I'm exercising a bit of restraint in the backyard chicken arena this year by resisting the urge to add another thousand or so chicks to our already sufficient flock. Oh, I tempt myself practically every evening by poring over colorfully-illustrated catalogs from some of my favorite commercial hatcheries. But, my laying hens turned up the egg production a few weeks ago and reminded me that I need to grow our egg customer base before I can rationally think about expansion. I will place an order for meat birds later in the year, but for now the backyard flock, as it exists, will have to suffice.

Of course, just as I write that, I am reminded that the backyard chicken flock will grow a little this year because I plan to increase the numbers of purebred, and fairly rare, buff Catalana birds on the farm. We have just a single Catalana rooster and three hens at the moment -- the birds are about 6 months old and have exhibited sufficient signs to indicate that they've passed through puberty. The hens have begun laying eggs -- my plan is to collect a few incubator loads of the eggs later this spring and see whether I can increase the numbers right here on the farm. I'll never give up the motley crew of brown-, speckled-, mauve-, and green-egg laying chickens for purebreds entirely, but it will be fun to add the slightly off white Catalana eggs to our cartons in the future.

For those of you with backyard chickens in the works, or in the plan, now is a good time to book your mail-order chicks, especially if you have your hearts set on any specific breed. And if you don't want to deal with disposing of unwanted roosters, be sure to spring for the pullets, as opposed to straight run birds. Either way, just remember that you need to have a brooder of some sort, feed, feeders and waterers set up before the chicks arrive. You can brood the chicks in something as simple as a cardboard box, plastic tote or a small stock tank -- and all you need is an incandescent light to keep them warm. You can read all about brooding chicks here and how to build a chick brooder for virtually nothing, here.

Even if you don't have a backyard chicken coop worked out yet, you will have plenty of time to build or buy one while the chicks are confined to the brooder. So don't let the lack of a coop keep you from placing your order. If you feel lucky, you can sign up to win a Cadillac of a backyard chicken coop here.

I frankly cannot imagine a life without backyard chickens. Whether it's just sitting in the shade of the huge hackberry tree and watching the big, gentle Barred Rock rooster dance for his ladies, or chuckling at the mostly-white Ameracauna hen who flies the coop every morning to pick through the hog pen and returns to the coop in the evening, or revelling in the daily anticipation of finding fresh, delicious eggs in nests, backyard chickens are good for the soul.

Buff Catalana photo and author photo courtesy Karen Keb.

I just learned that Cub Cadet and Mike Rowe, host of Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs have teamed up to support American soldiers in conjunction with Project Evergreen's Green Care For Troops program, which has helped more than 10,000 military families with yard maintenance since 2006.  This program is designed to help folks with yard care while a member of the family is deployed -- Cub Cadet's involvement is just one of many reasons that I resonate with the brand.

Cub Cadet has been Green Care For Troops'  financial underwriter since the beginning and this latest collaboration with Mike Rowe, called the  “Get Ready to Get Dirty” challenge, asks Americans to roll up their sleeves, get dirty and volunteer to help neaby military families. In order to kick off the new effort, Cub Cadet and Mike Rowe recently completed a major lawn overhaul for a soldier who returned from overseas to find his yard in shambles. Mike Rowe and dozens of volunteers put a full line of Cub Cadet equipment to work and spent the day planting, tilling, digging, cutting, getting dirty -- and having a bit of good clean fun. When the dust finally settled, the lawn was transformed from an overgrown disaster to an expanse of green to be proud of.

The Dirty Jobs production crew joined Mike Rowe on this special mission and captured short scenes to run within the Dirty Jobs television show -- these scenes will begin airing tonight, along with longer segments that you can find online here.  Be sure to check out what Mike Rowe has to "say" about the experience here.

If you are interested in supporting mission through Green Care For Troops, check out the website here.

Until recently, the best red meat supper I ever fixed involved fresh elk loin and a bottle of red wine that I really couldn’t afford. That all changed yesterday when my valentine and I decided to stay at the farm and cook something special for dinner instead of succumbing to the artificial commercialism associated with the day. That and I had been at the National Farm Machinery Show for much of the week and we both wanted to keep tabs on the Olympics. The boneless grassfed lamb loin calling my name from the freezer had something to do with it too.

Normally, when I have a lamb processed, I get a couple of roasts, plenty of chops, some stew meat, ground lamb and sausage. This time, I decided to have one of the loins left intact – well almost intact – I had the butcher dissect out the tenderloin and trim the works from the bone. I was brooding a little because I love lamb chops grilled with rosemary and this whole lamb loin business cut the lamb chop numbers in half. I needn’t have worried because my new most favorite homemade supper consists of grilled grassfed lamb loin. The preparation was simple but the outcome was superb. And in this particular grilled lamb loin supper, the roasted lemon potatoes and spinach salad with homemade blue cheese dressing (sans mayo) that my valentine prepared really made the meal memorable. I had a heart-shaped flourless chocolate cake on hand too – just in case.

