Once the system is in and functioning Allan promises that the work load will be so much lighter and the grass will grow so much better. It should all be complete and ready to go for next year's irrigation season. The earth moving tires you see in this picture have been cut off at the sides and will be used for watering troughs for the cattle and sheep. They work amazingly well, especially in the winter, as they are great insulators and help to prevent the water from freezing. If you look closely you can see some of the ditches in the foreground and the background. We will keep you updated with pictures and reports as the project progresses

Working together is the key, I think. While you may not be able to plant produce or raise your own animals for meat, we appreciate that you support us in our endeavor and we also appreciate that you are working hard to keep the rest of the country functioning while we are so fortunate to be able to make a living off the land. God bless America! It is surely the best place on earth to live.

We have gotten so used to cheap chicken in this country that folks can't understand why free range chickens are so "expensive." Chicken is cheap because the industry is subsidized and the growing conditions are deplorable but profitable. Harvey Ussery in his book, The Small Scale Poultry Flock, says, "A typical (broiler house) is 20,000 square feet and contains 22,000 to 26,000 growing broilers - less space per bird than the size of a sheet of typing paper...stand in the deepening accretion of their own manure, which accumulates at the rate of several tons per week in a typical broiler house...To counteract the stress of living in unsanitary, crowded conditions, broilers eat antibiotics as part of their feed from hatch until slaughter...Laying hens are even more confined...Male chicks...are conveyed alive into something like a sausage grinder, minced by high-speed blades, gassed, vacuumed through a series of pipes onto an electrified metal plate, or simply thrown into a bin to suffocate." Shocking and disturbing. Although it is not feasible for us to raise broilers at this time, we would love to partner with someone to be able to provide you with safe yet affordable chicken. Again, please let us know if you have information on a USDA all natural free range poultry producer.

Lois, Allan, Lisa, & Dusty