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We just opened up SCHOLARSHIP opportunities for both of the M5 Entrepreneurs September workshops! Join us in person in Fort Jones September 23-25 for an intensive weekend to focus on ways to improve your business model and profitability with myself and that’s awesome M5 leader ship team. It’s focused on lots of 1-on-1 time to help you and your business launch to the next level! And if you can’t join in person… it’s the last chance to sign up for the M5 Ranch to Retail virtual workshop – covering everything from selling ranch products direct-to-consumer, operating your own butchery, hosting events on your property, a farm store behind-the-scenes and so much more to get your products to your customers. With a LIVE Q&A with me and Brian Sept 15 too! Go to @m5entrepreneurs stories to apply – scholarship applications close tomorrow!

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In a family business, the weekends are often the time we all have to jump in and work together to get a job that needs doing done. A few weekends ago we had to weigh and sort the livestock auction beef quarters at @fivemaryscustommeatco and it had to happen on a Saturday so the girls and a friend suited up in white coats and gloves and JJ was on clipboard duty (she has the best penmanship in the family ;) to get the job done. There’s a lot to take in at a butchery but they learn and work with care knowing how important that product is and how much work went into raising it! They learn so much doing this and get to know everything that goes into our businesses from the inside. It’s interesting to see which jobs some are drawn to more than others! Today we had the farm store team scheduled for the day off, but when lots of orders were coming in (you guys are stocking up this week on Five Marys ground beef!) I knew we’d be short on boxes made up – so the girls and a few of their friends came to the rescue to brand, liner, sticker and put together over 700 boxes. They all get paid for this extra work (a lot of ranch chores are just expected when this is our lifestyle) and they felt great at the end of the day at an accomplished day, pizza lunch and money in their pockets. We don’t expect any of the girls will for sure want to come back to the ranch or our family businesses as adults – they might make their own paths as entrepreneurs or any type of career! But I’m glad they have the knowledge knowing what goes into each arm of our business and the skills to take with them to work hard at any job. 👊🏼 #fivemarys #shopfivemarys #m5girls #myfourmarys #fivemarysfarms

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It’s calving season on the ranch right now if you’re watching my stories (so many new babies!)… but we have baby piglets from our farrowing momma sows all year round! These pigs have the run of the grassy hog pastures, mud wallows and their own ponds too. We feed them a customized protein mix with different percentages for different stages of development (gestation, lactation, growing and finishing) since they love hiding in the tall grass but they need more protein than just grasses. They are Berkshire hogs – we started raising Old Spot breed pigs but we’ve found the Berks are better mommas (more maternal!) and we love the quality of the pork. It’s taken us years to work on and improve our pig program to where it is today. From farrowing outside in huts to building a proper farrowing and maternity barn with specially designed pens that give new piglets a warm corner to be safe from flopping-over tired sows. Our survival rates and litter sizes are much better these days! Our piglets graduate from the barn with their mommas to a “group-lac” pasture where they all nurse together until they are big enough to be out in the pond pastures to grow and finish – or become breeder sows and have more piglets (breeders don’t get harvested for meats) And this year our neighbor right next door is raising pigs on their pastures for us to help us expand our program and give all the pigs plenty of room to wallow in mud pits and sleep under shady trees. Did you know that only 3% of the pork consumed in the US is raised on pasture or outside!? Most are raised in barns on concrete (because it is much easier to feed/clean/farrow large numbers of pigs!) but pastures pork raised right is truly a RARE thing! Photos by @circlebarco 📸 #fivemarys #fivemaryspork #pasturedpork #pasturedpigs #pasturedeverything #heritagepork #berkshirepork #shopfivemarys #fivemarysfarms

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I lost my sidekick today. 💔 The most loyal pup I ever knew… my constant companion who would never leave my side and the best ranch pup while the girls were growing up. I brought her home a tiny mutt when she was seven weeks old and we were still moving to the ranch. She spent car rides curled up in my lap driving back-and-forth to move up here and has never strayed from my side since. She’d stay right under my desk all day at my office and sleep at the end of my bed on any sort thing she could find. She was the first to jump in my rig for chores and if I couldn’t take her with me somewhere, she would be patiently waiting at the window for me whenever I got home. She’d been slowing down lately and acting a little different… and this afternoon I felt a gust of wind/energy stop me in my tracks – I know it was her spunky, loyal spirit saying goodbye. I didn’t deserve you Dixie, but I’m so lucky I was your person for eight years. Rest easy under the tree swing at camp Dixie and watch over your old squirrel chasing fields. ❤️ 🐾 #dixielandthejack June 2014-August 2022

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