Farm Chat

 

Something I have neglected talking about for a bit, the crazy happenings of farm life, especially during the cold months. Here in N.E. Missouri, we get pretty cold during the Winter months, sometimes we get a lot of snow while others we get nothing. Sometimes ice. This year has been overall pretty mild...until January. Our first snow fall, I believe was on the 1st. It accumulated 10"-12" it was hard to tell since it was the powdery type that blew everywhere! Until 11th, we had some pretty bitter temps thrown in to boot. Some wind chills that measured at -25F. This is especially difficult when you have livestock AND people to keep warm. Thankfully, for a few days we are expected to get back into double digit regular temps and even into the 40's. It would be nice to see less snow! Although, melting snow = MUD! I guess it's a lesser of 2 evils....snow or mud. Either way makes for more work, more clothing, and a greater chance of bloopers! 

As a small person, I am usually cold. So when the temps dip below 20...I hibernate! Quite literally. I don't drive on snow/ice covered roads, I don't go outside unless absolutely necessary. This Winter, I am finding it more necessary to take the time and make the effort - even if it means looking like the state puff marshmallow man to get out with my critters. Honestly, most of the time, I would rather be with my animals than people. Anyway, when I walk out to the gate, and start talking to them, they all start "talking" back. The goats, the chickens, and the ducks....even the dogs and sheep weigh in on occasion. It makes you slow down, take a deep breath(as deep as possible when the air hurts your face), and appreciate God's creation...from the critters, to natures noises to the impeccable art in the sky. It has been my saving grace when I get too stressed. Taking the time to interact with the critters, they like to crawl all over me when I kneel down. The goats like to find my hair, which is apparently great to chew on. The ducks, while not overly interactive, still have to see what I am doing in their house as I gather the eggs. 

With animals/livestock, Winter months can be especially trying. This year, the cold broke and so did many of our necessary contraptions to keep water tanks open. So, many of them had to be replaced this year. Not a fun nor financially positive task. Again, with animals just as with humans, you do everything you can to make Winter a little less sucky. It's months of preparations, literally from the moment Spring arrives until the first snow fall...is all prep time for the Winter months, then you start all over. It's finding/buying straw to bed the animals, it's baling enough hay in Spring/Summer to get through 6 months, it's repairing fences only to have them break or taken out in the Winter, It's always having enough feed/mineral on hand to get through at least one delayed delivery. It's planning for vet needs, baby animal arrivals, and so much more. It's incredible to me, even as long as we have been on the farm, how much prep work is involved...for the animals AND the people.Even as I type, we are in preparation mode for our lambing cycle to begin. Since we lost several last year due to that extreme cold snap in late January/early February 2021....I pray we don't have that experience again. Small family farms can not absorb the massive loss or inflation, nor the increased feed pricing. Please always support your small family farms!

As we are literally in the middle of Winter, it's seems crazy to be considering my next topic...but that's how it works. Gardening! I have always loved my gardens, even when I get frustrated at them not growing or weeds trying to take over. There is no better energy release than having your hands and feet in the soil. It is a lot of hard work, but the reward is beyond miraculous! I've heard many mockingly talk about it not being cheaper than just buying things at the store, and honestly, that's probably pretty accurate. However, the benefits of growing/raising/harvesting and preserving your own efforts are amazing. It's pretty easy to average a small garden will cost about $200 to plant...that's seeds, plants, tomato cages, organic fertilizers, etc. If you are just going to grow enough to eat, you can get by with a lot less. We grow ours to eat, but also to preserve for later use. Everything from juices, to sauces, to freezing, or adding to something else. I believe this is a lost treasure in regards to not being dependent on supply chains. Last year, I decided to down size the garden, to try to make it easier to manage while working. This year, I will not be working, so I believe it will increase in size. Last year, was a first for getting fruit from my trees and vines. I'm anxiously hoping to see even more this year. 7 years is a long time to wait to see the "fruits of my labors." In addition to my enlargement of garden, it's time to plant some more trees, expand an area for a flower garden, and work in some berry bushes. The first 6 years of living on our farm, I worked hard to become nearly self-reliant when it came to our food consumption. Our short stint away from the farm, reminded me exactly what my goals had been. It's just taken me a little bit to remember. After several months of personal dilemmas, I'm ready to get back on track. 

Having a life that revolves around our farm, that means vacations and trips away are pretty non-existent. The Summer of 2020, I took time to build a fire pit area and an area around our pool to give us our own "resort" atmosphere. Sadly, 2021 didn't allow for us to relax as many things required us to work harder and longer hours to cover the expenses used. While there is always a lot of work to do, my goal for 2022, is to utilize these amazing features, much more! Taking some time, as a family and as a couple, to just relax. We have had the pleasure of meeting so many incredible people through different veteran events we have hosted. I am hopeful that we can continue that into 2022. With so much uprooting in 2021, it's taken a long time to find my feet again. Now, I am focusing on the many areas of importance to me: our family, our farm, our son's upcoming wedding, our farm events and the veterans and groups that have impacted me so much. 

Being the "manager" of the family, farm, business and everything else...puts me in a unique position. It gives me the opportunity to oversee all operations from the sheep, to the small animals, cattle to dogs, gardens to budgets, business to events. It does tend to also give me plenty of headaches! Sadly, I manage to get through my days better with plenty to keep me busy. Too much down time is not good for me. Anyway, being nearly half way into January already, it's great time to start the prep work Spring/Summer. Maybe even a few building projects and photo shoots will be able to happen this year. So, with snow still on the ground, I'm going to be dreaming of a few months down the road, when I can get my bare feet back into the soil, watch seeds begin to sprout, see the leaves begin to fill the empty branches and watch baby lambs grow into beautiful, but spoiled young sheep! Spring, Summer and Fall farm tours will hopefully get to happen this, so be watching for those! 

From our family farm, 

Salli