There are dangerous waters and then there are hazardous waters.
I tend to think that a thing is hazardous when it has elements that bring about the potential for danger. But, with the right training, skill set and planning, hazards can be avoided or overcome, despite the fact that one might say the situation is hazardous. On the other hand, things become dangerous when you combine hazard with negligence, naivete or exhaustion.
We were entering dangerous waters at the farm.
I'd like to think that it had less to do with negligence or naivete, but rather exhaustion that came about as a result of a wide range of things. Yes, it was a very difficult growing year with truly exceptional rainfall levels (we did set a rainfall record for the year, for the Fall and for several months). But, it was also difficult for many other reasons that we will not go into here. Tammy and I realized we were wearing down, but I do not think we were fully aware of exactly how much.
I am grateful that the two of us recognized that we needed to recharge and I am even more grateful that we have the unique opportunity (with the help of many others) to take the unprecedented (for us) step of taking four weeks off from the farm and our everyday lives. We are fully aware that not everyone has this sort of opportunity, but rather than apologize for how lucky we are, we will simply say 'thank you' and assure everyone we are doing our best to leave the dangerous waters so we can navigate the hazardous waters.
We have been able to do a fair amount of hiking, photo taking, reading, talking and even some creative writing. We can share some of the writing and photo taking here and we hope you enjoy some of it at least.
Here's to sailing successfully through the hazardous waters.
It is possible that this gate held a position of prominence on our farm during the days when there were more pigs than chickens on the property and the Faux's were somewhere other than what is now the Genuine Faux Farm. Today, this gate post holds up one side of the gate and a tree holds up the other. The tree, being the obstinate sort, has decided it wants to be where it is and it will slowly swallow up the gate by growing around it. It is possible that Tammy and I had a chance to remove the gate during the first couple of years during our residence at GFF, but there were so many other things on our 'to do' lists that this task barely made it onto our radars.
I usually don't take notice of the gate at all during the growing season. Leaves and grasses hide it mostly from my vision and it really doesn't lead to anywhere that we want to go. Instead, it waits until the late Fall and Winter months to remind me of its presence. The leaves are gone and the grasses and other plants have died back and I start considering whether or not this area is due to be 'cleaned up' this year or not. The answer, thus far, has been 'not now.' It is possible that the answer for us might even be 'not ever.'
Then we get a nice frosty day and I found myself meandering around looking for some good pictures. During this time of year, there is more time to indulge in a little 'artistic creativity.' And, if I am feeling like I'd like to discover some new angle in photography, I go back and revisit areas that have fallen into the 'not now' and perhaps 'not ever' categories. Why? Because, it is the places I don't frequent as often on the farm that I might find insights that wouldn't announce themselves to me otherwise.
In this case, the insight is merely a confirmation of something I think I've believed for some time now. Not every part of a working farm needs to be 'cleaned up' and not every gate has to 'go somewhere.' As humans, we have a tendency to believe that everything has to work for us and that it is a sin to not take advantage of every resource. While I do not believe in being wasteful, I also am not so full of myself to believe that the needs of the humans on the farm are, by necessity, larger than other beings that make the farm their home. Sometimes it is the 'messy' areas that become the most useful by providing that location where the frogs and toads can hibernate or the the ground nesting bees can manage their colony with minimal disturbance.
Does this gate do anything in particular to provide habitat? Oddly enough, it does. The gate will not open the way it is. Which means the humans don't go behind it without significant effort. The farmers put up fences to exclude varmints from getting at the chickens or the broccoli. Well, here is a case where a fence is being used to keep the varmint farmers out. In a weird way, I actually find that refreshing.
We
complain and complain, but we have lived and seen the blossom -apple,
pear, cherry, plum, almond blossom - in the sun; and the best among us
cannot pretend they deserve - or could contrive - anything better.
J. B. Priestley
She
decides to make a list of the things that make her happy. She writes
'plum-blossom' at the top of a piece of paper. Then she stares at the
paper, unable to think of anything else. Eventually it begins to get
dark.
Neil Gaiman
Just
as cherry, plum, peach and damson blossoms all possess their own unique
qualities, each person is unique. We cannot become someone else. The
important thing is that we live true to ourselves and cause the great
flower of our lives to blossom.
You shouldn't walk here became you can not walk here. The transition happened over a period of five days when the skies were leaden and heavy and the water that poured from it found itself trapped on the surface of our farm with no where else to go.
Meanwhile, many of our plants were disappointed to learn that they CAN NOT walk either. But, in their case, this was largely the status quo. Walking had never been their strong suit and now that they might have really loved to have walked somewhere else (perhaps anywhere else) they found what might have been an inconvenience was now a severe detriment to their health.
Many of the lettuce plants succumbed to the conditions while several others did not. Perhaps the survivors looked at their reflections in the water and said, "I see myself in this water and I see possibilities. I could fail, or I could find some way to succeed. It might not be what I envisioned for myself at the beginning, but I can find a way to live and be productive even when conditions are difficult."
We grew some pretty smart lettuce on the farm this past season. Too bad we cut them off at their base and gave them to people to be eaten. Aren't you glad you aren't lettuce?
There are evenings when there is no wind. Then, there are evenings that are perfectly still. If you think about it a little bit, I believe you will know what I mean. None of the birds make a noise. No sounds of traffic or other human noise. It's November, so there isn't much to be heard from insects or the various hibernating creatures on the farm. It is so very quiet and still that the farmer is almost afraid to move for fear that he might break the spell that is being woven.
This perfectly still evening is very nearly perfectly silent except for the dull roar the stillness brings with it. If you listen closely, you can hear hints of the immense presence of nature in the silence. The rays of sunlight don't dance because they are tired. After all, it is late in the day. But, they have the power of the sun behind them which encourages them to seep into the clouds and turn them from a deep gray-purple to a complex coral red and orange that is impossible to describe, even if your audience is seeing exactly what you are seeing.
