PASTURE RAISED - GRASS FED BEEF ☞NO HORMONES ☞NO ANTIBIOTICS.

PASTURE RAISED - GRASS FED BEEF ☞NO HORMONES ☞NO ANTIBIOTICS.
Also naturally fed, pasture raised, chicken, turkey and pork.



Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

The Hiday Family would like to thank everyone for supporting the Hiday Family Farm. For many of you it was your first season with us, we thank you and hope to have you back with us in 2014. Even more of you have been with us for several years now,  we thank you for your loyalty and support. When things get tough around here, you are our inspiration to keep going. Many of you have become friends and feel like family.

Speaking of family, Holly and I are busy getting ready for a Christmas that will include two new daughter-in-laws and two new granddaughters. We are Excited.

Looking forward to 2014.

Here's wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Dan, Holly and Family

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Snow and Cold

Hello,
How is everyone doing? I am often asked and if you haven't asked I am sure you have wondered. What Makes The HIDAY FARM different. That is a tough question sometimes, because a lot of things make us different. As I sat at the kitchen table watching the cattle grazing in the snow I realized how different we are from many farmers who also raise cattle.  Most of the other farmers around us started feeding hay and/or grain in September or October. Me, I took one field that is 17 acres in size and grazed first thing in the spring. I grazed it for about two weeks and then pulled the cattle off. Then I let the field grow and grow to do what I call stockpiling. It really grew this year, so in August I put six young female calves in it to keep them away from the bull.(do not want any teenage moms) These six had very little impact on the grass as far as grazing it down.  The week before Thanksgiving I did a flip flop with the cattle. I took the main herd and moved them from the 30 acres they were in, because it was 75% eaten. However it does have enough grazing in it for the six in the 17 acres. Then the main herd went to the 17 acres. Even with 2 inches of snow my cattle are grazing on the stockpiled grass. And this is December. I finally decided to take a bale of hay to them because it was so cold and blowy. I Took The Hay to Them in the Field. A 1000lb bale, that I took to the field and put next to a Brier patch. Why? One, the cattle will tramp that Brier patch into the ground and destroy it or at least stunt it for next year. Two, by taking the hay to the field I am keeping the manure they produce in the field. Instead of bringing the cattle into a barn lot, I will move hay bales all around the fields to control weeds and spread the manure around for next year. This saves time, saves labor, saves fuel, improves the land and most of all, saves old Farmer Dan's back. You would think this would be the norm, but it isn't. This is how we have raised cattle for over 20 years and one of the examples of what makes the Hiday Farm special.

Thought you might like a little insight into what we do.

Hope all is well with you and yours.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Dan

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. We spent the day with the boys and their families. Two new little granddaughters to spoil today. It was a fun day.

Hope all is well with you and yours.
Dan

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Turkey

Hello everyone, it has been a very busy fall. I have seen and delivered probably 90% of the product to date. I have logged a lot of miles and have had a chance to say hi and visit with many of you. I love visiting with everyone.
I do need to get a second trip made up to the Detroit shareholders. I will be calling and setting that up real soon.

Also, Kalamazoo customers who have turkeys ordered. I will have them with me at the special Holiday Farmers Market at Texas Twp. Saturday , November 23rd. from 4 to 7PM. I will be in my usual spot.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Dan

Monday, October 28, 2013

Growing Family

Hello everyone. It has been very busy since my last post. On October 19th. our second grandchild/granddaughter was born to Adam and his wife Becky.

All of the beef for individual shares has been taken in for processing. Everyone should have their beef within the next 3 weeks.

Pork will also be done soon.

Turkeys are growing better than last year and will be going in soon. So several of you may also see your turkey sooner than normal.

I always look forward to this time of the year because I get a chance to see and visit with all of our shareholders.

Hope all is well with you and yours. See you soon.

Dan

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Fall Is In The Air

Hello everyone, hope all is well. I have been busy sorting and hauling cattle and pigs for processing. Many of you have started to get your orders filled and most beef and pork orders should be filled in the next 4 to 5 weeks. If you also have chicken ordered I add them to your order when I bring the beef or pork. Turkeys are doing a good job growing and will be ready soon.

Spent a good share of today repairing fence. The bull broke into the pasture I was keeping a group of young heifers (females) in.  This bull weighs in at about 1500 lbs. He squared off on me as I went to move him out of that pasture. Not a comfortable feeling when they do that. He obviously wasn't going to leave. Solution, I moved the heifers to a new field. Hope it works. Then I came up to the house and sorted beef for delivery.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Dan

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Fall Orders

Hello everyone. It has been very busy here on the farm since my last post. We have started to take animals in for processing, both beef and pork. As I mentioned before some of you may see beef before pork. Feel free to call if you have any questions. I will either call or email you as your product becomes ready.

We are hoping to get one more cutting of hay yet this year if weather and equipment cooperate.

Aaron, our youngest is getting married on the 21st., so I will not be back to Texas Twp. market until Sept. 28th.  I will be restocked with beef and Mangalitsa pork for that day. Also while I am thinking of it. I only have a few turkeys not spoken for yet, get your order in to me if you want one.

Josie, our new granddaughter is doing well. Mom and Dad seem to be a little short on sleep. Oh do I remember those days. We survived and so will they.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Dan

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

A new Farm Girl has arrived

Well August 19th was a big day for Holly and I as we helped welcome into the world our first grandchild,  Josie. As we say here on the farm "She's a Keeper". Mom and baby seem to be doing well. She is the 1st. grandchild on both sides of the family, she's got it made.

Other news: I did not think I got scheduled for Texas Corners on August 31st., but I was informed that I did get that date after all. So I will see you in Kalamazoo on the 31st.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Dan

Friday, August 2, 2013

Busy August

August is going to be a very busy month for the Hiday Farm and family.  I will be at the Texas Corners market on August 3rd. and 17th. Some of the cattle are approaching butcher size and we are trying to get processing dates arranged. Some of you may see beef before the pork. And in between all of this, Holly and I are expecting our first grandchild.  And I still have 30 or so acres of hay to get up. 
Oh well, that's life. We just keep moving and usually things seem to fall in place.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Dan

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Hello

Hello everyone. I know you all thought I fell off the side of the earth. But no I didn't, just been very busy and lazy with the blog updates. SORRY. 

Everything seems to be moving forward with the Hiday's and the Hiday Farm.

Alex the oldest son purchased a farm down the road from us. Have been busy helping him get it up to snuff.

Cattle, pigs and chickens all growing and getting ready for your freezer.

I will try to do a better job of keeping the blog up to date.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Dan

Friday, March 1, 2013

Snow

Hello everyone, I don't know about you but we have several inches of snow on the ground. That is O.K. for now, we need the moisture.

Our hay supply is going to come down to how soon we see spring grass. I have enough to get us to about april 10th. If we don't have grass by then we will have to buy more hay.

I have been working on the 2013 order forms and they should be in the mail soon. Get them back to us as soon as you can.

We have had an error with our hidayfarm.com store and have changed it to hidayfarms.com

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Dan

Monday, January 28, 2013

2013

Hey! maybe this is going to work now. I have been spending the last few months in tech limbo.

Sorry for the long absence, hope all is well with everyone. As I am sure most of you know, we ran a little behind this year on getting cattle ready for market, Thanks to the drought and a lack of grass. We are concerned about 2013. You may not realize it because of the cold weather, but we are still in a drought.  Only time will tell on how 2013 will be. We are trying to make plans to try to get us through another dry year, but in all honesty, it will be hard to survive another year like last year. We will keep saying our prayers and hope for the best.

Hope all is well with you and yours

Dan