The words of a bold rancher

Copied from the Bundy ranch webpage:

CLIVEN D. BUNDY
PO BOX 7175
BUNKERVILLE, NV 89007

January 29, 2016

NEWS RELEASE

LIBERTY FREEDOM FOR GOD WE STAND!

In all things, we have sought guidance, and desired to do God, our Father’s, will! We have studied the gospel of Jesus Christ, through his prophets, and try to understand the proper form of government, mostly the inspired US Constitution, the supreme law of the land. Desiring freedom, that all man might be able to exercise his agency.

The US Constitution lays out a very plain simple form of inspired government. We as a nation only need to follow it! Our founding fathers fought the battles for freedom and laid out the plan, the supreme law. We the People need to make beneficial use of it and defend it.

January 26, 2016, this week, LaVoy Finicum was assassinated by wicked and evil men representing our US government. These men in local, state, and US government feared the truths that LaVoy Finicum was standing for and teaching to his fellowmen. The truth about the supreme law of this land was more than these leaching bureaucrats could allow! The teaching of the true principles had to stop. Great fear needs to be put in the minds of We the People, great fear. (The work of the devil!) All is well. All is well in Zion. All is well in your government. There cannot be a cry go out for freedom, or for property rights, state sovereignty, local government closet to the people – government by the people – for the people. No, we cannot allow policing power be in the hands of We the People’s elected county Sheriff. We the great bureaucracies rule and have unlimited power over these lands. We feed our family, we buy our houses, our cars, and our offices are air-conditioned. We have guns, cars with lights, sirens, the best communication equipment, good health care and a lush guaranteed retirement plan! We have unlimited power. We can buy up everything and every man’s soul with their own money and with their 18 trillion dollar debt. We are prospering. We own the state government and their land. We buy and control their schools and their sheriff. We control the water in the river and under the earth. We control the airways, even the signals that pass around the world. We, the bureaucrat, are the supreme. We control, or at least we are about to control, the environment. We control all the endangered species of the creatures and plants. We control the elements in the earth and all the markets of the commodities of this earth. Yes, all is well in Zion!

Men like LaVoy Finicum, the Bundy brothers, those patriots and those who pray for freedom and liberty and support for people, such as women like Shawna Cox – they are all crazies! They are threatening our lifestyle, our unlimited and great authority, and our policing power. We are the majority. They are only a few producers, but with money and fear – we control the rest!

(All of these great powers mentioned above, the US constitution does not give to the US government. In the 10th Amendment only a very few enumerated powers are given by the people to the federal government. All other powers and rights are reserved to the states respectively or to the people.) (The Bill of Rights Article X)

With money and fear we will justify the assassination of LaVoy Finicum and make political prisoners of all that dare to lift their hand. (We can, we will kill.) This is our livelihood and we will protect our right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, so help me Devil!

The line is drawn between We the People. On one side, the bureaucrat, the hungry fat cat. On the other side, the producer and the protector that cares for and multiplies and replenishes the God given resources with his blood, sweat, and tears to protect and feed this land. The one who pours the milk in the fat cat’s bowl!

How did America get to this point? Is it because We the People want to take a lick or two out of the bowl? Is it because we the rancher, the livestock industry, accepted the Taylor Grazing Act as being constitutional? The livestock industry did accept the work of the federal government in mapping and adjudicating our preempted property rights that were created through beneficial use of the renewable resources, water and forage. The adjudicated lands are all within admitted states within the union of the United States. When we look at the large map of the United States we see that in the west the federal government claims over 50% ownership of the land. In a state, like Nevada, they claim over 90% ownership of the land. How can that be? Show me. Show me where it says in the constitution that the federal government can own mass areas of land? Only in Article 4, Section 3 of our constitution do We the People give congress unlimited power over land and congress had power to dispose of these lands. That’s exactly what they did when they admitted states to the union. The only other power that the constitution affords the government is Article 1 Section 8 Clause 17, here We the People give congress unlimited power to legislate over 10 miles square, which is Washington DC, and other property purchased with the consent of state legislature for military purposes and other needful buildings.

