The Ground We Walk On - PAN

I farm, and I am acutely aware of the role soil plays in my life as a grower of food. Healthy soils provide my farm with pasture areas for our laying hens so they can forage, enjoying some clover and chasing various insects in a plant-diverse landscape. I rely on these same soils to provide the foundation necessary for the green beans, cucumbers, and other vegetables we grow each season.

The health of the soil is critical for the continued success of my farm, yet many of the actions I take as a farmer are less than ideal for the ground I walk on.

Farming alters the soil

Most skilled farmers are fully aware that many of the techniques that come with purposely growing a crop or grazing a pasture will impact the health of the soil. The simple act of breaking ground so that it will receive the seeds for crops of our choice will change the soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties. For the most part, these changes are not an improvement.  

With the awareness that farming often damages the soil comes a responsibility to find a balance between successfully growing food and doing our best to maintain the health of the soil we rely on. A grower must do more than just consider how their farm provides income for their family, they must also be a steward that seeks to restore the ground we walk on to health.

Tensions between farming goals

In its simplest form, the goal for a particular season is to successfully see a crop, herd, flock, or orchard through to the point of harvest. Most farmers will declare the season a success if the yields are reasonable and, hopefully, the financial balance sheet shows some income. But, that formula omits the potential losses in the balance sheet that represents our soil’s health.

We have to give something back to the soil when we ship away nutrients in the form of our harvest. We must find a way to address the loss of soils to erosion that comes as a result of our working the land. And, we need to find ways to support the regeneration of the biological life in those soils that we weaken because we sprayed, we tilled, and we changed the habitat in which that life once thrived.

We have been aware for some time that excessive tillage is harmful to our soil. In fact, this has been one of the arguments for the increased use of pesticides in crop production. Unfortunately, the constant use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers also contributes to the degradation of our soils.  

In its best form, farming couches the success of one season within a system that ensures success over time. Instead of hoping for record-setting yields each year, we should be looking for consistent yields of diverse crops. Rather than measuring success only in our monetary balance sheet, we should also be investing in our future by building up our soils and limiting practices that we know will harm them.

There is a third piece to the tensions farmers hold, and that is the role of public policy. At this time, many policies discourage farmers from using practices that are best for the health of the soil.  

Practices that support healthier soils

Research and generations of farming experience tell us that the more persistent we are in using a practice that harms the soil, the more damage we cause. This cumulative effect applies to tillage, it applies to pesticide use, and it applies to monocropping. Unfortunately, this is exactly what corporate agriculture is pushing — and it is the last thing we need if we want to maintain healthy soils for future generations.

One of the simplest adjustments we can make to address soil issues would be to lengthen crop rotations. In Iowa, where I live, many farmers grow corn in the same field year after year. Others will alternate corn and soybeans. A minority will have three, four and five crop rotations. Simply getting a majority of row crop farmers to add crops to the rotation would be a good first step.

Soil is healthier when it has roots in the soil. Farmers need to be more willing to find ways to include cover crops in their rotations to provide soil coverage. The simple act of seeding down field edges to perennial grasses or putting in pollinator strips in land areas that yield poorly can also help. Adding hayfields or alfalfa into a rotation can break the tillage cycle for a few years and help soil to build itself back. None of these things are terribly difficult — they’ve all been done before.

Vegetable growers have even more opportunities because soil actually likes having a diverse population of roots in the soil. Intercropping and adding plants to attract pollinators are some of the simpler steps an operation of any size could implement. A farm that maintains some wild areas encourages pollinators and beneficial wildlife, which can actually improve yields. Adding animals into the rotation addresses the potential loss of fertility and encourages the restoration of soil biology.

Unfortunately, farmers may be willing to admit that these practices could be a good idea, but they are unwilling to fight a battle against public policies that favor agribusiness and corporate farms. Farming is a difficult job, there is often little energy to push against the status quo.

Worth our efforts

I do not pretend that the process of adapting to support soil health will be easy. But, our actions say that we believe that soil health is not necessary.  

It is important that we expend the effort to create more diverse growing landscapes that include wild areas and perennial plants. We must reduce the use of chemicals in agriculture and we cannot allow ourselves to be stuck in a system that pushes large fields of a single crop. We need to re-integrate animals into our farms instead of pushing them into high-density confinements.

All of this is going to require more effort on our part, and that may be the biggest reason why we have done so poorly when it comes to defending our soils. We want high yields and we don’t have the energy to fight against the culture created by corporate agriculture and the policies they have pushed into place.

So we rely on mechanical tillage and chemicals because they give us the short term gains for less effort.  And we ignore the long term costs.

The ground we walk on is worth the effort it will require to restore it to health. Let's make the effort to do so.

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For those who are not aware (or if you need reminding), Rob is a Communications Associate for the Pesticide Action Network and one of his responsibilities is to write blogs form his farmer perspective - in particular as it relates to the over use of chemicals in agriculture and food production.  This blog was written for PAN and is published on their Ground Truth blog.

If you are concerned about the over-use of pesticides and the movement of agriculture to every bigger entities, I encourage you to join PAN.  By doing so, you will get the monthly Iowa newsletter (which I write) and you will receive action alerts that make it easy to contact legislators and members of the executive branch in an effort to move towards a healthier and more equitable food production system in the US.     

Of course you are not obligated to take every action that PAN sends your way, but let me remind you that organizations, such as PAN, work to try to make it easy for you to effectively make your voice heard.  Take advantage of these services and help them (and me as a member of PAN) to advocate for things we want to have happen.

Evening Song

I took the camera around the farm as the sun was going down a few days ago.  The broilers were still on the farm, so I had to do the pre-chore task of putting their food inside their buildings to encourage them to go in for the night.

