WEBVTT 1 00:00:09.480 --> 00:00:12.560 Hey everyone, Welcome back to Local Ag. It's November six, 2 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:16.600 twenty twenty five. Melody Divers from the Bedford County ag 3 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:20.559 Advisory Board and it's time for our sixteenth episode. Our 4 00:00:20.600 --> 00:00:23.800 podcast dives deep into the world of farming, learning more 5 00:00:23.800 --> 00:00:26.960 about our local food and the incredible stories behind the 6 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:30.280 people who grow our food. Joining us today we have 7 00:00:30.519 --> 00:00:33.399 Darthy McIntyre with the Forest Farmers Market. 8 00:00:33.520 --> 00:00:34.679 Welcome, good morning. 9 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:37.799 And we have Doug and Lucy Overstreet joining us from 10 00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:38.840 Idlewild Farm. 11 00:00:39.079 --> 00:00:41.719 Welcome, y'all, thank you, good morning. 12 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:45.079 The over Streets have a farm located in Bedford, Virginia, 13 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:48.759 and their farm has become a beloved source for quality 14 00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.759 pork poultry in this region. And I'm thrilled to have 15 00:00:51.799 --> 00:00:53.039 you all come today because we're going to. 16 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:55.399 Talk a lot about turkeys today. 17 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:59.280 I love it so welcome everybody, and I'm going to 18 00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:02.920 start with the over Streets. So I'm just being nosy 19 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:04.719 and I know our listeners want to hear this too. 20 00:01:05.159 --> 00:01:08.680 Give us a little background on the farm itself. We 21 00:01:08.719 --> 00:01:11.239 want to know all the details, how it was started, 22 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:15.680 what you currently offer, and even how you got the 23 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:16.560 name for your farm. 24 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:18.920 So just we're nosy. Tell us all the things. 25 00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:23.920 So our farm started in two thousand and eight, which 26 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:26.760 happens to be the same year our families started. We 27 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:31.159 got married in two thousand and eight, and I wanted 28 00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:34.319 a farm. Yeah, and I got what I wanted, so 29 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:39.840 good for you, which maybe in hindsight was maybe not 30 00:01:39.959 --> 00:01:42.480 the wisest wish. 31 00:01:42.719 --> 00:01:43.719 No, it was great. 32 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:49.799 So Doug's family is from Bedford, the grandparents, great aunts, 33 00:01:50.120 --> 00:01:51.879 great grandparents. 34 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:53.040 I mean with a last name over street. I know 35 00:01:53.120 --> 00:01:54.640 y'all from here, that's right. 36 00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:03.400 And they had a farm then needed some and luckily 37 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:06.200 the farm already had a name. Uh huh, because that 38 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:10.759 is not my expertise of naming things. So his great no, 39 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:12.759 you have to tell this part. 40 00:02:13.000 --> 00:02:18.240 Yeah, so my great uncle purchased a property prior to 41 00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:22.919 World War two and yeah, so it's been in the 42 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:26.599 family since before then. And so they named it out 43 00:02:26.599 --> 00:02:29.639 of Wild Farm. And so that's where. 44 00:02:29.400 --> 00:02:31.400 We do you know how they came up with the 45 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:31.879 idle word. 46 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:36.080 No, we have some guesses, and we think that I 47 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:38.639 think LaGuardia out of New York used to be called 48 00:02:38.639 --> 00:02:43.439 Ottawa Airport, and when Roy came back from the war, 49 00:02:44.479 --> 00:02:48.879 that's the course. Maybe maybe not, but they think that's 50 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:50.599 where the name came from. Was there. 