Cornerstone Acres Farm
Sharing the cornerstones of good natural living and self-sufficiency.
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CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically we offer shares in our farm, or certain aspects of our farm, in which you reap a percentage of the crop. We offer the following: meat, milk (see HERDSHARES), garden and a meat/garden combo
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In another aspect of our business, Groundworks Welding and Fabrication, we make clamp on bucket attachments. There are pallet forks (great for hauling large items, logs, hay bales), debris rakes (great for cleaning out the barns in the spring), custom items and more.
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We offer workshops in a variety of "old timey" skills. From cold process soap making and spinning fibers to canning meats and vegetables and butchering livestock, we have most aspects of this farm life covered. All of our workshops are hands on for participants and you will always bring home something fun from a workshop you attend. Gardening, foraging, running a small farm business, making maple syrup and more.
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Individual classes to show you how to take care of and manage rabbits, goats, sheep, poultry or bees. We also have a more indpeth class on emergency goat care.
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Goats, Pigs, Sheep, Rabbits, Puppies, Ducks, Chickens and more!
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Our up and coming Vegetation Management Services. Using goats for land clearing is fun and eco friendly.
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Just the basics, a good inexpensive and informative tour and farming seminar to get anyone started. We even offer a once a year "Dinner on the Farm" event. Come spend the day with us. Hang out with the critters, learn some new skills and eat some amazing food!
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Our cold process goats milk soaps and other personal products like bath salts, salt scrubs, lip balms, deoderants and more
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Gift Certificates
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We sell gift certifcates that can be used for anything we offer.
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Meat
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Available whole, by the cuts (coming soon), by the half, in bulk (meat shares)
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Goat/Sheep Feeders
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Hanging feeders (or can be mounted to a fence instead) that work great to reduce hay wastage
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Eggs
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Chicken, Duck (summer only) and sometimes Quail
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Jams/Jellies
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Gift Baskets
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Plants and Seeds
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Comfrey, Egyptian Walking onions
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Vegetables, fruits and herbs
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We offer CSA shares as well as fresh produce in our roadside stand.
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Maple Syrup
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Manure
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Fresh and composted manure (generally mixed with hay) is available every spring.
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Fiber
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We offer Jacob sheep wool, alpaca fiber and Angora rabbit fiber.
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Pelts
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Raw rabbit pelts as well as sheep and goat hides available on a limited and pre-order basis only.
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Ramps and mushrooms
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Ramps are a very seasonal and limited offering. Mushrooms are a future endeavor as we are hoping to both start growing mushrooms and get our certification to wild forage and sell mushrooms.
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Skulls
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We will be offering skulls of various species, but the highlight will be our fabulous 4 horn Jacob ram skulls. Condition will vary. Waiting list is in place for our larger skulls.
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Hay
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We usually have a very limited supply of hay available.
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We have gift certificates available for everything, including animals!
Animals: You can now safely buy that special someone a goat, pig, sheep or puppy!
Purchase at today's prices for tomorrows animals. Gift certificates are good for 24 months so they can pick when they are ready to bring that special addition home and also take time to choose that special critter from multiple available animals.
(Some restrictions apply for puppy sales.)
Classes: Gift certificates for classes are good for one year to give your loved one the convenience of coming to a class that works with their schedule.
Meat, fiber and CSA share gift certificates available too!
Meats available.
CSA shares currently: FULL (2/3/2023)
We will have the following meats available:
- Pork - Our pork is Kunekune pork. Pasture raised and grass fed pork! Kunekunes are a slower growing pig which if overly fed concentrate feeds, can get quite fatty. We personally prize the lard we receive from our pigs. However there is no doubt that you can have too much of a good thing. For this reason we find that pasture raising/grass feeding (hay) our Kunekune works the best, with only supplemental feeding to make sure all nutritional needs are met. Most of the pigs we will offer will be 12-18 months of age and will yield approximately 70# of packaged meat(figuring on the low side).
- Lamb – Our lamb is Jacob lamb. Again, pasture raised with very little input from supplemental grains. They will get a little grain as lambs from what their dams drop (we don’t creep feed) and we offer a small bit of grain from time to time to help with moving pastures. Most of the lambs we offer will be approximately 6-9 months of age. Sizes will vary.
