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...
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
NEW: Organic Coffee direct from family in Guatemala!
Good morning Family Cow tribe! I have exciting news: Organic Coffee direct from Rodrick & Jeanette's family in Guatemala! Yes, this dream is finally happening. 😊 Know your farmer, know your food... taken to a whole new level! This single origin coffee is Chemical-Free, Shade-Grown, Hand Picked, and Small Batch Roasted to create a premium brew. It is a Medium-Dark roast to highlight the delicate coffee notes without the strong "burnt" flavor of many cheap brands. Coffee is often dark roasted to burn away undesirable flavors of low-grade coffee... Definitely not the case with these specialty beans! :) Taste the difference and enjoy with confidence. It's fresh organic coffee direct from a single source you can trace and trust. This specialty organic coffee is always: Single Origin from family in Guatemala (pictured below)Shade-Grown and Bird FriendlyRegeneratively FarmedSmall Batch RoastedChemical-FreeHand PickedSun Dried100% Arabic2,200 foot ElevationRetalhuleu RegionMedium / Dark RoastWhole Bean so you can fresh grind for optimum flavor! :) Meet your coffee farmers: Virgil & Jolene along with Sheldon & Dianna carefully manage each step of the process to bring you the best coffee possible without any chemical contamination. Know your coffee source and enjoy fresh brew with confidence. Coffee farmers: Virgil & Jolene with Sheldon & Dianna Stay tuned for coffee updates in the future!We plan to share more photos of their regenerative farm along with details of how they use "good bugs to fight off the coffee pests" instead of relying on harsh chemicals the way most coffee is raised.I'll do my best to show the Hand Picking, Sun Drying and Small Batch Roasting in action! :) Blessings on your day,Wesley~5th generation on the farm P.S. If our coffee is sold out when you are ready to purchase, please check back in a few days. We fresh roast a small batch every week or two coffee so it won't be sold out long! :)
Pastured Chicken is here!
Soy & Corn-FREE chicken parts & whole birds in stock! :) All limits have been removed... stock up as much as you want! If we do sell out of whole birds it will only be briefly between our weekly harvesting throughout this summer and fall pasture season.
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.
See the Difference.... Taste the Difference: Pastured Pork is God's Design
It's your farmer Wesley here to show why our family cares so much about clean, pastured pork. Pigs are designed to live outdoors with plenty of fresh grass and sunshine... and of course a bit of mud occasionally for recreation! :)
"O Come All Ye Faithful" — girl team singing
For something special this Christmas Day, the girl team at the farm wanted to sing a Christmas hymn just for you! Join us in the celebration of the Best Gift that was given to us all – the gift of Jesus!
Our family's Whipped Tallow Balm is ready to go! 😀🎉🎈
This has been a long time in the making but now we are nearly ready to give you full access. Looks like we just barely met our goal to have this here in time for Christmas gifts!
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.
Photo Story with our Honey Bees – Holistic bee care at its best!
Bees are simply marvelous. They take nutrition from the heart of a beautiful flower and turn it into pure, golden goodness for us to enjoy in the form of honey. Recently I was privileged to spend time with our beekeeper as he checked hives and pulled a bit of fall honey.
"I Give You Freedom" — team singing
Last week I shared updated team pictures... now this week you get to hear the latest song we sang as a team. :) The words are so true: God could control ever detail of His creation...
Updated Team pictures from the farm!
This post is in honor of our farm team who works so hard to bring the food from our family farm to your family table. Everyone gathered out in the pasture the other evening to snap some pictures...
Pastured Chicken is NOW Corn-FREE! :)
We've been soy-free for years and have heard so many folks expressing thanks and appreciation for it that we decided to take our chicken to the next level. Say good-bye to Corn Allergies & Sensitivities in chicken! :)
Sunrise with the Cows PHOTO STORY
Morning milking ends as a new day dawns. Streams of sunlight brighten the sky while mist rises slowly off the land. Cows eagerly trot out the field-lane to find their waiting breakfast of lush pasture grass.
"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.
The grazing season of 2023 has begun in earnest!
The grazing season of 2023 has begun in earnest! Happy Jersey Cows on lush spring grass give delicious raw milk! Here is a quick 25-second video that Wesley shot a few days ago.
PHOTO STORY: A morning with our Grass-fed Beef Cattle
Friday morning dawned crisp and clear. Early rays of sunlight began to brighten the sky while fog drifted lazily in the valleys. Grass dripped with dew, birds sang in the trees, and cattle grazed peacefully around me.
No mRNA on our farm!
We've been getting a lot of questions about mRNA vaccines recently so I decided to send an email to reassure those who have not asked yet. :) I will keep this short and to the point.
Nourishing bone broth recipes
Spring is almost here... and farm life is showing it! Just last week we got our first batch of day-old-chicks to raise in the "brooder" till the weather is warm enough and they are big enough to get out in the fresh grass and sunshine.
NEW Family Cow Shopping Bags – Cut Plastic Use
It seems each year we find new things which will make our farm and your food just a little better. Today I'm happy to announce a few ways you can help us reduce plastic and reuse more packaging.
5 Tips to Save Money on Real Food
Did you make a New Year's Resolution to eat more healthy meals this year? Did you ask yourself how it's going to happen with an already tight budget and prices on the rise everywhere you look?
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.