51 00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:53.319 Well On a side note, not that I know your 52 00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:57.599 farm's history, but I'm treating myself this year and rereading 53 00:02:57.719 --> 00:02:59.919 or re listening to books from my childhood now that 54 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:03.800 I'm an adult and see how they land or why 55 00:03:03.800 --> 00:03:06.319 did I like them when I was younger. So I'm 56 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:09.680 now in the Anne of Green Gables series and they 57 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:15.240 have an idle wild mentioned there. Very idyllic, you know setting, 58 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:21.000 just pure space, and when I was reading, I was like, oh, 59 00:03:21.080 --> 00:03:23.759 my gosh, did this have the connection there? But no, 60 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:25.719 I know what you're talking about as well, but I 61 00:03:25.719 --> 00:03:27.560 think it just gives off that image of it's a 62 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:32.199 pure space in nature that is being used not magically 63 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:33.800 but as it was intended. 64 00:03:33.919 --> 00:03:34.280 Kind of. 65 00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:38.199 That's what I the beautiful aspect of it. So when 66 00:03:38.240 --> 00:03:42.199 I was listening to that in my little journey I'm 67 00:03:42.199 --> 00:03:45.719 doing with my books that I'm doing this year, I 68 00:03:45.800 --> 00:03:47.319 just got really excited when I heard. 69 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:48.840 It in the book. But anyway, this's this a side 70 00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:53.280 note or the Aman Brothers album. Okay, and see we 71 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:55.280 have lots lots of theories here. 72 00:03:56.520 --> 00:04:00.639 But yeah, so we'd started at No. Eight. You know, 73 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:04.319 we started off as actually produce, and then we started 74 00:04:04.319 --> 00:04:08.599 having our children. You know, she was unable to do 75 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:11.840 as much work in the garden and my thumbs as 76 00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:15.719 pail as the moonlight. So we ended up switching over 77 00:04:15.759 --> 00:04:23.560 to pork, pastured poultry and hens, eggs and the eventually turkeys. Yes, 78 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:27.079 the rest is history. 79 00:04:28.759 --> 00:04:30.680 Do you have anything else you'd like to add, Lucy 80 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:36.399 about the background? Maybe how did the community get to 81 00:04:36.439 --> 00:04:36.759 know you? 82 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:37.240 First? 83 00:04:38.360 --> 00:04:42.079 We started by what a little sign at the end 84 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:47.839 of the driveway, eggs for sale? And then I guess 85 00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:51.360 it's twenty ten. The forest market can't. 86 00:04:52.160 --> 00:04:55.079 If I contacted you or you contacted me. But it 87 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:58.040 was a great it is a great relationship, that's all. 88 00:04:58.120 --> 00:04:59.920 Yeah, we were right there from the beginning. 89 00:05:00.360 --> 00:05:01.360 Yeah, it's a lot of fun. 90 00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:04.160 We did that for ten years and then. 91 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:05.439 I think it was about ten. 92 00:05:05.560 --> 00:05:08.600 Yeah, so that was really fun being a part of 93 00:05:08.639 --> 00:05:10.439 the energy to get that market going. 94 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:13.199 And yes, they were their core to the market. 95 00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:13.759 Yeah. 96 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:20.240 First the first ten years we had about maybe ten 97 00:05:20.279 --> 00:05:24.240 people that stayed that ten years that just continue to 98 00:05:24.279 --> 00:05:27.079 stay with us and grow the market. And then life 99 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:31.199 goes on and kids grow up and soccer happens, and. 100 00:05:31.800 --> 00:05:36.240 So the market is a past chapter, not a current chapter. 101 00:05:36.439 --> 00:05:39.439 That's correct. We stopped in twenty twenty one. 102 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:43.160 I think it is the last pretty recent yeah, all right, 103 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:45.319 but still the connections and relationships. 104 00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:46.639 Yeah, because Darthy was like, I. 105 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.399 Have somebody that I really want you to interview, and 106 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:52.360 of course it was y'all and she thinks very highly 107 00:05:52.399 --> 00:05:54.120 of you, and I was like, I know them. Our 108 00:05:54.199 --> 00:05:56.600 kids used to bebop around together and hang out in 109 00:05:56.680 --> 00:06:00.000 mot Veil. So that was this is fun, a little reunion. 