So again the question is, how can the bureaucrat have so much unlimited power within an admitted state? Who are the stewards of the land over this red area on the map? Isn’t the rancher the one with the adjudicated rights the steward of the land? We the ranchers are responsible for this great over reach of the federal government. We, the rancher, signed contracts with the federal government such a leases, permits and licenses. We, the rancher, signed contracts giving the US bureaucracies unlimited power to manage our stewardship and we pay them a grazing fee to do this. This contract between the individual and the US government puts both parties in the federal court system because one party or the other breaches something in the contract. In the federal court system the resource user NEVER wins. Remember a contract has been signed that says they have unlimited power. This contract takes the constitutional jurisdiction and authority away from your local sheriff, away from your county government, away from state government giving unlimited power to the federal bureaucrats – BLM, Forest Service, US Fish & Wildlife, Park Service, EPA and etc. This is what LaVoy Finicum, my sons, Shawna Cox, and other patriots were out in the western lands trying to teach. This is why they assassinated LaVoy Finicum.

Cliven D. Bundy

posted from Bloggeroid

Videos now on Facebook Page

For convenience, I have copied our video library to the facebook page video library, so that those members or public that prefers facebook over our blog site, can explore the videos on that system

For now, there is only the first video, but as we add more they will be posted to both places.

If you have not had time to watch yet, we urge you to take out 20 minutes and watch video 1.. "Cheap Food".

Comment and feedback welcomed and appreciated.

One of the slides from the video. This first one is a narrated and annotated powerpoint, about 20 minutes long. Great place to start!

Busy Week!

This week has been super busy. One of those weeks where recording things here seems to slip off the list of things to do for the day. Here's the highlights:

RAIN!  Lots of it...  We are literally flooded. and that leads ...

MUD! Lots of it... Driveways, pastures, gates, pretty much everything. In fact, for the first time since we moved in 8 years ago... we have mud inside the barn.

Lambs! Lots of them. They seem to all arrive in groups, anytime of day, and in the worst weather. even with the few hours of sunshine, it has been a constant battle to keep them dry and warm as they come into our world.  We will get a head count soon and publish some numbers.

Feed has been a problem... with the loss of our main grain supplier for sprouted grains, we have been scrambling from month to month to keep these guys fed. So far so good, but we have now resorted to going out of state to find enough grain of a decent quality at a decent price.

We did manage to get a few days of work in the kitchen to package some items that have been waiting like lard, broth, etc.  Still to come are soaps.

Slowly expanding to out of state members and shipping. So far so good, but we are going slowly to make sure we dont get overwhelmed.

Cash flow... always a challenge in farming.

But overall.. we are moving forward, picking up new customers, and settling in to 2016.

The white ram

This little guy arrived today, a totally white jacob sheep ram. He is quite a sight, and quite rare. This is the first ram totally white since we started breeding Jacobs years ago.

We will be able to check tomorrow in the light to see just how pure white he is.

posted from Bloggeroid

Lamb Hospital - 2016

the rains this week did more than stick our vehicles in the mud... the weather endangered the new born lambs greatly! Cold in manageable.. wet is manageable.. but wet AND cold.. not so much.

So we started hourly "lamb checks" to keep an eye on things... and put bedding once or twice a day around each shrub or shelter area.  IT worked pretty well, but still.. we ended up bringing a few inside.

THAT is a risk.. because drying one off, handling it, carrying it.. in the first day or two of life, will leave scent on the lamb that the mom rejects. Scent is how she identifies her baby and we destroy that saving the lambs life. So in the end we end up with some "bottle babies" that the moms wont take back.  Its unavoidable, a pain, but oh so cute!

Here are some pics of the "hospital" that kaelyn set up for this year's patients.

Violet and Nichole were lucky enough to get private rooms. Violet actually suffered a broken leg through some mishap and is awaiting a leg wrapping by the nurse.  

Ammon, the boy, keeps close eye on the two young girls.. he is already starting to show the personality of a ram, keeping an eye on things. 

Unfortunately Ammon does not like to hold still for pictures!

The stool is where the nurse sits every few hours to feed them and check on them, plus a little cuddle time. 

Stuck in the mud

It has rained a lot this week!  That's my excuse anyway...

