What a wonderful article… brave, insightful and true. I know plenty of farmers who think its about control when, done well, growing food is nudging nature.
two of us are working the market garden the two old guys here on the ranch used to run - they weren't that good at it (compared to you) but they were able grow enough to keep a good little income coming in - but they're spent and have retired - now it's our turn for the HUMBLING!
Beautiful, so profoundly timely. I went out to the cabbage cop (12 weeks of growth from seed ... we are in early winter here) yesterday to find that nature had found a way through my thus far impenetrable barriers and had a feast. Half the crop gone in a night. Ate the hearts right out of each sugarloaf. The core must have been tastiest, because they've been drilled out by sharp teeth! Nature is always, always the boss.
So happy to hear you've found a farm that fits. Your CSA photos showed how skilled you are at growing produce! I look forward to hearing more about the experience, once you do have time to reflect and write.
Ugh, now to implement perennial polyculture, so you can stop doing violence to the soil via steel and diesel!
(I know… you're an employee, so you have to do it their way. Perhaps they can loan you a corner of that field to experiment with no-till soil building! Check out "Restoration Agriculture" by Mark Shepard.)
Appreciate this piece. My father grew up on a farm that was subsistence only meaning they ate what they grew with very little leftover but he learned to respect the fields very early in his experience and it taught him much about what things he was able to change and what he could not. I think respect was the single most important thing he gained. Respect for the hard work that farming is, respect for those who remain humble while doing it, respect for the land and Mother Nature too. Thank you. ❤️
What a wonderful article… brave, insightful and true. I know plenty of farmers who think its about control when, done well, growing food is nudging nature.
Read this yesterday. It's so true that every piece of land is completely different and good thing is, it does keep you always learning.
two of us are working the market garden the two old guys here on the ranch used to run - they weren't that good at it (compared to you) but they were able grow enough to keep a good little income coming in - but they're spent and have retired - now it's our turn for the HUMBLING!
Beautiful, so profoundly timely. I went out to the cabbage cop (12 weeks of growth from seed ... we are in early winter here) yesterday to find that nature had found a way through my thus far impenetrable barriers and had a feast. Half the crop gone in a night. Ate the hearts right out of each sugarloaf. The core must have been tastiest, because they've been drilled out by sharp teeth! Nature is always, always the boss.
So happy to hear you've found a farm that fits. Your CSA photos showed how skilled you are at growing produce! I look forward to hearing more about the experience, once you do have time to reflect and write.
Ugh, now to implement perennial polyculture, so you can stop doing violence to the soil via steel and diesel!
(I know… you're an employee, so you have to do it their way. Perhaps they can loan you a corner of that field to experiment with no-till soil building! Check out "Restoration Agriculture" by Mark Shepard.)
Nothing has kicked my ass like farming
I know the feeling!
Appreciate this piece. My father grew up on a farm that was subsistence only meaning they ate what they grew with very little leftover but he learned to respect the fields very early in his experience and it taught him much about what things he was able to change and what he could not. I think respect was the single most important thing he gained. Respect for the hard work that farming is, respect for those who remain humble while doing it, respect for the land and Mother Nature too. Thank you. ❤️
Well put Kollibri! Thank you for this reminder