Wednesday, September 18th, 2013
Organic Dairy Farm: Zacland Dairy
Reinland, Manitoba
Hay Ride...to get across the farm
Zacland Dairy
Pampered Chickens
Pampered Cows
Zooming through the cornfields...
Happy piglets
Beans
Thank-you so very much Val & Conrad. We had a great time!
Hello! Today we went to see an organic dairy farm. The first thing we started with was a bale ride to the chickens. The chickens were loud. They were gross. There chickens are all fed with corn and what they would normally eat in the wild or normally. They aren't chickens for meat even though you could eat them for meat, they are more for the eggs. After we took a ride to see there dairy cows. They are used for milk. They get moved around 2 times a day other than the chickens which get moved once a day. We got to see the pigs which are really the cleanest animal. The saying "Pigs don't sweat" is actually true. I really enjoyed this tour. It really did show what the country life is all about for the city kids. After we got to have some sort of yogurt drink that tasted really good. I had an amazing time looking at everything on there yard and I really liked the hay rides, they were much to enjoy! ~Heather Penner
ReplyDeleteSo today we went to an Organic Dairy Farm which is owned by my best friends family. They took us on a hay ride to check out the chickens, they keep them in a giant cage like contraption, where they can peck, scratch and eat till their hearts desire. We learned what's the difference between organic chickens and other chickens and what other places feed them. Which some places actually feed their chickens ground up chicken meet so instead of being omnivores they make them into cannibal's. They also took us to where the cows are and we learned that cows can only produce milk if they have a calf. They took us on a long hay ride to see the pigs and we fed them slop. We even tried Kefir which is almost like a yogurt drink. In my opinion farm fresh milk is the best compared to anything else!
ReplyDeletethis morning's trip to the organic dairy farm was interesting because we got to see how they do things differently at this farm compared to others. I really liked how the focus is on the quality rather than the quantity and price of the products coming out of the farm. The animals seemed to be healthier-looking than ones raised in a barn or building their entire lives. I really enjoyed watching the different animals, like the cows each searching for their favorite plants, or the pigs eating and pushing each other around. My favorite part was probably the hay ride to get from place to place and see the different things around the farm.
ReplyDeleteDay 8 in Culinary Arts, today we went to an organic dairy. we saw hens and cows and pigs it was really fun the best part for me was that we got to go on a wagon ride and we went through some trails it was really cool. At the organic dairy they believe to grow everything natural and organic, they have their hens outside on a grass field and they move their cage everyday that the hens don't have to side in their poop and that they have everyday fresh grass to eat, for their cows well its basically the same they let their cows graze out side on the field too because its healthier and better for everything instead of having them inside where they are in a barn all day and get no sunshine really and being in a barn you don't get fresh grow grass, so if cows are inside its not really healthier for them and for us because then we don't get such healthy milk and yogurt etc. They also let their pigs run around in a big fence and let them dig and everything its really cool to see and interesting to watch all the animals. :)
ReplyDeleteThis farm has 350 acres of land that is 1/2 mile wide. There philosophy is to provide good nutritional food with the highest quality. They want to make good food to create a healthier environment for their family and others. They are a certified organic farm. This is mainly a dairy farm. Eggs and meats are sold mostly to local farmers and friends however, they do sell organic fluids such as milk and kefir,(a liquid yogurt), and they sell it in The Potato Store in Winkler. They have four flavors, plain, blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry. We got to try some and it is very good. We got a hay ride over the fields where the chicken's and cow's were grazing. The pigs were at another farm. The pigs were fenced in a shelter belt,(a row of trees), between a corn field and a bean field. Why you ask? They had no area on there land that was safe enough to raise them. Pigs are naturally forest grazing animals. They like to dig in dirt, chew on roots, and roll around in the dirt. This helps keep them cool in summer and the trees give protection for winter. So the row of trees was an ideal location for them to forest on. Only a water tank and a food bin was installed that they fill daily, otherwise they were on their own,... fenced in of course. The chicken's are in a portable pen that gets moved once a day. In order to optimize a natural feeding environment the chicken's need to be moved often to obtain a higher protein diet. Chicken's love to scratch, peck, and roam around. By moving the pen they find fresher organic grasses and weeds, rodents, and bugs to feed on. The field's are not only planted with organic grasses, they also have red clover, sweet clover, miniature rhubarb, and alfalfa. This optimizes the feed for the cow's as well. They graze and get moved 2 times a day. By moving them it not only helps their food selection, it allows them to fertilize the field's as well. This saves time and expenses for the farmer. This process is a way more labour intensive and that is why organic or natural products are more expensive. You need to be very committed and patient to put in the time to go organic or natural on a farm. If you don't want to consume genetically modified organism's(GMO), preservatives, or additives ,...this is the way to go! This way you have direct contact with the farmer that allows you to get high quality natural products, and you can eat healthier. Very impressive. Thank you Conrad and Val for giving us a tour of your farm!
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