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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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A sundoggy day
“I can’t feel my face.” Amanda said to me after we had spent a good deal of the afternoon cleaning downed branches out of the electric fence across at the West Barn. All the little branches were carried to the growing bonfire heap and all the big limbs were sawed up for next years fire…
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Not ready to breed
Poppy is not ready to be bred yet. She made us wait last time too if you remember. Except last time was a straw – this time is a real boy pig. Maybe today. She stays in her corner pen for the most part and a few times a day I take her for a…
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Don’t listen to me
Because all I am going to talk about is the weather! For the next few months I will fret about the cold and the humidity and the wind speed and the virtual velocity (actually I have no idea what that is but it sounded good) and the fact that the dryer just quit and as…
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Problem Solving
What is your method to solve problems? Not that I have any problems at the moment – well, none that are dire. But I have been thinking about how we approach small problems. As you know Amanda is visiting and even though she has been here before there is a lot that she has not encountered.…
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Exfoliating with ice
When working outside in an ice storm you can feel the ice pitting itself against your skin. Tiny little sharp pellets. No blood is drawn of course. Though no self respecting animal would be caught out in it, just the mad dogs and New Zealand woman. I walk with a gloved hand up as though to…
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Porcine Excitement
Poppy (the Hereford sow) has been re-located to the house of sinful pleasures also known as the West Barn. She leapt into the trailer without any enticement and the red truck towed her chariot around the corner. If there had been a sunroof she would have popped her head through the top and smiled into the…
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Letters To My Mother
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