There is an old riddle that talks about going to St Ives. I believe that the official title is As I was going to St. Ives.
The author of this riddle talks about 7 wives, 7 cats, 7 sacks, 7 kits, all different items but all headed in one direction with one goal.
I thought about this recently as I reflected on where this farm has gone over the past 5 years. This journey was begun with 2 dogs, 2 cats, and 4 chickens.
These days, the farm has grown considerably with 4 dogs, 2 cats, 40+ laying chickens, 30+ meat chickens, 11 bantam size chickens, 7 ducks and 2 beehives. Not to mention running a small business that works very closely with a local brewery, The Seymour Brewing Company, to use the spent brewing mash in delicious dog treats called I.P.A. Bites (Incredible. Pupper. Appetizers.)® that dogs throughout the nation love!
You may think that all of these components don't work closely together in creating our wonderful dog treats as all of these are different, but the laying chickens provide farm fresh eggs for the doggy treats and the laying chickens also eat the spent brewing mash. The sale of the doggy treats provide equipment and maintenance for the bees who in turn pollinate the fruit trees on the farm. Our meat chickens, when they are on pasture, graze and fertilize the ground that they are on and thus allow our fields to green up and become healthy places for flora and fauna alike.
You see, this is how it all fits together and why, when you purchase I.P.A. Bites for your pupper, you're providing support for a small farm who in turn gives back to the community whenever possible.