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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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Every Pig Needs a Fan
Two Hundred and Eleven Bales of Hay. Not a bad days work at all! Above is the toppings bales from Daisy’s paddock and below the alfalfa mix from the haymakers field. The good hay. Lovely green hay just like my darling hay mentor Linda, has been telling me I should strive for. This lady and her…
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Urchin Wind
Yesterday things broke. And my luck began to teeter. But an urchin wind brought my luck back. First it was the dishwasher – broke. Then Tima’s gate – broke. Then I went to rake the hay – Big red Rake – broke. Then I began to hand rake and my fork broke! – BROKE! Then we jumped into…
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Sun, Breeze, Lessons
So is it sunny there? He said. (The hay man is a man of few words. The phone too small to accomodate any more.) Yup, I answered. Lots of sun. We got 2/10ths last night. (Pause.) Well, not too bad, he said. Woke me in the night, he said, thought the niece had flushed the…
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Had to happen
It rained last night. Rained on my four acres of hay. I showed you the forecast didn’t I. Sun it said. But it rained anyway.(sigh.) The daisies don’t care. DINNER! HERE PIGGIE, PIGGIE, PLONKER! POPPY! What are YOU doing in there! You are a naughty naughty girl. You can’t hide from me. I can still see…
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Chicks and Chicks
The hay is cut. We have four days ahead of us with sun, and not too humid. I have even taken a picture of the weather forecast for you so you can see that I am not imagining it. We have had so much rain lately that seeing sunny days ahead of us is a treat.…
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The small smiles
When I was about thirteen I began work for my Dad in his workshop at the estuary by the sea. It was the school holidays. Dad built boats. The sea and all its surrounds were our breath and bread and butter. Dad was teaching me to weld that summer. One day he got me to move a whole…
The Kitchen's Garden
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Letters To My Mother
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