The “Why” Behind Full Soul Farm…
For one of our very first blogs I thought it would be reasonable to talk a bit about our “why”. I don’t know if the rest of the world thinks about why they make certain choices in their day to day activities but I do. I knew in order for us to be successful on our small family farm we would need to understand our “why.”
Why would we choose this life and base most of our other life decisions off this small farm we have? Why would we make our lives harder for ourselves and work our butts off all the time, to raise animals and grow gardens. In the end to “merely” have something most people would say could easily be purchased at any local grocery store (that “merely” is sarcasm…). Why would we spend so much more money on raising our own food when we can just buy it for less in the store (yes you read that correctly…..we would save a lot of money if we just bought food at the grocery store….)? Why would we spend so much time raising, growing, preparing, and cooking our own food? Why do we live a life that most people simply just don’t understand?
The why behind decisions like that needs to be pretty strong, it needs to come from a place of absolute determination and passion. A complete understanding of “why” this is the life we want to live will get us through the many days, maybe even weeks, or months (hopefully not years…..) that we think “why the heck are we doing all of this?” I knew we needed to have a very fleshed out “why.”
Our “whys” can be separated out into four main categories and they are: Nutrition, Environment, Connections to what Nourishes Us, and We Want this Lifestyle for Our Family. I did several instagram posts several years ago about this and most of that information is worth repeating with a few updates because with time we should all change and grow.
#1 Nutrition
I have known for a very long time that raising our own food was something I wanted to do. It started out for environmental reasons and desiring a connection to the foods that nourish us. I even did not eat meat for 4 years because I thought it was better for the environment. Unfortunately it was so much worse for my health. In the last 10 years nutrition has been one of the leading reasons for us wanting to live this life. Because of my own health journey I have been on a mission to grow and be able to consume the most nutrient dense foods that we can and to give our children the opportunity to grow up knowing what it feels like to be healthy. The way we choose to farm often has nutrition as it’s leading reason. Each animal and breed of that animal was chosen for what it can provide our family nutritionally. The way we garden was chosen for our fruits and vegetables to be the most nutritious and we prepare our meals with the same thought process. Our kitchen products that we use like cast iron, wood, glass instead plastic etc. and the processes that we use when preparing our food like fermenting vegetables, sourdough, slow cooking our meats with bone on, and using plenty of animal fats are a part of these goals. Every year we improve and are eating more nutritious food than the year before. As with everything in life there’s room for improvement and I find joy in knowing that this year is better than the last and we can keep learning and getting better.
#2 Environment
I have an interesting perspective on farming and the environment that stems from my background in biology, hydrogeology and specifically wetlands. It took many years for me to actually see how nature and farming could be a harmonious relationship. I am continuing to learn about all the benefits raising animals can have for nature. Thinking about the environment and wanting to improve our land plays a big role in how we manage things now. It is amazing how quickly animals can have a positive OR a negative effect on a piece of land. One way we use animals to improve our land is by our animals playing their appropriate roles in the nutrient cycles. We will only have the number of animals our property can appropriately cycle nutrient wise. We rotate the animals to a new paddock weekly for many reasons but giving the land time to use the nutrients provided by the animals and then resting and regenerating is a big one.
We have a long way to go to truly fit the environmentally friendly farm I dream of but we are definitely moving in the right direction. An example of where we need to improve is the amount of grain we rely on to feed all of our animals. Growing grain takes its toll on the environment and as time goes on is getting so much more expensive. We will continue to move more towards animals that efficiently grow and thrive on as little grain input as possible because we think that is the best for our context and our personal goals.
#3 Connection to what nourishes us
Taking an animals life does not come easily for me. But I feel very strongly that if our family is going to eat animals or products that come from animals, I need this connection. I need to know that while they were alive they lived the best life possible and had the most humane death as well. Many people say don’t name an animal you are going to harvest because it will make the task that much more difficult. However we don’t shy away from naming our animals. They are here with us for their days on earth and they deserve a name. We don’t name each and every one (it would be impossible to do that for 100s of chickens you can not tell apart!!) but the ones that make their mark, get names. We have the utmost respect for our animals that are giving their lives for us.
I often cry when I think about the gifts that our animals are giving us and how much I appreciate them for that gift. I used to get extremely nervous and shaky when I even thought about harvesting an animal. As time has passed this task no longer makes me completely panic. To be 100% transparent my husband does 99% of the actual killing but I can be there with him calm and ready to participate in the rest of the process. In the end we have these beautiful birds, sheep, or pigs to feed us and most of all nourish our family with meat, organs, fat, and bone broth. I know our animals lived an amazing life here at our farm. Many are born here, they were fed organic feed from day one, they were moved weekly to new ground with new forage and bugs to dig through and eat, they had fresh water to drink, swim or lay in daily, they got to run around in the fresh air and sunshine everyday of their lives, and their death was the most humane and calm death any animal can ask for. Growing and raising our own food is most certainly not the easiest task and we continue to have hurdles and out right failures often. But I know this makes me feel whole and fills me with peace and is something I hope we can continue.
#4 We want this lifestyle for our family
There are so many valuable lessons and concepts to learn from living this life and everyday I feel blessed that our boys get to grow up like this. Raising and growing our own food will strengthen their character and give them a unique perspective on what really matters in their lives. I know this because it does for me everyday. Everyday we fail at something but everyday we keep trying and learning to get better. We want them to understand life is not about how easy things come to you but how quickly you get back up and how hard you work to reach your goals. I am very open with my children about my daily failures whether it is my lack of patience, a mistake I made, or something that goes wrong (bc that is farming!!) Whatever happens, I want them to know I always keep trying, learning, and improving.
Even more, we want them to grow up understanding what it means to eat real food. To know where your meat comes from and the story behind a meal is an amazing feeling. To see what it takes to get a tomato from a seed to our plate is enlightening and gives you a deeper appreciation and respect for food. I want them to feel like it is amazing and normal all at the same time. We want them outside in nature as much as possible with the their hands in the dirt and bare feet in the mud. Planting, playing and pursuing a connection to this earth that you simply can’t find inside.
Along with all the lessons one can glean from farming there is such a beauty that comes along with living this life. I am a fairly consistent seeker of the beauty before us. I am very driven by the naturally beautiful aesthetic this life can provide and often (probably a little too often…..) take time to appreciate that. My husband and I do our farm chores together a lot and often he is commenting on the number of things I observe and then stop to think and talk about. He is a worker and a lot of our farm simply would not function if he was not here to keep the things moving along but seeing the beauty in this life gets us through the tough times. This is probably the number one reason I choose to grow so many cut flowers. They are absolutely gorgeous and I adore getting to go out to our garden and cut a bouquet to arrange on our kitchen table.
That pretty much sums up why we choose this life and the reasonings behind a lot of our decision