Farm Update

We've been talking to a lot of different farmers trying to get as many tips and suggestions as possible so we do this farm thing smart and right. I think one day I am going to write a step by step guide of all the things that you have to consider and where to go to get information. In the mean time I'm going to give updates here, including credit to some VERY helpful people.

Through a friend (Sherry@Burritt's Cafe, who really likes our cheese and is committed to using it in their recipes and selling it in their cooler as soon as we are up and running, hence why she's always giving us names to follow up on that she hears about from people that come into the shop, it's great to have people pulling for you) we were put in contact with the owners of Wyllie Fox Farm. He gave me more names to get more information. Included in that list was Graze NY. His understanding of the program sounded too good to be true, so I called them, and made an appointment for one of the workers to come out to our place and check things out, give us some pointers and share more about the program.

He came out this morning and it really IS too good to be true, but we got the information from the horses mouth, so it's true. :) The only catch is the program is grant driven so we will have to wait to be written into the grant this year and funds won't be available until next year. It is set up as a cost sharing program to establish pasture (this can include: fencing-materials and labour, water supply, laneways- this would be for something like a culvert to get animals across a ditch, and seeding of pasture if you just have bare dirt). This cost sharing is at an incredible rate, NYS pays for 75% and the farmer covers 25%, and this 25% can be in in-kind donations. So for example if we get into the grant next year, they will pay for someone to put up a fence for us and all the materials and our 25% could be in the hours that it takes us to tear down the old fence and/or setting up the plumbing for extending the watering system (we've got friends that this is what they do for a living and I'm pretty sure they would help us do it right or do it for us at a discounted price).
I'm really excited, and impatient. We're also going to try and go visit a couple of local farms this weekend and the beginning of next week. One is a small Jersey cow farm that makes my favourite Maple Yogurt and Dexter Cattle farm that makes Kefir Cheese. I'll post some links, pictures and information about them next week after our visits. It's fun to get to talk to so many different & helpful people, but it also gets me ansy to get things going here. I'm not very good at the slow and steady thing. On that note will end on what should be my mantra over then next little while.

"Life's a journey, not a destination." -- Steven Tyler