Restock Dates: Please see our Farm Blog where we post our weekly newsletter for the latest updates

Newsletter 2016 1120

written by

Ben Simmons

posted on

December 4, 2016

Madison:

Order by Sunday, December 11, 2016

Pickup Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Hattiesburg & Hattiesburg Hwy 98 West

Order by Monday, December 12, 2016

Pickup Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Biloxi & Gulfport

Order by Monday December 12, 2016

Pickup Thursday, December 15, 2016

We believe in transparency, as there’s no better education about what it
is we do, how we do it and why, than an honest and straightforward conversation
about any aspect of our farm!

Farm Updates

It has been a very busy week at the farm. Last weekend we sorted out & weaned this years calves. We also sorted out six cows that do not fit our program very well and sold at the local sale barn. Plus, we sorted out six cows that will be processed into ground beef and available for the December pickup schedule.

As you know, we are in a severe drought that covers East TX, LA, MS, AL, Northwestern GA, SC, NC, Tennessee, and Arkansas. We felt it is better to proactively cull the herd now then to be forced into a much more difficult situation later. Please join us in prayer that we might have some relief soon.

Additionally, we made our deliveries to Hattiesburg and the Gulf Coast on Wednesday & Thursday. We really like this because we get to meet our customers and hear from you. Thank you for your many kind words and encouragement (and hugs).

Tomorrow I will pickup and deliver custom pork orders to customers from Madison to Hattiesburg and the Gulf Coast. We sold 8 of 12 pigs and will take the remaining four to make 25# Variety Shares. These have been very popular with customers.

Did I mention that the 25# Ground Beef and 25# Pork Variety Share will be on sale for December Pickup. Check it our here!

Celebrating Thanksgiving in America

At Nature's Gourmet Farm we have much to be thankful for. It has been an
amazing year full of God's blessings.

To capture that theme I wanted to share an article written by Mr. David Barton,
founder of Wallbuilders, where he provides research about the first
Thanksgiving as well as the numerous presidential proclamations issued
until 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt began celebrating
Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of each November, and in 1941, Congress
permanently established that day as the national Thanksgiving holiday. Let me
encourage you to read the complete history here:

More from the blog

Taste Test

Greetings Ben and Beth, I'm really looking forward to my next order pick up. I'm trying to improve my cholesterol numbers, thus eating more chicken, and ran out of your chicken products. I ended up buying some industrially produced chicken, and man was that a mistake! It smelled terrible raw, also while it was being sauteed, and also later when I reheated it to put into an otherwise healthy salad. I have enough of this subpar stuff to last until I pick my order, but I don't think I can ever buy this CAFO stuff again.

Beef Update & A New Product

Beef Update – Typically this time of year folks are hesitant to buy bulk beef for their freezer due to hurricane risk. That is why we have delayed our next custom half & whole beef processing until September. If you are interested, our next harvest will be September 2nd with pickup on September 22nd. If you want to be included then please email me your name, email, and cell number to be added to our wait list - and be the first folks contacted and guaranteed to receive an order. Beef prices continue to increase and hit a new All-Time high this week fueled by strong demand and limited supply. For example, based on what a 700 pound steer sold for at the Hattiesburg Stockyard Monday, I could make more than feeding him till he weighs 1100 pounds and sell as packaged beef - but our mission is to provide nutrient-dense, clean food to our customers. Effective immediately custom beef half and whole prices will increase $0.50 to $6.25 per pound based on the hanging weight. Retail cuts will increase for September deliveries as well.

Real Health Is NOT A Pill. It's A Practice!

Two Great Must Read Articles – Typically I don't make a big deal about articles we have read, but these two are so good that I felt they needed to be shared. The first is by Joel Salatin titled "Food Think" that is part of his The Lunatic Farmer blog. You can read the full article at this link. The second article is one Beth forwarded to me from the Health Viewpoints section of Epoch Times titled "Americans Spend Trillions on Health Care but Remain Unwell - Here's Why" Dr. Yang, FAPA, a board certified psychiatrist, begins by stating the difference between treating disease and building true health lies in a proactive and preventative lifestyle. Note - Beth and I would agree with other folks who commented that his article is spot on and very important for folks to read and understand. You can read at this link.