Our farm fresh brown eggs come from our Isa Brown layers that are housed in the safety and protection of our portable pens by summer and in the barn by winter. You benefit from knowing all the eggs gathered that day were laid that day. In the summer, our hens enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, and pasture along the edge of the Alfalfa-Orchard grass hay fields that we farm. Eggs are gathered, washed, dried, and refrigerated for freshness. We use a “first-in, first-out” rotation to provide you with the quality you’ve come to ‘eggs-pect.’ Our “girls” are happy to provide you with farm fresh eggs.
Let me explain a little back story to our little hay farm. Since 2000 when we bought the 36 acres of land with buildings, we baled 22+ acres by hand stacking while riding the wagon behind the tractor and baler. But in 2015, with 80+ added acres, aging bodies, busy schedules, and new technology there had to be an easier way. Introduce the red hay accumulator with its ability to gather and drop ten small square bales at a time and its counterpart the grabber that attaches to the skid loader. The grabber is able to pick up ten bales at a time making stacking much more efficient and less back breaking. In a pinch when rain would threaten to damage our ready-to-bale hay, we would call in a local large square custom baler to “wrap” things up quickly. Sometimes literally for wet-wrapped haylage when the weather would not cooperate enough to let us bale our hay dry.
From 2000 to 2016, hay was raked with a tine driven wheel rake. But, when customers disliked the added dirt, we listened. Enter the hydraulic driven bar rake in 2017. Less dirt means better digestion.
2016 brought many challenges with our old hay baler but we limped along keeping an eye out for better options. Once again, our customers spoke and we listened. Too many banana shaped small square bales made it difficult to move and stack bales. This week during 2nd cutting, we demo’d a new baler. The new style baler keeps the Alfalfa leaves on the stem better and no more banana shaped bales.
2020 was the year to add a round baler to our collection. We can now bale large bales and when needed, we can wrap them.
Stop by our Facebook page Graber Family Farm to see what is available and who to contact. And, be sure to let us know how we are doing.
