Embracing the Fall Hustle

Autumn on the farm here in Arkansas—where leaves turn golden, air turns crisp, and farmers turn into frantic squirrels on espresso. As Mother Nature paints her masterpiece, I'm out here channeling my inner squirrel, scurrying to squeeze in all those farm tasks before Jack Frost crashes our party.

I'm always surprised by how abrupt the change is. One minute I'm thinking, "Will this scorching summer ever end?" and the next it's, "Holy cow, we've only got a few weeks before the first frost!"

So here we are, frantically planting the winter garden, stocking up on firewood, and trying to squeeze in projects like building that sauna we've been dreaming about all summer. Oh, and let's not forget the endless list of farm tasks: winterizing waterlines, stockpiling winter forage for the cattle, making sure there's plenty of hay in the barn, and about a million other things that suddenly seem urgent. 

The last couple of pastured-chicken batches arrive, and we always debate, "Should we try to squeeze in one more batch?" The wind-down is welcome, but to help pay the bills over the winter, we need to get the most out of our fall harvest.

Fall always seems too short!  

Over the years, I've gotten better at pausing to soak in the sheer beauty of it all. Every season has its own personality on the farm, and few things remind Andrea and me why we fell in love with this lifestyle more than the changing seasons.

There's something magical about syncing up with nature's rhythms, enjoying the seasonal flavors and watching the world prepare for its winter slumber. Fall is truly the most beautiful time of year, even if it does feel like I'm pulling an all-nighter to get it all done!

So here's to embracing the fall hustle, appreciating the changing seasons, and maybe, just maybe, getting that sauna built before the snow flies.

Your farmer, Cody