Chicama Run Family Farm

It's hard to believe we are celebrating our 10th year on the farm. Since I haven't aged, I'm not absolutely sure HOW that has happened.

Over the years we have learned, gained, lost, cried, and of course wanted to quit and at the same time can't wait to start the new year. We walked onto this property without EVER imagining being considered farmers. We just loved the property and the house needed a TON of work - heck after 10 years I think we are just starting to pay attention to the house.

Joe has retired from his full time government job as an Air Traffic Controller. Didn't see that did you all? So many people thought his only job was this one on the farm but nope, he had another full time job on top of this one! So now, all those things that were left alone until "next year" are getting done.

I still have damage from Lyme - but it's just taken day by and I live with that.

Can you believe 3 of our children are in college? That's right - Jake started this past January! Yeah - the little 8 year old you all saw at the first farmer's market we did 9 years ago is driving and in college. Again - how this stuff happens without me aging is amazing!! Alexis is now 15.... yep.... she was on the cover of the Loudoun County Spring Farm Tour when she was 6 - I mean how do you top THAT in life!? She was also in the newspaper with a bike helmet in the chicken coop!! Oh the ways I can embarrass my children for the rest of their lives is amazing.

So we start off this spring ready to kick it into gear. We have baby chicks already in the pens so we can start butchering in May, we added in making pork rinds (date night for Joe & I), we have a new dog (Nala) who is my first small dog and that requires spoiling her and getting all this goofy stuff (no one warned me!) and we move forward!!

As a total side note - with Joe's retirement - he noticed I hadn't updated the blog in a while, so I will be working on that now that I have a cool app that will help me do that outside in the sunshine! I don't want to be talked to about not doing my job ;)

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It's been awhile.  As a quick update - our goat is fine and back trying to "woo" the ladies...

So this past weekend was our family farm's 16th county farm tour.   In the last 8 years we have learned and expanded and passed out at the end of the weekend.

What goes into having a "farm tour"?  First off, we are open every weekend - so being open isn't as big a deal.  But, it changes from about 100 people coming out to up to 1000 visiting our farm.  We are completely at the mercy of the weather - yet we have to start planning our weekend MONTHS in advance!

Our first years, we didn't serve food and cook.  We added this on as a value added thing because we believe that you might want to TRY our meats.  This leads to inspections etc.

We did start out with the egg gathering tours and have continued with them as well.  In years past we had a stand alone plain upright freezer, and now we have 2 walk-in freezers and a display freezer, PLUS our upright.... you get the idea that we have expanded to make it easier.

This all requires a special "Sam's Club" run to make sure we have drinks and water bottles as well as rolls and more.

We don't have a hay wagon, so we need to borrow one from a friend as well.

Who is going to help us and what role can they help with?  Sometimes this isn't even known until the day of or the day before!  So we don't know what CAN be done.  All we know is that if Joe is cooking, I need to run the store.

Our favorite part of farm tour is getting to know all the new people and sharing our experience with you.  We are sharing our home - as you would show a friend around your new house - we are doing the same thing.

Constantly we are looking for ways to improve your experience that won't kill our meager budget as it is.

When I was talking to my children after this past weekend was over, they started rattling stuff off they would want to see, of course not realizing the cost involved in all these wonderful things!

When we decided to open our farm, including weekend, our biggest thing was making it affordable and to show people a real FAMILY run farm - without all the workers.  As a mom of 5 kids... I know the expense to take kids out and didn't want to burden people with that type of expense - so it has always been free and the items we sell or charge for we TRY and keep at a reasonable rate.

Over the last couple of years, we have had an influx of a new type of person showing up at our farm for these tours.  They are the new 1% - and actually they seem to just be showing up - not even tour related.  99% of the customers we have come by and understand and can see the amount of work being put into this - it is by no means easy.  Then we have this new 1%.  Within the last 2 years, my kids have been yelled at because they asked people to follow the rules (don't enter the buildings - there are signs up), they have argued with us about parking, they have called animal control because our chickens didn't have enough room (they have access to all 32 acres), people have yelled into my home when we are closed, and they have to wait more than 10 minutes for us to change people around so someone can eat (gosh forbid).

This 1% is actually what gives us constant amusement as we look at them and can't believe they act like they do but at the same time they tire us out.  Is it worth it to continue?  Of course!  We won't allow 1% to ruin the fun of 99% - especially since we tend to have a lot of fun with that 99% and quite a few have ended up like family!

However, when you go and visit one of these farms who has graciously opened up their home for you - remember - they most likely have another full time job (very few are full time farmers in this area), and you don't know what's going on in their home at that moment or on the farm - we've had animals in the middle of birthing DURING tours!  So respect their home - take a breather and learn to relax - you are in the country.  Lastly - yes, we know your time is precious - but guess what - so is ours and we will do what we can to make you happy - but we won't be rushed because you are on a time schedule.

Welcome to our HOME - treat ours as you would want us to treat yours if you invited any of us in.

