Happy New Year friends! Some of you may recall that we chose Perseverance to be our word for 2022 and I definitely think we lived that out. We set clear goals for our farm and not only did we meet all our goals, except adding pigs, we accomplished so much more!
Our year started with an immediate need to adjust our farm plans. After losing our calf, we needed to find a companion for Madeline. January was occupied with research, emails, and phone calls trying to find the best fit for our farm. Thankfully we found our sweet girl Trexy.
In the midst of our search for Trexy, the exterior of our barn was being assembled. With a few weather related delays we finally had a barn. But only the exterior. Jordan and I worked every spare evening building the barn stalls, shoveling the rock for the flooring, and much more. It took us almost 3 months to get all the walls, stalls, and flooring done.
In between all the barn projects, we thought it would be the perfect time to add some more chickens to the farm. I mean who can say no to those sweet chirping chicks. We set a goal to grow our flock by 12 so according to chicken math it only made sense to get 14.
The next project was fencing, and y'all we had more weather delays than I can count. Although it moved our timeline back a little bit, we are thankful that we have a good sturdy fence to protect our animals. Which of course brings us to one of the biggest accomplishments of 2022, bringing home our cows!
The day we welcomed our cows home will always be one of my favorite days. It marked a huge accomplishment for us. Our farm felt real for the first time and our lives have most certainly changed in ways I would never have imagined.
We took the next few months to really learn and understand our cows. We watched their behavior, their habits, and most importantly earned their trust. Oh and we also hatched 7 more chicks on the farm.
Summer brought some unique challenges to the farm. We dealt with record high temperatures and a drought. We were definitely worried and watchful but thankfully we had no heat related issues. Although it wasn't the most optimal time, we chose to initiate the AI protocol in July. Madeline was successfully bred but as y'all know, Trexy was not. Oh and we had a fun times keeping snakes out of the nesting boxes...
As we moved into Fall we started discussing plans for growth. We thought pigs would be our next animal but God had other plans. Mid-November we welcomed the sweetest herd of 5 Oberhasli goats to our farm. We learned a lot that first week and even had an emergency vet call, but y'all the goats have been so much fun!
We were abruptly brought into winter with record low temps, a bone chilling cold that I hope we don't see for many more years. And thankfully we had only one chicken incident during that crazy cold week and she, so far, is looking like she will make a full recovery.
Nearing the end of the year we had one final farm purchase to make. We bought our first steer! Owen is joining our farm for two purposes, companion for Madeline while Trexy is away and food for our family. He will only be with us for about 10 months, but we will give him the best and most loving home until the day he leaves.
Y'all I could spend days trying to explain everything that happened this year. From learning to process our roosters to baking all things sourdough. 2022 was jammed packed and full of growth. 2023 is going to be just as full and a very busy year. I pray that as we look ahead into all the unknown of this coming year, that we first look to Christ. Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Now let's be brave!!
Happy New Year Friends!!
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