One thing I never dreamed of being was a farmer. My connection to farming was limited to visiting the county fair once a year and looking at the animals.

Growth is exciting but it can also be scary at times. It stretches us. This season is teaching us to be flexible and fluid. Joe and I have a daily and weekly check-in to talk about what has to be done or what we hope to accomplish. Many if not all days, the plan changes.

We recently woke up to a surprise shipment of 100 chicks! We were planning on these chicks, just a month and a half later. Let’s just say the timing was less than ideal!

Let’s talk about a sensitive subject for a second - grocery store prices. We’re all aware of the spike we’ve seen at the checkout lately. And nowhere is this more obvious than when you’re buying meat.

This spring we welcomed four new baby calves on to the farm. Along with our baby calves, we also have our first batch of baby chicks that arrived at the beginning of April. It’s certainly baby fever over at the farm right now.

Let’s face it, most people have never bought meat in bulk before. Maybe you bought the 10 lb. pack of burger at the grocery store, or if there was a sale, stocked up on multiple packages of breakfast sausage or chicken. But 30, 100, 200+ pounds of meat?!

I’m cringing slightly to even use the '“r” word when we’re so close to the end of 2021 and start of 2022. You know which one I’m talking about - resolutions…eek!

Now that we’re into the winter months, it’s a great time for warm, savory food. My all time favorite is pot roast. I’m sharing a recipe adapted from Joe and my mom.

When Joe and I started talking about doing pasture-raised chickens on the farm, it was a no-brainer. We had always raised meat chickens for our own family since pretty much the first year we got married.

When Joe brought up the idea of raising pigs on pasture, my initial response was more of a grimace. We had never raised pigs, especially not on pasture and I was hesitant to take on something new so soon.

It feels like I was just writing about our farm appreciation dinner from last year, but somehow, here we are again! Another summer coming to a close. Another deep breath before the fall harvest. Another farm appreciation dinner to say thank you to the folks who help make this dream a reality.

This time last year, our first three calves were born on the farm. Find out how they’re doing almost one year later!

This year is especially exciting on the farm as we’re adding to the circle of life on the farm. This spring we’re adding pigs and chickens into the pasture rotation. How do they fit into the circle?

Once there was a little bull calf named Mac…Just kidding, but not entirely. Because we’re happy to introduce the newest member of our herd - Mac, the bull.

shouldn’t be surprised that we’re doing everything at once - harvesting crops and harvesting beef at the same time. That seems to be how things go. Farming is juggling a lot of balls in the air at once.

And just like that, calving season has come and gone. Since the minute we brought the three pregnant cows onto the farm, we began waiting with anticipation and a little apprehension for the time they would have their calves.

The first cattle of Section 32 Farms quietly made their way onto the farm. We welcomed three pregnant cows as the first cattle we’ve ever had in this new system. They walked out of the trailer and onto our farm as peacefully as if they’d been there all along. And the first thing they did was start eating grass!

There are a lot of important aspects to the farm, but if you were to ask either Joe or I what the most important one is, we would both say quickly and absolutely - family. Family means everything to us, and it always has.

Well, it’s officially official - here’s Section 32 Farms. Our website. Our name. Our logo. To Joe and me, the farm has been official in our hearts and minds for a lot longer. But once you file paperwork for a business name, or cement wooden posts into the ground, or set price-lists for beef packages, or set a butcher date, it really becomes real. And exciting. I wouldn’t say nerve-wracking; we’re filled with anticipation of all that’s going to happen this year. We know it will be filled with learning curves. We’ve never done most of this! Including birthing calves, which I have a whole new appreciation for after giving birth to our first child this fall.