Much of the first half of the year was spent preparing for time overseas. This was a whirlwind of a time making lists, sending emails, planning breeding and harvest times, and creating video tutorials. All of it was worth it in the end, creating better efficiency in our farm chores and allowing us some time away.
In June we had an amazing opportunity to travel to Kenya. We spent just over two weeks working with the Rafiki Foundation, which runs a K-12 school, orphanage, and teacher’s college. Adam had a blast working with the grounds/maintenance/farm crew. He helped them re imagine their poultry production farm and set up a composting system. Lisa spent the majority of her time in the classroom, teaching both students and teachers. Our daughter immersed herself in African culture, spent time in classes, and enjoyed getting to know a lovely group of young African men and women. Someday we are certain that Nora will write a thrilling tale about vehicular travel in Nairobi, for now we’ll just say that every car ride was a hair-raising adventure. This was our third trip to Africa, but we are quite certain it will not be our last.
Because we had downsized in order to do this trip, we found our summer and autumn to be much more laid back than it has been in the past. We had a smaller than normal group of turkeys for Thanksgiving and stuck to raising just the chickens that we would need for the upcoming year. This extra time meant that we were able to focus on things that had been neglected in previous years, like putting a new roof on the house.
One of the highlights for me this past year was finally purchasing my own pottery wheel and kiln (a dream many years in the making). Though I don’t have a ton of time during the school year, I have found it very satisfying to be able to work with clay in my own house when I do have a free moment. I’m really excited to share the joy of clay with others this summer.
We have thought about selling at farmer’s markets on and off for several years now, but have never fully made the leap. We had the opportunity to have a booth at a market in December, which allowed us to sell meat as well as some homemade goods. We enjoyed chatting with old and new customers, and building relationships and sharing stories with other vendors in our community.
While these highlights help us to look to the future with hope, it is not all that marks the past year. We have yet to experience a year without loss of some kind, and this seems to be the norm for farmers everywhere. Farming is difficult, and we are learning to accept that the sorrow will come alongside the joys. We had to say unexpected goodbyes to some beloved animal friends this year and these losses stick with us. We grieve, and then also do our best to learn and move forward.
We expect that 2025 will not be a huge year for growth on the farm. Though we do anticipate some changes in our lives, our daughter will head off to college and Lisa will cut down to part time work, we have yet to decide how big or small a role the farm will play in our future.
Finally, we want to acknowledge all who have supported us in the past year. Some made huge sacrifices to help us be able to travel, others supported us through the purchase of meat or other products. It is a blessing to know that we have people encouraging us and it is really the main reason we continue to have this farm. Thank you for another great year!
Be Still Farm LLC 