I want to grow healthy food for you; Here's what's stopping me

I was recently asked what motivates us to raise poultry and grow fruits and vegetables on our small, family farm in Iowa. Aside from our love for growing green things and caring for animals, I realized that my answer could be boiled down to the simple idea that we care about the well-being of the people in our communities and the environment that surrounds us.

My spouse, Tammy, and I founded the Genuine Faux Farm in 2004 with the idea that we would produce healthy food for the local markets. 

Farming is difficult, and there are numerous challenges that come with the job. But, we are willing to face the natural risk that one (or all) of weather, pests, weeds and diseases may cause problems.  We are fine with ‘signing up’ to wind our way through the maze that is marketing, and we will even accept that we must make adjustments for a changing climate.

However, the one thing that has threatened our survival as a farm the most was something we did not consider when we started - off target applications of herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides.

Chemical misapplications - food growers lose

In 2012, a spray plane flew over a neighboring soybean field, applying a combination of insecticides and fungicides in the early evening on a Friday.  I was outside checking on the poultry and taking a few photos for record keeping when the plane roared directly overhead.  I felt drops of liquid as it passed by, and I realized we were about to experience our worst fear for our farm.

The plane took multiple passes over half of the farm, failing to turn off the spray on each pass.  The spray landed on our turkey and hen flocks.  The high tunnel, our most productive field, and a native area we treasured as pollinator habitat were in the flight path.  

To make a long story less long, we navigated the process of reporting the event to the Iowa Pesticide Bureau and our organic certifier.  We secured testing to determine if our vegetable crops would be safe for consumption.  They were not, so we destroyed all of the crops in the spray zone. We moved the poultry out of the spray zone and opted not to sell eggs for three months, destroying those as well.  I sought medical attention for breathing problems in the days that followed and noticed that I was getting sunburned easily.  Both symptoms were listed as possible acute reactions for exposure to two of the chemicals.

This off-target application (and other less serious drift events since that time) have encouraged me to think hard about this problem. I have come to a few conclusions.

This is about food safety

The vast majority of herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides listed for use on row crops are not intended for fruits and vegetables grown for direct human consumption. Fresh produce is not considered safe if there are detectable amounts of these chemicals over a certain threshold level.  For those chemicals that might be rated for fresh produce there is a ‘set-back’ period, during which time the product is not considered safe. Unfortunately, drift from row crops is usually not timed to match the set-back period prior to anticipated harvest of the food crop.

This puts the food grower into an untenable position. If the grower opts to sell the product anyway, and someone becomes ill, it is up to the grower to deal with the liability that might follow. Most farms, like ours, are concerned about the well-being of their customers and they would not consider this first alternative. Meanwhile, the significant monetary cost and delays in test results means growers aren’t likely to get results in time to sell the crop, even if it is negative.

For most farmers, the only real choice that can be made is to destroy the crop.

This is about worker safety

Small-scale and diversified farms often rely on farm workers to accomplish the tasks necessary to raise the products they sell. Our farm tends to hire seasonal employees who are out of high school or college for the summer months. If the weather is ‘nice enough’ to spray, then it is highly probable that we will be outside with our crew performing farm tasks.

Farms like ours care about their workers’ health. We recognize that these are the sons and daughters of people in our communities. If there is a chemical application nearby and the wind is heading our way, we pull our workers out of the field. If we are lucky, we can move them to another location on the farm. If not, the work simply does not get done. It does not make sense that one business should halt operation at the whim of another.

But, again, the only real choice is to protect our people.

This is about environmental impact and the future of growing food

Our farm relies heavily on the services nature provides. We consider our pollinators to be an important workforce that needs to be paid with appropriate habitat and food sources. Our crops do best in healthy soils with a diverse microbiome to support germination and proper growth.  

The continued over-use and off-target applications of pesticides are negatively impacting the environment in which we grow your food.  We have noticed spotty germination of many of our direct-seeded crops that cannot be attributed to the seed or natural causes, but are consistent with herbicide residual effects. We have observed inhibited plant growth in our peppers, tomatoes and squash, indicating the likelihood of dicamba drift damage. 

It seems that our only choice is to stop growing.

We still want to grow food for our community

Despite everything, we still intend to raise poultry and produce for people in our surrounding communities. But, our stamina is not what it once was. Farms like ours need help if they are to survive. Part of the help can come in the form of changes to our policies surrounding the application and use of pesticides.

