The History of the T5R
There have been quite a few new folks that have started
following this page over the last few months, so let me
take some time to give a better introduction to myself
and the T5R.
The Thunder 5 Ranch is a small farm in Southern IL. that
consist of 40 owned acres and anywhere from another
20-160 leased hay and pasture depending on the needs
of the year. The Thunder 5 Ranch was founded on July
8th 2000 on 6 acres just North of Springfield IL. and
relocated down to Southern IL. in July of 2008. Very
simply I wanted to return to Southern IL and I was not
going to pay $25,000-$35,000 per acre for adjacent land
North of Springfield :) Myself I grew up on a small farm
on the Montgomery/Bond County line and spend the
better part of my youth learning everything I could from
the old timers, something I never shook off and probably
why I am so out of place in this modern world. I do things
old school for the most part and incorporate modern
techs only when they compliment and do not conflict
with the traditional ways. One visitor to the farm pretty
much nailed it, "You are quasi Amish with a Native
American twist." Fairly accurate actually.
The Farm itself is extremely diverse and is a direct
marketing farm to fork operation. We grow or at least the
last couple of years have tried to grow a large selection
of vegetables with the primary focus in the gardens
being on Cherry/grape Tomatoes, onions, green onions,
red potatoes, russet potatoes, several varieties of
lettuce, swiss chard, peppers, cucumbers, carrots,
radishes, summer and winter squash, green beans, and
radishes.
In the livestock arena we raise pasture and woodlot
hogs 70% pasture and woodlot finished, Irish Dexter
Beef Cattle 99.9% grass fed and finished, about 12
breeds of laying hens 50% forage diet, up to 4,000 meat
chickens/broilers 90% forage finished, and anywhere
from 250-500 turkeys 100% forage finished. We
processed the poultry on the farm in our facility under
the IL. Poultry exemption.
We have a orchard, small vineyard, and berry patches
that supply the fruits and berries for the jellies and jams
we make in our cottage kitchen. Last year we made and
sold over 9,000 pints and half pints of jellies and jams!
We do make each jelly and jam in the season of the fruit
or berry and tend to sell out of each seasons offering
with in a couple weeks of the season ending.
We have an on farm store with everything that we have
available at the time, Pork, BeefBurger, Poultry, Eggs,
fruits, vegetables and Jellies and Jams. We also attend
two Farmers Markets The Cannon Park Market in
Carterville and the Regional Producer Farmers' Market
in Downtown Johnston City.
In 2013 I created the Thunder 5 Ranch Incorporated as
separate and distinct entity from myself and the T5R
Farm. To start and explore new ventures in regional
food and the mechanism by which to sell most of the T5R
Farm Products. The T5R INC is also able to legally do
things that a farm simply can't. One venture was starting
the Regional Producer Farmers' Markets as a subsidiary
company of the T5R Inc. Another is the current project of
building and getting a commercial kitchen/commissary
built and certified and a mobile kitchen for markets and
events rigged up and certified (The T5R Chuck Wagon).
Ventures that really are far outside the scope of a Farm ;)
Practices are as I said traditional, we use ZERO synthetic
pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. We do not use
harsh chemical parastite controls in the livestock in fact
we use only Diatomecious Earth as both a plant pesticide
and animal parasite control, for animal parasite control
we do add hot pepper powder, and thyme, Vinegar, dish
soap and epsom salt as a herbicide, cinnamon and
grapefruit juice as fungicide, occasionally we will use
Neem oil for certain pest, And a hot pepper spray on
some plants as a repellent.
I despise the fraudulent resellers that infest Southern IL
and for that matter National that cause great harm to
local and regional food produced by real hard working
small farmers. I strongly oppose the competitive federal
and state grant funding system that awards the funds to
the best BS artist rather than to those who will apply the
funds most effectively, rather than lining pockets. And in
the war of conventional food and alternative food IE
GMO/non GMO there have been so many lies told by
both sides that the average consumer wouldn't be able
to filter out fact from fiction. I go traditional non gmo,
unconventional because of moral and ethical reasons. I
will not grow, cross pollinate or breed or participate in
something that could not happen in the natural order of
things. I often refer to the sacred hoop or circle of life
and believe when everything in the Sacred Hoop under
my stewardship and watch is happy and healthy
everything goes well. My job is simply to make sure all of
those trillions of little hoops within the greater hoop are
happy and thriving, and take a share of the bounty that
they provide. OK not so simple but most of those hoops
do best without interference :)
And that folks is the summary of myself and the Thunder
5 Ranch. Oh and I am well know for making the longest
FB post
Mike Hammack
following this page over the last few months, so let me
take some time to give a better introduction to myself
and the T5R.
