Courtesy of Kristin at Blue Horse Photography, (we love her, you should hire her to take beautiful photos of you living your everyday beautiful life!) here are some images from one of our early March days on the farm. Is has been a mixed up month: ice, wind, snow, sleet, mud, and some sun. Biblical in its extreme swings, we've been embracing it, taking advantage of these last days to hunker down before the spring rush of work. Last year, the cows were out on pasture for the first time on May 15. So..60 days! Plenty to do between now and then-here's hoping we're ready. But time and season will carry on regardless.
For the past two years, it feels like our life has been full of change-sometimes on a far too frequent basis. We moved from Two Loons Farm in South China, where we began our business and our family, to the new home of The Milkhouse in Monmouth. We basically added a farm to our continually growing processing business, complete with a herd of 30 milking cows and 50 other youngstock, more pigs than I can count off the top of my head, and this year we'll be adding a flock of laying hens. Into our days we fit two milkings, a complete cleaning of our barn, which is a bedded pack system that gets rototilled every day, 60 gallons of milk magicked into yogurt, or cream cheese, countless other gallons of raw milk bottled, feeding and watering, and ensuring the comfort of all creatures. In the summer, add to all of that hay and baleage making, prepping ground for the planting of annual crops, and 1-2 times per day pasture rotation. And any other projects that may come up. The days are full, and we are glad of it. We're so grateful to be here and see the systems fall into place, start to work more smoothly. We have an amazing team that makes it all happen. Our farm partners down the road-Gregg and Rhiannon of Grace Pond Farm-Gregg and Andy do all of the twice per day milking, barn cleaning, maintain the health of the herd, and all general herd management. Kristen is our creamery manager, and has implemented many systems in that realm that make our yogurt more consistent, last longer, and taste even more delicious! She's added eggnog and cream cheese- and look for new products from her coming this spring and summer! Dwain came on recently to help in the creamery and has immediately become instrumental and indispensable! Come May, Sara will join us to help with all things farm & field work. So, back to where I started-perhaps we are prepared, after all! Many thanks, as always, to our family, friends, neighbors, and all eaters of Milkhouse products-you all play an integral role in making things go round here. Wishing you all good fortune and much warmth & growth this upcoming growing season. Happy Shoulder Season! From all of here at the Milkhouse,
Caitlin
PS. I know I said this would be a photo update--and I got carried away, as usual. Here they are (again, taken by Kristin at Blue Horse Photography):
PS. We had a baby, too! Her name is Willa Mackenzie Framesmith, born December 18 2016. We're so happy she's here.