Between myself and Hunter, we managed to get all three, the tractor, the RTV, and "the buggy" stuck in the pasture mud... and I mean STUCK! All three were int up to the frame or more. the tractor floorboard was below the ground level!

It took all of 3 days to remove these 3 vehicles...

First day was me working to get them out.. and succeeding in making things worse.
Second day was a very nice fellow with construction equipment hired off craigslist..
Third day was with the pros at Dick's towing

Day one was pointless, I only made things worse. I was the one that took the buggy out (our 15 passenger 4wheel drive van) to try to pull the tractor and RTV out. Unfortunately  when the buggy hit a certain area right over the ridge in the pasture.. it went down fast. within second it was into the quicksand like mud up to the axles.

Day two was a bit better.. hired a guy with heavier equipment to come out with an excavator. He did manage to pull out the tractor and RTV, but not the buggy. When he tried to lift the buggy up, the excavator just went down into the mud. tracks and blade quickly disappearing under the surface.  He slowly escaped the pasture using the bucket to pull himself out.

Day three we finally got the pros at Dick's towing out (who happens to be a neighbor of ours!) and they succeeded in pulling the buggy out with lots of long cables and two trucks.

Lesson learned... dont trust the mud! It can go from fairly firm to quicksand within inches!

This is where the tractor and RTV sat. Those ruts are almost 3 feet deep. We tried putting rocks, boards, large limbs under the wheels and they just disappeared in seconds.  in the very back you can see the track marks of the excavator where he finally pulled it out. 

there is the buggy, about 8-0 yards from our driveway. that poll of water in the front is the gate!

I made it up this slope, without sinking. GO BUGGY! we..  right until the top when it "fell off the cliff". 

Here you can see where the ground got soft, and the excavator sunk into the mud trying to lift the back of the buggy. 

Down to the frame!

The front didnt look quite as bad, but going forward seemed to be just more of the same soft ground, so not an option!

Drivers side was a bit worse than passenger side

This was quite the challenge! A little more and the entire tire would disappear!

View from the back.. dont step in those ruts!

But... the sheep and little lambs didnt seem to mind.. in fact.. I think I heard a chuckle!

New items in store - Broth, Stock and Lard

We finally have restocked our supply of broths, stock, and lard.  AND, we have adjusted the packaging which allows us to drop the price a bit.  

These products are way beyond the quality you can find in the store. It all starts with our farm rules around organic non-gmo soy free feed, pasture life, heritage breeds, humane treatment, no antibiotics no hormones, no chemicals of any sort. then we take the raw animal products and process them the traditional way just as you would at home. nothing added, nothing lost. The health benefits and flavor are astounding. 

Here's an overview of whats available now in the online store:

Meat Stock - Chicken

    Often called chicken stock or broth (interchangeable terms)  This stock is nothing like what you find in the store. It is of course made from our chickens  This stock can be used in any recipe that calls for chicken flavored broth or stock, and it is absolutely delicious as a warm drink! We boil the whole chicken slowly to extract all the goodness possible, then strain and package the broth for freezing. Delivered frozen to stay fresh without excessive heat from canning. 

Bone Broth - Chicken, Lamb or Pork

    Bone broth has become known as the new health drink! It is loaded with goodness for many aspects of health. This bone broth is unique since it is from our own animals and therefore is free of any impurities, poisons, additives...  and it is slow extracted in water with a little vinegar to pull out the maximum minerals and collagen possible.  It is great added to any recipe calling for broths or stock, or as a warm health drink. It is never subjected to high heat and delivered frozen for freshness. 

Lard 

   The original healthy fat! When lard is produced and rendered properly, it is a high health fat that is heat stable for high tempo cooking.  Not only is it good for you, but taste great! Our lard is absolutely pure, nothing added, and healthy. Use it on veggies, eggs, meats, pretty much anything where a slight pork taste is an addition. 

Lard with cracklings

   The same lard as above with some of the crackling added back in.. which means some of the tasty chunks of fat . It fries up in dishes like bacon bits and adds a delicious flavor.  Use as you would lard in any recipe.

Pork Cracklings

    the forgotten comfort food of the south...  cracklings is whats left after the lard is rendered out. They make a great dish by themselves or you can add to any veggie or meat dish that would benefit from bacon bits. Think of them as soft bacon bits. 

