I woke up last Friday morning inspired.  I just love when that happens!  On Thursday we had a huge snow storm.  When the storm started, the snowflakes were the size of golf balls.   

​It snowed all day and all night. The snow was almost 10 inches deep in the morning.

I’ve been managing Stone Coop Farm since 2011.  We bought this property November of 2011 and I knew we had to save it as farmland for future generations.

In 2014 I had an epiphany.  It was a grey and cold winter day.  I was concerned about how to make the farm profitable and felt the job of saving the farm and paying off our loans was just too gigantic for me to accomplish.  I imagined writing a check to get us completely out of debt.  I then took a deep breath and submerged myself in what it would feel like if I owned the farm outright.  I looked out my window and the snow started to fall, big fat snowflakes.  My mind jumped to the thought “Stone Coop Farm will bless as many people as these snowflakes.”  The more I let it sink in, the more joy I felt.  I knew I could do this.

Fast forward to Fall of 2017.  Our farm is on 30 acres, but it is zoned residential.  1000 new homes in 4 new subdivisions are being built on both sides of us.  I can hear the excavation equipment every day.  A wastewater treatment plant is being built and the high pressure sewer line will be connecting these subdivisions along our property line.  Developers are approaching us to sell the farm so that more homes can be built.  The value of our land is increasing as residential lots, not as farmland.  I know my mission is to save the farm, but that feels like an insurmountable task given what’s going on  around me.

Did you know that the average age of U.S. farmers is almost 60 and our farmland is disappearing at an alarming rate?  So much so, that the U.S. State Department and USDA are concerned about our national food security.  The USDA is asking all U.S. farmers if we have a Succession Plan when we retire to keep the farm as farmland.  If we lose our farmland to residential and commercial development, where will we grow our food?  Additionally, new farmers are having a difficult time finding affordable farmland. Many farmers’ children don’t want the farm, so their land and that generational knowledge of how to farm is being lost. 

I have to face the reality that there is mounting pressure to sell our farmland for development to help pay off our loans.   I discussed these concerns with my business partner, and the idea of creating a nonprofit working farm and learning center started to germinate.  We have been supporting new farmers for years through our scholarship program.  We have been supporting our community with classes, events, presentations, donations and collaborations since we started in 2011.  I have been constantly focusing my efforts on how we can continue to support our community, that I forgot that our community is here to support us as well.  I realized that my Succession Plan for Stone Coop did not require ME to buy the land personally.  We could create a nonprofit that would allow our community to ensure the longevity of Stone Coop Farm.  I could continue to train new farmers how to be successful business owners.  I could help develop my staff to become audacious business owners, so that one day, when I am ready to retire, there will be someone already associated with Stone Coop Farm that can take over.  ​

Those big fat golf ball size snowflakes we had last week were my reminder of all the blessings Stone Coop Farm is going to receive from people that want to support us and all the blessing we will provide to them.  Together we will have a global impact on our food system and on our planet.

​If Stone Coop’s future inspires you, we would appreciate your donation. You can click here to Make a Difference.  If you would like join our Fundraising Team and/or want to share fundraising ideas, please contact me at joannee@stonecoopfarm.com.  ​

Let me introduce you to the Board Members of Stone Coop Farm.  I am thrilled to have their knowledge and support as we navigate this new non-profit world.  ​From Left to Right:  Michelle Gonzalo, Sherri Richards, AJ Gross; Denae Friedheim, Leslie Loewenstein, and me, Joannée DeBruhl.

​

​Meet my incredible staff for 2018.  They inspire me every day.  They keep a smile on my face and make sure we plant, grow and harvest awesome food.  I couldn’t keep running Stone Coop Farm without their help.  From left to right:  Nydia, Gina, Rene, Jess, Evan and Lou Lou & Roxy.

The end of the year at Stone Coop Farm has been hectic and exciting. We had a great brainstorming meeting in November, and we have been making changes every day since then. The bottom line is – Stone Coop Farm will be open  in 2018!!

