Posts Tagged ‘Sustainable Farming’
Berm 1 Trees and Shrubs, September 2015
Most are doing well, a few have failed. Also in the mix are chives and daffodils, but exact locations not noted. At the moment it looks like another 19 trees and 13 shrubs to complete the berm next spring . . . Here’s the current listing, east to west. Shrubs in italics. [Planted 2015] Rhubarb Apple: Roxbury…
Read MoreBerm Planting Progress
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:…
Read MoreBeautiful Farm Looking for a Farmer
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…
Read MoreA “Family-scale” Farm
What name can I give to the vision I have of a farm enterprise that is ecologically resilient and economically viable? I’ve been using a string of adjectives to describe the farm(s) I’d like to finance: small-scale, sustainable, diversified, etc. Perhaps I’m overly romantic, but the notion of “family farm” nearly hits the mark –…
Read MoreThe Golf Course
In a few weeks some friends will be getting married at the farm so I’m trying to spiff up the place for the occasion. The old tractor that I use for mowing is being a bit temperamental so I’ve used it and the trail mower and a regular four-cycle lawn mower to get the ‘lawn’…
Read MoreLooking to Next Spring
I’m thinking about next year. If you’ve been down to visit you may have noticed that our tillable acreage naturally falls into four or five fields as you can see in the aerial photo below. At the moment all but the smallest field are in alfalfa – good for organic transition. It’s now been over…
Read MoreWhat’s my line?
At a delightful gathering of young farmers mixer last night, sponsored by Concrete Beet Farmers and The Greenhorns, and hosted by Andy and Betsy at Spring Winds Farm, I got to talk with a number of farmers about my vision for our farm in Sogn. When people asked me about what I’m doing right now,…
Read MoreBeautiful Canvas Needs Artist
The picturesque Sogn Valley near Cannon Falls, Minnesota has seduced me. With no farming experience but a passion for sustainable agriculture we went and bought a 55 acre farm in this lovely area. The farm includes 25-30 acres of rich bottomland with a small creek running through it, the balance is south-facing woodland with old…
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