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From Farm to Family.

The days go on, rapidly passing in this endless life loop. With full-time careers, kids overly scheduled for activities, rigorous Farmer’s Market tempo, and an endless to-do list, we found ourselves burning out as we operated at warp speed from the latter year’s holiday without reprieve. Where had the time gone? What had been accomplished? And, what did it mean if, in the end, there was no joy?

Summer times here, a time for laughter, adventure, and long nights in the backyard, spending quality time. Josh and I have realized we can’t have it all right now. For us, family is the focus. We only have a finite time to spend time and make memories. So, we have just decided to slow down. Take some of the livestock we raise out of cycle, scale back on Farmer’s Market attendance, and pursue more joy. 

Joy in Short.

In pursuit of joy, we find ourselves doing more projects at home together, building imperfect creations that spark joy. Whether it be a brooder, a tallow recipe, or a gardening hack, we’ve re-found pleasure in creation. The girls are really into creative writing, and it has been a treat as they develop various archetypes, often narrating their latest iteration with great artistic license and often using their baby brother as a stage prop, lol. On a more intentional note, we spend more time in the Word and fellowship with our family in Christ, joy words cannot define. The slowdown has created this microcosm of joy that has transformed us in unexpected yet better ways.

With that, we continue to care for rabbits, chickens, ducks, sheep, pigs, and the occasional cow; however, this is less about creating products and more about feeding our family and community enough supply to meet customers’ demands as needed. So, this is not “so long,” as we will continue to attend a few markets and are hopeful for other products we are testing at Smart Growth Farms. We are only reframing how we do business to maximize family time beyond the grind.

Psalm 16:11. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

 

 

The Beginning of The End of The Year.

I cannot recall December. We often went 100 MPH during a time that should have been slow and deliberate. Yet, with visits, gifts, and events, we just picked up with January and pressed. In November, I received a notification from my job that I would have to leave for 35 days to attend training in Alabama. It could not have been more poorly timed. January and February are big celebratory months for us, kids’ birthdays and my and Josh’s anniversary. This year, we planned to visit Disney World for Emerson’s 1st birthday; upon notification of my training, I was notably vexed as days prior, we’d secured a hotel for our Florida trip.

Naturally, Josh and I were fuming about this disruption. We thrive as a unit; I am unsure if there is more to say. We work well together; the girls are fantastic ranch hands and sisters to each other and their baby brother. So, the idea of not taking them on this trip was quite disheartening. But, as is the life of a dual-military family, the trip was delayed, and I was off to Alabama on 4 January…yay. As I write from training, I cannot quite explain how it feels as a first-time mom to be away from your child; I feel like I cannot breathe; God knows, I am not sleeping (hello insomnia).

As we navigate my absence, Emerson has only slept separately from me for two nights with my mom in our home. Plus, he moved daycare rooms, so I am filled with many fears. The girls [unfortunately] returned to public school (a convo for another day). It feels very unsettling not to have been there to walk them to their classes and meet their teachers. On top of that, my husband has military duty, the kids and their activities, the farm, and other community responsibilities. I feared that he would burn out, but he is holding strong. My hero.

Josh has unmatched discipline. I pity the fool who thinks they work harder than him. There is no pity party; he gets it done. He has the farm running like a well-oiled machine. I watched him build cross-fencing in December, pounding holes and wiring for hours. He has been at farmer’s markets most weekends and delivering meat to local customers (thank you to our supporters). The silver lining through this experience has been the support of our local friends watching Emerson and the girls, dropping them off to and from practices; we are largely successful because of our family by choice, our friends. I was relieved that Josh was running the housefront well. However, it did not stop me from jumping on the first plane back to Texas to spend time with my family and give him a much-needed break.

My Visit Home, Texas!