The Thunder 5 Ranch is a small farm in Southern IL. that
consist of 40 owned acres and anywhere from another
20-160 leased hay and pasture depending on the needs
of the year. The Thunder 5 Ranch was founded on July
8th 2000 on 6 acres just North of Springfield IL. and
relocated down to Southern IL. in July of 2008. Very
simply I wanted to return to Southern IL and I was not
going to pay $25,000-$35,000 per acre for adjacent land
North of Springfield :) Myself I grew up on a small farm
on the Montgomery/Bond County line and spend the
better part of my youth learning everything I could from
the old timers, something I never shook off and probably
why I am so out of place in this modern world. I do things
old school for the most part and incorporate modern
techs only when they compliment and do not conflict
with the traditional ways. One visitor to the farm pretty
much nailed it, "You are quasi Amish with a Native
American twist." Fairly accurate actually.
The Farm itself is extremely diverse and is a direct
marketing farm to fork operation. We grow or at least the
last couple of years have tried to grow a large selection
of vegetables with the primary focus in the gardens
being on Cherry/grape Tomatoes, onions, green onions,
red potatoes, russet potatoes, several varieties of
lettuce, swiss chard, peppers, cucumbers, carrots,
radishes, summer and winter squash, green beans, and
radishes.
In the livestock arena we raise pasture and woodlot
hogs 70% pasture and woodlot finished, Irish Dexter
Beef Cattle 99.9% grass fed and finished, about 12
breeds of laying hens 50% forage diet, up to 4,000 meat
chickens/broilers 90% forage finished, and anywhere
from 250-500 turkeys 100% forage finished. We
processed the poultry on the farm in our facility under
the IL. Poultry exemption.
We have a orchard, small vineyard, and berry patches
that supply the fruits and berries for the jellies and jams
we make in our cottage kitchen. Last year we made and
sold over 9,000 pints and half pints of jellies and jams!
We do make each jelly and jam in the season of the fruit
or berry and tend to sell out of each seasons offering
with in a couple weeks of the season ending.
We have an on farm store with everything that we have
available at the time, Pork, BeefBurger, Poultry, Eggs,
fruits, vegetables and Jellies and Jams. We also attend
two Farmers Markets The Cannon Park Market in
Carterville and the Regional Producer Farmers' Market
in Downtown Johnston City.
In 2013 I created the Thunder 5 Ranch Incorporated as
separate and distinct entity from myself and the T5R
Farm. To start and explore new ventures in regional
food and the mechanism by which to sell most of the T5R
Farm Products. The T5R INC is also able to legally do
things that a farm simply can't. One venture was starting
the Regional Producer Farmers' Markets as a subsidiary
company of the T5R Inc. Another is the current project of
building and getting a commercial kitchen/commissary
built and certified and a mobile kitchen for markets and
events rigged up and certified (The T5R Chuck Wagon).
Ventures that really are far outside the scope of a Farm ;)
Practices are as I said traditional, we use ZERO synthetic
pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. We do not use
harsh chemical parastite controls in the livestock in fact
we use only Diatomecious Earth as both a plant pesticide
and animal parasite control, for animal parasite control
we do add hot pepper powder, and thyme, Vinegar, dish
soap and epsom salt as a herbicide, cinnamon and
grapefruit juice as fungicide, occasionally we will use
Neem oil for certain pest, And a hot pepper spray on
some plants as a repellent.
I despise the fraudulent resellers that infest Southern IL
and for that matter National that cause great harm to
local and regional food produced by real hard working
small farmers. I strongly oppose the competitive federal
and state grant funding system that awards the funds to
the best BS artist rather than to those who will apply the
funds most effectively, rather than lining pockets. And in
the war of conventional food and alternative food IE
GMO/non GMO there have been so many lies told by
both sides that the average consumer wouldn't be able
to filter out fact from fiction. I go traditional non gmo,
unconventional because of moral and ethical reasons. I
will not grow, cross pollinate or breed or participate in
something that could not happen in the natural order of
things. I often refer to the sacred hoop or circle of life
and believe when everything in the Sacred Hoop under
my stewardship and watch is happy and healthy
everything goes well. My job is simply to make sure all of
those trillions of little hoops within the greater hoop are
happy and thriving, and take a share of the bounty that
they provide. OK not so simple but most of those hoops
do best without interference :)
And that folks is the summary of myself and the Thunder
5 Ranch. Oh and I am well know for making the longest
FB post
Mike Hammack
THEN
NOW
