Blog – Watson Farms

Posted on March 23, 2023March 21, 2023 by Matt — Leave a comment

Today’s Paddock (3-23-23)

This is a fun blog series where we show you exactly the paddock that our animals are enjoying on a particular day. All of our animals are raised in their natural environment and the common denominator among them all is PASTURE ROTATION! So take a look through these blog posts to see where the animals find themselves on a given day.

Our cattle herd is enjoying lots of premium pasture right now! They are grazing right in front of the layer chickens which you saw in Tuesday’s edition of Today’s Paddock. This prepares the grass for the chickens by taking from approximately 2 feet tall down to about 1 foot or less. The chickens can move around better in shorter grass and don’t tend to lay eggs as much in it, which makes daily gathering much easier. This is one of the many benefits of multi-species grazing. Take a look.

Size: 2.74 acres
Number of head: 115
Class of livestock: feeder and finisher cattle; cull cows
Type of grasses: rye, ryegrass, vetch, clover
Grazing duration: 24 hours

Posted on March 21, 2023March 21, 2023 by Matt — Leave a comment

Today’s Paddock (3-21-23)

Our layer flocks have flown the coop! Not really…but they did get moved out of their winter housing into the mobile pasture houses recently!

Size: 1.69 acres
Number of chickens: 3021 (or something like that)
Class of livestock: layer chickens
Type of grasses: rye, ryegrass, vetch, clover
Grazing duration: 48 hours

Posted on March 19, 2023March 19, 2023 by Matt — Leave a comment

A Closer Look at Another Egg Claim – Pasture Posts #108

Here’s the weekly roundup from Watson Farms and your direct connection to your farmer. Enjoy the latest edition of Pasture Posts!

The onslaught of misdirection in the egg industry continues with Kroger’s latest iteration of a confinement egg factory.

Their newest confinement egg complex makes an attempt to mimic the chicken’s natural environment by providing a forest-edge effect with tree-like structures, “natural enrichment,” and a “playground.” The truth is, of course, that the birds only have access to this “enriched” environment during certain times during a 24 hour period. You can see this by viewing their webcams during the early morning hours when the hens are shut in the nest box section of the barn.

Farms should be a vibrant community of people working together towards a common goal of producing food or fiber responsibly with the consumer’s best interest in mind.

And, of course, this stationary confinement barn doesn’t have one blade of grass visible. They cover for this by claiming that chickens are forest birds and get nervous when they are in open pasture. While there is some truth to this, the fact is that steps can and should be taken to ensure the chickens’ safety while foraging. Steps that we take in this regard are 24/7 guard dogs and our mobile pasture coop that the chickens can run back to at any time.

Take a look at the video and photos from this week which show our laying hens right after we moved them from their winter housing into their mobile pasture coops for the growing season.

Posted on March 12, 2023March 19, 2023 by Matt — Leave a comment

Pork Stock Up Event! – Pasture Posts #107

Here’s the weekly roundup from Watson Farms and your direct connection to your farmer. Enjoy the latest edition of Pasture Posts!

We have been working very hard so far this year to build an extensive supply of our very popular pasture raised pork in the freezers here at the farm. Our feeder pig supplier has done a great job in providing us with both an excellent quantity and quality of little pigs that have grown well in our natural pasture based system!

This has allowed our inventory to blossom and it’s time to offer some deals that we feel like you won’t be able to resist!

With our inventory on target, we are now excited to announce our Pork Stock Up Event that will continue until March 27! The sale is far-reaching and is available to anyone from first time customers to old friends. No matter which market you’re in there is something for everyone as long as you have some space in your freezer.

Scroll down to see all the deals!

Posted on March 9, 2023March 9, 2023 by Matt

Today’s Paddock (3-9-23)

This is a fun blog series where we show you exactly the paddock that our animals are enjoying on a particular day. All of our animals are raised in their natural environment and the common denominator among them all is PASTURE! So take a look through these blog posts to see where the animals find themselves on a given day.

Our cattle herd is on the move! The grass is growing quickly and that means they are sweeping across this field quickly. We set up a new paddock every 1-2 days and they love moving time!

Everything is portable! The temporary fence, the water trough, and the mineral feeder. Moving, Mobbing and Mowing!

Size: 6.31 acres
Number of head: 114
Class of livestock: feeder and finisher cattle
Type of grasses: rye, ryegrass, vetch
Grazing duration: 36 hours

Posted on March 8, 2023March 8, 2023 by Matt — Leave a comment

Thank You Notes

Some of you might notice a Thank You Note in your box in the next few weeks. Abby and the rest of the Watsons just wanted to send a special word of thanks for the choice you have made to provide better proteins for your family while supporting our team members and family.

We don’t take it for granted and we are very grateful for each opportunity we have to serve each of you.

Posted on March 5, 2023March 5, 2023 by Matt — Leave a comment

Today’s Paddock (3-5-23)

This is a fun blog series where we show you exactly the paddock that our animals are enjoying on a particular day. All of our animals are raised in their natural environment and the common denominator among them all is PASTURE! So take a look through these blog posts to see where the animals find themselves on a given day.

Here’s some information on the current paddock that this herd of cattle are in today:

Size: 9.11 acres
Number of head: 114
Class of livestock: feeder and finisher cattle
Type of grasses: rye, ryegrass, vetch
Grazing duration: 48 hours

Posted on March 5, 2023March 5, 2023 by Matt — Leave a comment

Meet Our Newest Team Members – Pasture Posts #106

Here’s the weekly roundup from Watson Farms and your direct connection to your farmer. Enjoy the latest edition of Pasture Posts!

We have recently made two additions to our team, and we are very grateful for the effort and proficiency that they bring to what they do for Watson Farms!

Tyler Morton joined us a number of weeks ago and has helped to “carry the load” by making deliveries on Tuesdays to Charleston and Saturdays to our local area. He has also been a great help by pitching in whenever he is needed to run extra routes. This has helped to make sure that we aren’t over-taxing our full time driver, Jordan who does a wonderful job as well.

You might have already seen Tyler out on a route, but be sure next time you do to say hello! One thing that sets our customers apart from many other businesses is how happy they are to see us! Thanks to Tyler and to all our customers!

Another great recent addition is Matt Heald, who helps manage our field production. From grinding feed to vehicle, tractor, and equipment maintenance he can do it all!

There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to keep product on the shelves and to get it to your door. Matt plays a key role with this and keeps things running smoothly. Thanks, Matt!

Join Our Team!

Speaking of great team members, we have a great opportunity for someone looking for a part time position in an office setting! We call this position our Part Time Office and Customer Relations Assistant.

This person would be mainly responsible for invoicing and customer service among other things. Check out the job description over on the website, and if you know of a talented individual that might be a good fit, send them our way!

More Info On Jobs

Posted on February 26, 2023February 25, 2023 by Matt — Leave a comment

Photo Update – Pasture Posts #105

Here’s the weekly roundup from Watson Farms and your direct connection to your farmer. Enjoy the latest edition of Pasture Posts!

We wanted to give you all a photo update of some things that have been happening on the farm this week. As the beginnings of spring start to appear, more things are set in motion.

Being that our farm is 100% pasture-based, when the grass begins to grow things start happening. Cattle and pigs start consuming larger amounts of grass. Chicks start showing up at the Post Office. We start replacing our hay rations for the cows with green grass. We start preparing pastured chicken shelters for the growing season.

Although it can be busy, overall it’s a great time to be on a pasture based farm! Take a look below!