Farm | Grass-fed vs. Grass-Finished vs. Pasture-Raised What the Label Really Means

Grass-fed vs. Grass-Finished vs. Pasture-Raised

What the Label Really Means

I think most people would agree knowledge is power. Our food system has done a really good job of disguising itself and today I want to take some time to give you a little more insight into what popular beef and lamb labels actually mean, it might surprise you how little information they actually give.

Grass-Fed

Grass-fed is probably the most over-used and deceiving label in the beef and lamb industry. This label essentially means that the beef or lamb you’re eating was fed grass or hay during SOME point of it’s life, often the beginning. This does not mean the animal was fed 100% grass and/or hay for it’s entire life. This label also doesn’t mean it spent any time eating pasture grasses. It could simply be ‘feed-lot’ beef that were raised on hay and later ‘finished’ on grain.

Grass-Finished

This label is your best confirmation that your beef was raised on 100% grass. This label can only be used when the beef or lamb was raised on grass and then ‘finished’ (brought up to final weight) on grass and/or hay. Grass-finished, like grass-fed, does not mean the animal spent time grazing pastures but at least you can be certain it was raised on grass alone. If you’re interested in the health benefits of grass-fed beef you’ll want to look for a label that says grass-fed and grass-finished beef, or ask your farmer.

Pasture-Raised

This label means that the beef or lamb you’re eating was raised on grass fields. It again does not mean it spent it’s whole life grazing lush fields (many pasture raised animals are still supplemented with grain) and it also doesn’t mean it was only fed grass and/or hay for it’s entire life. It simply means it spent some of it’s life on ‘pastures’ which is defined rather loosely. ‘Pastures’ can be overgrown fields or over-grazed fields so buying pasture-raised doesn’t mean that the animal got it’s nutrition from them, but it didn’t live it’s life in confinement so that’s a plus if you’re looking for a more humane burger.

Free-Range

Very few livestock are truly ‘free range’, meaning they can wander wherever there heart’s desire, at least that’s what you’d assume by this label right? This label is probably most common in the chicken or egg industry but I’ve been asked in the past if my cattle are ‘free range’ as well.

Let me assure you that the chicken or eggs on your grocery shelf didn’t come from chickens who were running around and laying eggs anywhere they please or pecking around an old farmhouse for grubs. It simply means (in most cases) that they had larger cages and were able to ‘move’ instead of spending their life confined to a cage the size of their bodies. So I guess the label is an upgrade but it’s likely not what you first assumed.

In my opinion it is not ‘best practice’ to let animals ‘free range’ due to predators and other hazards found on commercial or small scale farms. And this label in my opinion is as vague as the term ‘grass-fed’ or ‘sustainable’.

What Are You Actually Buying?

What’s the best way to know what you’re actually buying? Knowing your farmer of course, do I preach that enough?. If 100% grass-fed and finished is important to you, ask. If a humane life growing on green pastures is what’s important to you, ask. If knowing the animal was harvested in a humane manner is important to you, ask. The beauty of getting to know your farmer is that you’ll be confident that the product you feed yourself and your family fits the criteria you’re searching for.

Our cattle and sheep are raised on grass alone

Here at Homestead we raised grass-fed, grass-finished, pasture-raised beef. We harvest our animals on these pastures and my promise to you is to always be open to any questions about our practices.

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Floral | A Fall Wedding at Devil's Head Resort

A Fall Wedding at Devil’s Head Resort

Kate and Brad are two people that just beam with love for each other. They are also two of the kindest people I’ve had the pleasure to work with.

Kate and Brad met while studying at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and both have careers in agriculture. When this duo asked me to be their florist I couldn’t have been more thrilled.

They got married on a chilly fall day but these pictures speak to the warmth in their hearts for each other.

Congrats you two!

Vendors

Venue | Devil’s Head Resort

Photographer | cJefko

Farm | Why I Only Raise Sheep and Cattle

Why I only raise sheep and cattle

In the beginning I struggled with wanting to do ‘all’ the livestock. I wanted a diverse farm that would allow for multiple revenue streams and offer a more diverse lineup of meats to my customers. AND I honestly wanted pigs, ducks and horses just because I love them.

However, over the last year this mindset has done a complete 180. Now I’m committed to sticking with just sheep and cattle.

Why? Because, I can’t do ‘all the things’ and do them well AND Matt and I can’t live the life we want without keeping things simple.

I had to be Honest with Myself

This was the hard part, I had to get really honest with myself. I am the girl that loves ‘all the things’ when it comes to farm animals, I’m sure many of you can relate. So, I had to be honest with myself and what I can actually manage. I am a one woman operation, my husband Matt works off-farm with no plans for that to change. I also run other businesses that are completely un-related to my farming venture. So, the reality for me is I can only do so many things and do them well.

So, searching for livestock to add to my existing cattle operation was going to have to be ‘easy’ or I was going to have to say no. BTW ‘no’ is something I’ve had to become GREAT at over the last two years… if you’re not good at it here is your permission to say NO to adding more than you can joyfully handle. Farming is easier and more rewarding when you’re doing it from a place of ‘I’ve got this.’

Finding a way to diversify meant sticking within my existing system

My first love was cattle, they have been my passion from the beginning. While pigs, ducks and horses sound like a grand old time (notice I didn’t say chickens or goats ;)) these animals all require different facilities, feed and daily care than my cattle do. So, after getting honest with myself, I decided to start looking for livestock that would be compatible with the cattle I already had.

Back in high school I raised a couple market lambs and I really enjoyed their personalities. They’d follow me home after wandering away while I was at school, they were eager to engage me, and let’s be honest they were adorable. So, it was a slightly natural progression for me to look at sheep as a possible way to diversify.