So here you go – for a red meat meal that’s sure to please:

1. Take a whole boneless lamb loin, trim any remaining membrane and pat it dry with a paper towel. My grassfed lamb loin was about 20 inches long – not a gram of fat to be seen.
2. With the lamb loin extended on a cutting board, layer a couple pinches of salt, sufficient Northwoods Fire Seasoning to make it red, sufficient rosemary to make it green, a drizzle of olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar on half of the loin (mentally split it lengthwise).
3. Fold the loin in two lengthwise and tie tightly with enough cotton thread to form a tight bundle. I used six loops of thread and six knots.
4. Let the trussed up lamb loin marinate in the spilled oil and balsamic for about 15 minutes while you heat the grill, or in this case heat the cast-iron stove top grill – heat to smoking hot with the ribbed side up.
5. When the grill is hot, sear the lamb loin on all sides and then insert a meat thermometer.
6. Adjust the heat to medium and cook – turning gently until the thermometer hits about 120 degrees.
7. Remove from heat and let rest for about 8 minutes, or until the lemon potatoes and spinach salad are ready.

All I can say is that this quick and simple recipe for grassfed lamb loin resulted in some of the juiciest, most tender and flavorful loin I have ever experienced. For serving, I just cut the roll into inch-thick slices – you could cut them with a dinner fork.  

For the record, this lamb loin was the gift of a young Katahdin ram that a friend finished on grass with a little bit of hay in December. The ram came my way through bartering – he turned out to be one of the tastiest trades I ever made.

Photo: iStockphoto.com/Jack Puccio

It’s hard to believe that the second day of the 2010 National Farm Machinery Show is more than half over – this much anticipated, annual Louisville, Kentucky, gathering has been another booming success, in spite of the weather and economy.

I arrived on the show floor yesterday amidst throngs of eager, interested folks with addresses on all avenues of agriculture and spent quality time with a few movers and shakers in the industry. Strong companies such as Bobcat and Kubota, Massey Ferguson and McCormick, Cub Cadet and New Holland have weathered the economic storm with sufficient fettle that they’ve managed to roll out new equipment of all kinds.

Sr. Vice President for Sales at Cub Cadet, Nathan Walker, says that his group is guardedly optimistic that the economy is improving. His dealers, who handle everything from consumer lawn and garden equipment to commercial landscaping and turf maintenance products to a full line of Cub Cadet-Yanmar compact tractors, are seeing strong demand already this year. 

Rodney Miller, CEO of McCormick-International USA, makers of a full line of compact, utility and farm tractors agrees, indicating that, although investment capital is still very tight, lenders are beginning to look for some opportunity – though their comfort-level hurdle is still pretty high. Manufacturers seem to universally agree that, while large equipment sales remain strong, significant opportunities exist with the smaller acreage machines. And that bodes well for all of you who are in the market for compact machinery. If you are in the market for a compact tractor, side-by-side utility vehicle or other piece of machinery – now is a good time to make a deal at your local dealership.

The 2010 National Farm Machinery Show draws farmers, ranchers, rural enthusiasts and just plain interested folks from all over North America, and, judging by how difficult it is to walk from one end of the vast exhibition hall to the other because of the crowds, the attendance is strong. Most of the visitors I spoke with came here to see the latest and greatest equipment in their interest area. Some intend to make a deal on a new piece of machinery. Others came to the 2010 National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville to take a break from winter – and to watch some of the best tractor pulling in the world.

If you’ve never attended the National Farm Machinery Show, pencil it into your calendar now for 2011. To learn more about this historic, annual event visit the National Farm Machinery Show website.

Get them while they’re hot – off the press that is. Last December, while most folks were dreaming about Christmas and all the days off they were going to enjoy with family and loved ones, the GRIT crew was busy putting together our Guide to Backyard Chickens. This first special issue launches the magazine’s Country Skills Series, which will cover topics that you all help prioritize.

GRIT’s Guide to Backyard Chickens is a one-of-a-kind reference book that contains the latest and greatest information on how to get your backyard flock started and how to keep the eggs and meat coming. If you live in town, no worries, we have sections devoted to keeping smaller flocks inside the city limits and even included step by step instructions on how to approach your municipal government in towns where chicken keeping is not legal. So if you fancy yourself an urban farmer or city farmer, the Guide to Backyard Chickens has you covered. Likewise, if you live out where the pavement ends, and don’t have any legal issues to contend with, our Guide to Backyard Chickens takes you through the steps for incubating fertile eggs, receiving and brooding day old chicks, building chicken coops and so much more.

