A Poo d'Etat

There is much going on at the farm right now - so we'll do the "news brief" thing for this blog post.  We hope you enjoy!

Three in One?
There are a number of crazy things we find ourselves doing on the farm that make us shake our heads.  For example, if you had told us that we would own and operate three freezers and two refrigerators on the farm even five years ago, we would have laughed.   But, twenty-seven pound turkeys, two batches of broilers, lots of veg freezing, broth freezing, cooperative buys, etc etc....  So, yes, we have three freezers and two refrigerators.  We graduated to ONE freezer today by finally getting everything into the biggest freezer and the freezers that are part of the two refrigerators.  We hope these two will stay OFF until the broilers go to the park.  Oh...and yes.  It WAS a tight fit.

Two Hundred A Day
More or less.  That's what we are hoping we can manage as we transplant tomatoes into four inch pots.  There are about 2000 of them to do.  Then, if the peppers get a move on here, we do them.  And the eggplant.  Hmmmm.  The hardest part is figuring out where to put them all.

Closing at the Opening(s)
One of the things I found most humorous for signs of businesses in small towns were those that said "Open Until Closing," which made me think of this subtitle.  In this case, however, we are talking about openings in buildings on the farm.  If you follow the blog or farm happenings, you know we worked hard to rehab the truck barn last year.  We just never quite got the overhead door put in before Winter (such as it was).  We've also been struggling with the doors on the granary.  Stay tuned, it looks like we'll be getting some doors put up.  While it still goes against Rob's nature to hire someone to do these kinds of projects, that's exactly what we will do.  Why?  Because it won't get done until December if it is left to me....  And, it would likely only be one of the three doors at that.  Sometimes the right call means you pay someone else.

Dominoes
Old house.   Old buildings.  Working farm.  Lots of projects.

And every project has its own domino effect.  If you do any sort of house projects on your own homes, you know what I mean here.  How did stubbing in plumbing for a bathroom turn into replacing the water heater?

Oh.  Well.  I Guess We'll Do Something Else.
The simple (?) project of moving the burn 'barrel' to a new location away from the cold frame area got interesting.  This entailed cleaning up the new area and moving the barrel.  But, our barrel is essentially four heavy pieces of metal that have been bolted together in a rectangular shape using some brackets.  It was here when we moved in, so it's been through a bit.  Let's just say the "barrel" became a flat pile of metal as I tried to move it. 

Poo d-Etat
We are actively trying to build some new poultry rooms in the Poultry Pavilion.  To give you a summary... the building started as an open front machine shed.  It was closed up in the 1980's (we think) and made into a hog confinement.  We arrive and kicked the hogs out.  Unfortunately, some of the modifications made to the building (and time) have provided raccoons with some nice places to live.

So, what is the problem with that exactly?  Other than the fact that we fight them every year as they get into the chickens?  Let me put it this way.  Raccoons don't go outside to use the bathroom.

So, you know all of those spots that look like they've gotten REALLY wet in the ceiling?  Yep, the spots that actually have holes starting and the insulation falling through?  That isn't from a leaky roof.  It's from a raccoon leaking....  And remember, when you ask a raccoon "Number 1 or number 2?"  It will usually say, "Both."

What was a highlight of the day?  Pulling down lots of that ceiling so we can have a shot at putting together a good room for the birds.

What a wonderful smell I've discovered.  Maybe it should have been

Pew d-Etat?

Connecting the Hobby with the Profession Part II

 This envelope was mailed in 1905.  What's so cool about it?  We actually raise Barred Rocks as part of our mixed laying flock.  Our younger rooster is Fu, he is a Barred Rock, and he could have posed for this picture.

Ok, these are hens, not a rooster, but they do live on our farm!

Oh, and I think Sarcoxie is a cool name for a town.

The above item was mailed in 1901.  It's kind of fun looking at the various technologies used that were pulled behind teams of horses.  And, we see these technologies adapted for many of the implements we are now using with Durnik (our tractor).

And yes, Higganum is another cool name for a town.

This one may be worth using the right mouse button to view at a larger size.  This is a booklet that includes a speech by Representative Hull...in 1933.  What was he trying to say?  We should use the excess grain produced in our country to supplement gasoline.  Interesting.

I know a cool person who has the last name "Hull."

