Winter on the Farm

“Each season on the farm is a story waiting to be told, a cycle of life, renewal, and the constant dance with nature."

Looking forward to our barn being complete!

There are always chores on the farm. And just like life, everything changes with the seasons.

Winter chores revolve around the animals and preparing for the spring.

Before the weather gets too cold we check all of our animal shelters and do a good cleaning of the chicken coop. We replace all the bedding, check for any holes in the structures, and make sure there are no electrical problems. It's important that the chickens have good ventilation and access to fresh, clean water. They are outside in fresh air daily, pecking for worms or whatever they can find. We provide extra grit and even milk for protein. They love it!

We are currently building a barn. Our cows and horse love the outdoors....even during the cold nights. They love running in the fields and seem to thrive in the cooler weather. But with no shelter to milk the cows, we are milking in the field. Thankfully, our "girls" are sweet and milking is not to difficult. But I'll admit, it gets mighty chilly when the wind blows and the rain falls. A barn will be a welcomed addition to the farm.

Victoria helps her dad check all animals hooves and monitor the flocks for any signs of sickness. Our best advise...let the animals be animals. Don't coop them up together where sickness can occur, but rather allow them to graze and be in the cooler weather.

I start clearing our garden beds and turning the soil. This will allow the freezing weather to hopefully kill all the pests. We work on our compost all winter as we are preparing for our spring garden.

Walter spends time making sure the fencing is stable. There nothing like waking up to the cows standing in your front yard! (this has happened more times than we care to admit)

One of my chores is to do some housework that simply won't get done once spring time comes.

 I do a deep winter cleaning of closets and de-junk. I am always amazed at the clutter we seem to collect. I clean and season my cast iron pans, make lots of bone broth for the freezer, and work on my bread making skills.

Want to learn to season your cast iron skillet? Check out my blog post!

I love the warm spring weather, but I always look forward to the winter months. It's a time to slow down, take a deep breath, and have some much needed family time. It's a time to reflect on the upcoming year. It's a time to ask God for much needed wisdom and direction for our family and our farm.

The bible tells us that "to everything there is a season..." Embrace your season. Relax in it, learn from it, grow from it, and trust that God is in it.