Of course, getting home was no small feat. My flight was delayed two hours, causing me to miss my connection. I got to San Antonio after midnight versus 8 p.m., woof. Josh was sick when I arrived. So, I was happy to be home to give him space to rest. That did not happen; he had a farmer’s market on Saturday, the girl’s basketball season started, and we celebrated our newest 9-year-old’s birthday. I woke up on Saturday, and he was gone. So, it was the kids and me. We went for Booba Tea, donated, and watched some early basketball games. Between waking up and getting to the basketball game, I got really sick. I could not hear or breathe, and I quickly went hoarse. Help! Despite this, I carried on.

The Return to Alabama.

I was sick the entire trip, my head fully congested with aching ears as each plane ride gained elevation. I don’t think I have had a worse head cold. I returned to my hot military lodging that only possessed a cold water option in the shower. I was so sick I did not care. I took a very cold shower and slept in a warm room with a box fan. I woke up on Tuesday and was returned to my room immediately, where I was asked to get a COVID test (boo!). Needless to say, I was in denial as I had not had COVID thus far. BAM! COVID +, how fun. Since the test results, I have been stuck in this musty hotel room. So, I am writing.

Joy in the Juggle.

You know, the Ritchey family is a resilient bunch. We put our heads down and work. We don’t require much to thrive, and we try to do the best we can with what we are handed, but dang. This new year’s start has come for our jugular. We could easily say, “why me/us,” but what do we gain from that? We consider every shift thus far a test of our obedience and discipline; we adapt. There is beauty in the mess and redemption in our challenges. I guess that is the upside of recognizing that it is a new year, same Jesus. We continue to accept His will and do the work required to sustain ourselves even amid disruption. We will keep our heads up and stay prayed up, knowing this is all temporary. So, I share this story to encourage you to find joy in the juggling of life; things don’t always work our way, or with the ease, we sometimes come to expect, but with obedience and discipline, any challenge can be endured and championed, stay encouraged!

We had a lot of internal debate this year as we dealt with blue hairs in the neighborhood upset that farm animals were allowed on our 12 acres, learning the hard way that we didn’t have enough land or the proper infrastructure for cattle, heavy predation on our ducks and chicks, and the list goes on.  We debated heavily over whether or not to sell our property and move further into the county or stay put.  Well, we decided to stay put.  We started this venture partly because I couldn’t find any organic chicken near me.  My wife couldn’t find any grass-fed beef near San Antonio, and feeding our kids quality meat is critical.  By moving out into the county, folks around us wouldn’t have the educational opportunity and we wouldn’t be able to add as much value to the community.  We’re also focused on showing people that you can be better than a certified Organic Farm in San Antonio.  South Texas is a harsh climate, but you don’t have to spray or pour on all the chemicals for good production, that’s how you get the concrete-like dirt we have on some of our pastures.  This isn’t to say we will never move, we will need more land at some point, but for now, we’re staying on our original farm.

Scaling on this little farm has been incredibly challenging without water.  While we get super cheap water from the city, a 3/4″ water line at the street just isn’t enough pressure to get the animals water on the far side of our property and not enough to run sprinklers to get the grass growing again after we rotate animals through the pasture.  In a mega-drought year like this one, water only becomes more necessary.  All that to say, we’re about to take on some serious debt to increase our sustainability and decrease our reliance on outside grain for our pigs.  We had a permaculture designer (Nick Ferguson) come in this summer and anticipate his design before Christmas.  Nick with HomeGrownLIberty.com may have made the entire trip worthwhile with his recommendation of White Mulberry trees.  There is some data to show that pigs can eat up to 92% of their diet from White Mulberry leaves.  That is significant as a pig easily consumes 800-900 lbs of grain on pasture.  To grow these trees in the hot desert-like environment of south Texas, we need water and a bunch of organic matter.

This is where the loan comes in.  We’re preparing to spend $25K on a well and another $12K on irrigation. I encourage folks to think about that next time they ask why it costs so much.  Each pig is about $1K in feed as it stands, not including processing, transport, market fees, the baby pig from the farrowing farmer, and all the government fees on top of it.  It’s no wonder we only have big factory farms at this juncture, taking care of animals AND the land is hard and expensive.  Who can afford it?