As if on cue, the mists begin to arise from the fields at the same time the sunset insinuates itself into the coming night sky. The illusion that there is no motion is belied by the expansion of the fire in the sky and water vapor over the earth.
A dog barks in the distance and the rays of sunlight begin to retreat. It is tempting to say that the spell is broken, but it might be better to say that it is complete.
I was just reading about the number of extinctions that have occurred on this planet since 1900 and found myself becoming increasingly disgusted by humanity's lack of foresight and general selfishness. While it is true that some extinctions are a result of natural changes and natural disasters, the most common primary cause appears to be the intentional or unintentional results of human actions.
Tammy and I are among the members of the current population in the United States that maintain a fascination for these raptors. As we were growing up, there were perhaps 500 nesting pairs of Bald Eagles in the entire lower 48 states and we were told that it would be a very rare thing for us to see a Bald Eagle at any point in our lives. If you do not recall, the population had been declining as a result of habitat destruction, DDT poisoning and people shooting the birds.
And now, we have Bald Eagles landing on the oak trees at our farm.
A 2007 report showed 200 breeding pairs in Iowa alone. Clearly, the population is recovering, though it is far from its former glories. And despite the fact that Tammy and I are often graced with a siting of a Bald Eagle multiple times a week during the colder months, we still find their presence to be a reward of a sorts. You see, it was impressed upon us that preserving this population was important. Having a Bald Eagle on the farm is rewarding for us - even as we realize we need to monitor the chickens a bit more while they are around. We welcome them with the realization that they symbolize the possibility that humanity CAN, if it wants to, do something to support the success of other species.
The problem is that we have to do more than just leave things alone to prosper. There are all sorts of unintended consequences that can cause the decline of a natural population. For example, Bald Eagles in our area are subject to lead poisoning when they consume the offal left by hunters. It is not necessarily a bad thing that the remains are left for the scavenger birds (such as Bald Eagles), but the lead ammunition is causing a problem.
Just think - I am sure hunters are not intentionally looking to harm the eagle population, yet they are. If we can cause so much harm without meaning to, just think how rough we are on other species when we go after them with a will. I'd tell you to ask the Passenger Pigeon, but there aren't any to ask.
The Winter season is that time during which the wounds of the previous season scab and heal over. Part of the process of healing includes, oddly enough, wounding ourselves again by looking at pictures of things that did NOT go well during the prior year so we can make plans to avoid those same problems. On the other hand, we follow that viewing with one that features pictures like this one.
The row of tomatoes at the left features German Pinks and the zinnias at the right are the County Fair blend. The paper mulch appears to be holding up well and the tomato cages are all doing their job. We'd just recently cultivated, hand weeded AND got the weed piles pulled out. It's a hopeful picture and one that shows us doing a pretty good job of what we need to do on the farm.
There are several things about this picture that are not obvious to people other than the farmers. The tomatoes are far behind where they should have been for this moment in time. Wet June weather forced delays in planting them, much to our chagrin. The wall of corn is dwarfed by the bush line we are nursing along at the far end of this plot and we have cleverly framed the picture to avoid showing some less wonderful looking areas in this same plot. It's all part of the reality of recording our farm's progress every season. Each photo has the ability to feel both success and failure, even if the photo is meant to show a success (or a failure) because we know a bit of the history that goes along with the picture.
But, perhaps that is exactly why we like photos such as this one. We can see that things can be made to look pretty darned good on our farm. This picture (and others like it) are evidence that success is obtainable. It's our knowledge of what it takes to reach this goal and the obstacles that got in the way that gives this photo additional meaning.
Here's to a 2019 growing season with abundant opportunities for photos that show things just he way we like it.
The month of January continues to highlight our best pictures from the 2018 season with words that share our thoughts as we view these photos. While we make no claim to be a professional photographer, nor do we claim to be a professional writer, we still believe there is something worth sharing here.
The beauty of mornings and evenings often relies on the presence of shadows and the angle the light takes as it hits objects that are familiar to us, making them, perhaps, a bit less familiar. If not less familiar, things that are so often ignored become interesting given the contrast the shadows and light provide. For example, the two Sea Green Junipers in front and slightly to the left of the high tunnel grabbed my attention this particular morning.
We walk by, drive by and ignore these junipers nearly every single day of the year that we are outside (which is most of the days of the year). They actually traveled with us from Minnesota when we moved to the farm and we stuck these two bushes (then only a foot tall each) into these very spots in the ground. The intention was to make them a highlight entry into our perennial flower garden that featured iris. Then, we started this farming gig and the junipers entered the shadowlands of our mind.
What was once thought to be the primary entry into a garden space became a location that was out of the way and often out of control. Occasionally, one of us would revisit the area and these two bushes with an idea that we could restore the area to some level of prominence on our farm. Tulip bulbs were once added in front of the bushes. They bloomed. In fact, they bloomed for a few years and were eaten by rabbits several other years. The bushes grew over them and we haven't seen those tulips quite some time now.
The junipers keep growing. They collect the snow and wait for days like this when the sun hits them just right and the farmer sees them again.
We have done our Best Medicine posts for several years and beginning
last year, we gave a nod to some of the posts that are more serious in
nature. This was Tammy's brainchild as she felt our end of the year
retrospective posts seemed to ignore some valuable writing. Thank you
Tammy for thinking these were worthy of another look.
As for Tammy and I, we would walk in the woods if we could. We know
others might like to as well. But, even if we couldn't walk in the
woods, we still want them to be there, because it doesn't all have to be
about us.
Am I optimistic about the future? I choose to be optimistic about the
future, and I hope you will as well. Because if both of us make that
choice, then that's two of us who will be working to make things better. Twice my effort. I'm all for that!
