For those of you who are CSA members *and* you read the blog, you will recognize some of these ideas. For those who are not CSA members, suffice it to say that we've put the germ of some of these ideas out in CSA emails each week. We've gotten a little bit of feedback and have also done a good deal more thinking - so this post will represent where our thoughts are at this point in time.
We solicit YOUR opinions on any of these ideas. Feel free to post them below or send to our email address here.
Many of the ratings are dependent on the interest shown by others. For example, if no one wants to do a work share for #1 on this list, it won't happen.
1. We love our flowers
***high likelihood for 2014***
Tammy and I get enjoyment seeing our flowers bloom on the farm. But, this is almost always tempered by the weeding in those beds that rarely gets done. You can guess why it rarely gets done too - we're likely out weeding the vegetables that you all want to eat!
In any event, we are considering offering a work share to someone who is willing to keep our flower beds weeded and looking good. A work share means a person works a number of hours on the farm and receives a vegetable share in return. We aren't sure how this will play out, so we would be looking for someone who is willing to let us figure it all out on the fly.
2. Pretty as a Picture
***moderate likelihood for 2014***
Thanks to the Figura family, we have a barn quilt for the granary. We just need to do some painting on that building to prepare it for the quilt.
Obviously, we would need to get the base coat of paint on the whole building. This would facilitate putting up the quilt. But, even before that - we have to prep the building so the paint doesn't just flake right off... First step - scraping and sanding anyone?
3. Rock Stars
***high likelihood for 2014***
Most farms have a rock pile. We don't have a very big one, but there are some good sized rock piles on nearby farms. We're considering collecting a batch of these and doing a bit of rock painting. The thought is that participants take one home and leave another at the farm to be placed on a flower bed border, etc.
4. Tenth Anniversary T-Shirt Bonanza
***high likelihood for 2014***
We have a number of t-shirt design ideas. We've only executed a couple of them (in fact, we have some available right now that are looking for homes). We're thinking about reviving an old design (They're Real) and adding one or two to the mix to celebrate our 10th anniversary. But, we also realize many people are flooded with more than enough t-shirts. So, your thoughts are welcomed.
5. Big Idea - Tiling Fields
***high likelihood for 2013/14***
This is more of a farming decision that we expect most of you will stay out of, but we'll gladly hear your comments. We are 95% likely to tile our fields in the East and North to increase drainage. The idea is that the fields will become workable more quickly. It likely would not have fixed the problems we had this season entirely. After all, corn/soybean farmers with all of their tiling and less demanding seed crops had troubles. But, we're certain it would have helped. We just have to find the right tiling company, prep everything, make a batch of decisions and then find the money to pay for it before the end of the year.
6. Big Idea - More High Tunnels
***moderate to high likelihood for 2014***
We initially introduced this idea that we might put up several high tunnels. The reality is - we don't think we can find the capital to do that. But, it might be realistic to put up a 2nd high tunnel next to the current high tunnel.
Simply put, the high tunnel is one of the bigger reasons why 2013 has not been a repeat of the troubles we had in 2010. The CSA is getting GFF peppers and green beans because of it. Almost all of your early tomatoes came from there. Your early kale, chard and lettuce came out of there. The high tunnel makes Spring and Fall extensions possible. In fact, we grow three crops in the tunnel each season.
What's the problem? We can't get all of the crops in on time because they 'run into' each other. A second tunnel will alleviate that problem and increase our capacity for Spring and Fall season CSA. And, for the main season CSA, it will help make June stronger. In fact, since 2011, CSA members have already seen evidence of a stronger June and July share. And, we can increase the number of available slots in our Spring and Fall extended shares.
Once again, the issues are timing and money. To make this work for 2014, we've determined that we should probably focus on putting this building in by mid-April. We anticipate building a similar building to the existing one.
7. Kickstarter or other Crowd-Source Fund Raising
***low to moderate***
Clearly, Tammy and I have our share of big ideas that will cost money. And, in order to alleviate time crunches, we would have to hire help. It was suggested by three different individuals that we look at Kickstarter or sites like it to see if we could get people to invest in our project(s).