Sometimes when I do these rounds, I am a bit too early to just close the birds and high tunnels up, so rather than go back to the house and go inside, I might meander around the farm a bit.  As I walk, I listen to the sounds of the evening, or feel the breeze, or observe the clouds.

On this particular day, I was able to take some photos of what I was seeing.  Some of them turned out to be pretty good pictures.  The one above falls into that category.

In the foreground is one of our small, "Iowa" peaches.  It's more of a bush than a tree, really.  Behind it is a tree that is on the border of our property.  We did not plant it - it is a volunteer - and we considered removing it because it is likely a bit too close to the edge.

But, it is in an area where we don't have much for bushes.  And, more important, Mr. Bunting likes to sit in that tree in the evening and sing his evening song.   If you look closely at that tree, you can see Mr. Bunting at the top right.  No, he would not let me get much closer, so this is what we've got for photo evidence.

This same tree allowed us to spot our first Scarlet Tanager on the farm last year.  It's a favored evening spot for one of this year's Indigo Buntings.  

Now, I am inclined to leave that tree unless the neighbor complains - and I'll go there to listen to the birds as they give their evening concerts.

July Celebration

As many people in the United States celebrate Independence Day with fireworks, beer tents, softball tournaments, visits to parks, and grilling burgers and brats, I find myself celebrating in a different way.

First, I celebrate the potential the United States still has to truly be a place where everyone is free from oppression and free to live a good life without having to push someone else down in order to do just that.  We certainly aren't there yet, but these things require work.  If you want something really good, you have to put some investment into it.

Second, I am not a big fan of fireworks, beer tents or crowds.  I am not on a softball team and but I did have some tasty brats.  We celebrated our independence by appreciating some things we are able to do differently from many people - either because they don't want to do these thing or they are unable to do them. 

I tried to capture an audio file that could illustrate for you the hum we hear as we walk by our bee hives at almost any time of day (or night) this time of year.  That didn't work out, so you'll have to settle for a picture.

Tammy and I are still relative newbies at this bee game.  In the past, we often had someone else place and maintain a hive at the farm.  This year, we have three of our own.  And, like so many things where you are new at it and a bit uncertain, some of the tasks get delayed because they seem bigger than they often turn out to be.  Yet, we're still holding our own - which is a good thing.

At this point, I would say at least a couple of the hives are doing pretty well.  And we do still enjoy seeing the workers out and about at the farm.  While the clover is struggling a bit in the dry weather, there are still enough flowers that the bees are often checking out.  This is still a constant joy for me because I remember growing up and it was normal to see bees in your yard checking out the clover that most yards had.  

Well, I am fortunate to have a big "yard" now with lots of clover.  But, I have to have my own hives now to see bees on the clover.  I celebrate the fact that Tammy and I can do this.

Sometimes a growing plot works out pretty well.  Middle Earth this year has sunflowers, sweet corn, pumpkins, watermelon, winter squash and borage.  The plot is nearly completely covered with the canopy of these crops now.  For the most part, there aren't many weeds because we got cultivation and weeding done in a timely fashion.  

In short, this field is probably at its peak as far as visual appeal goes.  Once we add sunflower blooms to the mix, it will certainly be there.

This plot comes partly courtesy of our shift away from the CSA program that had been a part of our farm for many years.  Our reduced planting complexity and the removal of the early season harvest, clean, pack and deliver cycle allowed us to add sweet corn back into the mix AND we could hit the optimal planting periods more easily.

Plus, it's always nice when field looks good.  I like to be around it (we can't get into it much anymore), so it's a successful field on our farm.

Some row crop farmers have decided that milkweed is worthy of foul language, but we welcome it (most of the time) on the farm.  I admit that we don't always like where it tries to pop up.  But, when it chooses the wrong spot, we remove it with little to no remorse.

Why so little remorse?  Well, we are providing and encouraging it to appear and grow many places on the farm.  If they decide to compete where we are growing a certain crop, we feel they breached the contract - so to speak.

Ok, ok.  We don't make the milkweed sign a contract.  But, we do like seeing more monarchs on the farm and so far, we've had a few more visitors this year than we did last year.

This is a good thing that we are celebrating after very disturbing news about the very small numbers of Monarch butterflies that over-wintered in Mexico this past year.

While I am not sounding any sort of "all-clear" bell for the Monarchs, I am relieved that last year was not the last year I would see them.  I am pleased that we are doing what we can on our farm to try and make this year NOT be the last time I see them as well.

 

We had a Black Swallowtail hatch in Eden and enjoy the clover flowers nearby in the morning and we had our first Tiger Swallowtail of the year show us one of the routes he will probably fly twice a day for the next couple of weeks.

And, lest you think I only appreciate the big and bold butterflies, I like the little Blues and Hairstreaks too.  (see above).  I will, however, draw the line at the large number of Cabbage Butterflies we have seen this year.  It is making us a little frustrated for our broccoli crop this season.

Then, there are the things I visualized for the 2021 growing season that might actually become reality.  

I wanted to have clover blooming in the driving path between Valhalla (the high tunnel) and Freyr Field.  I also wanted to have a hedge of sunflowers on the north edge of Freyr field so it might feel a little bit like you are walking through a tunnel or a lane of some sort.

Sure enough, clover blooming on the path (even if it isn't as robust as it would be with some rain) and a hedge of sunflowers on the right.  Maybe in a future blog I'll show you the zinnias, borage and butternut squash on the other side in Freyr Field.  It looks pretty good too!

Already, there are many smaller birds that are flitting around in the sunflower and zinnias.  The Goldfinches are probably anxiously awaiting the production of sunflower seeds that they will feast on through the Fall and Winter.  I caught Mr. Bunting sitting on the tallest sunflower as he sang his song.  He was a bit surprised to see me walking down the lane, so he departed rapidly.