​Here's a synopsis of our meeting, our game plan and our progress as of today.
​

We had over 40 people attend our brainstorming session on November 19th and because of this, we have a clear direction on how to keep Stone Coop Farm open!!

• Sell more 2018 Market Shares starting in December - These are now on our website and ready to be purchased.
• Sell Chef and Grocery Store Market Shares - Will have something ready in January.
• Partner with a non-profit for grants and donations - Researching potential options right now.  Jess Heath knows exactly what to do and has graciously offered to help me with this!
• Create our own non-profit and start fundraising - We just got our Articles of Incorporation for our non-profit this week!  THANK YOU Joe Falcone for making it happen! Next step, get bank accounts, write bylaws and establish a Board of Directors.
• Expand our marketing and advertising - Mel Stewart and Jacky Bastion have developed a plan and strategy and changes are already being made. It's exciting to have these two professionals show me what a successful campaign can be!
• Expand the events and classes we offer at the farm - Classes will be up on the website shortly.  We expanded our offerings for 2018 with SELCRA, Brighton Community Ed and Hartland Community Ed.
• Expand our partnerships with other farmers and food producers - We have met with 3 new businesses and hope to get a plan in place for continued sales.

​​
THANK YOU for everyone who has expressed their support for Stone Coop Farm. The goodwill has been amazing! We are feeling loved and supported, and it encourages us to stay focused on a successful 2018.

We wish you all a wonderful holiday season!

Last week one of my new employees mentioned that he was getting a better feel for what Stone Coop is all about, but that it would take more time to fully comprehend.  It made me think about the branding we did last February and the mission statement we developed:
 
Friendly Farmers, Caring Consumers
At Stone Coop Farm we are friends with the earth and all its inhabitants down to the microorganisms in our soil.  We are dedicated to being better stewards of the land and sharing our knowledge with others. Stone Coop Farm is a neighborhood farm supported by folks that care about the long term health of our planet and future generations.
 
My husband used to work for Patagonia.  It’s owner, Yvon Chouinard, wrote a super book, “Let My People Go Surfing” about his company, their mission and their philosophies.  It’s about “making a living without losing your soul.”  Each time a new product line or project is researched they do an extensive review to ensure it will align with their company’s philosophies.  My employee’s statement that he was still trying to figure out what Stone Coop was all about, inspired me to more clearly define our philosophies.  When considering new farming practices, new growing methods, new employee procedures, etc., here are the questions we need to ask:
 
Friendly Farmers, Caring Consumers
We are friends with the earth and all its inhabitants down to the microorganisms in our soil.

• Does this improve our soil health and the health of the microorganisms in the soil? 
• Does this improve and increase the nutrients in the food we grow? 
• Does this create and maintain an environment that is good for ALL its inhabitants; people, animals, insects, even those we can’t see?

 
We are dedicated to being better stewards of the land and sharing our knowledge with others.

• Will this minimize our impact to our planet and our land?

• How do we share the things we learn about farming and growing food with our community? 
• Are we educating folks on our food systems so they can make healthy choices for themselves and their families?

 
We are a neighborhood farm.

• Does this build a community that supports our farm, our customers, and our neighbors? 
• Will this welcome everyone?  
• Will this enhance the quality of the community and its ability to share ideas and work together?   

We are supported by folks that care about the long term health of our planet and future generations.

• How can we attract employees and customers that are concerned about their personal impact on this planet and their neighbors? 
• Will our decisions today make this world a better place for the next seven generations (the next 140 years)?

 
I love that we have folks of all ages, races, religions and political parties that work on the farm. That diversity of mind, body and spirit does not hinder our joy in working together.  It allows us to create an environment where ALL are welcome!
 
I want to make a living without losing my soul and by having Stone Coop Farm’s philosophies more clearly defined, I can help others understand what is important to us.  How we answer these questions defines Stone Coop Farm and our interactions with our community and our environment. 

Things at the farm never stop, but by mid-December they slow down for a few weeks.  This is the time of year I focus on plans for the next season, website updates, marketing strategies and new product offerings.  The Abundance Cubed Program helped me define the farm’s mission and vision and it has been interesting to think about it as I make changes.
 