Mailed around 1895 (hard to read the postmark).  Bee keeping has been around for a long time.  All I can say is that if it weren't for all of the native bees on and around our farm, our crops would be very poor.  This is a topic I am very sensitive too and I worry about every season.  It can be especially difficult for us because our 14 acres of ground is surrounded by corn and soybean fields.  So, there isn't a very large contiguous area within which native species can exist and survive.  If these species were to collapse, we would have difficulty producing many crops.

This is addressed to Xeno Putnam.  "Xeno" is a cool name.  And bees are just plain cool.

And, for those of you who are curious about post number 1 on this subject.  The items were from 1883, 1912, 1913, 1905 and 1905.

And now you know - we've had a couple of cool days.

Extension Workshop at the Farm

DATE:  4/13/12

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tammy Curley, Bremer County Extension, 319-882-4275 or tcurley@iastate.edu

BREMER ISU EXTENSION HOSTING SMALL FAMILY POULTRY WORKSHOP

Adults and 4-H’ers wishing to learn more about raising their own poultry for eggs and meat are invited to an on-farm demonstration and educational program on April 30^th at Faux’s Genuine Farm, 2345 150^th St. north of Tripoli.  Beginning at 6:30PM, visitors can learn the practical aspects of working with poultry, from new chicks through their adulthood.  There is no cost for the program.

Guest speakers Dave Foelske, Bremer Fair Poultry Superintendent plus the Faux’s, will share their practical experiences with raising their own backyard chickens ducks, and turkeys. 

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And yes - please note that the farm name IS Genuine Faux Farm.  Yep, that's us.

Linking the Hobby to the Profession?

 This is one ugly chicken.  Note - the reason the chicken doesn't look as healthy as it should is because the Aultman & Taylor equipment did a better job not leaving behind any of the grain heads that other equipment was prone to do.  At least, that's what they're trying to tell you.

 For about 7 bucks you could get one of these beauties.  We have a 'similar' tool.  But, it is plastic....and cost a bit more than 7 bucks.  Still, we wouldn't be without it.

 Ahhhh.  Crook neck summer squash.  We used to grow this, but have opted for the straight neck varieties.  The main reason - they don't sprawl as much as the crook necks.  We have to fight that battle with cucumbers already.

 Hay!  That barn is still standing.

And... from the "that's just plain weird" section.  Are we sure these animals have the required muscles to smile like that?

Kids Cooking Class

GFF is partnering with Emily Wilson to present a Kids Cooking class. Looking for ways to encourage your kids to eat more veggies? Do your kids love to help in the kitchen? Kids are more likely to eat the food they help prepare!  This special Kids Cooking class will feature Chef Emily teaching kids how to make a lettuce wrap using GFF lettuce.  Eating the produce will, of course, be involved, too!

Two classes will be offered - kids 4-6 years old and kids 7-10 years old.  Classes will be approximately one hour, with the little ones first, then the older ones on the same day.  We have limited space available for this first set of classes.  We are looking at either Friday May 4 after school or Sunday April 29 early afternoon. The classes will take place at a place to be determined in Waverly.  Please reply to tammy.faux@wartburg.edu (don't reply to Rob, please) if you are interested, which date works better for your family and age(s) of child(ren) involved.  There is no charge for GFF kids.

Tammy & Rob

Balls of Fluff

Below is the 'egg newsletter' Tammy sent out this week.  Rob usually puts the posts out in the blog - but we're finding this is a good way for Tammy to get some time in the blog as well.

===============

Eggs delivery on Tuesday!  This Tuesday (April 17^th), we will be at the Konditerei (Wartburg) from 10-noon, CEEE (if anyone requests) at UNI from 4:30-4:45 and Rudy’s Tacos (Waterloo) (parking lot from 5:15-5:30 and in the restaurant until about 7pm).  Please email to let me know how many dozen you would like and where you will pick up.  Call if one of these times does not work for you.

(ed note: it really does help if we get a note that you want eggs and how many first.  Remember, we have to pack them and bring them along.)

