Blog - Nature's Gourmet Farm

Farm Update & Storm Impact

First, a quick follow-up on Compostella Farm in Picayune. Customer response for our farm to aggregate and distribute their "greens" was very positive. I emailed a summary of responses to Madeline. She and her husband discussed and decided not to pursue at this time since their season would end in less than two months and there were many unknowns on how the greens would survive the trip. Sales are very strong for our farm. Demand continues to exceed supply! Additionally, i receive on average 100 or so communications be it text, voice, or emails per day. Many are asking similar questions 'When will you be back in stock?" So, this week I have implemented an "ANNOUNCEMENT BAR" at the top of our homepage that I will keep updated on expected availability of beef, pork, and chicken. Please refer here first! That way I can work on farm production chores and etc. If you have a different question then please contact me. Email is preferred.

Covid-19 Farm Impact

So, what has been the Covid-19 impact to our farm? I believe these numbers paint a clear picture: *2,937 unique visits to our website in the past 28 days *397 people have signed up to be customers since March 1st. A 40% increase *331 orders processed since March 1st vs. 75 or so per month. A 225% increase. There is no doubt this number would have been more if we were not out of stock on so many items

Farm Update + Ordering Tips

Our Weekly Newsletter is the BEST WAY to keep up with our farm - to include product availability. We try to be very clear and precise so you know exactly what to expect from us and can plan accordingly. This past week we delivered beef for processing to two processors and will deliver pigs and beef for processing on April 13th. It takes about 2.5 weeks for the beef to be ready and 4-5 weeks for pigs to be ready. We have plenty of beef and pork in our pastures that are just now coming ready for harvest. The bottleneck is processing availability! The good news is we are scheduled each month at the processors for beef & pork.

Farm Update & How To Cook A Really Good Roast

Last weeks "frank" Newsletter received a lot of positive reply's and was the most read Newsletter yet with 74.31% Open Rate, 9.7% Click Rate, and ZERO Unsubscribes. What a privilege to be a blessing to so many people by providing access to nutritious farm fresh food and a reassuring spirit. Since March 1st we have had 107 new customers sign up and 27 First Time Buyers. Our number of orders have been over 210. That being said, i want to apologize in advance for being slow answering emails, text, and phone calls. While I have not tried to keep up with the increase of communication I can truthfully say the numbers have at least doubled.

Farm Update Amid Covid-19 Virus

Last week we purposely wrote an upbeat newsletter! This week will be a bit more "frank" considering the public response to the Covid-19 virus. As you can imagine, orders have been brisk. Steps we are taking include: • Yes, we intend to continue to make our monthly deliveries • We continue to work every day to care for the land, forage, and animals to bring nutritious protein for your families • Chicken - I have contacted the hatchery and had them add 20 more to each of my upcoming deliveries. That maximizes processing capacity.

It's Springtime At The Farm

Spring has arrived at the farm! About seven to ten days ago Mother Nature started signaling Spring would be early this year. Our hardwood trees (except pecan) have almost fully leafed out, the wildflowers in the pasture are in bloom, the days are getting longer, pastures are drying up, and the humidity is lower. And it is calving season!

Anniversary On The Road

Today is delivery day for our Mobile, Ocean Springs, and Gulfport customers! So, I am out on the road this morning meeting customers with their orders. Beth has joined me today as well. One of the objectives we have is to make a short video of how we pack orders, make deliveries, and etc. to show new customers what to expect. Yep- complete transparency when you shop with our farm for beef, pork, chicken, and eggs.

Family & Friends FREE Dozen Egg Offer

Hello and Good Morning from the farm, I'm sure you know the best business advertising comes from recommendations by happy customers. You know, customers who have tried the product and brag about the quality, service, convenience, and etc. After all, don't we tend to trust recommendations from others, especially from family or friends who highly recommend a product?

Life Is About Getting It Right

Sunday, January 5th I was sitting in church listening to Brother Andrews’ sermon. Just the day before I had the opportunity to meet many new customers in Mobile, Ocean Springs, and Gulfport while making deliveries there for the first time. When meeting customers they often share how they know they need to eat healthier. For many the motivation is to loose weight. For some it's to reduce the risk of serious disease caused by all the toxins used to grow food.

Delivery Charge Notice (can still be free)

Today is my day of the month to make the rounds in and around Jackson to greet customers with pasture-raised meats from our farm. As you likely know, earlier this year we committed to making monthly, regular stops at more than a dozen locations around Mobile, Gulfport, Picayune, Jackson, Hattiesburg and more communities. It's been well-received and customers appreciate the opportunity to see us on a regular schedule to get into the routine of restocking a variety of pasture-raised beef, chicken, pork and eggs.

My First Pastured Poultry Conference

Good morning from the farm, For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Eric, Ben and Beth’s oldest son. Recently I started working on the farm full-time taking care of our laying hens. A few weeks ago Mom and I had the opportunity to attend the 4th annual American Pastured Poultry Producers Association (APPPA) Conference in Florida.

Let's Go Shopping

Good morning from the farm. More and more folks are shopping directly from local farms (or at least investigating the options). In January we had 59 new customers join our farm and 24 customers made their FIRST purchase. Both are new record highs! However, as we speak with customers, many are confused (and alarmed) about what some farms consider grassfed beef. Today, I hope to provide you with questions to sort out the details and help with key decision points that will help you become a savvy shopper of farm fresh beef, pork, chicken, and eggs. First, what is grassfed beef?