Friendly Farmers, Caring Consumers
 
At Stone Coop Farm we are friends with the earth and all its inhabitants down to the microorganisms in our soil.  We are dedicated to being better stewards of the land and sharing our knowledge with others. Stone Coop Farm is a neighborhood farm supported by folks that care about the long term health of our planet and future generations.
 
The election has also reminded me that Stone Coop Farm is a safe haven, not only for the plants and animals, but for the people that work and visit here.  This farm is a neutralizer.  When people come to work and volunteer here, they are here to collaborate, to accomplish a task together for the better good. We are all in work clothes, there isn’t a judgement about lifestyles based on clothes, make up or jewelry.  We talk about food and living healthy lives, not our jobs.  It is important to me that everyone is welcome here and treated with respect and dignity.
 
During my working life I have been at jobs where I was sexually assaulted and had to figure out how to deal with sexual harassment. Unfortunately 3 different men, during work, felt it was their right to touch me without my permission.  Others mentioned that I could advance my career with my body.
 
I have also heard racist comments and actions towards co-workers and strangers that were completely unwarranted.  One of my current employees couldn’t even get me a receipt for gas because she was given too much grief and she just needed to leave that situation.
 
A friend had someone else record her business answering machine because she felt her accent would negatively impact her business because of the intolerance and disrespect she had experienced personally.
 
These situations reinforce that sexism, racism and injustice are prevalent every day all over the U.S.  I want Stone Coop to be the exception.  I want people here treated with respect and I want them to feel like it is a safe place no matter what their race, religion, sex, or social status.  I want to be a leader that demonstrates tolerance, compassion and kindness.  I might not be able to influence my government officials in these attributes, but I can personally treat folks that way and expect people that work at my business to do so as well.  

abundance  [uh-buhn-duh ns] noun

1. an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply: abundance of grain.
2. overflowing fullness: abundance of the heart.
3. affluence; wealth: the enjoyment of abundance.

I started the Abundance Cubed Program in December 2015, but Stone Coop Farm has been focused on abundance since day one.  The barn quilt on our 1907 barn represents abundance.  We chose that symbol because life is so much more than being prosperous.  We believe in abundance in everything that opens our hearts to each other and this planet.
 
So in this blog I will be focusing on abundance and different words that express abundance, just to look at it in a new light and open my eyes to new possibilities.  I also love to play with words and feel how they are formed in my mouth when I say them, like plethora. 

There have been ample opportunities this year for me to learn more about myself, my lifestyle and my business.  Through the Abundance Cubed Program copious amounts of ideas and strategies have been presented to me.  I have considered an endless amount of possibilities and tried many.  But the easiest measurement of success is wealth because it is a number and it is something we track every day.  This year I have been reminded, through others’ eyes, what should be measured as success, those little steps that have nothing to do with money:  taking time to relax, smiling even when you’re tired, knowing all your members names, building a community where everyone is welcome, learning how to work with nature, growing healthy nutritious food, showing up and being present.  These things are important and should be celebrated.

​​I took time yesterday afternoon to walk through my back meadow with my dogs.  There was a profusion of leaf colors and the sounds. When the wind hit the leaves and the colors were reflected in the sunlight, I was enchanted.  Here’s a short video of the whispering aspens.

​​Last night was our Gratitude Dinner, our end of the season Farm to Table Meal.  There was an bounty of crops on the table that were grown here at Stone Coop – radishes, turnips, sweet potatoes, fingerling potatoes, Brussels sprouts, rutabaga, spinach, cilantro, onions, garlic, mint, sunchokes, arugula, parsnips and a myriad of baby greens for our salad.  We also had certified organic lamb for our entrée.
  

Dinner was served at one long table with strangers sitting next to each other, sharing platters of food and plenty of conversation and laughter.  The barn had a rustic opulence that had folks admiring the craftsmanship it took to originally build the barn, then disassemble and reassemble it here at Stone Coop Farm.  It was such a relaxing dinner full of taste bud explosions.

