Seeking Part-Time Grazing Apprentice

Medicine Creek Farm is seeking a part-time regenerative grazing apprentice for the 2024 summer season!

We are partnering with the Women, Food & Agriculture Network’s Harvesting Our Potential Program to offer an apprenticeship/mentoring program alongside part-time paid employment.

We are hoping to find someone available for 20 hours/week for 10-14 weeks between June and September.

This might look like 4 hours/week for 5 days a week, including 1 weekend a month; however, we can be flexible with your schedule to a certain degree. If you’re interested but have other things on your plate (days you can’t work, fewer hours available, scheduled vacations), go ahead and apply and we can discuss how we might make it work.

Pay will range between $12-14/hour depending on experience, plus a $750 stipend from WFAN upon successful completion of the program.

Meals will be included and on-farm housing may be available — let’s talk about your needs!

Tasks may include:

• Putting up and taking down a lot of temporary electric fence

• Moving sheep, cattle, and pigs between paddocks

• Filling pig feeders by hand with 5 gallon buckets of organic feed

• Moving equipment (water tanks, hoses, mobile shade, mineral feeders) by hand and with a UTV

• Feeding, brushing, and caring for 6 livestock guardian dogs

• Herding sheep with a border collie puppy-in-training

• Livestock husbandry; treating sick or injured animals

• Interacting with customers through agritourism; giving tours, making on-farm sales

• Garden watering, weeding, planting & harvesting should you be interested

Educational topics covered:

• soil health principles - water infiltration, soil tests, mineral profile

• adaptive grazing - principles in action, plant identification, livestock nutrition

• shepherding basics - parasites, common illnesses, veterinary care, herding dogs

• cattle health basics - parasites, common illnesses, veterinary care, low-stress handling

• pig health basics - parasites, common illnesses, veterinary care, non-ruminant management

• ecosystem health basics - insect and wildlife indicators, pasture diversity, birds, pollinators & predators

• livestock guardian dog management - veterinary care, pack dynamics, breed differences, training

• business management - record keeping, taxes, cash flow, business plans

• direct marketing basics - selling pastured products, website and sales, e-commerce, social media

• harvest basics - sorting & loading, working with a butcher, custom vs USDA considerations, regulations

• programs & grants - navigating beginning farmer resources (FSA, NRCS, SFA, LSP, MFU, FACT, WFAN…)

• agritourism - quality of life considerations, education, community building

Benefits:

• pastoral beauty

• bird song

• starry nights

• dog love

• eating like a King

Things to consider:

• you can’t control animals (they don’t always do what you want them to do)

• you can’t control the weather (it will be hot, it will be cold, it might be wet, it might be dry)

• there will be poop on your clothes (and you might get it on your hands)

• there will be uncertainty

• what is certain is that everything dies, eventually

How to apply:

Everybody is more than welcome to apply; we include every body in everybody.

Please poke around our website first to make sure you know what we’re up to here at Medicine Creek Farm. Also read Hannah’s mentor bio on the WFAN website to see if you like our style.

Then, please send an informal email introducing yourself and your interest in the position at hannah@medicinecreekfarm.com. No need for a cover letter; resumes are nice but only if you have it ready to go. Don’t stress about this part.

If it seems like a potential fit, we will ask you to fill out WFAN’s online application. WFAN will schedule a brief interview to explain how their program works. Don’t stress about this part either.

Then we’ll talk specifics about whether it’s going to work for both of us. This will also be informal so let’s just not stress.

If it’s not the right fit this time around, please try to come sometime for a Saturday morning tour and stay in touch. Who knows what the future might bring!

Explore Minnesota Article

Our new Timber Frame Barn Stay on Hipcamp was featured in an Explore Minnesota “Trip on a Tankful” article! Check it out and consider a visit to explore the area yourself!

https://www.exploreminnesota.com/article/hunt-agates-hinckleys-most-iconic-pastry-way-to-moose-lake

Annual Farm Party, Potluck & Barn Dance

This year we will be returning to holding our “potluck of epic proportions.” If you’ve never been to a potluck attended solely by foodies and quality food admirers, then you’re missing out!

Bring a dish to share, your own beverage of choice, and blankets or chairs for picnicking. If you can remember to bring your own dinnerware as well, that would help us cut down on single-use waste!

Jason’s band Heartbreak Affair will be playing in the barn hayloft again this year starting around 6pm.

Anyone wishing to stay over us welcome to camp in the yard or pastures.

Please RSVP to hannah@medicinecreekfarm.com and let us know if you have any questions. Hope to see you soon!

Conservation Cookout and Live Music!

In partnership with the Pine County Soil and Water Conservation District , the Minnesota Ag Water Quality Program, and our local NRCS office, we will be hosting a conservation cookout and soil health field day on Friday, August 5th from 4-7pm.

We’ll be giving a tour of the farm followed by serving beef and lamb burgers and breakout sessions for those interested in going more in-depth.