I'd say having a good vision of what you'd like to see and then executing that vision with good results is a reason to celebrate.  But, again, I had the freedom to try to make this vision come to fruition.  More reason to celebrate!

Maybe the odd thing about this July celebration is that while we celebrate our freedom to do some of the things we are doing, you might notice that many of these things are not just about us.  We are hopeful that some of the things we do will be good for other creatures and other people on this earth.

Because freedom is not about being able to do what you want, no matter what.  It is about having some choices about how you meet your obligations to the world around you.

Misunderstanding and Irony - Postal History Sunday

Welcome to the July 4th edition of Postal History Sunday on the Genuine Faux Farm blog!  If you've just walked into the door to view this blog for the first time, please feel welcome and if you have been here before, please be patient while I remind everyone to take a moment to get comfortable and grab a favorite beverage - but keep it away from the paper items (and the keyboard)!

As for those worries that bog you down during the week, now is the time to imagine that they are tied to the fireworks and let them go screaming into the sky, only to explode into a sparkly rainbow of color.  Let's see if we can learn something new today!

This week we're going to look at an item that is much newer than many of the things I tend to show here.  This letter was mailed by Otto Becker in Chicago on June 24, 1947.  He addressed the letter to the Spencer Fireworks in Polk, Iowa, placing a 16 cent stamp to pay for the standard letter rate (3 cents) and the special delivery charge (13 cents).

3 cents for a standard letter + 13 cents for "Special Delivery" fee

The Postal Rates

The three cent per ounce letter rate for mail inside the United States was effective on July 6, 1932 and remained in force until July 31, 1958.  Twenty-six years probably seems like a pretty long time for a single rate to be effective.  For contrast, these rates changed eleven times from 1974 to 1999 (26 years) where the postage rate started at 8 cents at the beginning of 1974 and was 33 cents by the end of 1999.

At the time this letter was sent, postal customers could opt for Airmail letter service, which would have cost 5 cents per ounce.  Such a letter would have required some sort of marking that airmail was requested.  This letter does not use air service, so postal historians like to call it "surface mail," which covers travel by boat, train, car, truck or alpaca.  Ok, maybe not alpaca.  But, I think you get the idea.

The Special Delivery service cost an additional 13 cents (Nov 1, 1944 - Dec 31, 1948).  Payment of the additional postage meant that once the receiving post office got the letter, they would send it out for delivery - even if the postal carriers had already left to run their routes!  This service was available in the United States starting in 1885 and was terminated in 1997.  At present, any mail received at a destination post office after the mail distribution will simply wait until the next day's distribution.

Spencer Fireworks catalog ca 1941

The Misunderstanding

Otto Becker probably wanted to do business with the Spencer Fire Works company located in Polk, Ohio.  You would think that someone who lives in Chicago would have some idea as to the difference between Ohio and Iowa.  Yes, yes, I know.... They both have a lot of vowels.  With two of the three letters in common, you *might* be able to suggest that they were having trouble with a vowel movement.

No, no.  We shan't be punning here.  Oh, it's too late?  Sorry.

In any event, a helpful postmaster found that there was a Polk CITY in Iowa, so they added "City" to the address and away it went, leaving Chicago and arriving in Polk City the next day (June 25).  

The Polk City postmaster probably rolled eyes to the sky and said, "we've got another one."  

I'm guessing this wasn't the first (or last) time that something was incorrectly addressed to the Spencer Fire Works company and sent on to Polk City, Iowa, by mistake.  

The postmaster dutifully re-mailed the item to Polk, Ohio and a backstamp on the envelope shows that it did arrive at the proper town in Ohio on June 28.

Arrival at Polk (Ohio) June 28, 1847  6PM

The Irony

Items like this are a bit more interesting to a postal historian, such as myself, because something didn't quite go according to plan in the delivery process of this letter.  I will also admit that the connection to my home state (Iowa) also makes it more attractive to me.  If this letter had been correctly addressed to Polk, Ohio, I highly doubt I would have given this item a second glance!

Initially, I thought it was interesting that someone would try to send something to a fireworks company in Iowa of all places.  After all, there had been a ban on the private sale and use of fireworks in this state since 1938 (and has only been recently lifted - see below).  By 1947 (the time this letter was mailed), I suspect most people in surrounding states might have some idea that fireworks were illegal in this state.  One could say that it is ironic that people are confusing one state with legal fireworks with another state with no fireworks allowed.

But, that's not good enough.  I like a full dose of irony when I can get it.  And, I got it this time.

A wooden shipping crate for fireworks.

In the process of confirming the date that the ban was put in place, I was able to learn some information about a key event that had much to do with the fireworks ban in the state.  Before I tell you about it - look again at the NAME of the fireworks company.  Got it stuck in your brain now?  Good.

The year was 1931 and a very dry weather was beginning to take hold of a significant portion of North America.  Have you heard of the Dust Bowl?  Well, there you are.  In any event, things were dry in Iowa, but towns in the state were still intent on celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks.  On June 27, 1931 temps were in the mid to high nineties and winds were strong.  I think you know what comes next...

There was an accident in one town.  A local retailer had a display of fireworks that was accidentally set off.  Fires spread rapidly.  By the time they died down, one hundred buildings in the center of town were destroyed.  Amazingly, no one died in the fires.

The name of the town that burned due to a fireworks accident?

Spencer

And A Bit More of the Story
One major event wasn't quite enough evidently to spur the ban.  The "Remsen Holocost" of 1936 simply provided more impetus for change.  Legislative action in 1937 led to the ban taking effect January 1st of 1938.  This ban existed up until its removal in 2017.  

