We purchased our 20 acre farm in June of 2003.  The name Dancing Crane Farm came soon after we moved in.  The Sandhill Cranes call our field home each summer, doing their mating dance and raising their young until they are ready to depart in the autumn for warmer parts.  Their grace and archaic beauty inspired the name. 

Dancing Crane Farm had not been a working farm in close to 20 years when we purchased it, so there was much to be done.  We have been working to improve the property and turn it into a working farm and educational center.  Currently we grow vegetables and flowers on 2 acres using no synthetic herbicides, pesticides, insecticides and fertilizers.  We are also developing a one acre orchard that we may or may not use for commercial sales.  We have been offering produce and flowers for sale to the public since 2005. 

Under David’s direction and with the help of friends and family, we have accomplished all of our construction projects ourselves.  Below you will find a chronology of Dancing Crane Farm’s transformation.

Chicken Coop Construction 8X14 (Summer 2003)
We milled all of the lumber for our coop on our homemade chainsaw mill.  The mill was built by John, a family friend from Newaygo, Michigan who happens to be a gifted mechanic and tinkerer, with David’s help.  The red pine siding came from trees on Natasha’s Aunt and Uncle’s property in Newaygo, MI.  The interior lumber came from
a combination of our downstate neighbor’s property and Natasha’s parents’ property in Fremont and Newaygo, MI respectively.  The oak foundation beams came from an old wooden barn in Fremont, MI.  We brought all of this lumber with us when we moved in as we anticipated having to make the coop in a hurry.  The coop features an exterior door through which one can gather the eggs without having to enter the coop.  Additionally, part of the west side of the coop swings outward to allow for easy litter removal.  Our coop houses approximately 20 laying hens.

“Garage” Demolition 10X20 (Summer 2003)
When we moved into our farm, the “garage” was in sad shape.  The 10X20 ft. structure was listing to the north so badly that the front doors would not shut properly.  It also leaked and was not tall enough to stand up in.  Curiously enough, the building was shaped like a giant cheese wedge, taller in front then tapering to almost the ground at the back.  Natasha demolished the building with her two hands, a crow bar and pick-up truck.

Heated Greenhouse Construction 12X15 (Fall 2003- Spring 2004)
The glass walls of our greenhouse are made from old sliding glass doors that we started collecting when we lived downstate.  Anytime someone did a remodel or wanted to get rid of such doors, we snagged them.  All of the sliders made the 400 mile trek to Dancing Crane Farm without breaking.  The walls and doors are made of Spruce lumber
that we milled ourselves from trees on the north side of our property that had been ravaged by the power company.  The workbenches inside are made of boards taken from tractor shipping crates discarded by a local dealer.  We broke the boards apart, planed them on one side, and cut them to length.

Asbestos Removal in Milk House 6X12 (Summer 2003)
At first we thought we would be able to save the quaint little milk house.  However, upon further inspection we realized that the foundation was crumbling, half of the roof had caved in and the entire interior was filled with asbestos.  After consulting both licensed professionals and many Internet sources, Natasha removed the interior asbestos and tar paper siding.  And, yes, she took the proper precautions.  

Hoop Houses (4) 14X24 (Spring 2004)
The hoop houses are constructed from locally-milled cedar and poplar from Dennis Takalo’s Mill in Skandia, MI.

Deer Fence (2 acres) (Spring 2004)
Our slant-style deer fence is based on a design from the Virginia Department of Agriculture.  Though only five feet tall at its highest point, deer do not attempt to jump it.  The slant confuses the deer’s depth perception and creates the illusion that clearing it is not possible.  All the posts (which needed to be peeled) are local cedar and came from Takalo’s Sawmill. Our neighbors, the Gygi Family, were kind enough to let us borrow their hydraulic post- hole digger.

Landscaping (Summer 2003- Present)
When we moved to the property, there was very little in the way of decorative vegetation.  Creating flower beds has been an ongoing project, and we now have a considerable amount of decorative perennials in several large and small flower beds throughout the yard.  These beds are mostly ringed with field stone from our own rock pile.  Thanks to our wonderful downstate friends, Sandy and Duane (the gardening gurus), we have been able to fill all of our flower beds with a variety of beautiful perennials from their amazing garden.  Natasha’s mom and youngest sister helped with the planting.  Additionally, for those of you who remember the ancient, regal lilac next to the milk house, don’t worry.  We had the excavators relocate a good deal of it to another location in the yard.