Most of these sites work by providing tools to promote the project. If the project is "funded," they collect the funds and disperse it (less their fee) to the organization looking for the funds. In order to entice donations, incentives are provided by those looking to gather the funds for the project.
We aren't sure we will do this and would like thoughts. However, if we did, these sites often want a video where we show who we are, what we do and what our project is. We would need help with that. And, our incentives would need to be developed. We have a number of ideas - including using numbers 2, 3 and 4 above. Another incentive would be a turkey dinner on the farm.
8. A Book? Really?
***low likelihood***
I have now heard from no less than five different individuals that I should convert some of the blog and other writings into a book. I don't know when I'd have the time to do that. But, the creative part of me likes the idea. The realist, however, tells me that I should just say "thank you" and move on. The seed is planted in my head. No idea if it will ever germinate. Nonetheless, I *do* thank you for the kind words.
9. Produce Cleaning/Packing Work Share
***moderate likelihood***
Along the same lines as the flower bed work share - we might be able to work something out with someone who is willing to come twice a week during the CSA season to help clean and pack the produce for delivery. The key is that the person doing this has to be reliable.
However, we thought of this idea simply because there are people who might like to do some work on the farm but are not willing/able to weed, plant, etc.
10. Big Idea - Working with Jeff Sage and Tyler Albers
***high likelihood***
 |
| Jeff Sage |
Jeff has been working with us for three years now. He focuses on carrots, beets, parsnips and sweet potatoes. All crops that we either do not grow on our farm, or have trouble growing because of conditions on our farm. Simply put, Jeff is good with these crops. We still plant beets and carrots, but Jeff fills the early season needs and provides us insurance that you will get some if our season fails. We are considering offering a lamb share extension on behalf of Jeff's operation in 2014.
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| Tyler Albers |
Tyler and Jeff are both good people with a desire to grow good food for your use. We want them to succeed, and we feel working with them helps all of us to do better. We also feel that having some arrangements with these two people will provide us with the ability to be more resilient in the face of difficult weather. We'll be able to improve the quality of our product even more while still maintaining a connection to those who grow your food. And, frankly, as your personal farmers, we have found that support from other like-minded growers helps to keep us going.
Watch for details as 2014 farm share information comes out. In order to be sure that both Jeff and Tyler are able to get some reasonable income from this without significantly reducing our own, we will need to find a way to increase sales.
11. Big Idea - Reformatting Our Farm Shares
***low to moderate likelihood***
At present, we aim for 7 to 8 week Spring shares for 25 (or so) families. We follow that with 20 weeks (June-Oct) for about 120 families. We close with 7-8 weeks for 30 (or so) families.
If we can manage to accomplish the high tunnel project and work with Jeff and Tyler, then we can expect to expand these numbers a bit without restructuring the whole program. With a second high tunnel and some good planning with Jeff and Tyler, we expect 2014 to be 35 Spring members, 140 main season and 50 Fall extended season members.
However, we were playing with the idea of running Spring 8 weeks, Summer for 12-13 and Fall for 14-15 weeks. For the time being, that idea goes to the back burner because it relies on too many infrastructure changes on our part to execute the plan in 2014. But, if many things fall together quickly, don't be surprised if we make a move on this - depending, of course, on your feedback.
12. Big Idea - Cleaning/Packing Area and Greenhouse
***moderate likelihood***
We've been working towards multiple building goals for several years now. Every year we get closer, but it has gotten to the point where we feel like we may need to do whatever it takes to get them done. We do, however, admit that things like a new well kind of put a damper on some of this and we've adjusted goals accordingly.
One such project is to create a new 'three-season' type building for produce cleaning and packing. It would reside next to a greenhouse/propagation building on the slab that used to hold the old hog building some of you will remember flinging tomatoes at during our 2nd year on the farm.Why is this important?
a. We need to improve our water reclamation approach.