What abundance do you have in your life that has nothing to do with your bank account?
 
Did you find the 9 synonyms for abundance that I used in this blog?

What choices are mine?  It is easy to say they are all my choices, but when you have a family, a business, friends, co-workers, etc. they often are directly or indirectly involved.  Sometimes I don’t want to make any choice.  This often just leaves me in a quandary.  I didn’t have to commit, but actually I did by choosing the status quo.  I like to get other’s opinions and ideas, but ultimately I have to choose to make a change or not.  And that choice ultimately needs to be mine, no matter how many people have weighed in and no matter what anyone else thinks.  I have to live with the final choice.

​My husband and I went down to North Carolina this weekend. It was wonderful to see his sister and mother.  My sister-in-law pointed out that I had not visited them in 7 years.  They had been up to visit us each year, but I had not driven down to North Carolina to see them.  I was shocked and disbelieving. Surely I had been down here at least 1 time in the last 7 years.  I thought it through.  In 2009 I was laid off and I took my sons down there for spring break.  In 2010 I went to MSU for the Organic Farmer Training Program and didn’t have enough time off to get down there.  In 2011 I started Stone Coop Farm.  I have had a few trips since 2011, but they have been business related or just long weekend trips in Michigan.  How did 7 years disappear?  This summer was the first time in 6 years that we had a family vacation.
 
Thinking this all through made me very sad that I had neglected having time for my family.  Starting a business can be all consuming and apparently I had let it take over my life.  All work and no play has led me to exhaustion and burnout.  I love being a farmer, but I love my family more.  This trip was a wake-up call that my family HAS TO COME FIRST!
 
This is all part of my defining my fantasy life.  I say family is my top priority, but I need to reinforce that with actions.  Although our drive this weekend to North Carolina was super long, we got to have 2 ½ days enjoying their company.  That made the two days in the car worth it.  
 
It also gave my husband and I time to talk without interruptions from the phone, email, and work. We had many hours of complete silence that we both enjoyed.  It is great to let the mind wander with no agenda. We also planned our trip to North Carolina to take two different routes.  We got to see parts of Ohio and West Virginia that we had not seen before.  We also got to see the Appalachian Mountains again, drive on those mountain roads, see the incredible mountain vistas and enjoy the warm sunny fall days.  

​I will now be actively choosing how I spend my time.  Where is the MOST effective use of my work time, so I can have more play time?  Working the most hours does NOT make me the best business owner, it just makes me tired.  What can be delegated?  What can be eliminated?  How can I simplify?  How can I empower my employees?  How can I focus on the big picture and not define the entire minutiae?
 
I finally started writing job descriptions.  I have been breaking up things that are crucial to the farm operations and figuring out how to split these responsibilities so each member of my staff can expand their capabilities and skill set.  It is easier to empower them when they know what needs to be accomplished.  I have competent employees who want to take on more responsibilities.  I just need to sit down with them and get an agreement as to what they want to learn and what they want to own.  By empowering them,  I empower myself to have more freedom and time for my family. 

​It is time for my Happiness Project update for the Abundance Cubed Program.  I had many goals and I have achieved several of them.  I didn’t have goals set up for October through December so I have been thinking a lot about what they should be. 
 
This time of year for me is when serious burn out starts to set in.  I am tired of a long harvest season and harvesting our salad greens is starting, so loads of work on hands and knees that will continue until April.  The weather is turning colder and although the leaves are beautiful, Fall means Winter is coming, and the dreary grey skies of Michigan just bring me down.  I’ll be getting my “Happy Light” out soon so I can sit in front of it for 20 minutes to get my dose of sunshine.  Even if it is fake sunshine, it helps my mood during the winter.
 
I’ve been working with my coach Noam and he challenged me to define my fantasy job.  He suggested I write down what my fantasy job would look each day for a couple weeks, and then see if there are any trends or patterns.  He said when he does this exercise he likes to put these thoughts on Post It notes, and then put them on a wall so they can be moved around and sorted.  I spent some time doing this yesterday and found out there are lots of patterns.
 