Worried about bird health and protection from predators? GRIT’s Guide to Backyard Chickens offers expert advice on how to keep diseases out of your flock and provides detailed information on how to keep predators of all kinds from picking off your poultry. If you wonder about how chickens might help control ticks and other pests and help build rich garden soil, then you will definitely want to read GRIT’s Guide to Backyard Chickens. This new book also includes 25 time-tested and delicious recipes covering everything from for using up excess eggs to creating mouthwatering chicken burgers.

GRIT’s Guide to Backyard Chickens goes on sale tomorrow at Tractor Supply stores, Sam’s Club and select bookstores nationwide. If you can’t find the title at your local book seller or newsstand, you can purchase it directly from us – right here.

In spite of what the Farmers’ Almanac and Punxsutawney Phil predicted about the rest of this winter, in my mind it’s time to start thinking about spring and all of the newborn animals scheduled to arrive at the farm. My four-legged moms are expecting baby pigs, calves, lambs, donkeys – and I am pretty close to setting the year’s first batch of fertile eggs in an incubator. The good folks at Manna Pro are also celebrating the season, (and giving away some substantial prizes) with the Baby Your Babies Photo Contest and accompanying educational webinar series.

Manna Pro produces high-quality animal nutrition and care products for a broad range of species – its product lines are perfect for smaller lifestyle farms and rural enthusiasts who raise their animals for reasons beyond just making a profit. I’ve used Manna Pro’s Calf Manna and various milk replacer products for several decades and they work.

“Our consumers consider their animals to be more like pets or family members than just livestock,” says Manna Pro Marketing Director Jennifer Hojnacki. “They want to know as much as possible about keeping their animals healthy, and they are like proud ‘parents’ when their animals have new babies. The Baby Your Babies promotion gives them a way to learn about important nutrition issues – and also a way to share their new arrivals with the larger farming community.”

The Manna Pro Baby Your Babies Photo Contest runs through May 31, 2010. The 3-part Baby Your Babies webinar series runs on consecutive Tuesdays beginning on February 9. Each webinar will be conducted by Manna Pro’s Vice President of Nutrition, Dr. Rob McCoy, PhD. The first Manna Pro Baby Your Babies webinar will cover Preparing for Newborn Animals. Subsequent Manna Pro Baby Your Babies webinar topics will be Feeding Milk Replacers… Why, When and How and Transitioning to Dry Feed.

 Each 30-minute Manna Pro Baby Your Babies webinar will begin at 4:30pm CST on the date it is held. People who wish to participate in any or all of the webinars may sign up online by visiting Manna Pro's Website, and clicking on the link for the webinar(s) they are interested in. Web site participants will receive a $5 coupon good for Manna Pro products for each webinar they attend and can sign up to receive a free issue of GRIT magazine.

There is a limit to the number of webinar participants, so get signed up soon if you plan to participate.

Rarely has a book so engaged me as Matthew B. Crawford’s Shop Class as Soulcraft, which is a fresh look at the intrinsic value of work. When I first picked up the book, (hardcover $25.95 list; The Penguin Press 2009) I had hoped it might continue where Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Jerome’s Truck left off. What I found instead was a refreshingly accessible and beautifully composed, treatise on the philosophy, psychology and sociology of work – good, honest, real, physical work.

Crawford’s book takes a heartfelt, intelligent and authentic look at the true human cost of outsourcing manual labor and craft of all kinds, while dicing the remaining white collar toil into ever smaller cubes used to feed a new kind of assembly line. Carefully crafted arguments teased from masterful works of philosophy, sociology, psychology and economics provide a sound framework for Crawford’s artful and compelling narrative. The bottom line is that humans crave physical work and associated creative processes for a reason – and it has everything to do with human vitality.

If you ever feel compelled to repair your own tractors, or wonder about that compulsion to keep an old pickup truck on the road. Or if you wonder why it is that you rush home after a grueling day on the line or in the cubicle to build some fences and tend to your garden and livestock. Matthew Crawford’s book Shop Class as Soulcraft will help you understand why. If you have never thought about work as play or as inner fulfillment, now’s the time to take the plunge.

I try to read a few books each month. I naturally gravitate to titles relating to animal husbandry, farm and ranch management and the care and feeding of old agricultural machinery. Sometimes it’s a novel that catches my eye. I am not generally prone to reading sociology or philosophy, but like some instantaneous addiction, after the first sentence of Shop Class as Soulcraft I only hungered for more. Matthew Crawford is every bit a masterful wordsmith as he is a mechanic – exercise caution while opening his book because once you pick it up you will mourn having to put it down.