The new packaging is one pint tubs. These tubs allow us to lower the price over glass jars, save time over vacuum sealing, and deliver product frozen in usable portions.  We hope you will find the new packaging a benefit and enjoy the lower price. 

We are going to try to keep these all in stock, but I do recommend that you order early!

Nothing better than a lamb!

We love this time of year.. when the lambs arrive! There is just something special about cuddling with a little lamb, only a few days old.

Kaelyn snuggling with one of the new arrivals

If you want to do a farm visit... now is a great time. There is still mud everywhere but with little faces like this running around... its worth it!

Little Sprouts Heritage Thanksgiving Turkeys are coming for 2016!

FINALLY!!!!

This year.. after a long wait and many many requests... we are set up for thanksgiving turkeys this year! Remember those? mmm... heritage breed, pasture raised, soy free, organically fed REAL turkeys!

For one reason or another, the last 2 years we have missed the window to get started.. but this year we made it! this week we finished the "egg coop" where they will stay for a short time while we collect the eggs, then off to the incubators, the brooders, the pasture and finally... your thanksgiving table!

If all goes well, we are set to produce somewhere between 400 and 800 turkeys by thanksgiving this year.

You will be able to make a deposit to reserve yours pretty soon, keep watching here to get first notice... and remember, we have sold out every year so far. So if you want one of these birds... reserve early!

This year the egg coop in the the old melon / pumpkin garden area (which was the original pig pen). We built a nice coop form a few fence panels, old metal portable structure, leftover covers from the structure, some orange netting, a few 2x6s, some old dog houses, and lots of straw!

Tonight we just connected the lights to bring them up to laying stage... which should be within 2 to 4 weeks. Remember the requirements about lighting birds to lay eggs... target is 14 hours of daylight, but no more change than 2 hours per day every 2 weeks, and only start the morning instead of extending the evening. If  you have any questions about this process, feel free to contact us.

We are VERY excited to be bringing turkeys back this year!

A bit dark, but here is the finished structure. Yes its WET here in oregon! but the 6 to 8 inches of straw gives a nice warm cozy bedding. In the background you can see a few of the pigs checking out all the comotion.

Here's the inside accommodations, with 31 breeding turkeys settling in. In the back the roosts are under the sunroof, while the front is the quiet nesting area for the ladies when they get ready.  

Private accommodations for the sitting moms. Well, most actually prefer a group room. there will be 2 to 4 turkeys sitting in each box. 

Militia or Patriot? -- simple answer.. the Constitution

I like simple.

The current situation in Burn, Or is really simple.

There are a lot of arguments on both sides about fires, justice, management of land, occupation of federal lands, bearing arms, local vs distant citizens.. etc etc. BUT the real question is really simple.

What does the constitution say?

The fact is.. the constitution plainly says that the federal government can not own land outside of a few specific allowances clearly listed.  IF the government currently owns land outside of that, it is wrong and must be stopped, immediately.

IF you think that the government SHOULD own land.. ok.. lets debate the constitution through proposing a constitutional amendment. Until then, I personally am not interested in the arguments on either side. The constitution must be followed. IF you disagree with it.. there is a lawful process by which it can be changed. have at it.

It really is that simple.

Lets put all other arguments aside for the proper time and place.. and solve the real problem... the government has taken clearly unconstitutional acts, and thereby violated its contract with the states.  THAT is the only issue worth debating right now.

Lets keep life simple friends...

Why is this video series so important?

We just posted a first video of a new series, found here --->   http://littlesproutsfarm.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-complex-simplicity-of-food-and.html

if you have not watched it... please do... so the rest of this post will make sense.

The question arises... why is that message so important? There are 2 separate reasons I'd like to share.  Please note... this post is from my heart, deep and emotional on both counts.

Reason #1 - First and foremost...  If this message isnt received, accepted and followed, children will suffer. period.

This may be a controversial stance, but I am old enough to not care. What is important, is the truth. I am absolutely convinced that This message is true, and the ONLY way to achieve true health.  We have watched parent come to us, seeking to find how our own children healed from such devastating problems such as ASD (autism spectrum disorder). Yet, after hearing the story, and what it took, they leave empty handed, not willing to do what we did. Usually because it is "just too hard" or "just too expensive".  They seek a cheaper, easier solution. Often, months to years later we touch base and sure enough, they have not made progress, but often have "accepted" that their children cant be helped.

