Classical Conditioning

I was fascinated in high school by the subject of psychology. I had some exposure to it in college as well and loved especially the parts that dealt with conditioning. The whole idea fascinated me, the very basic idea that an organism will respond to stimuli in its environment. This is funny because its such a “duh!”on so many levels. But for some reason that simple, even obvious and logical, fact was interesting and compelling to me. Maybe it was the first sign that I would one day be closely involved with animal behavior.

Maybe… but maybe also I saw how much the concept was relevant to me, to humans, to the world. I find it fascinating how we can all be so reflective of the world around us, of the stimuli in our environment. The other thing about it was the automatic nature of it… as opposed to operant conditioning which is all about modifying behaviors based on the consequences of those behaviors. Classical was it for me because the body was just responding… the dog hears bell, dog salivates… the student hears bell, student gets up to leave class… I see blue lights flashing in my rearview mirror, I sweat and have an increased heart rate… etc.

I wrote this morning (two posts in one day… what is this coming to?!) about the stress that we have learned over time when it comes to lambing season. The uncertainty, the fragility, the general level of unkown (has she nursed yet? why is that one limping? is her udder hard or just full? can a lamb fit through that hole? did he get enough milk out of that bottle?).

So I am writing tonight about conditioning and lambing again because (as my dad used to say), I sh@# you not, I walked into the barn this morning after writing that post and found a dead lamb.

We think he was smothered in the night by a pregnant ewe… we think. We will never know… but we have been reconditioned non the less. I also got a text from a friend in NH today… one of his lambs walked through a small hole in the fence last night and could not get back in… died outside his barn. Something in the air?

The one that died here was the runt of a set of triplets… was nature at work? Thinning the herd of the weak and the small? Who knows, I guess we can say that if we want that to be the story, right? We will look at these things at years end in terms of “%  loss” or some stat like that. This death will have an impact on the farm’s future (a small one) and on the “books”… but the real impact for us is the weird way in which what I found this morning will serve as a “fix” for my addiction to worry and paranoia at lambing time. The lambs come, the farmer worries. Gotta go check the barn before bed. =)

Worry and Reward

We have been in the midst of lambing now for about 2 weeks. If you have seen any posts on our Facebook page you know that some of that has been fast and furious. What always overwhelms us at lambing time is the near constant possibility for disaster. By now it is a very conditioned response to years of worry and a select few near disasters and one or two actual disasters.

I am also a worrier by nature. Born and bred as they say. I was talking to my brother yesterday about a fairly difficult decision I had to make recently to not finish something I started. Eventually we found ourselves in a conversation about parenting, ways of interacting with ourselves, and our dad. Growing up there was always something looming in the distance where dad was concerned. Something I had to do, something I had to “fess-up” to, or some request I had to submit for scrutiny. Mostly it was about things I had to do as my chores or responsibility that were not yet done or were only done “half-ass”. This is why, in my world, I simply am unable to not be fretting about something big or small, its hardwired.

So add that little personality bonus to the unpredictability and perilous by nature month of lambing here on the farm and you get quite a stretch of stress. Low level, in the background, dull moan in the distance kind of stress. It happens to be one of those stretches in a year, like making hay,  where you look around and wonder why you have chosen this particular little enterprise to devote yourself to. Whenever I ask myself that question it usually leads to some reassuring reflection and a reminder that reality and what I make of it are two different things.

The variables that exist when caring for livestock and working with a natural system like an animal or a pasture or a crop are many. The cares and concerns don’t fit into a schedule or columns or even a “to do” list. They ebb and flow, live and die only with constant monitoring and assessment and “operator education”. Its endless really, but thats only one side of things and the side that I try not to worry too much about.

Plus you get those moments when things are calm, and everything seems to be moving within the natural order of things.

Buns In The Oven

This gallery contains 10 photos.

Lambs are due any day now… Friday was the “anytime now” day of record for this year. That is the day that falls 145 days from the moment when we put the ram in with the ewes in the fall. … Continue reading →

Here Comes 2012!!

As I write it would appear that Winter is still undecided about a long term visit this year. The last  four or five days have been almost spring like in their temperature and lack of snow cover. What it will all mean in the months to come is anyone’s guess, for now I will simply try to enjoy! Aside from periodic ruminations about the weather, we are settled into a routine of chores and planning for the year ahead. We continue to be encouraged and honored by the support and encouragement of our customers and community. Thanks to everyone for helping us make 2011 such a great year…. on now to 2012!

These Days Will Soon Return

As many of you know, I (Joe) am not teaching full time this year. While I miss the kids and my colleagues I do not miss the level of commotion that accompanied a full time job in the midst of running a small farm business. We are working to take full advantage of the change and do some work here at home on the vision and direction for the farm and our future. We will go into 2012 with a very similar structure as last year, however I will point out some changes and we also will be asking for some feedback on your experience with the farm and our food.

