In the biggest first day of calving season I can ever remember, Sunday March 26 brought 4 new calves! And 1 a day for three days after that. We ARE starting to get a little bit of milk bottled, and hopefully the volume will increase over the next few days. But read on for the story of the baby calf mama drama on Sunday!
See what happy chickens in early spring look like!
One could argue that a theme woven through the Bible is the principle of sowing and reaping. That which is sown will eventually produce a harvest of some sort. The dead of winter, agriculturally speaking, may seem a strange time to think about sowing. But even aside from the fact that farmers and gardeners actually do start planning to plant while the earth is still lifeless and frozen, there is never a time or season when we can't or don't sow seeds in our lives.
The 2022 winter storm over Christmas was no laughing matter for any who endured its fury. But with the right kind of conditioning and protection, even outdoor animals can make it through relatively unscathed.
Maybe Gettysburg and Eisenhower's farm don't appear to have much to do with this farm on the surface. But everything is connected to everything. And I've felt compelled to record and share these reflections. Be encouraged. Be empowered to make a difference.
This cow. If she's not a metaphor for life right now, I don't know what is. Click on her picture to read more about life with Joy the cow this spring!
Sometimes the difference between anxiousness and peace is as simple as letting go...
I'm still a novice when it comes to video making, so I acknowledge this is far from professional quality :D. But I recorded this a couple weeks ago to show one of the ways we water the cows in the pasture through the winter when it's below freezing.
When fulfillment of a promise is delayed (hope is deferred) it can make the heart sick. But delay is not the same as dead. If you're hoping this year will be better than last, maybe these words will encourage you...
As challenges for farmers continue to arise and increase, many are finding it harder and harder to be profitable. Smaller farms are being sold off and often swallowed up by larger ones (or urban sprawl closer to cities), for various reasons, which inevitably takes its toll on the rural communities built around and by them. In an era of more frequent extreme weather events, ever-encroaching pests and diseases, dramatically rising input costs, and marketing difficulties, it can become hard for some to remain hopeful about the future of agriculture. But maybe hope can be found in thinking outside the box...
I occasionally wrote blog entries before we had the Grazecart platform too. If you like to read, you might enjoy perusing more of my ramblings from the past 12 (!) years.
God built resilience into the fabric of creation. It's in you, too...
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