110 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:04.920 So since it is November, the month that houses Thanksgiving, 111 00:06:05.519 --> 00:06:08.319 we want to hear the details of local turkeys that 112 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:11.360 you sell, and so folks are on our local ag 113 00:06:12.720 --> 00:06:16.000 Facebook page Bedford County Local Ag. You saw a few 114 00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:18.639 weeks ago that there was something about your farm and 115 00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:22.240 a Google form that people could fill out to order 116 00:06:22.279 --> 00:06:26.079 fresh turkeys for this Thanksgiving. So are you all sold 117 00:06:26.160 --> 00:06:27.439 out for twenty twenty five? 118 00:06:28.040 --> 00:06:31.480 We are not actually with a ohkyin I kind of 119 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:36.040 drug my feet on putting it out there. We have 120 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:38.319 never had a problem selling out though. 121 00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:42.720 So but if listeners are interested, they have there's a spot. 122 00:06:42.959 --> 00:06:46.439 So at the end, maybe you can share how people 123 00:06:46.480 --> 00:06:48.759 can get in contact with you, but tell us about 124 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:52.399 what it's like to raise local turkeys, especially around Thanksgiving, 125 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:54.720 and what that means for folks to get a local 126 00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:56.399 turkey for their holiday. 127 00:06:57.199 --> 00:07:00.600 Well, when I say I got a lot, sorry, start, 128 00:07:01.160 --> 00:07:04.439 you actually have to order them like May or June. Okay, 129 00:07:04.439 --> 00:07:07.360 they are a five month growing period, and so they 130 00:07:07.399 --> 00:07:12.600 come to the farm in July and they grow pretty quickly. 131 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:16.279 We get them out on pasture by August and that's 132 00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:20.600 where they stay until November, third week of November. 133 00:07:20.920 --> 00:07:23.680 Yeah, and how old are they you said, when you 134 00:07:23.720 --> 00:07:25.519 get them a day old? 135 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:25.839 Oh? 136 00:07:25.959 --> 00:07:29.240 Okay, so they're like really itty bitties all right. 137 00:07:29.319 --> 00:07:31.600 And do you have a particular breed or is there 138 00:07:31.639 --> 00:07:34.120 something that folks need to know about in regards to 139 00:07:34.600 --> 00:07:36.800 what to look for when purchasing a turkey. 140 00:07:37.079 --> 00:07:39.480 Oh, well, we have done a few different breeds in 141 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:42.600 the past. This year, we're actually doing two different breeds. 142 00:07:42.600 --> 00:07:44.680 There was a funny little back and forth between the 143 00:07:44.720 --> 00:07:48.040 supplier and I and he did have them, and then 144 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:50.279 he didn't have them, and it turned out being that 145 00:07:50.319 --> 00:07:56.519 we got the broad breasted bronze and the white broad breasted. 146 00:07:56.600 --> 00:07:58.920 So we have the white turkeys and the broad I 147 00:07:58.920 --> 00:07:59.600 mean bronze. 148 00:07:59.639 --> 00:08:03.160 Sorry, And do you personally have a favorite in raising 149 00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:06.120 and is there a favorite in the palette. 150 00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:11.720 Well, they both are more of a what would you say, 151 00:08:11.800 --> 00:08:13.040 not engineered but. 152 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:15.519 Commercial. 153 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:19.959 Yeah, so they're not heritage breed. Okay, we kind of 154 00:08:20.040 --> 00:08:23.759 we've done heritage breed in the past as well, and 155 00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:27.079 really the price points kind of gets us not only 156 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:29.879 for the price of a chick, but they take longer 157 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:32.840 to grow, so so we've kind of went back to 158 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:39.159 our to the how I call them commercial turkeys kind 159 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:43.679 of like them. Uh yeah, so so so yeah, so 160 00:08:43.720 --> 00:08:47.639 that's why we switched back to them. And the taste 161 00:08:47.679 --> 00:08:50.679 is great either way. I think it's the same way 162 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:53.960 when we go with our chickens, like with our Freedom 163 00:08:54.039 --> 00:08:58.960 Rangers versus the Corners cross like you know, they are different, 164 00:08:59.039 --> 00:09:01.399 but they still have that same good quality. I think 165 00:09:01.480 --> 00:09:03.720 has a lot to do with the pasturing and and 166 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:07.240 and the bug eating and stuff like that. 167 00:09:07.360 --> 00:09:10.279 So all right, so we don't have Sorry, no, I 168 00:09:10.360 --> 00:09:13.320 was gonna say that was going to be my next 169 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:17.000 question about your farm practices, but before I jumped my 170 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:21.240 my next question too soon. But if someone does want 171 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:25.080 to order a turkey and they fill out the form, 172 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:27.320 they'll come to your farm and pick it up. 173 00:09:27.960 --> 00:09:32.879 