10/01/2026
Farm Blog
Where do I begin!
It has been a very busy year this summer. Another year of a drought! We had high hopes that this year would be different. But mother nature had other plans.
We had to put in another pond this year so the cows had access to water in the middle pasture on the powerline. We spent weeks cutting and clearing in order to get to the spot that would well suit a pond. We then fenced in the area. Cut the fence and added a gate so the cows could access it. Mike built a ramp so the cows could get to the water til it filled. It worked for about 3 weeks til that dried up. With the 3.5 inches of rain we had it is half full now.
With pastures drying up we have been working on clearing saplings and brush hogging every where we could. The trees like fir and spruce and brush don't allow the grass to grow. Saplings are growing since the land was cut off 5-6 years ago. So we are trying to create more grass land to help with the rotation of animals. The more available grass the longer they can utilize a pasture before moving to the next. Which will allow the grazed pasture more time to rest.
Unfortunately with the cost of diesel it has been a very expensive year too. All this land clearing isn't cheap!! The amount of diesel to do this is unbelievable! And at $6.50 a gallon very costly!
Markets have been very busy too. People are realizing that knowing where your food comes from and what they eat are extremely important now. The issues at the grocery stores are growing.
The last month so many people have come to my booth at all 3 markets and tell me I don't want to buy my meat at the store anymore! That they are soo happy to find me. Unfortunately it has taken a toll on my inventory. We send animals to the butcher every month and within a week and a half I'm out of steaks! (Although I still have plenty of hamburg and pork.) People tell me that's a good problem to have. But to me it's not. We have 100 head of beef and even with that we have to balance our inventory. If we process every available animal what do we do next year or the year after and so on. Farming is a balancing act! And the overhead of keeping so many animals is not for the faint of heart.
The cost for the buildings to house them (cost of building and then the maintenance and then property taxes increasing), cost of haying equipment (and maintenance and repairs with 40% increase in parts) cost to run equipment to keep the animals cleaned out and fed (more fuel used), electricity costs, insurance costs. Then the cost of butchering! And I haven't even mentioned our time we have put into everything! Someone has to drive the equipment, someone has to run the chainsaw, someone has to be on the end of a shovel, or on the end of a hammer or wrench or w**d whacker etc.
Unlike a vegetable farmer our overhead is ALOT greater. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to belittle vegetable farmers. They have plenty of costs too. And if they don't have irrigation they have issues as well during a drought.
I just thought I would share a little of what has been going on down here on the farm. And the worries that come with it.
I will be at both Belfast and Hampden Farmer's markets on Friday 9-1 and 2-5:30.
I will be bringing a few baked goods. Mostly donuts because we have a guest vendor who is a baker coming to the Hampden market on Friday afternoon.
Have a blessed day! And remember to treat others the way you would want to be treated! ❤️
