Kelly and I have farmed on this land since 2008, so we have completed four growing seasons. We’ve worked hard, cried, gazed at the skies and the dirt, reveled in the first taste of every vegetable and fruit we’ve planted, and dreamed of the future.

That may be my favorite part. Dreaming. Farming is full of possibilities, and every year brings the chance to change, to do something new. The Nebraska winters force us to stop, rest, and consider what we’re going to do for next year. This year, we’re considering what we want to be for next year.

Since we started Black Sheep Farms, we have been concerned with expanding the farm’s production. It looks like this:
2008 – Village Pointe Farmers Market
2009 – Village Pointe Farmers Market plus small CSA
2010 – CSA
2011  - CSA plus The Grey Plume

This year, we have been engaged in conversations about our lifestyle, what makes us happy, what we can handle, our relationships, our goals, and a hundred other things. We have discussed our limitations, our intentions, and our passions. We have focused our eyes on “why” instead of “what.”

We have declared 2012 “The Year of Beauty.” We want our farm to be prettier. Kelly wants to concentrate her efforts on flowers. We want to position ourselves to enjoy the summer instead of feeling crushed by tasks that never find completion. Farming should be delicious to the mind.

And, so, we’re pulling back a little bit. Our CSA will be a bit smaller, our fields a bit smaller and more colorful, and our time a little slower. We’re planning a nice patio outside the kitchen. We will be converting the old raised beds into a flower garden. We will pay more attention to our spaces and how to share them with friends.

In short, we will stop to smell the roses.

-Brian