered this week, all cuts ex smoked items
- chicken: roasting and stewing hens
- parsley, arugula
- potatoes, onions, garlic
- celeriac
- stone ground flour: wheat
- lard, rendered or minced
- apple cider pressed here, frozen

I am now prepared to present talks on the climate emergency. I have done several, including for Mohawk College, so if you want this to happen in your community, church, or your own kitchen with neighbours, please give me a call. Can be from one to 3 hrs.
No charge.

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of Nov 18 2018

We’re on track for our first cold week of the season, may hit -10dC, so I’ll have to put some row cover protection in the greenhouses over the greens. Likely last week for tomatoes.

This week we have:
- kale, collards, carrots, cabbage
- beef: ground, stew and roasts
- chicken: roasting and stewing hens
- tomatoes, parsley, arugula
- potatoes, onions, garlic
- celeriac
- stone ground flour: wheat
- roast goose, butchered this fall
- lard, rendered or minced
- apple cider pressed here, frozen
- blackberry cuttings, rooted

If you’ve been to the farm you’ll know we have 7 piglets growing nicely; about 8 weeks old now. They will be market weight around age of 6 months,so end March. I am taking deposits now for halves, about 70 lbs of meat, with $50 deposit.

Healthy eating,
Ian and Cami

Old 99 farm, week of Nov 12 2018

This week we have:
- kale, collards, carrots, cabbage
- beef: ground, stew and roasts
- chicken: roasting and stewing hens
- tomatoes, parsley, arugula
- potatoes, onions, garlic
- celeriac
- stone ground flour: wheat
- roast goose, butchered this month
- lard, rendered or minced
- apple cider pressed here, frozen
- blackberry cuttings, rooted

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of Oct 28 2018

Eggs on special this week, maybe next couple of weeks. Large size $5/dozen. The new flock of birds is setting lots of large and medium eggs, hardly any XL or Jumbos.

This week we have:
- kale, collards, carrots, cabbage
- beef: ground, stew and roasts
- chicken: roasting and stewing hens
- tomatoes, parsley, arugula
- potatoes, onions, garlic
- celeriac
- stone ground flour: wheat and spelt
- roast goose, butchered this month
- lard, rendered or minced
- apple cider pressed here, frozen
- blackberry cuttings, rooted

I was told this week during a discussion on climate change that we live in the sweet spot on the planet insofar as being sheltered from the impacts happening now.
For some idea of those impacts I suggest two blogs, Climate and Economy and Faster Than Expected

Did you hear yet that a far right populist candidate has won the Brazilian national election, and Steve Bannon, former White House advisor to D Trump, has been advising him.

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm, week of Oct 21, 2018

This week we have:
- kale, collards, carrots, cabbage
- beef: ground, stew and roasts
- chicken: roasting and stewing hens on special two for one
- tomatoes, parsley, arugula
- potatoes, onions, garlic
- celeriac
- apple cider pressed here, frozen
- blackberry cuttings, rooted

For your garden we have mature (2018) composted cow manure, amended with basalt rock flour, gypsum and fungal inoculants. Get it on your garden now so it can work all winter under the snow(hoping we have some).

Your climate primers, because you’ve decided you want to be an informed citizen and resourceful parent for your kids.
For basic information about climate science, go here
For how to track your carbon footprint, go here
For an entertaining explanation of why population reduction has to be, go here

Health eating
Ian and Cami

Old 99 Farm week of Oct 12, 2018

This is Thursday evening, I’m reminding you we are open tomorrow from 4 to 6 for vegetables, eggs, meat. Still have tomatoes on the vine, kale, spinach, parsley, and root veg in storage.
I have active compost for sale now, biologically active and amended with trace minerals, by the bushel or bulk.

Ground beef on special, 20% off.
Have home made sweet apple cider from last weekend $8/gal.
We rendered lard as well, so there is still some available. Same price as unrendered.

Lots of climate news this week. There is an impromptu Climate Rally at Gore Park, east end on Saturday 1:30. Followed by important movie “Anthropocene: The Human Impact” showing nearby at 3pm at AGH Linc Alexander theatre. May still be tickets for that.

My friends Ken and Claire Dam are doing a home butchering event on Oct 27th and inviting anyone interested. Here’s what they say:

Hi all
We will be harvesting our two Tamworth pigs on October 27, 2018.
They have been raised outside, fed on an organic soy-free local feed.

We are certainly not experts on the process – so you will learning with us as we try our best to develop the skill of slaughtering a pig with proficiency, patience, and gratitude.
It would certainly be easier to just send them to the local abbatoir. But we value the experience of reviving old skills and reviving our deep connection with our food. Come learn with us.

Where: 2330 Concession 2 Rd W, Lynden, ON
When: Saturday, Oct 27. 8:00 am – finish
What: We will start with the kill. Followed by the scalding, and the somewhat labour intensive process of dehairing. Then we’ll eviscerate, split, and hang. Hopefully we’ll sample some of the offal – which is always best consumed fresh.

You don’t need to bring anything, other than perhaps some food or snacks for yourself. Dress appropriately.
If you want to see an example/model of the process we will be trying to follow, check out the “anatomy of thrift” videos by Farmstead Meatsmith here:
https://vimeo.com/39451071

Please confirm if you intend to come, so we can manage numbers. kenandclaire@gmail.com

Healthy eating
Ian and Cami

Cider Day Sat Oct 13

We’re going ahead with the annual cider day for family and friends of Old99.

You can rsvp here, or by reply to this email.

we’re going to have good weather it looks promising. I plan to have the cider wagon set up in the yard. Additional ‘hands-on’ activities will be putting straw up in the barn loft, making biochar and rendering lard. I will also do my usual climate dialogue wit the latest news and developments.
In that regard I send you this link. I could send almost any link bu this one is fresh interviews with breaking science, deftly crafted by canadian Alex Smith from BC on his RadioEcoshock program. I hope you can listen and/or read the blog notes