This is where I think humans often err. We have this tendency to
believe that any business, organization or service that has been around
for five or more years has been around "forever" and we forget that
while they might have more stability than newer groups, they still have
struggles. One struggle that is specific to farms like ours is the
realization that there isn't really a magical point in time where it all
"gets easy." If you are doing things right (in my opinion) many parts
of farming "get easier," but a good farm is one that is perpetually
looking to improve. And improvement is hard.
As farmers, we take it upon ourselves to plant, cultivate and care for
these plants throughout the process that leads to this brief moment of
perfection. We take pleasure in the stages that lead to peak bloom and
we look at this same stand of sunflowers with fondness after that peak
because we can still see the shadows of magnificence in what remains.
Once upon a time, during our life before the farm (why yes, there was life before the farm, wasn't there), we focused on growing perennial flowers in our gardens. We took great delight in growing one of these and another of those. There were a few things that we grew many of. But, even then, we grew many types of that many. And we took delight in the fragrance of one Stargazer lily.
Once we started vegetable and poultry farming, we found our time for perennial flowers to be very short. One of this and one of that were no longer viable garden plans because we couldn't find the time to keep track of what was what, much less keep them weeded. If we wanted to see something in our gardens on the farm, we needed to opt for larger plants or larger clusters of the same plant.
You see, if you have a dozen Stargazer lilies, the loss of one is no longer the tragedy that it once was. Certainly, with the level of care being what it is now, we are certain to lose some of our perennial flowering friends every season. Sometimes, they don't get mulched like they should have been. Often, the weeds win the battle. But, we usually provide them enough support to smell the success that is the fragrance of Stargazer lilies.
The farming year that was 2018 will likely be known for the year of the Rain of Terror. Earlier in the year, we thought it might be known for the late start to snow season and the corresponding slow start for getting seeds and plants into the ground. But, we should not forget that we also had weeks and weeks of buffalo gnats.
At this point, I am tempted to succumb to some biting commentary, but I will refrain.
Instead, I prefer to focus on the blessings our farm had that came in the form of Caleb, Emma and Sophie. Others came and worked periodically on the farm (we are looking at you Kennedy, Tucker and Jocelyn) and we are grateful to them. But, these were the members of our summer crew in 2018 that kept coming back to work in conditions that were less than ideal.
Both Tammy and I hate asking others to do things for us when conditions are rough. Certainly, we accept that work on the farm can be difficult and those that work for us should expect a few challenges. But, if conditions are such that even the two of us are struggling? Even so, these three didn't leave us stranded. They did not complain (at least not in our hearing) but they did commiserate. They even posed for pictures on a very hot day when they were wearing long sleeves, bandanas, gloves and goggles so they could avoid being eaten by a very healthy and aggressive gnat population.
I've heard others complain that people do not know how to work hard anymore. In particular, I've heard the age-old saw that 'young people don't want to work hard' from multiple people. This is not true. There are plenty of people who want to put in honest labor for reasonable reward. These people care about results and the well-being of the whole.
There is hope yet, folks. We just need to keep encouraging it.
We are continuing our series of posts highlighting the best Genuine Faux Farm Phauxtos of 2018. We hope you have been enjoying both the pictures and the thoughts that have accompanied them. If you have comments, please feel free to share them with us.
We have been fortunate to be graced by the presence of many fine Farm Supervisors over the years. We sometimes wonder if we are too soft to be farmers because we actually care for our outdoor feline friends, perhaps a bit too much. While it might seem otherwise to people that see posts and farm pictures highlighting these critters, we don't spend every moment with the cats. If we did, they wouldn't have a chance to do what cats seem to do best.
Find all kinds of ways to make a seemingly uncomfortable place become comfortable.
The package of shims were there because I was wondering if they would be happier if I straightened the cabinets out a bit for them.
Well, no. I am guessing it is not that shimple. I did my level best to avoid puns during this series of posts, but I just couldn't hold it in.
It was a rarity for our farm to have so many raspberries, mulberries and Nanking cherries. We do have some of these most years, but nothing like we saw in 2018. As it turned out, we might consider this part of Mother Nature's efforts to reward us for our efforts to have a diverse landscape on our 15 acre farm. While there were hints of her plans for the rest of 2018, we could not have known how much this harvest would mean to us.
Late snows and soil conditions were making it difficult to get anything to grow early. The peas just didn't want to get going. Early season things in the high tunnels bolted because of a short hot spell, but the hot spell wasn't enough to help things in the field speed up. We've had rough starts on the farm before, but we had asparagus, rhubarb and ... berries.
Our customers, for the most part, were pleased with this development. After all, we do not advertise that we have berries. These are not a cultivated crop on our farm and we are not set up to work with them commercially. We are happy to have them growing on our farm and we will harvest some for ourselves most years. In better years, we often offer to let others harvest what they want. But, most years, we simply do not have the time to harvest berries in June.
It's all about time. Harvesting enough berries to fill a pint container takes a significant amount of time (in gnat-infested brushy areas). What happens if you have seventy CSA customers? Well, you need to come up with seventy pints of berries. The berries in each pint need to be of good quality. After all, you don't want to hand a good customer a container full of mush - even it if might still be tasty.
Yet, we found the time to harvest in 2018. That alone should have let people know how things were going on our farm. The farmers and their workers, spent their time picking and packing berries. Why? Because they couldn't weed. They couldn't plant. And the things they did grow commercially were not growing. But, Mother Nature saw that we wanted to support her efforts on our farm. So, Mother Nature made sure that the cherries, the berries and the apples rewarded us for the diversity we sought.
We are, of course, grateful. But, I think we would be fine if we were allowed to harvest berries because we want to in 2019. Not because we have to!
Happy New Year
Mother Nature decided to give us a "TADAAA!" moment on the 30th of December, giving us a sunset and cloud display that was absolutely stunning. It's a good reminder that she is still a beauty, even if her temper can really cause you troubles when you are trying to grow produce and raise poultry.