Cattle and sheep are both ruminants

Like cattle, sheep are ruminants, meaning that they could both be raised 100% grass-fed. Awesome I thought, that made them similar enough to convince Matt to say yes to the addition, at least that’s what I thought.

After further research, when Matt needed more convincing, was that sheep and cattle tend to prefer DIFFERENT grasses. So, I thought this could help lessen the need for me to physically mow my pastures. Properly managed the sheep could do this for me. This was a huge BONUS for me, I have a lot of irons in the fire so reducing chores is something I look for in any situation.

Then I was down the rabbit hole and completely obsessive with finding all the ways they would be a good addition to the farm. I realized that the parasites in cattle and sheep are different, meaning I could co-graze them. Co-grazing, if successful, would eliminate my need for guardian dogs. Which I was hesitant to add to the farm because of our long-term goal of inviting swarms of people here.

So, what I’m trying to say through all this is that sheep were an easy addition to the farm. While we currently keep them in separate facilities the process of raising them for meat is the same. The sheep and cattle get rotated every three days, they both eat hay all winter, they don’t share the ‘nasty’ with each other, my pasture systems are the same and therefore I can focus my energy on growing great grass instead of adding to my chore list.

SIDE NOTE | Honestly, adding something as simple as barn cats (which I have) is yet another animal to feed and care for differently. For example I can’t keep cat food in the barn because we get coons. So, all my hay is in the barn but I have to go to the garage for cat food. It SEEMS insignificant but all those little differences make chores take longer.

Life off the Farm

Something else I had to consider was the lifestyle that Matt and I want to live. While Matt enjoys living ON the farm working IN the farm, especially with the livestock, is not his passion. So, I had to take a good look at what a practical ‘farm load’ was for us.

Matt and I enjoy travel, so designing a farm that would allow us to leave the farm was something I really had to consider. Keeping things simple for someone to step in while we’re gone is crucial to our ability to leave.

Since our sheep and cattle chore list is the same it’s much easier to have someone step in without too much effort or ‘know-how’.

A chore list for our farm looks something like:

Summer | move the animals to a new paddock in three days (which I can create ahead of our leave), give everyone water.

Winter | Throw x amount of bales and give everyone water.

OH, and feed the cats….

Pretty simple really and something that I can easily explain.

For a more diverse farm it could look something more like this (though I don’t have experience here so I could easily be missing things):

Summer | gather eggs, give grain - x amount to animal y and x amount to animal z, throw hay, give water

Winter | gather eggs, give grain - x amount to animal y and x amount to animal z, throw hay, give water

So, keeping things simple has really been the key to us being able to leave the farm. Perhaps you have more resources to get help, though I would be really honest about this. I have many local animal lovers who are always willing to step in but there is a line I’m sure where my eager help would be a much shorter list.

Keeping my farm focused allows me to support other small farms

The beauty I’ve found in keeping my own farm simple is that I can connect with other farmers who are doing different things really well. Instead of raising my own chickens I can support someone who’s passionate about raising meat chickens or eggs. Instead of raising the bacon I can ‘bring home the bacon’ from another local farm. Instead of raising my thanksgiving turkey I can purchase one from someone who loves raising those hideous creatures (sorry I have to keep things light and fun in such heart-felt posts).

What I’m getting at is by keeping your farm focused it allows you to form a beautiful community with other farmers around you. Do you have a customer looking for the best pork in the neighborhood? Now you can send them to someone passionate about raising their pigs to be delicious and I think that’s a beautiful thing.

My best advice

If you’re in this ‘alone’ and have limited resources (people, time and land) I’d highly suggest keeping things simple. From my experience (even as a do’er of ‘all the things’) keeping it simple on the farm has been the key to success for me. Maybe this looks like one type of livestock, maybe it means a couple, but being real with yourself will help you develop a farm you really love working in. For me focusing on doing one system really well keeps me sane and in the end keeps my product to the standard I desire.

Be really honest with yourself and I’m certain you’ll love your 365 days-a-year job.

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Renovations | Greener Pastures

The lower pasture is done!

Did I really just get to say that?!

To give you a little background if you’re new to the party, this spring our farm was the recipient of EQUIP funding - a grant program through the USDA. The grant was for establishing pasture on our 18 acres of tillable land. It was such an incredible blessing to receive the funding to grow our operation several years before I'd even dreamed it possible. I owe a HUGE thank you to Marie who continues to help me navigate these pastures as we work to restore grazing to this land.

establishing pastures

In April I worked with our neighbor Allen, to prep the lower 18 acre field for seeding. Last season it was a corn field so there were a lot of debris that had to be mulched in order for the seed to have a good chance at establishing. 

After the field was prepped dad and I spent a morning spreading our 500 pounds of seed using a broadcast spreader mounted on Lil' Blue (my tractor). It went smoothly except for one bump and a few band-aids... sorry dad...

It couldn't have been a much better growing season, calm and frequent rainfalls speckled with days of sunshine. It was about a week and I started seeing baby alfalfa, and by the end of the season the field had good establishment on all but the sandy hillside.

fencing

Fencing this farm has been quite a project and the lower field was no exception. Old fence-lines that hadn’t been touched in decades needed to be cleared, old posts pulled and well worn wire that needed to be removed. Then it was back to planting posts, only 1/3 of which however are wood posts. I decided based on advice from Marie that we’d use composite posts for the wooded areas. That way when a tree comes down there is a slimmer chance of having the wire and post break, making mending much easier. I did leave a small property line with t-posts that were in good shape and straight so I’m hoping that stays nice for many years.

