Behind the Scenes: The Real Farm Life
Farming isn't just filtered photos. Here is the honest look at our daily hustle—from broken trucks and mud-soaked fields to the DIY repairs that keep our compost cycle moving.
This was our entry for a dump trailer giveaway. It shows the reality of our old trailer, which we built ourselves but couldn't handle a full load, forcing Joel to jack it up by hand.
When our truck broke down, we had to use my car and a small trailer to do the food waste pickups. It's a constant struggle to keep our equipment running.
The reality of farming in a valley is mud and drainage problems. The puddles of leachate are a constant battle and one of the reasons we need to find a better location.
We built these compost bays to organize our piles, but we ran out of space quickly. This photo shows the challenge of managing a growing volume of material in a limited area.
A pile of fresh food waste waiting to be mixed into the compost bays. In winter, the cold slows down decomposition and the piles grow faster than they shrink.
We even brought our barrel cart inside the house to repair it. You do what you have to do to keep the operation going, especially in the cold.
A close-up of the new, stronger latch we installed on the barrel cart to make it more secure for hauling heavy barrels of food waste.
Our "new" old pickup truck loaded with barrels from a Monday pickup run. Having a working truck is absolutely critical for our business.
A chicken investigating the Christmas trees we picked up for composting. Nothing goes to waste here, and the chickens are always curious about new additions.
Our truck loaded with discarded Christmas trees after the holidays. These make a great carbon-rich "brown" material for our compost piles.
About Behind the Scenes: The Real Farm Life
You might see 'finished compost' ready for your garden, but this is how we actually get there. When a truck dies mid-pickup or our compost bays hit capacity, we don't just call a service team; we haul our barrel carts into the house to fix them or turn to our neighbors for help. It is a constant, messy juggle of improvising repairs and learning as we go to keep this community project alive.
Running a small-scale farm often means taking one step forward and two steps back. Our 'Behind the Scenes' cluster isn't here to look pretty—it documents the reality of sustainable agriculture in Delaware County.
The DIY Reality
If you see us working on a compost sifter or welding a trailer, that is standard operating procedure. When funds are tight and permits are a headache, we rely on grit. We have gone through multiple sifter designs, constant truck repairs, and endless hours of manual labor because we believe in closing the loop on food waste.
Why Transparency Matters
We share the mud, the leachate drainage issues, and the winter cold because we want you to know exactly where your food and compost come from. Our chickens are the real work force here, and their health is non-negotiable. When the piles are overflowing or the weather forces us to pause, our community knows because we are honest about our capacity.
Our Future
We are currently in a transition phase, exploring a 'hub and spoke' model to make our composting more efficient and less dependent on fossil-fuel-heavy hauling. Whether we are dealing with a breakdown or celebrating a successful egg harvest, our goal remains the same: creating nutrient-rich soil and healthy, pasture-raised meat for our neighbors. By choosing our farm, you aren't just buying eggs or soil; you are helping us fix that next piece of equipment and keep our farm-to-table mission moving forward, one day at a time.
Maria Schermerhorn
I'm Maria, and I'm not running a factory—I'm running a farm that treats every scrap of waste like gold. When you buy from us, you're not just supporting a business; you're helping us fix that next piece of equipment and keep the wheels turning on this project.
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