2022 Look Back

We experienced tremendous growth in almost every aspect of our farm in 2022. In the course of that growth, there were many surprises, lessons we learned, challenges we overcame, and smiles we shared. Here are 10 of 2022's biggest highlights!

1. First Lamb Born on the Farm

   We had a rough 2021-22 winter, losing two of our sheep to an outbreak of listeriosis. One thing we've learned is that when bad times hit, the Icelandic Sheep community rallies to help. Many people offered us replacement sheep, and one of them was pregnant when she was delivered to us! This led to the first lamb being born on our farm!

2. New Tractor

   We finally pulled together enough money to buy a new tractor! Before that, we had a trailer so we could borrow a tractor whenever needed from Emily’s dad. Our new tractor, a Kubota M7060, has allowed us to do so many more things, so much more efficiently. We have no idea how we got by for so long without one.

3. New Pasture

   We got a woven wire fence permanently installed on roughly an acre and a half of a former cornfield that we converted to pasture over the last 3-4 years. This pasture has afforded us greater peace of mind when it comes to the safety of our sheep flock and saved our backs from having to constantly move their electric netting around every time we needed to put them on new ground.

4. First Kunekunes

   We picked up our first Kunekunes! We started off with three little girls (gilts) that were born in August that we picked up from a farm in Wisconsin, and immediately ordered two boys (boars) that were born in April and shipped to us from Missouri.

5. First Animal Swap

   I attended my first animal swap — the Taylor County Swap — and sold almost everything I took there including 20+ Guinea Keets, 2 Ameraucana Roosters, and 1 Easter Egger Rooster. While I “swapped” most of those for money, I did swap a handsome, all-white Ameraucana rooster with someone for a kitten. My goal for that day was to reduce the number of animals heading into winter, and much to Emily's surprise, instead of returning home with any new chickens or farm animals, I brought back a new cat, who she named Clementine!

6. Reared First Queen Bee

   Expanding the number of bee hives in an apiary can often require significant investments in packaged bees. This year, I decided to experiment with rearing my own queens, which involves transferring freshly laid bee eggs into a new hive and fostering specific conditions that promote queen bee development. Despite my lack of experience and self-taught approach through watching YouTube videos and reading books, I was able to successfully rear one queen and transfer her from a small 4-frame nucleus to a full-size 10-frame box!

7. Caught Multiple Bee Swarms

   Catching a bee swarm can be a thrilling, yet stressful, experience. Witnessing the sheer magnitude of bees in one place is truly awe-inspiring. The opportunity to catch a swarm and start a new hive using essentially "free" bees is an added bonus. However, it is important to note that attempting to catch a swarm in high winds using a ladder on the back of a truck is not recommended, based on my personal experience. Despite this, the end result of starting the year with 8 hives and ending with 10 is a great accomplishment.

8. Hatched and Sold Eggs

   In 2022, we successfully incubated our first batch of eggs, starting with fertilized eggs I brought up from a trip down to Missouri. We had such a good time that we ended up buying additional incubators and continued to hatch eggs throughout the summer. Additionally, we were able to connect with someone locally who was interested in buying fertilized Guinea eggs. At our peak during the summer, we were able to sell 8 dozen eggs per week. We anticipate even greater success in 2023, particularly as the avian flu continues to impact chicken flocks and drive up egg prices in grocery stores.

9. Welcome Juniper!

   There is only one thing better than having two dogs, and that’s getting a third! Our Australian Cattle dogs, Zelda and Luna, welcomed their new sister, Juniper (also known as Junebug), a German Wirehaired Pointer, into their pack in August. The three of them are inseparable.

10. Website and Store Up

    Finally, we are thrilled to have established an online presence for our farm. We not only launched our website, but also set up an online store and were successful in making several sales. We are grateful for the support of our readers, friends who spread the word about our farm, friends we've made in the Icelandic Sheep community, and strangers who made the conscious decision to support small businesses like ours.

In summary, 2022 was an exciting and eventful year on our farm. We experienced a range of highlights, from the birth of our first lamb, to the acquisition of new equipment and animals. We also faced challenges and learned valuable lessons along the way. We're proud of all that we accomplished and grateful for the support of our community. As we look forward to 2023, we are eager to share even more adventures and experiences with our community, and to continue to grow and improve our farm. We are excited to see what the new year brings and can't wait to see what the future holds!