After a roller coaster 2013, Pasture’s Delights has many blessings to be thankful for.
Earlier in the year the Indiana General Assembly considered different measures that could have legalized raw milk—or, on the flip side, outright banned it everywhere including through herdshare programs like ours. No raw milk legislation was passed and hence the state of raw milk in Indiana remains status quo. I thank the many people who spoke up for their freedom and voiced their right to access food of their own choosing!
Interestingly, many of the challenges and injuries we sustained this year were not from the government, mega-corporations, or even weather but rather life lessons on trust, faith, and understanding. Some unexpected personal and financial blows that converged in a relatively short period of time tested me and put pressure on Pasture’s Delights, a pretty ugly scenario in reality. As the saying goes, God only gives us what we can handle. And, he can also teach us a lesson by bringing us to our knees! I can honestly say that it is only by the grace of God that I came out through this year to now have the opportunity to type this Pasture Bites letter for you. I thank God for blessing me with courage, strength, wisdom and His merciful, unconditional love.
In October we conducted a campaign to recapitalize the business and fuel the growth Pasture's Delights needs for stand-alone financial sustainability. Our future has been made possible not from a bank, government subsidy, or artificial marketplace mandate but rather our herd owners' and other customers’ desire to see us succeed. Pasture’s Delights customers are the best! I am continually being reminded how loyal and thoughtful our customers are. It is quite heart-warming and I am thankful to have the kind of can-do support our herd owners showed by investing the capital that will not only allow us to survive but to prosper in the years to come!
The challenges I and the farm faced this year were also felt by my friends and Pasture’s Delights co-workers. Even though it is hard to face such adversity, it does show you who you can depend on in life, or in business, first and foremost. Tough times separate those who are loyal, dedicated, and committed from fair weather “fans” or, even worse, vultures who kick one who is “down.” I personally am grateful to be taking a route in life that may be a bit more challenging knowing I am with good, hardy, loving people than taking the easy route amidst people with questionable character. I thank the awesome friends I have who were steadfast, loyal, supportive, and lent heartfelt guidance. I thank my business partners Carrie and Troy Fisher who have some of the most patience, dedication, understanding, and tenacity I could ever really ask for of any business partner. And, I thank all my co-workers at Pasture’s Delights for their loyalty, teamwork, courage, and perseverance to get through what we can all admit were some quite dispiriting times earlier this year.
Through the experiences of this year, the two biggest lessons I learned were about people's characters and people's perceptions. I thank God for blessing me with these experiences in that they will help me to better lead and manage a better life and business going forward. In my opinion, it would behoove us Americans to take some time to understand the characters and perceptions of others and how they intersect with our own as we visit with friends, neighbors, co-workers, family, and relatives during this holiday season. Assumptions lead to division. Communication and understanding are tools that God gave us to unify us for the common good. Thank God for giving us these tools that we may be able to live joyful, peaceful lives!
It is an honor and privilege to be a part of this Pasture’s Delights team building a business that delivers REAL food to so many wonderful people and their families. I thank you for your patronage, thoughts, and prayers.
Wishing you and yours a blessed, holiday season!
Mark Grieshop Farmer and Bio-Entrepreneu Pasture’s Delights
4 Comments
Anthony Speziale
I'm new to herd-share program. I really enjoy the milk and I believe God knows what we need if we just follow his leading through his word.The closer we stay to his plan the better we will be individually and as a nation. Thank you for believing and trusting in God and not ashamed to say so. Have a Blessed Thanksgiving! I leave you with Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’
Tim
I wholeheartedly concur with Anthony’s post. And it seems a bit ironic that, while there seems little to be thankful for while in that knee-bound, humbling position, it ultimately yields a heart of: Happy Thanksgiving!
Sarah S.
It is such a heartfelt blessing from God to partake of the products from Pasture's Delights, but it means even more to me knowing of the quality people who are providing it for my family. Investing in the future of the dairy has allowed us to see how we can personally affect how our food comes full circle. We are so thankful for all of you there at Pasture's Delights who sacrifice to make our clean raw milk products possible. You are very appreciated!!!
Jenni
I WHOLE-heartedly agree with everything in Sarah's post today. My husband and I greatly appreciate the product but, more importantly, we are thankful that we feel we can trust in the character of the business owners and operators. It is an honor to be a part of the future success of Pasture's Delights. Being able to invest makes us feel like true herd-share owners by taking up our share of the operational burdens. God bless you all and thanks be to Him for granting you peace through such a difficult year.