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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


  • The Man at the Gate

    The man was well dressed and nervous. He was standing on my lawn blocked by barking dogs as I stepped out onto the verandah. “Alright if I give treats to your dogs?” He called out with his back to the shiny late model city slick car. ‘Down’  I signalled and both dogs dropped like stones…

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  • Long Shots, giggly piglets and bottles of beer.

    This is the lane from the house to the gravel road. We are looking East. On the right which is the South side is the sweetcorn with the Maize up behind it. You can see how tall the maize (field corn) is when you see my tractor in front of it. Also look at how…

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  • An Angry Sow is not to be trifled with

    Early in the morning as the dawn is dawning I take the tractor out into the sweetcorn field and pick two big bucket loads for the animals. I cut the stalk at the base with my sharp spade and throw the sweetcorn, with its stalk still attached, over the fences.  They eat the whole thing.…

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  • More Wine Less Whine

    Yesterday we bottled the Vidal Blanc wine from last seasons grapes. The wine has been working in its little glass barrels for almost a year now. And the little taste I was allowed before it flowed through the pipes and into the bottles led me to believe that this will be a definite improvement on…

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  • Muddy Piggy Backs!

    Piggie’s  really DO give each other piggy backs. They climb onto each others backs and rush about honking like little trains having races. I gave them a mud puddle to play in yesterday. Sheila is hoping for cabbage leaves to come flying over the garden gate. Time to prune the grape vine I think! Basil…

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  • How to settle your 47 chicks in on their first day.

    The Post Mistress found a chirping box on her counter when she got to work this morning.  She called me straight away and I zoomed down in my little cooking oil car to collect them. I could hear the strident chirping the minute I opened the Post Office door.  Forty Seven chicks survived their journey.…

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