On the lower field I on a high tensile wire fence instead of the woven. It’s a cheaper fence to install and without the risk of highway I felt good about trying something different. Another perk is that the high tensile fence really disappears so our view is wide open. Since this field is most of our view from the farmhouse I wanted to make sure and keep things clean and open as much as possible.

I’m so pleased with how things turned out and I’m SO anxious to get cattle out here next season!

Homestead | Reflecting on 2018

what a challenging and beautiful year

I always wrap up my business years with a little reflection. A little Profit and Loss analyzing is usually were I start, then it’s onto what can I do to market my business better, what worked this year and what was a complete fail. This year I sat down to do the same reflecting but came up with something much different than typical. The truth is 2018 will go down in my journal as the most exhausting year of my life. I made this year exhausting, in fact I pretty much designed it that way. I took on a lot of new and really exciting things, but in the end it was too much for me and too much for the relationships I cherish the most.

So this year I’m being honest and sharing what my third year in business really looked like.

I’m exhausted.

This past year I’ve felt like I’m in a constant state of complete exhaustion and complete ambition depending on the hour of the day, sometimes literally. It’s been an exhausting roller-coaster that I’m thankful for, but one I’m ready to be done riding. I knew that taking on our homestead fixer-upper, growing a farm, growing a floral business and maintaining my existing design business would challenge me. It certainly has.

I’m an ambitious planner

I’m an ambitious planner. Meaning I make decisions months or years in advance. I plan out all the details, run all the budgets, and set out to make it happen whatever the cost to my personal well-being. It’s not something I’m always proud of but it is definitely part of my personal signature.

So, in classic fashion since we bought this homestead I’ve found myself making huge plans and have been running in a constant state of mind of ‘being behind schedule’. A schedule that I’ve decided is do-able, but one that hasn’t gone as I’d planned.

I self-impose deadlines in everything I do. I have deadlines for business projects and personal projects. If ‘project’ defines the activity it has a deadline. Deadlines usually keep me ambitious but this year they also made me very anxious.

The first deadline this year was that the cattle had to get out on pasture. I decided they HAD to get out by early May so we could save some money on hay and take advantage of a full growing season. But before that could happen we had to clear land, build a fence and over-seed a pasture. I had a deadline of 2 months, it took us 5 and for a planner like myself it was completely defeating.

This year we received a grant, which was a HUGE blessing, but came with another deadline. This time it was an end-of-the-year deadline which had to be met to receive the funding. I had it perfectly mapped out to take two months. Again, it took three instead and our weekends just kept clicking away slowly and painfully for me.

Last December I brought home a brand new set of livestock, sheep, which required adjustments to our cattle facilities to accommodate them. There are a whole set of deadlines I imposed because I decided to make this addition.

I had thought we’d for sure be completing my floral studio because it would ‘only’ take a month of weekends to get that project done. BUT instead we’ve not started it because my other deadlines have left us without spare weekends.

And like I said before every project has a deadline, so you can sprinkle in handfuls of other deadlines that have surely been missed this year.

For a person who stays ambitious by making and completing projects by the deadline this became an overwhelming and emotionally exhausting part of my year.

Even in the exhaustion I still see that this year was beautiful

Though I’ve been running on empty for what seems like most of this season there are definitely some beautiful things that have come out of this year.

One beautiful thing is I’ve learned is my limits. I’ve always been one to have a lot of kettles in the fire, a constant planner and mover. I often thrive in this environment. I’m ambitious and it’s never come back to hurt me, until this year. So I’m thankful for a year that has pushed me to the limits so I know when too much is actually too much.

I’ve figured out what truly fills me up and what exhausts me. Finally figuring this out has allowed me to refine the direction of my business so I can better balance my ‘cup’ in the future.

It’s also been a beautiful year because people have chosen to love me through my ambitious deadlines and exhausted state of mind which isn’t a pretty one I can assure you.

I owe the success of this year to three beautiful people

Another beautiful part of this year was that my business doubled in sales, even in the midst of the chaos I felt. And I can honestly say it wasn’t me that made that happen. Sure, I’ve made some significant efforts towards growing this tiny business - but I’ve never had to work an entire season from with complete mental and physical exhaustion. If it wasn’t for three incredible worker bees I wouldn’t have been able to move the needle so significantly in my business. It’s because of these three people’s support that I was able to keep my enthusiasm for growing through the exhaustion.

Matt and my parents really deserve some recognition

While I stole every weekend possible to work on projects, stole Matt’s vacation time, aged my dad a few years (or he’d probably argue more like decades), and made unrealistic deadlines that left me frustrated and often unpleasant - these three people were there for me every. single. day.

Mom cleaned the house, took care of the dog, hopped in to do hay, cared for lambs, put her own renovation project on the back burner and loved me through it all.

Dad scheduled equipment rentals, gave away his working weekends for mine, baled hay, fixed equipment, and was there every weekend to help however he was needed.

Matt pounded posts, stretched wire, baled hay, dug holes, handled livestock and was understanding that his house was a mess, that there wasn’t food on the table and supported me when he too was exhausted.

As I reflect back I have complete gratitude and incredible amounts of shame for how hard they worked for ME and MY business. They made HUGE sacrifices for me this year, too many to note, all to see my business succeed. So I want to publicly say I’m grateful for their understanding, their ‘were in this together’ attitude, their continuous support, their self-sacrifice and their unfailing love for me..

Thank You

I also want to thank YOU. If you booked me for your wedding this year, if you bought beef or lamb from me this year, if you showed up to build fence this year, if you kept in touch with me this year, if you encouraged me this year THANK YOU. Thank you for supporting this dream and I look forward to serving you from a fuller cup next year.

