It is that wonderful time of the year when the great white north of Michigan is finally green!  I now live in Oceana County.  It is a huge farming community and it is known as the “Asparagus Capital of the World”.  We have the annual Asparagus Festival and each year a new Asparagus Queen is crowned. 
The asparagus season is short, only 6-7 weeks, and usually starts in late April/early May, but this year's cold weather pushed it back to start in May.  At Stone Coop, we grew a purple variety of asparagus and it was always a joy to find the first shoots emerging. ​

Spring is also the time I visit Washington DC to talk to folks on Capitol Hill about issues facing organic farmers.  I am a member of the Organic Farmers Association (OFA) and I am on the Governing Council.  OFA is a national, grassroots, membership organization.  We seek input from our farmers on issues that they want us to address with Congress and the USDA.  About 30 members of OFA were in DC for this year’s trip.

Before I tell you about our issues, I want to share the simplified version of how the National Organic Program (NOP) was started.  The organic movement and push for clean healthy food started in the 1970’s.  Organic farmers wanted some type of standardization across the country to help consumers understand how organic animals were raised and how their crops were grown.  Primary concerns were that all animals were raised in their natural environments and treated humanely; cows got to eat grass in a pasture, chickens got to be outside to scratch the soil and to eat bugs, worms and plants.  Crops would be grown in healthy soil without chemicals.  Organic Farmers are excellent stewards of the land and animals and those basic principals were crucial to developing a national organic program.  Because of a push by organic farmers, organic producers and consumers, Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) in 1990.  OFPA mandated that the USDA write regulations for certified organic operations based on the recommendations of an advisory board, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).  The NOSB is made up of 15 dedicated public volunteers from across the organic community and includes organic farmers, consumers, environmentalists, scientists and others who understand what is needed for an operation to be managed with organic systems.  It took years of work for the NOP to be developed and it was finally approved and implemented in 2002.  

During my first trip to DC in 2018, I got to know several of the other members of OFA.  During our conversations, I realized I was working with the pioneers of the organic movement.  They were the people who wrote and championed the NOP, the ones who worked for over 20 years to get the NOP through Congress. They own the farms that were the first “certified organic” farms in the country.  They created the first NOSB and many continue to serve on that board. They work with organizations all over the world to ensure consistent global organic standards.  They are passionate about organic methods and have given years of their lives to ensuring organic methods are consistently practiced.  They are also the folks who are the most heartbroken about the lack of enforcement by the USDA and the infection of politics and big agribusiness into the organic market. 
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So when we went to Capitol Hill, I knew we had the global organic experts on our team.  This was a nonpartisan group, focused on organic farming and helping organic farmers.  Two of our top priorities for our Congressional visits were:

Organic Integrity
Certified Organic Dairies are in Crisis!  Organic farmers want the USDA and NOP to increase the inspections of high-risk dairies that are not complying with the 120 Day Pasture Rule.  These huge high-risk dairies are flooding the dairy market with “organic milk” but are not actually providing enough pasture for their cows to graze.  Thus their cost to care for their cows is much less expensive then the certified organic dairies that are complying with the 120 Day Pasture Rule. This cheating of the requirements allows these huge dairies to produce their milk at much lower costs, thus dropping the price that organic dairies can get for their milk.  These unfair lower prices are often well below the cost to raise and care for organic dairy cows and many organic dairies have been forced to close their farms. 

No Soil, Not Certified Organic.  One of the crucial components of the NOP requirements is that there is healthy soil.  In 2010 the NOSB, by a 14 to 1 vote, recommended that hydroponic production not be allowed because it eliminates soil from the system.  Yet, the USDA and NOP have allowed some hydroponic operations to be certified as organic. 

Import Fraud
The Washington Post’s Article on Bogus ‘Organic’ Food from Sept 17, 2017 helped bring awareness to Congress and to the public.  This import fraud has caused a drop in crop prices, sometimes requiring farmers to sell their crops below their production costs.  On the NOP’s homepage they clearly state “We are responsible for developing national standards for organically-produced agricultural products. These standards assure consumers that products with the USDA organic seal meet consistent, uniform standards.”  In order to eliminate import fraud, several organizations, including OFA, successfully lobbied Congress to include Import Monitoring Systems in the 2018 Farm Bill.  More inspections are needed at our ports.  We now need the Farm Bill to be implemented in 2019 and the USDA and NOP to do their job.
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The demand for more organic food is fantastic.  People should eat healthy, chemical free food.  That demand has created more imported food from overseas and it has enticed the huge food companies to get into the market.  The results are our family farms are in crisis.  Big agribusinesses are finding loop holes in laws and still being allowed to label their milk, meat, and eggs as organic.  Imported grains and other crops are not being inspected by the USDA at our ports and are being allowed into our food system as “organic”.  We need to fight for the farmers who raise their animals humanely and grow their crops chemical free. These organic farmers ARE complying with the NOP to make sure they provide incredibly healthy food for us.  They need our help to get the USDA to enforce the NOP requirements consistently across the U.S.