At present, water used to hydrocool and clean produce runs into an open black tub. We use that water on young trees and bushes. We use buckets to dip out water and then we put them in a small lawn tractor trailer and haul them to the plants. We then dump the water on the plants. Usually, we don't catch all of the water and we often don't need to use all the water each week. A large part of this project is to build water storage systems so we can store more water and use it when it is needed.
b. Our cleaning/packing area is difficult to use when the weather is not nice and is always less efficient than we'd like it to be. That first cold, drizzly CSA day will remind me why this is important.
c. Much of the post-distribution cleanup work is inefficient and uses up time we'd rather be working in the fields.
d. We move our seedlings around too many times (this is for the greenhouse portion) and some of the traffic areas are difficult to navigate. It's never a good thing when you trip and drop a couple trays of seedlings.
e. We do not have sufficient area to keep things covered during early Spring when bad weather can result in losses of whole crops before they even go into the ground. As a result, we are often forced to use resources that are intended for other purposes (such as putting trays in the high tunnel), resulting in reduced crops in the Spring.
f. We'd like to get more of our seedling production centered around the cold-frame area.
g. If we are going to continue to grow vegetable plant starts in the Spring, we need to find a way where sale plants can remain organized with less time expended in sorting them. We expect this extra energy and time because proper space is limited and found in multiple locations on the farm.
h. We need to separate picking and packing containers from seed starting supplies in order to keep the former cleaner (reduce washing needs).
13. A break/lunch area for workers and a seating area for festivals
***low likelihood***
If we can accomplish number 12, our work traffic patterns will change. That means the area that was literally washed out by the well drilling will no longer be a critical traffic work path on the farm. Since most/all of that lawn is mostly gone, it seems like an opportune time to change its purpose.
Our thought is to build a small 'pergola' type structure to shelter the picnic table. The fire ring and grill could be nearby. The idea would be to have some sort of paver or other permanent base to remove the need for weed control/mowing so all of this can just stay put all season long.
14. New Roof and Solar Panels on the Poultry Pavilion
***moderate to high (first part) - low to moderate (second part)***
This remains on our "to do" list. We know we need to do the roof. It is leaking. We know we want to do the solar panels. Some day.
15. Walk in Cooler
***high likelihood***
We've secured walls. We've secured a "Cool-Bot." We need to get the A/C unit and we need to figure out corners and a floor for the cooler. Then, we need to put it all together. Oh - but first there are some repairs to the building it will go in. (there is always something more, isn't there?) If we can stay on task, this should be done by the end of 2013.
16. Final Destruction of the Barn
***low likelihood***
We're not sure much else needs to be said.
17. Game area for Festivals/Gatherings
***low likelihood***
Ideally, we'd like to identify an area where people (especially kids) can play some games and be visible to the adults while they do so. The hardest part is location since it can't go where the work traffic is. That said, we'd be happy to hear suggestions about what might be nice in an area such as this if we were able to pull it off. It is possible that this is not as wonderful as our dreams make it seem. What do you think?
18. Brooder Room in Poultry Pavilion
***high likelihood***
It just needs to be done. So, we will do it. If all goes well, it will be done by the end of 2013. Work has been started.
19. Deck, etc on back of house.
***low to moderate***
The entry to the back of the house is difficult, to say the least. We've meant to do something about it now for six or seven years. Other things have taken priority every year. And, looking back at it, they've all been necessary and all would have been more difficult if this project were already completed.
Sadly, to do this project properly, there has to be some work done on the enclosed porch area first. It qualifies as a 'farm project' because we do go in and out of that door with eggs, produce, etc over and over again. Our workers go in and out of that door as do visitors. In the end, it will likely still be on the list next season. But, we put it here because we're sharing our plan for larger projects we are looking at. To do the whole thing up right, the sidewalk (such as it is) needs rehabbing and the ground where the well pit was removed needs to be worked as well. It's just all part of the project.
20. An electric tractor.
***low***
Yes, but just think about how cool that would be.
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