Pasture Posts #260 – 100 Gallons of Water & A Dash of Patience
Here’s the weekly roundup from Watson Farms and your direct connection to your farmer. Enjoy the latest edition of Pasture Posts!
The Waiting Game
Abby, Noah, and I spent some time in the past couple days looking over the cattle and the winter annual pastures. If you’ve driven down the driveway to the Farm Store lately, you’ve probably noticed the field to your right. That mix of ryegrass and triticale has done wonderfully this winter, and it is clearly sensing that the days are getting longer. It’s responding with a level of vibrancy and vigor that we haven’t seen in months.
While that high-sugar grass is “popping” and ready for the herd, we’ve decided to hold the line for just a couple more days.
With a good bit of rain forecast for Sunday, the risk of “pugging” the ground—tearing up the soil and damaging the root systems we’ve worked so hard to build—is just too high. It takes a bit of discipline to look at that lush grass and tell the cattle “not yet,” but protecting the land is a priority. They’ll get that first taste of spring energy very soon.
The Winter “Secret Sauce” (Stored Forage Recipe)
Until we turn them out, the herd is enjoying our refined winter forage recipe. This is truly a “full circle” moment on the farm. If you remember back in September (Pasture Posts #237), we were working hard in the heat to put up the haylage we are feeding right now.
This winter, we’ve improved the mix by transitioning to a higher percentage of dry oat hay. Oat hay is a powerhouse for grass-fed cattle; it is highly digestible and provides a significant boost in energy and protein compared to standard grass hays. This helps the cattle maintain their condition even when the temperatures drop.
However, there’s a catch. When we run this high-quality oat hay through the bale processor to chop it for better digestion, it creates a lot of “fines” and can be quite dusty. To protect the cattle’s respiratory systems and make the meal more palatable, we’ve started adding about 100 gallons of water to every load.
It’s a simple addition that makes a world of difference. The moisture knocks down the dust and makes the forage much easier for them to eat—so much so that they don’t have to trudge over to the water tank nearly as often to wash it down.
While the Cattle Wait, You Don’t Have To
Just as the cattle are eagerly waiting for their spring grass, we know many of you have been waiting for the right time to restock the freezer.
The Overstock Blowout Sale is still rolling, but we are likely entering the final stages of these discounts. This past week, we added NY Strip steaks to the sale, including a NY Strip Bundle of 30 steaks for the very first time. At roughly 25% off our retail prices, this is one of the best values we’ve offered on one of our most popular cuts.
In addition to the Overstock event, we have several of our larger bundles currently on sale as well. If you are looking to truly stock up, check out the Beef Family Bundle, the 1/8 Beef Bundle, and the Quarter Beef Bundle.
Because we have currently run out of Filet Mignon, these bundles are looking a little different than usual. To make up for the lack of Filets, we have added extra NY Strip and Ribeye to these bundles. It’s a great opportunity to get even more of those premium steakhouse cuts in your freezer at a discounted price.
Now is the time to act before these supplies run low and we wrap up the blowout event. Whether you’re grabbing individual NY Strip steaks, the new 30-steak bundle, or one of our larger bulk options, we appreciate you choosing to support our family farm.
Check out this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review from Zahirah:
“This was my first time ordering and it was a great experience. Everything came packaged safely and frozen! I am trying to support locally and buy higher quality food, this was the best opportunity to do so. I will be purchasing again soon 🙂 Thank you!”
We would greatly appreciate it if you would be kind enough to leave us a review. It helps first-time customers purchase with confidence.
Shipping Timeline and Store Hours
UPS Orders (all orders ship with insulation and dry ice):
UPS orders normally ship out on Mondays – Wednesdays.
Tracking: As usual, you will receive an automated email with a tracking link as soon as your order leaves the farm.
Farm Pickup (Always Free!):
If you are local, Farm Pickup is often the fastest way to get your products. Please wait until you receive an email stating that your order is Ready for Pickup (typically 1 business day after your order is placed) before heading over.
Farm Store & Pickup Hours:
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10:00am – 6:00pm
- Saturday: 10:00am – 2:00pm
- Wednesday & Sunday: Closed
Farm Store Address: 713 Colony Road, Chester, SC 29706
Tell a Friend!
It’s now easier than ever to Give $15 and Get $15 through our Referral Program. We don’t spend a lot of money of advertising, but rather we focus on producing products that people love and are willing to tell others about. So we depend on word of mouth to find new customers and ultimately to heal more land.
So in an effort to streamline this process we have made it easier to tell others (via email, Facebook, or Twitter) about Watson Farms. And it’s all automated on the backend, so you don’t have to rely on us to issue the store credits manually. Just head over to our Referrals Page and start sharing!
