We are in the midst of something unlike anything we have ever experienced in our lifetimes. Covid-19. Right now that says it all.
During these unprecedented times we will not be holding programs, but we will have eggs, meat, and (in time) produce. Please feel free to call, text, or email us with an order and we can have it waiting on our farm stand for you to pick up (payments to be placed in the drop box on the stand:)
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Mid February and our thoughts start to turn to spring. It seems so close at times and so far away at others. We start to get the itch to spring clean (and purge). We get the urge to order new birds and bees. We get the urge to plan out and start buying seeds. Spring brings to mind so much freshness, newness, (& muddiness:) which is much appreciated after the cold, gray, cooped-up-ness of winter. Whatever spring brings to mind for you I hope you anticipating its start just as much as we are!
I am really feeling this right now. Last year some things got set into motion that changed things for us, and this year there will be even more changes. There will be changes for our family, on our farm, how we spend our time and with whom, and so much more. Some of these changes we have anticipated (if maybe not the timing) and others, well they kinda surprised us. We will still be here and we will still do our best to raise animals and produce humanely and as sustainably as we can as well as invite others to learn and have fun on our farm. It might look a little different at times than it has and it might take us a little getting used to at times, but we are still feeling grateful and blessed to be where we are and with that I say bring on the changes 2020!
It's hard to know what to feel about the weather these days. With temps in the 50's in December (in Wisconsin!) it initially feels well wonderful. We go outside expecting to be chilled to the bone with the cold (with or without snow) because that has been our past experience with Wisconsin winters, this year not so much. We step out the door and we feel happy; we are not cold, our animals are not cold, there is no water to unfreeze (making chores more of a breeze:) Then as we walk around caring for the animals it starts to sink in..."this is not normal" and the weather starts to take on a different feeling. Our world is dealing with rapid climate change and most of the time that feels like an intellectual discussion (do you believe or don't you, what should governments and companies do about it), but with abnormal weather like this it starts to feel more personal, more in our face, and more scary. We can feel like this deer below, we are just going about our lives, doing what we do to survive, and then suddenly we realize something big and scary is headed straight for us. What will we do? What can we do? What will our future look like? How will we survive this moment of crisis? Even if we are fortunate enough this tragedy spare us, what about the ones that come after us?
I don't have the answers, but if you are interested in learning more please follow this link: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/09/8467683/how-to-help-climate-change-greta-thunberg We decided this year to invest in a larger chicken flock for both meat and egg purposes and we are starting to see a variety on the egg side in size, shape, & color. These kinds of differences are part of what makes farming so fun:)
Our son loves to grow pumpkins-lots & lots of pumpkins:) Last year we had so many the pigs got to munch on a few. Mother Nature (being ever so clever) cut out the middle man this year and now we have pumpkins growing in and around the pigs' pen:)
These 4 pieces of equipment (tractor, haybine, rake, baler) have brought us and taught us so much this summer. They have brought us the joy of growing and harvesting our only field crop all by ourselves for the very first time! They have brought us frustration every time one of them broke down (especially mid harvest). They have brought us exercise opportunities and family togetherness as they hay is harvested:) They have also taught us tractor mechanics, how to work with mother nature, and how to let go when there is little else that can be done to improve a situation:)
We are in the midst of evaluating our farm and our future. As part of that, we recently decided to end our farrowing operation and are grateful that our sows and boar found an awesome new home at Green Fire Farm! We will miss this aspect of farming that we have enjoyed for the past few years, but we are also excited about the new areas we are exploring. Our first new change...an updated website!
Farming is filled with seasons of struggles. These are not the typical seasons of winter, spring, summer, fall, but a period of time on the farm when something feels extra hard. During farrowing (pig birthing) there are
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