And we KNOW that they can.

Or we have the parents who do accept it, only to leave and later decide that the disneyland trip or the new car or the nice house or that daily starbucks is more important.  These parents do everything they can to save money on food and, inevitably they decide that healing through food is bogus or at least severely limited.

And we KNOW that it isnt either.

These families, for one reason or another, have not accepted the simple fact that good food is expensive and ONLY expensive food will heal. There are no shortcuts, no cheats.  If they are not committed to shopping by price, highest price, it will not work and their children will suffer.  Oddly, if it was chemotherapy to save a life.. these same parents would not cut the treatment back to save money, or would they?

A good friend recently reminded me that "the love of money is the root of all evil".  Sometimes we forget what that really means.

This message from the video is important because the children can not do it themselves.

Secondly... it is important because of the implications to farms like ours.  Here is the bottom line. If a farm is committed to producing the type of food that heals, the best quality possible, but customers are not willing to pay... what is the farmer to do? There are only two options... he can cut quality to what people are willing to pay for, or he can go out of business.  There is no alternative. If the public in america follows the path of demanding cheaper food, the healthcare crises will grow and farms will close. Factories will take over. If a young family can not make even minimum wage and produce good quality food, they will not make food.

We, little sprouts farm, are in that category. Our prices are based on labor at minimum wage. There is no additional profit, no kickbacks, no financial benefit. That best we can ever hope to do is to make less income than many of our own customers.  This is our reality. I am not complaining... we gladly accept this as our life! We look forward to the day that we make a minimum wage profit from the farm.  But the reality is.. we, little sprouts farm, will not sacrifice on quality. The simple fact is, if the public is not willing to pay prices for this quality of food, we can not stay in business.

So you see, it is VERY important in both respects.

We love the farming life... but the reality is.. we have watched several farms follow the same path as we are on... and they are all gone. Their customers would not pay for the quality they produced. Their farms failed.  That quality of food is no longer available in their community.  Food got cheaper for their community.. and the children will suffer. Medical industry will prosper, because that is the only other option.

My only plea to you is.. do not let this happen to your family and your community. If you want the best quality food... find a local farm committed to producing it and buy from them, support them. They will disappear without you. Look at your children, struggling with whatever health issue has plagued your family and ask yourself... whats more important?

IF you do not have a local farm committed to these high standards, the highest, then we welcome you to buy from us. Most of our products are available for shipping. We always recommend local, but if you cant find what you need locally, and cant start a farm yourself, then we welcome you to buy from us through shipping.

OR... and I am serious... if the public is not willing to pay the prices for the top quality food, please let it be known now so that families like ours dont waste time producing something no one wants.

At this point I would normally apologize for the intensity of this post.. but not today. I am passionate about this, I am convinced it is right, so I will let the passion show through.

The Complex Simplicity of Food and Health - Video #1

Life, complex . The complexity lies in the fact that every aspect of life is shrouded in layers, like an onion. Each of these layers presents a complexity that must be worked through to get to the next layer. More complexity. Layer after layer as we circle into the core of one aspect of life.

Yet life is simple. Simple in that.. once we arrive at the core after digging through layer after layer, there is a simple striaghtforward foundation.  That foundation is what is really important, not he layers above. Get the foundation right, and everything else falls into place. Get the foundation wrong and.. its simply not fixable at the higher complex layers. 

So the answer to life is... seek the center, the core, the foundation. What is the single most basic underlying principle that drives every issue in life. Then.. life is simple. 

This post is a perfect application of this. With this post I announce a new line of videos. Videos that dive deep into common complex issues of health, food, government, indiviudal, etc.  Yet these are all layers.. in the video we attempt to dig down to the simple foundation and share what is really important.

This does not mean that the layers are not important.. they are. What I am saying is that FIRST we must establish the foundation. It is a mindset. A way of viewing the topic of health and food.  Once that is done, we can properly address all the complex layers above. 

I know, your wondering.. "what is he talking about???".  

I am talking about our health, or the lack thereof, which has caused a healthcare crisis in our nation. 

