Happy New Year to you all!

The start of a new year brings thoughts and excitement of what is to come. I’m no different.

Our household and farm are undergoing quite a change this year.

We have always tried to grow a great majority of what we eat. Sometimes it has worked and sometimes it hasn’t. As the new year starts, we are on a mission to refocus on that. I’ve never been the hippie type that walks around barefooted, talks to the trees and plants and eats some sort of broccoli smoothie for two out of the three meals a day. What I can do is comprehend the fact that anything you raise on your own land tastes better and lots of times it is better for you.

Deb says I have a tomato problem, and I would reluctantly agree. I love to raise tomatoes – all the different types and colors. I have a feeling I will not listen to Deb when she says we don’t need a hundred different tomatoes in our garden. God willing, we expect a large garden of goodness this year, raised as naturally as we can.

We will continue our meat chicken production this spring. We still have about 130 we need to process and get in somebody’s freezer this week. We have always tried to have egg layers, a small flock. Now, we have about 50 with plans to get bigger as demand grows for fresh, farm raised eggs. Eggs that have a dark yellow to orange yolk, not these runny almost yellow-yolked eggs we get at stores.

We have increased our pork enterprise despite the outlandish feed prices because again, it is healthier and we believe there is a demand for locally sourced, farm raised, quality pork. I mean really, who doesn’t like bacon and if you don’t, what is wrong with you?

There are other things related to the farm and off the farm that are coming as well. Maybe not to the scope that we will be able to share with the public for the most, but still new and exciting to us.

Between a new milk cow and honey bees to harvest honey and pollinate plants. Things are going to look different as soon as we can make it look different.

Why would we want to do that?

Both Deb and I are convicted that this is the right direction to go. Our bodies need to be cleansed as much as our souls do and there is no better way to cleanse our bodies and souls than to raise your own food and to give yourself to Jesus.

We are convicted to take this farm a different direction and honestly it helps with that decision when cattle and pig feed is over $400/ton and chicken feed is over $500/ton, to take off in another direction.

Farming and ranching is a journey just like following Jesus is. They aren’t the same but they are a journey. Nobody said either was going to be easy, but both will be filled with rewards that we just can’t imagine.

Things won’t happen overnight, but slowly and surely we plan a change. We still have some infrastructure that has to be put in place. Deb thinks that a YouTube channel is appropriate for what we are doing. We will have to see.

I write this to tell people of our plans and to get a little free advertising. We will continue to have chickens for sale and hopefully eggs in the very early spring. We will have pork for sale in the spring as well. We are praying that we will have fresh vegetables to sell all summer and fall as well. Yet most importantly, we have been able to put this part of our lives in God’s hand. That is what my prayers are daily for people – to be able to put it in God’s hands, no matter what it is. God will provide and we will be blessed, whether it is with the farm or with Redneck Handy-Works for us or whatever your path is. I struggle giving EVERYTHING to our Lord, yet I have given this one completely to him and you know what? I am at peace with it.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” That needs zero explanation does it?

Everyone have a blessed week and may God’s abundant blessings shower down on you in 2023.