So, what can we do? Here are five suggestions:

1. Make it easier for farmers to test for pesticides on food crops.

2. Provide tools for efficient reporting of drift events.

3. Get pesticide applicators to carry more of the responsibility for communication with neighbors.

4. Increase penalties to levels that serve as a disincentive for improper pesticide application.

5. Encourage the EPA to raise the bar for pesticides that can be approved for use.

6. Build a future where farmers are not reliant on chemical-intensive agriculture.

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Are you interested in seeing more content related to the Pesticide Action Network?  Take the link to the GroundTruth blog.   Your "favorite" farmer is featured there once a month on average.

ed note:  orginally published on PANs GroundTruth blog on Apr 30, 2020.

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Morning to Twilight

When Tammy and I started our lives together, we were like so many other young couples who had gone to college.  Our wall art consisted of college posters and maybe a family photo or two.  Our chairs were passed on to us from family and we had three woks, because that was the hot item to give a couple at their wedding at the time.  

Our first bookshelves were hand made... by us...  with a hammer, a handsaw and a little sandpaper.  The wood was some slightly bowed pine and we had a box of nails.  Let's just say it wasn't fine furniture once we had completed the task.  We had to put one in the corner and the other next to an old desk so they wouldn't fall over. 

Oddly enough, we still have these shelves - improved over time with some backing to shore it up and a bit more sanding, staining and varnish.  They have moved with us each and every time we relocated.  Considering how they started and how many times we moved - it is amazing that they still exist and are still used.

Another thing that was a fairly big deal at the time were these "buy a poster and frame it yourself" shops that were popping up all over the place.  It was actually pretty enjoyable to go look at the various inexpensive prints and learn what attracted our eyes.  Hey!  You could buy a poster of one of the popular works by Dali, Escher or Monet and pretend you were sophisticated.  Spend a little more for one of those cheap "do-it-yourself" metal frames and get them to mount the poster on a foam core and you had yourself some honest to goodness art!

We're all 'grown up' now and we still have some of those poster prints by Hans Werner Sahm hanging on our walls.  Bigger than life nature scenes with that touch of humanity to ground you and put you in the frame with an impossible cliff or a dual sunset.

 I sometimes wonder what the original artwork looked like compared to the less than $10 posters we picked up years ago.  If I saw one, would it capture my imagination more than these posters do?  If so, that would be saying something.

These posters encouraged me to look for real life examples that were expressed in exaggerated form.  Like an overhanging cliff near the garage.

Or a 'double sunset.'

Over time, we had the opportunity to find places that were every bit as majestic as the scenes depicted by Has Werner Sahm - and maybe just as surreal.  And we had the opportunity to try and capture them as well as we could - as only an amateur can.  But, the combination of the picture with the memory of the experience are enough to transport us back to see, hear and feel it all again.

While I am not the artist Sahm is... I can still appreciate beauty.  From morning...

to twilight...

And I encourage each of you to take a moment and look for that beauty before you really get into your day.  Or, if it is too late for that, take a moment and balance out the stress of a job or the worries of current events - just a little.

There is a reason I care and a reason you care - about everything - we care because there is beauty and good things in this world to experience.

Timing is Everything

Welcome back to Postal History Sunday!

This week's post was inspired by last week's post on how long it took to get from 'here to there' in the 1860s.  This time, we're going to see how an informed person in the 1860s could save themselves a little money (and time) by knowing when ships were scheduled to sail!

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Last week we introduced you to this piece of letter mail.

Mailed on July 25, 1863, this letter was sent from New York City to Shanghai, China via England, France and the Suez.  It took this item 60 days to get as far as Hong Kong and another 7 days to get to Shanghai.  Over two months of time for a business letter to arrive at its destination.

It took 53 cents to mail a single weight letter from the United States to China if you chose the option for British Mail "via Marseilles."  This was fully paid for all mail services to the destination.

So - I now introduce you to another item from the United States to China.

This piece of letter mail was posted in New York City on July 18, 1863 to Shanghai and it also arrived in Hong Kong on September 23 and Shanghai on September 30.  This letter took one week longer to travel the distance from its origin to its destination (74 days).

You should also note that this letter has 45 cents of postage - which was sufficient to prepay all costs to get to Shanghai on the route "via Southampton."

67 days for 53 cents and 74 days for 45 cents.

What's up with that?

