Rule One: Everything takes way more time than anticipated!

/
Sunset.jpg

   

 

 

Well, we *are* on the ground, but...Sunset

... we forgot rule one!  We rapidly remembered it as our first weeks post-closing were filled with cleaning and painting and unpacking (and then yet more cleaning, painting, and unpacking).

Cone of ShameSome of the highlights for this past week:

...We learned that there is a sweet up and coming sugar-bush in the back of the woods on the farm.  Hooray!!!

...We met some great people at yesterday's Shades of Green event in Madison County. ...Arlo helped us find a large amount of barbed wire in the woods (using his face), which led us to find a very nice vet in town!

 

Back from NOFA and Crop Planning!

/

   

 

 

Just got back from NOFA conference, and I am definitely a bit farmed out!  Most of the time farming I am by myself or with one or two other people, so it is pretty amazing (but also a wee bit exhausting) to be in such a great crowd of farmers and supporters of farming!

I am going to attempt to (use my admittedly limited computer tech skills and) link to my presentation power point, in case anyone wants to check out the notes from my crop planning workshop.  If the link is dead when you hit it, please CONTACT ME and I will share a Google Doc file to the link with you.

NOFA NY 2012 Workshop Powerpoint: How to Get the Vegetables You Want, When You Want Them Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Handout of Resources from the Workshop: (these include tons of places you can find sample spreadsheets or help estimating the conditions/yields/seed needs for your operation) How to Get the Vegetables You Want, When You Want Them

Off to NOFA-NY winter conference!

/

   

 

 

Matt and I are packing up and getting ready to head out to the 2012 Northeast Organic Farming Association-NY winter conference.  We love this conference (if it's possible to love a conference) for the awesome people we have met there, the tons of things we have learned, and the overall enjoyment of being in a place with a lot of other farmers.

The first year we moved to NY (in 2008), it really amazed us to be at an organic farming conference with so many people participating.  (and so many vendors!)  Even after years of going to different workshops and trade shows, that was really the first time we were at an event that focused on sustainability, yet had real large tractors and equipment for sale.  (I suspect that Matt just really wanted to move to NY from NH so we could work fields large enough that he could justify getting a big tractor.)

This year is a little scary (but mostly exciting) for us since it's the first time we will be out representing Hartwood Farm in public, for real.  Email us (on our contact us page) if you are there and want to meet us and talk about the farm!  Also, come check out my workshop--How to Get the Vegetables You Want, When You Want Them (Sat at 2:30) which is all about crop planning and setting up spreadsheets (exciting, I know...).