- Goat – The goats we will be raising are usually multiple breeds. Sizes will vary between our Boer X and our Myotonic, but we will be pricing by the pound so the biggest difference will be sizes of the cuts and the amount of total meat received if buying a whole or a half. Again, our goats are primarily pasture raised/grass fed.
- Chicken – As some of you may not know we have gone through the gamut from starting off raising Cornish X birds confined, to having no birds, to having Freedom Rangers, to having no birds again to finally having Cornish X again, but having them free ranged. This last option has worked great for us and gives us healthier birds during their growing period and what we believe to be healthier and tastier meat for us. We still offer traditional grower feed, but on a much more limited basis and with most of the birds time spent foraging in the pasture grasses. Feed is given in the evening so that we can bring them all back into the safety of either a tractor or a coop for the night. Our birds generally weigh in a minimum of 5# but easily average out to 7#. We’ve also had delicious juicy 12# on occasion!
- Duck – Muscovy duck is nothing like “traditional” duck. For those wanting a beef option, this actually comes pretty darn close! The ducks we sell for meat are 100% pasture raised and grass fed, with absolutely no supplemental feeds given. (In full disclosure, we can’t guarantee they don’t sneak fallen grains now and again from other species but since we don’t offer too much grain to anyone in the summer months it is really VERY little if it does happen.)
- Rabbit – Yet another “grass fed” animal on the farm. We do offer pellets to our animals in the winter but their feed is primarily hay. During the growing season our rabbits diet consists mostly of organically grown plants (grasses, weeds and cultivated) from off our farm. Due to a significant cut back in our breeding rabbit herd, rabbit supply will be limited this year.
- Quail (only tentative at this point)
A note about all of our livestock: We haven’t been able to stick with our original goal of 100% organic feeds but we do our best where we can. Any animal that needs to be treated with commercial antibiotics, dewormers or other traditional “chemicals” is removed from our sale-able meat program. Neither our breeding stock nor the animals intended for our meat program are vaccinated.
Your purchasing options:
Buy feeders to raise yourself.
- Buy one of our newly weaned castrated males to raise for meat. Feeders are generally a flat fee depending on species, contact us for pricing. (Availability limited) PM or email to get a deposit down on a goat or to get on the list for our upcoming piglets and lambs.
Buy a whole or half.
- Animal (goat, sheep, pig) will be delivered to the local processor (We have a few options in our area, we can discuss which one to use on an individual customer basis.)**
- Deposit is required - $50 flat fee for any species – before delivery to processor. This deposit comes off overall pricing of animal.
- Buyer is responsible for getting a cut list to the processor. (We can help you if needed.)
- Buyer will buy the animal from me based on hanging weight and also be responsible for any per pound processing fees owed to the processor. Both will need to be paid (my fees and the processor fees) before meat can be picked up.
- Buyer must pick up meat from the processor.
- Pricing is as follows*:
b) Lamb – $400 (includes processing EXCEPT for special meat cuts or packaging like smoking or brats). Available whole animal only – contact us if interested, processing is usually in the fall, deposit of $50 required
c) Goat – $400 (includes processing EXCEPT for special meat cuts or packaging like smoking or brats). Available whole animal only – contact us if interested, processing is usually in the fall, deposit of $50 required
d) Chickens – $24 each (average packaged weight 10-12# bird) – pre-order required (10% deposit required)
e) Ducks – $16 each (average packaged weight 6-7# bird) – pre-order recommended (10% deposit required)
f) Rabbits – $15 each (average packaged weight 4# each) – subject to availability, contact us to get on waiting list.
Buy our CSA meat only share.
- Payment in full due by May 1st, availability is limited.
- Receive the following between May 1st and November 15th. (See our CSA page for current pricing and expected yields)
- This works out to be an average savings of $100 over buying individual whole animals.
- You get to pick how you want your cuts for pork, lamb and goat (extra charges will apply for smoking or processing of specialty items likes brats).
Buy our CSA full line share. NOT AVAILBLE IN 2023
- Payment in full due by April 1st, availability is limited.