Also, thank you to all the friends and family of mine for understanding that I’ve been in a season of not having much left in me to give. I look forward to spending 2019 catching up, staying present and investing in our relationship.

Thanks for being here!

Resources | My top list of the Best Resources for New and Aspiring Farmers

resources for new farmers

I haven’t been farming long, but in the last three year’s I’ve learned a lot about this industry through some incredible resources.

When I was starting out I was browsing the web, the library and blogs to find information on the subject of grass-fed farming. I’ve done a few things the slow way, and a few things right when it comes to growing my knowledge of this beautiful industry.

Today, I wanted to share with other aspiring farmers/newbie’s like me what I’ve used to grow in my knowledge of the food system, grass-fed farming and marketing. This post is tailored to those looking to produce grass-fed beef and lamb but many of these resources tie into multiple avenues of farming.

my top 10 go-to resources

• THE BEST thing I’ve done to further my knowledge is this… Get to know other local farmers doing what you’re doing. Whether someone interested in farming, a brand new farmer or someone who’s lived their whole life on the farm, you are each other’s most valuable resource. If you’re interested in farming or just beginning visit the farms of farmers who’ve been at it a while. Learn why they made certain decisions, what works in your region and what ‘good ideas’ you’ve found online are actually worth pursuing in your locale and which ones have failed. They will teach you more valuable stuff than you can ever find anywhere online.

• Attend local pasture walks - farm events - tours. I have experienced several USDA field days as well as grazing tours by Southwest Badger, and GrassWorks. Use these resources and opportunities to visit other farms, the best part is several of them are free!

• Your local USDA tribe. These people are incredible, get to know them!

  • These wonderful humans are well versed in sustainable agriculture and can often give you a list of some local resources for both education and funding.

• Your Extention Office - again these people are incredible resources and you can often find some valuable information online. It’s a good place to look for both farming resources but also business resources.

  • UW Extention Office

• YouTube - I can learn bits of information from a book, I learn a ton in person and somewhere in the middle is the beautiful world of YouTube. YouTube has given me glimpses into grazing systems used by farmers across the nation. While some of the information is location specific, I’ve found it very helpful to get a view into things like: rotational grazing, mob grazing, setting up a system, equipment to use for pasture division, and even how to renovate existing fields into thriving pasture. It can be an incredible resource.

  • If you’re interested I’m in the beginning stages of starting my own YouTube channel where I’ll be sharing some of the farm adventures here at Homestead. You can subscribe to follow the journey.

• Books

  • Grass-fed Cattle by Julius Ruechel

  • Books by Laura Lawson

  • Food Inc. (a good resource for understanding the food system we’re surrounded with today)

• Magazines

  • Graze

• Blogs

  • There are a number of farming blogs out on the world-wide-web that can be useful for learning how to set up your farm etc. There are not specific blogs I follow and I generally will skim quite a few to get multiple opinions.

• Marketing help - because once you have good products you need to actually sell them.

  • 3 Cow Marketing

• Squarespace - Now this is less of a learning resource and more of a resource to actually sell your product. I use Squarespace to power my website and I can’t say enough good things about it. I’m able to provide information on my farm, blog and also sell my product online. It’s a very powerful resource and with all the helpful how-to’s I’m confident it could be a good resource for you.

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Floral | September Wedding Inspiration

September Wedding Inspiration

Oh.my.goodness! It’s incredible the beauty that happens when vendors come together creatively. I’ve been honored to get to spend this year getting to know and work with some of Madison’s passionate wedding vendors.

Jamie with HYPE Event Planning pulled together some talent for this shoot and I think all of us stood back after set-up in AWE of what can be created by some talented people and a lot of passion for our industry. It’s a pleasure to share this shoot with you today and I hope you are inspired to seek one of these lovely people out for your special day.

A huge shout out to the following vendors

HYPE Event Planning

Chance Productions

Wild Elegance Photography

Velvet Rentals

Soha Diamonds

Blushing Willow Bridal

MJ Creative

Looking Glass Bakery

Floral | Vendor - HYPE Event Planning

vendor raves

One of the things that makes my job so fun is getting to know and become friends with some talented, passionate and inspiring vendors. Today I’m sharing one of these vendors with you.

my honest opinion of an incredible vendor

I met Jamie over a cup of coffee back in January after she opened her business HYPE Event Planning.

Jamie has a background in event planning and wanted to bring her skill of organization to the wedding industry. Jamie has spent her first year getting to know vendors, attending bridal events and immersing herself in the industry. She’s well connected, knowledgeable and a total gem to work with.

It’s evident to me after coordinating several weddings in her first season that she’s going to be someone people seek to work with.

I would hands-down recommend Jamie to you. I'm sure from the first time you meet you'll feel her genuine enthusiasm. So get HYPED about your wedding and get to know this girl!

Renovations | Our Barnyard Renovation

Our barnyard renovation

shaping the land

One of the things Matt and I love about landscape architecture is how shaping the land defines space and accents unique topography. This summer we had an excavator in to shape a lot of land at the homestead and we're thrilled with the results. We achieved not only functional space but a unique space shaped by the topography of our valley. #landnerdalert

Last year we excavated for our small livestock barn and I thought that made a huge difference. That difference pails in comparison to the change we experienced this season. The excavation work this year not only made a level pad for our hay/machine barn, it also made a level lawn area that will be Matt's ball field next season. The ball field was very important to Matt since we don't have a level spot anywhere in this valley.

