It was a beautiful first day of the year, with temps around 70°F and lots of sun. Didn’t really feel like Jan 1, but in this area, it’s not uncommon for some unseasonal warmth. Quite a change from a week prior when the lows were down to 13° which killed some of the transplants in the hoop house. Now that 2022 is over, it’s onward and upward. Here is a short list of goals:
Grant of Inspection for the The Russell County Butchery. This is a big one and could make the butcher shop a sustainable operation. It has been tough to get through the first year, but the doors are still open and there are animals already lined up for harvesting.
Open the Farm Store. This is tied to the first one above, and we can’t really open our Meat Market & Farm Store without meat.
Finish the root cellar. The last week of 2022 provided an opportunity to add 3 more courses of block to the walls which really made it start to look like something. Need to add at least 1 more course of block and pour a concrete roof to get it usable. Then add a door, some shelving, and electrical to complete it.
Start 1000 seedlings. This one may be hard to keep up with because often times I rush to start seedlings and don’t write it down or photo it.
Improve bookkeeping and financial management. Not sure how to quantify this one, but I need to take more time to keep track of where money is going to and coming from to better account for time and resources.
Cut 20 face cords of firewood for use and sale. This also doubles as my cardio workout.
Expand zone 2 of our farm. There is the orchard to be developed, terraced garden beds around the root cellar and greenhouse, additional garden spaces near the house, and other infrastructure work to try to get more production out of the spaces in close proximity to the house and outbuildings.
There is probably much more to list, but that is it for now. Happy New Year!