Welcome to Moo & Mud Farm in Fellsmere, Florida! This is my family owned and operated business. My name is Biminy Balcius and I am 12 years old. I have lived on Moo & Mud Farm since 2022 but have raised livestock for my whole life. I have many jobs such as; feeding animals, growing livestock and crops, and learning how to promote agriculture. I am very lucky to live on a farm and grow my own food.
At Moo & Mud we grow all types of fruits and vegetables. During different seasons we harvest a variety of produce. For example, during the fall, we plant pumpkins and sell them at our farm stand. We also sell watermelons and peppers in summer. Our mangos ripen in spring, so you see we can eat fresh fruits and vegetables all year round right from our farm. My family particularly enjoys roasted peppers and mango salads.
Moo & Mud also deals with cattle, goats, and poultry. We purchase young steers and wether goats to raise them for meat. However, we use our poultry as production hens. We make a good profit from selling eggs at the farm stand as well as enjoying them ourselves. When we decide to sell our beef and goat we first bring it to the butcher. This process is very interesting. For example, I like to go into the deep freezers and examine my meat quality. Some things we are looking for are; marbling, fat cover, and rib eye area. After that it is cut into many primary cuts. At this stage it is now ready to be sold to grocery stores, restaurants, and eaten by us. If we sold the cattle at a youth auction, we would take the cuts of meat directly to the buyer. So far, I have had a lot of success selling my steers and wethers in the agricultural community and youth auctions. Therefore, I know my meat is making it to dining tables all around our county.
We work hard on the farm at Moo & Mud. The challenges we face can be very difficult, but we persevere. For instance, this past year we had an unusual freeze that damaged many of our crops. We covered trees with special mesh to keep them from freezing. Unfortunately, we lost some of our fruits and vegetables. Weather is always a factor in farming, and it is something we can’t control. Next, we are always for diseases and parasites on our animals and plants. We protect everything with the best possible feed, medication, and preventative treatments. It is very important that we deworm our animals on a regular schedule so that we know our meat is safe to eat. It is important to us that we follow the agricultural guidelines from our vet to make our food healthy. Every day is farm day; there are no days off! To grow healthy plants and animals we spend a lot of time doing farm chores. One of my least favorite jobs is weeding around our plant beds. I also dislike mowing the grass. The chores I like most are working with my animals, feeding, and bathing the animals. I also make time to show my cattle and goats at several fairs and prospect shows. At county fairs I’m always hoping to sell my market animals for good prices and maybe win belt buckles.
In conclusion, my farm has been very successful in producing healthy food for local dinner tables as well as my own table. Our family has worked very hard to bring fresh produce, meat, and eggs to our community. I’m very excited to be in a position where I can feed people and promote several different agricultural pursuits. I hope everyone will join me in supporting local farms in the farm to table movement!