 

Via Southampton

Now we go back to the map showing how mail traveled from the United Kingdom to China at this time.  Let me draw your attention to the blue line that leaves from Southampton and goes by sea - around France, Portugal and Spain until it lands at Malta.  This route is referenced on the second letter where the words "via Southampton" is written at the top left.  You could think of this as the 'slow boat' to China because it took much longer to go from the UK to Malta by boat.

Via Marseilles

The faster alternative is was to cross the English Channel to France and take French railways to Marseilles.  Once at Marseilles, a steamship would take the letter the rest of the way to Malta (that's the red line that goes from Dover to Marseilles and then Malta).

In short - if you wanted to save some money - it looks like you could pay 8 cents fewer for your letter at the expense of 7 days more travel time.  If only it were that simple!

What would you say if I told you that paying 8 cents more did NOT guarantee you a faster delivery of the mail?

Let's look at the chart below again - pay particular attention to Malta's schedule:

Essentially, if you wanted your letter to go via British mail to the countries in the Far East, it was important for you to get it to Malta on the 15th or the 30th/31st of the month.  If you get it there on the 16th, it's just going to sit there until the next mail departure on the 31st!  Similarly, if it arrives on the 1st - it will wait until the 15th.

If you lived in the United States - it was simpler just to look at the schedule the British put out for mail departures "to India and the Far East."  Four times a month, London/Southampton would make up mails to go to China - the 4th, 10th, 20th and 26th.  If you know that mail crossing the Atlantic typically took around 12 days, your cut off dates would be (approximately) the 8th (to leave by Southampton), 14th (to leave via Marseilles), 22nd/23rd (Southampton) and 28th/29th (Marseilles).

The first letter left New York on the 25th of the month - so if you wanted to get to Malta on the 15th of the next month, you had to take the letter via Marseilles and pay 8 more cents.  If you failed to do this, then your letter would be delayed by at least a week for the next mailing before it even left London, which is the same as a two weeks delay at Malta, regardless of the route it took.

So, really, the sender of the first letter was paying 8 cents to get an item to its destination TWO WEEKS earlier - maybe that would be worth it?

Letter #2 was mailed on July 18th with an arrival in London/Southampton on the 30th.  Well, gosh golly gee!  The next mail in the UK to China leaves via Southampton.  So, you might as well pay 8 cents fewer, because the extra money will gain you nothing other than a false belief that you will get faster service.

Of course, things were always changing and increased demand for rapid mail services and trade routes necessitated changes over time.  In fact, there were options to send letters to China via French mail and there were times French mail steamers would carry mail in the Mediterranean and in the Far East using different schedules, increasing the options for a mailer.

Compare the Costs

Still confused?  Not to worry!  You don't have to think about the mail route through Europe for your mail going to China because we have something called airplanes now.  But, here is the real kicker:

It cost 53 cents for a letter weighing up to a half ounce to go from the US to Shanghai via Marseilles or 45 cents for a letter weighing up to a half ounce to go via Southampton in 1863.

Today - it costs $1.15 to mail a letter weighing up to 1 full ounce from the US to Shanghai.

Thank you for joining me - I hope you have a good remainder of the weekend and fine week upcoming.

Falling

 It is no secret that Tammy and I are attracted to waterfalls.  It is true that (now that we don't use waterfalls as often to drive mills and mining equipment) waterfalls tend to encourage humans to leave some natural space around them,  even if it is disturbing how close we allow ourselves to get with our human development and 'improvements.'  So, since the two of us appreciate natural phenomena and spaces, it makes sense that we would enjoy waterfalls.

Of course, there is more to it than that.  There is constant, but largely consistent motion - and yet there is plenty of variation on the theme.  There is sound that can be both gentle and forceful.  The air feels different around a waterfall - even a small one.  And where there is water, there is life.

There is renewal in a waterfall.  Droplets start at the top and find their way to the pool below - and there are always more behind the ones that have already fallen.  Somehow, the pool doesn't fill up and somehow, the water from above does not run out.  And the water just keeps on falling.

It's a reminder that falling does not necessarily mean the same thing as failing.  And failing does not necessarily mean that you have fallen.

Signs

Sometimes, you just can't ignore the signs that something needs to be different.  And, at other times, you should not ignore the signs that carry an important message while maintaining a sense of playfulness.

I do not remember where this sign was located.  In fact, I do not even remember if this is my picture or someone else's, but it has been in my files for a very long time. 

