Archive: September 16, 2022

Fun on the Farm & Financial Foundations!

Laughter, the Antidote to FarmWork

Farming is hard work, no doubt. You start early and have long days. It, at times, can feel like a heavy lift. And, at other times, a breeze. Regardless of which side of the slippery scale we are on, we always find a way to bring laughter into the mix. Whether that be the sheep stampeding in the opposite direction of their new paddock or me falling into the temporary fencing after we burn many calories coercing the sheep into their paddock with alfalfa pellets, and I find my way out of the fencing, we can get through the day together with laughter.

Farmer Markets and Girl Scouts: Our Girls Mean Business

As young entrepreneurs with a young family, we try our best to ensure our kids (10, 8, and 7 months) understand our business practice from beginning to end. They work the farm to include processing. They wake up before sunrise on market days to help set up. And they are the salesmen and cashiers, processing bitcoin, credit cards, and cash. To keep their motivation up, they receive a percentage of the earnings for each transaction they make at the market.

They are also Girls Scouts and take it very seriously. With fall product season upon us, the girls were on double duty last week at the market. They were making transactions for the market and promoting their chocolates and nuts. Their efforts paid off as they made their percentage for the day with the market, but they each surpassed their sales goal for Girl Scouts, each garnering the title “Top Troop Sellers”; there are only two people in the troop that can hold this title. This is a huge win for them as they worked beyond their fears and made those sales. Between the markets and Girl Scouts, the girls are making us proud as community servant leaders and future entrepreneurs (fingers crossed)!

This weekend we will be at another market. Although the girls have reached the required goal to attain all patches, they are excited to push themselves as salesmen and plan to work our booth while also eagerly boosting their Girl Scout product sales in their highly coveted vests!

So, if you are local, you can meet us at Decock Farm in Castroville, TX (30 min outside of San Antonio) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Say hello, check out our pasture-raised, non-soy, non-GMO meats, and see our girls in their prime.

You can never go wrong when eating smart with Smart Growth Farm!

The Ritchey Family

Sweet Surrender to Seasonal Shifts in September!

The dog days of summer are ending, and we are feeling more relaxed afternoons (~91-95 degrees Fahrenheit) in the great state of Texas! With cool days and crisp leaves on the horizon, hearty meals become a staple in our home. Stews and roasts with fresh veggies from our local farmers market are something our family savors. We are fortunate enough to enjoy pasture-raised, soy-free, non-GMO livestock from our farm to our family table; it is truly a blessing. There is something so special about enjoying the fruits of one’s labor. Caring for our animals as they relish in the grass-fed life is something in which we take pride. Given the state of the world, America, and experiencing what it means to live in a border town (our county is within 100 miles of the Mexico border), the world’s perils often fall away when working on our farm.

As we move into fall, the farmer’s markets are far more enjoyable in south Texas (30 miles from San Antonio, to be exact). We are ramping up to support several events and markets to share our meats and meat knowledge with the local communities we serve. At Smart Growth Farm, we believe that access to locally grown and properly cultivated food is something all Americans should have access to. Knowing where to find or receive locally sourced food should not be challenging in a bustling city or a rural town. And, as veterans who have traveled near and far in defense of this great country of America, we know how challenging it can be to attain nutritional food. So, Smart Growth Farm will always provide opportunities to share clean, nutritional food locally or across the U.S. So, check out our products and eat smart with Smart Growth Farms!

Be well,

The Ritchey Family