Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
 And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!

Psalm 139:23-24

On this coldest of January days, it’s best to stay inside. So I wanted to send a quick update on our family and farm for those of you interested…

2017 proved to be a year of unknowns, instability, testing, trusting, and finally, hope.

2018 was a year of joy, striving, growth and peace.

Though we went through significant change, that change was used for our joy and to bring us closer to the God who formed us and whom we live with and for from day to day.

In Our Family

2018 has been about working together as a family and loving it. We have learned better how to love each other’s differences and get less uptight when things don’t get done. It has been encouraging to see our boys growing in wisdom and strength and look forward to what the future holds.

We are still homeschooling and love the flexibility and opportunities that this provides. Our boys also love that they can get done at their pace and learn about things that interest them. It has been a highlight to have Mat teach woodworking most Thursdays as well. We also love taking our annual camping trip. This year we went to Wisconsin.

Of course, the continued support of Mat’s parents keep us going. Having Mat’s dad here two or three times a month to help with projects around the farm is a delight for all of us. The boys love snagging him for a game of UNO too.

On the Farm

As for the land, the pasture and high tunnel ground has been flourishing under our intentional care for it. The bare spots in the pasture have become thick and long. The unproductive clay in the high tunnel has become rich and soft producing a much tastier fruit and higher yielding plants.

With the land production improving, our animals have been flourishing as well. Our herd has grown to a point that we have more beef and pork than what our customers are needing. For chicken and turkey, we have also gone to producing only what people order in the Spring. This helps our sanity in trying to sell chicken, but increases our need to find more customers for beef and pork. Since the majority of our sales are directly to the customer our main form of advertising has been through emails or by word of mouth from other satisfied buyers.

Continuing On

We will continue to grow within the means provided for us, not taking on debt or time consuming endeavors we can’t afford. With our land and animals maintaining a level of constant improvement, now we will focus on how to sell the abundance. If you have any tips for us in this area, we’d love to hear your knowledge.

Thank you for being part of our journey. We appreciate your words of encouragement, knowledge and support in buying the produce of the land. We hope this coming year is one of great joy and growth for you all.

Sincerely,

Katie, for the whole Nix family