The Farm In Blossom

As I walked home from the garden one day in May, as I approached our homestead, the sweet smell of spring began to waft through the air.  The farm was in blossom.  All the fruit trees, the lilacs, the redbuds, even the dandelions were in full glory. And all their perfumes blended together welcoming me home.  What a welcome home!  The big crabapple tree on the west side of the house was absolutely covered in bees and their busy buzzing grew louder as I walked up the driveway and passed under its branches.  So many things to do but I couldn't help but grab the camera and wander the farm capturing all those amazing blooms.

Lilac

Pear Blossom

Apple Blossom

Redbud

Dandelion

Cherry Blossom

Crabapple

Welcome Our New Arrivals

There are some new faces here at the farm. 

First, meet the ducks! 

Our good friend and employee Emily just happened to ask one day if we wanted ducks.  Sure!  Why not?  Emily was ready for more ducks at her farm so she incubated several eggs and now we have 10 ducks.  Unlike the chickens who run every which way, the ducks stick together as if they are connected somehow.  They move as one.  Their purpose?  Well, they don't really have one right now. They graze and act as bug control.  They waddle about and hang out in the puddles.  You can just play a little 'waddling' toon in your head as they move about like something out of a Hanna Barbera cartoon.  For now, that is good enough.

And meet the new pigs!

Our first group of 13 pigs came to the farm on May 28.  They come from a farm near Harvard, Illinois and have had a clean start. That is, no antibiotics or other funny stuff.  The pigs make their home in the fallow section of our garden where they graze, root, romp, and sleep.  Once the vegetation has been eaten, we move them to a new section where they start all over.  The pigs also receive a certified organic hog ration from Yorktown Organic Feed plus any vegetable trimmings, imperfect leaves, etc from the garden.  They are also extremely fond of any unusable eggs.  This organic and varied diet rich in plants produces high quality very nutritious meat for our CSA program.

And our pride and joy, Bella. 

A new dog has arrived on the farm as of June 1.  Bella, an Anatolian Shepherd, is a beautiful happy 11 week old puppy.  Her breed is one that will help defend our flock of poultry from predators.  It seems everybody wants a free chicken dinner - hawks, skunks, possums, coyotes.   As one former conservation police officer said, "Well, its the best chicken in the county!"  That may be true but we're not particulary fond of sharing our bounty with the local population of small mammals.  

So Bella is here to help us out.  She is learning that chickens are not play things.  Their movements and small size are tempting for a puppy just looking to have some fun.  But she is learning to "Leave it!" and will hopefully be the defender we our counting on.

Bella has 3 devoted fans - Lucy, Susannah, and Laura - who play with her constantly.  She is a very welcome addition to the family.

Spring Fling

The annual farm sale in Annawan, Illinois was recently held and Brian almost always goes up to see what he can find.  It's a HUGE two day sale and you can find anything from a lawn mower to a hog feeder.  He always boils a few eggs, usually plentiful at this time of year, and takes them along for lunch. They are easy to put in a pocket and their wrapper can go right on the ground.  He might look a little out of place eating his hard boiled eggs while other guys are drinking soda pop and eating hot dogs but he's used to that role.

This year Brian had his eye on a manure spreader.  The livestock on this farm produce a good quantity of bedding and manure which needs to go somewhere.  In the past, our little John Deere 1020 has taken one loader bucket full at a time to the composting area.  The bucket is small enough that it doesn't take long to fill by hand and we make many trips with the tractor back and forth from chicken house to compost pile.  Plus, we do not have a good way to spread manure or finished compost.  All good reasons to look for a manure spreader.

When at any farm sale, Brian is not looking for the latest model, the biggest, nor typically the one with the best paint job.  It's usually a piece of equipment that would have been used on a smaller farm a long time ago.  Well, that is exactly the description of our 'new' manure spreader.  Though we do not have the papers, we're predicting our New Idea manure spreader is somewhere in the 30-40 year old range - about the same year Brian was born.

The spreader made its drive home the day after the sale and was put promptly to work the following morning.  The chicken house needed a thorough cleaning and the spreader helped move that job along.  Each time Brian filled it to capacity, he would back it over to the compost pile, engage the PTO, and empty all that good manure laden bedding into the compost pile.  

Though it is not the newest paint job, it does happen to be my favorite color - orange. 