Educate Yourself on Our Food System 
​Here are some great reads:

• Jim Riddle, past president of OFA, and an inspiring organic farmer, wrote an excellent article What is organic food and why should I care?
• Organic for All - In this peer-reviewed study, they compared pesticide levels in the bodies of four American families for six days on a non-organic diet and six days on a completely organic diet. Pesticide levels, on average, dropped by 60.5% in just one week when on an organic diet!
• Kristen Kimball’s book “The Dirty Life” shares her transition from living in New York City to living and working on a farm.
• Barbara Kingsolver’s book – “Animal Vegetable, Miracle” shares her family’s year long journey of eating locally and seasonally.  It is thought provoking, inspiring, and includes some great seasonal recipes.

Eat Local, Eat Seasonal 

• Eating seasonally means you are more likely to get the best tasting food available.  Tomatoes grown in the heat of the summer and vine ripened taste heavenly.  Tomatoes bought at the grocery store in the winter are pink, mealy and barely edible.
• Eating Locally means that food hasn’t had to travel far or be in a truck for days.  Most produce starts to lose its nutritional value as soon as it is harvested.  See if you can find produce grown in your area.  Small urban farms are popping up all over the country. .  Search online for farms and farmers markets in your area.
• Stop expecting perfect produce!!!!  Produce grows in all shapes and sizes and when it’s grown organically it may have a bug hole.  Appearance does not reflect the nutritional content or flavor.  Food waste at the farm level is primarily due to the fact that the produce isn’t a standard shape, size or appearance and the farmers aren’t able to sell it because it’s not perfect.  
• Look for the country of origin for the food you buy, especially the organic food you purchase.  Buying food from the United States supports our farmers, increases demand for local food and reduces the amount of food imported into the U.S. 

Be an Activist or Support Someone Who Is

• Ask your members of Congress and the USDA to stop import fraud of organic food and to enforce the dairy rules and soil requirements as outlined by the NOSB.
• Make a donation to the Organic Farmers Association or find another organization you can support that wants to provide healthy food for everyone.
• Vote with your dollars!  You can improve our food system today with your buying habits.  Read labels, buy fresh, buy organic, buy pasture raised eggs and meat, buy local.  Be mindful about what you eat, and where you eat. Ask restaurants if they buy from local farms and ask what items on their menu came from those farms. 

Cultivate and Grow Your Own Food 

• Grow herbs on your window sill.  Plant a garden.  Add vegetable plants to your flower beds.
• Don’t use chemicals in your yard or to kill weeds.  You are killing our pollinators, our wildlife and our water.
• Catch the spider in your bathroom and release it outside.  They are the good guys.
• Put up bat houses, toad houses, and places for wildlife to thrive.

Learn to share this planet and be part of the solution.  Consider The Great Law of the Iroquois when making a decision: “In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”   Let’s all be better stewards of this planet and all the things that inhabit it.  

12/26/18
 
According to the American Farmland Trust, approximately 175 acres of farmland in the U.S. are lost to development EVERY HOUR!  Picture a strip mall, where a Home Depot, Lowe’s or Walmart is located.  Those strip malls are between 50-200 acres.  In a large majority of them, a farm used to be there.  If we lose all our farmland to development, where will we grow our own food?  This is a State Department concern – food security.  Somehow, we need to support local farms, pay the real price it costs to grow healthy food, and stop selling and developing our farmland.
 
Now my farm is just one more statistic of the farmland lost every day. I was a farmer at Stone Coop Farm, a certified organic vegetable farm in Brighton, MI from 2011 until November 2018.  My business partner has decided to sell our land.  There are four subdivisions going up all around us and our property is zoned residential.  There are over 1000 single family homes being built less than a half mile from our farm.
 
Our last farmers market was on Saturday, November 24, 2018.  It was tough laying off my staff and saying good-bye to my customers and my community.  But for the past month I have been focusing on the logistics of closing a business and trying to define what the nonprofit portion of our farm will look like in 2019 and beyond.  I am great at seeing opportunities and possibilities at every situation thrown at me, so that has been where my brain has been for the last 4 weeks.
 
Recently I had to walk the real estate agent around the farm.  I had to show and explain how things were built, where the underground utilities and water lines are located, the idiosyncrasies of the heaters for the bathroom and office, why the motors on the hoop house sides were broken and why we chose not to replace them.  I also had to listen to talk about selling the hoop houses, renting the farm house as soon as we move out, building homes in our wonderful wild meadow and on our farmland, and how our barn would make a great home or studio.  Monetarily, our farmland is worth more as a development.
 
