Farm Work

Mike Birch

Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 8:00 AM

Hi everyone.

The season is starting and Clare and I are working hard planting and harvesting. Of course, there is also feeding the soil as well as seeding and thinning to be done. It is a good thing we like to farm, else we'd be very unhappy with all the work. As it is, we're having the time of our lives.

Clare and I are still new to farming. The rule of thumb is that you can't be considered an experienced farmer until you've been farming for ten years. And that applies to corn and soybean farmers. I dare say that running a diversified vegetable operation magnifies the complexities.

As luck would have it, there are lots of resources for beginning organic farmers, and we've leaned heavily
on some of them. We've been fortunate to visit many organic farms in Illinois and Wisconsin. Seeing a living farm where sustainable methods are practiced is invaluable. It helps so much to see a working example.

If you're interested in learning how to farm sustainably, please contact us. We are a no-till farm, so we have a unique organic farm experience to offer. No-till means we can sequester carbon in the soil, keeping a greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere. We also focus on the soil food web, the original source of soil fertility. I'm a firm believer in learning through doing, so come on down and help out.