First and foremost: Huge thanks to the Kenwood PTA for all hands on deck on short notice! So far, 2023 on the farm has been . . . interesting.
We started with fire
In order to control invasive species in our largest fields, in April we had a controlled burn. It’s amazing to watch experts work with fire and the crew from Zumbro Valley Forestry are experts. Check out these photos:
Planting
Our first succession of corn went in on schedule and things were looking good but in mid-June I learned that our cooperating farmer hadn’t started the rest of the corn or the squash and was too booked up to help us. Uh-oh! I learned this on a Wednesday night and reached out to the crew from Kenwood School who jumped into the breach and came that very weekend to get the crops in the ground. Hooray! You should have seen the crew: I marked the rows with our little tractor then a parent came along and marked each hole followed by a student who placed two pumpkin seeds in each hole and who in turn was followed by a bucket brigade of students carefully putting a cup or two of water in each hole. Meanwhile, another crew got the remaining corn seeded and set up drip lines to jumpstart germination in hopes of getting ahead of the seed corn maggot (which considers corn seed a delicacy). As you can see in the photos below, the corn germinated well and we’re off and running. Thank you Kenwood!!
Near west field, July 2015
What should be the future of our farm? It’s time to make some long term plans so here is are some thoughts about our hopes and dreams for the farm in the coming years. Comments welcome!
The Sogn Sandbox
In 2012 we bought this 55-acre farm in the Sogn Valley about an hour south of the Twin Cities. We bought the farm with three main intentions. First, as a store of value. In light of the economic events of 2008 and a more generalized distrust of the economic system we decided to put retirement funds into real property rather than mutual funds, annuities or other intangible assets. It is our intent to draw on that investment as we age. Second, we bought the farm in part to provide a place to experiment with sustainability and resilience. How can this place be best cared for in the face of climate change and peak oil? Third, we’d like to use this investment to experiment with possible approaches to the challenge of access to land for emerging farmers. These remain the values that we hope will inform the future of the farm.
With 11 years of experience behind us it is now time to develop a long-term plan for the farm which leaves it both improved and in good hands with ownership transferred and resources for our retirement realized. We hope to have time to do the process thoughtfully and well. During this process we would like:
- To work cooperatively with our partner(s) to develop and implement a plan for the farm as a whole and specifically for the management and improvement of the tillable acreage.
- To continue to use organic / regenerative practices.
- To engage with our neighbors as we envision the farm as part of the Sogn/Cannon Falls/Dennison community.
- To consider making investments in the farm such as solar, a pack shed etc. given strategic and/or economic justification.
- To continue to have access to the farm, woodlands and garden
- To maintain use of the farm office building.
At present we are investigating:
- Given current economic and legal conditions, what model, if any, is best for a small farm such as ours? For the last three years we have subsidized growing sweetcorn and winter squash for donation to food banks. This requires fundraising and volunteer coordination in addition to tillage, harvest etc.
This is very much a work-in-progress but we hope the outcome will usefully contribute to conversations about small farm economics, resilience, access to land, community and more. Thoughts, comments or connections to others embracing these challenges are welcome!
End of the season 2022
Last Saturday was sunny and warm so I chopped the cornstalks and got the field ready for winter. This is the field where we grew sweetcorn, winter squash and pumpkins – all tidied up. 2022 was a grand season with over 15,000 lbs of food donated to 8 local and 2 regional food banks plus over 667 pumpkins donated to Kenwood Elementary School (harvested, washed and transported by student and parent volunteers). Many thanks to our army of volunteers and contributors – we couldn’t do this without you! (more after the pumpkin photos)
But hold on! It’s not too late! You can still be part of the project: we need to raise about $6,000 to pay our cooperating organic farmer, Dana Jokela of Sogn Valley Farm for his time, equipment, fuel and staff that helped get our crops in the ground. As of this writing we’re well on our way but please go to this GiveMN page and help put the season to bed (donations are tax-deductible and pass through The Food Group, one of our food bank partners).
Tractor view of chopping corn (click to play)
It’s a joy and a privilege to grow and share good food and it confounds me that in our rich, prosperous and fertile state there is so much need, so much hunger. One of our cooperating food banks, Channel One in Rochester, distributes a million pounds of food every month to food banks in southern Minnesota. A million pounds every month!
As long as this is true there is a need for our contributions. Again, please help out if you can, the need is enormous. You can donate on this GiveMN page.
And thank you.
A perfect harvest day greeted our 21 volunteers (and two dogs) on Saturday. In a bit over 4 hours we harvested nearly 6 tons (!!) of butternut, delicata and acorn squash which was delivered to The Food Group in the Twin Cities and Channel One Regional Food Bank in Rochester. These organizations distribute food to smaller food shelves in the Twin Cities and southeast Minnesota, respectively. Here’s a quick video of the team in action:
And here’s the hearty harvest crew. Huge thanks to (left to right) Julie (and Jenny), Nat Case, Cara M Rodriguez, Greg Soucha, Sarah Purdy, Mike Muehlbach (and Chuck), Isaac, Kim Muehlbach, Sarah York, Ari, Oswaldo Alvarado, Hans Barkei, Theresa Taylor, Sarah Furniss, Sarah McCarthy, Suzanne Rhees, Robin Murie, Jon Freise, Barb Pratt, Rachel FK, Marjorie Kostouros and Quinn McCauley.
Squash Harvest Volunteers, September 24th, 2022
On Monday and Tuesday I had the honor of delivering the squash to our food bank partners. For the record, the delivered weight of squash was: The Food Group delivery #1: 3,814 lbs; Channel One: 3,806 lbs; The Food Group #2: 4,076 for a grand total (so far) of 11,696 lbs! Here is some of the squash at The Food Group’s warehouse:
A portion of our winter squash in The Food Group’s warehouse
I went back to the farm yesterday and filled the pickup with another several hundred pounds of squash and all this is in addition to the estimated two tons of sweet corn we donated this year.
Of course, none of this would be possible without Dana Jokela of Sogn Valley Farm. Dana’s knowledge and counsel have been essential to our success and his equipment: greenhouses for growing baby squash and corn plants, tractors and tools for tillage and transplanting – have been the backbone of this whole endeavor. Please help us raise funds to help pay for Dana’s time, equipment and – significantly – fuel for his work on this project. Please donate on this GiveMN page.
Thank you!