June Newsletter • Homestead Herald: Packed with Farm Happenings

Ronald Kern
Jul 9
6 min read

Whew — June flew by in a flurry of feathers, fleece, and farm babies! From the hum of clippers shearing our alpacas to the squeals of brand-new piglets and the peeping of baby turkeys, the homestead was alive with motion and new beginnings. We processed chickens, expanded our animal family, and soaked up the long days of early summer — and we’re excited to share it all with you in this month’s Homestead Herald!

ALPACA SHEARING:

June 4th our alpacas weren't excited for their yearly shearing, however, afterwards they were happy as they are now much cooler. They get their nails clipped and teeth ground down (if needed) once a year. We have years of fiber from all previous shearings and may make some socks, sweaters or something as alpaca fiber is quite desirable.

Below you can enjoy a video and some pictures of the process, and a funny before picture of Chet (left) and Tito (right). They look so different!

They are SO much happier and cooler!

BABY PIGS ARRIVED:

The next day, June 5, we brought home seven adorable piglets — and let’s just say, they didn’t stay available for long! We offered them exclusively to our local members, and after a quick round of emails and texts, they were all snatched up in record time. We're thrilled (and just a little sad) to say they're all spoken for. If you were one of the lucky folks who acted fast, you're in for a real treat — just wait until you taste that first juicy pork chop, smoky strip of bacon, or savory slice of ham.

We are keeping them in a new spot this year and they not only seem to love it, they are thriving.

Enjoy some pictures of these cute little piglets below, and within a short time, they will be over 300lbs!

Our piglets are so darn cute!

SURPRISE BABY BORN:

On June 11, we had a very big surprise waiting for us in the cow corral. As you have read in our June Homestead Herald, we had three baby Scottish Highland cows in May. We knew Boo wasn't pregnant (or so we thought) as almost a month had passed and she didn't look or show any signs of having a baby. Whew, were we wrong.

Maggie Moo is the fourth baby cow born in the last two months and every single cow on our property is female, so none are going to "freezer camp." They are all doing well and growing like weeds.

Below, enjoy a short video taken after being born.

VISITORS FROM 7 STATES:

We signed up with HarvestHosts, and thus far has been a wonderful experience. Harvest Hosts is a membership program that allows RV travelers to stay overnight at unique locations like farms, wineries, breweries, and museums across the U.S. and Canada — all at no cost, in exchange for supporting the host by buying products or services their host offers.

Many have helped with chores, they loved feeding the baby cows, and we have enjoyed meeting new people from all over the country. If you are traveling near our farm, we'd love to have you, just click the above link or here.

RUN FREE OLIVER:

One of our horses (Oliver), who we use for Equine Therapy, had an infection in his foot. We had the veternarian come out the same day and we started treatment. Unfortunately, the infection spread up instead of moving down and out through the hoof, causing a tremendous amount of pain and the inability to walk.

Oliver was a racehorse in Canada before coming to Back Forty, and he helped hundreds of kids and adults and was a favorite to many. Ron created a song in his memory called "Run Free Oliver."

You can listen to this song, along with the lyrics here or by clicking the below.

He also pulled a carriage and our daughter for her wedding, so he was very much part of the family. Below is a photo of my daughter with him.

Oliver was Ron's favorite horse and he will be missed and his loss has been an extremely difficult process.

Here are some pictures of our dear Oliver.

MEAT BIRDS:

We processed our first batch of meat birds on 6/24, finishing all 59 in about 4 hours. Whole chickens are available on our website and we have sold about 50% of our inventory. Our second batch of meat birds are already in the orchard and they will be processed 10-11 weeks from when we got them.

We will soon offer freeze-dried chicken that can be shipped nationwide, and we still do have some whole chickens available. They are the best tasting and most healthy chicken you can consume. We can't ship them, but if you are local don't hesitate as these too will be gone soon.

Order your chicken here before they are all gone.

FARM TO TABLE MEALS:

We’re proud to be the only farm in the Treasure Valley offering a truly one-of-a-kind experience: a farm-to-table meal, guided tour of the farm, and a peaceful experience - all in one unforgettable day. It’s more than a meal—it’s a connection to the land, the animals, and the people who make it all possible.

Nourish your body and nourish your soul as you enjoy a delicious and healthy farm-to-table meal near Indian creek, surrounded by the beauty of Idaho countryside, with horses not too far away in the field. Take a walk to the creek, bottle feed a baby cow, and so much more.

We’ve shared some unforgettable meals with amazing guests at past events, and we’d love for you to join us next for a cozy farm-to-table brunch or dinner.

Each event is limited to just 12 seats, and July 13 is already halfway booked — so grab your spot before it’s gone!

Our next meal is this Sunday, July 13, 11:00am, a scrumptious brunch!

RESERVE YOUR SEAT HERE

HOLIDAY TURKEYS ARRIVED:

The day after processing the chickens, we added 25 turkeys to our flock. These will be available for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but like our pigs and chickens, they will sell out fast so if you are local, don't delay in reserving your turkey.

Place your deposit for the most amazing, delicious, healthy, no chemicals or hormones and organically grown turkey by clicking here.

If you have never had a turkey raised like this on a farm, you won't be disappointed, and we'd be willing to wager it'll be the best tasting turkey you have ever had!

Click photo above to place a deposit for your turkey!

ZUCCHINI & SQUASH:

Our garden is providing us with great variety and been bountiful. We were shocked at the price of organically grown zucchini, $2.36 for a small one, a single zucchini!

This is absurd so we now offer our local members fresh zucchini, squash and pattypan for $1.50/lb, almost half of the price of one single zucchini/squash. We always give a little more than you purchase of course. :-)

If you are local, come get as much as you want by ordering here.

We also offer freeze-dried zucchini here, as well as freeze-dried squash here.

RECIPES:

Did you know that we have some of our most favorite recipes online for you? We hope you check them out and if you end up making them, please send us a picture! Click the below picture to browse our recipes.

GARDEN UPDATE:

We have harvested 10lbs of peas, a variety of peppers and everything is growing like crazy. The weather has turned hot, 103 degrees yesterday so lots of work is being done very early and very late in the day.

Enjoy some pictures of our garden and of course, our granddaughter Kennedy supervising Lisa and checking on things.