I <3 Vermont!

Unexpected adventures are my favorite way to discover new places. Stowe Vermont is now on my top 10 list of places to visit! The rolling hills and old farms immediately made me fall in love with the Green Mountain State.
The husband and I got away for a couple of days and Stowe was our destination. The people were friendly and the food was awesome.
Smugglers Notch made Hurricane Mountain Road look like something from a matchbox play set!
Vermonters are a hardy bunch and seeing the homes and businesses destroyed by the flooding was eye opening. We drove through towns where you could still see the water line on the sides of buildings and signs were in the windows of businesses saying they would be back. Road crews were working feverishly to finish repairs before the snow flies. I Am Vermont Strong posters were everywhere and the people we spoke with seemed to be optimistic about rebuilding.

It gave me some perspective and the crops we lost are replaceable and next spring they will all be growing again. I am more excited about the upcoming growing season then I have ever been before!

You Can Pick Your Nose But You Can’t Pick Your Family!

It’s probably not very P.C. but today is the perfect Indian Summer day!  I just came in from eating lunch on the deck with mom and the sun was so warm I wanted to stay out there all afternoon.

It’s rare for a family to be together as much as we are.  We work together, eat together, play together, drive each other crazy, and still genuinely like each other!  Oh sure Jeff and I still fight about silly  things and drive my mother crazy.  Mom will make a decision that Jeff and I don’t agree with and we’ll grumble about for awhile.  Gram will forget to relay an important message and get the big eye roll.

I don’t think that I can go into detail about what each of us does because you would be reading for hours!  The short of it is, Jeff oversees production and equipment.  I handle the financials,  human resources  and social media.  Mom has a hand in everything and really makes everything run smoothly and stay on track.  Gram recently retired and is enjoying her crafts.  She is still my sounding board for the finances and I could not have taken over this role without her to answer my questions.  This summer we hired a retail manager and could not be more thrilled with the decision.  Dave was the missing piece to our puzzle!  He has taken the pressure off of Mom and she can focus on the details that are key to making everything work. He fits right in and earned our respect quickly.  We all pitch in where needed and each of us isn’t afraid to get our hands dirty.  We put our heads down and go to work!

Sometimes it’s hard to put business aside and remember that we are Mother, Brother, and Sister.  I have, more then once, said “I need my mom right now not my boss!”   We make it a point not to discuss farm things while having family dinner.  We see the eyes of the others start to glaze over 🙂  Speaking of the others…My mom’s two sisters and their families are also play a key role in the farm.  They are like the outside support team.  They step in when we need them to and are great sounding boards when things start to get dicey.  Neither Cheryl or Debbie had interest in taking over the farm but both make time in their busy schedules to pitch in whenever needed.  It’s all hands on deck for the Maize season and even 11 year old Ryan does his part!

My brother and I have become friends as we have matured and our working relationship is based on respect for one another.  He and I both have the drive and knowledge to continue this adventure for a long time.  I can honestly say that the ground work my grandfather laid is the reason that we are where we are.  It all started with his dream of owning a farm and ends with the values and work ethic he raised us all to have.  He was an amazing man full of love and laughter and we miss him dearly.  When any of us has a moment where we think “Why are we doing this?” we think of him.

Welcome to the Blogging World

My name is Michele and I am third generation farmer.  I grew up playing, laughing and learning here at Sherman Farm.  My grandmother Phyllis, Mother Kathy and Brother Jeff all have active rolls in the business and Jeff and I just added to the 4th generation. Jeff has a son named Logan and I have 2 daughters, Delaney and Kara.  We are all stubborn, opinionated, driven people and work closely together EVERYDAY.  Yes everyday! There will be more about the family aspect I’m sure 🙂

This summer I took a Social Media Marketing Seminar and blogs were a main topic.  I sat there and thought “this isn’t for me”.  In August I signed up for this site and here I sit in November finally writing.  This really is for me!!

My intent is inform you of what’s going on around the farm but also to give you an inside view of our life, our family, our employees,  the daily things that make us laugh or cry or just shake our heads. Life on the farm is never boring and sharing it with you will hopefully give you some insight to the blood, sweat and tears that go into making this place run. It may not be grammatically correct and my spelling isn’t the best but it will honest and from the heart.

It’s no secret that life on the farm is tough.  Hard work, true grit, I could go on forever!  But the rewards are not often talked about.  Watching the birth of a new baby calf, bringing life into the world with your own hands.  Growing food that feeds a community. Providing families with safe, affordable entrainment.  Teaching children where their food comes from.  Again I could go on and on!

Join me as I document my families journey in the world of farming. I welcome comments and questions! Educating the public was one of my grandfather’s (you’ll hear a lot about him!)  main goals in growing this business. So ask away!! I will share recipes and keep you updated on crops, family events and so much more.