Thursday, July 19, 2012

Where's the Beef? In My Freezer!

Today is a glorious day! Our beef arrived!!!

Beef, you ask? Aren't we farmers? Why don't we raise our own?

Well, once upon a time, the Wilson family raised cattle, until Grandpa lost his leg in an accident with a hay baler, and they said "adios" to their cattle. Can't say I blame them.

With Jeremy and I and the Wee Wilson's still living in town (even though it's only a few miles from our farm) we haven't acquired any four-legged critters...yet...other than an assortment of farm cats.  However, 4-H age (age 8) will soon be upon our eldest daughter, so soon, we may get back into the cattle business so our children can learn important lessons in animal husbandry.

Until then, we've got purchase beef.

Do I  believe that the beef from our local grocery store is safe and healthy to serve to my family?

ABSOLUTELY.

However, there are FOUR reasons that I purchase beef from a friend:

1. I know him.  Brian Leier has been a trusted friend of Jeremy and I for a number of years now. We share the same interests and have traveled together.

A group of ND Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers visiting the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, D.C. a few years ago.  Left to Right:  Tracton & Victoria Lewis, Kelsey Swenson, Brian Leier, myself, Tanner Davison

2. It's less expensive. Approximately 138 pounds of beef (which was the "hanging weight" of 1/4th of our steer after it had been butchered) cost me just under $350.  It comes cut to my specifications, wrapped and frozen. That's $2.50 a pound, for ALL the cuts, including ground beef, roasts, steaks, etc.  Try finding ANY cut of beef (including ground beef) for $2.50 a pound in the store! I appreciate and respect our local grocer, but to cut out "the middle man" has saved our family A LOT of money on meat.


3. Someday, I bet he's going to run for office and I can't wait to have a sign in my yard that says "Send a Leier to_____." (Insert Bismarck or Washington D.C.)  Hehehe :)


4. This isn't just any beef, it's award-winning beef!

A few years back, Brian, our friend Aaron Skarsgard, and I, competed in the Linton, North Dakota Annual Chili Cook-Off...

...AND WE WON!!!  Woohoo! Champion Chili...including Leier Farms beef!

If you're in the Linton, ND area or south central North Dakota, consider Leier Farms beef.

For more information, go to www.leierfarms.com  You can order a whole steer, half or a "half of a half" (so you get the mix of quality cuts from the front and rear of the animal).  There's a simple online order form.  Check it out!

THANKS for the beef, Brian, and THANKS for stopping by blog readers!

Sarah :)

“Listen, my people, and I will speak...I am God, your God...I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.  I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it." Exerpt from Psalm 50:7-12, New International Version 

Monday, July 9, 2012

First Haircut For Our Farmer in Training

The Little Boy on the Prairie turned the big O-N-E this past week!

When his sister did THIS, I figured it was about time for his first haircut too...



Never a dull moment for a little boy with two big sisters :)


Thanks to Miss Brenda's lightning fast reflexes, he's got a new do!


Now he looks all grown up and is officially a farmer in training :)


"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."  - Matthew 10:29-31, NIV

"Cowgirl Up! Let's Go Ranching" is Another GREAT Addition to the Chaney Twins' Series of Books!

I've posted before about the WONDERFUL series of books being written by my friend, Rebeccca Long Chaney and her twin daughters, Rianna and Sheridan:

http://farmeronamission.blogspot.com/2011/12/great-ag-books-for-kidsnow-with-lesson.html

Today a case of books arrived at my door! It's the fourth installment in the Chaney Twin's series. I dropped everything and dove right in!


This time the Chaney girls were off on a Midwestern adventure to the Loos family ranch in Nebraska.

They learn lots of new lessons in animal care and as always, the pictures are gorgeous and the text is simple, educational, and entertaining.

Can't wait for story time with my own farm girls tonight!

I will have to be careful not to muss any of the these first copies I received though, because they're destined for the Accurate Ag Books activities during the 2013 North Dakota Farm Bureau Leadership Conference. One of the perks of my off-farm job is reviewing books for these activities :)

Gotta go! I need to place an order for my family to keep- Christmas is coming you know ;)

Happy Reading!
Sarah :)

p.s. For more information about the Accurate Ag Books program and for a list of other GREAT books to share with your friends and family, go to:

American Farm Bureau Federation Ag Foundation Book Database