KNOW YOUR FARMER
AS NATURE INTENDED
Greg and Sharon do their best to raise the livestock as close to nature as possible. Chickens are meant to run around and forage. Cattle are meant to eat grass, not grain. Pigs are designed to root around in the dirt. The animals at Skyview Acres do all those things as freely as possible while protected from predators and the weather.
STARTING SMALL
Greg and Sharon started out with a handful of bottle calves, some lazy hens who only randomly laid eggs and the crazy idea that they could raise meat rabbits on pasture. We'll let you guess who supplied the crazy.
OUR HERITAGE
Skyview Acres was originally a calf/cow operation owned and managed by Greg's uncle, Hobie Riggleman. He was a well respected cattleman in the community and specialized in Limousin cattle. There are many farms in the area that still carry genetic lines from Hobie's bulls and cows. Even now, when you mention his name to some of the old-time farmers in the area, they smile and nod in recognition of Hobie. He was a great role model for all the kids of his daughter's and Greg's generation.
NATURAL INPUTS
Skyview Acres uses natural inputs for their livestock. This means adding apple cider vinegar with mother to the water. Greg uses an organic sea salt called Sea90 to fertilize the fields and, mixed with sea kelp, as mineral for the cattle. Pine shavings in the brooder are sprayed with organic Litter Life from Southland Organics to break down ammonia for a healthier brooder environment.
FRUGALITY AT ITS FINEST
Both Greg and Sharon believe in recycling and being frugal! This helps the environment and helps keep costs down. Greg turned large food cans into j-feeders for the rabbit pens. Greg used scrap house siding to build the hutches for the rabbit pasture pens. Buying used has become a buying adventure for us!
PECKING ORDER
Josie, Sharon's daughter, has named all of the laying hens and the rooster. David, Snowball, Claire, Susan, Snowflake..... She knows them all by name and can tell you about their personalities. It'd be nice if she could also tell us which ones are freeloading and not laying eggs!
CATTLE CALL
We've never had a cow have trouble delivering a calf. Sometimes, a calf can get stuck during labor and if the farmer isn't fast it can quickly go south and the calf dies also putting the cow in danger as well. We have a device called calf pullers to help if a calf is stuck but we've never had to use them! One of the highly desirable traits we look for in our cows is having the ease of birthing a calves.