What’s going on at the farm: (almost) spring edition
It’s cold outside, there’s snow everywhere and it definitely does not feel like spring at the moment…and yet, that’s exactly what we’re thinking about on the VG family farms! This time of year is all about planning ahead, so we’re busy getting ready for another incredible season. Spring will be here before you know it, followed by a beautiful summer. Here’s a quick overview of what we’re working on. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our team!
Remember, you can visit us in stores to shop for your favourite local beef, poultry, lamb and pork products or head to VGFarmToCity.ca to place an online order. We offer FREE home delivery on qualifying orders. Thanks for shopping local and see you soon!
We’re getting ready for ecological monitoring
Several years ago, oldest brother Cory VG became a certified educator and accredited professional through the Savory Institute in Colorado. A key part of how Cory applies this knowledge is through ecological monitoring on the farm (a service he also offers to other farmers and land managers). As we noted in a previous blog post:
“In ecological monitoring, there are 15 points that are evaluated in order to verify that the land is improving. What Cory found revolutionary is that in everyday monitoring, only the leading indicators are analyzed. As these indicators give a solid representation of regenerative success, lagging indicators need less frequent evaluation. It’s all interconnected: organic matter will increase and sequester more carbon, which improves the water, and so on…you end up with healthier animals, cleaner air and water, more nutrients in the soil. When you observe the leading indicators closely, you can generally trust that lagging indicators will follow. Furthermore, you can look into these lagging indicators and improve performance in areas such as successful training and employee retention, profitability and having a safe workspace. When these critical areas are well attended to, there are fewer mistakes.”
As many VG Meats’ customers know, we’re dedicated to using holistic management to achieve regenerative outcomes on the farm, and this ecological monitoring supports that goal while telling us how we can improve throughout the year. It’s an incredible and very effective way for us to achieve regenerative outcomes on the farm and in turn, produce regenerative food for consumers. Right now, we’re getting ready to start this ecological monitoring cycle for the 2023 season.
We’re creating a grazing plan
In addition to getting ready to start the ecological monitoring process, we’re busy developing a 2023 grazing plan for the land we manage. This includes planning the grazing areas/schedules for our cattle, sheep, laying hens and ducks as well as making plans for our pasture-raised chicken. Here’s an inside look at Cory hard at work! It’s a lot of effort to plan this properly, but it’s worth it.
Cory is available to work with local farmers to assist them with their 2023 grazing plans—if you’re interested in this service, please send him an email to introduce yourself.
We’re continuing to feed local families
Finally, while all of this is going on behind the scenes, the VG Meats team continues to produce delicious, high quality Ontario meat for local families. We’re proud of the work we do on the farm, at our processing facility in Simcoe and in both of our retail locations. If you’d like to know more, just let us know and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram—we hope to see you in store soon! Thanks for reading and for supporting your local food economy.