We hope that you have been enjoying our end of year 'best of' photo journal. We are sorry to interrupt them with our monthly newsletter. But, you know how it is, our fans demand a monthly newsletter - and you just can't disappoint them. Right Mom and Dad? (We're hoping they agree - because if we don't, then we're not sure who are fans are!)
The good news? There are actually more of the photo journal in the pipeline and they will continue to post for the next week. We have a few more goodies in the pipeline for January as well, so we hope you enjoy them. In this newsletter, you will see some important announcements, so we hope you take a moment to read them.
Weather Wythards
All we can say is that two inches of rain in December gives us the symmetry that comes with the 2 inch rainfall we had in January.
December's Report
High Temp: 50
Low Temp: 2
Rain: 2.13"
Wind: 33 mph from SE
Barometer Range: 29.29 to 30.56
Snow: 2-3 inches
2018 Final Report
High Temp: 97
Low Temp: -20
Lowest Windchill: -34
Highest Heat Index: 119
Highest Wind gust: 46 mph from NE
Rainfall: 54.49"
Barometer Range: 29.29 to 30.89
Veggie Variety of the Month - Northern White hardneck garlic
Garlic - We still have about 20 pounds
of high quality garlic available to those who have interest. We'd
love to move as much of it as we can before we take our break. We
are NOT going to interrupt this break to sell more garlic. It may
still be in decent
shape in February, but we can't be sure of that.
The Basics for roasting whole garlic heads: Peel
off most of the loose paper until just a couple layers hold cloves
together. Using a sharp knife, cut of the top ¼ inch of garlic
cloves. Put garlic head into a greased muffin tin, then sprinkle
and rub in 1-2 tsp olive oil per garlic head. Cover each head with
foil (or put heads on baking sheet and tightly cover the whole
sheet with foil). Bake at 400 for 25-30 min. Cloves should be
lightly browned and soft when pressed. Let cool until you can
handle, then pull cloves out with a small fork or squeeze out.
Delicious in soups or spread on bread.
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_garlic/
Roasting garlic cloves: I found recipes for both
peeled and unpeeled cloves. Both involve spreading cloves on a
baking sheet (one recipe suggests lining the sheet with parchment,
foil or silicon sheet), tossing with olive oil to coat (about 2
tsp per 4 cloves?) and roasting at 375, stirring or shaking to
move cloves around at least once. According to online recipes
(including https://savorysweetlife.com/how-to-roast-garlic/),
peeled take longer to cook (45-60 min), while unpeeled cooks in
about 30 min. Freezing roasted garlic: let cloves cool, then
put into a ziplock baggie or other airtight container. I’ve kept
them frozen for 2 years with much negative consequence. They are
so easy to pull out a few cloves at a time and mostly melt into
soup, so no chopping needed!
Song of the Month
Farm News and Announcements
Rather than create something completely new, we are relying on the egg and CSA email we sent out for our Wednesday egg delivery. There is much to unpack here, but we hope this gives you an idea as to what we are up to and where the Genuine Faux Farm is going next.
Eggs WILL be available in January - Rob
and Tammy will begin taking a break from farm-stuff starting
January 4 until the end of the month. During that time, Lauren
will be looking after the hens (and their eggs). We will be
providing Lauren with the email distribution lists and access to
the eggs@genuinefauxfarm.com email account. It will be up to her
to determine her schedule for egg deliveries. We encourage you to
continue supporting our farm by supporting Lauren as she watches
our hens. The hens will NOT stop laying eggs in January and we
need for them to go to our favorite people (you)! Egg income
during January will go directly to Lauren to help pay for her
efforts. We anticipate that there will
likely be two deliveries at each location during the month
(Waverly and Cedar Falls), but the actual number is up to Lauren.
Farmer Break (Jan 4-31) - Tammy and Rob
are taking a much needed break so we can reset our attitudes and
improve both our mental and physical health. January is probably
the best month of the year for farmers such as ourselves to back
off for a while, but we are taking 'backing off' even more
seriously than usual this time around. We have come to realize
that our farm is at a critical junction that requires innovation,
energy and new perspectives if we want the farm to continue.
We care about this farm. We care about growing good food in a
sustainable fashion and we care about providing all of you with
the best service a personal farmer can provide. To do that well,
we need to take care of us for a little bit. Thank you so much
for understanding!
Cedar Falls Possibility - we are
exploring the option of splitting our Cedar Falls
distribution/delivery between Hansen's and Jorgensen Plaza
(Western Homes). Nothing is set in stone, but we do have support
from Western Homes to explore this option. This would include an
option for shelter during inclement weather and indoors location
during the cold month deliveries. Nothing is decided at this
time. Instead, we would appreciate your thoughts if you have
them. We are not suggesting that we abandon the Hansen's Outlet
in any way with this idea - so do not worry about that. We hold
Hansen's Dairy in the highest regard and are proud to work with
them as well.
Waverly and St Andrew's - St Andrew's
Church has been very supportive of our farm over the years and we
are grateful for the chance to use their facilities for CSA and
egg deliveries throughout the year. They have also been
undergoing a series of transitions and can use our support as we
are able to give it. A small thing our farm can do is to donate
$5 for each full Waverly CSA share signup in 2019 to help defray
their costs. But, if you have other ideas that might help this
church community, please contact Jeff Cornforth or Jean
Schenkewitz.
Caraway Cafe, Gilmore's Pub and Table 1912 at
Jorgensen Plaza in Cedar Falls (Western Homes) -
we came away from a meeting today (Dec 31) with chefs and members
of the staff at Jorgensen Plaza feeling optimistic that more of
our produce and poultry will find a home here in 2019. This is
one way we feel our farm can evolve in a changing world. We are
seeking to diversify our sales by catering to some of our
strongest crops. In the last year, we have sold broiler chickens,
turkeys, lettuce, onions, kale and a few other items to the Jorgensen
Plaza kitchen. They would like to do as much as they can
with local foods, but it is still up to the customer base to make
it possible.
