A red-tailed hawk in the henhouse. Coyotes on the sledding hill. Twenty-degree mornings followed by fifty-degree afternoons. Welcome to winter farming.
Happy New Year to all! We hope you had a peaceful holiday season. Here’s a Winter Farm Report to give you a glimpse of what’s happening on the farm right now.
Lila pretending its spring time
Weather Whiplash
Since mid-December we’ve experienced nearly every type of winter weather imaginable: snowstorms dumping multiple inches overnight, freezing rain coating driveways in ice, wind advisories, near-spring temperatures in the 50s, and plenty of rain and sunshine mixed in. Our farmhouse mudroom overflows with layers—heavy coats next to light jackets, insulated gloves next to work gloves, muck boots next to snow boots. Meanwhile, our animals take it all in stride. They stay indoors chewing their cud for warmth on cold, windy days and venture outside the moment milder temperatures arrive.
Saul is caring for the animals this winter, and he recently had quite an adventure. He heard a commotion from the henhouse—panicked squawking and the sound of wings beating against walls. He ran outside to find a red-tailed hawk that had slipped through a hole in the netting (courtesy of heavy snow) and sauntered right into the coop. The chickens were pressed against the wall, feathers flying, while the hawk looked surprisingly calm about the whole situation. Saul managed to guide the confused bird back outside, patched the netting, and calmed the 25 very upset hens. No one was hurt…except Saul’s blood pressure!
A coyote monitoring the farm fields from the sledding hill
A Hungry Season
Winter farming is a constant reminder of how fortunate we are to have food—because everything on this farm is hungry. Hawks patrol from above, hoping for an easy meal. Mice, voles, and rabbits burrow through the snow looking for leftover kale stems and carrot tops in the fields. Opossums and skunks lurk in the bushes at dusk. Coyotes scout from the sledding hill, their tracks crisscrossing the snow. Great-horned owls perch silently in the oaks, watching everything below.
Just yesterday, we spotted the white-tailed deer herd—at least six of them—scampering across the north pasture, pausing to nibble at whatever greens they could find poking through the snow. We only wish we could cover the whole farm with cameras to share these moments with you throughout the day and night. This farm never sleeps!
We’re ready for colorful veggies and sneakers to return to the farm!
The Light Returns
With daylight growing each day—we’re up to nearly 9 hours and 20 minutes of sun now—we’re already buzzing about springtime. Jeff has ordered this season’s seeds: heirloom tomatoes, new varieties of lettuce, eggplant, radishes, and more. He’s designing field rotations based on organic best practices and the soil testing his students performed last fall. The Liberty Prairie team is planning Summer Farm Camp, field trips, and creative classes to bring people together. Saul is coordinating our 52 community garden plots and helping us prepare to welcome back our whole farm team in March. Jeff’s bringing his spring semester class to the farm while restarting his weekend internship program to connect students with animal husbandry—all while planning the Spring Plant Sale for May.
A beautiful winter sunrise at the farm
We’re excitedly preparing for spring, but we’re also taking time to stay present in the beauty and peacefulness that only winter farming can bring. The way morning light hits frost-covered fields. The quiet that settles over the land at dusk. The satisfaction of knowing the animals are warm and fed when the temperature drops.
What’s your favorite part of winter? We’d love to hear from you. There’s something special about the farm when it’s blanketed in snow, and the world slows down just a bit.
Your farmers,
Jeff, Jen and Saul