Our structure and offerings this year will be very similar to last year. Lambing season is right around the corner, our new batch of steers arrived on January 18th, and we will be placing our bird orders in the coming weeks. Our hens are enjoying a very cozy winter so far and the new group began laying right after Christmas. We are averaging about 125 eggs a day at the moment so we feel safe in declaring the egg shortage over! So, as hard as it may be to imagine at the moment, those wonderful pasture grasses will be under foot and hoof again in no time. For us that means its time to plan out the 2012 pasture season!

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a model that relies on relationship and communication. The more we know about what our customers want from us in the season ahead, the better able we are to plan and prepare to raise that food. Getting your orders and deposits lets us take advantage of the winter months as we plan our use of fields, our processing schedule, and our farm’s orders for chicken and turkey chicks.

Lone Coyote

In the pages that follow you will find some news and notes about the farm and the year ahead. You will also find an explanation of some small changes we are making as we tinker with our business plan and structure. If you have been to the farm to visit or you have purchased a share from us or something from our store please take a minute to complete our survey so we can gather some data on our customer’s experiences. Finally, you will find attached the ordering info for 2012. Getting your order and deposit by April 1, 2012 would be a huge help as we gear up for another fantastic growing season.

So thanks again for your business and support in 2011. We hope you are satisfied with your food and we certainly want to continue farming for you. Believe me when I say it is NEVER a problem for you to call (especially Joe’s cell: 207-400-7999), email, or stop by the farm. Take advantage of us for your questions, concerns, ideas, or feedback. Take advantage too of the farm for walks, visits with kids or grandkids, or a place to access Casco Bay and comb the shore. We want to put the “C” in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

We hope to hear from you soon,

Joe, Laura, Yvette, Muriel, and JoePye

2012 Winter Newsletter

2012 Order Form

Share Packages 2012

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Awoke this morning to another batch of lambs. Triplets this time. While it is an amazing sight and really helps your lambing “percentage” (we are currently at 250% (5 lambs out of 2 ewes) ) the general attitude of triplets among farmers is not positive.

Nature provides two “feeding stations” at the milk tap, as we all know. Three mouths makes for quite a bit of competition, that bit of stress translates into slower growth overall. Generally you are also going to have slightly lower birth weights with triplets. Overall it is more efficient to have a healthy, robust set of twins. In the long run your returns are greater.

However, I only spend some of my time looking at things through that critical business oriented eye. The other side of me simply looks in awe at the three lives that just emerged out of this sheep. Her attention to all three, her concern about each one’s location, and her natural ability to keep them close is quite a sight.

Speaking of animal behavior…. our joy at the start of lambing season has been tempered by the continued problems we are having with our new layers. We are up to about 20 small eggs a day, which is good, but the aggressive tendencies of some of the birds continue to be a problem. More docile birds are getting pecked (some even to the point of death, its ugly and quick) and it is a problem not easy to solve at this point.

We took two actions yesterday that we hope help the situation. Our favorite breed, as many of you know, is the breed that lays the blue and green eggs (Araucana). They also happen to be less production oriented and (as far as we can tell) less aggressive. They have been chased and pecked all winter, many of them continue to have no feathers in their back. We took all of them out and put them in another coop hoping to calm the rest down a bit. We also added rescue remedy to the water hoping to, again, calm everybody down.

The hardest part about the recurring problems with these birds is that there is nobody to deflect blame or share it. When you raise animals and understand that nature really has it perfect, you become clear pretty quick that problems that develop in your flock or herd are almost always management issues. I have been amazed, over and over again, at the ability of animals to care for themselves and their young given the proper conditions.  When you have a problem manifest itself you have, generally, to only look in the mirror and try to learn form your mistakes. In the mean time…. find ways to relieve the stress that your management has caused so far. Either that or get out the beak clippers, the antibiotics,  and the individual cages like the big boys.

I’ll keep you posted (is that a blog pun yet?).

They Have Arrived

I awoke yesterday morning to find two sleeping, dry, and content lambs. Of course it was a night when nobody felt the need to get up and check the ewes for signs of labor or stress. However, as these things go the process takes it course and the vast majority of the time no assistance is necessary. This particular ewe (324 in our records…. “Tulip” in our hearts) is going through it for the second time, she has been a great mother both years so far.

Generally we look to see how they respond to the lambs, their level of attention and concern. It is worth noting as well how they do in labor and their condition after delivery. All these factors should be considered when thinking about the long term and the future of each ewe. When you have only a small flock and children that name the sheep (and sometimes take them for “walks”) it is hard to face tough decisions regarding culling and / or getting rid of an animal. There are many places that the business and family side of this venture rub a little.

Anyway, here re some pics. It should also be noted that this is the ewe that Muriel and I chose in this year’s “Which Ewe Will Go First?” first pool . Our own little version of March Madness. We have not decided yet what we will do with the $4 windfall but Muriel has some ideas…

The Girl... 6.9lbs

The Boy.... 6lbs

Life's Breakfast

Any Day Now

We are in the “check every night” phase of our lambing season.  No lambs to report yet, but somebody gets up nightly at 1 or 2  and heads out to see if anyone is in labor or needing attention. Most of our ewes will need nothing but a little space to do their thing. There is something magical for the kids in these days leading up to our first lamb. Everyone wants to be the one to “find the first lamb”. That honor comes with bragging AND naming rights.

