Bob Ross
Still in the first year of establishment, this is newest venture came to fruition due to the disabilities that Jessica Donaldson Jones faces with autoimmune disorders, Lyme Disease and Alpha Gal. Upon extensive medical testing, doctors discovered that she is allergic to red meat due to a tick-borne disease (Alpha Gal); we had to act fast to replace our farm pasture raised beef that was such a large part of her diet to another protein that would not result in delayed and potentially life-ending anaphylactic shock.
For almost a decade now, she has been a passionate activist for disabled patient advocacy and more specifically those disabled by various tick-borne diseases.
Jessica states her reasoning to following the white rabbit:
"As a member of the Mississippi Lyme Disease Association, I began to hear more and more stories about others that are living with this potentially deadly allergy that all results from a simple tick bite. Numerous accounts of hunters, farmers, gardeners, and avid lovers of nature started to pour into our small but quickly growing support group division of the nonprofit. The oddest thing is that some patients could handle different meats better than others, it is all just a trial-and-error situation on a case-by-case basis. As someone with a background heavy in nonprofit work, I knew that this was an unseen need that as a farm we had the ability and moral obligation to step in and try to fill, not only for myself but for those within our community that also have tick-borne diseases."
After several months of planning and research, we decided that we should add a Rabbitry to the farm as a multi-functional aspect. Lapinshire has been designed to not only provide protein but also with plans to utilize pelts and to provide the best natural fertilizer available for crops: rabbit manure.
Construction or what our Farm Manager, Joshua Donaldson, would call "forced sibling labor" began in late Spring of 2022 to prepare for the arrival of our first New Zealand White Rabbits in June 2022.
To say we jumped down the rabbit hole on this would not be an over statement.
We purchased 1 Buck and 5 Does of New Zealand REW (red eyed white) rabbits.
We soon discovered there were really TWO Bucks and 4 Does...isn't nature cool???
Surprise! Baby bunnies! Now nicknamed Romeo and Juliet, our first breeding pair surprised us one day with a beautiful litter of kits.
Once we saw that it was possible to raise rabbits in a more natural way to include family units, Jessica's bleeding heart couldn't resist formulating a plan to later develop rabbit colonies. Top Secret plans are under way and grant opportunities have been identified to bring this dream into reality.
After more successful breeding, we all fell in love with raising rabbits and began developing plans for expansion. We have a lot of big dreams for these adorable (and tasty) little creatures. We hope you will follow us on this journey.
Donaldson Farms LLC
Sardis, Mississippi
Copyright © 2023 Donaldson Farms - All Rights Reserved.
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