After the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, winter affords us a window of time to slow down and reflect on how the previous year went, focusing on both triumphs and things we can do better. We also take this time to set new goals for the coming year, always asking ourselves how we can “work smarter, not harder.”
2021 found us still in the middle of a global pandemic. We slowly felt our way back to in person craft shows and it felt so great to be able to connect with our customers again. We adapted to the pandemic-related changes and restrictions in place and the different shows and had a great time. It was an extremely successful year and are grateful for all of you and your continued support for our small farm-based business!
On the farm, we completed the fencing for a new pasture, which tripled our grazing space. We also started a gardening experiment and even got a little bit of fresh produce to enjoy! We faced challenges as well. Struggling with several disease issues in our goat herd along with drought, made it difficult to keep the herd fed and healthy. We learned that we wouldn’t be able to get goats scheduled for processing (yes, we eat goat meat – it tastes great and you can’t keep all of them!) until February of this year. This required us to get more hay and plan for winter feeding. We are experimenting with feeding large round hay bales this year and have found it works quite well as long as we can keep them from standing on the bales.
What are our new goals for 2022? We are always thinking ahead about our farming and business goals. Some of them include:
- Transitioning our goat herd genetics toward meat production, while still maintaining some dairy genetics for milk production. You can milk meat goats too!
- Continuing our gardening experiment – We have several raised garden beds made and will place them this spring in our garden space so we can continue learning the ins-and-outs of gardening. We also want to get some fruit trees established!
- Establishing wholesale relationships with area businesses so you can continue to shop locally when there aren’t any craft shows going on to get the products you love!
- Developing some new bath and body products. Some ideas in the works include whipped body butter for that really dry winter skin and salt or sugar scrubs.
As winter begins to draw to a close, we are looking forward to warmer days and more sunshine to enjoy. We’ll be welcoming new kids in April (be sure to watch Instagram for updates!) and the cycle begins again. What goals do you have for 2022?
This collection of soothing soaps will remind you of long, calming walks on the beach.
She’s a bit shy and quiet compared to her sister, Olga. While she may be more reserved, she still loves her scratches and snacks!
Pumpkin in BBQ? YES!