This week brought a mix of change and momentum on the farm. Andromeda has headed back to Ojai, and we’re grateful for the time she spent here and the work she put in while she was with us. Teara is still here and continues to settle deeper into the rhythm of the farm, and helped plant our apple trees this week. She has been a steady presence for the farm box and Farms Together programs during a time of transition.
We also welcomed a new WWOOFer, Nieve, from New Jersey. She comes with a background in sustainable farming and has already made a noticeable impact. This week alone, she’s helped get tomato plants in the ground, row covers set, and picked up the pace in the garden in a way that’s been felt with gratitude across our (now smaller) team.
At the same time, we made the difficult decision to pause our Dairy Cow Share program.
Over the past year, changes in veterinary support have made it increasingly difficult to keep our cows in milk. What used to be a reliable system of care shifted after Dr. Thacker’s retirement, and without consistent access to that level of support, our cows have not been freshened and are now drying up, with no calves in sight. Dr. Thacker was part of a 2010 NPR report on concerns over a growing shortage of large animal vets, and how it affects small farmers and ranchers. This is unfortunately, not a new problem.
Ours wasn’t a decision made lightly. The dairy program has been a meaningful part of the farm since 2019, and stepping back from it is deeply felt. For now, it’s a pause while we reassess what’s possible moving forward.
In other parts of the farm, egg production is picking up. Spring has brought full egg baskets with Easter around the corner, and the farm stand is stocked. We’ve added eggs to the website so they can be included as weekly add-ons to farm boxes. If you’d like to make them a regular part of your box, reach out—we can set that up as a recurring add-on, with the understanding that seasonal changes may affect availability later in the year.
We also completed our Prop 12 California compliance certification for poultry and hogs this week. The process requires extensive recordkeeping, and while the intention behind the regulation is to improve animal welfare, the reality on the ground can be more complicated. Our farm already exceeds space requirements by a wide margin, but the rules don’t always account for the practical side of caring for animals.
For example, something as simple as closing chickens into a coop at night for protection from predators can technically put you out of compliance due to temporary space calculations. It creates situations where the safest choice for the animal doesn’t always align with the written rule. It’s a frustrating gap, and one that highlights the challenge of building policy without direct, day-to-day farming experience.
The Aldapes—our bus-life friends who return regularly to join us—have headed out for their seasonal job at Cultus Lake near Bend, Oregon. We sent them off with a proper round of farm shenanigans: kids sliding down a ramp on skateboards and swinging from the oaks. The kind of moments you hope stick.
And for good measure, Everest, our new livestock guardian dog, has been making fast friends with Chloe. We’re hoping she’ll show him the ropes as he grows into the role. For now, it’s all playtime, helped along by the kind of steady, temperate weather Lompoc is known for.
