In the Dirt

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Farm Meditation: All Tangled Up
If you have goats, you likely have been in this situation: You are busy doing something important, like maybe working on a job that pays the bills…
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Beth Hoffman
3
Building Old
Wouldn’t buying an old barn save us money in the long run?
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Beth Hoffman
11
Back Street Deals and a Happy Hour Invite
We parked at the back of the parking lot, so as to not be too conspicuous. She handed me the cash, a 20 folded nicely, and laid in my hand quickly. I…
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Beth Hoffman
3
Farm Meditation: The Power of Multiplication
Here’s about the funnest thing you can do in the garden—plant garlic. Yes, I know...
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Beth Hoffman
6
How the Sausage is Made, Fair Style
It was the saddest of sad moments finding the Ye Old Mill ride closed when we attended the Iowa State Fair in 2021. John stood there in disbelief, hands…
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Beth Hoffman
3
New
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Community
Why Buy Pasture-Raised Meats?
Create the world you want to live in
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Beth Hoffman
6
Unity in True Freedom
What we can all learn from Juneteenth
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Beth Hoffman
3
Farm Meditation #1
I’ve been thinking about writing something new––a series of “farm meditations,” moments that have inspired me or made me think about life in a new way…
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Beth Hoffman
20
Farm Meditation #2: Conquering the New
I did not grow up on a farm. I didn’t learn from the time I could walk—as my husband John did—how animals act or how to drive a tractor or which plants…
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Beth Hoffman
9
Farm Meditation #3: Don't Let Them Get Your Goat
John decided he would catch the goat to inspect the offending eye. He had just purchased a very biblical-looking goat-catching staff, a long stick with…
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Beth Hoffman
14
Farm Meditation #4: Right in Front of My Face
My stepson Antonio used to laugh at John and I when we said we were going mushroom hunting. “How can you hunt something that stands still?” he’d ask. He…
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Beth Hoffman
2
Farm Meditation: We Called Her Crazy Legs
From the beginning, when we got the goats—ten of them, does, Kikos—there were two that stood out.
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Beth Hoffman
13
Paid Subscription Happy Hour Invite
Hi amazing Paid Subscribers! Thank you so much for your support. I can’t describe how honored I feel to have you pay to read my work. Like…I won a…
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Beth Hoffman
Happy Hour Details
A beautiful fall evening...and food!
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Beth Hoffman
In the Dirt
In the Dirt
I dive into the the economics of growing food, give you the dirt on the politics of agriculture and occasionally share a funny tale from our ranch, Whippoorwill Creek Farm.
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