A little break this week from introducing the “ladies” to introduce you to the babies.  Yep – GFF sounds (and smells) like an animal farm this week.  I picked up 75 day old pullets (baby laying hen) at Hoover Hatchery in Rudd (25 are for a friend of ours) on Thursday.  Since the Poultry Pavilion remodeling project is not done, they are being temporarily housed in the garage.  The real surprise came on Friday when we got a call saying the broiler chicks had arrived (we have them mailed from the hatchery in PA to the Waterloo post office)!  We had not expected the 250 chicks until the following week.  So, we scrambled about, cleaned the garage and made room for 2 more brooder boxes and now have 250 broiler chicks and 75 hen chicks.  EEK!

This new batch of hens is a mix of Buff Orphington, California White and Americana.  Some of the chicks consented to pose for me.  The picture with the 3 chicks are the broilers – a breed called Freedom Ranger.  The Rangers (aka “The Boyus) will be cute for about 2 weeks and then spend the next 9 weeks being eating machines.  The hens grow much more slowly and will look like chicks for about 6 weeks, but don’t reach full size for about 20 weeks.

California White (hen)

Buff Orpington (hen)

Americana (hen - lays the green/blue eggs)

 Freedom Ranger (broilers)

Friday the Thir.....oof!

We don't tend to be superstitious, but after the start we had today, I'm beginning to wonder.  It's not that anything particularly bad has happened, these are all surmountable issues.  And, it's not that I'm looking for sympathy, all of these events are things that happen on and off with the farm.  It's just the way it is.  But, it can be strange how these things tend to happen all at once.  And, I didn't know that this was the 13th *AND* Friday until I wrote down the work plan for today (last night). 

My first thought was - "All right!  Dad's lucky day!"
My second thought was - "Is Dad's lucky day, my lucky day?"

To set the tone, allow me to sum up yesterday:
I've been fighting a head cold, which means less sleep and less energy.  But, things still have to get done on the farm.  And, part of that something is reorganizing everything from "Winter" mode to "Rest of the Year" mode.  That implies alot of lifting and energy used.  We got alot of it done, but a few things just didn't get done.... yesterday was worth a blog post.  Maybe later.  Also, we picked up hen chicks.  Our chick area in the Poultry Pavilion is not ready, so we had to work up an area in the garage. 

Last night's plan for today:
I made two plans.  One in case it rained over night and one in case it held off.  Rain meant spending the day on farm paperwork, taxes, grants, etc.  If there was some time prior to rain, the plan called for some work on the tractor and maybe a little tilling/planting just prior to the rain.
 
What did the weather do?
It didn't rain overnight, but as soon as the sun started to come up, the wind began to howl.  As we started to do some things outside, it began to rain sideways.  So, it looks like we finish chores and necessary things I do office work.

What ACTUALLY happened?

The wind this morning wasn't "hold onto your hat" strong, it was "hold onto your head" strong.  First issue - several trays of onions blew off their cart.  Result, we lost a number of onion plants.  Of course, these were some of our oldest ones (closest to transplant).  Oh well, these things happen.  We picked up the pieces and got the rest off of the cart and onto the ground.  This was one of the things we meant to do yesterday, but figured they were fine where they were.  After all, they'd been fine for a week or two on that cart.

Issue #2 - the door that would not stay closed.

The chicks are in the garage, right?  Well, the wind and cold was coming from the East-Southeast.  The doors on the garage both face east.  Chicks are sensitive to breezes and cold, so we didn't want to open the overhead door any more than we had to.  So, we used the service door.  It decides to not latch properly anymore AS OF TODAY.  So, the wind had a great time "re-opening" the door for us.


The call that made us wonder if we could hit the restart button.

We decided to go into Tripoli and check the PO box and just take a moment to set ourselves for the rest of the day.  On the way in, I answered my cell.  It was the Waterloo post office telling me they had MY chicks.  My WHAT?

Schedule as we knew it?
April 12 - Hen chicks
April 20 - Broiler chicks
May 31 - Ducklings
and turkeys in there somewhere too.

Remember the part about not having an area ready for the hens in the Poultry Pavilion?  Well, if you didn't, you do now.  This means we have to move a bunch of things out of the garage that were slated to be moved - but maybe not right at this moment.

The NEW work plan for the day...
Prepare for 250 (or so) broiler chicks to arrive. 

More About Doors
A good gust of wind today was strong enough to make me wonder if I could get knocked over if I also happened to be a bit off balance.  So, if the wind was that strong, imagine what it was like trying to open and hold a door that opens INTO the wind.  Now, imagine opening that door when you have a heavy bag that requires both hands to hold them. 

