In this vlog‑style farm video, Victor (Speaker A) and family members Lily, Beck, Joan, and others walk through a busy morning on their Fletcher, North Carolina farm. The segment opens with a discussion of breakfast and the day’s goals, then moves into detailed animal care: feeding 400‑500 lb pigs on a strict schedule to avoid "riots," supplementing turkey diets with banana peels, Brussels sprout shells, and extra grain, and managing water for turkeys and kingfishers. They troubleshoot a fence that allows the horse Blaze to escape and discuss how Luna and Blaze interact. The crew feeds the pigs, cleans old pans in the sun, and sets up an auto‑feeder to prevent knock‑over. Horse chores include using the horses to mow and fertilize a backyard paddock, while debating water bucket logistics. The group handles a recent chick hatch, using a chicken tractor to keep the hatchlings contained and cleaning eggshells. They then repair a shade structure, measuring and replacing missing screws, and discuss building permanent shade in each paddock. The conversation shifts to personal projects: preparing freeze‑dried MREs for an upcoming 100‑mile backpacking trip, planning meals (bacon, eggs, potatoes, spaghetti, lamb rice, stew, mac & cheese), and discussing the documentary "Raised in a Barn" being produced for Abundance Plus. Throughout, the tone is informal, instructional, and enthusiastic, with occasional humor and reflections on childhood memories. The video captures the coordination of chores, problem‑solving, and the family’s commitment to sustainable farm life.
Chapters
Breakfast in the garden. Isn't it nice to get out here before the kids, get some work done in the cool of the day? What's the goal for you today? Hopefully I finish this roll. Whoa! Nice shoe setup. Lily cut her foot the other day. We're gonna need to help her today. Birkenstock on right foot, rubber boot on the left foot. The cows came down this morning and Blaze got excited, jumped out. I guess he jumped out, and Luna She's gaining on me, Lily. I had a first bad impression. She got excitable the first time we saw her. I like her because she's bonding to Blaze, she's bonding to you. And when Blaze got out, she didn't even get out. And it's a little dinky single strand fence, she could easily jump.
She has walked through it before. Yesterday I was leading Blaze over and the fence wasn't on. Yeah, and she just walked through it.
Wow.
But I think she learned that the fence was on.
Before the big pigs have a riot, we need to feed them, and then we'll go do your chores, and then you can rest. Helping Little Bird today pick scraps. Interesting today. Banana peel. It's like an unboxing, but a— what would you call this? A slopping. Brussels sprout shells. Old carrots. Turkey. I'm excited about that one. It's not quite enough, so I'd say it's half their daily need. So let's give them 2 pounds of grain. I feed them about 4 pounds of grain a day. You know, if anybody on this farm has to be on a schedule, it's these pigs. I don't want them to riot. Tear this pig pork up, which they probably could. They're like 400, 500 pounds each. I better feed them on time. I like this turkey because, I don't know, they'll gnaw on it. They'll give them something to do for a while. Pig is stepping in its bowl. Oh, bowl, get over, biggin! Don't step on the feed. That's a switch. These are yesterday's food dishes. Now we wash the old pans. Now the pans are out in the sun. Nature's sanitizer. Oh my, the turkeys! Oh my, I was not expecting this. You know what, I bet that I was— I was not expecting this. I upped their ante yesterday. Aha, this got stuck. Raise it up. Relieve some stress right there. They're still out of water, but turkeys— okay, they're good on water. Better than yesterday, maybe 10-15 minutes later. We got a third tray for the turkeys. Time will tell if that's enough. Sea monsters— um, that's not gonna be enough. I'm gonna have to check that in the evening. We'll see if raising the allowance of the kingfishers— the goal for them is to never let them get hungry. Too much to do. All at once. One way to prioritize is feeding of the growing thing. So prioritize the youngins over the adults. Can we feed them right here so that we can go to the sheep and then we'll set up their net? But then you, you deal with all the dynamics of other people and things. I know you want to get in for rest and have breakfast. We still have to move your horses. How fast can we move your horses? Actually, look, look, look, this is nothing. We're going out there for the sheep anyway. Might as well take the picture. Hey, we're gonna move the sheep right there. Might as well move the pigs. Another reason for an auto feeder. I really need to figure out how to set it up out here, how to keep the auto feeder from them knocking it over. Feeder doesn't stand on its own, but I bet we could figure something out. The horse has got to go somewhere. We haven't mowed our backyard here yet. We'll tie into this and encompass this backyard. It'll give you a couple of days. Are you sure they're not gonna rub on that wall and poop on it? The boys will be mad at me. They don't want to mow this. Boys would definitely choose the machine instead.
Two small buckets should We get a big tub of water. Like a tub of water.
How's the two buckets working?
I mean, they run out pretty quick. I have to do it twice a day.
We might not have a third tub. Anybody doubted my horse dad status? That's over today, right? Two days in a row helping you with chores. Now hopefully they associate these things with something good. What y'all think they do? More tame than our cats. Kind of handy for farming the nook and crannies like our backyard. The horses are actually having a use today, mowing and fertilizing our backyard. It's not that grade of a grass so it won't overwhelm Luna, who I don't think has ever had grass.
Look, they love being in a big paddock.
Hey, Beck, you've gotten better at this. It's only 9:20 here in Fletcher, North Carolina, and she has— you're almost done. What have you gotten better? Which took till 11 yesterday, or did you start early?
I didn't start early yesterday. I started at like 9.
All right, good job. So hope you don't mind the horses right there.
As long as they don't get out, I don't care, right?
I don't think they're like cows. I don't think there is—
well, Blaze was out this morning.
Oh, they would come in here and paint it. They don't care.
