[Editor’s note: Matt is guest blogging today :)]
Hello and Happy New Year to all the customers and friends of SCF. Kelli asked me to write today’s blog entry as we reflect on 2005 and make plans for 2006. So here it goes.
First of all thanks to all of you for your friendship and support. It takes a lot of people to make a farm successful, even one as small as ours. Are we successful? Good question. Let’s see.
Our death loss: 2 feeder pigs, 2 newborn calves, a 550-pound feeder calf to tetanus (ouch!), and a 3-year-old cow (ouch again!). This reviewing the year stuff is somewhat painful 🙂 The unplanned hay purchase of 18 tons, because of the flooding of our 2004 hay crop. Ouch.
[Editor’s note: Let’s not forget the 45-or-so broiler chickens?]
But there were also many bright spots. Our 2005 hay crop was excellent, 116 bales on 19 acres. All of it very good quality. We sold all of our butcher hogs, most of the broilers, and all but 35 pounds of the beef we raised in 2005.
I am sure a financial analyst may say that we had a horrible year, and to him that may be truth. But the truth I know is that every evening when I sit down to supper, I don’t see some meat and vegetables sitting in front of me. I see the beautiful green beans Kelli planted, grew, picked and froze. I see the delicious golden potatoes that Olivia helped debug and Rafe helped dig. I see the roast from the steer Madeline helped raise that won her a blue ribbon at the fair. I see the broccoli Kelli started in the basement in February. I see a thousand memories of my childhood and of my children, and the other kids that came out to SCF for one reason or another. I think of all the friends, old and new, that we may have never met.
Good people leading meaningful lives. Is SCF successful? I sure think so.
i feel similarly about our meals. although we are just beginning to reap the rewards on our efforts. by next fall i hope to have such an elegantly flushed out list of dinner time appreciations. congratulations you had an enviable year from my eyes.
I greatly admire your lifestyle. And the effort you and your family put into the farm.Hurrah for families like yours..
In every sense of the word, yes, successful. And what’s more — inspirational. Amazing accomplishments. Keep up the great work!
Sure is successful, because there are things you just can’t put a dollar amount on, and you and Kelli have that figured out. Your family is to be admired above many around here who count their worth in terms of stuff.My hat is off to you! I’ve greatly enjoyed following the progress at the farm this past year. Keep up with good work.
A very moving post. Thanks Matt