There are so many positive aspects to our life here on the farm.
There’s the view of the animals living their best life on pasture, the joy of being so in touch with nature and seeing beautiful things, like the first fireflies of the season lighting up the fields. And there’s the thrill of sharing the best food on the planet with you!
But, like with any career path, we make compromises to do the work we love. And in the early years, when we were farming solo, it was our bodies that bore the biggest burden.
Back then, farming felt sorta like playing a full-contact sport every day of the week, but where the rules changed with the wind, and the game just never seemed to end…it was insane!
Over the past year or two, we’ve hired help, and that’s helped tremendously with the physical exhaustion. Twice a week, Amanda takes over the routine tasks of the farm – think chores, moving fencing, rotating the animals onto fresh pasture – which gives Greg the opportunity to rest his body and put more of his brain power to use instead.
That break feels absolutely essential now. But in actuality, despite having help and honing our systems, “fires,” as we like to call them, still ignite on the farm at the most inopportune moments.
An owl in the chicken coop, a storm that wipes out a fence line, a delivery gone wrong? It all calls for our immediate attention regardless of the circumstances or time of day.
You’ve heard us share so many of these stories before. But it’s a different thing to live it. To be the one on call and on the line 24/7.
I guess in this way, farming right now doesn’t wear on our physical well-being as much as it does our mental well-being. And that’s why we’ve come to see taking breaks – real breaks disconnected from the farm – as not just fun and energizing but necessary.
This is exactly what we did this week – rested and recharged at one of our favorite places on Earth. We’ll be back in action this week and are looking forward to seeing you soon!
Your Farmers,
Jenney & Greg
PS – Farm Store is open during our usual hours this week: Sunday 9-12am and Thursday 430-6pm. Check out our offerings and order ahead here or drop in to see what’s available.