Betting on Pasture, Not Profit

This pasture has been fertilized by thousands of chickens all spring and summer and now it’s primed and ready for 150 lambs to graze and enjoy.

Everyone says small farms need to get big or get out. We just chose option three: get sheep.

On Friday, Andrea and I signed our names on a $70,000 Farm Service Agency loan for 150 ewe lambs.

I'd be lying if I said my hands weren't shaking.

While Big Ag crams animals into concrete factories and calls it "efficiency," we're doubling down on what actually works – grass, sunshine, and soil biology. This expansion is happening on the farm we recently purchased next door, the one that needed some TLC (Tender Loving Chickens). Our feathered soil doctors have been scratching miracles into that land all spring and summer. The transformation? Jaw-dropping.

Working with nature to restore the land: our chickens grazed and fertilized this forgotten pasture all season, leaving behind nitrogen-rich nutrients that brought it back to life.

We've spent most evenings and weekends stringing web-wire fencing and installing water lines this summer. Sam and Eliza have been right there with us, helping build something real for the next generation.

Nearly two decades ago, we started with borrowed land and chickens because that's all we could afford. No safety net. No fallback plan.

Now we're taking on sheep because these regenerated pastures are exploding with grass. It's also our chance to create opportunities for Chuck and Claire, the young farmers from Michigan who started their farming journey last year.

Laying water lines for our sheep is long, hard work. It takes all hands on deck to ensure clean water at every pasture stop as the flock rotates to fresh grass each day.

In two weeks, those lambs arrive, and you'll get to follow along as they settle into their new home. I'll share photos of the pastures, the daily moves, the whole journey. Because when you know exactly where your food comes from, everything changes.

Every time you choose our meat, you're not just getting better food. You're helping families like Chuck and Claire build their future in farming. You're proving there's still room for the next generation of farmers.

Your farmer (with butterflies in his stomach and gratitude in his heart),
Cody