In this vlog‑style video, Victor Justin Rhodes and his family/farm crew document a day on their diversified farm while simultaneously navigating personal loss. The footage opens with volunteers helping to clear a massive pile of hay, describing how the hay was composted, the challenges of moving it around cramped animal pens, and the use of equipment such as a Mini‑X and a chainsaw. The narrative repeatedly returns to the emotional weight of planning their mother’s funeral, coping with a recent hurricane, and the feeling of a “hole” left by her death. Interspersed with these heavier moments are lighter domestic scenes: a family burger‑and‑fries night where Lily shows off thin‑cut fries made with a mandolin, and the family shares jokes and comfort food. Throughout, the speakers shift between practical, instructional commentary about farm logistics and candid, reflective dialogue about grief, resilience, and the need to keep moving forward despite multiple stressors.
Chapters
Thanks to those volunteers yesterday, this lifts my heart. Volunteers from CRR, we got the hay off the edge so that can be repaired. Junk hay piled up and smoking, already composting. I figured we'd probably lost 300 bales of hay. Even though it's organizing destruction, It's nice to have some order. Chickens are hair cramped, especially if we want to get that compost out of there that they've helped us make. It's ready to go. It was too cramped to put them in like a compost corner type of situation with the pigs. Pigs were stressing them out. Taking another net, setting it up around them, and then removing the inner nets. Would you hold that steady? We gained a little bit on every side. Maybe it's just enough. Keep going, you got to go to the Foot— go to the foot stamp, sir.
That was nice that I can just come in here with the Mini X and turn the compost pile. That's some good-looking compost.
Don't get too excited, it's done. We're getting it out of here. Wow, he's gotten it looking good.
I'm thinking we'll hay bomb this all winter.
We're gonna have to get all this out out of his way. Hey, we need that to move, uh, compost. Chickens can make compost if the situation's right, and we're gonna make it right. Like that. Again, in between loads, going over the edit. Today's office. This is the— this is a fun office, isn't it? It's a stand-up desk. Yeah. Let's get a picture of her holding her hand to you. How's he gonna get that without Oh, why did he knock it on? Getting so close to the edge. Okay, all right, you want to get that spit hay with the bucket or the grapples? The bucket. All right, let's do that now. It's gonna be a very hard day for Mom today. They're going to do— we're going to do funeral arrangements. I didn't want to give up on the animals. Of course, would have been easier if the pigs and chickens could have just worked together. But it was too tight of a confinement, I think. Can you run the hose on this while you spot him? They were just compacting the hay. We put it in our tried and true compost run. We've made this bigger, so now the chickens have more room. We're gonna wet this hay down, and the machine will turn this every other day. This will be black gold before it gets too cold. Black gold is compost. It's black soil, not dirt. Chickens will help us do the rest. Chickens will not help us move their coops though. The turkey shawl under shelter for season. Dusty and dirty out here. Dustin and Dirtin' is what I was going to call my boys if I was a pro mountain biker. Can't think of a better combo than a Mini-X and a chainsaw. —back on the way to funeral arrangements. How are you balancing or dealing with both the hurricane and your mom all at the same time?
I don't think I'm doing a good job. Yeah, I know. It feels just like a lot all the time. Like, I look out the window and I'm like, what? What happened?
And then—
And then when do you notice your mom? So you notice the hurricane in the morning. When do you notice your mom gone?
And then there's just like this hole— in our lives. Like, I went up to my parents' house, my dad's house, and— when I walked in I was like, oh, I'm not gonna see her.
Yeah.
It's weird. It's just weird.
I felt really weird when my dad passed. For a couple of weeks it was like a dark cloud was on us.
The funeral won't be till like next week, so it feels weird. Uh. It's nice in some ways because I don't feel like rushed, but then in some ways it feels like I don't have closure yet. I don't know. It's just strange. And then you see stuff like this and you're like, really?
Planned Grandma's funeral. That was certainly a mood kill, but it's got to be done. In the meantime, look at this. What's the occasion? Uh, burger night. All right. You think that's enough grease or you need to add some?
We have plenty.
Okay, this is gonna be like McDonald's french fries. Got the kids a treat. Swiss chocolate.
Oh, I love it. It's the best. Yay, I'm gonna eat this all in one sitting.
Lily even made buns. Good for you going first, girl. You like a hot dog? Yeah. Lily, I think these are the best fries you've ever made. They're so thin. How did you cut them so thin?
Um, we used the mandolin. We put this tiny attachment on it and just press the potatoes. That's where it's at.
You had the fries yet? No, but I heard they're really good. That'll cheer your soul. Take you some of that comfort food, babe. Did you just take a bite of fries? I did. They're good. Good job, babe. You did it. Jonah helped me. Good job, Jonah. Happy day.
