Friday, May 28, 2010

Father of Invention

I am a selfish blogger. On our farm "me" stands for Myself Entirely because that is usually who I talk about when I get in front of the keyboard. But not today. Today I talk of Keith.

Keith Parrish is my husband and partner on the farm. Together we have raised four children, and hundreds of animals, often using the same techniques for both. We have learned that what is good for the goose often applies to the out of control teenager but I digress.

Keith can make most anything out of most anything. ( Really, take ME  for example. Once a bra-burning -man-hating-hemp-dressed-unshaven-feminist , I married Keith and evolved in the logically thinking conservative I am today. But again I digress ) Most recently he created this milk fountain for our market hogs.  I wish he would have thought of this when all four kids were still living at home. Would've have saved a lot of plate washing. Anyway...when we decided to raise hogs year round we budgeted for larger DRY grain feeders. We did not plan for ways to feed extra milk from our dairy. In the past, with just a few hogs, we would just hand carry buckets of milk to the hungry hog snouts. Now, with nearly 50 head of hogs to feed we needed something more efficient and SAFER. 50 hogs running into your legs looking for milk was getting a little hairy.

So here it is. The Milk-O-Matic or MOM is you'd prefer. A nice little substitute for the real thing.

The big white barrels hold the leftover milk from our dairy, that which has not been sold to our milk customers. The barrels are old soap barrels we got FREE  from The Corner Hardware Store in Chatsworth, Illinois. Keith fitted them at the bottom with $8 valves to allow the milk to flow out of the barrels. The barrels are supported by a hard plastic pallet which allows Keith to move the barrels from the milk house to the pig pasture with the forks on our Kubota tractor.


When Keith opens the valve on the spigot and the deliciously rich  milk comes pouring out , the pigs turn into growling, snarling, beasts of carnal desire. Like me when presented with a big plate of sizzling bacon. Ironic, no? Even more ironic, the trough is made from a PVC sewer pipe, 14 feet long with a 10 inch diameter, cut in half lengthwise. Yes, it was a clean, unused sewer pipe purchased from Kafer Tiling in Fairbury, Illinois for $120.

The trough is stabalized and blocked  at the ends with scrap iron and wood from Keiths "inventory".


The pipe width is perfect for many snouts to get their fair share of certified organic raw milk from 100% grass fed cows on pasture. Every day we get thank you cards from these little piggies. Some write better than others but all are special to us.

Some pigs get far enough into the trough to get little milk facials, making their skin that much softer and sweeter for our chefs (like Jared Van Camp of Old Town Social in Chicago) who love to make tasty dishes like Porchetta di Testa from the pigs head   . See how he does it at    http://www.somepig1.com/sta

Farming.  Everyday an adventure.

34 comments:

  1. Amazing, utterly, amazing. Brandon once again is jealous with farm envy.....good job Keith.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I know his "inventory" hurts your brain sometimes, but he is the reason that I am so frugal with money, the reason I look at things twice before I throw them away to see if they could have another use, and one of the reasons I am able to provide a nice, safe home for your grandchildren. He has taught me well, while barely speaking a word!

    ReplyDelete
  3. buy valium online cheap valium china - buy valium online reviews

    ReplyDelete
  4. buy tramadol online legal purchase tramadol online - tramadol withdrawal addiction

    ReplyDelete
  5. tramadol 100mg buy tramadol online in usa - tramadol-ratiopharm 100mg/ml tropfen

    ReplyDelete
  6. buy tramadol online tramadol and ibuprofen - where can i buy tramadol online usa

    ReplyDelete
  7. xanax online 8mg xanax bars - generic xanax brand

    ReplyDelete
  8. buy tramadol online tramadol for dogs in humans - tramadol hcl bp 100mg

    ReplyDelete
  9. carisoprodol 350 mg soma carisoprodol 250 - carisoprodol 120

    ReplyDelete
  10. xanax antidepressant xanax or klonopin - drug interactions soma xanax

    ReplyDelete
  11. generic xanax xanax grapefruit side effects - 2mg xanax 5mg oxycodone

    ReplyDelete
  12. xanax online xanax side effects 0.5 mg - xanax and alcohol ok

    ReplyDelete
  13. buy tramadol online kind drug tramadol 50mg - tramadol use in dogs

    ReplyDelete
  14. carisoprodol drug carisoprodol online pharmacy - carisoprodol 724

    ReplyDelete
  15. tramadol 50 mg tramadol hydrochloride 50 mg get high - tramadol-no-prescription.us

    ReplyDelete
  16. cialis drug buy generic cialis online review - going price cialis

    ReplyDelete
  17. buy tramadol online buy tramadol 180 - tramadol withdrawal in a neonate

    ReplyDelete
  18. buy cialis online reliable place buy cialis - cialis online order usa

    ReplyDelete
  19. buy cialis with dapoxetine cialis daily cheap - buy cialis online in malaysia

    ReplyDelete
  20. buy generic cialis no prescription cialis 100mg price - cialis online scams

    ReplyDelete
  21. http://landvoicelearning.com/#57594 tramadol overdose yahoo answers - tramadol to buy online

    ReplyDelete
  22. http://buytramadolonlinecool.com/#51726 buy tramadol egypt - ultram tramadol ingredients

    ReplyDelete
  23. http://blog.dawn.com/dblog/buy/#40751 can you buy tramadol legally online - tramadol for dogs liver

    ReplyDelete
  24. buy tramadol online tramadol buy usa - tramadol for dogs no prescription

    ReplyDelete
  25. buy tramadol 100mg online tramadol rash - buy tramadol 180 online

    ReplyDelete
  26. buy tramadol online tramadol 100mg wirkung - tramadol hcl 50 mg does get you high

    ReplyDelete
  27. buy tramadol online tramadol hcl bp 100mg - tramadol for dogs in liquid

    ReplyDelete
  28. http://buytramadolonlinecool.com/#28875 buy tramadol from trusted pharmacy - tramadol online pharmacy no prescription

    ReplyDelete
  29. buy lorazepam apo-lorazepam 1 mg side effects - ativan overdose antidote

    ReplyDelete
  30. buy lorazepam buy lorazepam 2mg - lorazepam 1 mg y lactancia

    ReplyDelete
  31. oZzy moved away a few months ago, I miss his cock,
    and i am always hungry for sexual intercourse.
    FUCK MY PUSSY!

    Take a look at my page hcg injections

    ReplyDelete
  32. http://ranchodelastortugas.com/#93851 xanax generic . 5 mg - xanax not working

    ReplyDelete
  33. This info is worth еveryone's attention. When can I find out more?

    Visit my blog post: safe anabolic steroids

    ReplyDelete
  34. Yοur currеnt геpoгt offегs vеrifiеԁ helpful to myself.
    It’s very helpful аnd you are cleагly
    quite eԁucаted in this field. Υou have got popped my pегsonаl eyes in
    order tο vaгious vіeωѕ on thіs
    κind of ѕubject matter along with intriguing anԁ strong сontеnt.
    Feel free to surf my webpage - http://Www.remodelingmyspace.com/User/register

    ReplyDelete