Ground Breaking News at Family Cow farm!

Good morning Family Cow family!

After 3 long years of planning, today we literally have ground breaking news to share with you all! :)

The temporary 'reefer trailers' we've been using as our Family Cow facilities since 2008 will finally be replaced by an actual building! We are thankful for how well our 'reefers' served us for the last 17 years, but it's past time for this improvement!

Sometimes we joke that our farm has been operating on 'shoestring budget' facilities for so many years and if we don't do something different... that string just might break one of these days!

As an example of 'the shoestring,' repurposed shuttle-busses have been our primary delivery trucks to get food delivered to PA Pickup Locations over the years.

We still do use the busses each week, but reliability has become more of a problem with these aging hulks. Thanks to your support, we have recently added a used Penske box truck to our small fleet. It has been a much-needed blessing!

As another example, using repurposed Geo Trackers instead of the more expensive Gator-style UTVs on the farm... It definitely cuts operating costs significantly!

Sadly, the aging Geos are wearing out, and now it seems we can only keep two or so in running condition. The other three keep us in running condition... but hey, at least there's no need for a gym!

Speaking of exercise, the new building layout will cut out a LOT of extra lifting required to pack orders in our existing trailer facilities. I calculated the other day and found that the expected more efficient workflow should save our team around 1 million pounds of lifting, over the course of a year!

In fact, it looks like the order fulfillment will be so much easier that one ambitious young girl on our team is worried the work won't be hard enough for her liking. But "No worries," she told me. "After work I'll just go home and throw down some extra hay bales for my horses to build muscle that way!" 😄

So, how will this building project affect you?

Well, you will appreciate that this whole project has been designed specifically for you to benefit as much as possible. Let me explain.

First of all, I need to express a hearty "Thank-you!" from our family and the local farming community. Your choice to buy real, clean foods for your family is not only benefitting you, but also the entire ecosystem. Every purchase, every person you tell about our farm helps restore more land to organic, regenerative agriculture.

You are the driving force behind the Regenerative Movement!

Because many farmers really do wish to convert their farms to organic and follow the regenerative principles God created... Deep down inside they feel it is the best way. It resonates with their desire to steward the land and animals entrusted to them.

But frankly, it is overwhelming.

How should a farmer get started when he doesn't know who will buy his food? How will he connect with you, the individuals and families, who care enough to support local, regenerative farming?

That's where we come in. We help connect other farmers to eaters too.

We train local farmers in our community to use our own specific standards. They operate as an extension of our family farm and get paid for their food as an extension of our own family.

With your help, we are nurturing other regenerative farmers, but your support is truly the only way they will move forward to this new way of life.

Your everyday choices, regenerative food or industrial foods, literally fund whatever food system you choose to support. You are the hero who is making a serious real-world difference in our farming community.

Now on to more benefits you reap from our new construction.

As you have noticed, real foods often have seasonal shortages throughout the year. This is precisely because they are raised on a real farm... NOT ordered from or produced in a factory.

With more refrigerator space we should be able to keep more of our raw cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, and kombucha well stocked to avoid the all too familiar 'sold-outs' between our now smaller batches.

With increased freezer space in our new building, we will be able to plan the year to harvest enough pastured chicken throughout the summer to last until next spring growing season. We also will have enough space to keep extra beef and pork on hand to fully stay in stock between harvest dates at our butcher shop.

And I can't miss the major improvement to the farm store itself!

Yes, our current farm store inside of a reefer / semi-trailer is a bit cute and nostalgic, but it starts to feel claustrophobic when 3 or 4 families are trying to shop at the same time. In fact, when someone is at checkout, they nearly block off the store exit/entrance!

Below is a computer rendering to show a little what the new farm store may look like once it is completed...

We will be delighted to welcome you to our Opening Day near the end of 2025! :)

All of this will help us serve more of your friends and family who are just now waking up to the importance of real foods!

It's our biggest construction project ever on our farm, but we are willing to take this step of faith because we trust that enough of you will be with us for years to come, making the investment worthwhile. 😊

And no, our food supply should not be a problem long term. We have plenty of organic pasture available in our local farming community to raise our Dairy, Beef, Pork, and Chicken with full regenerative practices.

For the animals that need grain in their diet, my brothers grow our own crops to be sure our animals are never fed fraudulent imported grain... We are in full control to verify chemical-free from start to finish. Read Dad's post for more details on "organic" fraud.

We are also very blessed to have our own USDA butcher shop to control the full process of humane harvesting as well! This gives us the ability to verify that no citric acid or any other chemical contamination happens between our farm and your freezer.

We are the ones who get to say exactly what ingredients goes into our sausages, hams, bacons, hotdogs, Pulled Pork, and Smoked Brisket. It's all organic spices, no sugar, no nitrates and no fillers.

Our team harvests each animal with humane care and respectfully assures that every bit of the nutrients is put to good use. What can't be sold for human food or pet food is turned into rich compost and given back to the earth as 'soil food.' It's all food one way or the other. :)

So, to wrap this up, just remember one thing: You are the driving force behind the Regenerative Food Movement!

I have full confidence you will continue doing your part to spread the word and educate your friends and family over the coming years!

All the best of food and blessings from our family to yours!

Your farmer,
Wesley

~5th generation on the farm

P.S. If you visit our farm over this time, you will see an awful lot of ground being moved! State required stormwater management basins etc. is the reason for much of the excavation. The new buildings will only use a fraction of the construction site. :)