M A R C H newsletter

February March Newsletter

I wanted to write about great success. Taking next steps for the farm and cementing my place in the future of our local economy. Like, the 2 milk cow farm guy... he may not be around too long. The 4 cow guy... he may last a little while, but the 6 cow guy? He's all in. The 10 cow guy? Just showing off! :)

So this Christmas, there I was, twirling my mustache & making plans to be the solid 6-7 (I can hear the kids repeating it now) cow guy.

That plan is still there, but also, some reality.

From our herd, one cow -Dahlia- recently had a still born calf.

Then, we added a new cow -Snowy- who became so aggressive that I could no longer milk her. We culled her & moved on. An expensive lesson on the importance of cow temperament.

Our highest producer -Sassy- lost her pregnancy at some point, unbeknownst to us. She is now back in her heat cycle and won't be having any calves for at least 10 more months. Our best cow, dry and open? Not a dairy farmer's ideal scenario.

Anyway, my idea of an imminent 6 cow milking herd has had a couple hiccups. We hope to cobble together what we need to invest in another cow late spring, to bring us up to the production we need without Sassy's contribution.

Want to know how I feel personally? Full of hope.

Listen, I am the luckiest guy in the world. I get to work with my kids every morning as we feed the chickens, milk the cows, feed and walk the dog, check on the bunny (who has 6 kits, by the way!), fill orders, etc. And once the kids leave for school, I get to talk to you guys, where I can nearly always ground myself in positive, realistic encouragement.

My job as I see it is to honor that: the pursuit of sincere milk. "Sincere" comes from the Latin "sine cera" which means "without wax". In ancient times, stone merchants would deceive customers by filling cracks in marble to make it look flawless. The wax would eventually melt in the sun, revealing large flaws. So, sincere really can mean without filler. That's my job: milk with no filler.

So, thank you for your support. Thank you for your patience. And thank you for supporting a local business.

Kendal