Category Archives: critters

Turkey Tail mushroom extract and quality of life for dogs with cancer

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Our every day work is a mission to bring hope and healing into the world. We know the science behind what we do, but it’s the “why” part that gets to the deeper purpose and meaning of our work. When we ask what good we can do with our time and talents, we are answered by your heartfelt letters. 

Our almost 12 year old golden girl, Serenity, was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma of the spleen on Nov. 20, 2018. I was told that we only had a few days left, that is was aggressive, and there was nothing we could do. However, through some research and desperation I came across a study from Penn State in which they had used Turkey Tail mushroom extract on dogs with the same cancer as Serenity’s. After further searching I came across your farm and Turkey Tail product. Fast forward to today and we just received our 2nd order of Turkey Tail extract. We’ve been putting it in Serenity’s food twice a day. She is maintaining, has a great appetite, wants to play and run, and goes on walks several times a day. So, we are feeling thankful that we found your product as well as extremely blessed to still have our Serenity with us and living what we would call a good quality of life. We thought you might enjoy hearing our experience/story.
Sincerely,
Rhonda & Bruce Arney

Serenity’s story is a very common one for us, each with a unique character and name forever etched on the hearts of families who care for them. What we often find with customers who use our Turkey Tail mushroom dual extract for their dogs is improved quality of life and life beyond expectation (months to a year longer than prognosis). The results shared by people fighting cancer are even more remarkable (read reviews).

Turkey Tail mushrooms aren’t a cure for cancer, but your experiences with our product over the past few years have helped validate the growing body of science behind it and opened our eyes to the power of nature to help us rise to any health challenge.

Please consult your doctor before taking any of our products for health reasons. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Can I give my dog or cat CBD?

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Trudy Capootie takes her CBD.

Yes, you can give CBD to your dog or cat! Dogs and cats have the same cannabinoid receptors as humans in their brain and nervous system. That’s why we give CBD to our two 12 year old dogs (one is pictured above) and 18 and 15 years old cats.

Our critter friends deserve the same natural relief from pain and inflammation as we do. The fact our pets respond so well to CBD is a big reason our farm now carries Pet Releaf Edibites CBD pet treats at both Half Hill Farm stores: Wellness Emporium of  Woodbury, TN (110 W High Street Woodbury, TN 37190) and Wellness Emporium of Bell Buckle, TN (13 Webb Rd. E Bell Buckle, TN 37020) – open seven days a week!

Get Pet Releaf Edibites for small dogs: $19.99 – large dogs: $25.99

Pet Releaf is currently the nation’s only organic CBD pet treat that uses its own proprietary organic hemp strain. Pet Releaf’s small breed formula comes in 1.5mg CBD pieces and 3mg CBD pieces for large breeds and in two flavors: Peanut Butter Banana and Blueberry Cranberry. You can supplement the treats with drops if your critter friend needs more and you don’t want to give them too many treats.

Here are some of the health benefits of CBD for dogs and cats:

  • Reduce pain and inflammation associated with arthritis, IBD, pancreatitis or urinary tract disease
  • Reduce anxiety
  • Reduces seizures
  • Stimulates appetite
  • Reduces asthma symptoms
  • Supports the immune system

How much CBD should I give my dog or cat? Every brand has a different dosage suggestion for pets, but there is a general range in these products from 0.5 mg per 20 lbs (low dosage) to 1 mg per 10 lbs (closer to human dosage). Smaller dogs may respond differently and may require smaller dosages at first. Here are Pet Releaf’s suggested serving sizes based on weight.

We give our small dogs 5 mg when they need it and plan on doing 2 mg per day as they get older. Consult your veterinarian with any concerns or questions about using CBD with pets..

Here are a few good articles about giving your pets CBD:

Stop by our stores for CBD formulated for people – drops, capsules, gum, salve, chap stick, honey & suppositories.

The birds of Half Hill Farm

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Right before it rained yesterday, we set up the two 16 family Purple Martin houses in the orchard. With any luck we’ll get a few to hang around with us this year. The birds of Half Hill Farm will eat literally thousands of insects a day this year, far more than we can kill with pesticides. They won’t catch everything, but birds play an important part in the balance of life on the farm.

Besides the Purple Martins we hope to host, we also have four bluebird boxes, but there are other birds I’ve noticed working the property.

  • Northern Flicker: There are about 20 of these beautiful woodpeckers feeding on ants and beetles in the grass. As you walk through the property, you can see their yellow undersides and distinct white spot on its tail as the fly ahead of you.
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler: several were here in February appearing to eat juniper berries.
  • Cedar Waxwing: These are beautifully colored birds that ate lots of juniper berries in late January and early February.
  • Wild Turkey: We’ve seen a flock with as many as 30 slowly walk through the property. Like the Crows and Bluejays, I don’t know if they’re up to any good.
  • Eastern Phoebe: These cute little birds do acrobats and live under the deck on a diet of a few hundred flies a day.
  • White-breasted Nuthatch: We think it likes a piece of cardboard in the compost pile, but it’s the only one we’ve seen. It can walk on the underside of things.

Purple Martins are nature’s bug zappers

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purple martin housePart of our organic farm’s integrated pest management plan calls for the use of hosted beneficial birds as natural predators. Earlier this week I asked a couple of friends and folks at the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) for some advice and was reminded about the amazing Purple Martin.

Growing up in the South, I remember Purple Martin houses on several farms. I never really thought there was a functional reason for hosting them, and later was convinced all they ate were mosquitoes.

I was wrong. State Zoologist David Withers sent me this great one pager from the Purple Martin Conservation Association that basically tells me the Purple Martin is one of nature’s best bug zappers. Check out TWRA’s wonderful online resource on common birds and how to host them.

Even if you are not an organic farmer, hosting Purple Martins can dramatically help reduce any flying insect pest on your property while reducing the use of chemical sprays and inviting a little of nature’s perfect aesthetic back to your home life.

We got two 16 family houses, both made in America, at our local Tractor Supply Company (photo: Vince snaps a Purple Martin house together). We’re using cut cedar posts from the property and will open the houses March 31 or as close to the time we begin seeing younger Purple Martins.

Here are a few points we’ve learned through some voracious reading over the past couple of snow days:

  • Purple Martins overwinter in Brazil and return year after year to the same nesting location.
  • They live exclusively in human made housing (East of the Rocky Mountains)
  • Houses must be over 10 feet off the ground, a minimum of 30 feet from a human dwelling (120 feet maximum), about 45 feet from any tree or bush and have nothing touching the pole, including support wires. Nothing around the housing can be taller.
  • Entry holes must be a specific dimension or competing birds become a problem (3 inches wide and 1 3/16 tall).
  • Purple Martins prefer white colored housing.
  • To attract a colony you must open the house when last year’s young return – 3 weeks after the first adults arrive. In Tennessee, adults arrive March 1-15. Adults will also colonize, but you must be persistent to scare off competing birds.
  • Purple Martins diet includes “dragonflies, damselflies, flies, midges, mayflies, stinkbugs, leafhoppers, Japanese beetles, June bugs, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers, cicadas, bees, wasps, flying ants, and ballooning spiders.”
  • Once hatched, Purple martins develop in about 30 days.
  • You can handle the chicks to manage the nests – parents do not mind human handling or scent.