Conversations with Luke & Megan Freshwater

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luke & Megan Freshwater.

Hi Luke & Megan , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We (Luke & Megan) are the proud parents of five (soon to be six) young children. We also know that parents today are confronted with many challenges that did not exist during our parents day and age. Parenting is no longer a playground it’s a battleground. ​
After spending a couple years praying and considering the best environment for raising brave and confident children we decided to start Silver Lake Bison Farm here in Granville. We are passionate about encouraging and building up other families and children in our community and across the country. This ultimately led us to pursuing our dream of moving onto land and starting Silver Lake Bison Farm. We hope to make a positive and lasting impact on our community in the years to come through our farm.
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I’m sure you’re wondering why bison? The Bison is the national mammal of the United States and a majestic creature. One thing many people don’t know about bison is that when a storm is approaching instead of running away from it like a cow or other animals would do; bison choose to face the storm head on.
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This analogy has become a staple in our home and in raising our children. When challenges come our way we want our family and children to choose to stand up for integrity, freedom, and truth. We even published a children’s book with Harper Collins, Bryson the Brave Bison, to help teach kids this exact analogy.
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We know that challenges will come in our lives and our children’s lives. The only question is how will we respond? We strive to teach our children to be brave like the bison and face the challenge (storm) head on.

The bison serve as a consistent reminder of the character we are striving to embrace, and we look forward to sharing the journey with all of you as well.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We have certainly faced challenges along the way. Many of the struggles come from just not knowing until you do something. Raising bison is a big undertaking. The bison community is amazing though and so many have given us great advice and insights along the way which we are grateful for.

We’ve also learned a lot with other animals on the farm. For example, we raised meat chickens last year. We had a chamber vacuum sealer ready to go and everything set. However, our birds ended up too big and they couldn’t fit as wholes. So we did half chickens. Then we ran into problems with the bones putting holes in the vacuum bags and it did not work properly. This year we adjusted, butchered the chickens earlier and they fit just right. Like most things in life you learn through failures and get better the next time. Neither of us grew up on a farm or around livestock, so we’re learning as we go. That’s part of the struggle and the fun. We learn together as a family side by side, and hope that our kids learn from this journey as well and are better for it.

We’ve also learned that even a small operation like this takes a lot of hard work. We take a team approach and are fortunate to have my parents alongside us to help. It’s teaching our kids a lot about work ethic, perseverance, and where our food comes from. There are certainly days where it’s a struggle, but we encourage each other to “face the storm” like the bison when things get hard and push through it to the other side.

There’s no better reminder than looking out our back window and seeing the herd in the pasture. A consistent reminder to face our challenges each day.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I (Luke) co-authored a children’s book with Harper Collins titled ‘Bryson the Brave Bison’ and it is illustrated by NY Times bestseller Richard Cowdrey. We brought Bryson, our herd bull, to life here on our farm which is a dream come true. This book was written to encourage young children to face their challenges head on. We hope it helps them instill the characteristic traits of courage, leadership, and perseverance. I’ve enjoyed speaking at local elementary schools, libraries, and other events sharing the message in the book. We also love having friends, family, and community members out to the farm to feed the herd treats and see these majestic creatures up close. We look forward to doing more events in the future.

I spent time in the Army as a bomb squad leader with a combat tour to Afghanistan supporting special operations. I was fortunate to work with and lead some of the bravest men and women in the world. They taught me so much at a young age. I love sharing the impact this had on me with young kids through the children’s book and our farm. I hope that they and their parents are encouraged to be brave and face the storms in life head on.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
I have lived in seven other states since growing up here in central Ohio. I love being back and having the opportunity to raise my family here. We enjoy experiencing all four seasons, the families that we’ve built friendships with, being active members at Impact City Church here in Granville, and being able to have my parents live next to us and their grandkids. We also love rooting on the Buckeyes!

The area is seeing so much exciting growth. This has created a lot of great opportunities for people in the professional and personal areas of life which has been awesome. However, I can’t say I love the increase in traffic.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.silverlakebisonfarm.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silverlake_bison_farm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilverLakeBisonFarm/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@silverlakebisonfarm
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@silverlakebisonfarm