Genuine Faux News of the Farm
Vol 4 Issue 4 - April 2008
|
Genuine Faux News of the Farm Vol 4 Issue 4 - April 2008 |
|
|
|||||||||||
|
A college student asked me to tell her how much money could be made in raising organic produce with a farm our size. We've been doing this long enough that we can answer this question with more certainty than we could have a few years ago. But, the answer is similar to what it was then. If you want to earn a lot of money, there are other professions that are more lucrative. However, unlike our answer to this question a few years ago, we are much quicker to point out the non-monitary benefits for what we do. Here are some that we often bring up in conversation: - We've never eaten better If you haven't had an 'on the farm' meal with us when the wide variety of crops are coming in, you may not quite appreciate this. One meal last August featured five different vegetables and chicken. Every item, except the butter, was from the farm - including the spices. - Bleached hair is cool If you enjoy the outdoors, this vocation is for you. It may get tiresome putting suntan lotion on, but you don't have to go into an air-conditioned cave on a beautiful June day. - Your boss WILL listen to you Look in the mirror and start talking. Works every time. - Instant weight loss Ok, not instant - but this job does tend to help a person get into better physical condition. - The people you meet! Everyone has to eat. You can meet a wide variety of people if you grow food. - You get to learn about everything The more you learn, the better you are at it. The more you grow produce, the more you learn. Even veterans who have grown produce for fifty years will tell you that you are wrong if you think you have it all figured out! - You can make a difference in the community If you want to have an impact on your part of the world, grow food the right way and distribute it locally. Local foods are part of a complex community web. |
- Introverts are allowed to recharge There are many activities and moments where the introvert in us can be served as we work in the garden. - Visible/Tangible rewards Let's see - prepare the ground, plant the seeds, tend the plants, harvest the fruit. Ya, that'll do it. We are identifying recipes to feature in our newsletters for the coming season. But, even better: NOW AVAILABLE: From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce (3d Edition) by the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition. Highly recommended to everyone who wants to get more out of their shares! Price is $15 (below the recommended retail of $19.95). Email us to order.
Eliot Coleman - "[A]ny physical work is made easier by planning the job out beforehand, working at an efficient rhythm, and dividing the job up into attainable pieces." p 27 The New Organic Grower |
||||||||||
| Vol
4 Issue 4 - April 2008
We saw this one coming and it is now time for us to respond to increased production prices. We just purchased a new batch of feed for our laying flock and will be forced to make an adjustment to our egg prices effective for all new contracts entered after March 24 of this year. Our previous price was $2/dozen for a pre-order of 5 dozen or more delivered over a period of weeks. Our "as available/wanted" price was $2.25. If you haven't checked recently, you will find that this price is actually well below non-organic, medium eggs at the grocery store. Our new prices, at least until we we have order feed again, will be $3/dozen for the pre-order plan and $3.50 on demand. Interested parties must also expect changing prices for our meat poultry in the coming year. Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards are becoming more prominent in Iowa farmers' markets this season. Sponsored by the Iowa Department of Human Services, this program allows food stamp clients to use their electronic transfer cards at farmers' markets with participating vendors. At the present time, DHS covers electronic transfer fees for approved vendors so that small, local farmers are not penalized by excessive charges. We have applied for acceptance to this program for the 2008 season and anticipate that we will be accepted. Once we have the equipment (and the requisite training) we will be able to accept EBT cards as well as credit cards. So, if you are cash strapped, this could be an option for you if you are looking to purchase at market. However, we are not entirely familiar with all of the regulations and charges - so don't count on this option until we learn more. While it may not quite FEEL like Spring to all of us, the signs are there! March 24 was our first "Spring" wind day - with strong gusty winds coming from the south. The air has a particular smell and feel that tells us things are changing. We believe this even though we still see a drift of snow as tall as we are in the brush line by the silo. Our first robin of spring was sited March ? and we heard our first killdeer on the farm on March ?. You know things are changing when you hear robins and red winged blackbirds singing when you go outside in the morning. A less glamorous indicator has to be the fact that things in the chicken areas are getting a bit slippery again. Ok, you didn't really want to know about that one. |
page 2 The ground is either frozen or sopping wet. There is still snow in parts of our fields. We haven't even received our seed potato order yet. So, no, we did not plant potatoes on Good Friday. But, we thought about it.
