Now that the planting is over, the ordinary work of farming is returning to normal. The weather remains a challenge as it rains almost every day, but here in Norfolk, the rain is light and good for the crops. Temperature is a bit lower than optimal, but it is well within the parameters of what is acceptable.
Our chickens have finally started to move away from the heat lamp area into the forest. They are more or less left to their own device with some feed and good access to water. We expect the chicken to take between 8 and 15 weeks to reach maturity, which is entirely within the range of what we require so that the first batch will be processed in July.
The pigs moved to new forests to continue the rooting and cleaning of the underbrush, it has proven very successful already. With 28 small forested areas around the farm, there is more than enough room for them to grow.
April's ending is nearly upon us, and the year has so far been excellent, our production is, for the first four months of 2024, about 15% higher than in 2023, granted the smaller increase is due to the higher production in 2023, but the addition of new high tunnels have had a massive impact on our business. Our Baby food business had grown production by nearly 75% year over year. Mainly because our referral program has been so successful, we are still limited in where we sell them because it is still an artisanal business. The Pie and sauce business has seen a 30% and 25% year-on-year growth rate. My wife strongly believes that this is entirely due to the additional capital availability. the reality is that it takes a while for new capital to fully develop a business. We are seeing the fruits of our labour grow tremendously.
Overall, we could not be happier about the farm business in 2024, it exceeds all our expectations.
P.S. All those asking about jobs, as I have replied to many, my blog is at times a little behind the times, and so we are currently fully staffed. Thank you for asking.
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