Crazy Maurice, the willow, wishes you all a Happy New Year!
What can you do? Check out Table 1912, Gilmour's Pub and/or
Caraway Cafe and let them know that you are excited about the
possibility of local foods on their menu. Even if the server
looks a little confused at first, have them tell Chefs Brice,
Corey and Jim that you are looking forward to seeing what they can
do with fresh, local produce and local meats. And, if you have an
event coming up - consider their Diamond Event Center and ask them
to cater the event using some of our local produce!
2019 CSA Opportunities- With all of
the news above, it might be tempting to think that we have no
enthusiasm for our CSA program. We can say that we WILL have
plenty of enthusiasm for this AFTER the farmer break. We continue
to formulate the appropriate modifications that will keep the CSA
program relevant without forsaking the qualities many of you have
told us you appreciate. February will be the grand unveiling of
the revamped program and we will move forward at that time with
promotions and sign-ups. Those who have indicated interest have a
place reserved in the program at this time.
A good friend put the not fully formed thought into words - allowing me to contemplate something I knew, but hadn't really articulated before. A farmer will rarely experience beauty as thoroughly as they do when a crop is at its peak in health and vigor. And that same farmer will experience a form of grief as they harvest that crop, converting that beauty to something else. Sometimes, the process continues over a number of days and other times, the change occurs in moments.
The Bronze Arrowhead lettuce is one of those crops that often experiences a longer period of change. Typically, we grow our lettuce in two rows per bed. When the plants approach early harvest size, the rows are vibrant with green, tinged with a hint of magenta. Each plant forms a part of the whole, a mound of leaves that covers the ground and crowds out any other plants that may want to compete for space and resources. It is at this point that the farmer should get out his camera (mental or real) to take a snapshot of success.
We often will harvest every other plant in these rows, giving more space to the remaining plants so that they can continue to develop and add bulk. But, now there are stumps that were once healthy plants marring that row. A few leaves lie between rows where the farmer removed them from the head, deciding they were going to reduce the rest of the head's desirability by their presence. If all goes well, the row will look nearly as good when the remaining plants expand to cover the voids left by the absence of their former companions. But, the time will come when these heads will also be removed, hopefully to be parts of delicious (and attractive) meals.
The farmer might be caught humming pleasantly to himself as he harvests a crop that has done well. But, you might catch that same farmer looking back over the row with a look that hints at melancholy.
It was morning and the door to the hen building had just been opened so the chickens could explore their pasture, visit with Crazy Maurice the weeping willow, eat their grains and exercise their wings, legs and lungs. The clouds overhead held the memory of continuous rainfall and the much of the ground in the pasture was only visible through the ripples of standing water.
The hens rushed to the doorway. And stopped.
The desire of their hearts, if I can be so bold as to pretend to know what a hen actually desires, was to eat that grain, chase a few moths and rest in the shade of the willow. The building is, I suppose, nice enough for night-time sleep. There are perches for those who want them and straw for those who do not. But, it is the daylight hours and it is time to be out of this building. There are dustbaths to take and clover to sample. The turkeys in the nearby pasture often provide entertainment and the rooster sounds ever so much less obnoxious when he is OUTSIDE!
But the clover was under water and there was no dust to be seen anywhere in the pasture. And thus, the debate. Do I jump down and explore? Do I dare hope that I will find tasty food and interesting things to do? Or do I just stay up here?
In the end, the answer was simple.
There are many more hens behind these hens and they still have unaltered dreams of what may be outside. Their dreams will force these chickens to visit reality. A new group will stand on the precipice that is the doorway until they too will be forced to alter their dreams to face the reality of another wet day on the farm.
Not too worry. They'll come back to the building again tonight. They will find their perches and their straw. And they will sleep so they can again dream of grain, dust baths, clover and the shade of the great willow in their pasture.
In an effort to highlight what we feel were our best photos for the 2018 calendar year, we have taken to presenting each candidate in its own post. We hope you enjoy the photos and the thoughts that accompany them.
Every year, we identify areas on the farm where we will plant hedges of annual flowers in hopes that we will be graced by the presence of blooms that lift our spirits and provide habitat for critters we hope will find our farm to be a good home. Every year, there are hedges of zinnias and marigolds and most years there is at least one hedge of sunflowers.
Zinnias and marigolds tend to have a longer period of time when they are able to dazzle you with their presence, but this is not the case for the sunflowers. They tend to have a peak bloom period that lasts about ten days until the elements begin taking their toll. There are certainly blooms after that peak and we certainly do not feel that they have no value on the farm at that point. But, it is clear that there is a big difference between that special moment when the sunflowers grab your full attention and every other point in their life cycle.
As farmers, we take it upon ourselves to plant, cultivate and care for these plants throughout the process that leads to this brief moment of perfection. We take pleasure in the stages that lead to peak bloom and we look at this same stand of sunflowers with fondness after that peak because we can still see the shadows of magnificence in what remains.
At the end of the year, we have a tendency to do a "Best of the Year"
post featuring our best "phauxtos" for the past year. This year, we
thought we would do something different. We will still hold a vote on
Facebook for the best pictures from the season. But, on the blog, we're
going to select from the candidates and include some of the 'words'
they might bring to mind when we see them.
Today's
picture features purple coneflowers and oregano in full bloom on our
farm. If you look closer, you might see a hint of other flowers (such
as a rudebekia) in the background. This picture has not been filtered
in any way, so you are seeing the color just as I saw it.
The
sky was slightly overcast, so the sun did not bleach out the color with
its light. There was only a light, sporadic breeze - just enough to
keep a person comfortable. In fact, this was one of those rare times on
the farm that I saw something I liked and I stopped what I was doing to
go GET the camera. Often, the moment is lost because light and
conditions can change before you return to record it. I was fortunate
that this was not the case this time around.