My birthday was yesterday and I turned 55.  I thought about how I would like to spend the next 10 working years before I retire and I thought about what I wanted to do when I retire.  My fantasy journal had a huge list of what I wanted to do, so why focus on waiting until I retire to do all the things on my list?  I asked myself, why should I focus on a fantasy job, why not a fantasy career, and then took it one step further, why not a fantasy life?  And why not start living it NOW!
 
Here are some of the patterns I found looking at my Post It note wall.

• I NEED sunshine in winter.
• I want more time for my husband, my kids, my family, and my friends.
• I want to own a lake house and walk on the beach, hear the waves, watch the storms, go swimming, kayaking, etc.
• I want to see the world, have adventures, and travel, travel, travel.
• I want to have every weekend off, lots of vacation time, and truly turn off my work brain, when I am not at work.
• I want to work with amazing folks and share the responsibilities with them, so I can leave and relax and not be responsible 365 days a year.
• I want to eat amazing food and grow amazing food.
• I want to master the art of farming.  I enjoy having my hands in the dirt, but I want to help figure out benchmarking and profitability goals for small farms so we can all be successful.  I want farmers to make white collar wages and have benefits and I want to help figure out how to make that happen.
• I want to write a book and do a TED Talk.
• I want a maid.
• I want financial freedom.

 
Noam also recommended we watch a video by Seth Godin – “Quieting the Lizard Brain”, where he talks about setting up “shipping dates” to finish projects, rather than continually perfecting them, and never getting them done. 

I have decided to set up a shipping date of November 15th to start my fantasy life.  I will outline what I can accomplish first and will establish shipping dates for the other goals.  I am tired of talking, scheming, and wishing.  I am ready for doing.

​Each fall we have a Farmer Appreciation Potluck Dinner for all our Working Shares and employees.  The afternoon starts with Farm Games.  You may ask “What are Farm Games?”  Well, we have some creative ones that folks who work here can relate to:

• Weed Toss – Pull your own weed and see how far you can throw it.
• Bulb Crate Carry – How many plastic bulb crates can you pick up, carry 10 feet and put down without tipping over?
• Garlic Break Up – Get 15 bulbs of garlic and break up the cloves so we can plant them. This was a new one this year, but will now be done every season since it allows everyone, of every age, to compete at the same time. The other benefit is it saves us tons time that we would be doing during the week.

 
Let me share some photos and videos of these spectacular games.  Most of the photos are from this year, but a few of the videos are from past years and just a ton of fun to watch.  Thanks goes to Dennis Gonzalo for this year's photos!!!
 
WEED TOSS
First you have to find the perfect weed, then you figure out the best way to toss it.  The record is 120 feet!   Some of the young men below tossed their weed over 70 feet!

​Here’s a couple videos of how the weed toss can be done.

​GARLIC BREAK UP
One of our jobs at the farm that takes loads of time is breaking apart the garlic right before we plant it.  It is important to separate each clove, and do it gently so we don’t bruise it.  We then plant these cloves in the field in the fall so we can have beautiful new garlic bulbs next July.  This was a great farm game and we got close 20 lbs of garlic broken up in under 2 minutes!

​It is always a blast to share a relaxing afternoon that includes fun times, laughter, and great food with those folks that you work with each week.  Thank you to everyone that helps us at Stone Coop Farm!!

I love to be spontaneous, but it can be hard to do when you manage, own and run a business.  We do spontaneous things at the farm, sometimes.  True spontaneity is rare for me.  I am obliged to be at the farm all the time because I live here and because I am ultimately responsible. 
 
Last Friday I was spontaneous.  My husband popped in the barn, and said “Hey I have to work in Sandusky, Ohio this weekend.  Wanna come with me?  I need to leave in 30 minutes.”  “Yes” I said, but then I thought of the rest of the farm work that needed to be completed and I hesitated.  My employee Nydia looked at me and said “We can handle getting everything ready for market.  We’ll be fine.  Go.”  So I did!  THANK YOU Nydia for that reassurance!
 
