Philippine Typhoon Relief Fund Progress--Thank you!

With many thanks to all who have sent donations, we have collected $850 to date for the Philippine Typhoon Relief Fund.  A wire for the entire amount, less the bank's transfer fee, will be sent to Fr. Bart Pastor this coming week in order to arrive before Christmas.   We will send another donation in January to help with their ongoing needs, so don't despair if you haven't gotten a check sent yet.  There is still time!

[We have sent the final wire and are no longer accepting donations.]

Thank you again to all who have donated, either to our fund or through other organizations.  The need is so great, but even our small efforts are making a difference.  We look forward to sharing with you happy news from Fr. Bart after he receives the wire; we will update you all then.  Thank you and may God bless you for your generosity.

Help Us Help Others

200+ mile per hour winds.  Seafaring ships picked up and carelessly dropped in residential areas.  Roofs and walls of homes and buildings blown out of existence.  Over 1800 killed -- that's more than double the body count of Philippines' second most deadly typhoon.  These are the results of Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan which struck central Philippines in early November.  According to news sources, over 673,000 are displaced and they still need help...your help.

As we remember all that we are thankful for on this Thanksgiving weekend, I would like to thank all of you who have expressed concern for my family in the Philippines.  Thank God they have been spared as they reside in northern Philippines while the typhoon ravaged the central region of the country.  Our family friend, Fr. Bart Pastor, a priest in Tacloban City, was not so fortunate.  He and his community were trapped in the middle of this natural disaster.  The following bio about him is written by my mother:

Fr. Bart Pastor is close to us, even from our Jakarta days.  He is a Thomasian, UST (Univ. of Santo Tomas) Theology grad in 1967.  He has written books, workshop materials, organized conventions and conferences, discipleship programs attended by local and foreign participants in their Paraclete Renewal Center in Tacloban.  His community has developed and formed self sustaining projects from farming, constructing school projects which their own qualified members implement...all these project assets and property and housing, farms were all damaged or destroyed by [Typhoon] Yolanda.  He is a simple, unassuming, gentle, fatherly, resourceful, selfless servant of God...and anyone who meets him for the first time surely gets beholden by this holy priest.

Fr. Bart Pastor has a unique ministry; he runs a retreat center sustained by its own farm which, in turn, provides jobs and opportunities for the locals.  My parents lost touch with him after Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan struck the area on November 8, 2013.  About a week later, they finally received a text message from Fr. Bart saying that he was safe but that the typhoon claimed the lives of at least ten people from his community.  

Here are some actual excerpts from his text message to my parents:

...no electricity, batt, cellsite, load, radio, tv, food, water.  We lost 10 members and counting. Physical damage to Paraclete, agricultural n livestock estimated 12-15 million (Philippine Pesos).  D gudnews is we r still alive n surviving, d paraclete students n der families although no roofs n walls over dem.  So i invited dem to stay @ paraclete....  We r eating root crops blown coconuts unripe bananas by students who r still in hi spirits n prayin am n pm.

...Yes u deposit to metrobank ac later coz no banks r open yet afteryolanda....  I got out...we had to break d fallen cement posts just enuf height for the survivor to pass....  People der r hungry esp children in fact I invited several to stay at paraclete chapel, dorm....

...Foundational centr not destroyed, infact it was instrumental insaving lives of our immediate neibors who took refuge n 2nd n 3rd flrs. 4 floating bodies r still behind.  Our next neiybors homes r totally out.  the place where I stay completely gone walls n roofs.

...Stations 10-13 n risen Christ chapel gone.  Annies 10 cottages my residence all gone.piggery n poultry n veggies n fruit n foresttrees n coco trees complete gone.  Trees n coco r headless....  We shall rise agin by Gods grace n ur help!!!!!

People's faith persists in the wake of the typhoon as they worship in a roofless church.

Sometimes when we hear about tragedies that occur halfway around the world we can wonder if there is a way we can help, or if they are just too far away for us to be able to make a difference.  We would like to give you the opportunity to help someone who is on the front lines of this disaster, and to help his efforts directly.  

We are setting up a Philippine Typhoon Relief Fund account at a local bank here in Hartford.  Soon you will be able to send checks directly to that account so that we can wire the funds to Fr. Bart in Tacloban City.  

[We have sent the final wire and are no longer accepting donations.]

This is not a tax-deductible donation, but will go directly to Fr. Bart and his efforts to feed, clothe, and house those in his area who were struck by the typhoon.  

If you would like us to keep you informed about the progress of the Philippine Typhoon Relief Fund, including the amount of money collected and the dates that the funds are wired to Fr. Bart, please include a note with your check, or send us an email.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.  May God bless you and reward you.

More Fun than Expected

Our education about healthy living should not begin as an adult, but rather, as a child.  In order to bridge the gap between the farm and one's dinner plate, on Monday, July 15, 2013, a group of young children descended upon our farm. 

The children came here because their parents had signed them up for Farm Explorers' One-Day Camp, a camp designed to allow children to get a glimpse of farm life, plus learn why animals are happier and healthier when they live outside in the fresh air and sunshine.  

10:00 -- Orientation
After checking in, the group gathered under the canopy and began working on an activity packet that included coloring pages of the animals they would see later in the day.  At the sound of the cow bell (what else?) we started with a prayer, an explanation of the day's plan, and, most importantly, a discussion about how to stay safe around the farm.