- Pay for our full share CSA share and receive the following (weights are APPROXIMATE): (See our CSA page for current pricing and expected yields)
- This works out to be a savings of over $100 than buying individual whole animals.
Buy individual cuts. NOT YET AVAILBLE
We will eventually offer all of our delicious meats in individual packages and by the cuts. We haven’t made a set in stone price list yet for all of our cuts of pastured meats. If there is something you will be looking for, please contact us and we can give you an idea. Here are some cuts we will offer.
- Bacon
- Chops
- Roasts
- Stew meat
- Sausage
- Ground meat
- Brats
- Soup bones
- Ribs
- Ham
*A bit on how live weight vs hanging weight vs packaged weight works: These are ESTIMATES ONLY actuals CAN vary significantly, but in our experience they are pretty close and I tried to figure very conservatively so your cost per pound finished cuts SHOULD be cheaper.
Pork – hanging weight is approximately 70% of liveweight, packaged weight is approximately 70% of hanging weight – or 50% of liveweight. (Example: 100# pig would be 70# hanging weight. So the cost to me would be $245 and the cost to the processor would be around $22.40 if the cost was $.32/pound. If the packaged meat total is approximately 50#, that averages your cost of pasture raised pork to $5.35/lb for packaged meat. )
Lamb – Hanging weight is approximately 50% of liveweight and packaged weight is approximately 70% of hanging weight – or about 35% of liveweight. (Example: 100# lamb would be 50# hanging weight. So the cost paid to me would be $250. The cost to the processor is around $75 and there is usually no per pound fee with goats/sheep, it is just the flat rate. If the packaged meat total is approximately 35#, that averages your cost of grass fed lamb to $9.29/lb packaged meat.)
Goat – will be pretty similar to lamb.
Packaged weight can vary quite a bit depending on the following: if you go with bone in or boneless, how much fat you chose to keep or have trimmed off, if you keep organs, if you keep soup bones, how long the meat is aged, etc . Additional charges usually apply if you choose to have cuts smoked or specialty cuts like brats made.
**With prepaid orders received early enough, we can offer the option of intact/unaltered animals to be raised by us.
***We also have a livestock scale (not USDA inspected) in which we can sell animals alive for an APPROXIMATE per pound live weight so that you can take animal and have butchering done according to your own religious or other preferences. Contact us for individual pricing info if you wanted to go this route.
Goat feeders
This feeder saves floor space but still allows at least 7 large breed adult goats and their kids to eat all at one time - I've counted 9 yearlings and adults at one time eating together comfortably on our feeder. I would however recommend it to be about 1 feeder per 5 full size goats. The hole size we use is working out very well and doesn't cause rubbing on noses. This design allows for very easy loading and cleanout. Depending on the size of your bales you should be able to fit at least 1/2 of a bale into each feeder. We have 55-60# square bales and that is approximately what we can fit. We have not used it for loose hay such as what would be peeled off of a round bale or what would come straight off a field. It also gives you the versatility of height adjustment and the hay waste is next to nothing (an amazing acheivement when dealing with goats). I think a top could easily be made for it so it could be hung outside and would still stay dry. We will NOT be offering lids with the smaller feeders at this time however.
$35 each (35 gallon size)
We have also started making 55 gallon size feeders. While we personally prefer the smaller white barrels as the goats seem to not be able to reach all the hay in the 55 gallon barrels. However this does work to our advantage in a couple of our hard to reach pens. We can stuff a feeder full then instead of hauling hay out to those pens each day we just rearrange the hay left in the center. This gives us two or three days without hauling hay to those barns! A full bale of hay will fit into the 55 gallon feeders. Lids will be on the 55 gallon feeders.
$55 each (55 gallon size)
Eggs
Chicken:
Free range chicken eggs in colors from medium brown to green (no white eggs available).
$2.00 / dozen.
Duck:
We have a very limited quantity of duck eggs available $3.00 / dozen. Not available in the winter months.
Availability of eggs is limited due to the fact that our CSA shares get first crack (pun intended) at the available eggs and then remaining eggs will be offered for public sales. Please contact us if you would like to get on our first call list for available eggs.
