Patience is the greatest virtue

The weather hasn't made up its mind yet, but I believe it's fall.  One week it's consistently below freezing at night (and in the tent) and the next it's nice t-shirt weather.  We do know one thing though; the pigs love this weather.  They're all probably over 210 lbs. and eating more and more and MORE grain.  We truly hope our CSA customers will be happy and have been getting their cutting instructions for the butcher when they go up north on November 5th.

The pigs have taught us patience every time they have gotten out and we've had to herd them; almost always in the late morning.  The lesson here is to make sure they have enough food in front of them or else they'll get bored and hungry.  There are not many things more destructive than a bored and hungry pig.

The season has taught us patience with the streaks of wet weather we've been having which haven't permitted us the flexibility we desired to till in beds or plant cover crops.  We've learned to be patient with all the small obstacles that get in the way of what seemed to be a simple task.  We've learned that finding draft horses and good implements for them to pull is harder than it sounds.  Patience is important when dealing with potential land owners, schools, farmer's market managers, borrowing stuff from other farmers, and more.

In the process of trying to find land, in all of our rush to try to find a place so we can plow it before the end of the year (it will make dealing with weeds much, much easier the following year), we've learned that it will come with time.  We have had some many wonderful opportunities come our way and it takes a lot of time and energy to sort through it all.  Our hearts eventually led us to make decisions that feel right.  With all the uncertainties that come with farming, your decisions are probably about 50% gut instinct and 50% what you know.

So we have learned that you can't work against time, but do what you can to get where you want to go at the pace that feels most comfortable.  There isn't need to stress about how little time you have.  You just do what you can in that time whether it is spending time with friends, enjoying a good book, or of course working (which I tend to do too much of these days).  Good things come to good people; especially people who cooperate with the conditions and community around them.

"Today is the first day of the rest of your life."
-Anonymous

All photos were taken by Nancy A. Johnson

The farm search continues...

Hello everyone, it's been a while.  A farm wedding in the middle of the growing season truly does take over the farm.  Ken and Adrienne's wedding was fantastic and I think a good time was had by all, seriously.  Kate and I were contributing all we could to the farm's operation while Ken, Adrienne, and their families were running about setting things up for a wedding of about 200 people.

Meanwhile, Kate and I have been furiously looking for a place to farm together next year; possibly partnering with a friend or two or five.  We have applied to be MOFGA Journeypeople so we could have access to many farming resources in the state of Maine and learn more about the things we like to do so we can do them better.  There is a lot of land that isn't being used, is being retired because the farmer is retiring, and land that people just plain want to see in agricultural production.

We had a really exciting opportunity that fell through in the beginning of August and have since stumbled upon several more that are exciting for many reasons.  We are excited to perhaps be involved in agricultural education at a charter school and still involving horses in the whole operation.  I suppose most of what I can say at this point is speculation and circumstance so I won't say much more until something concrete happens.  Regardless, Kate and I are expending a lot of energy trying to find that "perfect farm."  We know we just have to be patient, but are also impatient to get our own gig going.  If you think we're crazy, please say so.  We probably won't listen anyway, but it's good to have a reality check.  After all, we just want to farm veggies with horses.  No rush right?  Winter is a-comin'.

Working on working on my own farm

It's the middle of summer and of course that means it's extremely busy with harvesting and weeding (if we can find the time).  There have been many other opportunities presenting themselves to Kate and I.  Horses, land, equipment... it seems to never end.

Kate and I have been looking at farming opportunities and have found one that we think will work for us in the short term outside of Augusta.  We're both really excited and working on terms for a lease and getting our collective sh*t together in terms of money, equipment, and business transactions.  It ain't all cake starting a farm business.  I've been spending a lot of time on the computer; albeit not using it to keep in touch with friends and family unfortunately.

Hopefully I can soon tell about the entire process and what our situation will look like next year.  For now, you will have to anticipate the best.  I'll be going down to Maryland for a wedding August 4th and so will also likely be spending some time in New York City (hint hint friends).  More exciting news in the future!

Oh yeah, an article on why the tomatoes you buy in the supermarket suck:
The prettiest tomatoes taste the worst.

"To Infinity, and Beyond!"
-Buzz Lightyear a la the geniuses at Disney

Here are some pictures of the pigs and the watering system we set up that mostly works well too:

Haying (mostly) with Horses

What a long, muscle-testing week it has been.  It's been hot and dry which has been a good thing for a change after all the rain in the last month or so.  The ground is drying out and we have more land available for planting at the farm.  Harvesting has been steady for the CSA pickups and market.

