Farm Post

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”
– Ferris Bueller
It was during one of our famous Michigan blizzards this winter that I was able to introduce our teenagers to the great American film – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Luckily I didn’t have to deal with Dean Rooney last year, but I did spend quite a bit of time in Chicago and I have been called the Sausage King on multiple occasions…

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“Looking around” I thought I would try to quantify some of my experience in 2017.
67,000
The most eye catching number is the total miles traveled in 2017 – 67,000. Now I realize that is nothing compared to many others who travel for a living, but considering the furthest direct partner is less than 200 miles from the farm… that is a lot of trips.

229
229 trips to be exact. What constitutes a trip? I’m not sure, but that what Google Maps told me.

100,000
What else did Google Maps tell me – that my photos have been viewed 100,000 times.

What does that even mean?

What I think it means is that people are continuing to become more and more aware of the food they are consuming – where it comes from and how it was produced. This is why I am such a fan of our mission at Jake’s Country Meats –

Our mission is to supply people with high-quality foods and educate the public about the process and nutrition — developing a connection to bridge the gap between food production and consumption.

Highlights of 2017 were many and varied – from attending the New England Meat Conference with members of MSU Center for Regional Food Systems to having 1000# of leaf lard rendered for the first time.

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Hours spent behind the wheel were passed enjoying a number of PodCasts including – The Tony Kornheiser Show, The Meat Block, and Under the Influence – in addition to some great music and topical talk shows. I’m always looking for new distractions, so please share some favorites with me!

As I look toward another year supporting the local food system and helping connect businesses and individuals with sustainable and healthy food choices what I am most excited about is all of the new stories I get to hear.

Some of my favorite images from 2017 – my kids say I take too many pictures….