Farm Report

It's time to do a farm report.  It's also time for a little drier weather?

• We're farmers.  We talk about weather.  We complain about weather.  It's what we do.  But, the reality is - we can't get into our fields.  The time between rains hasn't been sufficient to dry them out.  We have alot of plants waiting to go in.  
• Speaking of plants - we've got about 700-800 tomato plants into pots already.  We'll have a nice selection for next Saturday's market.
• There's a roll up door on the east side of the granary now.  That's really good since we were both getting VERY tired of the sliding doors that are temperamental when it comes to the sliding they are supposed to do.
• Have you ever been so tired you can't go to sleep?
• We have a great dandelion crop this year.
• It looks like we'll have two bee hives on the farm this season.  We like those little guys, so this is a good thing.
• Speaking of bees, we've seen five or six different native bees hovering around the dandelions so far this year.  We're not experts at telling them apart, so there could be more, but we aren't able to differentiate.
• It must be the growing season.  The indoor cats don't want to sit on our laps in the evening.  They'd rather sit in an open window.
• We asked our mechanic (Dale's Service in Waverly) to take a look at the truck before we got deep into the season.  They put it on the lift and evidently it tried to do a "lift and separate."  The "left rear main leaf spring" is broken.  This apparently keeps the frame and the bed of the truck together...or something like that.  Let's just say, we'd better get it fixed.  Our poor vehicles.  They've had a rough week or two.  They should have known when they signed up to work with us.
• Thursday is the "Green, What Does it Mean?" event at UNI for high school students.  Rob will be there speaking for all but one session (they set one aside for lunch).  It was pretty cool last year and we think it's an important event.
• We had some wonderful transplanting help on Saturday afternoon.  Thank you to Jo, Shawn, Joey and John.
• Thank you also to Jo Foster's Environmental Biology class that came out and did some things on the farm with us Friday.
• While we are at it.  Thanks to Dawn Wiegmann for putting together the health fair and partnering with the Waverly Farmers' Market.  
• And, to Rick Montgomery, for helping get the Waverly Farmers' Market going again this year.
• And, to Emily Wilson, for running an excellent kids cooking class last Sunday (really?  that long ago already?)
• And, to Ron Lenth and Iowa State Extension, for sponsoring the poultry field day at our farm.
• Spring CSA - next delivery is Saturday May 12 at the Waverly Farmers' Market 8:30-11:30 AM
• Eggs - those who are getting eggs from us prior to the regular CSA season start.  We will have them available at the Waverly Farmers' Market (same times as above).  We're trying to cut down time off the farm in the month of May in hopes that we can get things going once things dry out some.
• Plants - we will have them at Waverly Farmers' Market on Saturdays. We will also have them at Hansen's Outlet in Cedar Falls on May 18 and May 25 (Fridays) from 4 to 6 pm each of those days.  We still need to discuss whether Roots wants to retail some of our plants.  We are working on a date for Tripoli.
• Iris Festival on our farm is slated for Monday, May 28.  More details forthcoming.  This is a potluck event.  CSA members and friends of the farm are invited.