The presence of large retail outlets at the border attested to a long-standing tendency of Iowans to cross the border to purchase fireworks regardless of the ban.  As recently at 2013 there were more than 25 fires started by personal fireworks in the state.

Sadly, some of the side effects of ban removal were felt in the first year.  Among them was an amazing decline in air quality in the state during the primary fireworks use dates.  Interestingly enough, one of the reactions has been for local communities to ban the use of fireworks within town limits. 

Air quality in Iowa in 2017 on July 5

Now, in 2021, we're looking at very dry conditions for most of the state.  It's not Dust Bowl dry, but it is enough that we should all exercise caution with fire.  Here's hoping we have safe celebrations for our independence.

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I hope you enjoyed today's installment of Postal History Sunday!  Thank you for joining me and letting me share some things that interest me each week.  Have a good remainder of the weekend and a splendid week to come!

Want to learn more?

You can start sounding like an expert when it comes to United States domestic postal rates if you know what resources to use.  An excellent work by Henry W Beecher and Anthony S Wawrukiewicz is titled "U.S. Domestic Postal Rates, 1872-1999."  I certainly do not memorize all of the dates and rates - especially when I am looking at items out of the 1860s.

Would You Walk On By?

We were exploring a walking/biking path that the "locals" often used for all of the things locals use such paths for.  At the furthest point in the loop, we came upon a pond that had gentle ripples in the water from a light breeze.  The sky, clouds and surrounding trees were reflected in its surface.  At that moment, there were no "human" noises that we could detect other than out own footsteps as we approached. 

We had the camera along.  Well, of course we did, we were taking a hike on a new trail and we almost always bring the camera for such things.  And, I wanted to capture what we were seeing as best as I could - knowing I would likely fail in the effort.

And, this is the photo I like best of the ones I took at that moment in time.  It's a good picture.  I did manage to capture what I was seeing, and feeling, while I stood there.

When people see images like this one, they often comment that they would love to be there, just sitting and enjoying their surroundings.  It looks so peaceful.  It's so beautiful.  A person could relax there.

So, did we?

The answer is actually "yes" and "no."  This was a new trail to us so we were in explorer mode.  We weren't sure how far the trail was going to run and we did not know how long it would take.  So, there was a little pressure to keep moving.  On the other hand, this was a hike for enjoyment and no other purpose, so we were pretty relaxed.  And, we did take a few moments to appreciate this particular place.  But, not nearly as many moments as I would like to now - as I look at the photo again.

Human beings are very good at seeing something and then proclaiming that they would

• relax and enjoy if they could only be at this place.
• sit and listen to the sounds of raindrops and songbirds on a lazy Saturday morning.
• pull over when they notice a family on the side of a road with a flat tire.
• be the one who takes action when we witness a bully and their aggression.

Yes.  We're pretty good at making ourselves legends in our own minds.  And, we know good things when we see them if they are in a picture or recording.  But, we aren't usually all that good at actually noticing that moment when the birds actually ARE singing.  We have a tough time convincing ourselves that we have the time or ability to help the family at the side of the road.  We hesitate and rarely follow through when we witness someone who is being rude and threatening.  

And, we all too often fail to notice that we're actually standing in a beautiful picture.

Couldn't Get Much Closer

Today was a day of close, but not quite.  But, as they say, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

Hey, I didn't make that one up.  But, I suppose I am guilty of passing it on.  Sorry about that.

Case Number One

This is a magnified portion of the radar from about 7pm on June 29.  To be honest, I had pretty much given up on getting any additional rainfall from the system that has been stationed over Iowa for the past week.  Then, I saw this thing blowing up and it appeared to be heading our way.  

I could see rain falling to our south.  No, not on the radar.  I could see it as I looked south out of a second story window.  It was about half a cornfield away.  Yes, that yellow and red patch was about as near a miss as we could get.

I suppose it would only have given us a tenth of an inch at most.  But, that would have been ok.

However, it is possible the rainfall discouraged someone from coming to visit us Tuesday evening - leading to....

Case Number Two

We made the moderately difficult decision that we would attempt to sell Durnik, our Ford 8n/2n tractor.  Durnik joined the Genuine Faux Farm in 2010 and represented a move on our part to scale up and raise more quality food for people.  After four or so years it became apparent that we needed just a bit more than Durnik - though he is a willing tractor - could handle.  

We thought we might be making a sale on Tuesday, but the little, black, rain cloud to our south may have deterred the arrival of our prospective purchasers.  

The reality is this.  This is a band-aid situation.  I tend to prefer taking the band-aid off quickly.  So, I, at least, was hopeful we could get this done.  We didn't.  And, like so many things on the farm, it will go some other direction than what I might expect.  Another opportunity to learn!

Case Number Three

The row of sunflowers in Freyr Field are ALMOST open.  

Well, ok.  ONE flower IS open.  And there it is - in all of its glory.

We got this row of sunflowers in pretty early and they managed the late May frost pretty well.  That means we'll have some pretty early sunflowers this year.  I am hopeful that some of these varieties (we planted a mix) will have an extended bloom season.

I've been meaning to find the time and energy to take more pictures, but this is the first time the camera took a trip around the farm with me in June.  You could call that case number three point five.  I ALMOST took pictures several times this month.  But, it no longer qualified for this post because I DID take some pictures.  HA!

Case Number Four

We almost threw these Gerbera Daisies into the compost this Spring.  

You see, we managed to over-winter them in the house this past year after they did well in pots outside the house most of the Summer last season.  they were looking a bit rough by the time we got to April, but we never quite got the gumption to carry them to the compost pile.  Instead, we kept giving them a bit of water on and off.

And now, this particular flower has rewarded us with a half-dozen blooms and I see the one behind it is starting to bloom as well.

I might just take them inside for the Winter again if they keep this up!

