We want to wish all the fathers out there a Happy Father’s Day! Thanks for the impact you have on the next generation.
Here’s the weekly roundup from Watson Farms and your direct connection to your farmer. Enjoy the latest edition of Pasture Posts!
Microbe-friendly Farms
Last week we briefly discussed how on our farm, we can literally stand in the middle of thousands of chickens and smell next to nothing. This is due to the mobility of all of our animals which keeps grass under them instead of manure like in the industry. This is one aspect of a regenerative farm that is inviting rather than repulsing.
This week, let’s look at another characteristic of regenerative livestock farms that make them attractive, and that is the tendency toward life rather than death. When you look at modern industrial agriculture, you see monocrops and the use of lots of “cides” (herbicides, insecticides, pesticides). Although the one thing that a particular farmer is producing may often look good and healthy, the fact is that they likely killed everything around it to achieve this.
Crop farmers rely on herbicides like glyphosate and paraquat to burn down a field and rid it of any other living vegetation before planting the desired crop.
Industrial poultry farmers use a plethora of insecticides and various other chemicals such as creosote and formaldehyde in an effort to sterilize the barns to create an environment that the severely-immune-deficient birds can survive in.
These harsh chemicals are very efficient at killing any and all life in and above the soil which unfortunately includes billions of microorganisms which include bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, algae, protozoa, and nematodes. Healthy soil teams with these whereas industrially farmed monocrop soils contain significantly less.
You can truly see the difference the minute you step onto a regenerative farm. Our pastures oftentimes have dozens of plant species that are able to thrive. This gives our cattle and other animals a diverse diet which we believe enhances the taste of the meat. But of course, the healthiest plants come from soil rich in organic matter and those microbes we mentioned above. And a great way to know that your soil is rich in microbe activity is the presence of earthworms! Those microbes are part of what earthworms eat.
Abby, Noah, and I recently went on an earthworm hunting mission, and sure enough almost everywhere we looked we found some!
So if you think that the type of farming we do might be interesting to see first hand, then we’ve got a great opportunity right around the corner to do just that.
Make plans to come to Watson Farms on Saturday, June 24 from 10am to 4pm as part of the Ag+Art Tour! We will have vendors, a food truck, and hay rides around the farm. We also encourage you to tour other farms in various counties around South Carolina. Head over to their site for more details!
Product Spotlight
We have a great deal for your Independence Day celebrations! Check out our July 4th Bundle where you can save over 15% from retail!
Order Deadlines and Store Hours
Here’s a friendly reminder to get your orders in by the deadline. We have changed our workflow some to help reduce errors, so we have to begin the process of staging orders for the next day’s delivery very soon after the deadlines below. Help us serve you better by ensuring your order is placed in time!
Charleston Area: 12 noon Mondays
UPS Orders: 12 noon Mondays
Columbia Area deliveries now occur on Wednesdays.
Deadline for the Columbia Area: 12 noon on Tuesdays
GSP: 12 noon on Wednesdays
Charlotte/Fort Mill/Rock Hill Areas: 12 noon on Fridays
Farm Pickup: Please wait until you receive an email stating that your order is ready to be picked up (usually 1 business day from when you place your order). Farm pickup is done during store hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10am to 6pm
Saturday: 10am to 2pm
Closed Sunday and Wednesday
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!
Did you know that we have a webpage that displays all the reviews we have received?
Check it out!
Check out this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review:
“I ordered several different cuts of beef from them. They were all excellent. Delivery went smoothly. Everything was packaged well and cleanly. I’ll definitely be a regular customer and look forward to trying their other products like ham. It’s nice to be able to buy from a local, family farm.”
We would greatly appreciate it if you would be kind enough to leave us a review. It helps first-time customers purchase with confidence.
Thanks again for being partners in this endeavor of local, pasture-raised proteins that has truly transformed our farm. We look forward to continuing this transition while serving you long into the future.
Sincerely,
The Watsons
Pasture Posts is written by Matt Watson.