A farm’s story is made up of everyday work, new ideas, and the family moments in between. For our first journal entry, I’m looking back at a few photographs I’ve shared over the years.
Our story starts with the land we bought in 2017, just before Porter was born. Since then, the farm and our family have grown together.
2017 · Where it began
A new farm. A growing family.
We purchased the land and started our farm in 2017, just before Porter was born. Looking back, those beginnings are tied to memories of the boys when they were little: Melanie and the boys feeding apples to the cattle, time together in the barn, and a round bale delivered with the tractor.
The photographs from those early years tell the story of a family growing up alongside a farm. They are the memories we want to keep coming back to in this journal.
A farm first
The first twins born on our farm.
These were the first twin calves born on our farm—a milestone to remember as we look back through the family album.
October 28, 2023 · From the farm album
“It all starts with grass.”
In October 2023, I shared my excitement about starting something new with the cattle company. The photographs showed beef being prepared for the table, and my message came back to where it begins:
“Ecstatic to start something new with my cattle company. It all starts with grass.”
Looking back, this photograph captures a particular chapter in the business. It connects the work of raising cattle with the food that ends up on the table.
September 2, 2025 · A family adventure
Eleven nights on the road.
Our 2025 RV trip took us through Kellogg, Idaho, and Philipsburg, Montana, with stops at Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Lewis & Clark Caverns. We spent eleven nights on the road and covered about 3,000 miles.
In the post I shared afterward, I called it “tons of fun.” This family photo is one of the memories from that summer adventure.
There is more to our story than the business. These are the people and the moments behind it, too.
August 8, 2026 · Back on the farm
Feeding time.
In August, I shared videos of Preston feeding the cattle, along with this photo of a round bale in the feeder.
The caption was only a few words: “Preston’s feeding cattle.” Sometimes that is all a memory needs—a small glimpse of the work happening on an ordinary day.
After the road-trip photographs, this brings the album back to farm life and the everyday moments we share here in Stanwood.
A memory from the pasture
A round bale and a familiar chore.
This is the tractor-and-round-bale moment from our family farm album: standing beside the tractor after bringing a bale out to the cattle.
From the farm album
Family time in the barn.
Melanie and the boys are part of the story behind the farm. This photograph of them together in the barn is one of the family moments we want to keep in the album.
A line of cattle at the feed rail, hay along the aisle, and the old timber beams overhead. This photograph captures another part of everyday life on our farm.
Everyday farm life
The little things, and the work behind them.
Eggs in shades of blue, green, cream, and brown make a colorful addition to the family album. Keeping chickens has long been part of my life, alongside building coops for other families and their flocks.
Other photographs tell the story of the work around the property: the tractor, the muddy tracks, the buildings, and the hives in the distance.
Work around the farm
Another view of feeding time.
The cattle in the barn are only one part of the picture. These rows and stacks of wrapped bales show another side of the work that goes into keeping the farm going.
More pages from our story.
This journal is a place for photographs, memories, and notes from the farm. Thanks for taking a moment to get to know the family behind Stanwood Bee Company.
Meet our family → · Back to the Farm Journal →
Photos from our family archive. Dates beside the photographs refer to when those memories were originally shared.