Case Number Five

We thought the snow peas were done once the hot weather in June halted their production prematurely.

First, let me say that the peas we grew did reach our goal of 50 pounds of production for the row.  I typically consider one half pound per row foot to be a reasonable return.  Fifty pounds is more like two-thirds of a pound per row foot.  So, I am good with that.

But, we got a little rain and we irrigated that plot and it cooled down for a week.  

And the snow peas, even though many leaves were yellowed, put on a flush of blooms.  And we have a small batch of peas we can harvest and eat.  I tasted a couple - they taste good!  So, now we just have to get to them.  I ALMOST harvested them today.

Case Number Six

The sun was ALMOST down when I took some of these pictures.  I was doing the rounds and doing the "pre-chores."

What's a pre-chore?  Well, those are the chores you do before you do the chores, dontcha know?!?

We know that the broiler flocks are more likely to go into their buildings for the night if we move their food and water inside the building before the sun goes down.  So, I've taken to doing that pre-chore (along with putting away equipment and closing up buildings) around 8pm so I can then write a blog before I go out and do the chores.

Speaking of the blog.  I almost did not write a blog for today.

But I did - so all is well on that front.

I hope you enjoyed this blog and I wish you the very best today.

By the Way

 Well everyone, our grand total for rainfall from the "stalled weather system" that has brought heavy rains to some places also has succeeded in providing little rain for others.  The Genuine Faux Farm has received a half inch which, while appreciated, isn't going to keep things green long.

Actually, I am not going to complain about that much.  We DID get some rain and it came down in such a way that it all soaked in pretty well.  And it also made weeding REALLY nice today.

So - today's blog is going to be a bit of a farm report/announcements and other stuff type of post.  So, if you're curious about farm doings, this is the post for you.  If you aren't curious about farm doings - well...

What?  You aren't?!?  Goodness - and you even admitted it to me out loud?  Well, read it any way, it will do you some good!

The bee hives are doing pretty well so far.  Tammy knows it is time to add a super (another level) on these hives, but she hasn't quite found the time/inclination to do it.  We'll target this weekend and get it done.  You see, Tammy has another issue - and that is the boot that is now surrounding one of her feet.  It seems she's got a bone spur that is causing her Achilles tendon some issues.  So, things like putting on the bee suit just got a bit harder.  

Alas.  Well, we'll figure it out.  I suspect Farmer Rob will become Temporary Beekeeper Rob for a little bit.  I hope she gives me good instructions!

I can see it now.  "NO!  You do NOT eat the honey directly out of the hive.  See!  I told you.  Now your tongue is going to swell up and you'll sound really silly when you try to talk."

The broilers date for going to the Park is coming up (Friday, July 2) and it is coming none too soon as far as the farmers are concerned.  It is at this stage that a few of the birds, in particular, get pretty aggressive with each other.  And, while it is amusing to hear some of these birds trying to learn how to crow, it becomes much LESS amusing when there are a couple hundred of them considering taking up Chicken Opera as a pastime.  

So, if you are interested in Genuine Faux Farm broiler chickens and getting an unfrozen whole bird or two or three, you should contact us now so we can arrange to get them to you.  

A few of our laying hens have gotten broody, so the egg numbers have declined somewhat.  But, we still have plenty of egg production.  We've actually taken to making some donations to local food banks because the demand is not there for the eggs.  Our next egg delivery is a week after Wednesday.  I suspect we'll have plenty.

We recently had a nice visit and got a little help washing eggs, harvesting scapes (anyone want scapes?  We have lots) and eating berries.  Christine was kind enough to post some pictures from some of their farm exploration on Facebook.  I hope she doesn't mind that I grabbed them and put them here?  

Well, actually I asked.  But, full disclosure, I downloaded them and started thinking about a blog using those pictures even before that.  Maybe I need to work on the ordering of when I do things?

The picture above shows the precious golden raspberries that hide in a special area on our farm.  We do not tell just anyone about them!  So there!

 And the mulberries have had a good year.  The cherries were pretty weak.  The apples don't look like they'll have much.  But, the mulberries?  Very happy.  

Meanwhile, the ditch lilies are opening and Yellow-billed Cuckoo has taken to serenading us throughout the day.  Although, I am not certain "serenade" is the best description... nor is "song."  Well, whatever, the Cuckoo talks to us regularly.  And the Common Yellowthroat still hasn't come out of the bushes when I say "pish!"

Ah well.  We'll just keep trying.

To and Fro - Postal History Sunday

It's Postal History Sunday on the Genuine Faux Farm blog!  It happens every seven days - and I keep asking myself how that could possibly be true.  Then someone reminds me that Sundays are seven days apart.  I guess that makes sense.

Now, put those troubles and worries into the bed of an open pickup or the roof of a car.  Once you get onto the open road, make sure you remove any tie-downs you might have used to keep those things in place.  Then, take a nice drive - preferably on a gusty day.  Those darned troubles will be so scattered you'll have a tough time finding them again.

Note: This is a quick reminder that if you want to see a larger version of any of the image on these blogs, you can click on them to view a magnified image.

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Mail between the United States and the United Kingdom

One of the areas of postal history I enjoy very much would be mail that crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the 1860s.  As many of you know (and the rest of you will soon know), I have been focusing on mail featuring the 24 cent stamps issued by the United States from 1861-1868.  Below is an example of the type of mail that catches my interest.

This is an 1862 letter from Boston (United States) to London (England).  The Boston postmark indicates to me that the letter was put in a mailbag which was then placed on the Cunard Line's Asia that departed Boston on August 6 so it could cross the Atlantic Ocean.  The Asia arrived at Queenstown (Cork, Ireland aka Cobh) on August 16 where the mailbag was offloaded.  A train took this bag of mail to Kingston (now known as Dún Laoghaire) where it would board a steamer to cross the Irish Sea to Holyhead.   From there, it would ride another train to London.

