Fotografias

Not sure if this will work, but here is a link to an album of photos from Footjoy.  Just to give a taste of my life on the farm...

www.facebook.com/p.php?i=187702601&k=ZWD66ZUYPX6MZ1EEWCXXW

Our difference is our strength

"At the root of everything, Darwin said, is that wonder of wonders, genetic diversity.  You're unlike your sister, a litter of pups is its own small Rainbow Coalition, and every grain of wheat in a field holds inside its germ a slightly different destiny...Genetic diversity, in domestic populations as well as wild ones, it nature's only insurance policy."  

(Barbara Kingsolver, "A Fist in the Eye of God")

Every time an animal or plant species officially makes the endangered or extinct list, we should be worried. Even though my daily life may not be affected by the survival of the purple cornflower prairie plant or the valley elderberry longhorn beatle, we are all connected and dependent upon one another. It is diversity of species that allows for our planet to be healthy, to provide a system of checks and balances so that no ecosystem becomes too tilted.  Every biological strain has survived through adaptation to their environment and in possessing a range of genes that allows the species to survive dry weather, harsh rain or strong sun. 

For a small scale farmer like Chad, planting 40 or 50 variety of tomatoes ensures that he will be able to eat some tomatoes (Lillians Yellow? Green Zebra? Indian Dark Violet Beefsteak?) come July.  Planting a polyculture--of beets, carrots, rhubarb, radishes, peppers, cucnuts, tomatillos--ensures that some percentage of his fields will  produce abundantly.  Just drive through Iowa and see the destruction that can result from cultivating too narrow a genetic stream--flooded corn fields predict a weak crop.  Many farmers have put all their eggs in one basket, rather than sowing widely across the genetic spectrum.

One organization that is dedicated to protecting the diversity that has developed slowly and organically, through the process of evolution over millions of years, is called Seed Savers.  A cooperative of gardeners and farmers who are willing to break out of the mainstream patterns of monoculture farming (corn, soy, Holstein cows for dairy, Angus cows for beef), the Seed Savers save and share heirloom seeds in order to increase or at least maintain the diversity of species. 

Check them out:

www.seedsavers.org

Recap

Some of my favorite farm experiences so far:

-"tickling" the microbasil. (Essentially, rubbing away  the excess sawdust or soil, allowing the tiny basil shoots to sprout up.) I mostly love its name and wonder if I  even heard a giggle or two.

-Visiting the local honey producers club, made up mostly of 80 or 90 year old men. I received a presentation about producing queen bees (a super advanced process of isolating and transplanting eggs--timing is key!) and many invitations to come visit and check out the local hives. 

-attempting to make dandelion wine. I walked about 5 miles, searching for dandelion flowers but came out 1 1/2 quarts short. Not the season for "weed" wine. Maybe next spring when these yellow pests are out full bloom. I will have to settle with learning how to make cheap, homemade grape wine with Chad and Mo.

-The peaceful feeling of the sun on my skin and the quiet around me, as I work outside. Stretches of silence and solitude, with a physical, embodied task to do, allows me to just "be." I have felt a growing sense of peace and contentment, a slowing down of my racing mind and the ability to just be present in that moment. This I love.

-Watching a mob of goats, geese and pigs quarrel over the table scraps that are thrown into their pasture.  My sentiments go to Piggy and Porkchop who hang back, grunting and waiting for what is left.  They are no match for the hissing, bossy geese that stand guard over discarded radish stems and corn husks.  I was surprised to note that a goose, with its gangly neck and short legs, are so aggressive towards the goats, honking and biting animals twice their size (with horns!).  In the midst of this tussle, little baby goats grab at a scrap here and there, only to be repeatedly shoved aside and, finally, to give up and settle on a patch of clover, rather than stay in the fight. The phrase "survival of the fittest" (and loudest) now has a new, more concrete meaning connected to it.

-Eating pickled radishes and home made sunflower seed bread.

Bzzzzzz.....

Yesterday, I got to play beekeeper for a few hours. Tony, a neighbor who lives down the road, invited me over to help him check his hives. He and his wife have a hobby farm--with draft horses (HUGE), big gardens, a beer brewery and beehives. After suiting up in a white alien outfit and gloves, Tony and I dug into his hives, looking for honey, drones and swarm cells.

The biology behind beekeeping is complex and fascinating. Each hive has ~20,000 female worker bees who collect pollen and nectar, 1,000 male drones whose sole function is to impregnate the queen and 1 queen who constantly lays eggs for the 2-3 years of her life. In a healthy hive, the queen is producing a large brood, the workers are storing lots of excess honey and the drones are few.