Henry, what's your job? Oh, Blaze said he's putting a clip on that one. How many you got in there, honey?
5.
How many you got?
3, 4, 5. Okay, all right.
Give it one more day then, since we had one more hatch. Let's go a day without any hatches before we remove them. This chicken tractor is perfect for this because they can't wander too far. If we can get in the grass, this is great. It's a secluded place for them. Or Gideon, if she stops laying on these eggs— well, she won't because she'll want to lay on everybody in this.
We better clear out those eggshells.
All right, go ahead, do that.
Look at that.
You guys hear the cicadas? They're crazy. It's gonna be a hot one and our cows are without shade, but our shade is jacked up. Our milk sled, it needs some prepare— prepare? Am I crazy? Brain fog. It needs some repair. Let's assess the damage here. The lawns look so good. Thanks. The lawns look so good. Oh no, the longest screw we have. No! Yeah, where's our normal 3-inch deck screws? Did you?
No.
Then where'd they go? I don't know, we used them. First thing, let's do while we're waiting on the screws, let's move the pull bar over there. We need to pull it that way. It doesn't have any crossbar on the bottom.
It's a little vulnerable.
If you pull it, it'll straighten it out.
Okay, we can try that. We need to get this apart and correct. It's not only— this is not only pulled further, this leg is in. They might be right. If we pull this forward, it might straighten itself out.
Looks can be deceiving.
This definitely has to get pulled out. Went back for a measuring tape. Boys, if you're not testing, you're guessing. Let's say 7 feet 5 inches. Way off. You guys thought that was level? We're off a couple inches right here, but hey, wait, should I pull it? I tried that. I don't think it'll affect how that sits. Now we're screwing the diagonal braces in. The mobile stanchion. Shade and minerals all in one. Yeah, I don't like this turn one bit. I made it. Well, we got it over here and I realized it's a mute point. They have a shade. That is the ultimate goal, that we don't even need this thing.
We're almost there.
Let's all have a shade in every paddock. Locust tree is worth saving. Geez, green hands.
I know, sir. Yesterday they were way worse though.
When I was a kid, I was frightful, and I convinced my dad would go on these sales calls and he'd leave us in the car. This was then, this was the '80s, the '90s, and I convinced myself there was green hands walking around in the car, and, uh, we'd so far as put our feet up and we'd have so much fun in the and say, "Green ants!" And we'd act like we saw them. But we have convinced ourselves. Chillin', watching TV, that's the best thing, Lily. Get some rest. Freeze drying. Joan and I are about to go on a 100-mile backpacking trip. We're making our own homegrown— what do you call that?
Freeze dried MREs.
MREs. What are we going to start today?
Eggs.
Maybe I shouldn't be involved with this because I'm— fantastic. 15 minutes, Dara. So you can do black tea on a fast, but no honey, no cream, so really no goodness, right? Bitter. I'm not a bitter guy. I would really like to get into this. Are there people that like straight-up tea?
Oh yeah.
Austin sent me first draft of Raised in a Barn. It's a documentary about the boys and their unconventional life. What'd you think? Was so good, Beck?
It was good.
Okay, we're working on that for Abundance Plus, so give us some time to— Arson, you ought to play a clip of that right now, something, maybe that intro.
That's what you do when they turn 5. You teach them how to read and you start doing this whole curriculum and you just start doing it. And he was like, well, maybe you don't have to to do that.
Most kids my age are going to school from Monday to Friday, but opposed to me, I get to have weekends pretty much every day.
So anyway, that film— Austin and I will talk with Heather and figure out when we're going to release this thing. But anyway, I've been blessed. Look forward to this. It's coming. We got to keep these cranking. Look at this. Oh boy, bacon and eggs, potatoes. We are carving it up on this trip. I would say mostly meat, some carbs. What would you say, maybe a quarter carbs? Bacon, eggs, cheese, and potatoes breakfast every day. We have two spaghettis, pork spaghettis with noodles, and then we have a lamb rice peel off, and then we have a stew. We just add warm water— hot water on our camping trip— hot water, and it reconstitutes. I think we have another batch of 6, don't we? That's it.
And then— no, and then I still need to make the mac and cheese.
That's right, Hamburger Helper.
These sealed too. Heck yeah, I got a bunch of different—
oh, that'll be good. So if we don't eat it all— what is this? People want to know.
I mean, I just—
oh, we can't vouch for it. This is our first time using that.
Although I just went on Amazon and I looked it up, and this was like a— it came with oxygen absorbers, it came with different— and it's a resealable bag. So not everybody's going to want a resealable bag, right?
Boys are cleaning up the pond this afternoon. They told me, or they told Mom, the goal is that they'll get it so nice she'll come. Wow, that's always a rush, isn't it? Now why did you leave so much stump? Because we're gonna make a jump off. How about a cabin check-in? Oh, it sounds good in here. Wow, how do we get the holler house sounding this good? This will be echoey though when it gets the, uh, wood floors. Yeah, I don't know, what do we got to do? Put some insulation up behind some pictures? Foam insulation on the walls? We've done that over at our house, the holler house. It's absolutely amazing. The little amount we have to run the air, the little amount we have to run the heat, we're more efficient than we were and we gain so much more despite getting more space upwards and some square footage. Whoa, that's it! This is how light lit up it's gonna be. Wow, there's no more lights going in. Nice and light and airy out here on the, on the moving side. And feel how cooler it is in here already. Yeah, it would have been so hot right now. Oh yeah, dang, this is so nice. Hey, we wouldn't have been in such a hurry on our house if this would have been like this. We would have cruised over here. It felt like— it would have felt like a farm vacation.