Finally, the letter was removed from the bag and given an August 18 postmark to record its official arrival at the English exchange office in London. 

This is the mail service this postage stamp was primarily intended to be used for.  The United States and the United Kingdom agreed in 1848 that a letter weighing no more than 1/2 ounce could travel from the US to the UK for 24 cents.  This rate was effective from February 1849 until the end of December of 1867, so it would be tempting to think that these stamps were available for that entire period of time.

Interestingly enough, the first time a stamp with the 24 cent denomination was issued was 1860!  Until then, a person would have to apply two 12-cent stamps (or some other combination of stamps) to pay the postage.  From 1851 to 1859, you could buy stamps with 1-cent, 3-cent, 5-cent, 10-cent and 12-cent denominations.  In 1860, the United States added the 24-cent, 30-cent, and 90-cent denominations in response to the growing use of mail to foreign destinations.

This stamp is part of the series of postage stamps introduced in August of 1861.  The new stamps were issued in response to the secession of the southern states.  But that, as they say, is another story (and another Postal History Sunday).

Now - because I entitled this one "To and Fro," we should take a look at a letter that came back the other way (from the United Kingdom to the United States).

This thick folded letter has a dateline of August 24, 1867 and a Liverpool postmark on the back.  The New York marking on the front is dated September 4th.  And, the docket at the top left reads: paid Per "Persia" via Cork.

*** A Quick Reminder - We All Start Somewhere ***

Now - as a bit of an aside - when I first started looking at some of these letters from this period, I was confused by these dockets that said things like "Per Persia."  Not knowing much about Atlantic ships at the time and the convention of dockets on mail, I would see the word "Persia" and think - Wow!  This thing went to Persia!  Ummm.  But, why would it go from Liverpool to Persia and then Houston, Texas.  Hmmmm?

Of course, once I figured out that many ships were named after places, it made more sense.  

I just want to remind all of us that it is ok to be confused by something that is new to you and it is fine to ask questions.  Why?  Because it means we have an opportunity to learn something that is new to us!  And learning is always cool - even if it is difficult, embarrassing, or inconvenient.

*** Back to the regularly scheduled program ***   

The Cunard Line's Persia did leave Liverpool on August 24 and arrived at Cork August 25.  Because the date is not readable on the Liverpool postmark, I can't say for certain that this letter boarded the ship at Liverpool or if it was sent by train to Holyhead, crossed the Irish Sea to Kingston and then by train to Cork just to catch the ship there.  The speedy trains could very well get a letter to Cork prior to the ships departure to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Either way, it did take the Persia to New York, where it did arrive on September 4.

The postage was paid by two stamps, a one shilling and a two shilling, with a total of three shillings in postage paid.  The same agreement that set the postage rate at 24 cents for the United States to the United Kingdom required one shilling for the 1/2 ounce.  So, this letter must have weighed over one ounce and no more than 1 and 1/2 ounces.  In other words, this was a triple weight (or triple rate) letter.

There is certainly more to tell about this letter to Houston, Texas and I suspect we'll see it again in another Postal History Sunday.  In fact, the first letter may show up for different reasons in another PHS as well!

Mail Between the United States and France

The United States did not have an agreement for mail with France until April of 1857.  This agreement set the rate of postage at 15 cents for every 1/4 ounce of mail and continued until the end of 1869.  However, there was no 15-cent stamp to pay for this rate until 1866, when a stamp was issued in memory of Abraham Lincoln after his assassination in April of 1865.

Until that time, a letter to France would most typically be paid by a combination of a five-cent and ten-cent stamp.  But, the example I am showing you today has a 15-cent Lincoln mourning stamp on it to pay the postage.

The letter above was mailed from New York and set sail on the Cunard Line's Tripoli on March 18, 1869.  

As an aside - if you sometimes wonder about what attracted me to this specific item, you might enjoy knowing that our farm is near Tripoli, Iowa, which is NOT the location this ship was named after.  I suspect the ship was named after the city in Libya since Tripoli, Iowa had yet to reach 100 inhabitants by 1880.  Meanwhile, the United States had already fought Barbary pirates at Tripoli, Libya in the early 1800s.  So, I suspect Tripoli, Iowa might not have the same clout for naming rights.

The Tripoli arrived in Queenstown, Ireland on March 30 and entered France at Calais on April 1st.  

A postal historian actually gets more than one opportunity to find out more about a cover between the US and France because both countries provide some clues with their markings.  This is important because not every old letter has clear markings.  Sometimes they are smudged or inked lightly and you can't read all of the information.

This blue French marking tells me several things.  First, the letter came from the United States (Et.-Unis).  Second, it came on a steamship that was under contract with the US (Serv. Am.).  Third, the letter was taken on the train from Calais to Paris and this served as the French exchange office for the US mailbag this letter traveled in (Calais).  The simple fact that it entered France in Calais suggests it went via Queenstown (Ireland) or Southampton (near London).  This, and the date, can help confirm which ship carried the letter across the Atlantic.

That's a lot of information in one postal marking.

And now for a letter coming back the other way from Bordeaux (France) to New Orleans (US).

The rate for mail from France to the US was 80 centimes for every 7.5 grams.  The letter above has an 80 centime stamp that pays the postage for this letter.  The letter boarded a train from Bordeaux to Paris on November 16, 1859, then traveled on the train from Paris to Calais the next day.

The instructions given on this letter state that it was to go "by the first steamer from Liverpool."  I don't think you can get more explicit than that!  And, to no one's surprise, the letter left on Cunard Line's Europa from Liverpool on November 19th and the rest is history.   The Europa actually arrived at Boston late on the 1st of March and the letter was processed on March 2nd.

