06/26/2022
Jason here...
There is no part of our lives where change isn’t evident. We can’t prevent it, but we can look for ways to embrace the change around us for good. Sometimes this is simple, pleasant, just what you need. Other times it can be extremely difficult and pull hard on all aspects of life. We have all experienced both extremes and many in-betweens.
In 2014, the final pumpkins were sold off Sanders Pumpkin Farm. It was time for change. My parents, Dwight and Bonnie, had happily poured themselves into the Pumpkin Farm but knew that there were things they had been looking forward to and wanted to free up some time to enjoy these other adventures.
They had the opportunity to do just that, traveling and having lots of fun. But a sudden illness took Dwight from working one minute to fighting for his life the next. Dad passed away in 2018. I don’t need to tell you how much Mom missed Dad and how tough it was for her as she continued to keep the crop farming going, with lots of help from neighbors, family, and friends.
Next change, again quite sudden and too familiar to many of us, was the derecho that wrecked many buildings and trees on the farm. This event was a catalyst for Angie and I to prayerfully consider moving back to Iowa to be closer to Mom and help on the farm. So in the summer of 2021 after 8 years away, we made the trek back from Utah with our four kids and once again called rural Vinton home.
After four short months on the farm spending time with Mom, trying to get our home built and settling back into the humidity, Mom needed to undergo a serious surgery. We knew there were risks but Mom has been through so much it was hard to imagine anything but a full recovery. Things didn’t go well and she too went home to be with Jesus and again be with Dad.
Lots of change around the farm in a few short years. Serious changes that leave Angie and I asking “now what?” Please know that we are doing good, really good actually. God has been so gracious and we feel His peace in our lives. The “now what?” is the fact that we have been entrusted with a resource that has blessed so many people over the years, how do we take it and make it our own but maintain the same spirit of providing a service that is a blessing to those who use it.
With my background being livestock, specifically broiler chickens (I raised and sold many farm fresh birds over the years), we believe this is a place to start. Add to that some laying chickens, turkeys, and a few pigs all being raised outdoors on grass and you have the start of Sanders Family Farm. A much more generic name than ‘pumpkin farm’ because we really aren’t sure where all this will lead. But it's the change we need and believe it is the way we can use what we have to serve the community.
We wanted to share this exciting news and start here as you have been a part of the Sanders Pumpkin Farm community. We also want to invite you to follow our new page, get your name in for some farm fresh meat, and check back frequently to see what other changes are coming. Thanks to everyone who has supported our farm over the many years and we look forward to many more.
