The Pipeline

Like many things in life, there is an ebb and flow to the writing on our blog.  Sometimes, I have much to say and energy to try to find ways to say it.  Other times, I have much to say and no real desire to try to communicate it.  And, there are also times where I feel I have nothing really to add to whatever noise might be in your lives right now.  For much of this year we have been trying to figure out our new directions at the Genuine Faux Farm.  There has certainly been much to say, but the energy to say it has been low AND we're not always entirely sure what it is that we want to share.

What I can tell you is that we have a whole bunch of posts sitting in the pipeline waiting to be completed.  Perhaps the farmer needs to get off of thinking these need to be 'perfect' before they are shared.  Nonetheless, I thought I would share a little bit of what is coming your way.  Teasers - if you will!

The GFF Solar Project
 Putting up a solar array in 2019 was a very big deal for us and we did share a little bit about our motivation in July on this blog post.  There is actually so much more that we wanted to share regarding this project, but it isn't an easy writing task because I want to be sure I get things put down accurately and clearly.

So, how tall is the farmer.  Here is a clue.

 We have now had a few electric bills since the array was connected to the grid.  We can happily report that we have only been paying the service fee for the electrical connection since that point in time.  I'd say Eagle Point Solar did a nice job of calculating what we needed to cover our electricity use.

More on Mulch
Earlier in the year, we put a post out there about some of our approaches to using mulch with our crops.  Since that time, I have been asked to present at the Practical Farmers of Iowa conference in January about some of our mulching practices.  In preparation for that event, I will likely use the blog to put some of my thoughts on the topic together.  The work on those posts has started, but it qualifies as a 'bigger' project that I want to 'get right,' so it might take a little time to put it out there.

Paper mulch was still evident in November

One of the things on my mind right now is how some of our mulches are behaving at the end of a wet season at our farm.  I am particularly pleased by the paper mulch from Sunshine Paper Company.   I am also pleased with the grass mulch we put down for select crops.  Just writing this little teaser has me wanting to work on the bigger project - that's a good sign.

Veg Variety Winners

Every Fall/Winter we publish a post that features the veggie varieties that we feel performed the best on our farm for the past growing season.  This year is no exception as we intend to publish such a list for 2019.  In fact, that post is ALSO in progress (about 40% done).  We prefer to wait until we have enough information about the growing season to be able to give an accurate accounting and I think we are clearly at that point for this year.

So, what's causing the delay, you might ask?

Well, it turns out that the farmer didn't take some of the pictures he thought he was going to take. Or, if he did, he can't find them.  We'll figure it out, of course.  But, sometimes it only takes a bump or two in the road to bring you to a stop.  I suspect if 2019 were a better overall growing season, I might be more excited about pursuing this project.  But, it wasn't all that good, so it takes more energy to write about it.

Now that I've thrown out a downer, let me say this.

Despite a tough year, I have had no problem identifying the fifteen varieties we are going to feature in our post.  That's the thing about our farm - no matter how difficult things have been, we still have our successes.  It is testament to diversity, resilience and persistence.  Now I think I might enjoy working on this post.

GFF Postal History Blog
I certainly enjoy writing about the farm and all of the things related to it.  But, the farmer needs other outlets to keep a healthy balance.  One of those outlets is postal history and some of my writing energy goes to the GFF Postal History Blog.  I use that area to gather resources and my thoughts on various items.  But, unlike this blog, I tend to put my in progress work out there. 

An 1860's piece of mail to Russia from the U.S.

That 'blog' really doesn't have much of anything for readership and I really don't have a schedule or need to publish regularly to it.  But, it has taken some writing time of late.  Why?  Well, I needed to put a little distance between myself and the past growing seasons.  A hobby can be a good place to go to do that very thing.

Re-Imagining the Genuine Faux Farm for 2020 and Beyond
Of course, the thing that has been on my mind the most lately has been trying to figure out how we will re-invent our farm for the future.  It is true that we consider various changes and improvements every year for the Genuine Faux Farm.  But, this off-season might be as close to a 'death and re-birth' situation as any we've been through with respect to the farm.  

We have settled on some overall strategies that we are likely to pursue in 2020, but so much is still very much up in the air.  We hope to share some of the process of reflection, discovery and planning with you on our blog.  That time is coming, but we were wanting to reach the semi-official end to the 2019 season - Thanksgiving - before we do so.

Speaking of Thanksgiving - I think there is a post in the pipeline for that as well!  Sounds like some good reading coming your way.