The most exciting thing for the whole crew was putting hay away for the horses.  Ken mowed two fields with a total approximate size of 4 or 5 acres over the course of 2 days.  The larger, 3 acre field was mowed this past weekend and tedded 2 times.  Tedding is a process most simply described as "fluffing the mowed grass."  The idea is that in order to be able to store hay, you have to let it cure in the field on a hot sunny day; otherwise it will grow moldy and become unhealthy and inedible for the animal.  An unexpected rain can ruin good hay.

The timeline for our two days of haying went as follows.  Tuesday we began tedding the large field with Jewel and Pete after CSA harvest with Ken instructing us and Kate and I taking turns doing that and doing other tasks on the farm.  Wednesday morning, Ken tedded again and mowed the second field while a neighbor helped rake and bale the hay with his tractor.  Once the baling was coming to an end after lunch, we harnessed Molly up to hook three horses abreast to the hay wagon.  Kate and I took turns driving the horses while Adrienne or Ken stacked the hay in an orderly fashion so they wouldn't fall off.  The two people who weren't driving or stacking threw bales on. 

Each full wagon load held approximately 65 bales of hay.  Throw in a tall can of Coca-Cola, kettle-cooked chips, strawberry popsicles, and peanut butter ice cream and at the end of Wednesday we harvested 298 bales of hay.  Of course we didn't finish until around 8 PM, but we went for a super refreshing swim at nearby Freedom Pond and pizza after that in Unity.  One of the best experiences I've ever had.

Thursday we harvested for Friday market in the morning and tedded the hay on the second field until lunch time.  During lunch the neighbor baled that field and we harnessed all three horses again for the last 132 bales of hay for the afternoon.  It was a hot day, but not as hot as the day before.  Kate and I had made plans previous to the knowledge of haying to have a potluck with farmer friends in the neighborhood. Although we were totally exhausted, it was a nice way to end the week.

Alimony is like buying hay for a dead horse.
-Groucho Marx

Pigs are Cool

Don't mind the cute pig.  If you didn't know, Kate and I are raising 8 pigs and selling them by the half.  They will be custom butchered so that you can have as little or as much sausage you want, the off cuts and organ meats if you want them, and the option of smoking them.

We have 2 and a half pigs left to sell so let us know if you are excited to be part of our pig CSA!

Updates on our New Beat Farm experience:

We have been plenty busy planting summer squash, hand weeding, cultivating with the horses, and harvesting lots of lettuce, beet greens, salad turnip greens, mesclun/mustard mixes, kale, and chard.  Between working 4 days at New Beat and doing various projects involving the pigs, Kate and I have been super busy.

We assembled an automatic watering system using a 300 gallon tank we bought, PVC fittings, garden hose, and nipples that go on the end of 4 hoses split off from one.  The nipples are stood on a little stand that I made with some scrap wood and stood up by two pieces of rebar pounded into the ground through two drilled holes in the top.  This type of watering system eliminates several issues; the pigs walking in their water troughs (making it less palatable and risking carrying disease on their feet into their water), reducing the need to haul 5 gallon buckets (~40 lbs. of water per bucket), eliminating the need for troughs, spending less time dealing with their water supply, significantly reducing water waste.  Our water tank is set and bolted onto a snowmobile trailer (courtesy of Kate's dad, John) and filled from a spring until it is about half full.  Any heavier, and the trailer might not be able to handle the weight.  Then we haul the trailer to an area uphill from the pigs with the horses hooked to the forecart; uphill so that the water will gravity feed down the hose to the nipples with enough pressure.

We'd also like to thank our friend Jessie for supplying us with whey, which the pigs looooove drinking.  They're gaining weight everyday due to the extra protein.

We love whey!

Other than that, we're both happy living in our wall tent and working with the crew and horses at New Beat Farm.  If any of you have the inclination, please come visit!  E-mail us when you're coming and we'll be glad to have you over!  The pigs would love it too!

“But as long as you remember what you have seen, then nothing is gone. As long as you remember, it is part of this story we have together.”
― Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony

China now consumes double the meat that the US does

I just read a study by the Earth Policy Institute (via grist.org) that reveals China consumes approximately 70 million tons of meat per year, double what the USA eats.  What is amazing about that is that we don't have one fifth of the earth's population like China does, yet we still consume the most meat on a per capita basis AND are the second biggest meat eaters in the world.