This
picture tells us two stories. The first is what you might expect -
there is beauty in nature. There is healing for the soul if you can
just transport yourself to that field that is covered in flowers. Most
places in nature have a specific time when they really dress up to show
off, but you need to give them the rest of the year to build up to that
moment.
The second story is one of absence. The
flowers are clearly in full bloom. The weather was beautiful. But,
there are no pollinators in this picture. Coneflowers and oregano (and
the other flowers in the area) are plants that often attract a whole
host of pollinators, yet I observed none while I stood there to take
pictures. There was very little wind, there was plenty of light,
temperatures were moderate and it was a typical point in the day when
there is often significant insect activity. This area should literally
have been humming with activity at this moment.
A "year in review" of humor in the blog was started back in 2009. We're not sure how many people enjoy it, but the farmer has fun with it - so that will be enough. There are two categories. Line of the Yearmay appear in any type of post. Post of the year was selected for the perceived entertainment value. Of course, entertainment value is subjective. And, since the farmer and his lovely bride were the only two judges, you can feel free to comment and correct our flawed insight!
If you wish to read any of the posts that have been highlighted here, feel free to take the links provided.
The following is from the, "let's sneak a good line into the middle of a serious post" subcategory.
Rob: "It's time for plan D."
Crew Member: "What's plan D?"
Rob: "There is no plan D. So, let's do this..."
From Man with the Plan, June 23
Occasionally, we'll put something worthwhile in a post as a caption. In short, our captions can be captivating. Especially if there are cats.
This is what it looks like when you've had enough and you're just daring someone to cross that line one more time.
From What It Looks Like When, August 20
Proof once again that if you don't read ALL of our posts, you might miss a gem or two. Ok, I think these are gems. I have an inflated sense of... of... something. Maybe it's the beans I had for dinner?
Neither of us has ever said, "Boy howdy! I'd really like to do some
routine maintenance on our small engines. And, while I am at it, I
would really ENJOY making a few repairs as well!" Of course, that's
because neither of us is prone to saying "Boy howdy!"
From Mekanikle Ineptitude, April 26
And, I still think I should put the word "Poo" in the title of all of our blog posts to increase traffic.
Since I am supposed to be a professional farmer, I should use the word
"manure." If you want to sound professional and evasive at the same
time, you can refer to it as "soil amendments" or "added fertility."
But, since I am ALSO a person who is amused by wordplay and general
silliness, we're still going to use the word "poo" just because... it's
our blog and I CAN.
From, The Blessings of Poo, August 12
We realize the category is "Line of the Year," but sometimes the line needs set-up.
We tuck the little plants in each evening and let them out to play once
the temperature in the building reaches levels they might enjoy. It
does the heart good to see six inch tall tomatoes and three inch tall
pepper plants running around having a good time.
Ok. They really just sit there. Sometimes, we put them in a cart and
pull them around just so they can see some different things. They are
young and they should see the world before they put down roots. What?
We want them to be happy.
From There's No Snow? , April 27
Things that make you say, "Hmmmmmmmm."
I say "hmmmmm" fairly often on the farm, actually. The humming birds
have threatened to sue me because I keep using their catch-phrase, but
they failed to copyright it, so I think I'm still in the clear.
From Perspectives, August 26
And then, there are times when we get a little bit of help.
When it was revealed that one such chinjury was caused by the trim on some object I started humming a familiar tune to myself. Trim chinjury, trim chinjury, trim chin cheroooooo!
From Meal-time Humor, August 24
And our 2018 LINE OF THE YEAR
"Look, that's the second scale operator your tiger has eaten this week.
If you can't control your pet, we just can't weigh it for you anymore."
From Sayings That Might Be Better Unsaid, September 3
Post of the Year Category
Mom ALWAYS makes the list!
We didn't need "take the deck off the lawn tractor, clean it off, get a
new belt, take the old one off and put the new one on and while you are
at it lube the spindles, sharpen the blades and tell your Mother you
love her!" Ok, "tell your Mother you love her" should always be on the list. Hi Mom!
From, Big Deal, July 3
And cats usually make the list!
This is what it looks like when the cat population wants to stage a protest. They execute what is known as a "sit on."
From What It Looks Like When III, November 10
Our April Fools Post ALWAYS makes this list
It looked neat until I realized I was still relying on wheels. In
disgust, I cut off the power to the shop vacs. So.... about those shop
vacs I borrowed.
From When Your Calendar's A Day Late, April 2
Turkeys only make lists as we approach Thanksgiving (or so it seems)
After the third time that it managed to go in entirely the WRONG direction I found myself forcefully saying, "YOU TURKEY!!!!" I stopped moving. The turkey stopped moving. We looked at each other.
I could swear I could see it thinking, "Yes. That's me. What do you
want?"
From Captain Obvious, October 28
We have to give this post Runner Up Status for 2018, just eeking out over the April Fools post.
Avoid accidental forgiveness! Use our NEW Grudge Book App! Just
download for $4.99 initial fee plus $9.99 per month for this
personalized service. Get automatic alerts on a schedule you choose to
remind you that you should be grumpy AND to help you be sure that you
are grumpy at the right person!
From Remembering Half of It, July 7
But, Crazy Maurice wins with this year's POST OF THE YEAR for 2018
I don't mind Hansel and Gretel (the Austrian Pines), but I have a
harder time communicating with the conifers. They just don't get the
whole dropping leaves thing that we deciduous trees do.
From Crazy Maurice - His Two Cents Worth, September 16
Give Crazy Maurice (our willow tree) some love and visit his full blog post! For that matter, give us some love and visit and share some of the other blog posts linked here! You'll get a laugh or three and maybe learn something in the process. Even if that thing you learn is that our sense of humor is a bit out of whack!
Tammy and I took a longer drive over Thanksgiving to see family. This is a departure from the norm since we normally stay home or drive a shorter distance for this holiday. The trip might explain why there wasn't our normal Thanksgiving post. But, if you wanted one, we were featuring last year's post, which is still quite good.
