It has been sometime since I have updated my blog, in fact 35 months have gone by with out me documenting the activities on Furrycreek Farm. There have been many activities and milestones but not have been good or happy ones.
The new lower pastures have been completed and fully fenced in 2019. Clearing land is a big labor intensive activity but we have been thrilled with the outcome and the improvement it has made to the farm.
The new lower pastures have been completed and fully fenced in 2019. Clearing land is a big labor intensive activity but we have been thrilled with the outcome and the improvement it has made to the farm.
The sheep love the extra grazing space and the reduction in vegetation has had little impact on our privacy. An extra benefit has been the large volume of firewood that we have produced. The result is that we have been fully heating our home with wood and we estimate that we have a 5 year supply of wood.
In February Marva fell down a flight of stairs hitting her head on the cement sidewalk. This resulted in a life altering injury due to the severe concussion she experienced. She has been receiving treatment and therapy for the last two years.
In addition to this my mother, Eva Lorraine (Horton) Smith passed in March 2019,
While dealing with these life's blows, life on the farm continues and we had the joy of 8 lambing being born. Marva helped out a small lamb with supplemental bottle feedings is order to ensure it got off to a good start.
In addition to this my mother, Eva Lorraine (Horton) Smith passed in March 2019,
While dealing with these life's blows, life on the farm continues and we had the joy of 8 lambing being born. Marva helped out a small lamb with supplemental bottle feedings is order to ensure it got off to a good start.
I had been looking for a used 4X4 tractor for several years and in May I went to look at one which was for sale at a local dealer. I was not impressed with the price or condition and as a result I walked out with a brand new tractor. It is a very happy day when a farm gets a new tractor and before you say anything, yes I had Marva's blessings and approval. Several family members took this opportunity to comment that Marva really did hit her head hard when she fell.
A new lower field and a new tractor created the next project. I had to have a bridge to get across the creek on the East end of property. This was a fun job and it allowed me to add bridge builder to my resumé.
The last big project for 2019 was the tilling and seeding one of the old pastures. It is our intention to redo one of our six small pastures every year. So far it has greatly improved the grasses and reduced weeds in fields done to date. Machinery has made this a relatively painless, although time consuming job, with the exception of rock picking. Where do the rocks come from and keep coming from.
The rest of 2019 went on normally with good productivity in gardens and orchards. This resulted in our first sales in produce at local stores and at our neighbor's farm stand. Then winter came followed by the infamous 2020.