Baby #3

 

I think I just gave my husband a heart attack.

No, I am not announcing my pregnancy.  In fact, I am NOT PREGNANT.

We already have a 3rd child.  Our 3rd child requires around the clock care.  We consider its needs whenever we make a decision, and this child is never far from the front of our minds.  And, like our other two “real” children, this 3rd baby has brought us more joy than we ever thought possible.

Our 3rd child’s name is Squaw Creek Farm.

We’re not the only ones who feel this way about our farms.  Psychological research shows that to farmers, the farm is the equivalent of another spouse or another child.  It. is. THAT. important.

The farm is a source of joy and frustration.  Of risk and reward.  Of hard work and satisfaction.

It is such a part of who we are that we fall asleep thinking about it every night, and spend our days dedicated to it.

So when someone tells lies about our farm, or vilifies the decisions we have made, it hurts.  It hurts badly. 

The latest attack against my baby is from Chipotle.  Their new 4-part tv series on Hulu, Farmed and Dangerous, is a fictional comedy meant to make today’s farmers look bad, as if we have something to hide.

But those of you who read my blog know that my farm, considered a “factory farm” by many because of its size, has nothing to hide.  Through pictures, videos and descriptions, you’ve gotten a glimpse of almost every part of the turkey-growing process.

I blog about our farm not because we have something to hide or cover-up, but because we have so much to share!  Only 2% of Americans farm – I KNOW that you have questions about what goes on behind the closed doors of a large barn.

But my barn doors are not closed.  (Well, technically they are, because I don’t want you to track in an illness.)  But figuratively, here on the blog, they are WIDE OPEN!

(I’m including this video of our family, INSIDE our turkey barns, as a way of showing you that we have nothing to hide!  Want to do me a favor? Help me “defend” my baby by sharing this post with the hashtag #opendoors2openminds.  You can also follow me on twitter and join in the conversation there.)