It’s fun to watch the berm on the near west field mature – even in a short time the difference is noticeable. Here’s a brief gallery of images from the initial forming of the berm (October 2013), the addition of first fruit trees (Spring 2014), daffodils blooming (Spring 2015) and additional fruit trees. It’s coming along!
So how’s the new berm doing? More fruit trees planted and mulched, thank you. The berm now sports a mix of apples, cherries, plums, pears and serviceberries. It’ll be fun to see what thrives.
Here’s the current listing, west to east:
[Planted 2015]
Apple: Roxbury Russet
Apple: Cox’s Pippin
Cherry: Gisella
Cherry: Gisella
Pear: Aurora
Pear: Potomac
Pear: Harrow Sweet
[Planted 2014]
Apple: Snow Sweet
Apple: Honeycrisp
Apple: Haralson(?)
Plum: American
Plum: Mount Royal
Plum: Pipestone
Serviceberry:
Serviceberry:
Cherry: Evans Bali
Cherry: Northstar
Cherry: Mesabi
[Planted 2015]
Apple: Enterprise
Apple: Cox’s Pippin
Apple: Roxbury Russet
Pear: Aurora
Pear: Potomac
Pear: Harrow Sweet
Apple: Enterprise
Apple: Goldrush
Apple: Pristine
Apple: Goldrush
The time has come to find a real farmer. In the four years since we bought this place I’ve had a great time cleaning up the mess and beginning to restore the soil and infrastructure. While I do hope to continue to be involved in the future, after this season (already under contract) I’d like a real farmer to begin moving this farm towards the diversified, productive and successful enterprise it wants to be. With plenty of time to plan and prepare, now is the time to find the right person for this wonderful farm.
About the farm:
Situated in the lovely Sogn Valley, our farm has about 30 acres of rich deep silt loam and another 25 acres of woodland, stream and farmstead. Though not certified, the land has been managed organically for the last four years. A historic barn has been updated with a new roof, electricity and more, a newer pole shed is in good working order and a small office has been built with heat, a bathroom and electricity. In 2013 keyline berms and swales were dug/built in one field to address water issues and a mixed perennial orchard begun on one of the berms.
About me:
I am an academic, musician and investor with keen interests in sustainability, resilience and access to land for human-scale diversified farming. I also have profound concerns about climate change, the economy and resource depletion. I have business experience and expect a return on my investment.
About you:
Enthusiasm tempered by experience. You’ve worked with successful small farms and been involved not only in planning, planting, harvesting and sales but also in the financial aspects of farming. You know how to produce and read both a balance sheet and an income statement, have a practical understanding of working with people and of the impact of government programs on small-scale agriculture. You love the work and know what you’re getting into.
About the future:
It is my hope that one day you will use the profits earned from the farm to buy it from me – but that’s a long story. We should talk!
If you might be the person for this farm, look around this website to see get a flavor for what we’ve done so far and where we might be going. Then use the contact link at the top of the page to get in touch.
With the help of some teen muscle, access to the woods and upper prairie is improving. A while back I posted about a natural access route along a contour line. We've been working to open up that pathway and here, for fun, are two video clips taken from Doris (the electric UTV) starting up in the woods and finishing where the path opens onto the largest field. Thanks to Lolo, Smack and their friend Nathan for making such great progress on Sunday and to Nathan for shooting the video.