Over the last twelve months we have made so many changes on the farm that I can hardly believe all we have accomplished in a single year!
One of the major changes has been the redesigning of our website making it possible to place orders and deposits online. Our bi-monthly email newsletter has been well received and I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I am enjoying staying in touch with all of our amazing customers on a more consistent basis.
We built a cute little on-farm store which is making it so much easier to serve you through regular Saturday store hours, special pick up days, and afternoon/evening appointments. We have been able to offer additional products such as organically raised pork, chicken cuts, fresh turkeys, eggs, raw honey and more. We usually have free product samples and free recipes for you to take home.
Our first farm tour was enjoyed by a few of our customers. We plan to make this an annual event!
A spring storm which destroyed our aging hay shed had us building a new hoop structure for hay storage. The new building is a little larger so we can get more hay under cover which means better hay quality for our beef herd.
We also removed three grain bins and tore down part of the barn with a deteriorating foundation. The cleared area became the concrete pad for additional winter lot space and a sorting area for the cattle.
A drought which plagued us the entire summer compelled us to down-size our beef herd. We are choosing to view this as a blessing since it forced us to trim our herd to our best animals which will ultimately result in better quality beef for you
Seth, our youngest son, works for us on the farm part-time and has begun a YouTube channel about what he/we do here at Sonrise Farms called Farmer on the Prairie. If you want to experience day to day life on a farm, you need to check it out.
Elizabeth has been researching and planning for a milk cow for nearly a year. In early December she was finally able to bring home Lilac, a little Jersey cow. Elizabeth does all the milking and is learning how to care for a dairy animal on a daily basis. She is enjoying making butter, cheese, sour cream and more for our family’s use. She would like to one day share this milk with our customers, but we do not have licensing to sell raw milk. Elizabeth sends out a monthly email about things happening with her raw milk dairy so let me know if you would like to receive it and we’ll get you signed up.
The greatest blessings of the last twelve months was becoming grandparents not once, but twice! Lane Josiah and John Luke have brought much joy to our family and we can hardly wait for them to have a more active role in life here on the farm.
We are so thankful for the way God continues to bless us, teach us and helps us to grow in our relationship with Him and one another.
Dan and I want you to know how much we have enjoyed serving you over the past year. Your appreciation of what we do, your encouragement, and your friendship make all the hard work worthwhile.
We wish you and your family a blessed new year.
XOXO,
Diane