Farmer : Mark and Denise BeyersLocation : East Aurora , New YorkSpecialties : Maple syrup , pastured poultry and eggs
It all started with a well - timed maple leafage . Mark Beyers was deer hunting in the Wood on his property when a crimson maple folio degenerate into his lap covering . It cause him to calculate around and take notice of just how many maple tree were on the land he owned with his wife , Denise . With the spark of an idea in his oral sex and memories ofmaking syrupas a kid , he render to the house to blab to his wife and the twain decided they ’d give sirup - making a try . Mary Beth Flatau
That same year , neighbor yield them a few unwanted biddy , which the Beyerses jubilantly accepted : Denise raise chickens , duck and goof as a child and wanted to know specifically where her family unit ’s meat and eggs would be come from . Before either of them knew it , Beyers Maple Farmwas formally stomach .
“ We never realized we ’d like it so much , ” Denise Beyers say . “ When we become passionate about something , we do everything we can to make it happen . ”Mary Beth Flatau
Today , the twosome of Marine Corps veterans makes maple sirup in addition to raisingpastured essence chickensand turkeys , laying chickens , andhoneybees . And this becomes even more telling when you agnize that Mark is doing it all as a two-fold amputee : He was severely injured in Iraq in 2005 from an IED bang , which required more than 40 surgeries and the amputation of his right arm and branch .
“ one by one , we may not be capable to accomplish as much , but with the seemliness of God and when we work out together with friends and family , awesome thing happen . ” Denise Beyers says .
Mary Beth Flatau
Biggest Success
make maple syrup ! It ’s not easy by any means , so for my husband to accomplish the thing he does with only one arm and one leg is nothing short of awful . He cause me proud to have him as a husband and founding father to our children . We have it away to teach our children how to make sirup and extend on family line traditions — how to last honestly and self - sufficiently — and making memories are most authoritative .
Biggest Challenge
Farming is hard work andmaking money doing itis even heavily . Raising constitutive domestic fowl is especially costly because of the provender and processing costs . We grow chickens for 12 weeks and turkeys for 21 weeks , and we do n’t see a dime bag until they are processed and in our freezer , which is a pregnant drain on our budget . Plus , we have the challenge of actually selling the chickens in a timely manner to make the money back that we already spent nurture them .
Firsthand Advice
Research , read books and find resources to help your unique situation . There are foundations out there to help oneself with lead off - up costs with beginning your own farm business organisation , as well as helping with class to further your educational activity . The average age of farmers is around 55 , so it ’s time for more people — and specially more oldtimer — to step up to the challenge and become farmers . It ’s a very fulfilling and fulfil task . We can all make a difference in our own residential area by providing healthy , sustainable sources of food .
This article originally ran in the January / February 2017 issue ofHobby Farms .
Mary Beth Flatau
Mary Beth Flatau
Mary Beth Flatau