Yard Fencing (Summer 2004)
David quartered the leftover cedar fence posts on our mill and, with the help of his dad, put together the “quarter-rail”
fence that now defines the north and part of the east side of our yard.

Milk House Demolition (Summer 2004)
After sitting completely stripped and empty for almost a year, the milk house was demolished by the excavator’s backhoe.  The cement foundation was broken up, transported behind the barn and buried in a large hole.  

Woodshed Construction (16X18) (Fall 2004)
The woodshed sits on the very spot formerly occupied by the old lilac and the milk house.  The trusses are made from lumber salvaged from a local construction site.  The cedar support posts came from a combination of David’s Grandma who had them left over from a fence project of her own and some from our barn.  The lumber on the ends came from Takalo’s Sawmill.  After spending many sweaty weekends tunneling to and digging wood out of four feet of snow last winter, the woodshed is a welcome addition to the farm.  Ironically, we finished filling it one day before our first snow.

Sauna Construction (8.5X12.5) (Fall 2005)
David's dream of having his own sauna has finally come true.  He swears by its ability to prevent sickness for those who use it regularly.  Our traditional wood-fired Finnish-style sauna is built with hemlock logs from Takalo's Sawmill.  It features dovetail construction and solar lighting.  

Gathering Center (Summer 2004 - September 2006)
The log building would never have come about (at least not in this fashion) had it not been for Natasha getting all the logs and windows free by answering ads in the paper.  In both cases, all we had to do was haul them away.  The lumber for the siding came from Takalo’s Sawmill.   We completed the project in September of 2006.  This building is used for a variety of farm functions.

Packing Shed (Spring 2006 - August 2006)
After going through our first produce season with no real place to clean or pack produce we decided that a packing shed was a necessity.  We started the project in mid-May with the help of friends, family, apprentices and others. It provides us with an indoor work space and a place to sell veggies from.

Greenhouse (30 ft. X 40 ft.) (Summer 2007)
David traded a gun for this greenhouse frame.  The frame came from Heath's Hardware & Greenhouse, a popular Skandia store that is no longer around.  The spines were bent and they weren't all from the same greenhouse.  But, David worked his construction magic and put the thing together.  Natasha's Mom and Dad helped David put the covering on just as the season was winding down for the year.  

Bedrooms for Pot-Bellied Pigs (Fall 2007)
John & Brad Smith, friends from lower Michigan, helped David make insulated stalls in the back of the barn for our pot-bellied pigs.  The only things we had to purchase for the project was a couple of hinges for the doors.  Otherwise, everything was scrounged up from around the farm.

Door on Back of Barn (Fall 2007)
We have wanted a back door on the barn since the day we moved in.  David made this wish a reality in the fall of 2007.  We used lumber left over from other projects and purchased only the door hinges.  It really makes the back of the barn look sharp!

DCF Trailer to Haul Produce to Market (Summer 2008)
Joel & Mary (Natasha's parents) used an old trailer that was sitting behind the barn and built a new box on it for under $20.00 using wood scraps and parts from Habitat for Humanity.  Below are several farm helpers posing with Joel and the new creation.  Unfortunately, we found out that a hitch for the car would be about $500.00....completely out of our price range.  We hope to find a use for this beautiful trailer sometime soon.

Root Cellar (Summer 2008)
Since our property is essentially flat, we had to build a block root cellar that is sunk partially underground and cover it with a mound of fill dirt.  All of the block were salvaged from Natasha’s parents’ property.  The interior is 10X12. 

Summer Kitchen (Summer 2009)
Since 2004, we fed our farm crew in our tiny house.  We dreamed of having a separate kitchen facility for meals, cooking classes, food preservation, etc.  This dream became a reality in the summer of 2009.  The kitchen is complete with cutting board counter tops (hand-made from old hardwood flooring), triple basin sink (from old gas station in Skandia), wood and gas cook stoves (purchased second-hand, locally), hot water and much more.  The majority of the lumber came from Takalo's sawmill in Skandia.

Electricity & Water in Packing Shed (Summer 2009)
After three seasons, we no longer have to haul the hose to fill up the washing sinks or wear a headlamp to see the veggies in the early morning light.  We now have both water and electricity in produce packing area.

Lumber Storage Building (Fall 2009)
This summer, the lumber being stored in the top of the barn finally got the boot when we turned this area into a community gathering place.  So, we built a structure to organize and store our lumber stash until the time comes to use that lumber for other projects.