But, that's not what matters.  What matters is that you and I might discount this sign because the pun draws attention to itself.  And, yet, it makes me wonder - has it been a problem that people were parking and driving where they shouldn't at this place.  The answer?  I'm guessing people had been going where they shouldn't and someone tried to soften the message and encourage acceptance of the guideline with a little humor.

Let me put it this way.  We've been enough places with natural features that provide signs to discourage certain activities - and then witnessed people doing exactly what the sign asks them not to do.  I mean - it clearly does NOT apply to THEM.  So, watch where you're parking buddy!

Then, there is this sign.  I know this is not my photo.  But, like so many things shared on social media, tracking it back to the source is difficult (at best).  

Coyotes have a right to live and do what coyotes do - so I appreciate this sign's reminders that they can be dangerous AND that humans are dangerous to coyotes.  I think people forget that, no matter how much they think they have a connection to wild animals, frivolous and self-gratifying attempts to try to feed them or otherwise interact are only inviting trouble.  Mostly for the coyote. 

It doesn't take much for humans to go from "oh, look, a coyote, how cute!" to "that coyote took my roadrunner!" to "where did that coyote manage to get a hang glider?"

But seriously, when humans provoke reactions from wildlife (intentionally or not), the wildlife usually ends up paying in the end - even when they did not seek out the interaction in the first place.

Have a good Friday everyone - and remember, when you step off of a cliff, you'll be fine until you look down.

10 Steps to Roll Up Electric Fences

The following is a public service blog post for all of those people who have always wanted to know how to roll up the electric poultry netting that is commonly used by producers on small, diversified farms.  The following is done by professionals, do not attempt at home without a good sense of humor and a friendly cat.

The following TEN STEP PROCESS was compiled by Farm Supervisor Mrranda.

1. Let the human gather the fence and place it on the ground for rolling up.  This is the easy part and is not in need of illustration.

The remaining steps will each have a corresponding illustration.  Please observe carefully.  A badly rolled fence can reflect poorly on a good Farm Supervisor (cat). 

2. Place yourself squarely in the center of the fencing.

3. Demand appropriate attention from the human.

4. Stretch out to cover more surface area on the fence

 

5. Make sure paws are clear of the roll of fencing as it moves toward you

 

  6. Retract claws and hold feet up to avoid snagging

 

7. Allow fence roll to push you onto your other side

8. Remove yourself prior to completion of the roll

9. Help pack the roll down in the center

 

10. Step forward to help roll the fence up the rest of the way

 
 

Well done, you've just rolled up an electric poultry netting fence!

 

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Welcome to our Throwback Thursday post.  Here's a great one that features one of our prior Farm Supervisors, Mrranda!  This one deserves less text and more cat - so there you are!

============== November 16, 2015 ==============

 

A Return to Fundamentals?

I took a quick look at some of our oldest (digital) farm pictures and found some that were taken by Sally Worley at our first Practical Farmers of Iowa field day in 2008.  

It is always interesting to see what others choose to photograph when they come to our farm.  For some reason, people often select a few things that make the farmer cringe.  As a 'for instance,'  for some video event a person zoomed in on a weak, bolted lettuce in an area we had let go.  I mean - C'mon!  We work really hard to grow things well and we also typically work pretty hard to clean things up when we know others are coming.  Why would you go to that section, over there, that we opted to let be because it was out of the way and not necessary for farm operations?

One example is above. It's an area we didn't get to weeding and finally succumbed to mowing it down before people arrived the next day.  Perhaps it didn't look bad to others.  But, darn it!  That was supposed to be our little secret!  

But, that's exactly why I actually value these pictures.

You see, when we select pictures for blog posts or to review prior years, we don't always look at a photo such as this one.  But, the reality is that we should look at this one and others like it so we can ground ourselves in the truth of what was, not the truth of what lives inside our heads.

Remembering What Worked

My thought process went something like this - "Oh!  Look at those great zinnias!  And the clean melons right next to them.  I remember the variety on the end didn't do well, but the rest were fine.  We need to get back to the fundamentals of diverse growing using solid intercropping methods."

Well - ya.  But, then I realized that we always have used intercropping methods - with varying levels of success - and we are committed to continuing to refine how we do it.  It just seemed like those zinnias are brighter than the zinnias we have had recently.  But, perhaps they have just gotten brighter in my memory?  I mean, they look pretty good in that picture don't they?

