Building a New Farm

    VIDEO is Below the story

    Erin and I met Atlee and Anna Keim five years ago , shortly after they purchased their land in Holmes County.  At that time, Atlee worked full-time as a commercial construction foreman.  Their dreams, however, were always centered around becoming full-time farmers.  The only problem was that the financial realities of a startup farm would not allow Atlee to quit his off-farm construction work.  

    As with anything Erin and I set out to accomplish, we always ask - "what is the long-term picture?". When we began our "old-school organic" vegetables production partnership with the Keim's, we had our sights set on what lie ahead.  First,  Atlee needed to be on the farm full-time.  Two years ago, the combination of their bulk dairy operation and the vegetables business allowed him to farm full-time for seven months.  The other five months he made ends meet by taking part-time construction jobs. 
    Erin and I approached Atlee and Anna with the idea of creating a raw milk herd share.  If it was successful, there was an opportunity to make their full-time farming enterprise financially sustainable for the long-term.  The financial picture did change, and it changed dramatically after the first year operating the Keim Family Raw Milk Herd Share.  Rather than selling their organic, grass-fed milk on the commodity market,  it was  being distributed directly to families across northeast Ohio.  Atlee and Anna were now receiving 100% of the value for their milk.   

    An unforeseen "by-product" of the herd share led to Atlee working here on our land through the winter of 2023 and spring of 2024.   ZOE Farms had a massive list of construction and land maintenance projects that needed completed through the winter of 2023 and spring of 2024.  Atlee was the foreman on all of them. He is the reason The FireHouse is what it is.  Atlee is the reason we have a new brooder barn that sets the foundation of our entire pasture-raised chicken production enterprise.  

    There is one thing Atlee does NOT do -- drive.  From Thanksgiving 2023 through Easter 2024, Atlee and I spent six hours a week in the truck together.  I became what is jokingly called a "Yoder Toter" - a driver for the Amish.  While most of those hours were spent working out the details of our construction projects, we would also dream about our families.  Sierrah and Morgan are full-time farmers. ZOE Farms is their career.   Atlee and Anna want this for their five children, so we spent a fair amount of those driving hours talking about the possibilities pastured poultry production may open up. 

    We ran a few "trial" flocks this spring to test two critical parameters: 1.) Will the Keim Family enjoy raising chickens on their land?  2.) Will the financial picture work for both the Keim family as well as the Schnabel family?  This brings the story to the video you see here today.  The answer is "YES" - to both.  What you see in this video is a dream becoming a reality.  Another farm is being built - and you are a part of it.  I hope you find this meaningful -- because it is.  

    I will continue this story in an article next week.  It is important to show you the positive ecological impact these birds are playing in the  I also want to explain why we chose the production model of the moveable coops.