The excavation really changed the land and made our barnyard much more dynamic, it makes us landscape architecture major's very, very happy. Our land design, grading and drainage systems have created a unique space and an interesting barnyard, one that is uniquely ours. It really has me itching to help with more master-plans, perhaps helping more farms create unique and functional space in the future.

our plans for the barnyard

We decided to go with a pure clover lawn around our barns to not only minimize our mowing and help my favorite honey bees but to add to the farm aesthetic. I'm absolutely crazy about clover (I'm driving Matt crazy) after visiting White Oak Savanna, a new venue in Dodgeville, and alternative lawns that feed my designer mind with a balance of beauty and function. Originally we were looking at no-mow grasses but I'm much more excited about the clover. I'm also excited to see some green around the barn that isn't weeds!

Along the slope coming down to our livestock barn we plan on adding some grape vines since again, we hope to have less mowing and would love some added agriculture production in the valley. 

our barnyard/land design inspiration

Inspiration Images Via Pinterest | clover lawn , barn, vineyard

our dreams for the ball field

While the barn will be used for storage we are hoping to make the 'ball field' into a grand space that perhaps someday we'd use for gatherings. While I have my eye on an underutilized garage for our farm to table dinners, I'm starting to think about all the possibilities for a future venue space. The Hayfield's and McCoy's ball field could be a perfect location to hold a larger gathering. We'll just have to see where this little business takes us.

Farm | Meat Delivered

What's better than locally raised grass-fed meat?

Local grass-fed meat delivered to your door.

What started with meal kit services has now stemmed into meat bundles delivered to your door on a weekly or monthly basis. If I'm honest I love this concept, what an easy way to shop for meat! However, I believe most of the options out there have missed the most crucial aspect of ordering grass-fed meats.  Knowing the farmer that raised it.

Why knowing your farmer matters.

As you've heard me preach time and time again knowing your farmer is the MOST important aspect of knowing the food that makes it to your dinner table is ACTUALLY what you think it is. Grass-fed beef at the local grocery may not actually be grass-fed the way you envision. It was likely raised in a feedlot like many other commercial cattle operations, not on pasture. Yes, grass-fed meats could be raised without ever having cattle on pastures, instead, they may be fed hay and forage out of feed bunks. Even some family farms may still opt to raise grass-fed beef in feedlots, not on pasture. The other misleading factor of beef is that beef that is labeled grass-fed may not be 100% grass-fed. Yes, you can label your meat as grass-fed and finish on grain.

So don't let those beautiful labels fool you, while some may be what they preach you can't trust it unless you know it. That is why I stress that knowing your food only comes when you know the farmer.

So now off my soapbox...

Homestead’s meat delivered to your door.

I'm just like you, everything I can order online I do and free shipping is always better. This is exactly why I've chosen to focus my farm on providing quality meats that can be conveniently ordered online and delivered for FREE to LOCAL doorsteps. You shouldn't have to choose between meat you know and the convenience of your grocery.

Only local doorsteps?

One thing that will never change is my focus on serving my local community. Sure there are ways to ship meat across the country, but that model isn't a good fit for me. I desire to serve my local community with the local, quality raised meats, where you could actually visit the farm where they are raised.

I personally deliver each and every package to keep your farmer part of your family. Personally delivering each package also keeps me connect to my customers who are the driving force behind why I farm.

Do you actually deliver for free?

Free delivery qualifies on orders over $75 for addresses within a 20 mile radius of the farm.

Here is where I get transparent. As the only full-time farmer here at Homestead it would be suicide to my farm to deliver every small order for free. Each online order is pulled, boxed, wrapped, labeled and hand delivered. While I LOVE delivering boxes I still need to focus my time on raising the meat in the boxes. So even if your order doesn't qualify for free shipping you can get your beef delivered to your door for only $10. This small fee helps pay for the time it takes to process your order and get it to your doorstep.

Floral | How to Find the Right Wedding Florist

Photo by | Silverlight Photography

 

finding the right florist

In the world of weddings you will never run short of options when it comes to vendors. However, this can make your life rather overwhelming when it comes to choosing the right vendors for you. Not every vendor is going to be a perfect fit and your florist is no exception. In the world of wedding flowers there are incredible vendors each specializing in a specific style, fitting a specific budget and only a few will be able to give you exactly what you've been dreaming of. So what should you ask yourself and look for when searching for the right florist for you?

Determine your style

This is probably the hardest part of the process, seriously. Thanks to Pinterest it's hard to narrow down your unique style and overall vision for your floral styling. There is an abundance of options but only one option will speak to you, your event and your floral vision. Once you determine your floral aesthetic you can better search for your perfect florist.

To start you will want to determine if your style is traditional, loose and organic, formal, garden-inspired, bohemian, etc. Arm yourself with some images, then when you browse a vendors website you will better be able to determine if their style fits yours.

Start Your Search Early

I really can't suggest this one enough. Vendors book fast and you'd hate to lose your perfect florist because it was last on your list. The earlier you can get in touch with your dream florist, the better off you and they are. It gives you and them more time to figure out the details, and they are more likely to have your date available.

Ask for recommendations

Ask your friends and family if they have any recommendations, likely you've been to a wedding recently, did you like their flowers? If so, reach out and ask them who they worked with.

Did you book a photographer, a venue? These vendors probably have a few florists to recommend. If you ask another vendor you can get a very intimate recommendation and a good place to start your search.

Schedule a Consultation

One of the best ways to find the right florist is to sit down with them to discuss your vision. Make sure you've established if you like their style first, it's a waste of your time and theirs if they don't have a portfolio that matches your vision.