But, they also look good in this picture from 2016.  And, we had a nice long hedge of them this year as well.  They weren't as big - but we had to plant them later (wet fields).  But, they were dense enough that it was nearly impossible to walk through them if you wanted.  They did a nice job of hemming the winter squash in so they wouldn't creep into the next planting area.  In fact, only a few vines even managed to get through.

So, yes.  We will return to some of the fundamentals that, frankly, we never left in the first place.  Instead, we will re-dedicate ourselves to some of the things we feel are important to maintain a diverse and healthy farm.  Just as we do every year.

We're just going to do even better next year.

Unless...

The year of our first field day was also the first season we had any difficulty growing cucumbers.  What you see above were vines that should have been in full swing at the point the picture was taken.  As you can see, it was well cultivated.  We had not neglected them.  Yet, there they were, looking pretty pitiful.

It turned out everyone in the area who was growing for markets had a terrible time with cucumbers in 2008.  I need to review my notes from that year to see if we ever figured out the causes.  

Note - the plural 'causes' is not a typo.  If there is one thing I have learned over time, it is that there are always going to be stresses of some kind on a crop.  A successful grower finds ways to encourage healthy plants so they can deal with those stresses and still produce well.  After all, the perfect growing season for every crop on our farm can't happen because each of our crops has a different idea of what a perfect growing season would be.

Perhaps that is also something we should all keep in mind as we grow our gardens and we live our lives in our communities.  My perfect season may not be your perfect season.  But, if I should be lucky enough to see perfection, then I should at least be kind and aware enough to help you to stay healthy and well.

At the very least - there should be flowers.

Have a good day everyone and be well!

More Music I Am Glad I Didn't Miss

Last month I put out a post highlighting some music I was glad I have had the opportunity to acquire and listen to.  Briefly - I like to create my own playlists of music and I typically make a new playlist each month.  While I do not play that list exclusively during the days that follow, the new list does get the majority of the playing time.  As I make each list, I often revisit an album that makes me think "Wow!  I am glad I found that one!"

Here are some albums that got my attention this time around:

Over the Rhine - Films for Radio

When artists have long careers with a plethora of great music, it is surprisingly easy for one or more of their efforts to be overlooked.  Over the Rhine is an excellent example of this phenomenon.  Films for Radio came out in 2001, a point in time where, for whatever reason, I was not purchasing much new music.  I actually finally picked this one up seven or eight years after its initial release as a part of an attempt to find things I HAD missed.

You can guess what happened next - I had too much new music at one time and did not really appreciate everything until later.  And, Films for Radio keeps growing on me - one song at a time.  Over the Rhine is one of those groups that show how good they are when you put one of their songs in a playlist and you are reminded by comparison.  Excellent lyrics, interesting musical choices and engaging songs.  I continue to explore this album, gaining appreciation each time I do.

Prodigal - Electric Eye

Prodigal was one of my 'discoveries' for what music could be while I was in college.  It didn't hurt that Electric Eye had a cool album cover.  (yes, I admit that the album art could sometimes sway me then)  This was another of the albums I listened to from beginning to end frequently.

For those who *might* remember cassette tapes, many albums had one or two songs that you wanted to listen to much more than others.  It was a moment of minor celebration when you could rewind or fast forward and land right at the beginning of the song you wanted to hear.  It was hard on the tape, but when you wanted to hear a song, you wanted to hear a song.

I did not do that with Electric Eye.  I always started at the beginning and ended at the end.  It was worth the time invested each time.  The hard part now, of course, is that I want to put some of the songs here on a play list.  While they might work, I have been programmed to the album order of these songs.  It still jars me to hears something different than what should be the next song on the album.  That is a small problem to have - especially after all the hours of enjoyment this music has brought me.

Joe Craven - Django Latino

The Allison Brown Quartet came to Wartburg several years ago and Joe Craven was part of the concert.  After a very enjoyable event, we visited the 'merch table' and picked up a couple of discs, with some help from the person staffing the booth.  I had already heard of (and heard some of) Allison Brown, but Joe Craven was new to me.  In fact, much of the music style on this album is different from what I tended to listen to.  That usually translates to fewer chances to grab my attention - whether that is fair or not.

Django Latino is an album that I would play and go about whatever it was I was doing.  It did not grab my attention so much as it insinuated itself into my brain.  This was a great way to introduce someone like me to the music initially created by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli, making it, perhaps, a little more accessible to my existing tastes without forsaking the original intent of the compositions.  And, it does not escape my notice that Joe Craven seems to be able to play practically any instrument well.