So we processed the week before usually so Thursday's Thanksgiving, 174 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:35.639 so we'll process either Friday or Saturday the week before 175 00:09:36.279 --> 00:09:39.000 and keep them chilling. Then either that Sunday or Monday 176 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:41.879 will pick up times okay, and yeah, they can come out. 177 00:09:42.639 --> 00:09:44.720 It's like a little semi party, you know. 178 00:09:44.879 --> 00:09:48.039 We get this nice to see people that get their 179 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:51.279 turkeys each year and you'll see them there. You might 180 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:54.120 not see them through the season, but you'll get there, 181 00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:56.799 get to walk the farm if you wanted to. 182 00:09:57.039 --> 00:09:58.720 Oh, excellent, okay. 183 00:09:58.559 --> 00:10:01.159 Especially now that we don't do the markets, like that's 184 00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:04.159 one thing we really miss is the community aspect of that. 185 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:08.159 And so we have most of our customers are returning customers, 186 00:10:08.279 --> 00:10:11.919 Like we don't early advertise on Facebook much but so 187 00:10:11.960 --> 00:10:14.600 it's mostly like returning customers on the email and so 188 00:10:14.960 --> 00:10:16.960 we haven't seen them since last thing skipt okay, so 189 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:17.639 it's kind of fun. 190 00:10:17.720 --> 00:10:21.320 Do you have a good customer base, the return repeat customers, 191 00:10:21.480 --> 00:10:22.240 Yes for. 192 00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:24.720 The most part, And yeah, that's so that's what we 193 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:26.919 kind of do. It's kind of our version of a 194 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:28.559 customer appreciation day. 195 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:31.840 So when you were talking, both of you said about 196 00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:36.279 getting the turkeys out on pasture. Can we talk about 197 00:10:36.320 --> 00:10:40.200 your unique farming practices and for folks that don't know 198 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:44.600 how this looks, what does raising a turkey raising chickens? 199 00:10:44.600 --> 00:10:50.879 What does that look like on your farm? And why 200 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:54.159 do you utilize the method of farming that you utilize? 201 00:10:54.399 --> 00:10:56.840 So just really spell it out for all of us. 202 00:10:57.559 --> 00:10:58.320 How long we got? 203 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:02.600 Yeah, that's a little bit to unpack. 204 00:11:02.679 --> 00:11:06.000 I think I'll go back to maybe just the life 205 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:08.840 of the turkey and start with the day old chick 206 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:12.000 and then as soon as they have enough size and 207 00:11:12.159 --> 00:11:14.279 feathers to be out of the heat lamp, we can 208 00:11:14.279 --> 00:11:16.440 put them out on the pasture where they will stay 209 00:11:16.519 --> 00:11:19.919 in their pen, and then we move the pen so 210 00:11:19.960 --> 00:11:22.759 they can be on fresh grass. Then when they get 211 00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:28.679 to another sizeable development, we can put them with a 212 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:31.879 fence around them. And the fence is a movable, portable 213 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:35.320 fence that we can then change where their pasture is 214 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:38.039 so they can have access to the green grass. 215 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:40.600 Do you I know, like with cows, we have to 216 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:44.600 have certain forges in front of them, you know, certain 217 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:47.639 types of grasses. Is that the same thing with chickens 218 00:11:47.679 --> 00:11:48.240 and turkey? 219 00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:49.039 Not? 220 00:11:49.799 --> 00:11:50.080 Really? 221 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:54.159 I mean I think really the microbes and the bugs 222 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:56.759 and stuff that they're getting I think is more important. 