We were excited to see another wolf on the beaver pond

First, Will spotted a deer running across the pond. Shortly after, came a wolf. He wasn’t running but kind of snooping along here and there. He was on the pond long enough for Drew to get some photos with his phone. Phooey, I missed all the excitement, as I was in town buying chicken feed.

I’d like to take this time to give out a warning. You folks know I’m not a gloom and doom type of person, so read this carefully. First off, due to spotty, nationwide drought, coupled with the chemical fertilizer crisis due to the closing of the Gulf of Hormuz and the lack of migrant workers in the ag field, vegetables and fruits will most likely both take a big hike in price and become harder to find (sort of like eggs during the bird flu). Add the tariffs on Mexico and Canada, where we get much produce, hold on to your hats!

With this said, I would strongly advise everyone who has the ability, to both stock up on these products while available and put in as big a garden as you possibly can. Hey, already, produce prices have risen a whole lot. Just go to the grocery store. Even Walmart’s prices would choke a goat!

Now, more bad news. Due to the same drought, nationwide, ranchers and farmers who raise cattle have had to cut their herds significantly. Some even quit. Now this drought has been going on for a few years, so often, each year, more cattle have been sold off, making the supply and demand scenario kind of tough. Yep, folks want to eat beef. But each year there’s less and less available and prices have gone up and up. Now, the wildfires in Oklahoma and Nebraska, to name a few, have even further decimated herds and ranchers’ lives. Yes, the price is going to climb even more. And, because folks can’t afford beef like they used to, they’re turning to chicken and pork, which has their prices rising also.

What the heck to do? I’d sure advise using meat more as a seasoning than the main course, as we’ve done, even though we raise beef. Spaghetti instead of steak and potatoes, stew instead of a big roast, pot pie instead of fried chicken. I’m not saying to eliminate it or severely reduce it at all meals, just many of them, to save money. If you find a good, on-sale price, buy what you can and then can it up. Are you still afraid of pressure canning? Don’t be. It is easy and safe as can be. (Pick up my book Growing and Canning Your Own Food, right through BHM.)

If you can, try to grow at least some of your own food. We have 200 acres, so we grow beef. We also have chickens to supply both eggs and meat if we need it. Chickens are easy to house, feed, and raise. By incubating your own eggs, you can quickly raise a batch of chickens to butcher as they grow so quickly.

Instead of worrying about “what if” start some steps to relieve this worry. Even folks in town can sock away some on-sale vegetables and canned fruit. Don’t worry about the “best-by” date. It does not mean the food will be bad days, months or even years after that date. I promise! It’s just a marketing ploy to sell more cans. Prepare, don’t fret. This will all even out one day and we’ll all say “remember when…”

We will be featured on PBS North again. We will be talking about the history of some of our seeds and our Seed Treasures business, as well as how we manage some of our crops and other things. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/@PBSNorth/videos The video will air at noon on April 8th, Central time. — Jackie