Do you feel understood after you meet with them? Did they seem to grasp your vision? Did their recommendations improve your vision or solidify you're on the right track? Meeting someone is gold, for you and your vendor. If you aren't a good fit it will become obvious to the both of you at this point.

Don't be offended if a florist guides you in another direction. Remember you're after your perfect fit and if they feel someone can better service you vision appreciate their honesty, they may lead you directly to the florist of your dreams!

Do you Love their Online Portfolio

Take the time to really browse through a florist's website. Look through their image galleries, do they make you swoon? Not every gallery has to speak to you but does one really jump out? Mention it to them when you meet, it's a good place to start a conversation, especially if you're looking for some guidance.

***Now I'd hate for you to get tied up in the 'serviced before' rat race put out by so many online lists but you may find your venue in your dream florist's portfolio. This is incredible if you can see their work in your venue. Keep in mind florists don't share every event they've done in their portfolio online, so you can also ask if they have any images tucked away from another wedding at your venue. It may be able to give you a good idea of their previous work in the same setting. However, with the number of venues available for florists (and other vendors) to service don't get tied up on if they've serviced your venue in the past. While it may be the cherry on top many newer, yet quality vendors, are still working their way through the hundreds of venue options in your area.***

Is your budget in line with their service costs?

Are you looking to spend $1,000 or $40,000? This question may be the most important one you can ask yourself. Some florists will share a rough starting point on their website, others may not share at all. If you can find pricing on their website you may be able to rule them in or out quickly. If you love their work and it isn't shared on their website, a simple email to them explaining your budget will allow them to respond if they can service your wedding in your desired budget.

When it comes to floral you can quickly narrow your search by being honest about your budget.

Are they able to accommodate your delivery/set up needs

If you're looking for a full-service florist make sure you ask about delivery/set up. Is your venue open the day before, is it the morning of? This may make a big difference on what your florist is able to accommodate.

A lot of florists will book a couple weddings a weekend, some will only book one. Your florist may have a team which allows them to service more weddings per weekend or it may just be them. If they typically service more than one you could also ask if there is a separate 'minimum' that gives you the ability to exclusively book them (if it's a smaller vendor).

If your event is out of town are they willing to travel? Are there extra fees for traveling out of their area? What would a delivery/set-up look like if they are traveling? Again, if they need to travel out of town be prepared to have a higher minimum if they typically book more than one wedding per weekend.

Booking your florist

When you find your perfect fit, don't hesitate to book them. Some florists may hold your date for a time while you decide, but some florist are on a first-come-first-served basis. Florists get inquiries frequently so don't hesitate too long or they may assume you've gone another direction. If you're serious about booking them and have a few details to figure out, stay in touch. Communication with your vendors will help them know how serious you are about working with them.

I really hope this helps

There are many things to consider when hiring your florist but hopefully this list gives you a good basis to start your search. I wish you all the best in finding your florist!

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Floral | Vendor - Relax Event Planning

vendor raves

We all want to make planning a wedding simpler, more fun and to work with incredible and honest people to make our the vision come to life.

When I, as well as my friends, were in the midst of planning our own weddings I started to notice a common theme. We all ended up endlessly scrolling through wedding websites wondering about more than the price of a vendor, but if we could trust them.

The benefit of being immersed in the wedding industry is that vendors get to know one another on a very intimate level, and there is a ton to be said about these deep relationships we build. We know what we can expect from each other, so when a vendor offers a recommendation it's probably a pretty dang good one.

Since I happen to be on the tail-end of the planning I never get to give much of a recommendation of some vendors that I find incredibly talented, honest and completely in love with helping you make your special day dreams come to life.

So, starting today you'll start hearing more about some incredible ladies making my job in the wedding industry so much more of a team atmosphere and helping people like you create a beautiful day.

my honest opinion of an incredible vendor

First on my list for some incredible reasons is Amy at Relax Event Planning. I met Amy back in February of 2018 over a mimosa and some delicious cupcakes to discuss a styled shoot. Amy is one of those people that radiates a love for this industry. 

If I can say anything about this girl it's that she's the real deal when it comes to planning. Amy is incredibly organized, has relationships with quality vendors and has impeccable taste to go along with her enthusiastic personality. 

Amy is a planner at heart, she's be planning events for years so it shouldn't be much of a surprise that this budding entrepreneur is making waves in her first year. Her knowlege of coordinating events large and small is very evident in her work, she's a coordinating queen.

I would hands-down recommend Amy to you. I'm sure from the first time you meet you'll feel her humble nature and her genuine love for making your special day uniquely yours. So relax ladies and leave the stress of the planning to Amy.

Floral | Badger Wedding at Union South

a big, beautiful, badger wedding

I just can't get enough of Stephanie and Dan's July wedding, do I say that a lot?! How lucky am I to get to be a part of such special moments?

 These two lovebirds met online and it was a quick badger romance. The two tied the knot at Union South in Madison, Wisconsin, a beautiful venue right in the heart of campus. From the backdrop of dusty blue bridesmaid dresses to the mini flower girl bouquet I fell in love with creating the florals for this incredible couple. It was my absolute pleasure to bring their floral dreams to life.

Venue: Union South | Photographer: Larissa Marie Photography

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Renovations | Celebrating One Year at the Homestead!

we're celebrating one year

It's absolutely crazy to me how fast time flies; and when you're working hard it seems to go by even faster. Today we're celebrating one very busy, beautiful, challenging and exciting year here at the homestead. 

 we owe 1,000 thank you's

So many of our incredible friends and family have lent a hand this past year. From pulling out carpet and cleaning our house on closing day, to the seemingly endless post setting, we wouldn't be where we are today without the incredible sacrifice of our people.

