Thankfully no more breakdowns getting hay up last Friday. I got along good raking and baling the hay that was down. Carter helped me move cows and chickens while Amy and the rest were at the Abingdon Farmers Market on Saturday. We try to do little farm work on Sundays aside from chores, but Sunday evening…

Busy time of year. On Monday after moving cows and chickens, we filled this month’s beef herd shares. Then to the hay field to start mowing this year’s first cutting til after 9:00. We also had our first on-farm chicken harvest of the year this week, so Tuesday…

Another cookout in the books. Probably the biggest turnout yet. Somewhat stressful and overwhelming but so much fun! I feel like it took a week to set up and prepare for it and then another week to clean up and recover from it, but boy, was it worth it! Kids running around all over the place playing games. I don’t know the Guinness World record for longest wiffle ball game…

A big week of herd share deliveries. Early Saturday I loaded Amy’s coolers for the Abingdon Farmers Market. Then Carter, Wren, and Leon moved chickens and made the farming rounds with me until time for us to take herd shares to Marion. Amy and Hasten moved chickens with me Sunday morning before church…

A much more productive and enjoyable week after last week’s stomach bug. I got caught up on mowing the cabin yards and around the barn while Amy was at the Abingdon Farmers Market on Saturday. She cleaned one of the cabins after the market. Then we brought 75 cows into the barn for sorting…

Another load of firewood over the weekend. On Monday we moved our first batch of over 300 chicks out to the field, filling up 5 shelters. The daily chicken moving begins. It took a bit to set the shelters up beforehand: putting shelters in place, untangling hoses, getting out lids, feeders, and waterers. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon getting ready for Rich Valley and Saltville kindergarteners visiting the farm…

What a fun weekend! For the past few years, three of Amy’s close college friends have been bringing their families to the valley for a weekend in the spring. Currently at 15 kids between the four families. 23 heads sleeping under one roof. And honestly, it wasn’t near as chaotic as you might imagine. 4-wheeler rides, checking out the farm animals, playing in the creek, backyard games, porch sitting…

A busy Saturday filled with herd share deliveries, the Abingdon Farmers Market, and bush hogging. Our day of rest didn’t slow as much as we’d like. Ms. Desiree helped get cows in and pigs sorted and loaded for Monday’s ride to the processor. I got up at 2:00 Monday morning and was loaded and on the road by 3:00 bound for NC with 8 cows and 8 hogs…

A warm week for this time of year. We could use a few more April showers. Another batch of newly hatched chicks in the brooder. According to Hallie, we’re up 16 spring calves on the ground. Amy took all 5 kids with her the Abingdon Farmers Market on Saturday. Sunday afternoon …

Baby Leon made the farming rounds with me Saturday morning while Amy was at the Abingdon Farmers Market. She’ll be there again tomorrow 8-noon. Friends from NC came up the the valley for a fun Easter weekend. I haven’t fed a roll of hay since last Friday. With an inch of rain over the weekend, grass is coming on strong. The kids are helping me keep…

Our first baby calf of the year came this week. Hopefully many more to follow in the weeks ahead. The first batch of baby chicks comes next week. No, we’re still not ready for them. Welcoming new life on the farm is always exciting…

Jumping into spring mode. This is my favorite time of year. And the most overwhelming time of year. Too many things on the list. I think I need about 12 months of just spring. People ask how I’m sleeping with the new baby. I think the baby might be sleeping better than I am. Ha. Can’t seem to get my mind turned off at night…

Amy here this morning. Can I just tell you how sweet our new baby is? He sleeps a lot. He lets his siblings hold him all the time. I’m trying to slow down soak up all the baby snuggles while I can. I’ll be honest, I don’t know what all happened on the farm this week. I know we bought some heifers from a neighbor over the weekend. Will is single handedly doing all the farm chores…

Green. I love this time of year. The dormant ground coming back to life. Grass is growing but still not fast enough to stop feeding hay. Almost 150 of the 200 recently purchased hay rolls have been fed. Thankfully, I’ll be feeding less and less from here on out as grass comes on. The beautiful days early in the week probably should’ve resulted in this farmer being more productive than I was…

Leon Tate Campbell made his entrance into the world just before midnight on Monday March 2nd. He and Amy are both doing well. Tuesday morning was a special time as the kids all made their way down stairs to meet their new little brother. We are thankful. And blessed beyond what we deserve…

Saturday was a long day. A good day, but long. After loading all coolers for the Abingdon Farmers Market and Marion delivery, I followed Amy and the kids down to the market to help unload coolers and get set up. Then to Marion to deliver shares and orders while Hallie and Hasten helped Amy at the market. The little girls and I made it back to to Abingdon to help with the last hour or so

A rainy winter week. An abundance of mud but a shortage on hay. We still have a couple weeks worth but will likely need to purchase a couple hundred rolls before spring.  After some extra feeding, I was able to make the trip to deliver meat to families in Knoxville on Monday with Amy and the kids. It was good to see smiling Tennessee faces…

Amy here this week. Spring has sprung. At least that’s what we’re telling ourselves. It’s hard to believe that Friday began with 3 more inches of snow. Wren helped Will make sure all the cows had plenty of hay to get through these cold, windy days. On Sunday afternoon, we loaded up 15 of the biggest pigs to head to the processor on Monday…

Last Saturday was our biggest meat delivery day of the month with herd share drops to both Abingdon and Marion. Thanks again to all who made an extra trip out in the cold to do your local grocery shopping. I miscalculated our transit van’s hauling capacity. We filled coolers on Friday, but when I went to load Amy’s coolers in the transit Saturday morning for Abingdon, they wouldn’t all fit…

A rainy weekend. An inch and a half of steady showers softened up the fields for a few days until freezing temperatures firmed the ground back up again. It didn’t get much above 20 yesterday. The cold is one thing, but the wind is what makes it rough. We’re thankful for our old drafty farmhouse, but when that cold wind gets to whipping…