This handstamp found in the middle of this cover reads "Br. Service,"  which indicated the letter traveled on a steamship that was under contract with the British.  This is a hint to me, as a postal historian, that I should be checking for Cunard Line sailings if I want to figure out how the letter crossed the Atlantic. 

from France to US

from US to France

The Boston marking for this cover tells us the equivalent to 15 cents was paid in France.  There are NO clues as to which shipping line might have carried this letter.

The New York marking from the previous cover gives us the number "6," which tells us that six cents were due to the French postal service and nine cents were kept by the US.  This included the money needed to pay for the Atlantic crossing, so that gives me a clue regarding possible shipping lines based on that information.  It would have to be a shipping line under contract with the United States.  

Now - if you are paying attention - you will have noticed that the Cunard Line carried BOTH letters (remember that Tripoli thing?).  What's up with that?

It is true.  The Cunard Line was under contract with the British to carry the mail across the Atlantic for the entirety of the postal agreement from 1848 until 1867 between the United Kingdom and the United States.  However, when a NEW agreement was reached to begin on January 1, 1868, things changed.  And the letter that was carried on the Tripoli was mailed in 1869.

As of 1868, for a letter that was leaving the US for the UK, the Cunard Line was sailing under a US contract.  If the letter was leaving the UK for the US, the Cunard Line was sailing under a UK contract.

Ain't postal history grand?!?  Just move a few years forwards or backwards and everything you think you know changes!   Well, ok.  Not everything.  But, you do have to pay attention because you shouldn't assume the processes for mail carriage have always stayed the same.

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Thank you for joining me for Postal History Sunday.  I hope you enjoyed reading this and that, perhaps, you learned something interesting and new to you.

Next week's topic is already set (July 4th), but if you liked this topic, I may follow up with a second "To and Fro" with letters between the US and Rome, US and Prussia, and maybe.... the US and Russia.  If you like that idea, let me know.  Or, if you have a better idea, send it along in a comment or an email - or post it as a reply to our social media post.

You never know, you just might be the person who provides the inspiration for a future Postal History Sunday.

Have a great remainder of the day and a fine week to come.

Want to Learn More?

I have written a much more detailed blog regarding mail between the US and France that can be located on the GFF Postal History blog.  It was last edited in August of 2019 and I see a few things I could add to it (and may do so in the future).  Also, if you want to see the actual text of the convention that set the postal rates between the US and France starting in 1857, you can go here.  

If you want more detail regarding the mails between the US and the United Kingdom, this blog post might serve your purpose.   Perhaps, I should work on a more definitive resource for that topic as well during my spare (snicker, giggle) time.

Goings On

 Never a dull moment at the Genuine Faux Farm - that's for certain.  Ok.  If there ARE dull moments (and I am not saying there are) we wouldn't tell you about them - because that would be - dull.

With the dry weather, we have to admit that our flowering plants are doing less than they have many years.  Much of our clover is drying off.  The daylilies aren't looking terribly happy either.  But, some plants have the benefit of being close to a water source.  One of those plants is the Jackmanii clematis near the front porch of the house.  

Because we need to water the houseplants on that porch, we will periodically reward "Jack" for being nearby and give it some water as well.

The reward has been a nice bloom that has lasted longer than many flowers in a dry season.  At the very least, we would like a little rain to revive the clover.  Our pollinators would like that.

The picture above is from several years ago when Durnik, the Ford 8n/2n tractor, was the ONLY tractor on the farm.  Durnik has been sitting in the Poultry Pavilion for ... oh... about as many years as we have had Rosie on board as our main tractor.  

It's not that we do not like Durnik.  We do.  But, the realities are Rosie is a stronger and safer tractor for us to use with the implements we have.  And, yes, she's got a loader/bucket as well.  And, older tractors require older tractor care.  Neither of us have professed to want to be mechanics, so...

Well, Durnik came out to play recently when our good friend, Steve, wanted to see if we could get the old tractor started.  Surprisingly, it wasn't all that hard and Durnik is now out where we can see him.  That means, of course, that we have to decide exactly what to do with him.

This year is shaping up to be a year where the insect pests are going to be a bit more aggressive than they are most years.  We did not see all that many Cabbage Butterflies, but the few we have seen have apparently been busy laying eggs.  The result is we've got a lot more larva munching on our brassica plants.  

Some of this has to do with the drought conditions.  With many of the plants in our natural areas suffering from lack of water, our crops are looking much nicer for the pests than they might be most years.  On top of that, some of our companion plants are not as robust as they might be most years.

The result is - we're just going to have to accept that we'll have more of the irritating green worms in our broccoli this year.  I am not certain I can tell you how annoying that is.

This year we identified some key crops.  Bell peppers, cucumbers and green beans for Seed Savers contracts.  The bell peppers look good.  Most of the cucumbers died in the late frost (we're trying to get a second batch going now).  The beans haven't germinated.

We are growing garlic for the Food Bank contract and... of course... broccoli.

I begin to think I should just not target any crop for a research project or a contract.  I can have ten years of success with something, but the moment it is identified as critical...  

Alas for us.  Don't worry, we'll figure it out.  This was just my evening/morning whine (depending on when you read this).

 Another fatality of the weather will be out 2021 apple crop.  The picture above is from a few years ago.  While it is a bit early to see much for visible apples, we should be able to see fruit developing.

Well, this year, there isn't much on our trees.  The cold weather cycle prior to our late May frost actually hit our apple blossoms pretty hard.  This sort of things happens - we're just hopeful the local orchards were able to survive the weather.  If we don't have many apples, we will be fine - but disappointed.  It's a bit different when you try to run a profitable orchard.

