Smoked Meats, Lard, Money Mischief

Saturday was a long day. A good day, but long. After loading all coolers for the Abingdon Farmers Market and Marion delivery, I followed Amy and the kids down to the market to help unload coolers and get set up. Then to Marion to deliver shares and orders while Hallie and Hasten helped Amy at the market. The little girls and I made it back to to Abingdon to help with the last hour or so of the market before loading up and heading back. 

When we got back to the farm, we moved a group of 60 cows into the barn to sort out 12 for Monday’s ride to the processor. After getting the cows sorted and turned back out, I had more hay feeding to do. A couple hours past dark and about 20 bales of hay later, I pull the tractor back into the barn. With a flat front tire. 

Minimal work on Sunday. Collecting eggs, feeding and watering, then resigning to the couch for an evening of watching collegiate wrestling. 

A couple inches of freshly fallen and still falling snow when I went to load up and hit the road Monday morning. I took it easy. The roads were clear by the time I got on the interstate. I made it back to the farm in time make the rounds, help fill coolers, and then turn around and leave again. The whole Campbell clan made the trip to Chilhowie and then on to Abingdon to deliver herd shares and preorders. A big thanks to all who came out into the cold to get your local ORVF meat. I keep saying y’all are the best. I stand by it. 

When we got back to the farm Monday night, I put four beef briskets and three pork Boston Butts on the smoker. Monday was an equally busy day for Amy who taught the kids that morning, collected eggs, rendered a batch of leaf fat into pork lard, and seasoned meat for the smoker. 

The rest of the week slowed some. The meat was ready to come off the smoker late morning on Tuesday. Amy pulled the pork and sliced the brisket. I finished farm work in time to help with some of the vacuum sealing. We now have plenty of smoked brisket and pulled pork to sell. Just heat and eat. Amy made sure to set several pounds aside for us as quick and easy meals after the baby comes. It’s always good to have some ORVF smoked meats on standby. 

We filled March beef shares on Wednesday afternoon. Hallie and Hasten continued to be a big help with shares. They also helped me with some pig sorting yesterday. A neighbor came and bought about 20 of our egg layers. If you’re looking for egg laying hens, let us know. 

On the road to the processor I started listening to MONEY MISCHIEF by Milton Friedman as he explains the economic implications of our currency being removed from the gold and silver standards. And he warns strongly against policies that increase inflation, emphasizing that inflation is caused solely by the government increasing the supply of money.

“No government willingly accepts the responsibility for producing inflation even in moderate degree, let alone at hyper inflationary rates. Government officials always find some excuse… No doubt businessmen are greedy. Trade unions are grasping. Consumers are spendthrifts… and the weather is often bad. Any of these can produce high prices for individual items. They cannot produce rising prices for goods in general. They can cause temporary ups and downs in the rate of inflation, but they cannot produce continuing inflation for a very simple reason. Not one of the alleged culprits possesses a printing press on which it can legally turn out those pieces of paper we carry in our pockets and call money.”

“Inflation in the range to which we have become accustomed, let alone in the hyper inflationary range, became feasible only after paper money came into wide use. The nominal quantity of paper money can be multiplied indefinitely at a negligible cost. It is necessary only to print higher numbers on the same pieces of paper.”

“Financing government spending by increasing the quantity of money is often the most politically attractive method to both the president and the members of Congress. They can increase government spending and provide goodies for their supporters and constituents without having to propose or vote for new taxes to pay for spending and without having to borrow from the public.” 

“We used to think that you could just spend your way out of a recession and increase employment by cutting taxes and boosting government spending. I tell you in all candor that that option no longer exists, and in so far as it ever did exist, it only worked by injecting bigger doses of inflation into the economy, followed by higher levels of unemployment as the next step.”

Unfortunately, I don’t see our country’s inflationary trajectory changing until hard times leave us no choice.

Have a good week.

Will