If we had not gone to that concert.... If we had not listened to the individual staffing the booth...  We would have missed something truly worthwhile.

N0thing More - The Stories We Tell Ourselves

There is screaming amongst the earnest vocals.  There are grinding guitars and hard rock radio friendly sounds throughout.  And, amidst it all is a great deal of lyrical depth and emotion that can run you all of the way from despair to hope.

I think I appreciate The Stories We Tell Ourselves the because it threads the needle between complexity and accessibility extremely well.  The issue I must consider is that I routinely have music playing while I am doing farm work or office work.  While I appreciate complexities and interesting lyrics, they cannot demand my attention constantly for me to enjoy listening to them - there need to be lyrical and musical interludes or repetitions that keep the music part of the brain happy while the working part can do its job without being too distracted.  I can still enjoy songs and albums that don't do this, but they rarely get played because I rarely sit down to just listen to music anymore (a sad, but true, statement).

Over time, this album by N0thing M0re has continued to grow on me and I keep picking up nuances - a sure fire way to keep me listening and putting songs into my playlists.  But, perhaps even more important - this work has encouraged me to think.  A dangerous pastime, I know, but worthwhile, nonetheless.

the Civil Wars - Barton Hollow

Welcome to the world of dynamics.  Some people point to lovely vocals and harmonies or the connections to roots music when they talk about this album.  Beautiful and sometimes haunting lyrics and melodies are all a part of an excellent piece of work.  But, in my opinion, it is the use of dynamics that raises Barton Hollow to a level that makes it special.

This is music I am glad I didn't miss because I would not have sought this particular work out if it weren't for an endorsement by another artist I appreciate (Charlie Peacock - producer of this album).  In fact, after hearing a few snippets, I recognized it was a quality work, but I was not sure it was what I wanted to listen to at the time.  I opted not to pick it up initially.  And, in fact, I passed on it a second time.  That's not a good sign.

But, I did pick it up.  And it is ridiculously good.  Just remember the split attention thing I mentioned above - I have to sprinkle my playlists with songs from this album because they do demand your attention.

GFF Farm Report

We seem to have enough news that we are due for a farm report to get everyone up to date on the doings at the Genuine Faux Farm.

2020 Turkeys Sold Out

We are pleased that our turkeys did, in fact, sell out for this year.  We realize that many folks are looking at small or no gathering for Thanksgiving, which means less opportunities for us to make sales to individuals.  This is especially true since our birds run in size from 14 to 24 pounds typically.  

Happily for us, the kitchens at Jorgensen Plaza can use our largest birds over time - and use them efficiently.  We recognize that these folks are also fighting all of the challenges that the pandemic has brought to them, yet they still ordered fifteen turkeys from us.  This is one of those cases that they know these birds are excellent quality and that they can spread their use out over the coming year, even if there isn't a big Thanksgiving celebration.

Another large batch of birds have been taken to the Local Foods Connection in Grinnell.  LFC has purchased turkeys from us in prior years to give to families who could use them.  LFC's goal is to promote local foods to persons who might feel that they are 'priced out' of the opportunity to participate in these sorts of purchases.  Apparently, the turkeys are pretty popular and the demand from this group was higher than in previous years.  

In the end, we feel gratitude to all who purchased turkeys from us and got them from us so quickly.  There have been numerous circumstances this year that made this more important than ever to us.  Thank you!  The positive results encourage us to strongly consider continuing to raise turkeys in the coming years (as we have done since... oh... 2009 or so).

2021 Garlic is Planted

One of the big late Fall tasks that often weighs on us is the garlic planting for the next season.  Over the last few years, we've had to deal with cold, wet soils and all sorts of delays.  This year, the delays have been largely personal and not weather related.  But, on November 8, Tammy and I got them into the ground and we'll be able to mulch them once we have the chance to do so.  We both were amazed by how warm and mellow the soil was this year.  This is remarkable because so many of our garlic planting efforts have been in less than ideal conditions.

Yes, it was a bit windy, but we dealt with that.  

Our 2021 garlic crop will again be smaller as we think we only planted about 1800 head for next season.  For a point of reference, we had regularly been planting between 3000 and 3300 each year.  Last year, we planted about 2100.  

I think our biggest reason to celebrate this accomplishment is the fact that the weather is due to turn in the next set of hours.  We really needed to get this done.  Mulching CAN (and will) happen later.