Jams and Jellies
Pricing: 4 oz - $2.50 8 oz - $4.00 16 oz - $6.00
PLEASE CONTACT FOR AVAILABILITY
Each jar is labeled with item description and ingredients list. If you would like to know what is in a particular item before ordering - we will be happy to supply that to you. Also, let us know if you are looking for a specific flavor or perhaps if you have a special dietary need, we may be able to accommodate you.
Flavors we have made: (not all are available for sale)
Dandelion Jelly (sweet and light flavor)
Strawberry Jelly
Strawberry Jam
Blueberry Jam
Pear Honey (Jam) (an absolute ambrosia - similar to an apple butter type spread)
Sour Cherry Jam (tart and wonderful)
Blackberry Jelly (dark, rich and full of flavor)
Rhubarb Cinnamon Jam (tart yet sweet with a touch of cinnamon)
Rhubarb Lavender Jam (let's just say - do you have a scone? Sweet and fragrant jam)
Blackberry/Basil Jelly (w/seeds) (an unusual but amazing combo)
Spiced Blackberry Jelly (w/seeds) (blackberry jelly that reminds me of the holidays)
Wild Red Raspberry Jelly (seedless) (a jar full of summer delight minus the seeds)
Wild Red Raspberry Jam (the seeds are tender and the flavor is strong - It's a winner)
Peach Jam (Michigan summer in a jar!!)
Blueberry Jam (Simply delicious, decadently full)
Gift Baskets
Feel free to contact us if you have a "themed" basket you would like us to produce. We can do just about anything from camping and goat inspired baskets to wedding and country kitchen themed baskets. The imagination is the only limitation!
Gift baskets can be filled with any combination of homemade jellies, jams, honey, maple syrup, handmade goat's milk soaps, salt/sugar scrubs, bath salts, hard candies, chocolates, marshmallows, raw fibers and candles. Each basket will include some sort of fancy basket liner like cloth place mats, napkins, a knitted scarf, etc. Also included would be some sort of themed unique item. Some unique items could include a vintage book, unusual cookie cutters, a small butterfly house, a country handmade teddy bear, cast iron trivets, or a candle and holder.
Please note: baskets or combos are unique and one of a kind. Once sold there will not be another exactly like it.
Baskets start at $25 and go up from there.
Plants and Seeds
Comfrey Starts/plants: $2.00 per plant
Just a note on Comfrey.....Comfrey is extremely prolific and grows fast and well in most conditions, spreads heavily by root division (if YOU divide it or chop up the roots), but NOT by seed. Just throw some rotted manure on it at the end of the season so it is fed for next year. The leaves make EXCELLENT addtion to the compost pile. The leaves also make an excellent addition (but NOT to be used as a staple) to the diet of pigs, rabbits, chickens and goats. It has high nutritional value and protien content. It dries well and can be dried and stored to use as a winter supplement.
Egyptian walking onions ($2.00 bundle)
Spearmint ($2.00/group of cuttings)
Peppermint ($2.00/group of cuttings)
Fresh Vegetables
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE: NONE (Check back in summer to see what we have available weekly.)
IN THE GARDEN: This varies so much each year, but the below list gives you an idea. Contact for exactly what we might have available or stop by our produce stand right at the farm!
The few things listed below we will be sure to get into the garden. We will also be sure and put in zucchini, summer squash, some hot and mild peppers and hopefully some cucumbers.
Bush Bean (Royalty Purple Pod) NON GMO (Yes, it has PURPLE pods that turn green when cooked!!)