Tony was checking the hive, on the look-out for swarm cells and excess drone cells. When the queen is ineffective or unwell, the hive creates several swarm cells, in which a new queen is born. Once these new queens hatch, the kick out the old queen who swarms away with half the hive to make a new nest. The newly-hatched queens fight to the death to see who will take over the hive. Beekeepers tend to dislike swarms, as it lessens honey production and disrupts the hive, so Tony was trying to remove swarm cells before they could hatch.

We were also on the lookout for drone brood cells (with the larvae of drones inside). The queen is insemenated only once in her lifetime, so drones have little to contribute to the hive. They do not work, mooch off of honey and wait to compete to impregnate a new queen. So, beekeepers try to limit the number of drones in the hive, as they deplete the honey production.

Although we didnt catch sight of the queen yesterday, I did get to see great examples of drone cells, worker brood cells, capped honey cells, eggs, larvae and worker bees. I was surprised to notice my own gut response of fear and a desire the swat the bees buzzing around me. But, slow movements and calm is the best way to keep a hive calm while examining it. Tony said I could come over and help him extract honey sometime in the coming weeks. I am considering signing up for an Apiculture course at U of Minneapolis to learn more. And, who knows...maybe there is room for a hive or two in Pilsen? :)

Stickily and sweetly,
Lindsay

Hi hoe, hi hoe

Well, I've been at the farm 5? 6? days now and it has been packed with lots of trellising peas, harvesting radishes, planting basil, riding the little Haromoto tractor. Good times...although I am really sore and dependent on daily yoga in order to even walk the next day.

I've realized that small-scale polyculture is an art, not a science. I've needed to learn to be okay with my nearly-constant mistakes and learn that it is not a predictable, formulaic process. There is no "right way" to do it, but plenty of "wrong ways." I've needed to let go of the details and the "am I doing it right?" mentality and let myself discover my own system for sowing or weeding or planting.
While commodities farming (industrial corn or soy production) is very scientific and predictable (input fertilizer and pesticides, output corn), the small organic agriculturalist needs creativity, flexibility and a willingness to adapt to a million different variables (rain, weeds, harsh sunlight, wind, critters). Chad puts seed in the ground and hopes for the best. The growth of his crop is influenced by the whims of Mother Nature, who fickle and unpredictable, generous and giving at one moment, cruel at the next. Relying upon her is a risky undertaking, but thrilling and gutsy and the way that humans have lived for thousands of years.
Just a few thoughts from a beginner...

Anyway, the last few days I have been hoeing and weeding a field of beets that has been overrun by last years ground cherries crop, coming back to haunt us. Picking through a forest of weeds and ground cherries, row by row, has been very time consuming. Weeding for hours puts you into a meditative, zen-like state of concentration. But, those beets better be darn good after all that they have required. :) Two days of hoeing. Two more to come?

Into the wild, blue yonder...

Bags packed, tank fun of gas ($) and the silo waiting for me. About to hit the road.

If you feel like dropping me some snail mail during the next month send it to:

Footjoy Farm

5512 Canine Rd. 

Sparta, WI

54656

Setting up a blog

I just made my own blog. (This could be a moot point, considering that the theme of this blog is "leaving the grid" and picking tomatoes, not blogging. Basically--I might not have internet access.) With any luck, I will add a note or two over the next month during my stay at Footjoy Farm in Sparta, WI.  I will be living in a converted granery, using an outdoor shower and eating food that is grown in my yard.  (I'm hoping to cuddle with a goat or two. And eat lots of sugar snap peas.) 

For several years I have had a growing interest in organic farming--learning specific skills and experiencing a little taste of life on a polyculture farm--that specifically tries to harness natural systems towards food production and maintains a diversity of animal and plant life.  I suppose that Michael Pollan and Wendell Berry have been most formative to my ideas around this, but I know very little and have had few farming experiences.  It is time to stop reading about organic farming and start to learn by doing.

Although a month is a relatively short time, I have several goals for this little experiment:

-participate in challenging physical work outside

-learn specific, concrete skills

-have conversations about farming philosophies and principles (topics include--cooperative farming, pros and cons of agricultural subsidies, how to manage systems in a farm), basically pick the brains of people who have learned through experience

-get used to solitude, after living such a rushed, hectic urban lifestyle

-observe rural living in America

(I might not get around to achieving these goals, too busy mulching and watering veggies, but that is alright too.)

So, here is my blog.