IT'S GETTING CRAZY OUT THERE!
I’m a little behind on my blogging, or social media sharing, or just plain sharing with our community! I’m writing this on a Thursday afternoon, when my original intent was to write last Sunday while I was still enjoying the glow of a great few days spent with like-minded people & friends & family. Do you know what I mean? That contented feeling when things go well, & the people you care about are happy?? A few days have gone by & I’ve gotten distracted by the craziness of the world & the day to day tasks of farm & life. I could use a little glow again!
Last Friday we were privileged to host Local4Life’s Second Annual Full Moon Walk on the Farm. We were amazed & thrilled with the turnout! Jim & the boys kept asking me how many people we were expecting & I didn’t have an answer. Last year there were restrictions on participation so we had sign-ups, but this year we didn’t need them. The weather was perfect & warm, & I think that helped make people want to get outside. Many thanks to the girls at Local4Life for the work that goes in behind the scenes, & to Justin Savageau, science teacher extraordinaire & lover of learning for his expertise in astronomy. The moon came up red & bright (of course I didn’t get any pictures of that), and the sky stayed clear for as long as people wanted to gaze at it. We were happy to have so many folks curious about the animals & farm too, and are always happy to answer questions!
We spent Saturday immersed in the local dairy/4-H scene at the MA Blue Ribbon Calf Sale. Curtis came down from Vermont to help with the sale animals for a couple days, Nolan spent 4 days helping out, I volunteered on sale day, and Jim & Gus got to visit with folks they don’t see on a regular basis and still kept things running at home. There’s definitely something satisfying about seeing your kids happy, doing what they love, surrounded by people they enjoy. All in support of a program that we grew up in, that helped to form us & has helped to make our boys into the young men that they are.
There’s the glow! Sometimes the news of the world is disheartening, even scary. Just on the agricultural/food front there are stories that affect all of us in different ways. Right now there’s a strain of avian influenza affecting the national poultry flock at an alarming rate, which may translate to higher egg & chicken prices for consumers. It’s being transmitted by wild ducks & geese, so control seems almost impossible. There’s no danger to humans, but it’s highly contagious from bird to bird. We’ve decided to hedge our bets for now with raising broiler chicks. We still have a decent stock of whole chicken & chicken parts in the freezer, so we’re going to put off starting chicks for a little while and see if the virus calms down. Our poultry processor in Rhode Island is taking great precautions for their part, and we feel pretty secure in our decision. That’s just the chicken front! The Russia-Ukraine news brings with it the threat of increased fertilizer prices for growing crops. Thankfully our transition to using regenerative practices has dramatically decreased our dependence on synthetic inputs! That said, we do buy grain for our dairy cows, laying hens, and hogs, & the price of that (already increased multiple times due to inflation & supply-chain issues) is subject to supply and demand which is a big unknown as farmers gear up for planting. Then there’s the reality of rising fuel prices, and the list goes on…
BUT I’m saying all of this to reassure you that we’re not going anywhere! We are constantly assessing our prices; our goal is to be able to support our farm & family while still keeping it so that you can continue to feed your family with high quality, nutrient dense, local proteins. We’ll do our best to keep you in the know about any changes or problems as they come up. Watch your emails & our social for an Easter special on our ham (I can’t believe it’s only 3 weeks away!!). And most of all, hug your kids & keep your chin up, everything’s going to be okay!
Hugs & Blessings!
