Family Picture Night 2024
It's been two years since our last pasture picture, as our family calls them. Since then, our family has grown by five, so I believe it's high time! But first, just a little nostalgia...
Author: Edwin Shank
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Rodrick & Jeanette are moving to Colombia, South America
Good morning Family Cow friends, Today I have some news that's a bit personal, but it only seems right that you should know. Our oldest son, Rodrick, with his wife, Jeanette, and family are planning to move to Colombia, South America next month. Yes, you heard right. Colombia South America. Just above the equator. We still can hardly believe it either :) Our church conference is starting a new congregation there at the request of local Colombians asking for a Biblical church and faith community. But it's also located on the border with Venezuela, so a big part of their work will be to help relieve the ongoing Venezuelan refugees crisis. This new congregation, "Amigos del Prójimo" (Friends of the Neighbor), is located near the border town of Cúcuta, Colombia. Jeanette grew up in Guatemala, and Rodrick has spent time there so both of them are fluent in Spanish and understand the Latin American culture. For this reason, Dawn and I were really not totally surprised that the mission board thought of them when looking for families to establish the new church plant. Their combination of skills and cross cultural experiences made them seem a natural fit. But that did not exactly make giving them up any easier! We are still working on that process! Here are a few pictures from the area near Cúcuta. Distributing meals to the homeless... Música, anyone? 😉 I'm not sure what the point of this car was, but Rodrick said they heard it coming from several blocks away... Checking out the countryside... Sofia with a new little friend Exploring a mountain road (part of the Andes mountain range) After months of prayer and consideration and several visits to Colombia, Rodrick and Jeanette made the tough decision to answer the call to move there for an indefinite length of time. Though it is hard for us to let them go, we do give them our blessing.One comfort is that Rodrick is not abandoning The Family Cow. With today's technology, he'll still be able to do much of the management work and accounting work that he has done before... so this change shouldn't necessarily impact you, but it will represent some definite changes for our family and team.Rodrick plans to work remotely, doing many of the same business administration duties, but he will turn over the General Manager role to his younger brother Wesley. Rodrick also plans to continue giving management support to the Olde Tyme Meats butcher shop team.The other four brothers tell Dawn and I not to worry about the farm and business management, but I know there will be changes. We'll just need to find our way one step at a time.Dawn and I are not sure who's making the greatest sacrifice—the ones staying or the ones moving. :) I guess it is all of us. And that's ok.As far as Rodrick and Jeanette's Amen Acres farm, if all goes as planned, we'll have one of the other brothers live on that farm to manage the care of the grass-fed beef and pastured pork.There is no doubt about it... we will greatly miss having Rodrick and Jeanette, Andre, Clara, Sofia and Leo nearby. But they remind us that airplanes fly both ways, that they will return a few times a year for visits, and that we of course can come down to visit them too.Who knows—maybe someday Rodrick and Jeanette can grow cacao beans and make single origin organic specialty chocolate for our Family Cow tribe. How neat would that be? Don't think it's impossible. Just last week we introduced single origin organic coffee straight from Jeanette's family in Guatemala. :)In spite of unknowns, some things never change. We do know that "all things work together for good to those who love God." (Romans 8:28) So... we'll just focus on loving God and we'll trust Him to work out the good that only He knows! Faith, Hope and Love,Your farmer - Edwin for Dawn too
Rodrick & Jeanette's Baby News!
Good morning! There's no food news today... just a few pictures to introduce the littlest Shank. Dawn and I are delighted to welcome our newest grandson, Leo René Shank! He's the second son, fourth child in Rodrick and Jeanette's family. He arrived safely Sunday morning, April 28th.
Not this man! + New Team Hymn
On this Good Friday morning I’d like to share a true story from the year I taught school. Even though it’s been a few years, the experience impacted me so greatly that I remember it like yesterday.
The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving
Good morning Family Cow tribe! Something was bothering me. There was a question rolling around in my head. I knew I should dedicate some time to think it through, but... life is busy, so it just kept rolling.
"What will it be like?" — team singing
Top of the Day to you, Family Cow Friends! Recently our family and team gathered at the close of a busy farm day to sing one of our favorite songs. We thought we’d share it with you like we did at Christmas.
A Christmas Surprise Just for You!
Top of this Christmas Sunday to you! Guess what... We have a surprise! A Christmas surprise. Just close your eyes and listen... Imagine the whole Family Cow Team is on your doorstep this morning to sing a few carols for you!
