I write this post on the first day of the new year, filled with more hope for the future than I have felt in some years. 2024 is best described as the year of "reconnection" to my farm and my life in the countryside.
However, this journey was looking very different a few months earlier.
In early September 2023, I was shopping in our local town when my phone started vibrating in my pocket. The caller ID read "sheep buyer." I felt anxious taking the call, as I had already endured one of the worst years on the farm. A severe drought had left the country with very limited supplies of winter forage, and the available forage costs were five times the normal price. I only had enough food to feed my current stock for six to eight weeks—far short of the five months needed. I had already made the difficult decision to drastically reduce my livestock numbers.
I answered the call, and the news was grim: there had been an outbreak of a sheep disease called "bluetongue," resulting in the cancellation of all sheep shipments into the country for the foreseeable future. What began as a bad situation had escalated into an absolute disaster. Thankfully, after a few weeks, the situation resolved itself and imports resumed. When the animals were finally loaded onto the truck, what I had anticipated as a devastating day turned into a mixture of relief for the animals that remained.
With very careful monitoring of feed over the winter, we survived and then proceeded to have one of the best lambing times we have ever had. This was not a lucky accident but a conscious choice of which animals remained behind. Some ten years earlier, we had bought our first Swedish Finewool Sheep, and they had slowly been building in numbers on the farm. I had been particularly impressed with their prolificacy (number of lambs), mothering ability, intellect, and ability to raise their lambs, and the amazing quality of their wool.
This also meant that we had made the first major step toward a sustainable circular farm business. The farm's focus had changed from commercial meat production to a fiber enterprise, with all of the wool now going to Reena's art studio. The reduction in sheep numbers had also given me more time to focus on other areas of the farm that could be utilized now that the sheep numbers had been reduced.
A seminar called "Northern Roots" in Tallinn at the end of January 2024 provided a deep dive into regenerative agriculture, with some of the leading pioneers from around the world sharing their experiences. This seminar happened at exactly the right time for me, as it reopened my mind to the possibility of other ways of running the farm business more aligned with my beliefs and values.
After attending the seminar, I concluded that if I were to continue with this farm, it needed to operate differently moving forward. The future business must not only be environmentally friendly but also enhance (regenerate) the farmland to combat climate change. Additionally, it should benefit all the animals on the farm, including wildlife, allowing them to live their best lives (a commitment we had already made with sheep production initially). Furthermore, the business should benefit the local community by providing access to nutrient-dense, healthy food. Lastly, it should demonstrate to others the possibility of growing their own food and the freedom that comes with it.
So, in the spring of 2024, I had some plans. Firstly, I wanted to start planting trees in the grasslands to offer shelter for the grazing animals, habitat and food for wildlife, and help to build more organic matter in the soils. For more information, you can listen to a podcast where we discussed this in detail here.
Secondly, I wanted to raise free-range egg-laying chickens on the grasslands by buying older birds that had been raised in more intensive indoor systems. Thirdly, I wanted to experiment with growing more vegetables in and around the polytunnels.
These were our initial ventures into agroforestry, pastured poultry, and market gardening. Our focus was on acquiring experience, encountering minor setbacks, and learning from them. Whilst I have a strong belief in theory, I hold that the core of learning is built through practice and observation.
After completing the first season, I was happily surprised at the community's interest in the pastured eggs. People not only liked the idea, but the eggs were actually really good due to the varied diet on the grassland.
This opened up the possibility to sell vegetables at the same time as people were coming to pick up the eggs. For me, this was a really important development, as previously on the commercial farm, our animals were exported, and we didn't have a link to the local community. This has led to many new ideas for the 2025 season.
I increasingly believe that genuine personal and business growth doesn't occur while you're comfortably seated or feeling content and at ease. It takes place during sleepless nights, in times of fear, and when you genuinely push yourself beyond your comfort zone to achieve success in living the life you want to live.
Until next time,
Matthew