A Monday in the Life of the Farmer

At Vintage Meadows, no two days during the week are the same. Our Mondays are vastly different from Thursdays, Tuesdays differ from Wednesdays… you get the picture. Many people may have a favorite day of the week. For some, Fridays are the best! Or maybe something special happens every Wednesday that you really look forward to. My favorite day is Monday because it gives me a chance to set a good tone for the rest of the week. Farmer Ryan couldn’t pick a favorite day of the week, but he chose Monday to share about today. Come along for a Monday in the life of Farmer Ryan.

Monday Schedule at Vintage Meadows

5:30 am

This has been the Farmer’s wakeup time for as long as I can remember. And he’s my dad, so that’s a long time. Thus begins the morning ritual that he has developed over the past 10 years. In the early morning darkness, the Farmer treks downstairs and lights his oil lamp, a hand-thrown pottery lamp that I found at a thrift store, and made by a local artist. Although small, it lights up the spacious kitchen, casting large shadows that dance in the firelight. Next, the Farmer fills the stainless steel teapot with fresh, cold water and puts it on the stove to boil, using the same burner every morning. Does everyone have a favorite burner on their stove? This Farmer does not start his mornings with coffee. Rather, he consumes black or green tea, the loose leaves brewed through a tea strainer in a locally made pottery mug, the same one every morning. While sipping on a perfect cup of tea with cream and honey, the Farmer prepares for the day by reading, meditating, journaling, or a combination of all three.

6:45 am

“After two cups of tea, around 6:45, I go out and prepare the office and packing room for Monday’s tasks - praying for the employees or the day - asking for peace, joy, and clarity.”

7:00 am

Farmer John rolls in around this time on Mondays. “We discuss the details of the delivery routes for the week, and any unique features of the route - analyzing the routes and making any necessary adjustments to our process for best customer service for the week.” After this important conversation, the Farmer begins to prepare the packing area and freezers - restocking boxes of product in preparation for the packing crew, which arrives around…

8:30 am

Three employees make up the Vintage Meadows packing crew. Leading the team is packing manager Beth, assisted by Jean and new hires Bailey and Courtney. The Farmer says, “John and I are there to support Beth as the packing manager - she’s in charge of this process, and we try to anticipate her needs and support her and the crew as much as possible.”

10:00 am

The next two hours of this Monday morning contain office humdrum. You’ll find the Farmer at his desk, across the room from Farmer John, answering emails, making phone calls, and planning out the week’s worth of chores on the farm. In the Farmer’s words:

“We have 4 herds (15-40, depending on the size of pasture) of cattle on our own farm and there are 4 herds off the farm. John and I plan future deliveries - planning new bundles, debating new products, discussing customer service.

“Today a farmer called and said he was interested in raising pigs for us. I took a phone call from another farmer that we’re working with that had some questions about livestock.”

These are the types of conversations typically had on Mondays.

12:00 pm

One important event that happens every other Monday is delivering cattle for butcher. Typically, Cuco, a part-time member of the VM team, comes in to help with this process.

“We set up a corral in the pasture and corral that particular herd, and we would sort out two or three of the best finished beef animals from that herd. Cuco backs the truck up, I help chase the chosen cattle on board, and he delivers them to the processor. We deliver them the night before slaughter so they can be calm for the morning’s events.”

The Farmer continues, “Cuco and I work so well together as it relates to cattle. One of my great joys is being able to work cattle in a calm, patient manner with Cuco, especially since we share the same mindset about working with livestock.”

1:00 pm

Since the Farmer does not go with Cuco to deliver the cattle, it is now lunchtime. “I’ll pop in and grab a quick bite of [a half pound] grassfed beef or sausage and drink some raw milk.” Today in particular, craving a reset, the Farmer shut everything down, resting in complete silence for a full 10 minutes.

1:30 pm

After lunch, the Farmer checks in at the packing room, jumping in to help organize some incoming inventory. Recently, this included apples and apple products.

1:45 pm

Cuco is back from delivering cattle by now and the Farmer checks in with him to see if any further work can be done today or later in the week. A few weeks ago, the two of them planned the last haymaking event of the year. They tentatively decided to mow hay on Thursday, rake it on Friday, and bale it and wrap it for storage on Saturday - if the weather would cooperate!

2:00 pm

Chore time typically begins around this time on Mondays. John is occasionally out on errands at this time, such as picking up chicken from the poultry butcher shop. The Farmer starts chores, which means moving the pigs to fresh pasture, moving the cattle to fresh pasture, filling water tanks, filling mineral tubs, and checking all the fences. Now that the weather is colder, the pigs have been moved to a partially enclosed barn, and the cattle are being fed hay to supplement their grazing. Some Mondays, VM’s newest employee, 16-year-old Naomi helps out with chores. “She approaches every job on the farm with exuberance and confidence!”

4:00 pm

Following chores, the Farmer will check in at the loading dock, helping John finish up putting away the chicken into the freezer or answering a few more emails

5:30 pm

Dinner is typically ready around this time! The Farmer joins his family in the farmhouse for supper.

“Evenings are flexible. Today, I went with my son to a house showing that he’s thinking about buying. My daughter picked up takeout from a local Mexican restaurant, The Wholesome Tortilla, and the family sat down for dinner around 6:30. Sometimes, I work with my son Connor in the shop on whatever project he is working on.”

“The best part of my day is taking off my shoes and socks to move cattle, picking a few tomatoes from the garden on the way in, and coming in for dinner with my family.” With the advancement of autumn, the Farmer has revised his barefoot evening routines, and has taken to wearing shoes more consistently.

7:00 pm

With darkness settling outside, you can find the Farmer reading on the couch, talking with his wife and children, or maybe playing a game together.

9:30 pm

The Farmer’s bedtime stays about the same year round.

The value of routine:

The common monologue about society would use the phrase, “get up and do it all again tomorrow.” However, Tuesdays hold completely different responsibilities and tasks than Mondays, and Wednesdays are vastly different as well. The Farmer expresses gratitude for the variation in his days, while still being grounded by several routines rich in meaning. These routines set the tone for the beginning and ending of each day, cultivating a healthy mindset and strength for the weeks and months that make up the years.