McKerracher Family Farm

12/17/2024

One of my favorite books also on Audible.
In Dirt to Soil, Gabe Brown tells the story of an amazing journey and offers a wealth of innovative solutions to our most pressing and complex contemporary agricultural challenge - restoring the soil. The Brown’s Ranch model, developed over 20 years of experimentation and refinement, focuses on regenerating resources by continuously enhancing the living biology in the soil.

Using regenerative agricultural principles, Brown’s 5,000-acre ranch has grown several inches of new topsoil in only 20 years! The key is how we think, Brown says. In the industrial agricultural model, all thoughts are focused on killing things. But that mind-set was also killing diversity, soil, and profit, Brown realized. Now, he channels his creative thinking toward how he can get more life on the land - more plants, animals, and beneficial insects.

This week we will focus on his 5 principles of Soil Health.

12/16/2024

God is ever present for those who look for Him.

12/14/2024

Ginger misses our farm visitors and in the meantime she spends her time patrolling the grounds and looking for anything out of place or chasing the neighbors cars from inside the fence as they go by,

12/14/2024

https://us.mannatech.com/products/essentials/superfood-greens-reds
Some people ask me where do I get my energy from. I don't usually share on here, my other business, but I decided today that it is important that people know how to take care of their health and that is what I have been teaching others for over 30 years. I use several of Mannatech's products and I have for over 30 years. My family gene pool is not good, we have many health issues that run in the family, and yet I have good health, no drugs, and good energy. One question that is important to ask during our winters in North Idaho is where to get enough Greens and fruits during our winters. I use Mannatech's Superfood Greens and Reds. I love the taste, (I'm very fussy, I won't drink mowed lawn clippings). This drink includes 20 plant extracts and is so refreshing I drink it nearly everyday. Ask me for a sample and I'll gladly give you one or you can just order for yourself as they have a 180 day satisfaction guarantee. I'm also happy to answer any questions you may have. https://us.mannatech.com/?account=20215

Mannatech's new Superfood Greens and Reds is a delicious, once-daily drink mix blend of 20 nutrient-rich phytonutrients from plants, fruits and vegetables.

12/14/2024

Dreams happen one step at a time.

12/13/2024

Our little piece of heaven. God is good!

12/12/2024

We supplied weekly CSA bags of fresh, hand picked, garden produce from June 7 thru Sept 27th. This year our program will run from June 6th thru Sept 26, and we will be Certified Organic. We are so grateful for our customers and they come FIRST on our farm. They get the best of everything grown on our farm. Would you like Organically grown, fresh picked, nutrient packed garden veggies and some berries. Consider joining our CSA program this coming February when we open it up to new members. Questions? Ask away.

12/11/2024

Biden's Mexican Gold is a work horse in our hanging baskets. Just about everyone includes it in their baskets, it just produces small yellow flowers in their baskets all summer long. Whether it is combined with other flowers in White, Purple or Orange it always looks great.

12/10/2024

The Brooder viewing window is always popular.

12/10/2024

When building our chick brooder we followed the model of Nature. The heat lamp is at the end with the food and water being outside the heat range as chicks go out from their mother hens to get food and forage and then when they get cold they go under their mother hen to get warm. We have also added a viewing window for visitors and grandchildren so that the top doesn't have to be opened everytime some one wants to view the chicks. If building a brooder like this, be sure to cover the plywood floor outside with hardware cloth to keep creatures from digging in and having a baby chick dinner. This model have worked very well with us for more than 20 years.

12/10/2024

On a cold winter day it is nice to look back on some of the beautiful flower baskets people put together.

12/09/2024

Happy Sunday, Enjoying a day of Rest and Reflection!

12/07/2024

Chickens enjoying carrot tops and the warmer weather in their winter hoop house quarters. We have three ages in here and they get along just fine. Our older hens from previous years, Chicks we just got in August and the Chicks from the Mother hen how hatched in October. We only have 4 of the 6 chicks left but I still can't tell what s*x they are. I'm hoping for only one rooster, but you never know. What age should I begin to be able to identify hens from roosters?

12/07/2024

One of our top selling crops is carrots. Everyone who buys them and comes back tells me how much they love them and how flavorful they are. During cold weather they are even better. Have you tried our carrots, what did you think of them?

