Keeping the plates spinning.

Let’s all catch up. I’ll be on and off-topic but it’ll be fun. It’s been several weeks and the farm is full steam ahead. It’s a small business, so you can bet this article is more “Fire and Brimstone” than feel good. Let’s highlight the positive before we go dark. We’re operational. We have USDA Inspected, non-GMO, Five Sons Farm Pastured Poultry in the freezer, and a list of repeat customers. Thank you! At the market, everyone brags on the chicken. Moms with “picky eaters” come up and say how much their kiddos love our birds. It’s such a great feeling. Customers are so supportive (btw, shirts coming soon). Our third batch is in the field right now, healthy and growing. Then there are our layer hens. We think our Cinnamon Queens will be laying in four weeks or less. They’re on an 18% non-GMO feed and look great!

That was all upbeat right? Let’s bring it down a notch. Our forest raised pork operation is painfully behind schedule. I’m still dropping trees and dragging brush for the fence installation. I missed the mark big time on the pork operation. It was also one of the main things that I wanted to be fully operational early in 2020. We disappointed several initial customers. I make no excuses. It’s going to happen. No matter how much you dig in, no matter how much of yourself you throw at something, there will be setbacks. But here on Five Sons Farm, we fail forward. The good news is I’ve made several more great contacts who farrow pigs locally. And we can raise pork year-round here, so we will still be starting ASAP.

Have you ever tried to start a non-GMO, pasture-based meat business (farm) in the middle of a pandemic? Try buying large chest freezers in the middle of that too. We eventually checked that box though. Thank God! Now, in the middle of a paragraph, I’ll take the liberty to squirrel off the path a moment and talk about relationships. It does come full circle, I promise. This farm is all about relationships. The ones with our hatchery, feed mill, butcher, and (of course) our tribe. We had a big box of dead chicks arrive once. It happened during shipping. The hatchery immediately sent out replacements. Two weeks ago there was a problem with our feed. Immediately corrected by the mill. Then our butcher mislabeled some product. The butcher actually saw the issue and had the product relabeled before I left. The point? We’re all human. Mistakes will be made and problems will arise. Things did and do work out though because we value each other. Just as you show you value to us by being here, and reading my farm blog. It’s a small, overlooked thing that we could all do more of.

Even the new flower beds have struggled. It’s simply season 1. We spun up a few plates. Some fell and broke. The trick is knowing it will happen and planning accordingly. Additional side-bar coming now. Have I told you that owning a tractor is a lifesaver? If you’re out there and reading this, buy one. You’ll love it. If I ever run for public office and get elected, you’re all getting one! It will save you so much time and energy. You can maintain your property better, help less fortunate neighbors, leap tall buildings, and run faster than a speeding locomotive. I know of other similar farms that run without one. Don’t do it. Liquidate some precious assets (maybe a kidney) and take the plunge. You’re welcome for that bit. I digress.

So, let’s wrap it up together. When life punches you in the face, punch back! Take the hits and stay in the fight. Know in your heart that good things come to those who can endure “The Suck” and in the words of George Strait, “Life’s tough, and then you die.” Also, one of my goals for this winter was to use the business to help out someone less fortunate. Here I sit, typing in the A/C on a MacBook Pro, talking to my oldest sons while the little three are still quietly napping. Everyone’s healthy and whole. We’re blessed. If you have a suggestion, reach out through the “contact us” tab on the website with your idea.

Thank you for taking this ride with us,

Nick