We have found that following God’s pattern for honoring the Sabbath day has been our saving grace. Not only in abundant blessings for ourselves and our family but we see the blessings and miracles on our lands as well.

My kids had an amazing opportunity last Sunday to hear from 2 of their Uncles and one cousin about keeping the sabbath day holy. It was great to hear them bear testimony of the blessings that come when we keep God’s commandments. They shared powerful witnesses and miracles. I am grateful for the examples they have set in their lives for my children to follow. Being on a ranch creates many circumstances of pulling “the ox out of the mire.” These Uncles, my husband- Jared, my dad and countless other agriculturists have had their share of ox’s in the mire, ie pulling calves, getting cows off the highway, rescuing hunters, gathering cattle in extreme weather conditions etc.

Many of them have committed to setting the Sabbath apart as much as possible. My dad would set the flood irrigation dams farther on Saturday so he could skip Sunday. It was really a leap of faith because to get the best results he changed the water twice a day every day. Jared has sometimes fed double on Saturday to lessen the load on Sunday. It was neat to hear of the creative way others have strived to set aside the sabbath in an agriculture world. My brother shared the story of my mom and him getting stuck in a snow drift and having to walk a mile to the house. He thought oh good there goes church. Mom quickly got ready and told him to get ready, they were going even though they would be late. The rest of the family had already gone to church so they were vehicleless and had to walk another mile to church in a snowstorm. My mom set the pace in her dress and my brother followed along. He doesn’t remember what he learned at church that day but he will never forget that walk to church to honor the Lord by showing up at church even though there was every excuse not to.

These two uncles as well as my sons would love to participate more in their sport of choice, rodeo, or other horse events. Most of the time these events take place on Sunday. I admire their love for the Lord in doing what they can to set this day apart and honor His day by choosing to not participate in these activities on Sunday. They are often caring for livestock on Sunday but they do their best to utilize the Sabbath to draw closer to their Savior Jesus Christ and show their love towards their Heavenly Father. Many agriculturists feel that they cannot afford to take any day off, not even Sunday. As my brother pointed out, we are much more effective when we take time to sharpen our saw. Christ told us that the sabbath was made for man and sharpening the saw is a big part of it. We need time to recharge and the most effective way to do that is to improve our relationship with God. What better way to do that than to honor His commandment to rest from our labors and simultaneously choose activities that help us feel closer to Him and learn more about Him.

However you choose to honor the sabbath, I hope you will do what brings you closer to Jesus Christ. Whichever day you choose to be your sabbath, Saturday or Sunday, honor the religious rites of your church and spend part of your day learning more about them and their significance. Sharpen your saw and watch the blessings unfold before you!

Off I went to college to start on my path. I decided to major in Agriculture Education so I could still have Ag in my life even if I ended up in a city. Towards the end of the 1^st semester I began to hear about this guy that was coming up to school the next semester. He was a rancher, shared my faith, eligible bachelor and he was actually my friend’s cousin. I didn’t think too much about it but on my drive home, for Christmas break, my friend and I decided to drive by the ranch where he lived, as it was not too far out of our way. We drove by a beautifully situated ranch, well kept, and in one of the prettiest places in Nevada. We knew which place was his because of the sign out front. I jokingly told my friend as we drove by that I was going to marry this guy.

I didn’t think too much more about it and during Christmas break my grandpa passed away. I was late getting back to school because of it and meeting this eligible bachelor was the last thing on my mind. Guess who showed up on my doorstep? Yep, the eligible bachelor, it wasn’t love at first sight and there were a few hiccups but, on July 17^th 1996, we were married. My ultimate dream had come true! I had married someone who strongly shared my faith and my love of ranching.

“Happily Ever After” right? That is all we ever hear in the princess stories, so why was my world crashing around me? Why was I feeling like my husband was a bad person one minute and then feeling like I was a horrible person the next and the world would be better off without me? I would feel this way and then things would level out and get good again and then crash again. Kids came into the mix and added more levels of bliss and deeper levels of feeling I am not good enough and I am messing up their lives. A vicious cycle that went on and on.

After a 6 year journey of depression, learning, getting help, and trial and error I began to realize how important what I was putting in my mouth was. It became apparent that what I ate affected everything else that was happening to me, physically, mentally, and emotionally, even spiritually. I have been on this journey for 14 years and I have been able to feel that “Happily Ever After” more and more consistently. Does that mean I do not have sad times? No, I feel sad but I do not feel worthless. I am able to manage my emotions without numbing medications. I feel a wide range of emotions as well as true bliss more and more.