On the Bright Side
We know some physics profs who could use the door opening problem as a neat exercise for their students to figure out the force exerted when wind hits the surface area of a standard size door that is angled to be perpendicular to the wind direction.
We don't have to go driving to the Waterloo post office next week to pick up broiler chicks.
We'll get on the ball and start the late batch of onions sooner rather than later.
We'll be encouraged to replace a door we meant to replace anyway.
We moved a whole bunch of stuff that needed moving anyway.
ALL of the chicks appear to be in good shape so far.
I have a super cool spouse with whom I enjoy spending my time - even when things don't go as planned.

Friday the 13th IS my lucky day.

It's That Time Again!

 First Posted; Saturday, May 8, 2010

"The Safety Plantz" by a Man with a Hat

The Dance of the Seedling Trays got me thinking about a certain tune. Then I started playing with different words for that song. I couldn't help myself - so here it is:

Revised lyrics for the Genuine Faux Farm to the tune "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats

We can plant if we want to
We can leave clean hands behind
'Cause the seeds must grow and if they don't grow
We're in the unemployment line
I say, weeds can grow where they want to
Drive us out of our mindBut we can act like we care for this world
Leave the herbicides far behind
And we can plant

We can sow when we want to
The soil is warm, so we can try
And we can mess with peat, spend some time on our feet
And surprise 'em with the brocco-lie!
Say, we'll make a pact if you want to
If we don't, tell me who will?
And you can eat real food, good taste we'll include
And I can be green with chlorophyll!

[Refrain]
I say, we can sow, we can plant
Everything out in the ground
We can hoe, we can till
We're doing it from field to field
We can weed, we can mulch
Everybody look at our hands
We can wash, we can scrub
Nothing is gettin' them cle - e - ean!

We can water 'cuz we need to
We've got our seedling trays in line
As long as they could use it, not gonna refuse it
Everything'll work out right
I say, we can plant if we want to
We'll be plantin' all the time'Cause the seeds must grow and if they don't grow
Well we're in the unemployment line

[Refrain in early Spring when it could still frost or freeze]

Is it safe to plant, oh is it safe to plant? [6x]

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The original lyrics of Safety Dance can be found here:http://www.lyricsondemand.com/onehitwonders/safetydancelyrics.html

A Howling Maelstrom of Silliness

Yes, that's what it was like outside today.  The temps were nice.  There was sunshine.  I now have a headache from being in the wind - and I made sure I wasn't in it all that long.  However, even if you work in a high tunnel, the wind has an impact on your day.  It is really LOUD in that building when the wind is going. 

Some quick news shorts about the farm:

• the disk harrow finally has been made to work.  As a result, we were able to disk nearly every one of our plots in a few hours.  Some will need further work - but this is a huge difference from the time required to do initial tillage in the past.
• the entire length of the old hog building that came down about 7 years ago is now cleaned up.  2/3rds of it now has cold frames along the foundation.  
• Not only have we had to mow some of our pasture areas, we couldn't catch the grass because it was TOO LONG.  April 5?  REALLY?
• It's going to freeze tonight...again....  Not unheard of.  But, the poor fruit trees are going to lose their flowers.  We knew this was coming.
• Mice in the seed trays.  This is bad.  They dig up the seed and eat it OR they mow off the seedlings.  Sticky traps?  Yep.  One down.  ? to go.
• Picked for the Spring CSA today (Monday).  Picked greens for Hansen's  Picked lettuce for Waverly Child Care.  Eggs cleaned.  Yep - ready for Tuesday deliveries.
• R worked on organizing the office for several hours today.  Why does it still look like the howling maelstrom of silliness hit it?  Wait, I think I see two pairs of cat eyes.  Hm.  Of course, it could also be that he's not finished with the job.

It's Late, But So What?