I am talking about our food, which is the most basic aspect of health.

I am talking about our  individual primary resource of money. 

And I am talking about how these three go together into  very simple formula anyone can follow.

Please take 20 minutes to watch this video. It could change your life, for the better. This truth changed ours several years ago. It is a difficult journey full of sacrifice, to attain great reward. We invite you to take this journey with us. We have been living what is presented in this video for these last few years, so we know first hand what it means. Every objection you can come up with, we have worked through in our own life. The principle stands through it all.

So please, take 20 minutes. watch and prayerfully consider what is presented here. It is the key to health. 

VIDEO- Health and Food, How to know what food is good without labels

Feel free to comment here, or on the youtube page. Start a discussion, share your ideas, frustrations, expectations. 

New for 2016 - Shipping! Idaho to be the first !

Exciting news! we have decided to focus our new offering of nationwide shipping on ... (drum roll please) IDAHO!

Why Choose Idaho?  well.... I like idaho :)

We welcome citizens of Idaho to join Little Sprouts Farm, and enjoy all the benefits the local southern oregon customers do with only a few exceptions. (there are a few products not available for shipping across state lines).  You will participate in the same membership, online ordering, biweekly delivery, and good food for better health!

Here's how it works:

Become a farm member (either free or paid... your choice) by signing up online
Choose "out of area, ship to" as your delivery preference
Then follow through the signup as if you were local!

You will receive an email reminder a few days before your scheduled delivery.
Go into the online store, order as much or as little as you wish
pay online through paypal or online check OR send in a check for your account
Your order will be packed and shipped vis UPS on the assigned monday
the actual shipping costs will be added to your account
You should receive your order, still frozen, on wednesday or at latest thursday

That's it!

Shipping costs are very low, since we can use UPS ground instead of a faster more expensive option. We have successfully packed for frozen delivery at these low rates. There may be some dry ice left in the package, so please be careful when unpacking!

We are excited to welcome customers from Idaho! We hope to set up personal visits to the main areas of Boise, Twin Falls, and Coeur d'Alene from time to time to meet you in person and answer any questions. We truly want this to be a personal farmer - farm member relationship and are committed to making that happen.

-------------------

In fact! --- we are interested in opening up a farm in one of these areas. Yes.. a second Little Sprouts Farm! This is only the idea phase, but we are looking for investors, land, and business partners towards that end. If you are interested in having a local little sprouts farm or supporting a local one, please contact us!

URGENT call to action - protect NONGMO certification

We just learned that the "NON_GMO PROJECT" is proposing lowering the standards for non-gmo animal feeds quite dramatically.

Currently the "action level" (meaning the maximum level of detectable GMO contents within animal feed) is at 1.5%. the proposal is to increase this  to 5%.  What that would mean is.. when you buy animal feed "certified" to not contain GMO ingredients, there can be up to 5% GMO detectable and still be considered "perfectly fine".

NON-GMO feed will not mean "GMO FREE", but rather "JUST A LITTLE GMO".

Please take a moment and let them know your thoughts.. this is open to public comments now, but only today. The public comment period closes at midnight tonight, Jan 8.


Click here for more information
http://www.nongmoproject.org/product-verification/non-gmo-project-standard/

Click here to go directly to the survey to respond
https://nongmoproject.wufoo.com/forms/nongmo-project-public-comment-round-2-2015/

Personal opinion:

This is very saddening. The organic label has degraded substantially since its inception, by constant small compromise on the standards to accommodate this desire or that.  Today the organic standard is but a shell of what it was originally envisioned.  Based on this, it looks as though the non-gmo guys are going that same route.. start strong but compromise  repeatedly in small amounts so no one notices.

Personally I think it is FALSE ADVERTISING to put a "NONGMO" label on a bag of feed that can contain up to 5% of detectable GMO content. It can actually be much higher than that in any particular bag, because the 5% is not per bag, but based on a yearly average.  An individual bag could contain much higher amounts of GMO ingredients.

First lamb of 2016

Jan 2... And we have 2 lambs on the ground! They both look strong and healthy!

Make plans to come see these little guys if you can. Cutest animals on the farm!

posted from Bloggeroid