Farm Brewery Update - January 2022

What Does Farmer John Do In The Winter?

In this farm podcast episode I give you some perspective on how my farm brewery business looks and functions. We are all on different paths, and I share these monthly updates to give more depth behind the farming and business advice that I share in the other content that I produce.

We’re going to go over:

• my business structure

• the logic behind my decision-making

• my goals for 2022

Photos From The Farm

With every farm podcast monthly update I am going to include the “show notes - blog post” which you are reading now. I’ll share about a dozen or so of my favorite photographs from the month, with captions for each photo.

I take hundreds - if not thousands - of photographs each month. I use them for my farm brewery marketing, I share them with my family, and I store them away to come back to years from now when I want to remember where I have been, and the lessons I have learned. I would like to share this years’ photos with you on the blog to go with my podcasts, for no other reason than I hope they bring a smile to your face and brighten your day.

Craft Beer Release for the New Year

Every January we release a beer named for the New Year. They are a bottled celebration of our work over the last year, to be enjoyed while planning the year ahead.

Winter Pastures

I love watching the winter pastures. The shorter grasses are covered with a blanket of snow, while the longer grasses peek their heads above the frozen tundra to let you know there will be warm times to come.

Farm Brewery From The Air

It’s that time of year where the days are short and the shadows are long at the farm brewery.

When you have to work outside...

When other people get snowed in, enjoy an extra cup of coffee, and perhaps take the day off; someone has to be out clearing the roads, feeding the animals, and checking the utilities. Snow days are nice for me because the farm is quiet, and I get to just focus on the one task ahead of me - shoveling.

Big Mama the Pig

Can’t pass up an opportunity to take a photo with Mama Grande!

Zip the Dog

Even better than spending the day playing in the snow is coming home to rest by the fire. Our dog Zip will turn 5 in May (we think). He keeps me company at all hours and in all the weather.

January is for Finding Direction

This is that time of year that I am planning the farms’ direction for the year based off of our long-term goals. The farm operations have to fit in with our holistic business plan including our brewery.

Goats and Christmas Trees

My goats love eating Christmas Trees. We put a note in our brewery newsletter this year to have people drop off their trees on the farm to give the goats a snack.

Never Take Yourself Too Seriously

Life is short, and every day is a blessing. I asked for this lifestyle and I sure got it! It’s not always easy, but there is always some joy to be found.

OverFat Pig

I found out that my pig, has been a pig. I have been overfeeding her, which may lead to complications later in life. For now, I’m starting to adjust her diet, and optimize for an appropriate weight.

Remember To Have Fun

I am fortunate to live in the North and have some ski hills relatively accessible. This picture was taken by my good friend David. Considering we both work 7 days a week, we picked a day to play hooky and spend our time on the slopes.

Winter Livestock Video

In case you did not know, I make YouTube videos as well. Here’s a video walkthrough of my winter livestock area with chickens, a pig(s), and some goats.

Winter livestock area walkthrough. How to raise multiples types of livestock in the winter.