What's May Like at GFF?

It has been quite some time since I've shared an actual farm update for the Genuine Faux Farm on our blog.  I guess with the frequent blogging I tend to forget that, perhaps, you all might actually like to see some of what we're doing here.

Well, if you DON'T want to know, don't read any further.  Otherwise, I'm just going to get right to it.

No longer trudging in puddles to get to the house

The old sidewalk that went (almost) to our gravel drive up to the back of the house has never been much of a sidewalk the whole time we've been here (since 2004).  The old sidewalk had long ago sunk below the surrounding lawn surface.  The result was that the sidewalk would collect all of the water for us to walk in when it rains - and shoveling was probably not going to happen much.

Thanks to the contact from JD Builders, we were able to work with James Custom Homes & Concrete to get a new sidewalk poured in order to make access to our farmhouse just a bit better than it has been for quite some time.  

All I can say is that I am grateful to FINALLY complete the project to have a solid and safe access to the house that includes the sidewalk, the deck, new door and new stairs to the basement.  For those who have been here in the past, you might remember the "sort of" sidewalk, the wobbly cement stairs and the old door.  Even fewer might remember the mildly hazardous stair to the basement.

Of course, no project happens without the creation of additional projects.  We still have the old sidewalk to get rid of and we need to move the dirt back into the margins.

If you look carefully, you'll notice a HUGE chunk of concrete that must have been poured to keep a pole for an old gate in place.  Let's just say that the pole would have gone nowhere in most circumstances.  But, someone (before we arrived) sawed that pole off even with the top of the cement.  I guess that would have been easier than pulling this clump of cement out of the ground.

More "poofy" than usual

And, like everyone in Iowa, the Genuine Faux Farm is getting REALLY tired of all of the wind this year.  This will be the second year in a row that we'll have to recover Casa Verde.  I think, this time, we may go with a different cover solution that should be able to handle the wind a little better.

But, we are looking at a longer term solution.

The Poultry Pavilion got a new roof a couple of years ago, but we did NOT redo the lean-to because it sits over the old pit that was installed (before we were at the farm) when the building was used to finish hogs.  We are now on the schedule to get that pit filled so we can actually work safely with this lean-to.  

This move will actually provide us the answer to a couple of problems we've been dealing with for several years.  The first is to have a better area to protect starter plants and the second is to have an area where we can store some of our tractor equipment under a proper shelter.

Filling the pit is only the first step of a much longer process.  But, you can't do the rest of the process until the pit is filled.  At the very least, both of us will breathe a sigh of relief that the danger that this pit brings to the farm will be removed.

The wind also continues to put the remains of the old barn closer to the ground.  The closer it gets, the more likely it is that we'll be able to start cleaning it up with the equipment we have access to.  The only problem?  We've got to find the time.  

Well, one thing at a time, I guess.  The barn isn't going much of anywhere else, so it will likely stay there while we get things that are higher up on the list done first.

Spring is finally... um... springing?

If you look at the top left, you will see that Crazy Maurice IS waking up.  During my last visit, I got a few semi-coherent mumbles from Maurice.  It shouldn't be long before he helps me write a new blog.

And, the bees are doing fairly well so far this year.  When it isn't too windy, they are already finding pollen to bring back to the community - even though it feels like there is very little for them to collect.  But apparently, there is plenty.  The other hive appears to be doing ok as well.  Here's hoping!

Valhalla has been planted with our early succession of "summer" crops.  The only transplants are the lettuce at the far right.  The rest are seeded in - which explains why you are looking pretty much at a lot of dirt.  Patience, this will all look quite different soon enough.

Things have been so cold and the sun has been lacking so much that we have delayed planting these crops in the high tunnels.  But, it looks like things will take a huge turn this coming weekend.  Looks like one of those direct from Winter to Summer types of years.

And, as is normally the case each Spring, tools break when we start to use them in the early months of a growing season.  Rosie picked up a bit of unwanted hardware in the left front tire that required some attention - so we spent a bit of extra time dealing with that problem rather than doing the task that we intended Rosie to help us with.  I guess that's what farming is sometimes!

We're looking at using this season to try and get some more of the infrastructure repaired and put into a situation where we can work on the farm much more efficiently and safely.  

Meanwhile, we're waiting patiently for the soil temperature to warm up and... well... for the soil to dry out a little.  Then, we'll get onions in the ground and broccoli and all sorts of good stuff.  As was the case last year, we're continuing to work at figuring how we can still grow crops with a much reduced number of labor hours available for the farm.

In other news, we were able to take a delivery of hen chicks and they are doing fine.  The hens are laying consistently.  We will be working with a much smaller group of broilers this year and are awaiting the hopeful arrival of those chicks.  And, we anticipate raising turkeys again next year.  Of course, all of these things may change some with the possibility of HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza).  But, we'll do our best and deal with what comes.

And, there you are!  A Genuine Faux Farm update!  Have a great day and get a few moments of sun (should it deign to show itself again).