I understand the needs of my business partner to get some of the money back for all the investments he has made over the last 8 years.  But for me, this place was never about the money.  It was about the vision, the place, the community, the positive energy, the people.  Shouldn’t there be places on earth, shared and enjoyed, because they are needed?  Why does financial value seem to always win over everything else?  In the last 8 years, Stone Coop Farm has changed our community, our county, and our planet for the greater good.  We not only grew incredible food, we also provided a safe space for everyone:  old, young, disabled, healthy, weak, strong, rich, poor, straight, gay, Democrat, Republican, religious, atheist.  We were here to make a difference, to make the planet a better place, and to enjoy each other’s company.  That will be the biggest loss of this farm, our community.
 
I walked around the farm, giving the tour and remembered that my husband and sons built the pavilion. My husband fell off a ladder during that build and broke 3 ribs.  My family of four was living in a travel trailer on the farm for six months at the time and we had to try not to make him laugh while his ribs healed.  My entire family and many, many friends, helped me build this incredible place.  My family gave me thousands of hours of their time to help me at the farm.  They gave up weekends and vacations, so I could be here.  I know every inch of this place, all 30 acres.  I designed the layout for the farm, the root cellar and floor plan for the farm house, the work flow for the barn and spaces for events.  I had a long-range vision of what this could be.  So many memories.  I created a nonprofit in 2018 so we could buy the farmland and put it into a farmland conservation easement to ensure it would be a farm forever.  I had hoped that one day I could retire and pass this place on to the next generation of farmers.  It has been difficult to pack up all my belongings and leave this way.
 
So, here’s my plea.  Search out local farms in your area.  Do an online search or try www.localharvest.org  Buy food, produce, milk, meat, eggs, etc. directly from these farms.  If you have land, lease it to a small beginning farmer because they will take care of the land, not destroy it.  Buy food that is in season for your area.  Support farmers markets and talk to farmers to find out if you can visit their farm and to learn more about their growing practices.  Many farmers markets allow wholesalers to sell produce and act like a farmer, so talk to the vendors and verify they actually grew it.  Many of these wholesalers see the prices that the real farmers are charging, then undercut those farmer’s prices.  Educate yourself by visiting farms and/or growing your own food.  Don’t quibble on the prices the farmers are charging, it probably doesn’t even cover their costs to grow that food.  Over 60% of U.S. farmers work a second job to support their farms.  They need our help.  Don’t let our local farms and food systems die.

Many people come to the farm for the first time and say, “I had no idea you were even here!”  They express their delight in finding us with comments about the food, the land, the farm, the barn and so many other things.  It always makes me happy that folks enjoy being here, and I know a single visit will change their lives for the better.  It’s also a reminder that we’re a hidden treasure and we need to do a better job of letting our community know we’re here and what our mission is.  
 
We look forward to sharing all the hidden treasures this beautiful farm has to offer for many years to come. To learn more about Stone Coop Farm’s treasures, watch this video and go on a quick treasure hunt!

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Many people come to the farm for the first time and say, “I had no idea you were even here!”  They express their delight in finding us with comments about the food, the land, the farm, the barn and so many other things.  It always makes me happy that folks enjoy being here, and I know a single visit will change their lives for the better.  It’s also a reminder that we’re a hidden treasure and we need to do a better job of letting our community know we’re here.  
 
A Time of Transition, Gratitude and Excitement
Our transition to a non-profit working farm and learning center this year has been exciting and stressful.  I have learned way more than I ever wanted to know about the IRS and the 501c3 process, and I’ve had to wrap my mind around a new source of income – donations and grants.  What I didn’t know when I jumped into this venture was how long it takes to apply and receive grants, and how my messaging needs to change from “please support the farm” to “please make cash donations.” 
 
Another thing I didn’t know is that my time would be overtaken with paperwork, emails, fundraising meetings, event planning, etc.  My joy in being a farmer had to be set aside so I could figure out how to be an Executive Director, including creating a Board of Directors and bylaws, and moving forward with state and federal filings. As an employee of this non-profit, not an owner, I even had to write my own job description. I’m not gonna lie, this has been my toughest year ever.  But I am so incredibly excited about the future of this farm!
 
Lessons Learned and New Goals
My Blog from March 2018 – What Inspires You? explains my reasons for switching to a non-profit.  If I had to do it again, I would have given myself at least 12 months to have everything figured out before the big switch.  But I didn’t have that luxury. So here we are, eight months into the transition, getting ready for our  largest fundraising event, our Donor Dinner. For the past 3 years, this event has raised money to help new farmers attend Michigan State Organic Farmer Training Program. Now it’s time to raise money to save our farm.  We need $150,000.  It’s a gigantic task, but and I know we can do it. You can help by making a cash donation or attending our fundraising dinner Sept. 22.
 
We look forward to sharing all the hidden treasures this beautiful farm has to offer for many years to come. To learn more about Stone Coop Farm’s mission, watch this short video.

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.

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​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.
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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.

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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.