12/05/2024

Planning 2025! So many decisions, so many spinning plates. Chickens (meat and layers), berry production, nursery, hanging baskets and parties, teaching and Intern programs, our Farm Share or CSA program, Certified Organic process, all the supplies we will need for next year, soil, pots, fertilizer, etc. So many decisions. Our primary decision however is our Farm Share or CSA program. We call it our "Farm Fresh Club". Last year we had over 30 families get weekly veggie bags from June thru Sept. This year we would like to expand but where to advertise and how, for how long, prices, delivery locations, add on options. There are still so many decisions to make. We love our CSA customers and on our farm they come FIRST, they are trusting us to supply them with freshly harvested fruits and vegetables grown on non chemical, no till, earthworm friendly soil. That is a big responsibility that we take seriously. The planning for all these decisions take place in November and December every year, but this year we are growing our CSA program and going Certified Organic so it is even more involved. More details will follow as decisions are made. Enjoying the comfort of a nice warm wood fire indoors helps all decisions being made more enjoyable.

12/04/2024

From Lyndsey Mulherin
3d ·
Advice for chickens in winter ❄
1- Adult chickens do not need a heat source. In fact, it is detrimental to use heat because they will never fully acclimate to colder weather. Chickens body temps are between 105° & 107° all the time. You will also notice at night while roosting, it will be at least 15° warmer where they are sleeping because of their collective body warmth. Even bantams do fine. I have a few in my flock.
2- All you have to do is block any drafts from their roosting areas at night and keep them dry. If you have an open coop, take steps to close it up especially around the roosting areas. Tarps work well as well as free tin from the marketplace.
3- You do not have to add any hay or shavings to the floor of the coop. Sand is a perfect insulator. I've never had an issue.
4- You will need to make sure now more than ever they have a balanced layer feed. Adding extra protein will also be crucial. Many of their natural grazing foods will not be available once winter hits. It's also pertinent to make sure you provide grit for the same reasons. This one is especially important for areas that get a lot of snow.
5- Warm foods do not bring up their body temps. Feeding a chicken a warm meal will do nothing to help them. Chickens don't eat meals. They are foragers who graze constantly.
6- Make sure they are roosting on a wide flat surface. They need to lay on their toes at night to prevent frost bite.
7- In extreme low temps, apply raw coconut oil to their combs & wattles to prevent frostbite. Do not use Vaseline. There is water in the ingredients. Big no no!
8- To prevent frozen water, put ping pong balls in the waterers. The movement of the balls when water is taken by a chicken keeps the beginnings of ice from forming. If you live in SUPER low temps, there are water warmers you can purchase.
9- As you can see by the pic, they still love to go outside in cold temps! You don't have to keep them locked up.
*Some people swear by giving them whole corn & cayenne/red pepper flakes in the winter to warm them up and keep them laying. There is no scientific evidence to support this & no studies showed it works. Just an FYI.

12/04/2024

Our daughter has an unsprayed Apple Tree and so she had a lot of apples that had blemishes and or some worms. Before we left we had one our grandchildren pick a bag of apples off the ground under the tree. Our chickens loved them as a treat when we got back. Chicken are scavengers don't forget and will eat all your table scraps and meat scraps. The carcus from hunting is great for chickens to pick clean. Nothing makes me more upset than to see advertised on store bought eggs etc, that chickens have been fed a vegetarian diet! That is animal abuse, chickens are NOT vegetarians and forcing a vegetarian diet on them is not good care. Our chickens eat almost all of our farm CSA, market garden greens in the spring thru fall. They love it and if I had hunting carcuses they would get those as well.

12/03/2024

Begonias are returning this spring. We use them in our hanging baskets and people who have shade love these shade loving plants. The nice thing is you can bring them indoors in the fall when it begins to frost and keep them cool, dark and in the spring after all danger of frost, bring them back outside to continue to grow and have even more summer flowers.

Most species require warm temperatures, after all they are tropical plants. Tuberous begonias usually have a dormant period. During this period, the tubers can be stored in a cool and dry place.

Begonias do not require much care once established. Keep their soil moist but not soggy; the tubers will rot if they get too much water. Feed begonias with a well-balanced plant food every 2 to 3 weeks. Deadhead all your begonias regularly; removing wilted leaves and flowers encourages them to produce more blooms. Properly stored, tuberous begonias will give you years of vibrant, eye-popping blooms to brighten up your shady garden areas. So get your tubers started this spring for a show-stopping summer! (Taken from Eden Brothers)
Our favorite is the one pictured above and we will be getting in lots for your Hanging Basket parties or just to have in your favorite pots. Do you have a favorite Begonia?