The March of Spring

Have you paused outside, looked up and felt the warmth of the sun? 

Have you taken advantage of the time change to take a walk in the lingering evening light? 

Are your kids staying outside until the last possible second before coming in for the night?

I have and they do.

The March of Spring has begun.

Spring is everywhere and our spring seeding is in full swing.  There's a glow from the basement where thousands of seeds and seedlings are growing until they can be moved to the greenhouse to grow on.  Onions have already made the transition giving up their place on the warm germination mat so others may do the same - peppers, leeks, parsley, chives and more. 

My thermometer is my best friend as I poke flats and plugs checking soil temperature.  Onions - 86 degrees.  But leeks - 77 degrees.  Cabbage 86 degrees.  But Broccoli - 77 degrees.   Remove the plastic lid to let out heat, cover that flat because it is just a bit too cool, water here and, oh, don't forget to move that flat under the grow lights because it is mostly germinated or the seedlings will get leggy.  And finally, move those flats to the greenhouse. Their time in the basement is done!

Take Organic Action

Not so long ago, it seems like we were just keeping our heads above water. The babies were babies and we were so preoccupied with just making a living and raising our kids that we spent little time advocating for organic. And then we met our friends Janet and Greg Morse of Trail's End Organic Farm. Many times we were late for chores or late for supper because of our long, lively talks with Greg. Through these hours of discussion, he and Janet showed us the big picture. This picture taught us that as organic farmers, we are advocates. We cannot turn our heads to the soil, bury ourselves in work and ignore what is happening around us. As organic farmers, it is part of our job description to protect the integrity of local organic food and further the cause of a local organic food system.

As consumers and supporters of local organic food, you also must step up and support the farmers that feed you. Brian and I are just 2 voices but all of you folks are much, much more. And it is your voices that will tip the scales.

On January 6th, I attended the first meeting of the Illinois Organic Growers Association. This is something Illlinois has needed for a long time. Although in its infancy, this new association promises to bring growers and supporters of organic agriculture in Illinois together. I was there to bring attention to the issue of spray drift from conventional farms - probably the single most difficult issue the IOGA will confront. But by bringing all of us together, we'll be able to tell Springfield what is on our mind: local organic food is important and we want it protected. You will be hearing about the new IOGA in the coming months. You can be sure we will keep you informed.

Now, here is a list of current organizations who are all doing good work.  At the very least, get yourself signed up to receive email action alerts about important policy issues where your response could help save organic food.

Get Involved! Support A Clean Environment and Local Organic Food

Environment Illinois
http://www.environmentillinois.org/

Illinois Stewardship Alliance
http://www.ilstewards.org/

Farm To Consumer Legal Defense Fund
http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/

Illinois Department Of Agriculture - Pesticide Misuse
http://www.agr.state.il.us/Environment/Pesticide/pestuses.html

Spray Drift Education Network
http://www.spraydriftillinois.com/

Living On Earth - NPR Weekly Environmental News Show
http://www.loe.org/

Pesticide Action Network
http://www.panna.org/

Safer Pest Control Project
Chicago Based Organization Working To Reduce The Use of Pesticides
http://spcpweb.org/

The Cornucopia Institute
http://www.cornucopia.org/

The Center For Food Safety
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/












http://www.cornucopia.org/


The Greenest Elvis You'll Ever Meet - Excellent CD!
http://www.ecoelvis.com/

Organic Consumers Association
http://www.organicconsumers.org/

Winter Scenes and Farm News

It's January 21 and -3 outside this morning.  Since the first snow storm on December 3, we have had a good hard winter upon us.  Snow has covered the ground most of that time and even a blizzard roared through the area on December 12th.  We have had mornings where the fog from overnight has frozen leaving the farm looking like an ice crystal palace in the perfectly still morning.  Those are the most amazing mornings on the farm when the only thing keeping you from staying outside is the single digit temperatures turning your fingers into icicles. 

It is perfectly quiet except for the hard crunch of the snow under your boots. Not a bird, not a car, nothing.  And then the first very faint morning breeze begins midmorning and the delicate crystals of ice and snow begin to fall slowly to the ground.  And by noon, every leaf, branch and twig are completely naked once again and all evidence of the inspiring morning scene is gone.

Collage of Vegetables - Scenes From 2010