I mentioned to Tammy that I thought we might still see some Fall color as we went South and it turned out I was right. We started to see evidence of very LATE fall color in Southern Indiana. The weather was nice enough and we had done a good job of keeping moving on our travels thus far. So, we decided to stop at the Clark State Forest to do a little walking around (and eat some lunch).
We weren't entirely sure what we were getting ourselves into as we pulled off the highway. There was some mention of a waterfall in the area, so we thought we might find it (we didn't). Really, all we wanted was to see a little bit of nature and walk around for a bit.
The entrance to the park had a public area that catered more to human entertainment. Things like picnic shelters, basketball courts, etc. So, we drove deeper into the park and found ourselves climbing quite a bit. Eventually, we found a place to park and identified an interesting thing to do.
We usually take our camera with us on trips like this, so I took a picture of the thing that caught our attention. I found that I might be a little bit close to take a picture of it. But, I tried anyway. The results is what you see to the left.
You've probably already guessed this was a fire watch tower. But, if you haven't...
It's a fire watch tower.
It was fairly clear that it was no longer used for that purpose and it was maintained so people like us could climb up and take a look around. I am not particularly fond of heights, but Tammy doesn't mind them. So, not to be outdone by my lovely bride, I climbed up the tower with her. After all, I had the camera. Someone had to take pictures.
See! I did get to the top!
The day was a bit overcast and the Fall colors were pretty muted. But, we didn't need all that to see the beauty of the land around us.
Of course, some time after we returned home, I was curious to learn a little more about this forest, so I did a little looking around. After all, unless you live in southern Indiana, you don't think of that area for its forests. An Iowan can be just as guilty of making assumptions about Indiana as an Indianan might be regarding Iowa. Seems fair. Or at least, it seems honest.
It turns out that part of the reason for some of the area's initial designation had to do with a realization that the state of the lumber industry in southern Indiana in the last 1800's to early 1900's was in danger due to over harvest of the trees in the forests. So, some of this area was actually established as a nursery to start trees that would be moved elsewhere. While I am glad that this was done, I am also disappointed that, once again, we humans won't do anything to support nature unless we see something in it for us.
Maybe we need to force people to climb the fire tower and take a look. But, then again, taking a look doesn't mean they're going to see.
As for Tammy and I, we would walk in the woods if we could. We know others might like to as well. But, even if we couldn't walk in the woods, we still want them to be there, because it doesn't all have to be about us.
We realize we have used the picture at left before, but it's a good picture. We haven't had much motivation to go out and about on the farm to take photos, so this one will have to do so I can make the point I was hoping to make.
We have snow on the ground at the farm right now. We drove into Waverly this morning and there isn't much for snow anywhere other than the small piles that remain from shoveling. This isn't the only time we have observed the snow on the farm versus no snow in town phenomenon. It's just a good reminder that the weather can differ a fair amount over a short distance. In this case, it has more to do with the latent heat held by the town's structures than different snowfall amounts.
We see evidence of how little things can make a big difference on our farm as well. The first frost of the the Fall is one instance where you can observe significant differences in results due to what seems like an insignificant alteration in the surroundings. One year, we went outside to find that the row covers we had put on some peppers had blown off and we had somehow missed that the evening before. On first glance, we thought we were pretty lucky. But, as we worked our way towards the end of the row, we found we had lost the plants towards the far end. All except for the one that had a decent sized weed growing next to it. The button weed took the hit and was not looking happy. The pepper plant, on the other hand, was doing pretty well. A bit singed, but happy enough as compared to its neighbors.
With Thanksgiving still looming pretty large in the rear-view mirror and Christmas and New Year's growing larger as we look forward, it feels like a good time to consider the little things we might be doing that could make a big difference in the world - for good or for ill.
Veg Variety of the Month
We were able to bring in a batch of carrots from Valhalla (our newer high tunnel) in October this season. The varieties were Dragon (purple outside) and Napoli. The variety shown in the picture is St Valery. We were out of St Valery seed when it came time to put this batch in, so we went with Napoli and Dragon. The results were pretty good, if we do say so ourselves.
Germination for Napoli was lower than we wanted, but the numbers and size of the carrots were good enough for our needs. The germination of Dragon was right on, just enough that we didn't have to thin, but not so thin that we were regretting wasted space.
The net result? We were able to give our CSA members a couple of pounds of carrots each at the end of the season AND we had a few left over for supplemental sales. After a season that had so many struggles, it was nice to end it with a positive note.
Weather Wythards
Do I dare say it? Rainfall was above the average for November in Tripoli. Average rainfall amount is 2.32" and average snowfall is about 3 inches.
Year Through August
High Temp: 97
Low Temp: -20
Lowest Windchill: -34
Highest Heat Index: 119
Highest Wind gust: 46 mph
Rainfall: 52.36"
Barometer Range: 29.39 to 30.89
Song of the Month
For those who haven't noticed, music plays a significant role on the farm. We do enjoy the music of nature, but there are times when a really good playlist of enjoyable tunes is just what is needed for a few hours behind the wheel hoe. And, if it is paperwork in the Winter, there is almost always some music playing. Here is our song of the month for December by the Vocal Few.
Picture of the Month
This is actually from the end of October. But, we've not been big into picture taking this November. Besides, this is a good photo.
Other Farm News
The process of 'packing up' the farm for the Winter continues at a decent pace, though we have to admit that we wish it were complete. Why? Well, there is still the matter of the Applecart Upset that has been our continuous state of being in our house since Spring this year. The kitchen is still completely gutted and it would be really nice to make some progress on that project before the new year arrives. Of course, since we live in Ye Ol' Farme House, every repair project has an issue with 'scope creep.' If you're going to do "X" to the kitchen, it can't be done until you do "Y" to an adjacent room. Etcetera. Here's hoping we can target a week to concentrate on this project. The current goal is to target the week after Christmas. Here's hoping.