Per the norm, there are many additional tasks we really would like to get done before Winter really takes hold.  But, garlic planting is one big thing off the list.

Weather Scheduling Issues

Like last year, we had some November weather in October that really crimped our efforts on the farm.  And, of course, the weather got nice this past week at a point when our human schedules would not allow us to take advantage of it.  It turns our, two motivated people can accomplish a great deal in a couple of days.  But, we can't help wishing the weather schedule had lined up with the human schedule a bit better this time around.

Now, we can accomplish many things in 45 degree weather.  But, there is so much of it we would rather do in 55 or 60 degree weather.  Common November complaint on the farm.  We'll deal with it and move on.

Happy Hens

Our current hen flock has got to be one of the more pleasant flocks we have had in recent memory.  The birds are, generally speaking, not prone to 'freaking out' over nothing and there much less uproar in the hen room than we have had with some flocks.  Usually, there is a bird or two that just likes to get upset over anything.  

You know.  Stuff like another bird in their nest box... or the box next to their nest box... or the straw is too pokey... or the newsprint is too small to read.  Whatever.  

If we have any complaint, its that they like the farmers a bit too much.  It can get difficult to walk when they all want to be right where you are!

Oh - and egg production is good.  We average between 65 and 70 eggs per day with this flock.  That's a good return for our efforts.

A Good Weekend after a Rough Week

The two of us had a rough week this past week, but we managed to pull ourselves together and have an extremely productive weekend.  This has done wonders for our attitudes.  But, watch out, I'm sure we'll find a way to get grumpy again!

While some might assume that our rough week came as a result of the election and ensuing breath-holding that came with careful counting, our rough week was more personal in nature.  The election was merely a contributing factor.  We were both grateful for absentee ballot options because our schedules would have made voting in person very difficult as it turned out.

Here's hoping we can take a good weekend and follow it up with a good week!  Here's hoping you can also have a good week - thank you for reading our blog.

How Long To Get There?

Welcome to Postal History Sunday!

For those who might be new to reading my recent Sunday entries, the Postal History Sunday blog is intended to be an opportunity for Farmer Rob to share his postal history hobby with others who might enjoy learning a few things about it.  You don't have to be a postal historian to enjoy these blogs - that's not the intent.  If you want more fine and nitty-gritty details, they can be provided in another forum.  But, if you enjoy learning a little bit about various things and you can appreciate seeing another person sharing something they like - then these posts are for you.

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A couple of weeks ago, I shared a Postal History Sunday blog showing an 1863 letter from India to France that was sent unpaid.  The focus of that blog was on how postal services handled an unpaid letter.  

I had an excellent question after that blog: "How long did these letters typically take to travel from somewhere, like India, to another place, such as France?"

We get to start with a map!  If you love maps - there you are!  Feel free to click on the image to view a larger version.

What you see here are the common routes for mail traveling to South and East Asia in the late 1850s to mid 1860s.  The two major differences you will see here is that one route, in blue, travels by sea from Southampton (United Kingdom) to Malta and the other, in red, travels overland across France - then goes on to Malta.  The other difference is the stop(s) in India.

First, I need to make it clear that transportation in the 1850s to 1870s was rapidly changing.  Rail lines were springing up in Europe, the Suez canal was being built.  Passes were being developed for more rapid transit in the Alps and shipping lines were adjusting as it became clear where the money was in terms of routes and schedules.  Just trust me when I say that transportation companies were not concerned that postal historians in 2020 would have a difficult time piecing things together because they kept changing routes and schedules!

On the other hand, there are all sorts of sources, primary and secondary, that provide opportunities to unearth the most likely schedules and routes that fit items in a postal historian's collection.

Above is a rough schedule that was commonly followed for mails that would have left the United States for destinations in India, Singapore, China and Japan (among others).

So, to answer the direct question from our item that traveled from India to France - it would usually take 19 days - if the letter was mailed at the optimal time.

But, the item in question (shown above) was postmarked in Calcutta on May 22 and arrived in Lyon on June 25.  The red marking appears to be a June 24 marking for the rail line from Marseille.  That's 34 days?  What's up with that?

First, this item had to get to Galle or Bombay from Calcutta, so that would take some time.  Second, it had to wait until a mail ship arrived to carry this letter.  If you look at the schedule above, you can see that bad timing could result in a letter being delayed for a couple of weeks.

