Honoring the Team

It’s been quite a season down on the farm—no one can argue with that. There was the PBS filming, the big storm, a huge hay crop, Pizza Farm Nights, and so much more. And while you’ve had a chance to hear some of the stories from our summer and fall interns who have joined us in these endeavors on the farm, this year’s path has been intersected by many others who have extended themselves above and beyond the call of duty to lend a hand or fill a need to help keep the project going strong.

They come from an amazing variety of backgrounds and interests, from saw mill owners to musicians, grandparents to IT specialists and lake-home owners. Each has found a kindred spirit with the mission of our farm and Farmstead Creamery, some as far back into the story as 2002, others within just this last summer. These folks who offer to help during a busy event, hold down part of our patch-work delivery system, or pull us out of a pickle become part of the farm team, and all their efforts help make the fabric of this family farm strong and lasting.

This last week, in honor of the Celtic New Year, we decided to throw a party for our team of volunteers, many of whom had never really met one another. During a feast of fire-roasted leg of lamb, honey glazed squash, fall salad, potato dinner rolls, savory Brussel sprouts with crispy leeks, and an array of festive desserts, the crew shared stories of how they came to be involved with the farm and a favorite memory from the past season. Here are some favorites from the evening.

Dave: From milling the wood for our house and Farmstead Creamery to taking Kara water skiing on hot summer afternoons, Dave was also one of the first to head our way after the September storm hit, cutting trees off our lane and checking the culvert where the stream crosses under our road several times a day in case of a washout. This winter there was the total breakdown of our farm truck right at the end of his driveway, where the back left wheel fell off and went gallivanting down the road without us! Dave was able to use his “crawler” (a huge piece of equipment used at the mill) to lift the back end of the truck so the wheel could be replaced and we could limp home in the blizzard.

Then, late this summer, our air conditioner began raining on the table below. We pulled it apart, cleaned out the filters, and tried everything. But within minutes of turning the unit back on, water would start drizzling inside once more. Dave happened to stop by to check the culvert one more time and asked why we were scratching our heads at the air conditioner. After all this putzing and reading the manual and feeling outwitted by the apparatus, Dave waltzed outside, grabbed the drain hose, and blew on it. Immediately, the internal rain shower ceased and our air conditioner returned back to normal. Some folks just know how to fix those kinds of things!

Tom: From being the guy to help set up early and take down late for nearly all of our live music events to filling chicken waterers while staying over for recording projects, Tom has ruts in the road from our place to his! He’s also been dubbed the lettuce man, since many of his return trips to Ashland include boxes full of fresh produce for the Chequamegon Food Co-op or Northland College.

Wholesaling is an important outlet for the farm’s products during the quiet season, when tourism quiets down and farmer’s market season is over. But there’s never an end of things that need doing on the farm, which can make it hard to get away for such deliveries. I can remember a couple times last winter when I did manage to deliver the lettuce myself and the folks at the receiving end wondered who I was! But Tom also lends a hand on the farm in many ways, like endless buckets of compost and mulch last fall to cover the asparagus and strawberries against the hard winter (a task that leaves room for telling stories while you work) or butchering chickens on an autumn day (not so high on his favorites list). But even when those chicken waterers spill and soak his shoes or we’re hauling a sled-load of hay in 20-below weather, Tom always has a smile and a laugh to share.

Kelli: From my co-pilot for farmer’s market to Hayward’s CSA delivery lady, Kelli’s involvement with the farm goes back to her part-time internship well before Farmstead Creamery ever opened. We’ve shared storms and pig escapes, ladies luncheons and crazy attitude customers. Kelli and I often cheer each other on during the often grueling farmer’s market season, keeping up the spirits as we share the tastes, smells, textures, and story of the farm. Kelli takes pride in sharing that between the farm and the woods (her husband who built Farmstead Creamery and two sons are avid hunters), she hardly ever needs to use the grocery store.

Our CSA (farm shares program) began in 2007, with delivery days to Hayward on Mondays and Wednesdays. This was later condensed to just Wednesdays at 1:00 pm., which worked just fine until the lunch-hour at Farmstead picked up. Into our second year of being open, it became quite apparent that having one of the three of us away at deliveries just wasn’t working. But the precedent of a specific date at a specific time and location also felt difficult to break, so it was a real blessing when Kelli was able to take over managing the pickup. In a whirl of coolers and totes, boxes and bags, each Wednesday we pack up Kelli’s car, handing over a clip board of special notes about who ordered more eggs, who has a food allergy that requires substitutions, and who needs to pay for something. It’s a lot to keep straight, but Kelli’s been a real team player in helping keep this important service going strong.

Shani: From great brainstorming and networking to can-do help, Shani has a knack for stepping in when you’re in that crunch you weren’t sure you’d survive. After the interns headed back for school, she helped with chores on mornings I was gone to farmer’s market as well as bussing wood-fired pizzas that evening during a concert, all while having her foot in a brace from a fall! Shani also connected us with a CSA program in her area that was in need of some aquaponics produce to help them stretch the season, as well as many other new faces we’d been lucky to meet.

Steve: From slaying the dreaded swamp monster (that was eating our internet projection to the rest of the farm) to throwing firewood, Steve originally found us by searching for a Wi-Fi café. Since then he’s warned us about many an oncoming storm (sometimes right in the midst of a Pizza Farm Night), to the point where his appearance during the summer months warranted a worried, “What’s coming now Steve?” Since then he’s helped with many complicated IT troubleshooting, as well as helping us get started in podcasting, which will be coming out soon!

And there are so many more stories, I could take all night! There’s the day our beverage distributor stopped carrying Joia soda, right before the 4th of July and John and Gini’s diligence to drive over several cases to us from the company so we’d be covered until a new distributor could be arranged. There’s helpers during butchering, special events, photography shoots, yardwork, and much more. As we sat around the table that night, we felt so blessed and honored to have this supportive community who’s there to help things happen. They’re part of the team here at the farm, and we want each and every one to know how much we appreciate them. Maybe you’re one of those people too. So thank you, and we look forward to seeing you down on the farm sometime.