Thanks to Chad and Mike, Emery and Dennis! We have trusses up, a roof, basement stairs and interior walls. With some windows and doors we’ll be able to work on the interior no matter what happens with the weather . . . Up in the woods I’ve nearly completed the snowshoeing/mushroom trail. Also thinking about the next growing season, but more about that in the next post.
View from the North on 5 November, 2011
Chad building the interior walls
Mike with the cellar stairs.
What an amazing weekend! In a complex two-day dance, folks from multiple communities came together at the farm to build, sheath and raise all the walls for the new farm office.
My heart was near to bursting as I watched people with different levels of skill, experience and physical strength working together in elegant cooperation: encouraging, respectful and playful. While having fun and enjoying friends old and new, I’m guessing a lot of folks learned things about building, wood, tools and more. Special thanks are due to the more experienced framers and carpenters who patiently helped the rest of us make meaningful contributions. The place glowed with a warm spirit that filled my heart – words can’t capture how it felt. I am enormously fortunate to know so many big-hearted folks and to get to share experiences like this.
Thank you, each and every one not only for the hard work and great results, but even more for the inspiring friendship, spirit, generosity, fun and music you brought to the Sogn Valley this weekend.
Big big thanks to John, Chad and Tracey for getting the sill, rim joists, floor joists and subfloor in in just a day. Wow, do I have skilled, hard-working and talented friends (who are darn good company to boot!).
Straw drying on the big field after combining the oats
Time to think about next year. The oats are combined and sold, the straw is in the pole barn (waiting for a customer – anyone need a round bale or 22?) and Tou Pau’s corn is gone though there are still squash and over-ripe cucumbers in his field.
What have I learned so far? The oats/alfalfa plan is a good one for organic transition but not for the long-term: there isn’t enough profit in the crops to pay the rent. The future of this farm needs to include higher value crops – but which ones? I’m intrigued by hops and my grape-growing neighbor is encouraging me, but what else?
I’ve been approached by one individual who’d like to use a portion of the tillable acreage for a CSA. I wonder if anyone else would like to propose something. For next season I need to realize some income from the land but am open to non-cash returns as well. Beyond that whatever happens needs to:
- continue progress towards organic certification and
- add to the knowledge base of the farm: what works, what doesn’t, why?
With 25 tillable acres there is room for more than one project. At the moment I’m thinking that two or three trials might be good with the balance in hay (that’s what the alfalfa’s for).
What are the best next steps for this farm? Pondering . . .