Guest post: Nick Puffer’s 60 lbs in 16 weeks

Hi, I’m Nick Puffer.  I’m a full time Web Marketing / SEO Specialist for Downtown Motor Company in Gulfport, MS and also work part time for Starbucks as a Barista.  In between jobs, I run a blog about diet and exercise with a focus on becoming more organic.  Over the past 3 years I have striven to become more healthy and have gained a passion for learning about the effects… ... Continue reading

Chick Training

Laying Chick Training

Check out our photo essay of transitioning our baby laying chicks to pasture from the brooder house. These chicks are about 6 weeks old and love their new home. Here is a photo essay about how we train baby layers to thrive on pasture. These babies are about 6 weeks old and are doing great!

Who is Top Cow at Shady Grove Ranch? Part 1

Who is top cow at Shady Grove Ranch?

This is the first of a series of articles on our favorite breeding cows at Shady Grove Ranch. We have invested a lot of time and energy into our grass-fed beef herd and would love to share with you about some of our favorite personalities in the herd and why we like them so much.
The first is without doubt our favorite

2012 October Farm Day

Farm Day was a hit at Shady Grove Ranch! We had a small group, which was lovely for taking our time and having plenty of interesting conversations about sustainable agriculture. Once everyone had arrived, we loaded up onto the hayride to collect eggs. Matt hooked us up to the tractor, and away we went!

We had all the workers and the egg baskets. Toby… ... Continue reading | 1 Comment

ETBU Students Visit Shady Grove Ranch

Last week we were able to welcome some students from East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) who are interested in learning about sustainable food production. Earlier this summer, Dr. Cassie Falke contacted me about bringing some of her students to the ranch to learn a little bit more about the connection between people and food. We love to share what we do, and what better way for someone to learn about… ... Continue reading

Is Spinach Really A Superfood?

I was recently reminded that the world at large perceives that vegetables are healthier than meats, though no one really seems to know why. You often hear the word “superfood” associated with health-food-store favorites like kale, spinach, blueberries, and walnuts. You never think about foods like salami and cheddar cheese, mostly because they are salty, fatty, and generally considered to be deliciously unhealthy.

But on a per-calorie basis (because… ... Continue reading

Bird’s Eye View of The Life of a Chicken

Bird’s Eye View of The Life of a Chicken

Among the misunderstandings that abound concerning industrialized products, probably food production has some of the most. Marketing committees have developed clever ways of giving facts and presenting half-truths so that the pleasant pastoral images evoked when a shopper sees “Farmer Joe’s Free-Range Eggs” on a label that he or she feels comforted to know that the hens that gave those eggs… ... Continue reading | 1 Comment