Two Feet in the Dirt

Along with plugging away at the work outside, we’ve also been focusing on another essential part of the farm- business formation. Of course, when I dreamed about starting my own farm, I was thinking about growing food, not about tax forms, licensing, and permits, but as any small business owner knows, these are crucial steps to running your own operation. And at last, we’re getting there! This week marked a number of milestones in this area. We have been registered as a limited liability company with the state of West Virginia and are now officially known as Red Hawk Rise Organics, LLC. We have a completed operating agreement (a key component of an LLC) and our own Employer Identification Number. Somehow, this is making things seem much more real than anything else has yet and is an important precursor to applying for 2018 farmers markets, getting our organic certification, and much more.

And most exciting of all, we have launched our new business website at redhawkriseorganics.com. Check it out to learn more about us, the farm’s name, our growing practices, and what we plan to grow. And let us know if you’ve got any questions, ideas, or recommendations. But don’t worry- we plan to continue to operate our blog through twofeetinthedirt.com!

Meanwhile, as always, the work outside goes on. Recently, we have been particularly consumed with the installation of our deer fence. Farming on a small scale makes a deer fence seem like a no-brainer. We just can’t financially absorb crop losses from deer the way a large farm would be able to. And while it can be tens of thousands of dollars to get a deer fence put up professionally, it becomes dramatically more affordable if you are willing to install it on your own. The installation is quite a process, from pounding in all of the posts, installing gates, and putting in all of the necessary anchoring and support for such a long structure. Next will be putting up the fencing itself, a step I am looking forward to if only because it’s the last one!