• On-farm Energy Production
  
  Tom Sawyer Days at the Genuine Faux Farm will have a whole new look and feel as a new purpose will be added. The addition of a local fuel production plant in Tripoli will encourage more small farms to grow dry beans with the express purpose of collecting methane gas.  GFF plans to ramp up dry bean production and increase the number of festival days in an effort to support renewable energy.
• Packaging Options
  
  A combination of wax and plastic will be used in an effort to meet new food safety regulations. A wax coating will be placed on each individual vegetable, which will then be surrounded by a vacuum wrap plastic. In an effort to also support recycling, GFF will encourage customers to reuse the plastic for lunchtime sandwiches. Also, a wick will be placed into the wax for each fruit, thus allowing your produce to double as a scented candle - as well as a delicious and healthy part of your meal.
• All Action No Talk
  
  An "All Action, No Talk Day" is being scheduled and sponsored by the Genuine Faux Farm.  Those interested will be required to attend three informational meetings prior to attending the actual event.  Those interested should probably say something.  But, you can put off doing anything else.
• Weed Maze 2012
  
  GFF enters agritourism with first annual weed maze.   Anticipated opening of the maze is sometime in August when the foxtail, pigweed and giant ragweed have had a chance to reach their growth potential.  Tammy was quoted as saying that this would work as long as those pesky tomatoes weren't always in the way.  An attempt to have a weed maze in 2011 was thwarted when the worker who was sent to mow the maze path was lost.  Recent field clean up revealed that the worker had survived the mild winter, eating frozen tomatoes and field mice.   
•  New Pen Pal Program
  
  In an effort to improve the general public's connection with their food, GFF introduces a new pen pal program.  Persons interested in getting to know their food will be allowed to pair up with different plants or animals on the farm to exchange letters.  While this may seem a bit odd to some, Rob points out that, "plants and animals thrive under attentive care.  Finding ways to show that you care results in a healthier and happier creature.  We're pretty sure we can figure out a way to make this work, but participants may have to send one letter (of the alphabet) at a time.  Hey, there's more than one reason it's called the 'Slow Food Movement.'"  Imagine getting to know your own personal radish or garlic friend.  Just watch out for the common taters, you won't get a word in edgewise.  Interested persons should send their first letter, with a request for a particular plant or animal to GFF at PO Box 121 Tripoli, IA 50676.

Let Me Sum Up...

There is too much, so you'll have to do with a summary:

• We are sitting at 95 CSA members right now.  Our goal is still 120.  We like to balance things out and have a few more Waverly folk join us.  Split is 38 Waverly, 3 Tripoli, 54 Cedar Falls
• Thank you to all of you who have been so prompt with payments after receiving the bill and SASE in the mail.  The Spring purchases for farm tools, seeds, etc continue at a reasonable pace.
• Speaking of purchases, there is an auction coming up we plan on attending.  We've got some specific goals for that auction.  Let's hope we can meet them.
• Spring extended season CSA is getting set up now.  We'll be in touch with those of you who have participated in the past first.
• Why are we getting on the Spring season share now?  Well, we have lots of kale, spinach, mustard and other things growing in the high tunnel.
• The spinach, arugula, mustard and radish we put in about a week ago in the field - already up.  Wow.
• The raised bed implement has been created, now we just have to go get it and paint it.  
• The disk harrow has been partially disassembled and its needs have been identified.  Hopefully it can be completed in the next week so we can use it soon!
• We have some flat tires to fix on wheel hoes and carts.  Nothing major, just means we're working on getting tools ready for use.
• Seed trays are getting filled so we can seed LOTS of things today.
• Trying to get some mice caught so they stop digging in our trays and eating the seed we plant.  We're NOT happy with that one.
• Cold frames are out (except two).  We need to fix a couple and finish cleaning up their area to use them.
• Tom Sawyer Day?  Anyone for a TSD this coming weekend?  Saturday's weather is supposed to be nice and we have a long task list that would be friendly to a group of people being involved.  This would be our first EVER March TSD.
• Go Green Fair - we'll be at the Go Green Fair at the W on Sunday.  Come say hello.  And, if you were thinking about signing up (we're looking at you Waverly folks!) stop by and ask questions and see if we can convince you.
• Tammy will be staffing the Waverly Community Gardens table and Rick Montgomery will hold a table for the Waverly Farmers' Market.  Yours truly will staff the GFF booth.
• We have a presentation coming up on Thursday at the Waverly Hospital.  Looking forward to it.
• The Gang of Four (four farms from Iowa who visit each other during the season for a work day) will be having a pre-season gathering coming up at the end of the week.
• Hens are laying!  'Nuff said.
• We start getting chicks at the farm around April 14.  Uh oh.
• Been catching lots of raccoon in the live traps.  So far they haven't hurt the chickens, but have bothered the bees and things in one of our buildings.  Minor, but irritating and often a prelude to more.  We're working to prevent it.
• 45 bags of seed starting mix in the garage, 45 bags of seed starting mix!  Take one out....etc etc...
• Garlic is up (8 inches above the mulch line already)
• Durnik, the Ford 8 1/2 N tractor, started right up this Spring.  Looks like he wants a good run at this year.  Barty, the BCS tiller also took little coaxing.  Biter and Beater (the two lawn tractors) hesitated only a little.  A flat tire on one.   An oil change due in the other.
• We're working on the employment scenario for 2012 summer.  It always takes more effort than we think it should.  Here's hoping we can get the right crew together for the year.
• Jeans and barn lime.  Yes, that was the purchase at a store recently.  
• Still have a couple of turkeys in the freezer we would like to sell.
• Speaking of freezers, the time has come where we are going to try to combine everything into one of these so we can at least have a month or two where our electric bill isn't handling three of them where one might suffice.  Still some question as to whether it will all fit in one.
• Speaking of electric use, ours goes up about this time with the use of grow lights, heat mats and more water.
• Travels are over for us.  And, I think we're both grateful that they are done.  We enjoyed the opportunities, but the 'digging out' after returning is always difficult.

