Welcome to our Farm
Welcome to our farm! I’m so glad you’re here. I want to tell you a little about our farm. If you’ve never been to a farm before, don’t worry, the folks on a farm are just like folks anywhere in the world. I guess that makes sense, because there are farms everywhere in the world. I would bet that farm folks are more similar than different. Even if they speak different languages or live in different countries.
Welcome to Bello Campo Farm
Our farm is called “Bello Campo Farm”. It is in the “Driftless Region” of Southwest Wisconsin in the United States of America. The “Driftless Region” means that many years ago in the last ice age, no glaciers covered the land around here. Instead of being scraped flat, these rolling hills along the Mississippi River still have the same ancient plants that were growing when mammoths and saber-toothed tigers were around. That doesn’t make much difference in our normal day-to-day life on the farm. But, it does make for a nice landscape of rolling tree-covered hills. It can be more interesting than the flat prairie lands south and west of here.
Where our Name Comes From
Bello Campo Farm is a partly Portuguese name. “Bello Campo” means “beautiful countryside”. We think it captures the place where our farm is, because it really is beautiful all around our farm land. The farm is about 20 acres and has a small stream that runs through the middle of our little valley. There’s a few acres of trees, but most of it is pasture land. The farmhouse and barn have some trees around them too. The garden is on a sunny south-facing slope, which helps the plants grow well.
Where are We Located?
The farm is not too far from a small town with a college. Close enough to be able to get things, but far enough away that the surrounding area is all farmland. Life here moves a little slower than in a big, or even medium-sized, city. Farm life is busy and everything is affected by the weather and the seasons. Farm folks tend to appreciate the uniqueness of each day and where it fits within each week, month, or season. Maybe more than folks whose lives and jobs are not as dependent on nature. But, just because we are a little farther from our nearest neighbors, that doesn’t mean they don’t drive by and wonder what we are up to. Or consider some of our choices to be weird or funny.
The great thing about being out on a farm is that you can make your own choices. If they don’t work out, you can try something new the next year. Nature is a great teacher of what works and what doesn’t. But sometimes it feels like you are fighting a battle against the weather or pests.
What a Farm Looks Like
If you’ve never been to a farm before, let me give you a mental picture of what the rural landscape looks like throughout the year. In the Spring and Summer, everything is green. Trees, grass and fields on and around the farm change from light, yellow-green to rich, vibrant green (assuming there is rain) and flowers bloom everywhere. In the Fall the trees turn yellow, orange and red, and the grass and plants turn yellow or brown (once there is frost). In the Winter, it’s brown and bare until the first snow, then everything turns white and frosty. Looking around the farm, you see plants and animals most places that you look, not buildings, vehicles and people, like in a city. However, you are rarely alone on a farm. Even in the winter there are birds and animals everywhere all the time.
What a Farm Sounds Like
One thing that can be quite different and sometimes unexpected are the sounds on a farm. You might expect that a farm would be quiet or peaceful, and it can be, but some of those farm sounds can be quite loud at times. For example, in our part of the world, the wind is frequently blowing. Some days it is a gentle wind that you can hear rustling in the tree branches, but sometimes it is a wild thunderstorm that can cause tornadoes and makes a roaring, rushing sound like a train going by. Similarly, folks like to hear a frog croaking in a pond, but sometimes in the Spring and Fall here, the frogs are so loud it’s like a constant high-pitched chorus of peeping all night long. You get used to it, but it can’t be called quiet.
There are also bugs and birds that are interesting to hear individually, but can make quite the racket when they are all buzzing or cawing at once. Even roosters don’t actually crow only at dawn, as many books seem to imply. Roosters crow all day long, whenever they feel like it, or they think something important is happening around the farm that needs to be announced – a truck drives by, a hen lays an egg, they hear another rooster somewhere crowing. A rooster’s crow is a very traditional “farm” sound, but it can get a little old if you have a very talkative rooster.
Finally, farm machinery can be loud at times. It’s not the same as living near a highway or busy street, but tractors, wagons and even planes can be very loud as they travel around fields or to and from the barn. It is a veritable symphony of sounds that are often different from what you would hear in a city, but not necessarily quieter.
Welcome to our Farm!
Even if you can’t be on a farm everyday, you can still grow your own kid-friendly, healthy food at home. We can help you learn how. Check out the rest of our website and enjoy all the resources and help along your path. Welcome to our farm!
Want to take the first step to your own farm? Check out how to start your own garden in – “5 Easy Steps to Your First Garden.“
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