So, I want to publically thank, my mom and dad, who spent nearly every moment working alongside us over the past year; you've been the best neighbors. Matt's parents, Rex and Becky for helping us paint over the awful yellow that first week and helping with electrical, plumbing, fencing and bringing us meals.

We also owe a huge thank you to the incredible people that volunteered their precious time to help us with our dream... Jarrett, Elise, Morgann, Kaleb, Erin, Joe, Ross, Danielle, Ricky, Grandpa, Sarah, Bethany, Tim, Jack, Jesse, Ricky and Phil.

We couldn't have done this without you lovely people!

we're reflecting on the progress

Though our to-do list is still long (and continually growing) we are so blessed to be living in this place. I find it incredibly rewarding to scroll through the pictures to see how far we've come and I hope you'll enjoy taking a peek at this last year's progress as much as I have. I must say scrolling through so many photos was almost as overwhelming as the amount of work we've done.

*while I had every intention to get nice before and after's, my desire to get my dirty hands on my camera was not... so I apologize for the blurry, nasty phone pictures*

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our farmhouse remodel

We pulled all the carpet out of the house the day we moved in, along with all the furniture that came with the house, there was literally dishes still in the cabinets. The previous owner had cats which make me a sobbing, red-faced, sneezing mess. We also both prefer the look and cleanliness of a hardwood floor, especially on a farm, so the carpet HAD to come out. Our living room remodel is underway and perhaps in the next year we can prioritize the house again and finish her out. We will be refinishing the original douglas fir floors and installing a blackened wood wall and new fireplace surround at some point along this journey. We also might have a chance to upgrade the college couch and buy our first living room furniture together.

When we pulled carpet upstairs we revealed some original pine floors that were of course painted, which was exactly what we were expecting. We knew we'd refinish them someday but someday became the day after closing when we realized how bad the master bedroom floor was peeling. Fast forward 40 hours and we were ready to finish the floors in the master bedroom and move our mattress off the living room floor. We decided to paint one of the back bedroom's floor instead of sanding it down for the sake of time and the bigger picture, it will become a bathroom in the coming years. The other bedroom we stripped, sanded and finished to match the master.

We still have trim to finish and some 'cozying' up to do but they're coming along beautifully.

We've had several demo days around the homestead, but I'd have to say I think demoing our basement was my favorite. When we first walked into this basement seven months prior to our closing the smell got my attention right away. I can see through the dirt, grim and chaos but man, that smell stuck with me. So, instead of a cosmetic upgrade we were demoing to completely redo the space and to take that nasty smell out.

After months of contemplating how to best use the space, gathering inspiration images and finalizing a plan for permits we were ambitious and ready to get our hands dirty. Let's just say we got our hands, face, clothes and every part of our house dirty in the process (there may still be residue of concrete dust in the closets and cabinetry throughout the house but I'm not ready to look)...

This was our first time doing, well, most of this type of work. We learned A LOT along the way and I think we can both say we were challenged far more on this project than almost anything we've come across in life to this point.

I'd love to say the space is done, but we're happy with the progress we've made. This winter we'll wrap up the mudroom and those last pesky details like hardware on the kitchen cabinets in the apartment.

While most of our time has been focused on the house and other homestead projects we have done a few personal 'yard' projects. This spring we planted a hedge of aronia to define our yard boundary. We're planning on a full 'orchard' and fruit field between the aronia and the lower red garage. We have BIG plans for the red garage and having it surrounded with an orchard fits our vision for the space. While our aronia hedge is 'floating' in the lawn right now we love that this space is becoming more than yard space.

We also removed a huge patch of raspberry and weeds in our front yard. Less mess when we arrive home is so rewarding and we're loving the little difference.

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homestead projects

While the house projects have come a long way, it's really the homestead that's made the biggest change.

Last fall we built our livestock barn, it's already getting tight and we're anticipating an addition next season (I have a problem with bringing too many animals home). 

Obviously one of our biggest projects here at the farm was clearing for pastures. While this  place was once a sheep farm with clear rolling hillsides, over the last 30 years it's become a tangled mess of invasive species. Fences are in, animals are grazing and we'll wait to finish up the clearing until the snow flies.

Excavation for next year's hay/machine barn is also complete! With the new barn excavation we got one of our two 'trout' ponds filled in and will be making it into a ball/game field

As you may remember we were selected for a USDA grant this past spring to help us seed and fence our 18 acre field. It's definitely greened up nicely (ignore my ragweed, I'm working on that ;)) and this fall we'll finish up the fences.

looking forward to the coming year

This coming year we're hoping to slow it down a bit. While we have several projects we'd like to do we're going to slow the deadlines for the sake of getting some rest and enjoying this beautiful valley. Things are finally workable so soon we'll be focused on getting things 'prettied' up, and I think we're both looking forward to that.

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Floral | A Tansy Hill Farm Wedding

stacy + art

There is something so special about getting a request to do the floral for an old friend's wedding day.

Stacy and I met when we were both living in our college dorm, working towards acceptance into the College of Design at Iowa State University. Stacy was a few doors down and was pursuing her dream of being an architect, myself a landscape architect. 

When Stacy contacted me about her wedding flowers I just had to say, YES! 

Stacy and Art were planning on getting married at her parent's resort in northern Wisconsin, what a beautiful place to say I DO! However, after years of trying to sell the resort, her parents got an offer to purchase just a few months prior to the big day. Stacy took the change in stride, and with the change she found another gorgeous venue spot, Tansy Hill Farm in Wausau. This barn was gorgeous and came with chickens and all, outside in a pen of course.

