Building Burgundy Bee Farm
A farmstead is not built in a day, or even a year. It is a process by which we live and work towards sustainability for ourselves.
When we bought this farm in Fall 2021 we had big plans. Our first summer we raised 220 meat chickens, kept over 40+ egg layers, converted a 400sqft shed into our chicken shed, and started a 2500sqft garden, all while chasing after a 2 and 3 year old. We felt that we had to do it all at once to really get started. To say the least it was expensive, stressful, and we had many failures that year. The garden was covered in weeds and we had a poor harvest. Unfortunately, something had to give and abandoning livestock partway through the growing season just wasn’t an option. Something wonderful however came from this experience. We learned how much we could truly take on at a time and remain successful and enjoy the work. After all why bother doing something you don’t enjoy.
Year 2 we entered with a much more realistic expectation of what we could keep up with, as well as the prior years expenses and income information. I highly recommend keeping records, even if its just a bucket full of receipts to work through in the winter.
This year we downsized our laying flock to 26 hens and kept only the best layers and our favorite rooster. We raised 140 meat chickens early in the season so they could be butchered before the peak summer heat. The garden remained 2500sqft and received many improvements, including defining garden beds with 6” tall fence boards and mulching aisles to cut down on weeding. We also added an arched cattle pannel as well as a 4ft tall straight cattle pannel for more permanent and stable trellising. We ran hoses with quick connectors to make fulling livestock troughs, watering the garden and the orchard much more convenient.
One of the many wonderful things about homesteading is that your failures can teach you as much as your successes. We changed many day to day processes including the way we move and position feed around our farm, adding 3 large 30gallon capacity DIY waterers for the poultry and moving our compost pile to be centrally located without taking up garden space. We made sure that the annual vegetables we are growing are things that we could eat and preserve with minimal to no waste. Instead of planting random things, we considered how the garden would work as one unit of the farm as a whole.
If you are looking at starting a farmstead/homestead I can definitely say that it has improved our lives. The time spent outside comes with great satisfaction as you see your dreams take shape, the time breathing fresh air, listening to the wildlife all around, and getting in some exercise has been such a wonderful addition to our lives. As our kids grow they can be more involved in activities. It has taught me what is really important. After all the joy our girls get from gathering eggs is well worth the few that are broken in the process.
Despite still enjoying our TV time, we spend more time outside. Our routine in the warmer months is to get up, eat breakfast, and go right outside to start morning chores. We feed and water animals, collect eggs, weed the garden, harvest produce and play. Now I am not saying every day is perfect, some mornings we start chores late, have tantrums and struggle to get it all done. These are the mornings we are able to prioritize what truly needs accomplished and what can wait. The kids are the first priority, and one of our main drivers for moving to the farm in the first place.
As we progress through the summer of 2023 I am so pleased and proud of all we have accomplished, and excited to see what changes the coming years will bring.
