Granddaughter Vivian Mathews helping out
with the cow milking. She's an eager beaver and
loves to help out.
Team Wilson (plus friend Daniel
Nicholes) at our market booth.
ARCHIVES
2006 - A Blast from the Past!
Welcome friends of Full Quiver Farm!
Children,
our "Arrows"
With such a large family, 3 boys and 6 girls, people
ask, how can you afford all those children! And we
ask, how could we possibly get along without them! In
our paradigm, children are assets. What a privilege to
be able to come along side and mentor a developing
soul. Character is one of our long term crops, it
takes about 18 years to mature. All of the children
make vital contributions to each aspect of our
operation. vv
Today, more than ever, we
are thankful to be involved in natural clean food
farming. As the industrial food system in this country
moves further and further away from treating people,
animals and the environment with any sort of respect,
it's a blessing to come home to our little oasis of
natural practices.
Technology never seems to
ask the questions, "should I"? It only asks, "will
this make more money"? When industry feeds chicken
poop, and dead ground up chicken to cattle as a cheap
protein source, they think they have found a clever
way to dispose of their waste products. When
technology splices genes and creates genetically
engineered and patented seeds; when we continue to
poison and pollute our streams, rivers, and
groundwater with toxic farm chemicals and manure run
off... we need local earth friendly farmers more
than ever!
Eggs
Morgan, our 16 year old, has been doing a wonderful
job managing our laying flock. She leads the team that
looks after our hens and pullets. William and Hannah
make up her crew. Each morning they go out and fill
the feeders, waterers, and collect eggs. Remember,
eggs last a long time in the fridge, so stock up on
eggs each pickup day.
Broiler
Chicken
Morgan and her team also did a super job for caring of
most of the broilers last year, keeping them well
supplied with feed, water, and minerals. Our meat
chicken continues to be our centerpiece product. The
key ingredients that make our chicken the best in
Hampton Roads are:
1. Grown locally with integrity, not diesel
trucked halfway across the country.
2. Eat fresh green pasture, nothing green
grows in a metal building.
3. Fresh feed, ground and
mixed locally, not old stale feed that sits and
becomes rancid.
4. Grown outdoors in the sunshine, not in big
metal buildings where tons of manure reeks with
ammonia fumes... unhealthy.
5. You get to talk to and have a relationship with
the farmer/steward that produces your food...
Not just have blind faith that the stuff in the
cellophane package in the supermarket is OK to eat.
6. Our farm enhances the environment. Compost
and manure nourishes our pastures and gardens to help
grow organic vegetables. We don't stink up the air and
pollute the water with giant manure lagoons.
7. Our farm enhances people, providing a means
to raise healthy, faithful and responsible children
for our next generation.
8. We firmly believe that our health depends on the
health and quality of life of the food we eat.
Healthy, happy animals = healthy happy humans!
Dairy
Cattle
Lilly provides our family with nutritious fresh "raw"
milk daily... the kind your grandpa used to drink...
you know, the kind that's not cooked at high
temperature to kill all of the good enzymes and
organisms... then mixed with the milk of thousands of
other cows, put in a plastic jug and sits on the
grocery shelf for weeks. I'm sorry, but it's just a
nutrition and flavor sensation that you can't get from
that cooked stuff! On his first sip, a friend
described it as drinking melted French vanilla ice
cream. There's nothing bland about it! Call about
purchasing a share of your own cow for delicious raw
milk.
Beef Cattle
It's a little hard to get emotionally attached to a
chicken. Calves are a little different. Especially
when your 10 year old plays with them and gentles them
down enough to let you jump on their back and ride
them! I thought that giving them appropriate names
like "Hamburger" and "Meatloaf" would help keep their
ultimate destiny a constant reminder, but to no avail.
I do take comfort in the fact that they will have
lived happy, contented lives on this earth... much
more than their feedlot counterparts.
We are excited to finally
have beef available through our beef share program!
Most folks don't realize how long it takes to raise
one from a calf to full size... usually 18 months to 2
years! It takes longer on grass, which is our method.
Grass fed beef is much leaner and we believe healthier
than feedlot grain fed. But because it is leaner, it
needs to be slow cooked to be tender.
Most factory concentrated
feedlot steers spend the last 2 to 3 months of their
lives with a hormone implant, being stuffed full of
grain and protein concentrates, propped up with daily
antibiotics to keep it from dying in this hostile
environment. All this to fatten it quickly to get it
to market. It's unnatural, it's cruel, it makes an
un-naturally fat animal, it stinks up the environment,
it pollutes our streams... and I could go on and on.
Is it any wonder that our nation is the most overfed
and undernourished people in the world!
Indigo (our older dairy cow) is
helping us by nursing two beef calves that will be
ready next year. We have two Guernsey steers that we
intend to process this fall. Finally we bought two
Angus steers that hopefully will be grass finished
this summer. Email us for info on our beef share
program. Please be patient as we ramp up, we fully
expect the demand to far exceed our capacity.
Pasture
Raised Pork
Our pasture raised pork is a real hit. People say it
seems to shrink less in the pan and the flavor is
wonderful. We have frozen cuts in the freezer and
shares available year round.
Thanksgiving
Turkey
We will be offering Pasture Raised Thanksgiving Turkey
again this year. We're increasing our quantity
somewhat to get a little closer to meeting the demand.
Reserve yours early, we always sell out! Plan on
putting one in the freezer for Christmas!
Goats
William's Nigerian Dwarf goats
are for entertainment purposes only! Entertainment for
our children and guests, and a study in patience and
long suffering for Dad! Goats are escape artists and
love to climb things. Whatever type of fence you
erect, they count it their life's mission to test all
weak spots until they find a way out. I really
wouldn't mind if they just hung out in the back yard,
but they like to live on our back deck and make a big
mess, not to mention chewing on everything in sight!
Recently, Snickers was found climbing around on top of
my car! (fortunately we're not big goat meat fans,
although I believe I did mention it!) They are
extremely personable and friendly, so we'll keep ‘em,
for now!
Full Quiver
Farm Mission
Like arrows in the hand of a
warrior
are the children we are given from the Lord
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full
our children, our heritage, His reward
May our sons run and not grow weary
May our daughters walk and not faint
May they fly straight and strong, like arrows to the
mark
for the kingdom, for the glory of His name
Lyrics by Judy
Rogers
adapted from
Psalms 127:4
Isaiah 40:31
Getting in
touch...
Scott and Alison Wilson
Full Quiver Farm
2801 Manning Road
Suffolk, VA 23434
(757) 539-5324
or email...
Scott
Wilson
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