Stacy had an incredible vision for her flowers. Touches of lavender to match her bridesmaid dresses, something loose and organic, with a good balance of greenery and blooms. I knew when I said yes to being her florist she'd have impeccable taste and I let her give all the guidance for the final bouquets. We found great substitutes to give her the look she was after using blooms that were in season. I have to say I have all the heart eyes for the way these bouquets turned out!

So, congrats to Mr. & Mrs. Adams, thank you for giving me the honor to create the blooms for your special day!

Thank you Silver Light Photography for the gorgeous photos!

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Farm | The Great Release

and just like that...

... the 'big boys', AKA anyone over 300 pounds, is out on pasture! Sure we've been working tirelessly since March on getting critters out on the green grass (no it wasn't green in March but we were anticipating the green-up!) but it always seems that when you look back on the work, you forget how much work it really was. I'm counting on forgetting the work it took to put in these pastures by September when round #2 comes along.

Today we released the first four including our biggest troublemaker Sampson (though our little ewe lamb Ellie is giving him a run for his money) out to graze. In an effort to keep everyone from over-eating we let them out on the lesser value grass as too much of a good thing too fast can cause some major issues. So when we transition each spring from hay to lush pasture we do it slowly, so no one has tummy problems, I can talk like that being a cattle mama too, right?

We're on schedule to get the littles out next week so that we can celebrate the fourth with no work. I'm also planning on getting back to making dinner, cleaning the house, wedding my garden and going on bike rides with Matthew.

Renovations | Spring on the Farm

what will be the upper cattle pasture

the lane before...

the lane after...

lots of prickly ash and plum to work through

when you try and get a photo to share and your family photo bombs...

piles and piles

Matthew makes this job much easier

more and more plum

the cattle lane

string lines for straight lines...

our seed is coming in nicely

here's a past due farm update...

Like most farmers in spring, we're BUSY! So I figured I'd take a rainy day and write about what's been happening the last few months here at Homestead.

To put it simply we've been working on finding our pastures again...

When we bought this farm it hadn't seen livestock for at least 30 years, old pastures had grown in with woody and invasive species and were definitely in need of some major maintenance. In March we put our personal basement remodel on hold to get back to the farm projects. There was a lot of clearing to do to get animals grazing again.

I still can't believe how quickly the months around here fly by. We spent the last two months clearing fence lines in preparation for running our new fences. We seeded down areas that were cleared in hopes of establishing grass faster than weeds. The seed is coming in quite well but we definitely have some honeysuckle trying to make a come back... so now you know one of my tasks for the next week.

But as slow as it sometimes seems things are moving right along... Last weekend we proudly placed our first posts and mapped out the 152 (ish) posts left to place. It's a daunting task and it was probably a bad idea to calculate the time to finish placing posts. If you're wondering we have 40 hours of post pounding left to go....

After posts are in we'll start stretching wire and we're hoping to have everyone out of the dry lot by mid-June (I'm not going to mention, or maybe I am, that our first goal was mid-May). All in due time I suppose...

With an increasingly muddy cattle and sheep yard I'm more than ready to conquer another busy weekend to get these creatures out on our lovely greening pastures. This Memorial Day will be slightly less relaxing than previous years but a brat or three is still on the weekend to-do-list. I hope you also have a chance to get out and enjoy a brat this Memorial Day weekend!

Farm | Reflecting on Our First Lambing Season

Twins, Cain and Eva

Clyde learning to nurse

Mama and Eva

Cain

Cain and Clyde became fast friends

Testing out those three day old legs with hops!

King of the 'Mountain'

Our first lambing season

a season of learning

I learned a LOT this lambing season. I had never witnessed a lamb birth, or a birth of any animal for that matter, prior to welcoming these babies home. I was a typical mama and worried about them, did everything I knew to do to care for them and enjoyed how quickly they began to grow. I'm thankful for our eight healthy, spunky and sweet lambs that are making me smile each day.

It's rather funny really that I only witnessed the birth of two lambs when I spent an entire week on the homestead waiting and watching for them. I guess I wasn't needed as much as I'd thought. 

Everyone was healthy except for Clyde who was born on a cold day and ended up with pneumonia. So, I can check off my first vet visit with a baby lamb (I enjoyed the snuggles at the vet more than he did). He recovered quickly and is the largest of the Homestead lambs. 

I owe a ton of thanks to the incredible vets at Country View Equine who answered a plethora of questions. I also owe a HUGE thank you to my cousin Sarah joined me at the farm for a few evenings to teach me banding and tagging. In a couple years I'll be a professional at this right?

personal reflections

1. Making cute lamb jackets was a complete waste of time, the mamas tore them off and a couple of the lambs were too big for them. A simple sheet of fleece with leg holes worked much better.... but definitely not picture worthy.

2. Even when I thought I'd need to assist a ewe, she had it perfectly under control, next season I need to trust they've got it.

3. There isn't anything much cuter than a lamb learning to be mischievous, I'm looking at Cain as I write this...

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introducing Homestead's eight

Cain

Clyde

Clark

Calvin

Eva (named after my great grandmother)

Elsie

Emma

Ellie

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they really do grow too fast

I'm still blown away by how quickly these little ones learn to walk, hop and play. Each lamb was trying to stand within minutes of being born and was up walking around and feeding within an hour. Now approximately two weeks old and they're showing off their high jumps. 

I promised some video this season so here it is, my favorite part of these littles is watching them play.

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I'm learning to be flexible

This lambing season I learned I'm going to have to be flexible (five of our eight lambs were born within 24 hours and we had to make-shift lambing pens for them) and learned I shouldn't worry so much. I'm grateful for an easy first lambing season and look forward to watching these babies grow.