Did you know that kidney stones in goats will kill them?  It usually happens when you fix a male goat and they have a "back up" of urine in their system.  It can also happen when they don't eat enough roughage - and too much feed.

Our little buck had this problem recently and we were lucky to catch it early.  Of course it was in the evening and days that most places that MIGHT have something to help are closed.  Originally we thought he was just constipated and treated him for that.

Thank goodness for GOOGLE and iPhones where I can search up data while I'm standing out in the field watching him!

This HAPPENED to work for us - but don't always count on it.  He was still peeing at this point and some blood was coming out.  If your goat is NOT peeing - GET A VET!!

SO - immediately we took him off feed and gave him roughage only.  This included literally dragging him out into the field for grass (he didn't feel well and was very lethargic) and even bringing him pine branches.

I also gave him a Magnesium supplement which I read can help pass the stones as it will coat them so they don't get larger.  This was pretty much his only real water source (besides the grass) for a few days as you don't want to push a ton of water through him until the stones are coated or broken up.  They make stuff that can help with that - I just didn't have it available.

I was out there 3-5 times a day making sure he would eat and I would watch him pee and poop.  Yep - exciting times on the farm!

But this time it was rewarding because I could see him get a little better every day and I knew I made significant progress when we started coming outside on his own and eating grass.  Then when he started to pay attention to the girls in the next field I feel that I had overcome a huge obstacle.

Now - you can come say HI to Sonic as he is back in with his girl friends and hanging out with the rest of the goats.  He made it through a serious crisis which I am glad I didn't over react to and focused on the problems and what I could do.  If it HAD become more serious (no pee etc) then the vet would have been called immediately.  I like this little guy though so I'm happy to have him back around though I still don't think he's quite thrilled with me.

Most people don't understand the stress and frustration turkey season is for a small farmer.

First, we plan our what we are going to do sometime in December/January and we have to get the order of our baby turkeys in soon before they sell out.   Then they arrive in July (sometimes sooner if you use heritage breeds).

We have to plan on some dying as well.  But these birds are the funds to finish off our year and hopefully pay off a few bills (which they have accumulated since July).  I personally plan on a 10% loss because that makes it easier for me to think about it.  Some years we have less, some more.

We start selling the birds in September by taking reservations.  This might seem too far before Thanksgiving for most, but we need the birds sold and we need to have the knowledge they will ALL be sold.  I aim for them being all sold before November even hits.

Now, we butcher around 50-75 birds.  Notice, I say WE BUTCHER.  Not many farmers who do the number that we do will butcher them on the farm with only a few people.  We are a family run farm - currently we have 1 full time employee and that's it.

A full grown turkey can weight over 50lbs live weight.  That means catching and carrying a big strong turkey - and repeating this over and over all day long.  When we butcher chickens (yes, we butcher all our own chickens as well) we can do up to 40 in an hour with all of us working, but we can do 3-5 at a time.  Turkeys are 1 at a time because of their size so maybe 3-4 per hour.  It is not a fast process at all.

Some people look at it and say $6.99 per pound is expensive.  Heck, even when I see that number it is high in my mind..... until I do the work.

Day 1 is usually a happy day.  It's the first day and we know what to expect.  Day 2.... everyone is sore from Day 1 and tired.  The turkeys are fighting with us more (at least it feels like that) and we also know this is the LONG day as we will start in the morning and continue until we are done.  We usually get an hour or 2 break while we have to clean everything and set everything back up.  Remember, we might have an assembly line of some sort going - but it's nothing like a commercial operation.  We are personally looking over each and every bird one at a time.  If we need a Day 3... well let's just say we don't really want a Day 3 to show up in the schedule.

You would never believe where we have muscles!  Lifting turkeys like footballs and cleaning them out is more of a workout than you would imagine!

This is also why when we are asked if we have more turkeys, no we can't just add more to the schedule, no we can't predict the weight (which is why we have wide weight ranges), we are doing all the work here - on the farm and it just doesn't work that way.  It's also why we ask for a non-refundable deposit which is a small amount - I really don't need extra turkeys - it makes my life more difficult.

So please enjoy the turkey - a lot of work and caring goes into this process - and remember the labor behind it ;)

This week was a very trying but happy week.  I won't go into everything because honestly it's just not all appropriate for everyone to know about.

However, if you have a child, hug him or her or both this instant as you never know what might happen.

On Monday (I was not here at the time - Joe was), our daughter, Alexis, was doing mid-afternoon chores of checking waters in the very back field etc.  She drives our ATV to do this and has for years.

She parked it under the pine tree like always, got off and walked inside.  Seconds later - the ATV exploded.  Yes - exploded.  It was right next to the propane tank and Joe's truck.  Luckily, no one was hurt and neither one of these things blew up (or else this would have been a MUCH larger deal)

Everyone is ok - no we no longer have the ATV - it's kinda melted and you can see it sitting there now as we wait for someone to get the scrap metal.