A lot of folks ask, “If you’re doing all that to improve the land, why not get the Organic label?”. Unfortunately, the Organic label doesn’t mean anything anymore.  The government gets in there, adds in a bunch of genius lobbyist ideas and now we have a watered-down version of commercial farming with a spiffy new label.  Beyond the destruction of the meaning behind Organic, you’re looking at a stack of paperwork taller than your average adult, well over a decade of work, and even more money.  We are confident our product is better than organic.  The feed we give our animals is better than organic, namely because all the organic feed you get in Texas has soy to meet the protein requirements.

• Peanuts and other legumes are extremely sensitive to herbicides resulting in far less spraying. This ensures a lot fewer chemicals in the feed and therefore your meat.

Our feed is a peanut and milo-based grain. We partner with Smith Pastures to drive to Waco once each month for a big feed run.  It’s expensive in fuel and takes an entire day, but Steve & Sandy are dedicated to supporting the local community, and for that, we’re forever grateful.  With any luck, our future White Mulberry fodder will reduce the need for feed by at least 25%.

In our drive to scale this year, we now have 12 pigs on pasture, those guys can EAT.  We’re going through ~150lbs each day and anticipate nearly $12K in feed cost before they go to the processor and bring in another hefty bill before market.  Thank god for our day jobs because this scaling thing sure ain’t easy.  We love farming and encourage others to start, but do so with your eyes wide open.  Farming isn’t super profitable, it’s unreasonably expensive, and a quality product takes a whole lot of explaining for the average consumer to understand.  Farming can be a whole lot cheaper, but when you’re striving to be better than Organic, especially in San Antonio. you’ve got a lot of work cut out for you.

The last couple of big updates before Thanksgiving, we tried Pick Your Own Turkey, probably not going to do that again.  The little house is almost done and freezer space is expensive and hard to come by. Turkeys are wonderful and quite fun to have around the farm, unfortunately, they eat a TON, nobody wants a giant 45 lb turkey, and we have yet to find a bag big enough to package a turkey over 20lbs.  Also, we learned the hard way, it is crucial to restrain the heck out of them at processing, or all that flapping as you catch them results in bruising which looks green.  I don’t expect a customer to be happy with a green spot on a turkey at $7/lb, so we ended up with a lot more turkey than we anticipated.  We love the quality meat, but it sure is hard on the profit margins.  For a first-time run, we should break even, which is a whole lot better than a loss.  Suffice it to say, we don’t plan on doing Turkeys next year, we’ll let that to Smith Pastures.  In a mad dash to find enough freezer space for our 4 Berkshires heading off to Freezer Camp around Thanksgiving, we ran across Lisa’s Appliances in Lytle, TX.  We are over the moon with their amazing customer service, selection, and prices.  I have been quite clear with Alan that I don’t think they charge enough on repairs, but they won’t hear anything of it. They helped us out with 2 single-door stand-up freezers and a jumbo double-door freezer.  The little processing house I have been remodeling for the past 6 months is near completion, just waiting on electricity and it’s packed with freezers. We have bets on the monthly electric cost, hopefully, we’re overestimating that. Either way, it will feel amazing to finally complete that and maybe get a weekend back to just sit and not have something that needs to be done.  Fat chance we take advantage of that and don’t work, but it sure would be nice to not have to work if we don’t want to.

Alright, you farmy people, it’s about time to sleep harder and faster so I can work on the feed/fence trailer and get a shed moved in the morning.  As always, if you’re in the San Antonio area, looking for farm fresh meat and better than organic, local meat, we are your go-to.  We’re happy to deliver, we just ask that if you’re outside the Devine area you make it worth the gas money, it’s not cheap these days.  Local food is crucial as HEB runs out and shortages become real, find a farmer near you and build that relationship so you’re not hungry when shelves go empty.