The sun set Friday evening highlighted a new feature on our farm landscape. This weekend we are hosting our first wedding (that was not our own fun wedding in 2015). Holly and Racey have been busy preparing all week, mowing and landscaping. Aidan and Dave, the bride and groom (and dear friends) have also been here for the last week laying the groundwork for their wedding. 

In some ways it is a daunting task to prepare our farm for the arrival of so many people. Most wedding venues, even “farm venues” are not working farms. Our farm’s focus is producing the food that we sell and eat and doing so in a way that we believe contributes to the health of our land and the health of those who eat our food. That is to say, we’re not usually focused on all the details that make a wedding venue run smoothly. Where do lots of people park? Is there good road signage? When I put on my make-the-farm-pretty hat I can see why a working farm is actually at odds with a wedding venue. 

Pallets of supplies and equipment don’t always look beautiful. There is a physical to-do list lurking in the tall July grass: broken equipment waiting to be fixed, that apple crate of chick bedding we were going to send to Healey’s garden, a stack of empty pallets waiting for a home…what better excuse to do a little cleanup than hosting a wedding?

As the sun sank into the haze of afternoon humidity and smoke, Aidan and Dave set out a spread of food and drink, and Racey and I enjoyed a few hours of sitting, chatting with friends and enjoying the view from our farm. A welcome reminder of the beauty around us, when we choose to look up and see it.

Congratulations to Aidan and Dave, I am writing this note on Saturday morning to leave the afternoon free and enjoy the festivities.

July 4th and Independence

I’ve been reflecting this week on our history, and what history can teach us as we celebrate July 4th and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 

Unlike most private sector businesses, agriculture is ruled by the commodity market. This means that most farmers sell their farm products at the price the market has decided, not the price they decide. Most of our food staples are commodities, milk, eggs, beef, pork, chicken and of course the inputs we feed most of these animals like corn and soy. 

If you are a farmer who milks cows, you do not choose the price you sell your milk for. Your milk company, you signed a contract with, pays the market rate. Period. And if you go to the next company, they will pay the same. As costs go up, what recourse does the farmer have? Produce the product as cheaply as possible. I believe this is a primary reason why our food system is moving away from healthy land and healthy food.

Because we raise and sell our animals directly to you, our customers, we are able to choose to feed organic grain, raise our animals on pasture and set our prices accordingly. Thank you for supporting how we raise our animals. We look forward to building this interdependent relationship between the health of the land, the health of the animals we raise and the health of those of us who eat our food.

Fresh Chicken at Markets

We will be processing chickens every week this season, and we are excited to offer fresh chicken every week at the following farmers markets:

• Wednesday in Lake Placid, 9am – 1pm [Green Goddess Parking Lot]
• Thursday at CVPH in Plattsburg, 11am – 2pm [every other week]
• Saturday in Saranac Lake, 9am – 1pm [Riverside Park]
• Sunday in Keene Valley, 9:30am – 2pm [Marcy Field]

We have not figured out a good way to make fresh chicken available to our shipping customers, maybe someday!

House Chick Update

Somehow they seem to grow faster when we watch them every day. Lovett is learning the ways of a mama hen, when to clean water and feed them, what is squeezing too hard, and the lifelong lesson of responsibility. 

They also make great helpers when you’re trying to get some computer work done:)