“Dear Farm Journal” is a creative project that connects people to their food and the farmers who bring it to life. We share our daily story to build community, advocate for small-scale organic farming, and appeal to the curiosity of those who want to know what farm life is all about.   

Lest folks suppose I live in the land of perpetual sunshine, I’ll have you know, there are darker days on the farm; weeks of...

The remainder of our foraging books have arrived and Rufus and I spend a good part of Sunday flipping through the pages. We read...

I pulled on Rufus’s fly fishing waders and drove to a nearby stream to harvest watercress. The waters whispered their ever...

Day by day, we sculpt the farmscape; strategically placed perennials, uprooted weeds, freshly built garden beds, flower...

Henry David Thoreau said, “Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence”. I’ve...

As I poured a cup of coffee, the songbirds beckoned, reporting the splendor of the morning. As such, I took up my yoga mat and...

All across the land, root fingers take hold of subterranean nutrients, drawing them to the surface and manifesting green life....

I’ve been studying for Driftless Curiosity’s upcoming workshop on foraging for spring edibles, and I’m learning a ton! At this...

A barred owl perched upon a wind-fallen tree and surveyed the damage (of the tree and perhaps himself, for he seemed to be...

A car full of visitors rolled down our dead end gravel road. One of our CSA families from Madison is in the area and arranged to...

We worked through an ambitious to-do list this Friday and I can feel the season’s momentum building. We weeded all 4 greenhouses...

The farmstead hums with the ardor of springtide. Farmers bustle back and forth with garden tools, realigning the soil to their...

Since we foolishly left a mega feast of hazelnuts on our greenhouse tables overwinter, there appear to be some little critters...

I looked at my bones on a screen today. In a sterile doctor’s office, I inspected an image of my spine. What a peculiar feeling....

Boisterous air currents blasted me from every direction on my way to move the sprinkler. It was the type of wind that draws...

Each spring, I’m bewildered by the renewal of overwintered crops. The garlic cloves planted in fall thrust eagerly through the...

A stroll at dawn brings William Wordsworth, “Lines Written in Early Spring” to mind. The birds around me hopped and played,...

Wisconsin columnist, Doug Larson, said, “Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush” and I can...

Rufus and I have been talking about growing mushrooms for a couple of years and today we took a deep dive into shiitake...

The greenhouse in springtime is my happy place. After a long winter, there’s nothing better than soaking in the sunshine and...

This wind is relentless. The sound of the greenhouse plastic beating against the frame like a nonstop drumroll wears on my...

It’s a happy day when you get a book in the mail. Who’s ready for spring foraging? A friend suggested Samuel Thayer’s, The...

Seeding is one of my favorite jobs on the farm. It’s restful in comparison to the majority of laborious garden chores, even...

I pulled my first weeds of the season this afternoon. At ground level, I identified which little sprouts didn’t belong....

Since March is Women’s History Month, I’ve been asked to write and speak to my experience as a woman farmer. It’s an intriguing...

And cue the mid-March snowstorm. We must have been doing a little bit too much activity, raking and prepping our outdoor garden...

I spent a slow Sunday cleaning up the aftermath of our maple syrup workshop. There were armloads of sticky dishes to wash,...

Our third Driftless Curiosity workshop on maple syrup was a sweet success. We enjoyed another gorgeous spring day in the woods...

After a morning of farming, we went down to the sugar bush to prepare for the third Driftless Curiosity workshop on maple syrup...

Before the growing season hits us with her high maintenance force, we farmers do our best to stabilize infrastructure and...