223 00:11:57.360 --> 00:12:01.120 I'm just really interested in is there a particular model of 224 00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:03.600 what is that called when for folks that don't know, 225 00:12:03.639 --> 00:12:09.120 when you're moving your moving your crop of turkeys and chickens, 226 00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:14.360 what is that called rotational greezing? I knew the answer, 227 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:18.399 but I wanted, Yeah, he's not You're gonna have to 228 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:18.720 pull it. 229 00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:24.480 Yeah, I know the answers, but yeah, yeah. 230 00:12:24.279 --> 00:12:25.000 He's so. 231 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:27.080 Yeah, so we rotate him, right, And I don't know 232 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:28.960 if it's not as much as for the foraging like 233 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:31.279 cows and stuff, but as much as for just the 234 00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:35.559 biological activity, you know, so they can get their bugs 235 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:39.600 and there and access to dirt because they their crops 236 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:42.440 are used to digest a lot of it as well, right, 237 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:45.039 So so you know, so it's it's kind of the 238 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:46.759 reason why we do it, and I think that's what 239 00:12:47.039 --> 00:12:50.200 helps with the taste of the bird. It's not because 240 00:12:50.200 --> 00:12:53.960 we do supplement them too with the grain and so 241 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:59.039 they get that extra added nutrition and it helps with 242 00:12:59.080 --> 00:12:59.440 the meat. 243 00:12:59.679 --> 00:13:02.759 So, how how many turkeys are we talking about that 244 00:13:02.840 --> 00:13:04.480 y'all are raising right now? 245 00:13:06.639 --> 00:13:09.639 We usually try to do about between thirty and forty Okay, 246 00:13:09.799 --> 00:13:13.279 but we decided to do plus fifty this year. 247 00:13:13.399 --> 00:13:15.799 Oh okay, so you got kicked it up a little bit, 248 00:13:15.879 --> 00:13:16.840 she did. 249 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:22.399 Oh okay, all right, y'all behave well all fifty plus 250 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:23.879 survive well. 251 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:26.799 So, in the past we've always had trouble with and 252 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:30.679 it's been in the breweder turkeys are very fragile first 253 00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:33.960 few weeks of life. So in the past we've actually 254 00:13:34.120 --> 00:13:36.879 had a lot of mortality, uh you know, trouble with 255 00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:40.759 them surviving in the first few weeks of their life. 256 00:13:40.799 --> 00:13:44.600 But we kind of figured out how to well, we 257 00:13:44.679 --> 00:13:47.360 got lucky on lately for the last three or four 258 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:49.720 years where we haven't lost many, that's all. And so 259 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:52.559 I think we ordered sixty and so with the expectation 260 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:55.799 that that we'd probably lose well five six years ago 261 00:13:55.879 --> 00:13:57.960 we ordered sixty and hopefully we had thirty. 262 00:13:58.039 --> 00:14:00.080 So we'd had it. Had Oh, I didn't realize the 263 00:14:00.159 --> 00:14:01.360 ratio is that well. 264 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:04.600 No, it's it was Oh it was. 265 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:08.279 The operator, yes, not like corners. 266 00:14:08.480 --> 00:14:09.720 Yes, we found that out. 267 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:11.039 Have a corner in your brooder. 268 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:14.360 They oh, this is interesting, and so you have to 269 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:17.200 fashion around. 270 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:20.919 Corner. How did you figure this out? Just you saw it? 271 00:14:21.080 --> 00:14:23.960 Or yeah? They learning books and I'll just see it. 272 00:14:24.039 --> 00:14:27.919 So they will pile in the corners and literally suffocate 273 00:14:27.960 --> 00:14:28.360 each other. 274 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:30.360 So get out. Oh my gosh. 275 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:32.360 Yeah, so you wake up and you've got to pile 276 00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:34.080 a ten dead turkeys that and. 277 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:37.120 They literally did it to themselves. That was nothing. Well, 278 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:38.399 it could be the colder temps. 279 00:14:38.679 --> 00:14:41.279 You know, they want to have heat, and so they 280 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:44.919 just naturally pile up and then you know it's just 281 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:49.080 drop them in the bucket like ten, twenty, thirty, forty fifty. 282 00:14:49.080 --> 00:14:51.799 You know, there goes one hundred bucks. 