Circle M Farm

Too bad the lambs are just about too big to catch up and snuggle – they get cuter every day! Here are some shots of our little darlings… continued »

Our six winter lambs are growing so quickly and so well it’s a joy to pop into the little mama corral each morning and see how they’ve changed in 24 hours. Yesterday I noticed that Polly’s Pretty and Precious have developed little caramel-colored booties on their feet – just adorable! continued »

I like to tell people that I’m my sow’s baby daddy, but that’s really only half true. The other half, this year, is Tex. continued »

Several years ago I wrote a post (later published as an article in Farming magazine) called The Dangers of Book Reading that accurately blamed the authors James Herriot, Wendell Berry and Gene Logsdon for the romantic madness that inspired us to move from inner-city Chicago to this remote Wisconsin farm. But there were certainly more than a few farm visits, both before and after we moved here, that inspired us to further risky behaviors, most involving baby animals. Now I find that I’m gleefully on the giving end of such foolishness. continued »

Fresh snow and fresh lambs – what could be better!? continued »

Polly is at the end of a peaceful easy twin delivery tonight. We suspect she may yet drop one more lamb, so we’re checking on her every half hour or so. But she seems very perky and comfortable with her two beautiful, clean ewe babies I’ve decided are Pretty and Precious. When she delivers the long, ropey placenta, we’ll know she’s done. Pictures in the morning!

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 »

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 »