Oh My Gosh!!! It’s the FARM!!!!!!

   Ok. So first let me start off my saying that I am a city girl!!!! Last Sunday through Wednesday, Aaron T, Andrea, Brandon, Myrtle, Chris and I went to Polyface Farm. It was a trip that was suppose to help us learn about farm life, but not just any farm life…. Polyface farm life!!! See, Polyface farm is no ordinary farm. The Salatin family, owner of Polyface farm, have innovative techniques of farming that respects the animals as well as the land. They allow their chickens, cows and pigs to feed on grass which is the healthiest food that can be given. Grass especially prevents the cows from having mad cow disease. The Salatin family constantly rotates the animals on grass land so that the animals always have fresh grass and the grass has time to re-grow.  There is an entire process of rotation every few days. In the mean time, the family also butchers chickens and sells them out of a store on the farm. The labor is tough, but the salatins work diligently everyday. I never knew that there were so many strategies to help keep the animals healthy, the land replenished, the customers satisfied and Polyface Farm still in business. Many researchers and farmers from all over come and visit Polyface Farm just to observe the farming process and understand why it works so well. I must say that I have a new found appreciation for the Salatin family and the work they accomplish daily. Thank You Salatin family for everything you did while we were on your farm! (You can read more about Polyface Farm in the book The Omnivores Dilemma  by Michael Pollan)   Now the real story of our farm adventure begins!!!!!!!  After a two hour drive, We all arrive at Polyface Farm at 9:30 Sunday night. The farm is completely dark and we assumed everyone was asleep. After all, a farmer’s day begins at 6AM. The front door was wide open, which I thought was crazy! I guess people don’t steal deep in the country. So Aaron T and Andrea decide to go inside and the rest of us had to stay in the car. The kids were completely against splitting up because they thought someone was going to DIE!!! Too many movies kids!!! Anyway, as soon as Aaron and Andrea were about to enter the house the Salatin family shows up. They were out with some friends and they all came back to the house to get ready for bed. We yell, Surprise, we are here!!! The family looks at us and goes…Hello! They looked quite surprised to see us. They knew we were the group from CHAT coming to stay on the farm, but they seemed to forget we were showing up that night!!!!  Unfortunately the Salatin house was full of guests and so were the housing trailers. So, father Salatin had to go to plan c. He told us to hop in our car and follow him down a pathway away from his house. We slowly followed him1/4 a mile away and then we suddenly stopped. I wondered why we just stopped. I thought that something was wrong with father Salatin’s tractor. No, nothing was wrong. We had arrived to our humble abode. It was a BARN!!!! My first instinct was, NO IAM NOT SLEEPING HERE! It was a barn full of hay and I was upset! Father Salatin told us not to worry because he himself had slept there before and was just fine. The kids were all saying NO, but Andrea and Aaron were the voices of reason. They were both excited about going to the farm, but they were sure shocked about our living situation. They decided to give encouragement in light of the situation. I took a breath, prayed and then decided to be mature about the situation. I was an adult and I figured it would be best to join the encouraging train with Andrea and Aaron. So, I told the kids we would all be fine and that we were embarking on an adventure. I climbed up to the top of the barn in order to sleep on the hay. As soon as I reached the top, I fell down into a crack in the hay. I finally climbed out, but Myrtle proceeded to fall into one as well. She was really stuck in the crack and it took all of us ten minutes to get her out. Then we all finally settle down and get ready for bed. The hay was quite uncomfortable and there were bugs crawling around. Needless to say, I did not get any sleep and morning finally came. We met some more members of the Salatin family. The son and his wife and kids were so nice to us. They opened their home to us and we were so thankful.  Our kids had the opportunity to collect eggs from the chicken coups. They really enjoyed that! We also hiked up the mountain, swam and helped butcher and package chickens. We even saw a rattlesnake that father Salatin killed. The snake was actually pregnant and the 6babies looked like long worms! GROSS! Father Salatin cut the rattle of and gave it to Brandon as a souvenir. He was ecstatic!   On the second and third night of sleeping in the hay we had a little visitor. A CAT! There was this cat that kept trying to cuddle and sleep with everyone. Now I really do not like cat, especially wild ones! They cat never went away until we actually left the farm. Myrtle and I also blew up an air mattress so that we could actually sleep better.  The cat thought the mattress was comfortable too!  That darn cat! The third night was a particularly special one because we made a campfire and told jokes late into the night. The kids had a great time and the farm started growing on them. When it was time to leave, I was excited about going home and sleeping in my own comfy bed!  I must say that I was completely out of my comfort zone, but I was a trouper nonetheless. Our experience was a crazy and unexpected one. Word of advice to anyone who wants to go the farm; be ready for an unforgettable experience whether you like farm life or not!