The Ultimate Gift
Christmas is the unusual time of the year when it's OK to ask each other personal questions. Like, "Are you ready for Christmas?" My great grandmother, Naomi Shank, is remembered to say that she wasn't so concerned about being ready for Christmas. Christmas is a wonderful time to remember, of course. But it is a past event.
Did you ever wonder why?
Did you ever wonder why the emotions which run closest to our hearts are difficult to say out loud? We end up being silent, not saying anything or at least very little. We'll chat about surface things but the deep things go unsaid. Maybe I'm over-analytical, but I have meditated on this phenomenon a lot.
This is Why
I guess our farm must be a bit unusual because we get this question a lot. "Why does your family grow grain? I thought The Family Cow is pasture-based." It seems many pastured chicken growers, grass-fed beef ranchers and those who manage woodland pork often specialize in only that.
The Secret Life of Farmer Edwin
"Know your farmer... Know your food." This pithy bit of wisdom has been kicked around the foodie world for the last decade or so. But what if there was a side to your farmer that you never knew? How would that affect your food?
Family Picture Night
It's been a few years since we shot 'pasture pictures', as our family affectionately calls them. I think the last was 2019. So it's time again! But first of all, just a bit of nostalgia... As I recall, Summer of 2010 was our first pasture picture. Some of you may remember that too! It was 12 years ago!
What is it about cows?
What is is about cows? It seems we were created to live in harmony with these gentle mothers... to be co-dependent. How else can we explain the historically proven phenomena that persons who live closest to the cows are often the healthiest, and strongest of their society?
In God We Trust
In these times of global wobbliness, have you noticed that one thing does seem constant? That thing is fear. It’s all around us, it’s everywhere we turn. Fear of war, fear of inflation, fear of just basic uncertainty... even some lingering fear of COVID.
Fence Rows and Gut Health
I recall with some chagrin, my days as a young farmer in the early 90’s. Dawn and I took over the farm from my parents immediately upon returning from our wedding trip in August of 1990. As a still-wet-behind-the-ears 20 yr old, I naturally looked to those older and more educated for answers.
Of Raw Milk and Swimming
Some of you have asked me to explain in more detail about the probiotic building-of-immunity-pathway to health and wellness as opposed to the antibiotic kill-all-bacteria-method.
Look Higher, Folks
I guess we all have an inborn desire to feel appreciated, to know that we are needed... that our efforts do make a difference. In this, our family is blessed. We get daily affirmation that you, who are nourished by our farm, do value our efforts and that these foods have made a difference in your life...
Nutrition Facts and the Bikini Atoll
One question we are frequently asked is, "Why do the ‘Nutrition Facts’ on raw milk, look the same as the ‘Nutrition Facts’ on pasteurized milk?” The similarity of the two ‘Nutrition Facts’ would seem to support the FDA mantra that there are no nutritional differences between pasteurized milk and raw milk.
Campfire Singing
If your Monday was as hectic as ours can be, you probably could use a little stress reliever about now. So take a break... kick back and enjoy a little fireside singing with our family. The clip below is from an overnight family camp-out near the Appalachian Trail in South Mountain. We love sitting around the campfire and talking late into the night, but the best part is campfire singing.
The Master's Code - Part 3
So after we've hashed over the dilemma of GMOs in the last two episodes, it brings us to several pressing questions. The questions take a few different forms, but they usually boil down to something along the line of these three 'what-can-I-do' questions: What can I Do to avoid feeding GMOs to my family? I want to help... What can we Do to STOP GMO corporations? What can I Do to encourage more farmers to switch to non-GMO?
The Master's Code - Part 2
GMO Weasel Words... One of the most common tactics of the GMO industry is to intentionally muddy the waters by deliberately confusing terms which are really quite scientifically distinct. For example...
The Master's Code - Part 1
Something has been bothering me for a while. Sometimes it's just a niggling in my background consciousness. Other times it comes to the forefront and gets in the road of other important stuff. But it's always there. That something is GMOs.
In Their Own Words
A while ago, I gave you all an open invitation to share raw milk healing stories. I knew you had them... and you didn't disappoint. Thank you for sharing! So here is a sample, folks. These are real people with real healing from real foods in their own words.
Raw Milk: The Heart & Soul of our Farm
Raw milk is what The Family Cow is all about. Raw milk defines us. It's who we are and why we are. It's where we've been, how we got here, and where we're going. Raw Milk is why Dawn and I chose the name "The Family Cow." The name expresses our vision most perfectly. What do we get from The Family Cow? Raw Milk!
Wedding Bells and Thankfulness
This is going to be a bit of a breezy newsletter because I don't have time to go deep. But I did want to share some exciting news. There are Wedding Bells in our family again!