Shamrock Acres Homestead

05/23/2025

100%

05/08/2025

This!

05/06/2025

🌿 The Side of Farming No One Talks About 🌿

There’s a saying that sticks with you as a farmer:
“Where there’s livestock, there’s deadstock.”

It’s not something you’ll see on most farm pages.
We share the cute chicks, the egg baskets, the peaceful pasture mornings—and those moments are real and beautiful.

But the loss is just as real—and often makes a bigger impact on the farmer.

Death is an undeniable part of raising animals.
It’s rarely talked about, maybe because it feels too heavy for social media.

But every farmer knows it. You can do everything right—offer the best feed, the safest shelter, the gentlest care—and still lose one. Or several.

It hurts every time.
And yet, we keep showing up.
We keep caring.

Because loving animals means accepting the whole cycle—beginnings and endings. Even when it feels like we’ve failed or let the ones we lost down, we have to keep going—for the ones still depending on us.

So if you're following a farm page like ours, thank you—
For seeing more than just the pretty pictures.
For valuing the real story behind what we do.

💚 With gratitude,
Lots 'A' Cluckin' Farm

04/25/2025

04/22/2025

❤️🐝

The custom of "telling the bees" is a charming and ancient tradition where beekeepers inform their bees about significant events in their lives, such as deaths, births, marriages, and other major occurrences. This practice is believed to have its roots in Celtic mythology, where bees were seen as messengers between the human world and the spirit world. The presence of a bee after a death was thought to signify the soul leaving the body. The tradition became particularly prominent in the 18th and 19th centuries in Western Europe and the United States.
To tell the bees, the head of the household or the "goodwife" would approach the hives, gently knock to get the bees' attention, and then softly murmur the news in a solemn tone. This ritual was believed to keep the bees informed and prevent them from leaving the hive or dying. The custom underscores the deep connection and respect that people historically had for bees, viewing them as integral members of the household and community.

04/20/2025

So true

03/28/2025

The struggle is real!

Dear farmish friend, you’re not failing. Your expectations are just based on Pinterest or some ridiculous AI photo.

If your farm/homestead/life doesn’t look like the “perfect” ones you see online, congratulations—because that means you’re probably actually *doing* it.

Real life is messy.

Real life is duct tape and piles of “stuff” and weird tan lines and mismatched chore gloves and chickens that snub you and won’t pose for pictures.

Don’t let someone else’s filtered feed make you question your own badass reality.

You’re farmish.
Not flawless.

03/04/2025

This

02/14/2025

This bill will help us provide our farm fresh pork directly to you!

NH Farmers Need Your Help!

NH HB396, was introduced yesterday in the New Hampshire House. I'll include the full text of the bill below, but in a nutshell, the bill, if passed, would allow small farms such as us to sell our meat directly to customers in smaller quantities. Currently, if someone wants to buy a package of bacon, a rack of ribs, or a couple pounds of ground pork, my answer has to be "Sorry, I'm legally not allowed to sell you that. I can only offer you a half or whole, and I need a deposit on the animal before it's processed.

Two things happen when you make this change.

1. You enable a wider range of buyers to be able to access locally raised meats. Not everyone has the freezer space or financial headroom to bring in half of a large animal at once. A 250lb hog at $5/lb is a financial commitment. By offering smaller portions, customers can buy as needed, and only what they want, eliminating the need to drop cash all at once.

2. You allow small farmers to increase the return they see on their hard work. Currently, farmers in the state must rely on only 3 plants for the processing of all animals that are to be sold to restaurants in the state. Transport of animals to these butchers costs money, these plants charge more, and in general, it places time and financial constraints on farmers. This would allow us to continue to use our butcher in the same town and offer our meat for sale to more families.

Below you ca find the full text. I would encourage all to share this post and call your legislators. We can get this passed and help farmers throughout the state.

HB 396 - AS INTRODUCED





2025 SESSION

25-0749

08/09



HOUSE BILL 396



AN ACT exempting meat and meat food products slaughtered and prepared in state for sale in state from certain inspections.



SPONSORS: Rep. Comtois, Belk. 7; Rep. J. Aron, Sull. 4; Rep. Granger, Straf. 2; Rep. Kofalt, Hills. 32; Rep. Layon, Rock. 13; Sen. Innis, Dist 7; Sen. Pearl, Dist 17



COMMITTEE: Environment and Agriculture



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ANALYSIS



This bill exempts meat and meat food products slaughtered and prepared in state for sale in state from certain inspections.



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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

25-0749

08/09



STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE



In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five



AN ACT exempting meat and meat food products slaughtered and prepared in state for sale in state from certain inspections.



Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:



1 Custom Slaughter Facility; Exemption. RSA 427:2-a, I(b) is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

(b) The custom slaughtering by any person, firm, or corporation of livestock delivered by the owner thereof for such slaughter wherein the animals are so slaughtered and the carcasses, parts thereof, meat and meat food products of such animals are so prepared exclusively for intrastate distribution to:

(1) Household consumers within the state.

(2) Restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, grocery stores, or other establishments located in New Hampshire that:

(A) Are involved in the preparation of meals served directly to consumers;

(B) Offer meat and meat food products for sale directly to consumers within New Hampshire.

2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

12/26/2024

It's that time of year again!
Our goats would love to have your untreated Christmas tree.
Please reach out if you have a tree you'd like to donate to our goats or trees can be dropped at 16 Reed Road in Sandown.
Thanks!