283 00:14:51.519 --> 00:14:56.360 So predators, right, okay, we are bruders outside. I mean 284 00:14:56.399 --> 00:14:58.480 it's it's undercover, but we don't have it in a 285 00:14:58.759 --> 00:15:01.759 in a lock barn or anything like that. So you 286 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:04.639 can have your night night predators come by and they 287 00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:06.559 could scare them all into a corner. Two, how you 288 00:15:06.559 --> 00:15:07.519 could do it as well? 289 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:10.039 So how do this is not something I was thinking 290 00:15:10.039 --> 00:15:13.679 of asking, But what do you do about that? Does 291 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:16.360 it just happen or do you have different things? I 292 00:15:16.360 --> 00:15:19.399 know some people put like fake things out to just 293 00:15:19.720 --> 00:15:23.840 to scare or have sound machines, like how now involved. 294 00:15:23.559 --> 00:15:26.919 You get outside? Dogs work pretty well? Okay, because I 295 00:15:26.960 --> 00:15:32.279 mean they're close to the house, right, yeah, and so yeah, yeah, 296 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:34.879 so and and we've done many a night with a 297 00:15:35.919 --> 00:15:40.360 with a you know, shotgun and waiting on them too. 298 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:44.000 Yeah, so what warriors or three years ago we lifted 299 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:46.879 it up off the ground the brewer and that helped 300 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:47.120 a lot. 301 00:15:47.120 --> 00:15:48.799 That helped a lot. Awesome. 302 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:52.039 It sounds like you guys, you know, I'm always thinking 303 00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:55.360 of Ross going up the steps with the couch pivot. 304 00:15:55.399 --> 00:15:59.879 Pivot pivot, you know, I'm thinking farming is the Quinn 305 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:03.879 central pivot. It seems like you're always having to refigure, 306 00:16:04.200 --> 00:16:05.720 step back, recalculate. 307 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:09.000 And the trouble with turkeys, we only do them one 308 00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:14.039 time a year, so we always forget, oh no, from. 309 00:16:14.080 --> 00:16:17.039 July to the next Oh, we wanted to remember this 310 00:16:17.080 --> 00:16:17.600 next year. 311 00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:20.399 Yeah, so there goes to notekeeping. 312 00:16:20.799 --> 00:16:23.080 That's how we are with cider because we don't do 313 00:16:23.240 --> 00:16:26.960 cider all year and inevitably will go didn't we say 314 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:29.360 last year we were gonna? But then when we do 315 00:16:29.480 --> 00:16:31.960 remember something like I five everybody here, we remember that 316 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:35.759 it was a year and we remember that. Soho, who 317 00:16:35.840 --> 00:16:37.480 do you all get your inspiration from? 318 00:16:37.480 --> 00:16:38.039 Like, is there a. 319 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:44.279 Particular person book ideology who really like drives your enthusiasm? 320 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:47.120 For farming or your farm practices, like where did the 321 00:16:47.159 --> 00:16:49.879 inspiration come from? 322 00:16:49.960 --> 00:16:56.960 Initially I bought pretty hard into Joel Salatin and bought 323 00:16:57.000 --> 00:17:03.080 the Yukan Farm Book, and I heard him speak about it, 324 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:07.920 you know, all the things followed him pretty closely. Never 325 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:12.680 went to his farm though, and then that was kind 326 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:16.200 of where we got our style of pasture poultry and 327 00:17:16.279 --> 00:17:19.599 wanting to do a system where the animals and their 328 00:17:19.720 --> 00:17:23.200 animal ness is actually determining what you do instead of 329 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:26.160 it being based on like the human preference, it's based 330 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:27.839 on the animal characteristics. 331 00:17:28.039 --> 00:17:30.880 So just playing into what they're already providing. 332 00:17:30.519 --> 00:17:33.640 That's right, okay, and what they naturally do, because training 333 00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:35.160 chickens is not very easy. 334 00:17:35.279 --> 00:17:37.160 It doesn't that doesn't sound like a fun thing I 335 00:17:37.160 --> 00:17:40.680 would want on my bingo card. So if you're following 336 00:17:41.119 --> 00:17:44.319 the ideas of dol, my thought then is do you 337 00:17:44.359 --> 00:17:49.400 have other animals grazing in the same areas with your 338 00:17:49.880 --> 00:17:50.880 chickens and turkeys? 339 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:53.440 We had a pony the other day. 340 00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:59.160 So when we were at our height, probably you know, 341 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:02.599 we've scaled back a lot, but yeah, we had the well, 342 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:06.599 we we would sometimes move the chickens in behind the 343 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:08.440 pigs and stuff, but. 344 00:18:09.960 --> 00:18:12.440 We also had that trouble. There's the pig, the chicken. 345 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:14.599 Yeah out the craziest thing. 