WE DID IT!

One year ago I found Mary Heffernan at Five Marys Farm on instagram.  I didn't know what I was getting into, when I found her.  But it lead me down a road I never imagined.  I have friends who sell beef, run a ranch, are a mom, etc.  I have seen them work hard, raise animals, sell beef...but I have never found my self in a position of believing I could, or even seeing the path to take so that I can.  

I found out 6 years ago that Seth was a visionary person.  He could see a vision from beginning to end...the design, the lay out, all the intricate artistic pieces along the way.  

We built a house together.

I found out I wasn't any of these things.  Or maybe I was, with in certain contexts. I was not able to visualize a house.  I needed things in writing.  I could sit down with experts and map things out.  I could draw a layout of the house with a lot of input and guidance.  I realized my niche is remodeling.  I can walk into a space, spend time in there, move around, and then find out what needs to change, what would work better, etc.  

I am this way with most things in life.  I was a teacher before I was a rancher.  I am really good and teaching, speaking, or presenting things that I have studied or know really well.  Once I know that topic really well, I don't need an outline.  I don't need notes. My brain can functionally present what I need to present, in the time I need to present it, bring it back full circle, summarize and leave the audience with a clear view of what is is and the take aways.  I wasn't good at mapping out the whole year from beginning to end, decorating my classroom for the section we were going to work on, seeing the vision.  I was good at taking concrete information and moving forward with it and making it better as I go.

Mary put together a course.  A course where she shares all her knowledge, expertise, trials, errors, successes, and tip for starting and running a small business, especially in Ag.  I needed this.  I saw people run amazing and successful Ag businesses, but I needed more.  I needed the vision...I don't have the vision.  Now that I have the vision and I am educating my self I feel like I can soar.

We shipped out first boxes of beef last well.  It felt overwhelming, amazing, anxiety ridden, joyful, and relieving.  We love our product. Seth spend a lot of time and effort into our cows.  He concerns himself with the genetics we bring into the herd, the food they eat, the environment they live in, etc.  I am passionate about good food, well we both are.  I had a garden and I canned in my 20's when I wasn't married and most my friends traveled the world.  

We also, both don't like other people telling us that our product that we have worked so hard on isn't worth anything...which is what our outside interest cattle market that we have in the USA does.  So we started a beef business.  

We live in north central Montana. There are more cattle the humans where we live...but a long shot, so we need to ship it out of here.  And that's what we did.  

It has been a long road getting here.  Like I said, I started following Mary 1 year ago.  I have been working on things ever since then...slow and steady.  It has been a lot of hard work and a lot of hours...but we like to say, hard things are bad, they're just hard!

Also in Stick Leg Synopsis