Trautman Family Farm

I feel badly that I have not made more entries here. I have certainly thought of it. As I walk around the farm, I am constantly reminded of the Beatle's song,

Father McKenzie writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near.
Look at him working. darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there
What does he care?

So who am I to say anything that change something. No one, I guess. Except I am DOING something, every day. Walking the walk. Unfortunately all to many people like the IDEA of being green, of doing good things, and like to talk like they are DOING something. And they don't challenge themselves, and we live in such a polite society that you can count on no one challenging that either. Isn't that great.

At the end of the day, I am:

1. DOING something, no matter how small
2. THINKING about someone other than myself and putting my thoughts towards a larger good
3. Admitting I have a long way to go for myself, we have so so so much more we can do.
4. NOT thinking I am some sort of hero or above anyone, but believing this is my job as a "good human".
5. Being open to new ideas and not accepting whatever comfortable idea matches my current thinking and coinciding with my pleasure and me doing NOTHING.

NONE of that makes me or anyone else a hero; but folks, I do believe that living a life beyond yourself, your immediate family, thinking beyond 10 minutes from now, even to 10, 20 years ahead -- perhaps beyond your lifetime and into your childrens -- that takes courage.

And yes, folks -- the opposite of courage is cowardice. Be courageous in your life.

It has been a long hard winter. Spring is finally here; in this case a short memory and forgiveness are easy. Two days of warm spring weather, the snow all melting away, and all is forgiven and hope springs..eternal.

We have big plans for this season. This will be our second season for 100% grass dairy, milking 23 cows, we have 44 steers to finish, 20 youngstock from last season to grow.

Farmers everywhere are cutting back on their fertilizers. We are going full forward, thinking that hay to buy next winter will be out of this world. We've thought about all the mistakes we made last year and are making the adjustments to correct them. Surely only to make new mistakes, hopefully to make new, and not old mistakes.

And we look forward to continuing to see "the faithful" - our customers, some of whom have been with us now for 5 years, and the new people that fate will decide that contact with us fits into their life.

But all the while -- I will be looking across the road -- to the neighborhood a rock's throw away -- and wondering, how do we reach them. Those are the people that don't know it -- but they need us, desperately. Yet all attempts have failed. They are far far too clever to buy their food from us, but they are clever enough to enjoy our farm for free. The peace, the green, the animals -- free. And I do wonder who is the fool. It could well be me. At some point, as an entrepeneur, as a realist, as someone with finite resources and looking forward 20 years and knowing the investment we need to make, I do ask. Do you want us here? And if you don't, are you sure you want what will be here when we go? What happens when all the wonderful words fall away and all of what you're left with is what your actions show you really believe. Then what?

For those that do know me well, know, just as I lay me down a whole bunch o' words here, I do talk "a lot". Yet, for that - I listen a lot closer than people suspect, and I observe, and I learn, and adjust.