When we were at The Meeting School we had quite a walk to get from our residence to the barn. We also lived on a campus with close to 50 other students and staff. I remember the walks being amazing moments of peace and quiet in an otherwise busy and often hectic space. Even the short walk to the barn here in the middle of the night has a magical quality. So rare these days that our senses take in that hour, the stillness. Our location here is elevated, the farm slopes down to the water on both sides and can have a “mountain top” quality to it on a starry night. It is awe inspiring.

Tonight Yvette has a friend over to sleep. They are going to be the ones going out to check on the sheep. They have already secured their clothing and flashlights for the mission. It is hard not to think back to the night my sister and I decided to brave the night in a tent out back of the house in Kennebunk. I don’t remember how old I was, just the trail I blazed back to the house when I woke up in the middle of the night much less certain of my ability to sleep in a tent with those woods so close.  We’ll see how the kids holdup to all that dark and quiet.

I asked the sheep to cooperate and produce something for them to discover tonight. The ewes are certainly close, we’ll see …. any day now.

This is my choice for the "first to go". Looks like twins.

 

A smattering of comments…

A sampling of feedback from the past year. We love to hear this stuff, it is extremely satisfying!

“wanted to let you know we thought your lamb was the best we have ever had……without question….. We just simply grilled some shoulder chops and ate them hardly speaking because we couldn’t believe how good it was”

“The turkey was great (as it was last year) and the chickens are just unbelievable. We have really enjoyed the product.”

“The turkey was even better than we anticipated; it was FANTASTIC!  My in-laws want another one for next year as well.”

“We had some of the ground beef with lasagna already and I’m cooking a stew today. The ground beef had great flavor and seemed very lean. The stew meat looks amazing. Friends and family were very impressed with the look of the meat and professional packaging.”

“…your eggs are the best in the area…”

“I discovered your eggs at Morning Glory a few months ago and have been buying them ever since. For the extra cost they are worth every dime. They are beautiful to look at, fabulous for baking, exceptional to eat.”

“Thank you for taking the time and energy to produce exceptional food.”

“Just had our first steaks from “the cow”. Great stuff Joe! Keep it coming!”

“We had rib steak last night and it was so tender and delicious! We shared with our friends who will now be your next customers!”

“Grilled one of our porterhouse steaks last night with a spicy dry rub. Freakin’ delicious. Thank you Two Coves Farm!”

Will Winter Ever End?

We are beginning to see the signs of spring here on the farm. Not talking of course about green grass or bulbs pushing their way through the snow, I talking about lambs. For me, when the lambs start to arrive we are on the cusp of another season. This will be our third here and we feel like it will be the best yet. As anyone who bothers to check the last date of a posting from me will see, I have had a bit of trouble keeping active on the blog and facebook front. It is a very clear symptom, to me, of a larger problem we have struggled with since arriving here in Harpswell (more on that later). However, another part of the struggle has been sorting through all the things I have considered writing about.

I need help to focus, I could go on for days in any direction. While I don’t necessarily like to hear myself talk, I can definitely rattle on about a number of things, soapbox style. However, a quick moment to think about that problem leads me to consider why I farm in the first place. It grounds me, no pun intended there but enjoy that if you want. So, it occurs to my ever dazed and overwhelmed self, just stay focused on the farm and have that be your “anchor” for all things “social media”.

So back to lambs. None have arrived yet, however the signs are everywhere. The sheep get in the barn in December or so and make a pretty quick home of it. They are as happy as ever to nest up and get into a routine of eating and drinking, making noise at me for more food and water, and lying around chewing cud. Little by little they become perceptively larger, seem to bulge a little more in certain spots, and then finally they begin to “bag up”. This last bit is what we are seeing lots o f now and what really communicates the approach of new life.

After lambs are weaned the ewe’s udders gradually dry up and pretty much disappear under them for late summer and into fall. Now, as they are coming into the last few weeks of pregnancy the udder is the most obvious sign of the approaching birth. What comes with this is this subtle shift in the structure and general body condition of the ewes. Their torso seems to drop while their hip bones adjust to make way for the lambs. We have grown over the years in our ability to notice these changes and to predict proximity to labor. It becomes part of the routine after feeding to look and observe their condition, behavior, and how “bagged up” they are.

So, I would like to use the arrival of the lambs to begin blogging and documenting our farm season here at Two Coves in Harpswell. The struggle I was referring to earlier in the post was that I have not been able to find the time to communicate about happenings here. This in addition to that “What do I write about??” bit. I will endeavor to put that little complaint / story aside and put up some posts regularly on the progress here as the season unfolds. So stay tuned, I will do a “winter recap” full of cold, dark humor in the coming days. Thanks.