Farm Animals

Is Your Soil Healthy?

Liz James · April 12, 2022 ·

I found this cutie in our garden today. She’s a salamander! It’s the first one I’ve found in the 27 years we’ve lived on our farm.

We’ve worked really hard to keep our farm as chemical free as possible, and finding little critters like her living in the soil makes me extremely content and happy.

Salamanders have extremely absorbent skin, and are very sensitive to chemicals because of this trait. Pesticides, herbicides, really… any chemicals will kill or injured them. More than half the world’s salamander species are on the endangered species list.

I have no idea what species this little one is? Maybe one of you know? I’m just thankful that she’s here (ha ha! Maybe she’s actually a he

?) She’s our canary in the coalmine….. evidence that we are treating our farm with the love and respect it requires to be healthy from the ground up.

Here’s a little more info on salamanders:

https://www.savethesalamanders.com/

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Organic Greenwashing Loopholes

Liz James · April 9, 2022 ·

“Organic” is tricky because there are so many loopholes to allow for greenwashing.

(Greenwashing is the smoke and mirrors wording that big corporations use to dupe well meaning buyers like you and I into buying products that aren’t truly organic or “green”. It’s maddening how many do this too.)

Here’s an example of one loophole that is being fought to be closed in the organic dairy industry. This is a victory, and those who fought can be proud of their win……. hopefully it will be enforced (that’s another battle entirely).

Ultimately, your best bet with organic (and raw….I am an enormous proponent of dairy in its raw and organic state. Even organic has huge flaws) dairy is to KNOW YOUR FARMER. Shop local friends. That’s the only way you’ll ever know how clean your food really is.

xoxo~ liz

https://vtdigger.org/…/usda-finalizes-origin-of…/

Kittens Are Good Medicine

Liz James · November 17, 2021 ·

Fostering kittens….. anyone in need of a bundle of fluff or two (or 4)? Letterbox trained, socialized, and already showing strong signs of being bookworms😁.
xoxo~liz
#kittensaregoodmedicine
#didyouknowpurringisahealingsuperpower
#caringfortheleastofthese

The Perfect Stable Supply Room

Liz James · November 9, 2021 ·

In a perfect world, all barns would be stocked like this! (and households too 😁).
#knowbetterdobetterbebetter
#ThanksYL

Digize for Colic in Horses!

Liz James · October 22, 2021 ·

It has been a few years since we’ve had a colicky horse. Colic in a horse isn’t like colic in a baby…. it is not unusual for a horse to die from it if not caught early and treated quickly.I lost my first horse I ever had when I left for college. He colicked the first semester I was gone and was unable to be saved.😥

The following post 👇is from a friend of mine who has a fantabulous holistic barn education group (it is a paid for group, but very reasonably priced— its called the Healing Barn Movement). She and her husband have many horses, and part of their life’s work is to teach other horse families how to “do equine life” toxin free both physically and emotionally (horses tend to mirror their humans).

And meet Donkey Boy, if you haven’t already! He’s one of our equine herd of 5 on our farm. We do life as holistically as possible out here too. Our farm-ily is most definitely healthier for it. I’ve managed animals both ways…. the holistically managed animals tend to live longer healthier more productive lives….. just as it is with humans😉.
xoxo~ Liz
If you’d like to learn more about Digize and other products I use on my farm-ily, let’s chat!)