08/26/2024
Hi Folks,
This may come at a shock to you, but we have had to make some tough decisions here on the farm. A back story:
Opening our new store Pasture2plate Market in Loudon in May was a feat. We had a month from conception to grand opening. We got it done, and it was a hit!
Within a week we knew we were not going to be able to keep up with everything going on between the farm and the store. We figured someone or all of us would burn out before we could get through the summer. So we planned to do less meat bird chickens. This would allow us to focus more on the Beef and Pork opperations and to become better, more effecient producers. We never really made a profit on chickens anyways so this was an easy decision.
Regardless of those changes however, there was still too much to do. We were not able to keep up with projects that needed to be done here and have had a lot of cattle break outs among other issues. We feel that we need more time to devote to the animals to keep thier best interests and well being. As simple as being able to move them to a new pasture on time. But we havent been able to do that with Patrick working a full time job, Noah and April split between the store and the Farmers Markets constantly.
This has led us to a tough but very exciting set of decisions. Starting today we will no longer keep any additional animals for the production of meats to sell to the public. What we have in the freezers at Pasture2plate, and what is being cut and wrapped at the processor now is the last of what we have to sell from our farm. We will maintain the farm for our families and as such we will raise a small and reduced herd of cattle and a few pigs/chickens/turkeys each year.
We still have plenty of beef and pork cuts available online and in store and will have until it runs out. We have 1 whole pig left and one half for september.
Going forward the store will remain open and will continue to get new products. We will be sourcing our meats from other local farms. Farms that we believe raise their animals to a high standard just like we did. We will maintain the same or better quality in the meats at Pasture2plate Market. April will be Managing the store going forward with help from Patrick, Noah, and other family as needed.
Noah has just passed his examinations for Principal Broker in NH. He is opening a real estate practice in NH. Having had his Sales persons license since his sophmore year of college he has been working a long time to get this far. We are excited for him and happy to see his business grow.
All in all we have decided that we need more time in life for life. Yes, farming is hard work, but we love it, and we could never not have a farm. We would have to all become vegetarians and we just are not going to do that! Ultimately, we are chosing this path as it gives us the opportunity to take a few years to focus on other areas of life that are important. Family, freinds, the moments we have had to sacrifice because the chores needed doing and projects could not wait. This is not neccesarily a good bye forever kind of thing.
Keeping the store open will allow us to continue to serve the public and offer a connection between local businesses and producers, to customers that care. Under new managment you will see a new flare for the style of the building as well as new products. Again, the standards for the goods will remain the same and we will continue to provide the very best quality meats even if we are not the ones raising them.
We know this may not be a simple or easy trasnsition for some so if you have questions feel free to reach out or respond to this email. We are available.
Lastly, Gavin will continue to provide amaving Veggies for the CSAs and the store. He has done an amazing job so far this year and has many more products coming down the line as the season changes.
If you have an order in through the online store, do not worry, it will be fullfilled.
