Winterizing
Dec 03,2007 09:57 PM
Winterizing the farm means
finding warm places for the animals to sleep.
Winterizing the business means taking advantage
of the slow months to generate ideas for the
next phase of growth.
Well, we're winterizing the farm. Last winter on the
really cold days we would bring rabbit cages inside
to share the warmth with us. I think this idea
stinks, so Cathy's take on it was "build me a rabbit
barn!" So, away we go...
It took me a long time just to eke out a few weekends to rent a Bobcat and borrow some dirt from one of our pond banks to make a pad on which to build the building. We decided on 16'x36', of which 1/3 is under a roof, but with a stall front to be used as a temporary corral for the animals that would be working the next day. That's a lot of dirt when you're building on a slight incline.
After much trial and error, I decided to hire professionals. I went down to the day labor market in McKinney and found a couple guys that, with my limited Spanish, seemed to be foundation experts. Fortunately, they did indeed know what they were doing, and by 1pm the forms were nailed up and ready, and it was time to get quotes on concrete. I called 5 different concrete places and got 5 different prices per yard. The highest was $125, the lowest $87. I didn't expect such a range for something that's basically a commodity, but it does pay to call around.
Next morning I picked up mi amigos and we spent the day finishing a slab. It turned out that I could be the most help by staying out of the way.
Less than a week later, Cathy & I made a day trip up to Oklahoma to pick up the building kit. This was just the additional expense the business needed to operate in the red for 2007. Everything the business earns is plowed right back into it for now. Every year I say next year will be profitable, but every year we find new and creative ways to spend it :-)
The building's not up yet as of today because I rarely have more than about 2 hours to spend on it. I'm getting there, slowly but surely. After this project, we've got another barn to add stalls to, fences, wind shelters and lean-to's to build. I think we won't be done winterizing before winter comes in earnest.
The other aspect of winterizing is winterizing our business. We are gradually trying to figure out what Cathy's Critters is going to look like in 2008, 2012, and beyond. Cathy and I are kicking around ideas like adding party rental services (frozen-drink machines, bounce-houses, etc), on-farm visits (field trips, pumpkin patch, hay rides, seasonal festivals), and even making the farm a year-round entertainment complex where we can host music festivals (think Kerrville North), give tours to home-school groups, encourage would-be small farmers, and generally cause parking problems for our neighbors. We attended a 2-day alternative agriculture conference in Oklahoma in November and we got to see first-hand the successes of other micro-farms selling directly to the public.
One of my reasons for logging all these random thoughts and experiences is for the accountability of having someone else look at them. Once you announce your intentions publicly, you look like a goober if you never follow through. I don't wanna look like a goober, so I'm begging you to nag me about some of these ideas. If they sound exciting to you and worth pursuing, please let me know. If they sound just plain silly, let me know that as well. It probably won't stop me, but at least you can say "I told you so". Our most valuable inputs come from our customers, so thanks for your continued support and referrals.
If you call Cathy to book a party and mention this blog entry (assuming you read this far!), she will make sure that I come to your party personally, guitar in hand and serenade your guests with an assortment of animal songs and "Happy Birthday" (if appropriate). And if *you* don't tell the kids what a bad singer I am, they'll never know. No critics, just good times.
--
Keb'm
It took me a long time just to eke out a few weekends to rent a Bobcat and borrow some dirt from one of our pond banks to make a pad on which to build the building. We decided on 16'x36', of which 1/3 is under a roof, but with a stall front to be used as a temporary corral for the animals that would be working the next day. That's a lot of dirt when you're building on a slight incline.
After much trial and error, I decided to hire professionals. I went down to the day labor market in McKinney and found a couple guys that, with my limited Spanish, seemed to be foundation experts. Fortunately, they did indeed know what they were doing, and by 1pm the forms were nailed up and ready, and it was time to get quotes on concrete. I called 5 different concrete places and got 5 different prices per yard. The highest was $125, the lowest $87. I didn't expect such a range for something that's basically a commodity, but it does pay to call around.
Next morning I picked up mi amigos and we spent the day finishing a slab. It turned out that I could be the most help by staying out of the way.
Less than a week later, Cathy & I made a day trip up to Oklahoma to pick up the building kit. This was just the additional expense the business needed to operate in the red for 2007. Everything the business earns is plowed right back into it for now. Every year I say next year will be profitable, but every year we find new and creative ways to spend it :-)
The building's not up yet as of today because I rarely have more than about 2 hours to spend on it. I'm getting there, slowly but surely. After this project, we've got another barn to add stalls to, fences, wind shelters and lean-to's to build. I think we won't be done winterizing before winter comes in earnest.
The other aspect of winterizing is winterizing our business. We are gradually trying to figure out what Cathy's Critters is going to look like in 2008, 2012, and beyond. Cathy and I are kicking around ideas like adding party rental services (frozen-drink machines, bounce-houses, etc), on-farm visits (field trips, pumpkin patch, hay rides, seasonal festivals), and even making the farm a year-round entertainment complex where we can host music festivals (think Kerrville North), give tours to home-school groups, encourage would-be small farmers, and generally cause parking problems for our neighbors. We attended a 2-day alternative agriculture conference in Oklahoma in November and we got to see first-hand the successes of other micro-farms selling directly to the public.
One of my reasons for logging all these random thoughts and experiences is for the accountability of having someone else look at them. Once you announce your intentions publicly, you look like a goober if you never follow through. I don't wanna look like a goober, so I'm begging you to nag me about some of these ideas. If they sound exciting to you and worth pursuing, please let me know. If they sound just plain silly, let me know that as well. It probably won't stop me, but at least you can say "I told you so". Our most valuable inputs come from our customers, so thanks for your continued support and referrals.
If you call Cathy to book a party and mention this blog entry (assuming you read this far!), she will make sure that I come to your party personally, guitar in hand and serenade your guests with an assortment of animal songs and "Happy Birthday" (if appropriate). And if *you* don't tell the kids what a bad singer I am, they'll never know. No critics, just good times.
--
Keb'm
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