Friday, October 18, 2013

You’re crazy...yep, we sure are, but which reason are you referring to?

Matt was told he was crazy because he wanted to raise pigs on grass.  But you say they don't eat grass.  Why not?  Cows eat grass, goats eat grass, and sheep eat grass.   Turns out heritage pig breeds do too. 

People told me I’m crazy for jumping on the wagon of launching a business.  I mean I already have two little boys under age 2 and I work at my professional job 3 days a week. Do I really need more work?  Turns out I do. 

We always knew we wanted to start a business of our own.  Last winter, we decided a farm business would be ideal.  Every farm needs a name, so I started brainstorming.  You see, I’m the creative one in the house.  My degree is in Business Administration with focuses on Marketing, Management, and Human Resources.  Matt on the other hand is a Mechanical Engineer, who, like most engineers, sees the world in black and/or white.  I must say that we complement each other well.  In an hour I had come up with the name Fork Right Farm because any time we give someone directions to our house we explain that we have a long driveway and when you come to the fork, go right.  The next day Matt used his technical skills to immediately reserve a domain name for us.

In the weeks to come, Matt continued to research potential operations for our farm. Our dream was developing and growing, just like the baby I was carrying.  I was 6 months pregnant at the time, so obviously my attention would remain focused on the family for a while.  

Right before our second child was born we sent out pigtures of the triplets to friends.  No, I wasn't carrying multiples.  These were our new feeder pigs: Hamina, Porkette, and Jowlsie.  (Yes, I named them.  Feminine versions of meat.  It is no different than someone naming a cow Hamburger instead of Daisy.)  

After a summer of raising those first 3 pigs, we had found the niche we were looking for.  It was time to find breeding stock for the foundation of our herd and work on a business plan to make this dream a reality.
I am leading the business side of Fork Right Farm, which includes marketing and accounting, while Matt manages the daily operations of the farm with lots of help from his dad.  It is going to be an exciting adventure for us, our boys, and our families.  What better way to document it than with a blog.

Welcome to Fork Right Farm Life where you can follow our journey, celebrate our successes and sympathize with our challenges as we raise a family and a farm.

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