December at Deeply Rooted Ranch: A Season of Preparation and Promise
While winter takes over the fields and nature slows down, our ranch is far from quiet. We are buzzing with activity this month—taking stock, preparing for the new year, and planning exciting new offerings for our community.
Here's a snapshot of the six key happenings on the farm during December before we take our end-of-year break to rest and recharge.
Preparing for Spring Farm Boxes
Our winter farm boxes are all sold out, but we're already sowing the seeds (pun intended) for a bountiful spring harvest for you! We’re preparing rows for next season's crops and building our growing plans with our planning software. This tool helps us create planting schedules, estimate yield, and use our resources optimally.
So stay tuned for when we restock our Farm Boxes in the coming Spring—filled with fresh, regeneratively-grown vegetables and herbs straight from our fields.
Dodging the Rabbits
We’ve been facing a furry challenge this season: a group of rabbits hopped onto our ranch and feasted on some of our harvest! Growing food regeneratively in nature often involves encountering unexpected twists, and it’s all about figuring out creative solutions to setbacks like these.
Presently, we are storing our starts that require up-potting in the greenhouse until the coast is clear and it’s safe to plant them in the ground.
Eco-Literacy Field Trips
To build a climate-resilient world, it’s crucial to introduce future generations to regenerative farming and eco-literacy early on. This month, our education team is hosting a field trip of sixty students for a high school AP environmental science class!
This immersive experience is more than just a field trip; it's an opportunity for students to gain first-hand insight into holistic, regenerative agricultural practices and the importance of soil health.
Click Here to Start Planning Your 2024 Field Trips with Us
Livestock Update
Our breeding flock of sheep has successfully bred, meaning we’ll have about 100 lambs come springtime! Right now, our mama sheep are enjoying the company of the rams across our pasture while raising their young. We have planted nutrient-dense native grasses across our 120-acre land as part of our holistic planned grazing plan, ensuring our sheep always receive the high-quality nutrition they deserve.
That’s not all on the livestock front! We’re also placing orders for chickens to gear up for the official launch of our larger broiler chicken and layer enterprises in the new year. (More on the Deeply Rooted Ranch Chicken Processing Plant coming soon!)
2024 Calendar & Commercial Kitchen Launch
Our commercial kitchen is now fully equipped and ready to go! We're busy setting up blenders, mixers, and all the tools needed to bring farm-fresh goodness to life. Our Culinary Director extraordinaire, Chris, is busy planning farm-to-table cooking classes, supper clubs, and more to bring our community together over delicious meals in our beautiful new space.
Starting in January, we’ll be hosting various retreats, community gatherings, business meetings, education programs, and more.
End-of-Year Celebrations & Break
This year, our end-of-year celebrations take us to Sweet Ivy's in Brenham—a restaurant we proudly partner with and grow food for in our community. We frequently collaborate this way to build a rich, reciprocal culture where local communities support each other.
And finally, as our land replenishes during the winter, our team will also take some well-deserved time off in December. After a busy year being hard at work at the farm, it’s important to recharge our minds, bodies, and spirits. This way, we'll be back in the new year with renewed energy and enthusiasm to kickstart the next chapter of our regenerative journey.
We wish you a nourishing, lovely winter season and will be ready to welcome you when we open our doors in January!
