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I am Cecilia. A New Zealander who farms in Illinois.
My farms are organic and regenerative and full of stories. I have been writing here about environmentally sustainable farming and food and travel since 2011.
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LATEST POSTS
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Shine then Rain
It was hot again yesterday, stinking hot, even the chickens declined the outside and stood about in front of their fan for the afternoon. Though they still laid their two dozen eggs right on queue. The temperatures bleached the sky yesterday. The heat reached up into the high 90’s again, not unusual around here but…
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Maybe just maybe –
– just maybe Alex is pregnant. I think she is developing an udder. This will be her second calf. It is not unusual for a cow to fill her udder in the last few weeks. (As Lady Astor showed us recently). In fact I am feeling 60% sure that she is pregnant. What do…
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The thistle war
The war on thistles is being lost. There is one particular variety that is taking over the fields. I run the cows through. Then mow the thistles behind them. Again and again but it will not give up. I have tried all the organic remedies on small patches. It will not succumb. It sends suckers…
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Herbie came to visit
Do you remember the piglet that was having trouble in the cold early last winter. He kept vomiting up his food? Almost died. I brought him inside then gave him to the pig rescue lady just before I began my travels. Do you remember that one? Well here he is a number of months later.…
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A momentous decision
I have decided that this season is my last summer milking cows. It has taken me a lot of thinking but I have made up my mind. A number of reasons really – among them and the most important: my family keeps growing, they do not live close to me and I cannot travel for…
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Chicken!!
The chickens went to the chicken abbatoir yesterday and returned in their packaging and they are much bigger than I thought they would be. Must be all that milk. This one took over two hours to cook. Poppy is pretty big too. She is down the back with Sheila and doing fine. Her teats are…
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