Here’s the weekly roundup from Watson Farms and your direct connection to your farmer. Enjoy the latest edition of Pasture Posts!
The most important nutrient
As we get in the summer routine here at Watson Farms, it’s hard to overstate how important water is to everything we do here. Every time we move a set of animals, the question at the top of our checklist is “do they have access to drinking water?”
Of all the equipment and infrastructure that is on our farm, it’s easy to see that things like ponds, wells, pipe and drinkers are among the most important. This is why over the last 15 years, we have laid thousands of feet of water line, and we’re not done! The goal is to have access to water in every possible paddock that we might create.
We think of water as the single most important nutrient that we provide for our livestock. Life, much less growth, cannot happen without it.
Water serves another critical purpose other than hydration, and that is cooling. There’s nothing that our pigs love more than to wallow in a puddle on a hot afternoon. Soon after that, they proceed to their second favorite activity: eating. By allowing them to cool off, we are allowing them to gain weight like they are genetically predisposed to do.
We also use water to provide some supplemental cooling for our broiler and layer chickens. Our pasture houses for our laying hens have been equipped with misting nozzles that are connected to the water supply in the field. We simply open a valve to charge the misting line while we gather eggs in the heat of the day. We run these misters periodically through the hot afternoons. This keeps the hens happy, healthy and producing eggs.
For the broiler chickens we mist them with a tank, nozzles, and pump attached to a tractor. We drive this rig around the birds throughout the hot afternoons, but only when the birds are big – within 2 weeks of processing. This is when they become especially susceptible to heat.
When we properly care for all the animals that we have the privilege of stewarding, they reward us with health and vitality which produces a meat product that we can feel good about marketing, and you can feel good about consuming.
Want a free chicken?
Shoot an unboxing video just like this one of your next order! Tag us and use the hashtag #unboxingwatsonfarms where ever you upload your video! (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, etc.)
When you place your next order, remind us in the comments section that you uploaded an unboxing video, and we will include a whole chicken (under 4 pounds) in your order!
Take a look at some other scenes from around here this week!
Ag + Art Tour!
The Ag + Art Tour at our farm is fast approaching! The date that we are involved is June 26 from 10am – 4pm. We will be offering free tours throughout the day. Vendors and food trucks will be on site as well.
There will be hay rides about every hour. We install tarp bows on the trailer so guests can be somewhat shaded as they enjoy the tour. There will also be an opportunity to shop at what we hope will be our newly completed on-farm store! We’re using every spare minute to get it ready!
We would love to see you! Make plans now to come on out!
Product Spotlight
We have stepped up our efforts in supplying you with our grass-fed beef bones. We now have enough freezer space (and we’re adding more) to be able to store a good amount of bones to meet the demand from our customers.
We’re now offering a 10 pound bag of beef bones for just $10!
- They are not vacuum-sealed. This is part of how we are able to offer them at this low price.
- They aren’t sorted or cut to specific lengths or sizes.
- Some have some meat and fat.
- Some have some marrow
- Basically it’s just an assortment that you can use for the dog or sort through for some excellent stock, broth, or soup!
- They have already been a hit and this is the first official announcement we’ve made!
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Bag of Beef Bones$10.00
Referral Program
If you enjoy our products please consider passing the word along to your neighbors, friends and family! We don’t spend a lot of money of advertising but rather depend on customers like yourself to advertise for us if they are amazed by our products and customer service.
All you have to do is refer someone to us and when they place an order for the first time they will get a link to a form where they can say who referred them. You and the new customer will receive a $15 credit! So make sure they tell us your name. Hit the button for more info!
Order Deadlines
Charleston: 12 noon Mondays
GSP: 12 noon on Wednesdays
Charlotte/Rock Hill: 12 noon Fridays
Farm Pickup: 24 hours in advance (Mon.-Sat. – 1pm-4pm)
Check out this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review:
“I live only seconds from Watson Farms & never realized what they offered. Then they put up a new sign and on one of my walking trips – I made a mental note to look them up. Boy I’m I glad I did! I signed up for one of their subscription boxes & was thrilled with my first box!! I also got 3 dozen farm fresh eggs. The variety of pork, beef & chicken was great!! Quality & taste is amazing!! Looking forward to my next box!! Great products, price & service!! Highly recommend!“
We would greatly appreciate it if you would be kind enough to leave us a review. It helps first-time customers purchase with confidence.