The weather forecast says the skies will clear right before Fun Day today, but rain or shine, we'll be here having fun! You should join us!

Michigan and the Midwest in general are facing a drought this summer, and our pastures are suffering. When our pastures don't get rain, they wither and die, and with it goes the summer food supply for over 100 hay-eating animals. While this link is aimed at farmers producing "livestock" animals, the information applies to sanctuaries as well.

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/drought_planning_should_begin_with_green_pastures/

Our hay producer reports that he is getting half the amount of hay this year from his pastures than he did last year, and the cost will certainly almost double, so not only will lack of rain in the pastures mean that we're feeding hay year-round (we can usually rely on our pastures to feed our animals through the summer), but when we go to buy hay for winter feeding this fall, we'll certainly feel the strain on our small budget. Imagine you go to the grocery store intending to spend $100, and buying the same things you usually buy, the total is now $200. How would that affect your family budget? We're worried, to be certain!

It is with great sadness and sympathy that we inform you of the passing of long time volunteer Harold Ward of Ypsilanti. Harold died of lung cancer. He was 83.

Harold and his wife Jane were among the first SASHA volunteers, coming regularly to help out before we were even an official non-profit organization. They helped establish the cat barn, provided most of the funding to feed and house the cats, and drove from their home in Ypsilanti to spend several hours here three times a week. In addition to their devotion to the cats of SASHA Farm, Harold spent hours each week going to local grocery stores, salvaging produce and bread that was otherwise destined for the dumpsters to help feed the farm animals. The animals, especially the pigs, quickly learned that the sight of his big white van pulling into the driveway meant that something yummy would soon be filling their food dishes. Harold and Jane were the first ever SASHA Volunteers of the Year.

Some of you are aware that Harold's wife Jane, also a beloved fixture in the cat barn, recently had hip surgery. In addition to caring for Harold and her daughter Judy, who has also been struggling with health issues, the cats at SASHA Farm and her own cats, she also helps take care of the strays in her neighborhood, and at least one friendly neighborhood raccoon. She is truly an amazing woman. She is currently staying in a rehabilitation facility while she recovers from surgery, and we know it would brighten her day to receive cards, either condolences or just "Get Well Soon." 

You may send your cards to SASHA Farm and we'll pass them along to her.

Jane Ward

c/o SASHA Farm

It's been a busy week at SASHA Farm! We've been travelling back and forth from Manchester, where we're located, to Clarkston in pursuit of two sheep whom area residents reported had taken up residence in a series of connected yards in a neighborhood subdivision. 

After a failed attempt at tranquilizing the mother-daughter pair on Monday, we went back Tuesday and set up a pen in one resident's back yard, baited it with hay, grain and carrots, and instructed the family to quickly close the gate when the sheep settled inside. Less than 24 hours later, they called with the good news that the sheep were contained inside the pen!

It's not easy to caught fast little sheep even inside a pen, though. News cameras were on hand to film the rescue, so you can all see for yourselves!

Mom and daughter are doing well, eating resting and waiting to be released into their new herd!

Here's our Winter 2011 newsletter for those of you who aren't on our mailing list, or who requested a digital copy. We hope you enjoy it!

Last week, we received some terrible news. The well at the SASHA property where many of our cows live has reached the end of its life. The water pressure is terrible, the quality is getting poorer by the day, and it could fail completely at any moment, leaving the cows without a water source. We need to have a new well drilled immediately, and as this large expense was not anticipated, we need to ask for your help.

Please consider donating using the Paypal link to the right, and even if you can't, please share our critical need with your friends.

As always, your donations are tax-deductible.

Do you know what "prize" awaits the Grand Champion animals from all the fairs all over the country each year? Usually, they get loaded onto a trailer immediately after the fair is over and taken to a slaughterhouse. The luckier ones get taken to a farm where they'll be used to produce offspring who will be taken from them and sent to slaughter, until they themselves are too old to reproduce, at which point - yep, slaughter. "Champion" or not, it all ends the same. 

A few are more fortunate, though. Over the years, we've been contacted on occasion by individuals who want to save their 4-H animals from this sad fate. We're always happy to help. That's why when we were contacted this year by Food Art Catered Affairs in Manchester, asking if we'd take two lambs they intended to save, we were thrilled to say yes. True to their word, the folks at Food Art rolled in near midnight on Saturday, just after the fair was over, with the Grand Champion sheep, Yoko (above), and her best friend John (right). The family who raised John and Yoko were especially relieved that John had been saved, because as a castrated boy, there was no hope that he'd be spared and used for breeding, as all their ewes had been in the past. 

We'd like to thank Food Art for saving these two sweet, gentle lambs, and you can, too! Next time you need an event catered, remember that they do great vegan catering!

These were a hit at the last potluck, and the person who made them (whose email I lost... step forward!) sent me a link to the recipe.

Enjoy!

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=33025.0

The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management removes wild horses and donkeys from public lands in the Southwest. The donkeys at SASHA Farm are the offspring of three donkeys who arrived at a BLM auction in Manchester in 1984. 

This is Sue, a handsome guy would would do nearly anything for a stalk of celery. Sue and his donkey friends, Ella Grey and Isadora, are probably the most often photographed animals at SASHA Farm. 

Giles was the victim of a large scale neglect case in Northern Michigan. Potbellied pigs had been allowed to reproduce unchecked, and the person responsible for their care had given up dealing with the situation. In danger of starvation, a rescue group stepped in and helped hundreds of unsocialized potbellies find new homes in sanctuaries across the Midwest. In addition to Giles, we welcomed four of his nearly-identical brothers: Angel, Oz, Xander, and Spike.

Sponsor Giles or any of the "Buffy" pigs!