7 years ago when we moved here, I never thought we would be where we are today.  I never thought that I would have an actual FARM that people talked about and have people ask ME for advice about starting their own farm.  Ok, my first response is "don't do this".... in other words don't get as large as we have gotten - it's a lot of work (and a lot of money).

So over the past 7 years, we have discovered a lot about farming in general and what works for us and what works for others.  Not everything will work for every person.  It's been a very educational experience.

First - did you know a chicken will be happy to travel 150 YARDS away from their coop for food?  Now you know why there are chickens in my front yard, yet their coop is in the back.  I always thought they would stay close to home - but they don't - as long as they have some sort of cover during the day, they will travel.  Needless to say, I don't think the ones that have come up to the house and found some pretty yummy bugs and such are sharing the information as most stick to the back fields and follow the cows around.  My idea is to give them a safe place at night to sleep and enjoy the eggs.  I like my roosters as well - we have close to 50 or 60 I believe (they never line up for a head count).  They are pretty to look at (and yes - farming is about aesthetics as well as usefulness)... and serve a purpose.

Second - goats and sheep are funny to watch - but more work than a lot of people think.  They have hooves which need to be clipped and cleaned out etc.  They also get worms so they need to be watched for signs.  But I like the smaller varieties and breeding the larger ones at this point, I will leave to others.  Been there, done that.... I can't actually do everything - which is very hard to admit.

Third - pigs.  I LOVE my pigs.  They provide endless entertainment with babies and personalities.  Never try and tell me they are ugly, unintelligent animals - they are smarter than dogs and I swear, some humans I know.  Yep - they can stink and even I don't like that smell... but I can live with it because I love my pigs.  They don't require as much maintenance as other animals - but I still watch closely.  And since a nice retired pig farmer/customer came to my rescue and showed me HOW to fix baby pigs - I can now do that without calling a vet (I like my vet - but prefer to call only if absolutely needed).

Last - cows.  These require more work than any other animal on the farm. They need to be milked 2x per day, fed, and monitored.  I love my cows - but I wouldn't be heart broken to see them go - only because of the amount of work needed to deal with them.  Did you know that the only reason we have an employee is because of the cows?  When I was sick, I needed help during the week and we needed someone to help milk - so we hired someone.  Now it still gives me a break to be able to do other things around the farm.  Yes, my kids help out as well - but having someone who can do that makes sure we can go away for a few days here or there.

Our way of farming..... taking care of our animals the best way we can and providing them all a wonderful and happy home as long as they are with us.

At least 1 time per week I get a phone call from an over-zealous new chef with a brave new idea who wants to use local farm ingredients.  I say over-zealous because, well, they all seem to think this is THEIR new idea.  Hate to break it to them that I know of some restaurants that have been using local stuff for YEARS.

So anyways, I always turn them down and they seemed utterly SHOCKED that I have the nerve to do this to THEM.

Here's our reasoning.  We HAVE worked with A restaurant.  We LIKED working with them (and we still like having drinks with the owners).  However, it became non-feasible for us to continue.

See, I can sell all my eggs at $4.75 per dozen pretty much every week.  So why would I wholesale them for $3 per dozen?  Yes - it would be a 1 stop drop off and I'd be done.  But did you know there are certain rules and taxes if you wholesale BULK eggs?  Seriously - extra paperwork (which I wonder sometimes if people ever actually pay attention to).

Moving on to beef.  We raise a certain number of steers for beef per year.  This insures that the quality of the beef I present is consistent EVERY package.  It's all incredible (and that's me being egotistical - but heck - it IS amazing!).  If I were to increase production to make sure I have enough to supply restaurants PLUS our customers, well something would have to give... and I'm not willing to give up on quality - sorry...and I like my customers so I'm not dropping them!

The same thing with beef applies to pork... but it actually just takes so many pigs to produce a certain amount of products.  Everyone wants bacon.  Well there is only 7-14lbs of bacon per pig.... so how many pigs would I need to raise?  See why a containment system is good for bulk products?

Lamb and goat?  Well we don't butcher nearly enough per year to supply anyone but ourselves.  We sell all our lamb within the 2 weeks after butchering - so why wholesale?

Lastly, they want me to transport the product to them.  Do they think we have unlimited people available to drive out to DC or Fairfax to take them a couple hundred dollars worth of product?  Flat out - I don't.  I'm lucky that we got help for the market this season.  Running a farm and having a family is a full-time PLUS job.  There is no extra time and emergencies can happen which need my attention and I can't worry about a delivery if I am worried about a cow giving birth who is having a difficult time or a kid who is sick.  Yet their menu depends on my delivery and I wouldn't be able to make it.  Too much pressure.

It doesn't mean I condone the chefs that are searching - and I hope they find farms that CAN provide them with what they are looking for.  There are a lot out there that are just starting who would probably RATHER deal with just a couple of chefs vs the thousands I deal with every week.

There is a way to make it work - but it's just not going to include my farm at this point.