Making Progress, Business and Otherwise

March has been an exciting month. It all technically started in February with a great conversation with a local woman, Lara, who runs Walnut Run Farm. I should have known it would lead to something amazing -- the farm felt like a magical place, even in the midst of winter. I've already planned to go back when the weather is warmer and the grass greener.

I had the opportunity to describe to Lara my intention to bring a food refuse diversion service to the area. That conversation led to a phone call and later a meeting with a local business looking for an alternative to their current food refuse removal service. I am not at all ready for the scale that they are discussing: tons [yep, that's plural!]. But this is the amazing part: they're willing to scale with me. It's exactly the opportunity that I felt like would never come.


More items off of my checklist in March: my LLC filing was accepted, and my startup space will be my grandmother's barn, since I've gotten the blessing from her to work there.

Dust mask required

There are some repairs that need to be made to the barn, but cleaning up some of the accumulated "stuff" needs to happen first, so that's what we tackled. (When I say "we" I'm talking about my mom, dad, aunt, uncle and cousin's wife/good friend, Sara.) On the scale of 1 to hoarder, this barn is a very mild 2. Yesterday we loaded up old, loose straw into the manure spreader to be distributed on one of the fields. I could have used this opportunity to to a) learn to drive a tractor and b) back up a trailer. However, I didn't want the day's task to run into evening. Those skills will be learned at a later date.

One of seven or so loads of loose straw removed

The big boss came to see what we were up to

Before cleaning

After cleaning. Found: two opossum skeletons

My cousin Chad is the adventurous one who will climb things

I'm really grateful for of all the support and enthusiasm I've received from family and friends. And I'm really excited to see how this operation comes together. The likelihood of the barn being a long-term location for my larvae isn't very high, not when I'm planning on processing tons of food waste a week. This will be a stepping stone, and as we work on the barn, we can think about the rest of the property. My cousin is agreeable to putting our heads together for a long-term plan for the farm. I'm so flipping excited about that, too.

I feel like I still have quite a ways up the mountain to climb. On my scale of 1 to saving the world, I'm at a very mediocre .5. Others will remind me of how far I have come. Maybe blogging will help me document my progress so that I can better appreciate it.

Straw on its way up to the fields

Daytime moon over the old, gnarled cider apple trees

It's not about the destination, it's about the journey, right? Keep reminding me of that, because I know I forget. Thanks for taking the time to read this. There will be more to share as the weather gets warmer!