Horses, Grease, and Sweat

It’s the first week at New Beat and what a week it was!  Kate and I arrived Monday morning and helped repair a greenhouse and spread manure in it in preparation for growing tomatoes and lettuce.  We also started work on the wall tent. 

Tuesday we were familiarized with the horse chores, which include feeding hay, cleaning their water buckets and refilling them, mucking out their stalls and putting down more bedding/sawdust, and harnessing the horses.  We also both learned to pick out the horses’ feet.  This involves picking up their feet and using a hoof pick, which is a curled piece of metal on a handle which allows you to pick any debris and gravel out of their hooves.  It is a very important piece of horse health maintenance because leaving debris in their feet can lead to infections and poor conformation/stride; there’s an old saying “no foot, no horse.”

Afterwards we got to ground drive horses; which is to say we each had a single horse and drove them around to accommodate them to us and vice versa and as a warmup to the rest of the season when we will be driving them with great frequency.  I got to drive Pete, the new black Percheron, while Kate drove Jewel (a blonde Belgian), Ken and Adrienne’s lead horse.  Pete is still becoming a member of the herd and apparently had been kicked around, literally, by both Jewel and Molly.  He has started to stick up for himself lately but as a logging horse, is very unfamiliar with most of the farm operations he’s been involved in so far.  Jewel and Pete were then hooked up to the spring tooth harrow to smooth out a field that Ken plowed last week with Jewel on the left and Pete on the right.  Both Kate and I got some basic experience driving them around and harrowing the field.  When we completed that task, we brought two walking plows down to Lauren’s field, where we would eventually be plowing to prepare the soil for her nursery and cover crops.  To end Tuesday we worked more on setting up the tent platform for our wall tent

We all started off Wednesday with hooking up the horses in order to plow.  At first Adrienne and Ken demonstrated the Pioneer walking plow that they bought from an Amish family.  It is huge, heavy, and in almost new shape.  Watching a plow turn over soil is mesmerizing; akin to watching waves on the ocean.  The driver’s, Ken’s, job is to make sure the horses walk straight and to keep the furrow horse (the right or off horse and in this case Pete) right on the land side of the furrow.  Ken describes this as keeping the furrow horse’s left feet on the left edge of the soil of the last furrow.

On my first few passes, I felt like I had just sprinted a mile.  When you watch a walking plow work, it looks as if you have to keep the tip of the plow pointed into the ground when in reality the plow, if set correctly and in good shape, will suck itself into the ground and the horses do most of the work.  Your job as the plowman is to make small adjustments if the horses begin to veer off course and to keep the plow in the ground if the plow hits a rock.  Hindsight is 20/20 and my hindsight didn’t kick in until the next day.  Both Kate and I had struggled a lot this first day of plowing.

As I alluded before, Pete is unfamiliar with farm work, which is steady work with breaks once in a while.  He was mainly used for logging and when logging, the horses pull some really heavy loads and therefore must really jolt the load to get it going initially.  Jolting is not good for things like plowing, harrowing, and cultivating around valuable plants.  The hope is that Pete will become familiar enough with the work that he will be a steady worker by the time we have to start cultivating.  He had taken all of us by surprise by taking off for 20 feet or more and nearly ripping the plow out of the plowman’s hands several times.  The plow even almost hit Ken, which could have been really bad.

Eventually he settled down and Ken and I did a lot of plowing while Adrienne and Kate cut some poles for the wall tent.  By then I was extremely tired despite feeling comfortable and relatively relaxed behind the plow.  At morning’s end I was starving and bushed.  The rest of the day we spent prepping soil blocks for seedlings and working on the tent platform.

Thursday morning we planted a whole bunch of cauliflower, peppers, and flowers in the greenhouse.  Before lunch we readied the horses for work.  That afternoon we finished the last third of the 1/3 acre we needed to plow.  When I came back to the plow, it felt as if it was an action I performed hundreds of times before.  There is something to be said about how your body learns even when you sleep, imprinting what you learned into muscle memory.  I was better able to help Kate become comfortable on the plow because I was able to describe the feel of the plow when it’s going well and I had just undergone that learning process.  She was also a very good observer, and took note of how my body was positioned and how I stood holding the plow in relation to myself.

We felt extremely accomplished to say the least.  It’s probably more accurate to say we were blissed out.  There is a feeling that is hard to put into words, but it is quite magical when the partnership between the team, the driver, and the plowman work together well to turn over a whole lot of sod or cover crop so that you can plant into it in the next few weeks.  Just magic.  The rest of the day we thinned seedlings happily to end a great week.

 Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.

-Thomas Jefferson