Time to Wrap It Up

It’s the end.

The end of the outdoor growing season.

The end of the Farmers’ Market.

The end of the Ag blogging challenge.

(okay, I realize that was supposed to be yesterday…but…I really wanted to say one more thing)

With all this stuff ending, you might think that it’s time to take a vacation, a break, or go into hibernation. That always sounds good, but after about 2 days I’m ready to climb the walls and starting to lose my mind. So…no.  No hibernation. No vacation or long break…

While we may have reached the end of the season.  We really haven’t reached THE END.  That is only reached when we decide to quit some venture…or, I suppose…we eventually die. (now, that sounded pretty depressing.  sorry)

The “off-season” is just the next stage in the cycle of this thing we call Life.  Things are slower (and colder) but we definitely do not just sit around and wait for the next season.

The end of the growing season means it’s time to review the past season, looking for successes and failures, making notes for the upcoming season and asking the hard questions about what we want to do in the future.  Because, despite what some might think, we really do need to turn a profit doing this whole “farming thing”.  There is a very real need for cash, even though we do grow most of our own food.  While I must admit I haven’t tried it…I’m pretty sure I can’t go to the gas station and pay with vegetables.  And, I am almost certain that the county wouldn’t accept lamb chops (even a whole lot of lamb chops) for our annual real estate bill.

 While the Farmers’ Market is closed until Spring, there is a whole lot of work that goes on during the “off-season” behind the scenes to assure that next year provides another great season for all those involved.

And, even though the Ag blogging challenge has come to an end, it doesn’t mean the end of Ag blogging.  Those who write about food and farming and all those issues involved in Agriculture will keep writing and working to provide for all those who are not directly involved in Ag.

But, it’s time to wrap it up and say THANK YOU!

Thank you to all our great customers who support us in so many ways.  Not only do they buy our products, but they keep us encouraged and motivated.

Thanks to all involved with the Market for the opportunity and atmosphere that make our efforts such a success on Saturday mornings.

…and thanks to Holly Spangler for providing the blogging challenge. It’s always interesting to see what other bloggers are doing and to learn new things. Thanks to all those bloggers who write about their own experiences and the issues of Ag.  This is informative and educational and often downright inspiring.

Then, there’s YOU.  Thank you for reading!  Thank you for commenting.  I hope that you have found something of interest in the past 30 days.

This isn’t the end…it’s just a pause as we head to the next stage in this thing we call Life.

I know there are far more than 30 lessons from here on the farm. (believe me, there are a WHOLE lot more)

I’ll be back soon with some of them.

Did you miss the link to the Blogging Challenge?  Here it is one more time.

Agriculturalists Who Influence: The Series

• Day 1: Introduction
• Day 2: Jim Evans
• Day 3: Becky Doyle
• Day 4: David and Nancy Erickson
• Day 5: Katie Pinke
• Day 6: Joe Hampton
• Day 7: Noreen Frye
• Day 8: Carolyn Olson
• Day 9: John and Kendra Smiley
• Day 10: Colleen Callahan
• Day 11: Neil and Debbie Fearn
• Day 12: Martin Barbre
• Day 13: Pam Smith
• Day 14: Jim Esworthy
• Day 15: Erin Ehnle
• Day 16: Al Somers
• Day 17: Tom Carr
• Day 17: Tom Carr
• Day 18: Russ and Marilyn Rosenboom
• Day 19: Matt Lloyd
• Day 20: Max Armstrong
• Day 21: Steve Foglesong
• Day 22: Sharon Spangler
• Day 23: Scott and Shantel Beck
• Day 24: Bob Easter
• Day 25: Mike and Lynn Martz
• Day 26: Sara Wyant
• Day 27: Philip Nelson
• Day 28: John Block
• Day 29: Gregg Sauder
• Day 30: Linnea Kooistra

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30 Days Bloggers

• The Pinke Post: 30 Days of Women in Agriculture
• Standing out in the Field: 30 Days of Faces Behind Your Food
• Prairie Californian: 30 Days of Food
• Becoming Texan: 30 Days of Texas Panhandle Agriculture
• AgTechTalk: 30 Days of Ag Tech           
• Sowing Bountifully: 30 Days with a Small Town Girl on a Big 10 Campus
• Mackinson Dairy Farm: 30 Days of Dairy
• Cows, Corn and Communications: 30 Days of Dairy Farm Life Blessings
• Morning Joy Farm: 30 Days of Agriculture – The Agriculture Book List
• Holbrook Honey and Hop Yard: 30 Days of Preparation for the Future                
• Minnesota Farm Living: 30 Days of All Things Minnesota Agriculture
• Beyond the Pasture: 30 Days of Lessons I Learned on the Farm
• Kellie for Ag: 30 Songs about Raising Cattle
• Homestead Hill Farm: 30 Days of Lessons from the Farm
• Montana Stockgrowers Association Blog: 10 Things to Know About Beef Cattle
• Country Girl Creations: 30 Things I Want My Farm Girl to Know   
• Life of a Future Farmer: 30 Days of Thoughts of a Future Farmer           
• Black Ink Blog: Nice to Meat Ya: 30 Days of People You Ought to Know in the Quality Beef Business
• Farver Farms: 30 Days of Dirt Roads
• Carolyn CAREs Blog: 30 Things I Love
• Confessions of a Suburbanite Agvocate: 30 Days in the Life of an Ag Comm Student
• The Velvet Farmer: 30 Days from the View of a Agriculture Student
• Agriculture: A Way of Life: Series Name
• Cox Farm: 30 Things That Farming Has Taught Me
• Walking the Off-Beaten Path: 30 Days of Farming: It's a Balancing Act   
• The Magic Farmhouse: 30 Days of Illinois Farms and Food
• The Farmer's Wifee: 30 Days of Farm Thanks
• Pannill's Gate Farm: 30 Shades of Grey
• AgChat: 30 Days of Advocacy and Social Media

And, if you missed my posts, you can find them all here.Lessons from the Farm - the challenge.

Lessons Learned:

There are a lot of lessons. (yes, I did say that on day one)

A lot of work goes on in the “off season”.

There are some amazing and inspiring...and very hardworking...folks out there!

The end of one thing is just the beginning of something new.

 

a new day dawns