Planning ahead for 2015.
/One of the challenges of being such a small farm who direct-markets everything is the planning ahead. Right now we are planning everything we'll raise in our 2015 season. We only plan on raising what we have a high degree of confidence that we can sell since there are huge costs to raising animals. Moreover there is something so sacred about the life of an animal that we are unwilling to risk having old product go to waste (we can't just feed/compost excess like a veg farm). That is why this time of year, fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, we are tight on our products and CSA spots. It's also why I probably sound like a broken record when I say that it's never too early to put in an order for a quarter/half/whole animal.
If you know that you would like to order any beef/lamb/pork by the side, please go ahead and fill out the order form here (especially if you want beef, as our 2014 beef was all reserved by May this year).
In the comments section, you can note about what, if any, time-frame you'd prefer (early summer, late summer, fall, etc) and we'll do our best to match you up with an animal from that window. In the 3 months leading up to your order's butcher day, we'll request a $100 deposit to finalize your reservation. If you cancel before then there is no obligation on your part (though, again, we are trying to mitigate our risks of over-supply so please don't order until you are fairly certain you'll follow through).
Fun fact: we've calculated that you could pay for a 7cuft chest freezer within about a year from the savings you get by purchasing by the side. While we love our CSA program, we will always champion for side-sales too and if you are a current CSA member who is looking to save some money or supplement your share in an affordable way, this is a great way to do it.
If you have any questions about how buying by the side works, please just give us a call or email. I am also working on an information & FAQ sheet which I will post as soon as it's available.
Thanks for reading and here's to healthy, responsibly raised food in 2015!