346 00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:17.839 Yeah, one of her, we could go down this road. 347 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:21.480 But so yeah, so so after that we were kind 348 00:18:21.480 --> 00:18:23.400 of like, all right, so we kind of got them apart. 349 00:18:24.440 --> 00:18:26.599 We think she had an iron deficiency, so I don't. 350 00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:28.839 Know, but whatever was not right there. 351 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:30.200 She was a. 352 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:33.400 Breeder and I think she was lacking something, but whatever, 353 00:18:33.599 --> 00:18:35.799 So so yeah, so but yeah, I mean a lot 354 00:18:35.839 --> 00:18:38.839 of that with with the and with with Joel's you know, 355 00:18:39.240 --> 00:18:43.599 especially with the pork. We were noticing that moving them around, 356 00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:47.000 getting them on grass was big for the for the 357 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:50.359 pork because it seemed like it helped their digestion. They 358 00:18:50.359 --> 00:18:54.119 would eat and they'd go into the fields and you know, 359 00:18:54.160 --> 00:18:57.599 almost like it was a digestive thing. So it was 360 00:18:57.720 --> 00:19:00.559 so yeah, so Joel was a big one, but I 361 00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:02.079 think more importantly than Joel was. 362 00:19:02.920 --> 00:19:05.960 So Joel was kind of like a springboard. And then 363 00:19:06.160 --> 00:19:09.559 we were not following him exactly. You know, we don't 364 00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:13.599 have the cows and different you know, the grazing technique 365 00:19:13.640 --> 00:19:18.319 wasn't a picture fit. But the other thing that really 366 00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:23.680 influenced us was just the nutritional side. Farming, and I 367 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:27.240 read a lot about Sally Fallon and her nourishing traditions 368 00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:31.039 and just a different way of eating and providing food. 369 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:37.039 And what that looked like was, you know, just having 370 00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:41.720 a more whole food base to your diet. And so 371 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:45.119 that was a big part of even wanting to continue 372 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:49.279 farming really is just to have that food right there 373 00:19:49.279 --> 00:19:52.599 in your backyard and also as a product that other 374 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:54.440 people in your community can have access to. 375 00:19:54.480 --> 00:19:56.039 Easily, beautifully said. 376 00:19:56.440 --> 00:19:59.400 So we talked about that there are turkeys still available. 377 00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:01.799 Can you share with folks how they can secure a 378 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:05.279 twenty twenty five turkey from y'all's farm? 379 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:08.000 Well, I think the easiest is probably just the email 380 00:20:08.119 --> 00:20:11.960 to Idle Wild Farm. It's I D L E W 381 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:16.359 I L D F A R M at gmail dot com. 382 00:20:16.720 --> 00:20:18.960 And we have a website you can check out as well. 383 00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:21.799 When people come up when they pick up the turkey, 384 00:20:21.799 --> 00:20:24.240 will they be able to purchase any pork or chicken? 385 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:26.079 Do you have that there still or good? 386 00:20:26.160 --> 00:20:29.359 So, yeah, we've you know, we have cut back for 387 00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:31.599 we still actually still sell to the health Nut and 388 00:20:31.640 --> 00:20:35.160 Lunchberg the Well in Bedford, so we still do about 389 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:39.680 two to three hundred meat chickens a year and we 390 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:43.400 have we processed nine pigs this a year or six 391 00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:46.559 or something. So but yeah, so we still have that, 392 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:51.240 and yeah we do on farm sales occasionally when you 393 00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:54.960 can catch us. But but yeah, so if if you 394 00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:57.920 do get a turkey, you can come out and we'll 395 00:20:57.920 --> 00:21:00.759 probably have pork and chicken available for sale as well. 396 00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:03.839 Eggs not so much. 397 00:21:04.039 --> 00:21:08.200 Yeah, so we're kind of our egg production has dropped 398 00:21:08.200 --> 00:21:13.880 off dramatically. We lost one of our dogs, Morgan. Yeah, 399 00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:16.039 she passed away at summer. Merlin's doing a great job, 400 00:21:16.079 --> 00:21:19.880 but I think we're slowly getting cold out by the 401 00:21:19.880 --> 00:21:23.039