We will be taking a "Farm Sabbatical" during the month of January. What does that mean? Well, we need a bit of a break and January is the best candidate for that sort of a break. But, that also means there are some things we need to finish in December that normally get done in January. Seed orders, I'm looking at you. Organic certification paperwork, you too. It looks like we're setting ourselves up to fail with the long "to-do" list for the month, but I think we're also willing to accept where things land and pick them up again in February. We know the break is important and if we don't enforce it, we are fully aware how the farm will simply creep until January is no different than any other month on the farm.
For those who are interested in eggs and poultry, that doesn't mean you are out of luck in January. Well, if it is poultry, you should buy what you need in December or wait until February. The hens, on the other hand, will continue to lay eggs. We will be finding help to manage the flock and the distribution of eggs in January, so stay tuned as we figure that out. Other than garlic and some carrots, we don't really have much left from our crops. If you want garlic or carrots, you should contact us soon. The lettuce in the high tunnels are in over-wintering mode and won't be ready until February or March.
This is the final installment of answers to questions posed by Dr. Wen's Capstone class at the University of Northern Iowa. I realize there were more questions posed by those who submitted reflections, but this is what I was able to get to in a reasonable amount of time. If you are wondering why I might have limited the answers to this set, consider that I am aware that the semester for the students in this class is coming to a close and I wanted to get responses to them while they were actively involved in the class. I hope everyone who has read this series has enjoyed it.
Early season in 2017.
This series of questions and answers will be a bit shorter and less detailed than maybe they deserve, but I didn't want to ignore them either.
Lower Organic Standards:
One
thing that I would have enjoyed further discussion on in your presentation is
the big companies lowering standards of organic products. What could happen as
a result of this? If you do not change the quality of your product, but the
term certified organic becomes looser, does that make your product a separate
category or would you have to identify as certified organic even if the
government takes away the meaning behind that term?
A short answer for this is that we are considering Rodale's Regenerative Organic Certification process for the future at our farm. The focus for this certification is placed on the goals that National Organic Standards were based on, but it is not subject to some of the same pushing and pulling that the economic factor has brought to the National Standards. We would easily be able to qualify for the National Standards if we meet the Regenerative Standards.
There is certainly much more to this answer. To really understand what is going on, a person needs to get a feel for the structure that oversees what it means to be certified organic in the United States. It is not necessarily a bad structure, but it does have to withstand significant pressure from larger producers that would prefer less strict standards while still enjoying higher prices a certified organic label often enjoys. In short, the guidelines for organic certification are likely to be a battleground simply because they hold some importance. We have to expect to have some push and pull for anything that seems to be worthwhile.
Early kale and broccoli in the 2nd high tunnel
Who is in Your CSA? So, a question I would have is are there several young members in your
programs or is it fairly broad?
We have had members who are students in college and members who have been retired for many years. There have been groups of people who have shared a membership and split what they receive. In one instance a group of four college students joined and used the produce to make shared meals. Some people find it suits them very well and others like it well enough but move on to another option that fits their life better (like growing their own garden).
What Makes Your Product Different:
Other than taste and texture (your primary focuses),
what other differences might us as consumers see in your products compared to
the products in grocery stores?
Perhaps the biggest difference is that people who buy from us have the opportunity to interact with us. I am not saying that as if we think we are super cool and people should WANT to be around us. What I am saying is that our customers have an opportunity to actually learn about how their food is raised. They have a chance to participate in the process AND have a say in what we do. Do you get that at a grocery store?
Covering transplants during a cold snap
Monoculture in a high tunnel?One question I do have
comes from the idea of high tunnels or the covered plots you have and that
question is, with all those diverse plants you grow in these is there ever a
time where you would want to plant only one crop in them? LIke if you have a
bad year for say lettuce, would you consider just planting only lettuce in
there and not intercropping in them?
Farming is full of choices, opportunities and temptations. One temptation is to respond to circumstances and go all in with one crop. This is especially true in high tunnels since there are opportunities to control the environment a bit more which could potentially increase returns. However, our short answer to the question is "no." We believe so much in diversity on our farm that we would not go completely with a single plant type in a high tunnel.
However, that doesn't mean we wouldn't simplify the diversity in a high tunnel if the situation arose where that was our best option. Let's say I opted to focus on tomatoes and lettuce in the high tunnels. I would still maintain a more diverse environment by including some flowers and by being sure to have a variety of types within those crops. And, remember, I can actually grow multiple successions of crops in these buildings during one year, so I can add diversity over time! Here is an example of our 2017 growing in one of our high tunnels.
Convenience:
all
people care about is the convenience and how much money and time they are
spending. What are ways we could make organic farming more convenient? Or what
are ways we can help people prioritize environmental and safety concerns rather
than convenience?
This is a fantastic question that I wish I had good answers for. If people have ideas, please let us know!
One answer, of course, is for farms such as ours to change our models to try to make access easier for potential customers. But, with already full work days, how do we find the time to do that? Feel free to comment on this one.
Learning to Farm: I am very curious in knowing how did you learn to farm? Did you have some expertise, or any sort of knowledge? Did someone teach you? You mentioned you have gotten better at what you do, but did somebody helped you getting started?
We did have some experience as gardeners, but that didn't always translate well into being professional growers. We've learned a great deal by trial and error, reading, performing research on the farm and by identifying other farmers we could trust that we could converse with about what we do. At the point we started this farm, there were very few organizations that were prepared to mentor people like us as we learned the ropes. At present, there are many more groups providing support for new producers. We have served as mentors for some of those organizations such as Practical Farmers of Iowa and MOSES.
I tend to think that a thing is hazardous when it has elements that bring about the potential for danger. But, with the right training, skill set and planning, hazards can be avoided or overcome, despite the fact that one might say the situation is hazardous. On the other hand, things become dangerous when you combine hazard with negligence, naivete or exhaustion.
