Celebrating the Solstice

written by

posted on

June 25, 2023

One week ago we celebrated this longest week of the year with live music, good food, and over 120 people who gathered on the farm for our Summer Solstice Show. This was the third show we’ve hosted on the farm and it’s quickly becoming apparent that these summer solstice shows will become an annual tradition.

The Natures opened the evening, our Sowash Family Band then played our favorite tunes, and Fat Bear Collective took the stage as the sun went down. CJ grilled 85 burgers from our beef raised here on the farm, accompanied by buns made by Athens Bread Company, cheese from Snowville Creamery, and lettuce from the Chesterhill Produce Auction. And many people brought delicious salads and dishes to share. It was an evening of celebrating local — our local food system, musicians, and community.

We ended the night with a dance party and glow sticks! We’re still reveling in the magic of the evening and being surrounded by so many good friends, family, and new faces.

Beef Bundles for Sale

Beef bundles are a great way to taste a variety of beef cuts without committing to buying a full quarter. These bundles range from 9 to 15 lbs. We will be offering two pickup locations — one in Athens on Friday, July 14th and the other in Columbus on Saturday, July 15th. Please reach out with any questions!

A Bit of Everything Bundle - $165.00

Want to try all cuts of beef but don’t have freezer space to buy in bulk? This bundle includes a variety of steaks, patties, ground beef and short ribs.

2 Premium Bone-In Steaks (T-bones, ribeyes, or porterhouse - 1 inch thick)
1 Sirloin Steak
1 Round Steak
16 Burger Patties (4 packs of 1/4 lb patties)
4 lbs of Ground Beef (1 lb tubes)
1 Pack of Short Ribs

Burger Bundle - $85.00

Fire up the grill for this burger bundle of ground beef and patties!

4 lbs of Ground Beef (1 lb tubes)
24 Burger Patties (6 packs of 1/4 lb Patties)

Taco Night Bundle - $90.00

Everything you need for taco night! Marinade the round steak for fajitas, slow cook the stew meat for shredded beef, or cook the ground beef for classic taco meat.

1 Round Steak
5 lbs of Ground Beef (1 lb tubes)
3 lbs of Stew Meat

What I’m reading…

Gilead | Book by Marilynne Robinson | “Nearly 25 years after Housekeeping, Marilynne Robinson returns with an intimate tale of three generations, from the Civil War to the 20th century: a story about fathers and sons and the spiritual battles that still rage at America's heart.”

What I’m listening to…

Our Family Band Playlist includes most of the songs in the Sowash Family Band repertoire! Couldn’t make it to the solstice show? Listen through these songs to get a taste of what we played.

On Being with Krista Tippett | Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows - What a world you’ve got inside you.’ | A new translation of Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet has been released in a world in which his voice and vision feel as resonant as ever before.

Expanding to Greener Pastures

We’ve got some exciting news to share! We are transitioning into being the new owners of the Shew Family Farm. This winter, we have been discussing the possibilities of a farm transition — as Pete & Marjie sought to create a plan for retirement, in hopes that their farm could be stewarded in a similar manner, and as we sought to expand our beef operation on our current limited land base. With guidance from our Uncle Jon Sowash, we devised a land contract to purchase the farm over the next many years in installments. In December, we also purchased the Shew’s brood cows and young calves. It’s no small feat to pass a farm from one generation to the next, particularly when it’s not to children. According to the American Farmland Trust, 2,000 acres of farmland are lost to non-agricultural uses every day. This has been a full circle moment, as Pete has been a mentor to us for several years. When I first started our farm in 2020, I cold-called him to see if I could visit and learn from him. I remember visiting one day to learn about handling cattle and to “help” as Pete brought a few steers down to the barn and loaded them into the trailer for the butcher. Over lunch, Marjie shared how they weren’t sure who would take over the farm when they retired and remarked, “maybe you’ll buy this place one day!” My eyes grew wide and I laughed, thinking to myself — me?! I have no idea how to farm. What does this mean for us and the Shews? We will continue to live and farm here in Athens County where we’ll run our pastured pork operation. During the growing season, we will run the cattle at the Shew farm where we’ll have the space to increase the herd size and maintain a breeding operation for the first time. As winter approaches, we will bring the herd back to our Athens farm to graze stockpiled forages — reducing the amount of hay we need to feed and making winter chores easier. Pete & Marjie will continue living in their home. They will be raising their butcher-ready steers and selling beef at the Athens Farmers Market this season before retiring in the fall. We are grateful that they will be staying on the property and advising us, as we get to know the farm and continue to learn as first-generation farmers. How does this enable us to raise our own calves? Until now, we have been purchasing weaned calves in the spring from other grass-fed farms and raising them to butcher weight. But we are getting squeezed by the cattle market, making it difficult to run a profitable enterprise. In spring 2021, we were purchasing calves for $1.62/lb or $680 for a 420 lb animal. Right now, the average price for the same calves is $5.25/lb or $2,205. People have often asked us — why don’t we raise our own calves? But on just 50 acres of pasture that we lease from family, we don’t have the space to maintain a herd of brood cows without having to really reduce our production. After all, a mama cow needs about 2 acres of pasture to live, so we’d have to free up space by reducing the number of steers we raise for beef. Last year we tried to expand our land base by leasing smaller, noncontiguous land near us. This involved hauling cattle to a different property every month or so, trucking water, and setting up temporary fencing. This opportunity to expand to the Shew property’s 115 acres of pasture means we can now run a “birth to butcher” operation in one centralized place. Better soils mean more beef! This also means we can increase beef production, as the soils have been so improved by the Shew’s managed grazing that they can support nearly twice the number of animals per acre as our Athens pastures. Pete told us that when they moved there in 1984, the organic matter of their soils was around 2-3%. In 2024, soil samples showed organic matter ranging from 4-6%! That is incredible improvement in soil health in a short amount of time. These productive soils will allow us to sustainably meet the growing demand for our grass-fed beef. More than anything, we are excited about the opportunity to invest in soils that have been improved for 42 years by sustainable grazing practices. That’s the best farm insurance policy we could ask for. We are honored to carry on the legacy of Pete & Marjie. We’ve got big Shews to fill.

The word that best defines 2025...

is community. And our community shows up in the pages of our newly released 2025 Annual Report — from photos of our events to this year’s Customers of the Year to our families who support our farming endeavors wholeheartedly.

Welcoming quiet & new life in the New Year

We’ve been absent from your inbox lately as the December holidays brought a flurry of travel and events to many of our lives. There’s something wonderful about January’s contrast to December, when the decorations come down and the weather gets colder and the world seems to stand a little more still. We are embracing this quieter pace of life, in a literal and figurative sense.

Celebrating the Solstice

Beef Bundles for Sale

What I’m reading…

What I’m listening to…

More from the blog

Expanding to Greener Pastures

The word that best defines 2025...

Welcoming quiet & new life in the New Year

Follow Us

Join Our Newsletter

MoSo Farm