Circle M Farm

I like how the animals share. Here’s Petunia with Lacy, Macy and a pretty little hen. continued »

Yeah, we have a fair amount of medical mysteries here on the farm, but we have an equally bewildering share of straight-up mechanical mysteries. Tonight, for instance, my husband Shannon headed off to a parents’ meeting at the high school, only to find himself facing down three large steers at the end of our drive. Our steers. continued »

Cricket birthed two tall healthy lambs yesterday afternoon, a boy and a girl, which makes 4 for 4 by my pregnant gals out in the field. Petunia and Cricket, the first of my ewes to deliver in 2010, both had their twins without help from me, and both got the babies nursing without any trouble as well. Now, this is what lambing season should always be like! continued »

The winter’s most important, time-consuming and thrilling project here on the farm has been the construction of our greenhouse. continued »

I know as a vegetable farmer I should absolutely detest the long months of winter, but I come to love it more and more as the season plods on here in Wisconsin. continued »

Yesterday morning when I went to the front pasture to sprinkle some grain on the snow, I was greeted with the familiar stampede of sheep running toward me, the crush of warm fluffy bodies around my knees and the low baaaing of their impatient search for the sweet treat being trampled underfoot. But the normal hullabaloo was followed by a darling surprise – the two tiny voices of two tiny lambs frantically straggling after the herd and bleating like crazy for their suddenly absent mama. Hooray and welcome to the first Circle M babies of 2010! continued »

Even though we’ve got a gorgeous fluffy foot of snow on the ground, we notice the days are already longer and the increased sun is making a difference in our energy and focus. Time to inventory seeds, order anew and devise a planting schedule! Hard to believe this point comes in the “dead” of winter, but really as soon as the solstice passes (this year’s shortest day was Dec 21) and the light changes, we find that while our bodies still crave the rest that winter brings, our minds are slowly awakening to a new year in the gardens. continued »