I am so grateful for what I have learned and I want others to have the blessing of health that I have. We are committed to raising nourishing, nutrient dense meat to help you on your journey of health and healing. We want to be a part of your “Happily Ever After.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]]]>

The chickens are fragile because they do not have access to sunlight, fresh air, fresh water and a natural diet. They are fed a high concentrated diet designed to put weight on as fast as possible. To keep them from getting sick from their unnatural confined environment and fabricated diet, they pump them full of antibiotics and other medicines just to get them through, put on the weight, and then off to be processed. The processing is another story of making more weight and trying to avoid disease. This equals added water and preservatives in your already nutrient compromised chicken. I am sorry to paint the ugly truth but I believe you have the right to know what you are eating.

It is possible to find naturally raised, free-range chickens that are not pumped full of yuck though it is challenging. I would like to offer you an alternative. Why not consider replacing some of that protein with nutrient dense grass-fed beef? Price? The concentrated diet that is fed to chickens and cattle in the feedlot is usually mainly a mixture of grains, grain farmers receive subsidies because they cannot survive under the industrial model of agriculture without them. The majority of these grains are GMO. GMO foods are showing up as a cause of autism as well as many other maladies. The waste from the animals on these concentrated diets is toxic and is polluting our waters. Under proper circumstances the waste from cattle and chickens is not waste at all but a very essential element to rejuvenating and fertilizing the land.

It is easy to look at one facet and say, “This is cheaper. I can’t afford more.” I offer another perspective, you are paying for it one way or another. You are paying for it with your health and your taxes. You are paying for it with the freedom from bondage of your grandchildren. How? Our current state of affairs in this country is not sustainable. It will not be long before we are required to pay our debts in one way or another. We need to make a drastic change in the way our food is produced. Every time you eat you are “voting with your fork.” Will you vote for freedom and health, or sickness and bondage?]]>

Depression is the real silent killer. It was a big part of my life. I didn’t realize what it was that affected me in so many ways until I got married.

Newlyweds–it is supposed to be bliss and fun. Why did I feel like this person had turned into my enemy and was causing me to be miserable? Fortunately, I had family members who quickly recognized the signs of depression, having dealt with it in their own lives. What a relief. My husband really wasn’t trying to make me unhappy and I was not the Wicked Witch of the West. The enemy had a name, depression. Now maybe we could fight it.

What were our options? At first glance counseling and medication. Fortunately for me, my parents were not big on chemicals and medications that came with side effects so I looked carefully at these routes. Being cautious kept the blinders off and as we looked at the potential benefits, we also saw the many negative side effects. Is it just me or are you also tired of a world that pops pills, with all the known side effects, because they feel that is their only choice? There must be a better way! We thought so too and found a natural supplement that was very helpful. However, the biggest help came through a tragic accident.

After 3 days in the hospital, due to an accident, my 4 month son came home and was just fine. However, the stress created thrush or yeast infections in both of us. Though extremely painful, I was not willing to quit nursing. There is nothing like pain to make you look for solutions! After researching my options I decided to go off of sugars, processed and natural. After a couple of weeks the thrush was gone but due to my research I knew it would come back if I did not stay on the diet longer. I went 30 days and then added back in fruits and natural sugars. This was the beginning of my journey to discover what is good for us and what is not. The interesting thing was, going off of processed sugars and flours helped A LOT with depression. As I have continued to learn about nutrition I have come to understand the chemical effect processed sugars have on our bodies. Along with confusing our bodies chemically, they block absorption of the nutrients we need and clog up our filters. Lack of essential nutrients is one of the reasons depression is so high in our culture and is on the rise, in spite of the increased technology and use of medication.

Yeast infections are caused by an overgrowth of candida, a microbe that wreaks havoc on our digestive system. This microbe is always there but if unchecked by good bacteria and fed sugars it soon takes over. Our digestive systems are beautifully created to glean nutrients from our foods. When this intricate system is disrupted or damaged all of our systems suffer.

Science is a work in progress but sometimes mistakes are made as we try to improve. In the book Defending Beef, the author tells about a dilemma the scientist, Allon Savory, faced. His studies showed that a track of land was being damaged by animals, namely elephants. His research showed that they needed to kill up to 30,000 elephants to stop further damage and allow the land to heal. No one wanted to see this happen but after extensive debate all the scientists involved agreed that it was needed. Believe it or not, 20,000 elephants were killed, and then the sad truth became evident. The land was not being damaged by elephants and their removal actually caused further deterioration to the health of the soil. The scientists’ understanding of and theories about the impact animals have on the land was faulty. Allon Savory went on to do real research over the last 20+ years and has shown the necessity of animals in maintaining and improving the health of the land.

