Available from GFF July 22

Quick Overview (details lower in this email):

#1. Upcoming Schedule

#2. Crop and Poultry Report

#3. Pesticide Action Network Funding Match Results.

#4. Farmer Update

#5. Spray Season

#6. PFI Virtual Field Days at GFF

#7. New Blog Material

#8. New Delivery Method

#9. Egg Cartons

#10. 2020 Farm Credit Program

#11. Welcome to New Members

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Waverly: Wednesday July 22  5:00-5:30pm St Andrew's Parking Lot

                                                 5:45-6:00pm Yogi Life Studio

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New Delivery Method: Please maintain appropriate physical distancing.  We will place your order into a yellow tray and put it on our table.  Once we step away, place your order in your bag/box you bring.  then set the yellow tray in the 'dirty' pile next to the table.                                                  

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Available to members (order by 1PM Wednesday!):
    eggs - $3.50/dozen (limit 2 doz - we will try to fill 1 doz for all orders first, unless you order for two families)

    beans $2/bag

    beets $2/pound (golden or striped can't remember which!)

   frozen broiler chicken $3.60/pound (avg 4-5 pounds)

   summer squash - $1 ea

   zucchini - $1 ea

   oregano - $1 bunch

   garlic - $2/head

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THE GFF NEWS

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1. Upcoming Schedule

• July 22 - Waverly Delivery (St Andrew's and Yogi Life)
• July 30 - Cedar Falls Delivery (Jorgensen Plaza)
• August 5 - Waverly Delivery (St Andrew's and Yogi Life)

2. Crop & Poultry Report

While weeding in our southwest plot, we discovered some nice beets, which we intend to harvest tomorrow and make available to all interested.  I cannot remember if they are Golden or Chioggia beets, but I'll know it when I see them!  The basil is getting big enough to begin considering harvest.  The high tunnel tomatoes have green tomatoes on them, are trellised and are looking pretty good.  The honey bee hives have been very active lately and we've been noticing lots of fireflies/lightning bugs on the farm.  There was a monarch hatching this patch week as well and we have found a few more caterpillars on some milkweed.

We are preparing to move the turkeys to their room, which means they will soon roam their pasture area.  The process requires that we finish cleaning the room, fix the entrance and prepare the pasture by getting rid of some ragweed and setting up a fence.  We'll just keep plugging along and it will get done.  The second batch of broilers are also very close to ready to go out on pasture.  We hope they will follow soon after the turkeys get moved.  .

3. Pesticide Action Network Funding Match

We are so grateful for all of the support shown for the Pollinator Match for the Pesticide Action Network.  The matching funds provided by our farm and two other farms were met by mid-afternoon on the first day.  Absolutely amazing.  At last count, total donations had exceeded $1800 - not including the $900 in matching funds.  It is our understanding that several of you responded to our request that you join us in this match.  Thank you!

Even if you are not inclined to give or you just cannot give, we would still like to invite you to support PAN by signing up for alerts.  Among the things you will receive in emails will be the Iowa News (every four weeks), written by Rob.  Ok... that MIGHT be a disincentive... so ignore that one!  I will try to respect boundaries between farm business and PAN business by not flooding our farm emails with PAN stuff.  But, if you want to stay in touch with efforts to push useful legislation through Iowa, PAN is the place to go for your information!  Feel free to ask Rob if you have questions (and we'll stop pushing PAN for a while in our farm emails).

4. Farmer Update

The new distribution method is actually helping our attitudes in general.  Why?  Because it encourages us to have a little decent interaction with people we truly enjoy - YOU!  We still feel like we're doing what we can to keep everyone safe and healthy.  We hope the weather stays nice during distribution days to allow us to have these brief, but valuable, conversations.

 

Repairs and renovation of the farm house continue.  The next step is to put in mini-split air conditioning units in part of the house.  At this time, the entire farmhouse is cooled by a single window A/C unit.  We prefer to have the house open most of the time, but when it gets very hot and muggy, we need to cut the humidity and the edge off of the heat so we can sleep.  We keep telling ourselves that one of these days the house projects will settle down to a dull roar and it will feel less like we live in a constant upheaval.  For those who have worked to fix up an old house, you can probably relate!

