Ranch Newsletter | July 2026
Originally sent to subscribers on July 31st, 2026 Farm Update I don't think I have ever been as busy as I have been the past couple of weeks. For the most part, my days have been non-stop from the time I get up until about 7 or 8 at night when I insist on stopping so I can let my nervous system have a break before bed. Probably explains why I caught a cold recently. It only lasted about a week and a half, and I definitely pushed myself some of the days I was sick, which was not a good idea.
I received my first large wholesale order for soap a couple of weeks ago, which was very exciting. But since I have a market every Saturday, it also meant I needed to make a lot more soap, and quickly. So I've been catching up on that as I'm able to. I also needed to make this years batch of Dandelion salve because I almost old out at the first White Barn Market last Saturday. Soon I'll have to begin restocking lotions because I'm low on quite a few of those as well. I'll be at the White Barn Market every Saturday until it ends in September, so if you're in the area, stop by and say hello!
I've been baking a lot of goodies for the farmstand as well because the gardens are not doing very well this year and I'm almost out of pickles which has been our best seller in the stand this year. Thankfully, my current cucumber crop looks promising, but not much else does other than potatoes and onions. None of my squash plants have produced anything yet and are still really small. They look healthy, no bug damage, they just haven't grown very much.
The peppers and tomatoes are the same, very small and not growing very well. Other than the weeds that are taking over everything I'm not really sure what is going on. And I haven't had a lot of time to spend in the garden to figure it out, so I'm doing my best to stock the farm stand with other items.
I am also in the process of making some soap embed molds for a new line of soaps, which is a very time consuming process. I've made one mold, but I had some issues in the process and there is a tiny hole where there shouldn't be one, so I've been trying to figure out if I want to try and test this mold before I make more, or remake this mold before testing.
The baby goats are going to their new home tomorrow afternoon, so I've been trying to keep them separated from Honey to wean them off her milk, which has been difficult since we don't have a great set up for keeping them separate and goats are so creative when it comes to finding ways through fencing, but I've managed one full day, which is a start.
Our barn build began a couple weeks ago and the frame went up in two days. Then we had to wait almost a week for the metal to delivered. That happened earlier this week, and the guys got 3 walls done. They'll be back today and will probably get the 4th wall and the roof done, which means we'll be able to get our second/final inspection done. Then we'll get concrete poured, and the garage doors installed, and we'll pretty much be done.
We have 2 doors we need to install for the animal stalls, and those, as well as the walk through door will need to be painted. And then we can start working on fencing making the stalls, and getting the animals rearranged. So much to do! I think I'm going to continue being busy well into the fall this year.
Ranch Tours – Available to Book Now! Public Farm Tour: August 21st 7:00pm Ticket Prices: $20 for adults, $12 for kids, $1 for 3 and under. Group Farm Tour: August 28th 7:00pm Price: $200 for up to 10 people.
Come see the ranch, learn how we do things, and meet and interact with the animals. Learn more and book here.
Farm Stand is up and running! Our farmstand is now out front every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8am to sundown. You can find jam, pickles, a small selection of skincare items, occasional baked goods, and organically grown produce! Follow us on Instagram to see what's in the stand each week.
My next soap making class: August 14th 6:30 - 8:00pm Held here on the Ranch. Cost: $55/person https://www.julbudranch.com/events-1 (If you can't make this class, but want to attend a different one, my classes are scheduled for the whole year and you can see all the dates at the above link)
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