10:15 -- Morning Activities
The children were divided into two groups and rotated through two learning stations.  At the Chick Station, Group 1 learned all about the one week old chicks growing in the granary of the big barn.  

The Chick Station
(It was 90 degrees in there!
But that's how the chicks like it.)

Gently playing with baby chicks

At the Pasture Station, Group 2 learned about the animals we raise on the pasture: broiler chickens, cattle, and sheep. 

The Pasture Station

Learning about the origins
of grass-fed beef

Meeting our pasture-raised chickens

Feeding the hogs broccoli from
 our garden while waiting
for the lunch bell

12:00 -- Lunchtime!
The sound of the cow bell called everyone to the canopy for lunch.  Plenty of shade and ice water made a wonderful combination!  A little free time after lunch gave the kids time to pet the farm dog, cats, and rabbit.  The more "mechanically-inclined" enjoyed riding on the parked tractor, skid steer, and riding lawn mower.

12:30 -- Afternoon Activities
In the second half of the day, we offered two more learning stations for the children.  The Egg Station involved collecting eggs from the chickens' nest boxes, washing and drying them, and then packing the eggs into a mini-carton to take home.  

The Garden Station gave the kids a tour of the 1.2-acre fruit orchard and vegetable garden.  The children were happy to identify plants like corn and pumpkin, and learn about others like grape vines and potato plants.  Then the kids got to harvest a basket-full of sugar snap peas to take home with them.

2:00 -- Dismissal
While our main goal in hosting this camp was to educate the kids about why we do the things we do, we also had, at the forefront, a desire for the kids to have a lot of fun.  While it was obvious that the children had a good time (one little boy even said, "That was more fun than I expected!"), I think the adults may have enjoyed the camp even more than the campers.  

We have to make many decisions on our farm; we always make those decisions with an eye towards those who will be eating the foods that we produce.  There is something special about seeing firsthand the children who are benefiting from those decisions that we are making.  Fifteen happy, healthy children enjoying the safe, chemical-free farm we have worked hard to create--it was a beautiful sight to see.

The tractor, Old Red, carries the happy campers during the group photo.

     

Thanks for a great Farm Camp, everyone!

We hope to see you again next year.

A Winter Recap

It has been a long winter, and it seems that spring is taking its sweet time in arriving this year.  That makes it a great time to share with you what we've been up to this winter at Morning Star Family Farm.

This winter has been a productive one for completing projects.  First on the list was finishing up the barn pens.  The boys built a total of thirteen pens in our 100+ year-old bank barn.  

First, the boys frame out
combination stock panels with 2 x 4s.

Then they attach the framed panels
to 2 x 4 uprights.

The final result: modular pens that can be
altered as needed for different uses.  This one
is sized for a newborn calf or young pig.

While we'd much prefer our animals living outdoors year round, our Wisconsin climate just doesn't work well with that plan.  Instead, we try to bring our animals the best of both worlds during the winter months--24 hour access to the barnyard for fresh air and sunshine, and a cozy, bedded retreat inside the barn for a place to get out of more severe weather.

The steers make a great thermometer.  If it
is over 25 degrees, you will find them outside.

Stella goes outside for some sunshine.

The growing hogs enjoy the fresh air, too.

The chickens, on the other hand, are not
thrilled to be out in the snow.  They hang out
near the coop door until one of the boys
shovels a path for them.

Now that we have survived the 2012 drought, and have seen a lot of precipitation throughout the winter, we are thinking that our pasture will be ready for animal traffic this year.  As a result, we will need pasture housing for both laying hens and hogs.  The pasture layer house was Raphael's project.

The inside of the pasture layer house, with
roosts on the left and nest boxes on the right.

Built on skids, the house can be pulled with
our tractor to a different area of the pasture.

A view of the back of the layer house,
showing the access door to the nest boxes.

The completed layer house,
ready for a coat of paint.

Meanwhile, Dad offered to build the hog pasture housing.  We knew the house needed to be large enough for a litter or two of growing-out hogs, and it needed to be easily divided so we could separate a farrowing sow from the rest of the herd.  The resulting 8 x 16 foot structure meets these criteria and then some.

Doubled 2 x 6s provide strong skids for the new hog shelter.  Dad built the house to be held together with strong bolts as well.  As a result, he can build the shelter in our upper barn, then disassemble it for transport to the field.  We will use the skids for transport within the pasture as needed.

Skids on, side walls up, and the beginnings of
overhead supports for the hog shelter roof.

The heavy steel roof must go up in two 
sections to be practical.  Here is the framing 
for the first section.

The first roof support section, in place
on the hog shelter.

So, despite the snow and cold, it has been a productive winter for us here at Morning Star Family Farm.  Stay tuned as we complete these projects and, once the grass gets growing, move the animals out onto pasture where they can benefit from not only the fresh air and sunshine, but green grass as well.

In the meantime, check out our website for our current offerings: cuts of Grass-Fed Beef, Organic-Fed Stewing Hens, and Organic-Fed Eggs.  We are also taking orders for upcoming organic-fed, pasture-raised products: Broiler Chickens in summer 2013 and Pork, Lamb, and Turkey in fall 2013.  Send us an email or give us a call to reserve yours today.