Newsletter: December 2011

Winter Gatherings to Discuss Varieties and Breeds

Choosing the crop varieties and animal breeds that are best adapted to the local production challenges is a key factor in a farm’s success. You want to grow the varieties that are tastiest, best adapted to local climate and pest pressures, with a long harvest window, etc.

You can tap into the tremendous pool of collective knowledge by gathering farmers together to share their experience with specific varieties and/or animal breeds.  

Early winter is a great time for this: things are a little calmer and you're preparing for next year's seed orders. To see what the benefits of this kind of meeting are, check out the notes from a recent CRAFT network's Variety Discussion.

Here are a few tips to help you organize a Variety/Breed Discussion:

  • Choose a location that’s convenient for most people. This gathering could be held on a farm, in someone’s living room, at a public library, or even a café.
  • Consider having hot cider, popcorn, or a potluck as part of the gathering.
  • Ask farmers to come with notes or records on the varieties they’ve tried. Have seed or livestock catalogs from a few different suppliers on hand too.
  • Pick a handful of crops or breeds to start with, and ask farmers to share which worked well and which ones didn’t.
  • Ask farmers to discuss any climate and soil factors or cultural practices that seemed to affect the performance of certain varieties.
  • Take notes! You could email the notes to folks that attended the meeting as well as to farmers that couldn’t make it. 

This kind of discussion is useful as a one-time meeting, but many find that making it an annual meeting is valuable too as farmers try out new and different varieties.

  

Bits n Pieces

We’d like to spotlight YOUR knowledge and experience in future newsletters. Please send us your thoughts and reflections about the following topics.

  • Joint ordering: Have you combined your order for supplies (like seed, feed, potting soil, soil supplements, harvest containers, etc) with other farmers? Tell us what you ordered, and about the benefits and challenges of combining orders.
  • The off-season: What do you do in the wintertime to get ready for the rush of the season? This could be practical, superstitious, or spiritual.
  • Ergonomics: Have you experienced work-related pain? (Kind of a silly question, right?) Share how you treated it, relieved it, or changed something about the way you farm to prevent the pain.

    Email stories, tips, quotes, and/or resources to hannah@naturallygrown.org

     

November Newsletter
Did you catch last month's newsletter on Potlucks and Farm Tours? In case you missed it, click here.

 

One batch of Organic seeds for sale
Below is an opportunity to purchase $1,800 worth of organic seeds for $1,100 (or best offer) in quantities appropriate for a 60-member CSA. From the Comfood listserve. Contact Carla Shafer, Earthly Goods Farm, Pleasantville, TN cs13@cornell.edu.

"I have an unusual situation I'm hoping to get word out about. Any help would be appreciated.

"Our CSA was destroyed by the Spring 2010 flood in Middle Tennessee, and we haven't been able to restart the project. I have over $1,800 worth of organic seed purchased for the 2010 season. Most of it is from Johnny's and High Mowing, with a few items each from Fedco and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. All but a couple of the larger bags of seed are unopened, original packets, and everything has been stored cool and dry.

"The collection contains a variety of crops in quantities appropriate for a 60-member CSA. I have a complete inventory that I can send if you email me off the list.

"I'm hoping to find someone interested in the entire batch, and it seems like it would be a great opportunity for a small CSA or non-profit garden project.

"I'm asking $1100 plus shipping, or best offer, for the whole lot. It really needs to go in the ground this year!

"I have the seed here at Red Fire Farm in MA, so if you're in the northeast, it could be picked up pretty easily."

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Welcome to New Members!

Casa de la Pradera
Fiddletown, CA

Double B Farm
Oxford, GA

Fortsville Creek Farm
Gansevoort, NY

Grassroots Farms
Monroe,GA

GreenGraceFarm
Ozark, AL

Hays Berry Farms
Dumas, MS

Huron City Bee Co.
Port Hope, MI

Iron Mountain Nursery
Stagecoach, NV

Lazy Eye Bar n Ranch
Pinon, AZ

Penngate
Littlestown, PA

Red Star Produce
Comer, GA

Seven Gables Farm
Villa Ridge, MO

Sunnyside Hollow Farms
Monongahela, PA

Woodhinge Farm
Blanch, NC