Preparing for Winter

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September 22, 2025

We loaded the final bales of hay into the barn and feel good about the stockpile as the leaves begin turning red and yellow. The animals are scrambling to get the last few bites of green grass and clover in the fields as the days get shorter.

John and crew have been scrambling to get the barn renovations completed, shoring up the posts and beams, pouring new footers and concrete slabs, and replacing the 100-year-old siding and gates. Fencing and watering system repairs are getting attention.

And, the farm house which has had some long standing mold issues are being addressed. Come to find out the bathroom was built right over an old historic well. So, the bathroom was demolished to expose and renovate the well. Then, the bathroom was reinstalled in another room. This resolved some of the mold, but gutter repairs and replacing the south-side house siding is next to see if that improves the air quality.

We tore out the insulation and are drying out the Tiny House crawl space which got wet and moldy from Helena last year. Once it’s dry and mold-free, we will install new insulation. It also got hit by a tree last month. So, we have been cutting up massive oak limbs and putting the porch back together again. We will have plenty of firewood for next year and now that that’s done, we don’t need to worry any more about that tree hitting the house.

Fortunately, the weather has been cooperative and we have been checking tasks off the list. The morning air has been cool and we lit up the wood stove for the first time as we enjoy the cooler days and the beauty that autumn promises.

We are grateful for the rich lives we have, connected with the farm, our families, our Simply Grassfed community, and with God.

Phoenix & The Simply Grassfed Families

P.S. Reminder Pre-Order Now for Bulk 100% Grass Fed Beef in November

Our next butcher date is set in October. After a couple weeks of dry-aging, we will have beef bundles packed and available for delivery in November. Place your orders now for 1/8, 1/4, ½, and Whole Beefs, vaccine-free, antibiotic-free, GMO-free, Grain-free, Hormone-free, Lactic acid-free, Citric-acid-free, just Grass Fed and Grass Finished Beef to be available in November. Click here to see beef bundles description and email us here to place your order.

Alvin's A2 Jersey Milk Cows

John and Alvin Fisher grew up milking and caring for the cows on their father’s farm in the 1980’s. Currently, Alvin operates the farm with forty-eight A2 Jersey cows that are rotationally grazed on chemical-free pastures and milked twice daily.

The Greenwashing of Our Foods – Part 2

Last year, I wrote an article titled The Greenwashing of the Organic Food Movement.Click here if you missed it, wish to read it again, or to listen to my podcast with Holistic Hilda. I share many valuable resources that you may want to access.For many years, humans and animals have lived quite robustly without disease, strong and happy on unadulterated animal products and plants in their most natural state. A hundred years ago, there was no such thing as organic because most farms and food were organic.Nowadays, finding food or growing food without chemicals is nearly impossible. We are at war with governments, corporations, media propaganda, and peer pressure. Cancer, auto-immune disease, weak bones, mental disorder, autism, dental cavities, SIDS, Downs-Syndrome, eczema, allergies, depression, diabetes, heart disease, ADHD are epidemic. Every year the AMA announces some new, unnamed unique disease. We have a hard time walking a block, yet alone reproducing.The health of our society and most importantly our children is failing. Disease is epidemic and humans and animals have become dependent on artificial life support from drugs, surgeries, and machines.Click here to listen to my latest podcast with the Appropriate Omnivore. Listen to the Podcast Here I spotlight the allowable exemptions in the USDA organic standards that include chemicals, de-beaking, and irradiation as well as standard practices in the organic produce, grain, meat processing, fishing, and honey bee industry.Did you know that if your organic grains and potatoes won’t sprout, they were likely irradiated?Towards the end, I discuss the current USDA mandated vaccination policy of our American wildlife, the laws in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho that require the vaccination of ALL cattle heifers, and the current air-drop vaccination programs across the U.S. How are shellfish treated? Click Here to watch how our shellfish are “Depurated” ie. sterilized both chemically and with radiation to protect us from harmful microbes. They are bathed in chlorinated, anti-microbial water for 2-3 days and irradiated to kill the bacteria before they ship to your grocery store to ensure we get sanitary, bacteria-free food. What they don’t disclose is that the microbes are there to decompose the toxic chemicals from industry in our waterways. And, their depuration process does NOT remove any heavy metals, petroleum, or chemicals from the shellfish. Thus, it is more likely that if someone was to get sick from seafood, it is from eating the chemical pollutants, not from the fish or the microbes. Scallops without any additives are called "dry-packed", while scallops that are treated with sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) are called "wet-packed". STPP causes the scallops to absorb moisture prior to the freezing process, thereby increasing their weight. So, buy shellfish directly from the fisher or dry- packed, and don't eat from the Gulf of Mexico, near big cities, or toxic waste dumps like the James River in VA or New Jersey or Boston. Best to procure from PEI, Maine, NC, and a few select places in the Pacific Northwest.Currently, oysters are NOT depurated. So, go with oysters over clams, scallops, or mollusks.Clean food and healthy children or going extinct, however, I’m an “apocaloptimist”. It doesn’t look good, but in the long run, good will prevail.It takes vision, perseverance, courage, and hard work to find and grow food that is actually food.Are you down for the challenge? A healthy future for our children, aligned with the wisdom of nature, depends on us. If you want clean food, Burke’s Garden Farm and Alpine Heritage Creamery are both “Beyond Organic”. All our animals are outdoors getting fresh grass, haylage, grubs, sunshine, fresh air, and fresh water from the creeks and springs in a high-elevation circular valley surrounded by mountains, protected from city or industrial pollution. Simply Grassfed animals DO NOT eat GMO feeds or receive Growth Hormones. All our dairy cows are tested A2/A2 Beta-CaseinAll our cheeses are made with NON-GMO-Pfizer rennets. Click Here to read moreAll our cheeses are raw, never exceeding 102 degrees.Our butcher cleans our meat with either apple cider vinegar or water.We ship our products in biodegradable or recyclable cardboard insulated boxes in the Winter and ship with dry-ice when we can to minimize the plastic gel packs filling up the landfill. Click Here for an updated Healthy Products Resource List. In Optimal Health,Phoenix

Bulk Up on 100% Grass Fed Beef

This Spring has been bountiful with rain and our pastures are lush! This means our animals are also flourishing on green orchard grass, red clover, white clover, fescue, blue grass, dandelion, nettle, violets, burdock, thistle and more!!! Our meat will be as nutrient-dense as ever this year. And, we predict a good hay season to stock up for the Winter.

Preparing for Winter

More from the blog

Alvin's A2 Jersey Milk Cows

The Greenwashing of Our Foods – Part 2

Bulk Up on 100% Grass Fed Beef

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