As with the candida overgrowth I was fighting in my stomach, the health of our land, the plants, and the animals boils down to feeding and nurturing good microbes. We can’t do this by killing the bad microbes. When we kill with chemicals, they are no respecter of beneficial or detrimental microbes. Chemical pesticides and fungicides kill all the microbiology. Our road of discovery has shown us the absolute necessity of creating good microbiology–whether in our intestines or our soils. Chemicals, no matter the form, are death to good microbes. The bad will be kept in balance and even disappear as you create the right environment for the good. The way we have abused our bodies and our lands makes it seem like this task would be long and daunting. Surprisingly, when given half a chance, healing can take place relatively quickly. You start with a little of the right components and the good microbes appear, seemingly out of nowhere, go to work eating and reproducing and repairing and healing as they go. That is why yogurt, probiotics, prebiotics, enzymes and so forth have become so popular. Our culture is trying to reestablish some of the beneficial bugs in our digestive systems. We need to do the same in our soils. Joel Salatin, a pioneer in this process, is a great example of what can be done by correct management. “Purchased by my mom and dad in 1961, the farm has gone from a worn out, gullied weedpatch that couldn’t even pay a salary to one that employs 10 people with more than a million dollars in sales. And it’s still experiencing exponential growth. Lush pastures supported by ecstatic copulating earthworms testify to the healing.” Joel Salatin

Does it seem far fetched to say that microbes in the soil are related to depression? We need to heal our soils and bring back the nutrients in our foods that we need for good mental health. Everything from the veggies we eat to the meat we consume benefit from good microbiology in the soil. Joel Salatin, along with others, have proven that focusing on good microbiology heals lands, increases quality in the plants grown on that soil and any animals fed on that diet turn those nutrient-packed plants into nutrient-packed meat. All of this is done without any harmful inputs, additives, or hormones, just good solid microbial health. The results of using God given, free, effective, microscopic power bugs is nothing short of miraculous. Sometimes science needs to trust the science that is already in place and, given the chance, works remarkably well, trusting the process that has worked for thousands of years.

I know many of you use chicken as your main source of protein. I do not have anything against chicken in and of its self, in fact, I have raised and slaughtered my own chickens before. It is not my favorite chore, but I did it. I will tell you why. Chicken in the store comes from birds that are mass raised in confinement areas. These birds are so fragile that anyone going near the facility has to be sanitized and wear a special suit and booties.

The chickens are fragile because they do not have access to sunlight, fresh air, fresh water and a natural diet. They are fed a high concentrated diet designed to put weight on as fast as possible. To keep them from getting sick from their unnatural confined environment and fabricated diet, they pump them full of antibiotics and other medicines just to get them through, put on the weight, and then off to be processed. The processing is another story of making more weight and trying to avoid disease. This equals added water and preservatives in your already nutrient compromised chicken. I am sorry to paint the ugly truth but I believe you have the right to know what you are eating.

It is possible to find naturally raised, free-range chickens that are not pumped full of yuck, though it is challenging. I would like to offer you an alternative. Why not consider replacing some of that protein with nutrient dense grass-fed beef? Price? Along with the already mentioned water you are paying for, the concentrated diet that is fed to chickens and cattle in the feedlot is usually mainly a mixture of grains, grain farmers receive subsidies because they cannot survive under the industrial model of agriculture without them. Subsidies are paid with your taxes. The majority of these grains are GMO. GMO foods are showing up as a cause of autism as well as many other maladies. The waste from the animals on these concentrated diets is toxic and is polluting our waters.

Under proper circumstances the waste from cattle and chickens is not waste at all but a very essential element to rejuvenating and fertilizing the land.

It is easy to look at one facet and say, “This is cheaper. I can’t afford more.” I offer another perspective, you are paying for it one way or another. You are paying for it with your health and your taxes. You are paying for it with the freedom from bondage of your grandchildren. How? Our current state of affairs in this country is not sustainable. It will not be long before we are required to pay our debts in one form or another. We need to make a drastic change in the way our food is produced. Every time you eat you are “voting with your fork.” Will you vote for freedom and health, or sickness and bondage?]]>