February Update

"Do you think it possible to dissect a human being, render it down into its constituent parts, feed them into a machine which measures such things and determine from that its ability to paint or create music? No? Then why do you think that once you have done this with my body you know anything about me?"

-Angelica from Stephen Harrod Buhner's Sacred Plant Medicine

Planting schedule. Check! Crop rotation. Check! Estimated harvest dates and share contents. Check! Most of the seeds obtained. Check! Cute little maple syrup labels created. Check! Everything seems to be in place for this season. Hooray! And I am incredibly excited to announce that the CSA is 50% full- so if you know anyone else interested make sure they sign up soon! I am also offering pre-orders on maple syrup which should be ready by the end of March/early April depending on when Spring wants to arrive. Get ready for an in-depth blog post about the sugaring process in March.

Take a peek at one of the spreadsheets I stare at all winter.

This weekend is the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Organic Farming Conference which is one of the largest gatherings of organic and sustainable farmers in the U.S. with over 3,000 people attending, right here in Wisconsin. Think excessive amounts of nerdy farm talk on the pros and cons of plugs versus soil blocks on transplant health, theories on why Winterbor kale seed is sold out and so elusive this season and why you should grow your alliums (onions, leeks, garlic, etc.) in silver plastic mulch instead of black plastic mulch. Here are some the workshops I am looking most forward to attending: cover cropping and green manures for the vegetable farm, key line design and water management, grow and sell fresh organic mushrooms, controlling vegetable insect pests and diseases, tinctures for livestock, employee management on market farms and women farming solo: lessons from the field.

This will be my third year attending and first attending as a "real" farmer instead of just a student. I expect to leave being blown away as always with tons of new ideas and efficiencies to try. There is something incredibly inspiring about spending a weekend with 3,000 other farmers, educators, advocates and students. Everyone talks my language and no one looks at me weird when I discuss the advantages of just taking your chickens to be butchered at a small processing plant instead of butchering 100 of your own with your friends in one weekend. Like I say, trust me it's worth the money. As is the MOSES Organic Farming Conference! I actually encourage anyone who is the slight bit interested in farming to attending next year. You will leave so inspired you might just go plant some seeds in the snow!