Farm Report: June 2008
by Kelle Carter

I don’t think I need to mention that this is a busy time of year at the farm. The trees are budding out, the birds are singing and the weeds are waking from their winter hibernation. We are working hard to get all of our crops in the ground. The farm and gardens have been blessed with a wonderful crew of hard-working interns who are helping, with great enthusiasm, to make quick work of our planting schedule. 

This summer we have two returning interns, Evan Snow and Lindsay Dozoretz, who are assisting in additional sustainability efforts. Both Lindsay and Evan have begun to create a biodesiel processor, which will make fuel for the tractor. Evan has increased his flock of chickens to include turkeys, and the birds seem to already have quite an appetite for grasshoppers. Other interns include Koby Jeschkeit-Hagen who is designing and building a composting toilet, Paul Simoneau who is working to help us achieve our goal of producing on-site compost, and Scott Chaput who is helping Lindsay and Evan in the production of biodesiel. Nellie Geraghty, who has recently finished her first year of study at the Maryland Institute of Art, will be helping to establish permanent works of art throughout our gardens and creating murals on some of our tool sheds. Marie Douglas, fresh from six months working on the UC Santa Cruz farm, will be landscaping the gardens around the intern house and helping to beautify the property with the end result being a public garden space available for tours.

In addition to new interns, we also had some unexpected guests this spring. A pair of great horned owls made a nest in one of our ancient cottonwood trees and successfully reared a pair of owlets. This was no easy accomplishment, due to the intense wind they had to endure in the early spring months. One morning, in the end of April, we came to work to find the baby owls shivering on the ground, their nest 30 feet above. The wind had blown them out of the nest during the night. We called the local wildlife center and they recommended that we keep them warm in a box and then call the electric company to come with one of their trucks with the extendable arms. Sure enough, they came and placed the pair back in the nest, and within 15 minutes an adult owl came swooping out of a nearby tree and fed the little ones. The young owls seem to be doing fine and we expect them to fly off and start their own nests soon.

Last month we began the first class in our series of three permaculture classes led by Scott Pittman with guest lecturers. The class, taught by Scott and Toby Hemenway (see Toby’s book Gaia’s Garden), was a great success, gathering over 40 people from all over the country to our farm to learn techniques and practices of permaculture. The class focused on the principles of permaculture with an emphasis on how to really see and observe your plot of land before making any major changes. We also discussed the patterns found in nature and how they can be emulated in our designs to improve the land. It was interesting to also think about the patterns encountered in human interactions and how these need to be considered when looking at the whole picture that is a permaculture plan. Our next class in the series will be in July and will focus on gray water systems and water catchment—crucial to achieving sustainability in our high-desert environment. We are lucky to have “water-harvester” Brad Lancaster to assist Scott in the next class. 

Well, back to field. Today we will plant 25 different types of lettuce and 6 varieties of okra. If you are in the area or planning a summer trip, we encourage everyone to visit our farm for our fall farm tours. The dates are August 10 and September 14—sign up soon, as space is limited.

Happy Planting,

Kelle Carter
Farm Field Coordinator

Photo Captions: (1) Our flock of chickens was joined by several young turkeys this year as part of intern Evan Snow's livestock project (2) Our team of interns for summer 2008: (L to R) Scott Chaput, Paul Simoneau, Koby Jeschkeit-Hagen, Nellie Geraghty, Lindsay Dozoretz, and Evan Snow. Absent from photo: Marie Douglas. (3) A pair of visiting great horned owls recently raised two owlets in one of our old cottonwood trees