I ran into the house, ran upstairs, and stuffed my clothes and toothbrush in my bag.  I texted my son to let him know we would be gone and jumped in the car and WE LEFT!  I haven’t allowed myself that freedom in years!  Not since we had kids, not since we had dogs, and not since I became a business owner.  I can’t remember just jumping in the car for an overnight trip with less than 30 minutes notice.
 
We had a wonderful time.  He had a few hours of work each day, but I drove around seeing beautiful old homes in Norwalk and Sandusky, Ohio.  I read a book.  I sat in the coffee shop and dreamed. We enjoyed great meals together and saw the sights while walking around downtown.  We even got to see a sailboat race on Sunday morning on Lake Erie.  It brought back great memories of our racing days when we lived in North Carolina and San Francisco. I am so glad I went!
 
It made me think about situations where I am spontaneous and cooking immediately popped to mind.  I love to cook, but need inspiration and time. I also hate to waste food. Weekends are the best time for me to cook.  I look in the fridge, see what’s there and start creating. 
 
This week at the farm we ripped out all the pepper plants.  We have over 200 pounds of red, red-green, yellow, yellow-green, purple, and green peppers, of all shapes and sizes.  So I took several of the farmer peppers (they have a hole or bad spot, so I can’t sell them, but they taste great).  Stuffed peppers came to mind.  I usually use ground beef, tomatoes, onions, rice and cheese.  

Today I didn’t feel like shopping so I here’s my spontaneous new type of stuffed peppers, based on what I already had:
 
First I cooked 2 cups of a rice mix (black and white rice with radish seeds) – with 3 cups of lamb stock.
 
Next I cut off the tops of 10 red bell peppers and set them aside. I seeded the peppers and then boiled for 3 minutes to soften.  I took them out, draining the water and arranged them in a baking dish with the open peppers ready to be stuffed. I lightly salted the inside.
 
Next I chopped and sautéed together until soft:

• 1 ham steak
• 10 red bell pepper tops
• 2 medium red onions

 
Then I then added:

• 4 large heirloom tomatoes and a handful of cherry tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon of parsley
• 3 cups of chopped fresh turnip greens

 
I cooked it until boiling and slightly thickened.
 
I then took it off the stove and added:

• 1 cup of cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, stirring until melted and well blended.

 
Lastly I stuffed the bell peppers and cooked them for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
 
They were delicious! 
 
I need to look for more opportunities to not only cook, but jump in the car and have adventures.  Spontaneity in my life is a necessity!!

​At the farm we are pulling out our summer crops and planting our fall and winter crops.  We need our salad greens and spinach planted before the end of September so they have enough daylight and warmth to germinate and grow before the days get too short and cold.  Therefore, we have been incredibly busy trying to get this all accomplished.  We got a big boost of help from Cheryl Stockwell Academy’s High School on Friday with ripping out cherry tomatoes, harvesting potatoes, pulling out drip irrigation from the fields, and weeding the rutabaga.  It was amazing to have that many people working here at the same time!

​Fall is also one of my favorite times of the year because we plant garlic.  It is a commitment to next year.  Planting now and knowing that in 10 months we will have beautiful, fragrant, spicy bulbs of garlic to harvest.  It is one of those crops that requires a 12 month investment.  We plant in October, mulch heavily with leaves in the fall and again in the spring, harvest garlic scapes in June, harvest the bulbs in July, dry and cure in August, clean and start selling in August, then replant in October. We also save the largest bulbs to replant each year so we get to see the bulbs increase in size and quantity.  Overall it is easy to grow and reaps huge rewards.

​It reminds me to evaluate tasks am I doing now that are labor and time intensive, but will reap the rewards later.  It is often easy for me to get all wrapped up in the daily tasks and forget that I will see the results.  I just have to be patient.

One of my favorite sayings, that got me through college (especially when I wanted to quit and go sailing), was written by Robert Collier. I kept it with me all through college.  It was so inspirational that I decided to cross stitch it and hang it in my house as a constant reminder. 
It is good for me to not only read it, but read it with my cherished ambition in mind.