Farm Living

Summer Life

Summer Life

The months of July and August have been a whirlwind here on the farm.  We’d like to look back on the calendar and have the ability to recall what happened which day.  We haven’t been keeping a diary.  Life with animals is just like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’ll get or what might happen each day.

Bill finished the interior perimeter fencing last month.  Our house is now fenced in from the animals or the outside world (which can at times feel a bit animalistic).  Thankfully, unless a gate is left open the worry about goats destroying the garden and running amok across the yard is no longer a possibility. It also offers him a much smaller lawn to mow and the time saving from that is greatly appreciated.

The annual Bridgewater Lawn Party was a bit extra special this year for us after 20 years of attending the festivities.  This year we had the chance to participate in a way. We have had a large black walnut tree trunk and limbs drying in the barn for the last few years and had the opportunity this year to watch it being milled on the tractor powered saw mill at the Bridgewater Lawn Party. The largest steam engine at the event was employed to power the mill, as the trunk of this hardwood tree was about two feet in diameter. The cutting of this tree drew a larger crowd than usual.  The steam engine tractor had an awesome amount of power.  It belched thick black smoke at times when under significant load, but it always kept the four foot diameter circular blade of the mill at a constant speed as the massive 1000 pound log was pushed through it.  Photos of the event are posted at:

Our UK gilt is expecting her first litter of UK purebred piglets in September. We made a very tough decision to sell Wilbur, our ever so loving and gentle first boar.  On the spur of the moment we included Uno, one of our best sows, pregnant from our UK boar, Casper.  Wilbur and Uno are now in Georgia, under the care of a young farming family that will love them as much as we did.  It’s been both exciting and tough to see them go.  Exciting to see and help this young couples dreams come true as well as to help diversify the GOS genetics with the US/UK mix of blood lines.  It was tough to let go of a wonderful breeding pair and the barn seems a bit empty, now less about 1500 pounds of pork, and with the snores and snorts gone.

Our Muscovy we call Blackie has finally had her clutch of ducklings hatch, it’s always a delight to see new life. Our garden remains a bit confused with all the rain we have had and we wonder if we will see the sun any time soon.  Thankful for the rain and cool weather but the animals sure do not appreciate the mud.  Who would have thought that with all the rain we needed to feed hay to the goats in August, as they don’t like getting their feet wet.

The county fairs have come and gone, the kids have returned to school and fall is just around the corner.  We are looking forward to attending the 21stAnnual Harrisonburg International Festival on September 29th. There’s winter to prepare for as we enjoy the changing of the leaves while awaiting more new life here on the farm.

Farming Dreams Come True

Ready for our goat walk!

Welcome to Fawn Crossing Farms blog.

 

Join us on the journey of daily farm life with the surprises, joys, discoveries, challenges, frustrations, trials, tribulations, heart breaks and victories.  Reconnect with life.  There will be days when you are looking in through the window into the farming world and what we do here at Fawn Crossing Farms.  Some days it might be a peek through the door of a neighboring farm and/or farmer and their practices.  Some we might be admirers of and some may be partnering farms.

 

Learn more about the animals personalities, their intelligence and antics.  Learn about how Bill operates cost effectively and has built a net carbon neutral home and operation.  Learn about his gardening practices, woodworking, beekeeping, and his joy of life. Learn about the food we raise, our products and the healthy foods that make it to the table with love and appreciation for it.  Learn about what we offer to you and yours.  The benefits of eating cleaner healthier for you foods and discover why what we do, makes a difference.

One happy pig.

We are farmers raising livestock with old-school/traceable genetics on pasture.  Although we can’t compete with big Ag economies of scale,  heritage meats are served in the finest restaurants around the globe where commercial pork can’t compare.  Our animals take longer to grow and are provided personal care.  Heritage genetic animals are famous for their quality attributes, unique rich taste and ours are raised with no antibiotics (unless medically necessary), using traditional farming methods.  Being a small farm, our products may be limited, when we sell out of a product we have partner farmers that likely have it in stock and raise their animals in the same manner as we do, some sharing the same genetic lines and belief systems. We’ll help you find what you are in search of.

 

Dream with us and walk down this road….to a healthier you, to a healthier life.