At a Crossroads

By Angie Mentink

While the year 2020 has been one of the best years of my life, it has had its share of challenges. My husband and I are standing at a crossroads, because our business is in jeopardy. In the spring of 2020 our local meat processors were flooded with new customers, after some of the huge packing plants shut down, due to the huge number of Covid cases in the plant. Without a place to take their animals, farmers started making appointments at the local abattoirs. We, along with other faithful farmers, that have used these processors for years, are struggling to get all of our animals butchered that we direct market and are wondering what to do.

For years my husband and I have talked about how amazing it would be to raise our animals for ourselves and our customers from the beginning of life, all the way to the freezer. We love the idea of controlling the process and especially the ingredients. Our oldest son is also very good at processing and has offered to let us hire him to help with the small amount that we would have to do. What has scared us the most is the cost of getting started! We are also overwhelmed by the lack of knowledge we have in this area and have to wonder if we can handle more physical labor than we are already doing on the farm, along with my husbands’ full time job. Processing is complicated, and it’s really hard work. We greatly appreciate people that do it! Finally, as anyone that has ever started a business knows, the biggest question is, “Would people even want us to process their meat?” What if we built this, and we didn’t get enough support to cover our expenses?

We have been learning all we can about butchering the last few years, and we are definitely interested in more natural, traditional techniques. This has been challenging to find good information on. We are especially desperate to learn more about natural curing. The processed, cured pork of today is not as healthy as the traditional products of the past. Traditional, cured pork is actually very nutrient dense and easier to digest than fresh pork if done properly. It involves scalding the pig and removing all the hair, but leaving the skin. This allows the meat to be naturally fermented or cured. We have a lot more to learn, but what we understand is fascinating!

Here is what we do know. We love serving people with our products, and we especially love hearing the stories about how our products are helping people. We have some appointments scheduled through January 2021 that should take care of our regular customers. We definitely want to process all of our own meats, especially since we have been learning and doing a little more processing each year. We have no desire to sell animals through the sale barn and lose money, but we do have the option to sell live animals to a customer for them to breed or butcher themselves or we can easily cut back. We could also get a lot of practice with the ones remaining.

If we only process for ourselves, we have a great place to fix up in our barn that wouldn’t cost that much to get set up. If we want to process for our customers, then we have two options. We have tossed around the idea of fixing up our old barn, or building something new. I have seen some amazing barn fix ups with beautiful results, but we have to wonder with all the work involved, would we save that much money or time, and could it ever be clean enough and sealed up enough to meet my expectations? It is so imperative to keep everything incredibly clean, especially when handling meat for someone else. We also have to wonder, what if we fix it up and some problem arises that completely destroys our work (like a foundation issue that wasn’t discovered before the start). Building something new seems like a great option if it weren’t for the cost.

There are many new grants available from the government that we would easily qualify for. These were created after the crisis shut down the large processing plants and flooded the smaller ones. I am going to be completely honest, this is a temptation, but my husband and I are committed to running our business, family, and farm without assistance (welfare) from the government. This is just a personal conviction. We don’t feel that it’s right to take tax payers money to fund our endeavors and believe that whatever the government funds the government controls. We are giving this all to the Lord and trusting that He will provide the money in order to carry out His will. A few weeks ago I read a quote that really resonated with me. Shakespeare said:

   There is a tide in the  affairs of men,

                Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;

Omitted, all the voyage of their life

Is bound in shallows and in miseries.

On such a full sea are we now afloat,

And we must take the current when it serves,

Or lose our ventures.

While it feels overwhelming to make a decision as far as which venture to choose, we also have to remember this Bible verse, ”Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” We are not the type to sit back and feel sorry for ourselves when problems arise, but rather to do something. We also refuse to take on any debt. The question is, what do we do? Do you have any thoughts on this subject, and would you support us in this new adventure? Your feedback is so important to us.

The Lord has really put it on my heart to empower others about how our food has changed over a short period of time. We are reaching more and more people with our website and newsletter and LOVE to hear your stories about how natural, clean foods have changed your lives. Please help spread the word and keep those stories coming! As we get closer to winter, we look forward to the work that lies ahead and to blessing others with our products. Homesteading and farming are not simple tasks, but when you enjoy the work you are doing and get to feel a great sense of accomplishment at the end of the day, it is completely worth it. This winter we pray that you are encouraged to grow great food, find, and meet a great farmer to buy from, slow down and enjoy each day, and be blessed with abundant health!