Hello fall, goodbye summer

I just posted my May notes…oops. Now you may be able to tell our lives are well busy.

I don’t know where the summer went. We have our hands full of joy without a doubt but this summer was busier than normal.

Our garden expanded from 80x80 to 100x80 and the hoop house at 24x50. Along with our small pumpkin and winter squash patch. We wanted it bigger but we ran out of time to get the old tart cherries out. We are still working on the two acres of tart cherries to clear that land.

Each year we try to improve. We have BIG plans but we know it will take time. Even though most days I don’t have the patience to wait.

Since my May (well today’s) post; we now have a 3yr old and 6month old. Along with 4 ducks (birthday gift to our oldest)! She loves her animals and is excited for some duck eggs.

This fall we are prepping for a our garlic planting and winter crops. Finishing up the goat barn before winter and filling the woodshed. Those are the big ticket items. Hoping to have time to squeeze in a sugar shack build along with sawing up lumber for all the building projects. Oh and firewood!

Until next time, let’s hope I don’t get too many gray hairs and the weather stays nice to complete everything!

Delay…Fast Forward

Fast forward, not sure where the other months have gone but keep reading as I recap those months.

2023 has been nothing short of eventful. It was going to be regardless with Baby #2 and I being a full time farmer for the first time. Been full of firsts this year.

First time birthing goats. First time building a barn from ground up bigger than 8x12. First time as a mother of two. First time as a real farmer.

Our goats to our surprise were pregnant so we welcomed three kids this spring. So we spent the better half of January planning a goat barn and starting to build it. Not to mention, we decided to tap trees early for maple syrup to avoid conflict with baby #2 and taking advantage of the weather. We produced 15 gallons of pure Michigan maple syrup; the absolute best for pancake Saturday!

Our second baby arrived right on his due date; welcome Jack to the funny farm. He has been nothing but a joy for our family and quite the adjustment for all, especially his older sister!

The first six weeks were a blur. We have installed our first hoop house, added six chicks to the flock, getting prepped to milk the goats, and continued to plant for seedlings (trying to keep all the current seedlings alive)! We never slow down and would not have it any other way.

We are trying to capture this eventful part of our lives and there is currently no stopping in sight. The end of this month we will have our garden and hoop house full! We hope to have our farm market stand ready and produce filling it up. Before you know it we will be picking cherries into the wee hours of the night!

Meet the Campbell Family

Hi, we are the Campbell Family. We moved to Ludington in November of 2019. We are a family of 3, soon to be 4. We have two dogs, Izzie (14) and Merc (7), along with our farm animals, 18 chickens, 4 goats, 1 goat kid and another goat kid on the way.

Our life is every evolving and there is never a dull moment on the farm. When we chose this place to call home, we fell in love with the land. In 2019 we didn’t imagine more than a homestead but fast forward to 2023. I, Mary, quit my corporate job in spring of 2022 to focus on the farm and stay home with our daughter. I needed a change of pace and the outdoors has always called to me. We have been gardeners for many years and will now continue to pursue this passion. We welcome you to follow along on our journey.