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With summer in full swing, our farm is packed with growing things. We instituted a new protocol this year during planting which has worked out well for us. Last year, hornworms and squash bugs devastated our little garden so we spent the winter researching how to keep that from happening again. We came upon the idea of some natural insect deterrents and companion planting a pest repellent plant alongside our crops. As you can see from the photos below, it worked better than we could have planned. Having peppermint and spearmint plants in the same beds seems to have kept the destructive insects from our garden this year. In the space of only a month, we are already harvesting and sharing some of our crops. In May, we purchased two bottle fed calves to help our little herd grow. One was 3 days old and the other 3 weeks old. Although we were able to stave off the main killer of infant calves, scours, something else took the younger calf. That calf was active and energetic the previous day so we didn’t suspect anything was wrong with her. We came to the conclusion that, although we gave her colostrum, she didn’t get enough from her mother before being separated. The older one is thriving (see photo below) and we are preparing to begin the weaning process and introduce her to the rest of the herd. “Bob” the 1974 skidloader has been on the farm for a while. A family from Iowa generously donated him, but he had some issues and popped a drive belt even after we were able to get him started. After a year of sitting, we were finally able to find a small engine mechanic who would come out to the farm (Bob’s wheels were locked so we couldn’t transport him). After several visits and extensive research and work, they were able to tune him up and install a new belt. He is almost to the point where he will start and stay running. When he does, Bob will be a game changer here since he will allow us to do some much needed landscaping and excavating. We are also talking to a local tree service about being the place they can bring their excess mulch which Bob will help spread along our hiking paths. Our camping season is also in full swing. We opened a Hipcamp listing for three campsites along our creek in April of 2020 and it has been an amazing experience. Hipcamp is like AirBnB for campers, connecting them to mom & pop properties for some camping opportunities they might not have had before. We have had a steady flow of campers and our biggest draw has been sharing our farm with them. Just recently, we introduced two different sets of campers to bottle feeding Minnie and it was a magical experience for them. If you’d like to see our listing, go to this address: Crossroads Farm, Crossroads Farm, TN: 42 Hipcamper Reviews And 78 Photos If you have land that you would like to utilize for camping, we cannot recommend Hipcamp more highly. We have had only good experiences with our campers and enjoyed the relationships that have grown from them.  
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AuthorHusband, father, missionary, farmer, and nerd. Archives
November 2021
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