Mulling Ideas and Some News

Participation is requested with this post!

This is just one way you can make your Farm Share work more for you.

The following probably has more to do with our CSA than anything else.  But, as with all things farm...there is overlap.  So, feel free to read and participate even if you are not in the CSA.

1. Tammy and I are taking the time to update our recipe pages on our web page today.  So, take a look and see what we've done.  We added a number of recipes suggested to us over the past year and a half by CSA members (and others).  Sorry it took so long to do that.
2. Speaking of recipes.  Surveys have indicated to us that there are certain veggies that are either loved or hated by our members.  But, more appropriately, people aren't sure what to do with some of them.  As a result, we are designing brochures for certain veg along the lines of the summer squash/zucchini trifolds we did some years back.  We will reprint that one and we will reprint (with modification) one for eggplant.  In development is one for kale, one for greens (other than kale), one for winter squash.  Other suggestions?
3. The idea of having some brochures is so we can have something to hand to people at our CSA distributions (and maybe farmers' market) to help people with figuring out what to do with everything.  We really would like to do better in this area.
4. We've noticed that many people seem to like option boxes in our distributions.  For example - a bunch of kale OR a bunch of chard OR another head of lettuce.  Another example - turnips or beets or a mix of the two.  And yet another - a box of whatever excess we have that you may select from.  See the next point for discussion.
5. The issue here, of course, is that we don't want a situation where someone who comes later has less choice than those who come earlier.  So, there are management issues here.  But, there are if we do this other ways as well.  So, from your perspective - how do YOU feel about these selection options?  
6. Tammy and I both felt we might be able to get a group of people together to discuss ways to make vegetables more accessible to their children.  We have a number of members (past and present) who have children - and everyone has a different approach to introducing foods to their kids.  We'd like to figure out a way to host a group meeting once or twice before the season starts - or during - that can discuss ways to be successful in doing this.  Tammy will be in charge of this - so if you don't want to post here, send it to her.  Either way, it will get to her.  We think this idea is worthy of pursuing and would like to see it happen.  What do you think?
7. Farm gatherings.  We have held three festivals and a myriad of Tom Sawyer work days on our farm each year.  Last year, we participated in the "Farm Crawl" sponsored by NIFFP and UNI-CEEE.  What sort of farm events do you want to see us offer in 2012?  We have not set the schedule yet.  How many of you are interested/willing to participate in a work day or two?  We want to focus our energy on things you want to participate in.

We realize this is a lot to read through and think on.  But, we do want to hear from you about what you think.  One of the advantages to consumers with buying local is that they can make their feelings known and expect that the local producers will either make a change to accommodate OR explain why the proposed change cannot be made.  Try doing that with a large farm 1000 miles away.

Oh, That's Where THAT Muscle Is!