Now, before you try to reach conclusions based on the calendar I give above, remember that those are dates for ships heading TO the East.  This letter was coming back the other way.  Those dates would be different, but the spacing would be similar.  All this schedule does is illustrate that a poor arrival time at the port could result in a longer overall transit time.  This letter clearly fits that circumstance as it missed a connection to a ship somewhere along the line (most likely Bombay).

Let me take you a bit deeper into my comfort zone for postal history - the sort of material I have studied the longest - to show you another answer to "how long did it take for mail to travel?"

This item shown above was a business letter sent from New York City, United States to Shanghai, China in 1863.

And here is how it traveled.  Dates in parenthesis are those I can derive from shipping tables (among other things).  Other dates correspond to markings that can be found on this letter.  When these things line up, you have likely identified the correct route!

New York Jul 25
Southampton (Aug 6)
London Aug 7
Dover (Aug 10)
Marseilles (Aug 12)
Malta (Aug 14)
Alexandria (Aug 19)
Suez (Aug 23)
Bombay (Aug 29)
Singapore (Sep 13)
     typhoon Sep 20 - 3 day delay

Hong Kong Sep 23

Shanghai (Sep 30)

Why yes!  They DID have typhoons and hurricanes in the 1800s!  So, even the best laid plans (or schedules) were subject to change.

And now you know a little bit more about how long it took for mail to travel from here to there in the 1860s.

Thank you for joining me - I hope you have a good remainder of the weekend and fine week upcoming.

Selfie-ish

Tammy and I never quite got the hang of "selfies."  For those who are not aware of what those are - it is when you take a picture of yourself at some location or another. 

You see, our selfies tend to turn out this way.  Someone told me we get them "ALL WRONG" and mentioned something about pointing the camera the wrong way.   I of course, think they're just goofy.  How can you see what you're taking a picture of if you point the camera the other way?   That's just silliness, you know!

So, we have learned over time that selfies require specific lighting and - usually - specific surroundings to work well.  That is, if you want your silhouette to be well-defined.   Frankly, I am not too worried if some of our selfies are a little indistinct.  It's a reminder that we can't see everything fully and clearly.  You may think you know everything there is to know about me, or about Tammy, but then you find out you were mistaken.  Your picture of us was not as well-defined as you believed.

In fact, the moment you think you know everything about anything is the moment you make that thing less special.  It is the fact that there is still much to learn and experience that adds to a person, or a group, or a place, or an occupation - or a life.

I will admit that there are a few reasons why we do not tend to take selfies like 'normal people' do.  One of them is that neither of us is inclined to want to spend a great deal of time looking at ourselves.  Yes, yes.  We look in the mirror to make ourselves look presentable.  Frankly, Tammy needs much less work than I do.  

The other reason is that we often see the concept of the selfie as another way of putting yourself first - often to the exclusion of other grander - and perhaps more important - things.  We have been so fortunate to be able to visit some wonderful places and we have witnessed so many people barrel into a place that should take their breath away and take a couple of quick selfies.  Then, zip out of there and on to the next "selfie location."  

Checkmark.   I was here.

To them - it feels as if it is simply a way of bringing it all back to themselves.  "See everybody! I was here and HERE and HERE!  Look at me!  Look at me!  And, oh, that's the Grand Canyon - whatever."

Please, don't take this wrong.  If you are also privileged to be able to go and visit places and you like to record your presence there, feel free to do so.  But - don't short yourself.  And, don't belittle the place, people or event in that way.  Take the time to appreciate where you are and what you are seeing.  Are you looking at the Alamo?  Well, take some real time to appreciate the structure, or the history, or the efforts of the people who curate and have restored the site.  Or if you are on the shores of a lake in Ontario, listen to the water talk and watch the waves roll in.

By taking more time to actually look and learn, you increase your own appreciation for what you are seeing.  You will make a connection that just might make you an ally for yet another place, another culture another ...something.  Something that needs to be thought of so that we don't destroy yet another beautiful thing because too few of us has that personal connection.

 

Our shadows follow and leave their fleeting marks everywhere we go.  Echoes of our presence on this beautiful Earth.  Will the places our shadows cover look on that memory with fondness or disdain?  I'll aim for fondness and hope that we at least get indifference because we did nothing to cause harm.  But, perhaps if we show respect as we regard our surroundings, our footsteps - and our shadows - will make a positive connection.