About Us
My husband Mark and I have a 21 acre farm in Kansas. We are currently raising quail and chickens and working to expand into many other areas as we create a sustainable lifestyle. We have a garden where we are utilizing the Ruth Stout method. We are 100% organic, non GMO and will be building a greenhouse and starting an Aquaponics system soon as well as experimenting with other methods of farming. Our property has a beautiful fully stocked 4 acre fish pond and a large hay field. We currently have 4 peach trees, that are growing.... Not thriving LOL, but growing. We will be trying some different measures to improve their growth and production level so we will record that process as well.
I grew up on a 1000 acre cattle ranch in Northern New Mexico. My father later leased additional land so our family had access to approximately 3000-4000 acres of land including our own. In the early years, my Dad bought, fattened and sold steers. He eventually launched into the cattle raising business and met with a lot of success in that area. My Grandfather and Great Grandfather were also cattle ranchers. My family, all 3 generations, primarily raised Santa Gertrudis cattle with some herefords and other breeds thrown in for good measure.
My parents also raised chickens. LOTS and LOTS of chickens. We had rabbits for meat, in addition to the elk and deer.
My Dad is the original survivalist. He hates amenities and is happiest when he's in the woods with nature. He even drove 800 miles once to buy a truck that didnt have power windows and door locks. To this day, he is off grid with a beautiful home at the very top of the Great divide.
My Mom has always had a garden since I can first remember, and raising a garden in northern NM where the elevation is over 7000 ft above sea level, is quite an undertaking. We had a coldframe full of strawberries and a freezer full of vegetables. I remember my Dad saying "knee high by the 4th of July" for corn and in NM, that is a good thing. In KS, if your corn is only knee high then you are doing something wrong. Here in KS, the corn is usually 5 or 6 ft tall by the 4th of July.
My Great grandparents were some of the original homesteaders in our small town in NM. My great Grandfather installed the first phone system in my hometown and strung the wires himself with the help of his sons, from horseback. My Great Grandmother was the switchboard operator.
My Great Grandmother also had a huge beautiful garden behind and all around her home. She raised peach trees, apple trees, plum trees, apricot trees, all above 7000 ft above sea level. Her entire backwall of her home was covered in a massive grapevine where she harvested grapes to make grape jelly. She had crabapple trees and many beautiful flowers and plants. In my mind's eye as a child, my Great Grandmother's home was like a piece of heaven with flowers and fruit growing everywhere.
I come from a long line of farmers, ranchers and gardeners. It has been my interest for many years and finally, we are in a position to launch our own sustainable farm and will be working hard to become fully self sustainable.
My husband's family are also cattle ranchers and farmers here in Kansas and have been, for multiple generations as well. So my husband also has many years and generations of farm and gardening experience in his background.
The entire time we have been married, we have been avid gardeners, and always used organic methods. At our home in Texas, we had these gigantic squash. The leaves were massive, bigger than any we've ever seen. We also had a rose bush that was absolutely massive. It had huge flowers and a wonderful scent. It was grown organically, thru soil management which will be a primary focus here on our little farmette.
We will be posting videos of our projects as they come to fruition so our visitors can learn from our mistakes and successes.
Currently, I am the controller for an equipment rental company where I oversee all the website management. I decided to take that experience and use it for this adventure.