5. Spray Season

We also have the normal farm stresses of trying to get it all done AND we are now entering insecticide and fungicide spray season.  We've barely exited herbicide season, so it feels like it has been ongoing.  The biggest difference is that the spray planes will soon be out in force.  You may tire of us mentioning it, but it is important that EVERYONE who witnesses off-target spray should report it to the Pesticide Bureau in Iowa.  Make note of the time, date and location as well as any additional details so you can report accurately.

6. PFI Virtual Field Days at GFF

Our farm continues to do what we can to learn new things and then spread our learning around as we are able.  This summer, we are featured in a series of three field days sponsored by Practical Farmers of Iowa.  The first was just this Monday.  The next two will be in August.  The event was recorded for anyone who has interest in cover crops on a vegetable farm.

7. New blog material for you

• Our Gingko tree is featured in one blog.
• Lots of pretty day lilies in this one.
• We're bummed that spray season has begun. As if it ever ended...
• We took a moment and actually likened clouds to technology... ok, that's an odd one!
• But, if you can only read one - check out the one where we work on redefining what it means to be productive on our farm.

8. New Delivery Method

The prior method of placing orders into the back of vehicles worked reasonably well and we attribute that to your willingness to work with us!  thank you!

We are, however, aware of some problems with the current system:

- we are using far more single use plastic than we want to be using and we want to go back to some of the re-use practices

- our available product list will become more complex as we get deeper into the season, which makes the current model a little more difficult to pull off

So, we return to asking you to bring a re-usable bag, box, etc to put your products in.  We will use chalk to provide guidance for physical distancing.  We will put your order in a yellow tray on the table(s) and you can then remove your order and place it in your bag/box.  Once done, we will ask you to place the used tray into a pile.  We will clean these on our return from the delivery for the next use.  

9. Egg Cartons

We will be willing to receive egg cartons from you starting this week.  We will put a green tray out for you to put used cartons in for re-use.  Please nest these cartons so they take less space.   We will not use any cartons we receive until they have been 'quarantined' for a period of time.  Research has shown that the Covid-19 virus does not live long on cardboard surfaces, but we'll be safe and re-use boxes by taking the ones that have been in our supply longest first.

10. 2020 Pre-Paid Farm Credit Program

We will run the system in $50 increments.  In other words, you can purchase a minimum of $50 of farm credit at a time.  We will cap the maximum amount of credit at $200 and you can refill your farm credits at any point.

Like the CSA program, this gives you the advantage of not having to pull out money at each delivery.  Instead, we will have a ledger with tracking for your current credit balance.  This also provides us with some working capital to start the season.  Also, like the CSA program, we will give participants better pricing and opportunities than those who might prefer to 'pay as they go.'

A major difference this year is that farm credits can be used for ANY farm product the Genuine Faux Farm offers.  If you buy farm credits, you can apply them to purchasing meat chickens, vegetables, eggs or any other thing we offer this year.

We are accepting purchases of credits now and throughout the season.

11. Welcome!

If you are new to this email newsletter for the Genuine Faux Farm, we would like to welcome you.  If you are an 'old hand,' we want you to feel welcome too - but we were gently reminded that we need to introduce people a bit more to the system.

The basics are as follows:

  - we deliver once per week - alternating between Waverly and Cedar Falls locations.

  - Waverly is on Wednesdays

  - Cedar Falls is on Thursdays

  - anyone with farm credits can order from either location, you just have to arrange to get what you order.

  - to order, you only need to respond to this email - sent the day prior to the delivery.

  - a "gentle reminder" email is sent the day of the delivery.  This email confirms that we have received orders by listing those from whom we have received orders.

 - delivery instructions will be in this email each week.  Please pay attention as circumstances may require a change.

Be Well!

Rob & Tammy