Yes, it is that time of year again.  The time of year where Tammy and I reacquaint ourselves with the locations of various muscles as they make it know that they weren't as happy with the work we've done the last two days as we hoped they would be.  While we know we haven't worked out as much as we probably should have over the Winter, we also know full well that working out in a gym doesn't prepare us for full days on the farm. 

This weather has been fantastic - and we'll be happy that we have it - all the while realizing that we can have snowstorms and below zero temps in April - we've seen it before.  But, that doesn't mean we have to be unhappy about some nice days to be outdoors.  Of course, since we are farmers, we worry about what this weather tells us about the upcoming growing year.  But, we'd worry if everything fell right on all the averages - it comes with the territory.

It's March 18....  we've planted spinach, arugula, mustard and radish *IN THE FIELD*.   That is just plain weird.  But, the soil is workable and the 4" soil temp this evening was 60 degrees F.  You get a better baseline with an AM reading, in my opinion, but I was curious and dug the reader out.  We'll check again in the morning.  We got some annual ryegrass cover into last year's high tunnel location - after cleaning the area up the rest of the way. 

We did a great job last Fall putting all of our equipment, etc under cover for the Winter.  Now we're pulling things back out for use - all the time realizing that things could still get covered in snow.  But, you go with what the weather gives you and prepare to handle it if it all turns the other direction.  I mention pulling things out because we pulled all of our cold frames out for use.  Some need repair - and this is a great time to get to that.  But, the big news is that we are acting on moving the cold frames to the area just south of the old hog building that came down some years ago.  For those who don't know - we've been pecking away at cleaning that thing up for some time now.  The news that the cold frames are going there is *big* because it means we're finally getting it cleaned up enough to use that area. 

We did do a lot more than this, of course - but it's what I felt like typing about at the moment.  We'll give you more tomorrow!

Take a walk between the raindrops tomorrow!

That Big, Bright, Round Thing in the Sky

Tammy and I are back from an extended (for us) trip away from the farm.  We don't travel much, though it might not seem like this were true if we listed all of our roaming around this year so far.  But, this sabbatical thing for Tammy only happens every so often.  And, there were things that were done in her official capacity on this trip as well.  Even so, we both had moments of guilt mixed in with the enjoyment of seeing some beautiful things (see our prior blog posts for some of our best pictures of our travels).

I was tempted to write a quick note to Mother Nature and ask her why she saw fit to put so many beautiful days in Iowa while we are away.  Maybe she knows we can handle the adversity?  In any event, we should send a note to Florence, Oregon apologizing for bringing the nasty (for them) weather that came their way while we were present.  It's our understanding that they don't get snow at all often.  We checked their annual snowfall average charts.  It is essentially a straight line all year at 0".   Ups.  We hope you can get over the 4-6" that came your way our last evening there.  The snow made things beautiful, but it also took down alot of trees and power lines. 

Another thing about heavy snow on the branches of very tall trees.  A little bit of wind sends heavy snow blobs down from on high.  We found that trees can win any snowball fight they wish if they really want to.

The weather wasn't really all that bad and beautiful places in Oregon look good in whatever weather they happen to be dressed in.  On top of that, we were prepared for 'the worst,' so the spells where it wasn't raining and the bits of sun here and there were extra bonuses for us.  And, since we're not used to crowds, it made a difference to be there in the "off season."  All in all, it was trip we'd be willing to repeat, if we are given the chance.  Favorite hike had to be by the Haceda Head Light House, but the hike in Silver Falls Park might have rivaled it if we hadn't felt we should cut it a bit short (remember the trees had too many snow balls to throw).  Latourrel Falls wins for most excellent photo ops, etc  but our best photos were of the North Falls at Silver Falls Park.  We didn't manage to get very close to it, but the picture was stunning from the overlook we had a chance to stop at.

We spent a good deal of time staring at the waves as they came rolling in, or paying our respects to some really big trees.  We were amazed by the complexity to be found in light house lenses and learned to tell the difference between the different sounds of water.  The robins of the forest greeted us and the elk deigned to glance our way.  We even took a liking to lichen.

On top of it all, Tammy got to tour Wartburg West and see some of her students there.  She also visited food banks in Denver and Portland, presented at a conference in Portland and was able to be present when her colleague, Susan Vallem was the esteemed presenter of the Ron Federico lecture.  Social Workers...pretty darned good people with an interest in making things better for everyone.  Got to like them!

