"Everyone should farm something."
As if we didn’t have enough to do around here, now we have a YouTube channel. Video editing is tough! You can tell by watching the first couple of videos that we have a lot to learn. Oh well, we are willing to give it a try. The channel is brand new, so we only have four subscribers and one of those is me. If you do YouTube, show us some love and subscribe. There are some older videos on the channel Read More
I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. (Proverbs 24:30-34) Read More
None of our readers know Hilton. Hilton has been a regular at our farm store, and he would stop by every Saturday after work. He really liked fresh eggs and plant ripened tomatoes. I don’t have a picture of Hilton, so let me describe him. We met Hilton and his wife late one Saturday afternoon when they stopped by the house after seeing the fresh eggs sign out by the paved road. Our farm store was technically closed at that Read More
I agree with Joel Salatin that a family-friendly farm is one where the kids are involved with everything. Sure, it takes longer to do chores with a 2 year-old in tow, but it is worth it. Farm kids should be allowed and encouraged to develop their own farm enterprise as soon as possible. If this does not happen, then the farm will always be dad’s farm or mom’s farm, and they might not ever engage. Well the fact is we Read More
I like lists. Good lists seem to be the only way I get anything done. I have a work lists, I have farm project lists, I have Tractor Supply lists, I have honey-do lists and so on. The Apostle Paul is known for his lengthy statements that are always filled with doctrinal truth. What we see in these verses and the ones that follow is almost like a bullet-point list. Last week we studied Paul’s description of the Read More
During the recent Ag and Art Tours, we met tons of nice people and gave many tours of our farm. One couple wanted to learn how to process chickens, so they returned on processing day, jumped right in and did a great job. I remember one other couple in particular, because when we got to the chicken processing overview (overview, not demonstration), the wife said “I don’t want to see that” to which I promptly asked “Why?” She explained that Read More
Our culture today seems obsessed with self. Self image, Self Magazine, self help, selfies. One popular self-help author’s message was summed up like this: “we alone have the power within us to solve our problems, relieve our anxieties and pain, heal our illnesses, improve our golf game or get a promotion.” It is dangerous to become too obsessed with your own self image, because when you do you start believing stuff like that. This sermon was preached on Read More
Yesterday was our first poultry processing day of the year. Since we are still a small, family farm with no paid staff, we rely on fiends to help out on these days. There is a core group of folks I can always count on to help out, and we added a few more this year. It amazes me that people are willing to give up an entire morning, come out to the farm and work with us. We cannot afford Read More
Wendell Berry has the best answer to this question: “Why do farmers farm, given their economic adversities on top of the many frustrations and difficulties normal to farming? And always the answer is: “Love. They must do it for love.” Farmers farm for the love of farming. They love to watch and nurture the growth of plants. They love to live in the presence of animals. They love to work outdoors. They love the weather, maybe even when it is Read More
“When the family is strong, government can be small. When the family is weak, however, the government must compensate for the loss. By focusing on the family, we respect and better the community.” – Dr. Albert Mohler (“Toward a Christian View of Economics”, Tabletalk Magazine, February 2017) Strong families are the answer to big government. Could it be that simple? Yes. Strong families build strong communities. Just think of how many government programs that would not be needed if families Read More