Be sure to stick around as Jason’s band A Heartbreak Affair will be playing live music in the barn afterwards starting at 7pm!

Please RSVP to grace.guyette@co.pine.mn.us

PFI Farminar: Online Marketing for Pastured Products

As proud members of the Practical Farmers of Iowa (we know we don’t live there but we just love those Iowa farmers), I was excited to give a Farminar presentation on the topic of Online Marketing for Pastured Products. I know from first hand experience how busy farmers are, so I try to give some practical advice on quick and easy ways to improve your online presence and help you prioritize the marketing time you do have. You can watch the recorded webinar on the PFI YouTube page and feel free to let me know if you have any questions!

Ear to the Ground Podcast and Profile Feature

Early in our farming career, Jason and I participated in the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings Program. Five years into farmland ownership, the Land Stewardship Project caught back up with us on how things were going and where we’ve arrived in our farming journey. Check out the LSP “Ear to the Ground” podcast for an audio version of the interview, or read the profile feature from the Summer Issue of the Land Stewardship Letter.

Farm Party featuring Heartbreak Affair

After much hemming and hawing we’ve decided to move forward with our farm party this year. Burgers will be served outside starting at 5pm; bring your own sides and beverages, dishes and utensils, and blankets or chairs for picnicking. Jason’s band Heartbreak Affair will be christening the new barn hayloft event space at 6pm, but will be able to be heard from outside for those uncomfortable indoors. Anyone wishing to stay over is welcome to camp in the yard or pastures. Please RSVP to hannah@medicinecreekfarm.com and let us know if you have any questions!

Introducing the Vintage Remodeled Camper Trailer on Hipcamp!

We’ve had quite the secluded year here at the farm. Early in the pandemic, Jason used his extra free time to completely gut and remodel our 1969 camper trailer. As you can see, it’s incredibly gorgeous, and despite our reluctance to leave our pandemic cocoon, we’re finally ready to share it with the outside world.⁣⁣

Our daily lives here at the farm didn’t really change much last year, other than to see you all less. As always, the sun shone, the grass grew, animals were fed and watered, and we ate well.⁣⁣

If you’re looking to get out of whatever coop you’ve been kept in, maybe pet some enormous dogs, and eat well under the stars, we’re happy to help. We may have gone a little feral, but if you can forgive our rusty social skills we’d love to have you here.⁣

Check out our Hipcamp listing here for more details and to book your stay!

Shadow had her puppies!

I found them yesterday afternoon already nursing and staying warm cuddled up in Shadow’s nest in the hay. I missed her signs of labor because it was a week earlier than I expected, so I’m grateful for the unseasonably warm weather and her great mothering instincts.

We quickly got her whelping box ready in the garage and she followed me carrying her puppies in a basket up to the house (and she only snatched one out when I paused to close a gate, but she let me take it back). Now puppies are staying safe and warm under a heat lamp until they are old enough to regulate their own body temperatures. 

When their eyes are open and our overnight temps are warmer, they will go out to pasture with the whelping box to get acquainted with the sheep.

We have a long wait list for taking home a puppy, so once they are a little older I’ll be assessing their temperaments and working qualities and matching them with farm homes where I think they will be successful guardians. They will go on to guard sheep, goats, cattle, poultry, and pigs on other pasture-based farms, some joining other dogs already out protecting stock and others on new farms just getting started.

I will quickly say we’ve been surprised and overwhelmed by the interest in our livestock guardian dogs, and it feels hard to not have enough puppies to give one to everyone who has contacted us! We’re encouraged by the number of new regenerative livestock farmers out there though, and that word is getting out that using dogs for predator protection allows us to farm alongside thriving wildlife.

I will also say though that while these dogs are really something special, they are not your typical pet, and we encourage everyone considering getting one to do lots of research first.

Please check out our LGD page for more information and let us know if you have questions about livestock guardian dogs…

Otherwise if you’re just here for the puppy shenanigans, make sure to follow along in our Instagram and Facebook stories for videos and updates as they grow!

Start Shepherding from Scratch Webinar

I gave an online presentation called “Start Shepherding from Scratch” at the Practical Farmers of Iowa Winter Conference in January. It was thrilling to get to talk about sheep for a whole hour... and I don’t even really like public speaking!⁣⁣

My goal was to share some ideas on how to start grazing sheep with no permanent infrastructure (which is how we got started five years ago), but it also included shepherding basics for anyone looking to raise sheep for the first time. ⁣

I also tried to make the case for why I think sheep make a good first farming enterprise... as if their cute sheepy faces weren’t enough! I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m pretty certain the world needs more sheep people.⁣

The presentation is now available online on the PFI YouTube channel for those who missed it at the conference.