Our first official Tom Sawyer Day is scheduled for April 25, from 2pm to 6pm. An email announcement will be sent out approximately a week and a half prior to the event. Those interested in participating are stongly encouraged to RSVP so we can plan. If you wish to attend for part or all of the event, you are welcome. If you cannot attend during this time period, please contact us and let us know what you might like to do (and when). The old building that came down and bit our truck last summer needs to be cleaned up before we get too far into the season. We need to uncover the irrigation line, salvage useful lumber and clean up the area. It is our hope that we will turn the cement slab into a useful part of our operation for this summer. We would like to invite willing individuals who would like to participate in some controlled destruction to come out to the farm on April 12 from 1pm to ??. We absolutely NEED to know who is coming, so RSVP if you plan to join us. Participants in the barn razing should bring gloves and wear appropriate clothing. If you have a favorite crow bar, hammer, etc. please feel free to bring it along. We will be burning the wood that cannot be salvaged and piling up glass and metal for recycling/reuse. |
||||||||||
|
Vol 4 Issue 4 - April 2008 We have added a page to our website that will be a holding location for articles of interest that are brought to our attention that we feel have some information of interest to you. The most recent addition is an article sent to us by Scott Fullwiler that outlines the frustrations of a vegetable farmer who is trying to rent crop land to grow produce. Current farm bill regulations make this nearly impossible. In fact, we can give our own story how base acres and commodity crops impact our local food systems. Also, if you have not heard of the "Dead Zone" in the Gulf of Mexico, it is time for you to learn. Our agricultural techniques are causing an ever larger portion of the Gulf to become a lifeless waterway. You can also read how our peers Jill Beebout and Sean Skeehan had to deal with chemical drift on their produce farm. This will continue to happen as long as we allow society to believe that farmers, such as ourselves, are not serious business people. Read, think and learn. Pasta with Broccoli and Pesto from This Organic Life by J.D. Gussow Make 1 cup batch of pesto by pureeing the following:
Then add to this pesto:
|
page 3 Core and cut into bite-sized wedges 1 large red ripe tomato Cut 1 bunch broccoli into small flowerettes and trim broccoli stem into bite sized pieces. Steam until crisp and tender (3-5 minutes) In a saucepan heat:
Cook 1 pound rigatoni in boiling salted water. Drain, reserving some water to thin pesto. To serve: Put cooked pasta in a bowl. Add 1-2 tbs hot pasta water to pesto and stir until thinned - then pour over pasta. Salt to taste. Add broccoli, tomato and toss to blend. Serve immediately.
Why don't we? - Zone our towns and cities so that there is a public and/or commercial produce growing area? Include built-in farmers' market locations and shelters with appropriate parking and facilities - then suddenly, your local food system is an expected part of a community. |
||||||||||
| Vol 4 Issue 4 - April 2008 We have entered the time of year where we no longer reserve spots for the CSA with a deposit. Instead, you must either pay the entire balance or work out an approved payment plan with us. For those of you who have reserved a spot with a deposit, you should expect to receive a bill in the mail as a reminder as to your remaining balance. If you are in need of a payment plan, please let us know. If you are still riding the fence, time is running out! Visit the appropriate CSA web pages. You can also download the appropriate forms and mail in your application, deposit and/or payment for a share. The farm has collected $455 towards our Reduced Price Share Program in 2008. Thank you to everyone who has donated towards this program. We will continue to accept these donations until the subscription period closes. With this level of funding, we are able to offer either three small shares or two large shares at half prices (with a payment plan) to low-income subscribers. If you, or someone you know, is interested, please go here to learn more. If we have no RPSP subscribers this season, we will contribute equivalent produce to the food shelf in Waterloo in addition to our planned donations. If you are going to be away for a good portion of the summer, or you are worried that your family cannot eat everything in a share, we'd like you to consider a different option. Why not combine with a neighbor or friends to share a small or large share of produce? The potential advantages are numerous:
We only ask that you be responsible for splitting your share equitably and that you give us contact information so that all participants are made to feel that they are a part of the CSA. Contact us if you are looking for someone to share a share! |
page 4
Our desire to grow our gardens without chemicals has become stronger over the years, but we held this conviction even with our first garden in Burke, Wisconsin. Our landlords were kind and had a section of ground tilled up for our garden. We already knew that there were many rabbits in our area and we had nightmarish visions of our entire garden being mowed over by the 'evil' little critters. We didn't really have the money for fencing and we weren't anxious to spray a repellant or kill the bunnies. So, what to do? Thus begins our first foray into companion planting. We had heard from somewhere (or someone) that marigolds were a good companion plant for vegetable crops. Why? We didn't know. But, when we also heard that rabbits did NOT like marigolds and would tend to avoid them, we formulated a plan. It was a simple plan that would be the master stroke. It would solve all of our rodent problems! Let's go buy enough marigolds to circle our garden. Surely it would provide us with a natural fence that would keep the critters out, be a friend to our vegetables, AND look pretty as well! In went the garden. Around it went the marigolds. Marigolds in flats are not all that big - now that you see them in the ground. They were only 2 inches tall - most with a single marigold flower. We spread them out evenly on the border and watered them in well. In one day, we had planted our first garden and we went inside, feeling quite pleased with ourselves. Our first morning foray into the garden revealed our first gardening tragedy. The tiny peppers were fine. The little tomato plants were fine. The broccoli plants? Well, we lost a couple. The marigolds? Every last marigold plant had been nipped just above ground level. And, the plants (with now wilted flowers) were neatly lying next to the stem. It was true. Rabbits do not like marigolds. And they had just seen to their removal. |
||||||||||
|
Vol 4 Issue 4 - April 2008 page 5
|
|||||||||||
