This weekend just gone we celebrated owning our farm for one year. We invited our friends down who had helped us in our first year, to help us celebrate. People have been so generous with their time and energy helping us to establish our dream. Some of the things they have helped us with have included:
- Preparing growing and planting over 300 Trees for Life trees
- Moving mulch and mulching native and orchard trees
- Helping us move fences
- Sharing equipment when we needed it
- Providing advice and guidance
- Providing meals and drinking water
- Giving us fruit trees
- Helping us to put up our sheds
- Helping us move, manage and care for our livestock
- Helping us pack the container
- Providing encouragement, moral support and, most importantly, friendship
Without the energy and enthusiasm of so many friends and family, we would not have come as far as we have in this year. For this I am very grateful. I may never be able to repay our friends and family for what they have helped us achieve this year, but I hope I can repay them with grass fed meat and fresh fruit in years to come. To share the produce of our labours with those who have shown faith in us in our early years will be reward enough.
We feel like we have achieved quite a lot in our first year. We have upgraded and extended the property’s road, built a farm shed and a garden shed, purchased our initial breeding stock, produced 8 lambs and 3 calves, learnt how to use portable electric fencing, harvested around 12 kgs of honey from our hives, started planting our orchard and are planning our house with plans on the drafting board.
Sometimes it’s been frustrating and difficult and the learning curve has felt like a vertical ride! But I wouldn’t change it for the world. When I step outside and see the beauty we have around us and I walk among the cows who nuzzle and lick at my hands I can’t think of wanting to be anywhere else.
Happy birthday Jagged Crow Farm!