08/28/2026
Hello there and welcome to Will o the Winds Farm. It’s been a long while since we’ve posted so here’s a bit of a recap of what’s happening now on the farm. For livestock, we are caring for 80 laying hens, 100 2-week old meat chicks, 6 grown pigs, and 6 little pigs that we welcomed to the farm around 2 weeks ago. All raised on pasture, all fed solely certified organic grains. With the six little pigs, they will be our first batch of meat pigs that we will be raising over winter - we’ve only ever raised the sows over winter, so it will be a new experience for us. They are super cute but are still pretty nervous around us. If you come by the farm store, they are in the paddock right by the barn and you might have a sighting of them.
Last month, we harvested 2,000+ bulbs of garlic and they are now all dry and ready for purchase. We have small bundles available in the farm store and at the Washburn Farmers’ Market, but let us know if you want any bulk amounts. I anticipate doing much more cleaning and making of garlic braids as the kiddos head back to school next week. We also are growing a bunch of squashes and will begin harvesting those in the coming weeks.
Otherwise, we’ve been trying to absorb as much summer as we can. We took a family trip canoeing the Namekagon River last weekend where we got to see so much wildlife (including a black bear!) and the kiddos fall soccer season is hitting full stride (where Tyler also coaches). The garden is bursting with goodies that need harvesting and preserving and the sun seems to be setting before I’m ready for it these days. I usually go out and water the garden at 8:30 p.m. and last night I had to wear a headlamp in order to get the work done.
So cheers to the end of August and big wishes for any rain. The drought is hitting our area so hard. Our farmer friend, Brian, has been so dry that even his 100’+ deep well is drying up and only allowing him to water his vegetables for 2-3 hours a day. Then the well needs 24 hours to recharge. Oofta.
