Name that Farm

“Mon Abri” is the French phrase for “My shelter, or My retreat.” 

I”ve been struggling in choosing a name for my little farm for some time now. Actually, since the day I bought it really. And that was one year and eight months ago.  Finally, I came to peace with a name. 

Why name your farm? I can think of a number of reasons, but I won’t get carried away here.  In order to brand and market yourself, your farm, and its products you’re going to need a name. Some sort of logo would be nice too.  A name establishes your farm, and connects you and the farm with your customers.    With a name and a logo, you're ready to put up a sign so that people actually know you are operating as a farm with something to sell or a service to offer.  Otherwise, you’re kind of just a house with a barn and some acreage, right?  Of course this is just my opinion.  But damn it, I wanted a name!  I'm a nerd and I want to be able to show off my little paradise with business cards, stationary, T-shirts and all that other fun stuff!

I struggled most with trying to decide whether to structure the name around our (very) small racehorse business.  But the more I thought about it, the more I thought about all the other business opportunities I wanted to look into down the road. Goats, chickens, eggs, fruit, vegetables, etc.  I needed a name that didn’t highlight one particular product or service. Who knows where it could all go, or not?  “Wicked Chicken Farm” sounded way fun, but what if I never sell a chicken? And someone else recommended “Half Fast Ranch.”   That sounded fun too, but If I were a potential customer I’m not sure I would want to buy a “Half Fast” racehorse… or a half fast anything for that matter.  And I didn’t want to imply the image of a ranch.  Fourteen acres doesn’t constitute a ranch in my mind. 

My farm is my retreat and my shelter from the dreary, depressing, over-crowded city that I commute to eighty plus miles round trip each workday.  My drive home into Amish country after work is a most pleasant end to a stress filled day at work. I pass Amish buggies, corn fields, and pastures studded with horses, cows and goats. I also pass a nice little winery.  And sometimes I don’t pass it , if you know what I mean...

Finally,  I drive up my long gravel driveway and the dogs, a couple of goats, and many chickens all come running to greet me.  The horses stick their heads from their stalls and nicker loudly. Mama’s home!  And home is where I love to be...“Mon Abri...”