Now the farmer and his Social Worker bride are back home.  We are now acclimated to being outside in rain and 47 degrees Fahrenheit.  What's with this sun, wind and 80 degrees Fahrenheit in March?  We cleaned up a couple of plots with the intent of planting spinach and some cover crops tomorrow.  We also worked on cleaning up the new area where the cold frames are going this year.  We'll put in another full day before the rain hits us Sunday night.

We loved Oregon, but it is good to be back home in Iowa.

Picture Fest V

Latourell Falls, OR

Bridal Veil Falls, OR

Picture Fest IV

Silver Falls Park, OR

Winter Falls at Silver Falls Park, OR

North Falls, Silver Falls Park, OR

Siuslaw River, OR

Picture Fest III

South Jetty, Florence, OR

Dunes at Umpqua Lighthouse

Umpqua River

Elk at Dean Creek

Picture Fest II

Heceda Head Light House

Trail over Heceda Head

Holman Vista

Cape Perpetua

 

More that's Likable about Lichen

Picture Fest

Fogarty Creek

Cape Meares

St Helens

Castle Rock

Clearly Not Used To This

We are guessing that a large number of blog posts, facebook posts, twitter feeds and other things mentions something about beautiful weather in Iowa today.  They would, of course, be right.  But, why were you posting/tweeting/typing about it?  Get out there and do something in it!  I can get away with it because the day is over.... so there!

Ok, ok.  I'm just mad that you all beat me to it.

In any event, we did have a fine day to do work on the farm.  Our accomplishments in the last several days are worth reporting.  But, you should first take note of the title.  I'll pause for a second while you read it.

(insert elevator music here)

While Tammy and I did not work as hard or for as long as we will in days to come, we did find that we have gotten a little soft this Winter.  It's something we find out every Winter, so we aren't really surprised.  But, it can be a bit irritating when you feel a bit wiped out - even when you feel what you did doesn't quite justify it.

Now that we have that over with - on to a farm report:

• The organic certification paperwork is *DONE* and will be mailed tomorrow AM.  For those who do not know, this is a big deal for us and represents some amount of effort on our part.
• Billing for those who have signed up for the CSA is *MAILED.*  Again, this requires a some effort on our part and requires a number of things to be done prior to this effort.  So, please forgive us if we mention it as an accomplishment of some import.
• We are currently at 79 members for the Farm Share CSA.  41 to go.
• You might notice we are doing a number of things to get the word out about our Farm Share program.  You might notice a spot on Iowa Public Radio soon.  There are posters up here and there for our farm and brochures are getting pushed around a bit.    You may even notice that we are pushing a couple of aspects more than the past.  First -we are a Farm Share CSA - which means you invest in our farm and you become a part of our operation.  Second, we are emphasizing the fact that we are certified organic.  More on that in a later post.
• Our first year SARE report is sent.  We currently have a 2 year SARE grant to study intercropping spacing issues with "larger" equipment.  
• We have been selected to be a part of two Practical Farmers of Iowa studies in 2012.  One investigates companions for cabbage.  The other attempts to use living mulch in peppers.
• We just rebuilt one of our plant starting tables.  We actually built this in Minnesota and moved it down with us.  It was not initially intended for what we do now, so the shelf spacing was....not efficient.  We have now added another shelf and improved the shelf surfaces so the heat mats will have better contact with the trays.  Here's hoping.
• In order to celebrate the rebuilt shelf, Tammy planted 15 trays of onions today.  There are already about a dozen going.
• Tammy took a trip down to Dyarsville (Farmtek) and picked up about 750 egg cartons.  Among other things.  Let's just say the car was full.
• Tammy just finished editing/working on chapter 12 of a 12 chapter text.  Now she needs to do some of the end of chapter material.  Good work!
• Plants in the high tunnel just got a nice day of drip irrigation.  The plants are small, but they are there.  Surprisingly, the arugula and mustard appear to have made it through this Winter.  We'll have to watch them closely to see if they want to bolt.
• We even got to hang some clothing on the line today.
• Lots of acquisition for the coming year going on right now.  We picked up 3000 lbs of hen feed from Frantzen Farms in New Hampton and 800 lbs of seed starting media from Beautiful Land Products in West Branch.

The roller coaster has only just begun.  You want a front seat?  Pick up a farm share with us!