On the other hand, Tammy and I have been happy with our snow pea harvest - even if it was cut short by the hot weather.  The first batch of green beans have been great and we have had a few heads of broccoli from the early planting in Valhalla.  In fact, everything to do with Valhalla and Eden has been pretty good this year.  So, we'll take that.

We look forward to the first broiler batch taking their trip to the "Park" on July 2 because that reduces some of the daily work for a little while.  They are looking good and we're pleased with the health of the flock.  The turklets are their normal curious selves.  The henlets have figured out how to go into the Summer Cottage for the night (always a relief when they figure it out) and the Stu and the hens continue continuing.  

And, I'll be honest.  While a drought is not a good thing in and of itself for our farm, I am still enjoying walking about the farm without walking through puddles and mud.  I hope that's not wrong of me to feel that way - but we've dealt with such a high percentage of days like that since 2013 that I might be forgiven.

Next chance for rain is likely Friday night.  Here's hoping.

Jumpy

 It has been really dry on the farm this year.  I'll give you that.  So, why is it Tammy and I get jumpy whenever the forecast calls for multiple inches of rain over a period of several days - even when it is clear we really could use it?

Well, for starters, this is a picture from just last year.

So, is it odd that we actually have kind of celebrated a bit of a drought in our neck of the woods?  After all, we haven't have a really dry spell since 2012.  And... oh... that was the year we had a spray plane fly over our farm with the nozzles on.  Hmmmm.

But, getting back to the weather.  Here is a screen shot from last year.

Yup.  that little black rain cloud with the arrow on it went right over our farm and dumped a whole lot of rain on us.  

That's how it works in years when you have plenty of moisture and you really could use a week or so of dry days just so you can walk without sinking up to your knees in mud.

This year, if you have been watching radar loops, the rain clouds tend to split around our farm.  So, someone ten miles away might report an inch of rain and we get... one hundredth of an inch.

But now, I see graphics for the coming rain system for the tail end of this week.

 Forgive me if this makes me jumpy.  I still have pictures like the one at the top to remind me of what excessive rainfall looks like.

Here's hoping for a NICE rainfall.  I'll take that.

After all, we are quite dry throughout most of the state.  Of course - if you compare where the need is greatest to the area where the amount of rain looks least likely in the map above - we can't expect much of a dent on the drought where it is most severe.

Again.  A NICE rainfall.  We'll take it.  But, let's avoid the giant, broiler chicken wading pool types of rainfall please.

Concentrate

There is one ability I have had a fair measure of pride in throughout most of my life.  I typically have been able to concentrate well when I decide that I WILL concentrate.  But, what happens when something you feel is a strength feels like it has abandoned you for a time?

To illustrate that point, I show you this photo of green bean plants with flowers.  What does it have to do with today's topic?  Nothing!  Well, maybe I'll find a way to tie it in  We'll see.

First, let me do the full-disclosure thing: I do not pretend that I am always able to concentrate fully on whatever it is I am doing at any given moment.  Like most everyone else, there are annoyingly large portions of my life where I could not be bothered to focus on something - even though it should have been important enough for me to do so.

What I am trying to say is that when I decide I am going to put my focus on something and I put some energy into it, I typically will stick with it until it is done.  This is true even if the job gets tedious or I become mentally and physically tired.  The difference here is that I might not choose to concentrate fully on something - which can be disappointing.  Right now, I am not sure I can fully concentrate even when I DO choose to do so.

I am the same person who, as a child, sorted through ALL of the jumbled nails, screws and other fasteners on Dad's workbench when I was a kid.  To be clear - Dad was a siding contractor at the time and he often would dump his pouch of fasteners into jars or other containers without worrying about which thing went where.  What was important for him was that he could find what he needed in his pouch while at the job, so he needed to start fresh with each job.  The leftovers and what was on the workbench were not exactly the same thing.

I suppose you could argue that sorting these things should not take too much concentration.  That might be true if you weren't also trying to learn the different fasteners at the same time you were sorting. I will say that I did learn a fair bit about them.  And some of it has even stuck with me to this day.  (Let's not bring up all of the things I have FORGOTTEN since that time...)

 

I am talking about a different kind of concentration - not the kind that you use when you harvest a row of green beans (see!  I did it!) or walk rows of potatoes looking for potato beetles to remove.  In those cases, your brain does not have to engage fully in your task.  You can listen to a book tape, have a conversation or just let your mind wander.  The task requires that you keep moving and keep certain senses alert, but concentration is not completely on the task.

Note - those are some nice potato plants in the photo just above us.  See, I tied them into this blog too!  Yay me!

In any event (see Rob try to pull his concentration back into line again), it seems that the next part of my recovery is re-establishing my ability to fully concentrate when I need to.  I've been doing my best to exercise my body and now I find I need to expend more effort on my mind as well.  Yes, it is true that I expect a very high level of concentration when I choose to use it.

So, why has this been a problem for me?  

Well, you could actually argue that it hasn't been a problem because I HAVE been concentrating very hard on recovering from surgery.  Perhaps I dedicated my will-power to that purpose so much that I should not expect to concentrate at a high level on other things?  The lead up to surgery, the worry that is cancer, and the process of healing can be pretty distracting from... well... everything else.

So, I have chosen to accept that this is simply a part of the recovery process and I will work through it so that my concentration will return to where it once was.  And, perhaps, my will-power to use it more readily when I should may grow to a greater capacity than it once was.

Because I appreciate it more now that it I feel it has (temporarily) abandoned me.

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And - here's to a nice day that was a good bit cooler than it has been.  The farm received a little over a half inch of rain on Sunday - something we were needing desperately.   We could have used a bit more, but we know better than to cry for more rain - when we have, we get way to much....

Have a good day and an excellent week everyone!