Pole Beans
Lettuce (Cimmaron and head) NON GMO
Broccoli (Waltham 29)
Onion (Red Welsh) NON GMO
Onion (Jaune Paille Des Vertus) NON GMO
Squash:
Australian Butter (long storing, orange-tan skinned pumpkin type) NON GMO
Bush Buttercup NON GMO
Butternut
Pumpkins
Tomatoes: (all NON GMO)
Stupice (red)
Yellow Mortgage Lifter (yellow)
Red Zebra (red with yellow stripes)
Black Prince (blackish, chocolate brown)
Amish Paste (red)
Gajo De Melon (pink, yellow or marbled - cherry tomato)
SunGolds
Solar Flare
German Pinks
Other Vegetables:
Zuchinni
Yellow Crookneck squash
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Brussels Sprouts
Cucumbers
Hot peppers
Sweet peppers
Herbs:
Garlic Chives
Chives
Marjoram
Rosemary
Lemon Balm
Common Sage
Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
Tarragon
Cilantro
Italian Parsley
Peppermint
Spearmint
Chocolate Mint
Catnip
Asparagus
Egyptian Walking Onions
Rhubarb
Currently we are out of stock.
Yep, we got POOP!!
Available in grain bags that traditionally hold 50# of grain (the actual weight of the manure may vary).
You may drop off your own totes and/or barrels and we will fill them up and notify you when they are full.
Available manures:
Rabbit: Mostly clean, but with some hay mixed in. $3.00 per bag; tote/barrel price dependent on size
Chicken: Mixed with layers of hay and feed Available by tote only (limited supply) price to be determined by size of tote
Goat/Sheep: Mixed with LOTS of hay and already starting to compost, only available in spring when we clean out the barns. This will be available by the truck/trailer load only. (Limited supply) Note: also mixed with Alpaca
Angora Rabbit fiber - black, blue, chocolate, chocolate agouti, white, chinchilla- Our angora fibers are plucked not sheared. However occasionally we may have sheared on hand so if you have a preference please be sure to inquire before purchasing.
Great Pyrenees undercoat (contact us for info)
Alpaca - this is considered a lower end quality as our stock is a bit older
Raw Jacob fleeces available in black and lilac. We also have one Finn ewe who has a super fleece.
Rabbit Pelts
We plan on tanning the pelts of some of our rabbits for our personal use. When we get prolific at it, perhaps we will be able to offer some for sale.
We also may have raw (frozen) pelts available from time to time as our busy schedule does not always allow us to finish all our projects. Pricing will vary depending on: Age of rabbit, season of pelt (winter pelts are much thicker and lush), size of pelt and color.
Price for raw fresh or frozen pelts: $3.00 each (any color)
Price of finished pelts starting at $5 each and going up to around $12 each.
We have Rex rabbits and will soon have some Rex cross rabbits. Colors range from solid colors to tri colors.
Limited supply available, please pre-order to ensure availability.
2020 season has started.
$5.00/pound
$2.75/ 1/2 pound
Totally organic, wild foraged leeks. I will only offer a limited amount (so as not to over forage our honey-hole) of about 15# this year. Pricing includes the lovely yummy tops and the delicious bulbs. The bulbs freeze very well for later use in many recipes including pickling and soups. The tops are great fresh, but I also made a pesto last year (that freezes well) and a recipe similar to Kimchi using the ramp greens instead of cabbage and fermenting them. I'm sorry, but I will have to limit this to local sales at this time. If you have never tried ramps, when the season arrives stop out and try before you buy any one. If you like raw onions you will most likely find ramps very yummy....and just as potent on the breath of course. Ramps however are very distinctive in flavor almost an onion/garlic mix. Put you order in before the season begins so you get the freshest selection.....besides I would prefer to pick to order (no sense in harvesting 15 extra pounds if I only get orders for 5).
Check out this awesome website that not only sells ramps, but gives a great variety of recipes as well. (search their different leek selections to see different featured recipes)
Some years we may have hay available for sale.
We are currently sold out until hay season 2020. Please check back in May/June 2020.
If you are interested in being put on our hay list, please send us an email with "Hay" as the subject line. Let us know how many square bales you are looking for.
Our hay is an organic grass mix. We have different fields with different make ups. We will be doing square bales. Possibly a few round bales available upon request. Square bales are to be picked up out of the field, or for a slightly higher price we may stack onto our hay wagon and allow you (depending on your location) to use the hay wagon to haul the hay to your home.
Pricing will vary from year to year depending on the yield. Pricing may also vary from field to field depending on hay quality. Often we only do a first cutting, however if the year is a good one and we have enough request, we may find ourselves doing a second cutting. Pricing for second cutting will also vary. Prices will be posted each year.