If you have any remaining questions after watching the presentation, let me know! You can send me an email at hannah@medicinecreekfarm.com

Land Stewardship Project Summer Grazing Photo Contest

I took this photo for the Land Stewardship Project Summer Grazing Photo Contest to try to encapsulate the many aspects of rotational grazing, and I got pretty lucky capturing so many parts of it in one composition—livestock on the move, portable fencing that makes grazing possible, livestock guardian dogs that make having sheep in this part of Minnesota possible, and the shepherd that has for centuries been in deep relationship with the sheep and dogs, making the regeneration of the soil possible. ⁣

If you’re unfamiliar with the Land Stewardship Project or their work, I encourage you to check them out and consider becoming a member! ⁣

As beginning farmers we have benefitted from their Farm Beginnings and Journeyperson programs which teach farmers the skills to be financially sustainable without making “bottom line” decisions that will harm the land.⁣

I’ve continued to participate on committees that are working to further programs and policies that help farmers do right by the land while fighting for economic and racial justice.⁣

It’s been hard lately to feel positive about the world, but in the words of Mr. Rogers, I’ve been looking for the helpers. The Land Stewardship Project is full of them. ⁣

You don’t have to be a farmer to get involved, and in fact I’d argue we need more urban and suburban helpers using their voices to change agricultural policy. ⁣⁣

Your tax dollars play a huge role in what kind of agriculture is viable for farmers, and you have a say in helping more of them use practices that sequester carbon, regenerate the soil, prevent erosion and runoff, provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators, create meaningful jobs, and grow healthy food we can all feel good eating.⁣

I talk a little more about this is the latest issue of LSP’s newsletter: https://landstewardshipproject.org/repository/1/3466/people_agenda.pdf

MN Ag Water Quality Certified!

We are super excited to announce we are now a Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certified Farm with Soil Health Endorsement!

AgWeek features Medicine Creek Farm

Very excited to be featured in Agweek!

We haven’t spoken much about our vision for the barn restoration project publicly yet, but here’s a start.

“We want people to experience what it is we are doing, and how we're trying to farm alongside nature, and give the animals that are nourishing us a good life that we feel good about."

https://www.agweek.com/business/agriculture/6563470-Pine-County-farmer-creates-blueprint-for-spotting-and-fighting-for-your-own-lane

A lesson in surrender... and hand washing

We are overdue for a pig photo but pretty sure what you all need is some baby cow medicine. If you don’t happen to follow along in our stories, you missed out on the birth and death drama when our first calves ever born at the farm arrived in -11 degree weather. We won’t be making that mistake again, but also as usual most lessons in farming come down to the fact that you can’t control things like the weather, and it’s often quite difficult to control the birds and the bees. Had they been born three days later it would have been 40 degrees and sunny. We’re grateful to have two surviving heifer calves, and are expecting around ten more calves to be born in May and June (when we actually planned to have them) and hopefully the weather will be more accommodating.

Every day on the farm can be a lesson in surrender and hand washing. There are a number of zoonotic diseases—meaning transferable between animals and humans—that a farmer can get from livestock. I was once sick to my stomach for a week from something that I caught from a lamb that ultimately died. There are also dangerous viral diseases that can put your whole herd or flock in peril like BVD, OPP, and PED. I won’t go into detail but BVD often spreads undetected among cows, OPP causes pneumonia in sheep, and PED is a pig coronavirus. They are usually brought to the farm by a new animal or dirty boot from another farm. You can see the parallels. 

Farming is quick to teach you both the fragility and resiliency of life. The wolves are often actually at our door, but we trust the guard dogs will keep doing their job. And livestock farming in particular can sometimes feel like a chosen self-quarantined life. It’s difficult to ever leave when every day there are a hundred mouths to feed and water. There is surrender in that kind of community caretaking too.

These are strange times to be certain. The beauty of animals it seems is that they see things as they are—no better or worse. They don’t think themselves into extra anxiety and don’t delude themselves when danger is near. May we all surrender to the weather but face the wolves head on.

The Rhythm of Winter

We are in the rhythm of winter now. Yesterday I sat in a County Commissioner meeting all morning to hear about the refugee resettlement issue. Pleased to report that our board of commissioners would not plan to turn away refugees. I was so cold sitting there though that I was super reluctant to go home and do chores in the whipping wind.

But there’s no choice when it comes to being a livestock farmer. So I got on my wool long underwear, fleece-lined jeans, two pairs of wool socks, thin wool turtleneck, followed by thick alpaca wool mock turtleneck... and that was just my base layers! Then I put on the navy-issue shearling-lined pants from my father-in-law, my fleece-lined Carhartt coat, Bogs insulated boots, wool neck gaiter, wool stocking cap, touch-screen friendly gloves covered by thinsulate flip-open mittens, and out the door I went.

The wind was indeed whipping, but I had only walked halfway across the yard when I realized I was already feeling warmer than I had all morning. By the time I came back in an hour later I was sweating. Dress appropriately and move your body. That’s how we get through winter.

Cheers!

Cheers and happy holidays! May you know the peace of a pasture sunset all through the year.