Is it really 6 to 8 weeks before last frost, already?

HA! Look at that photo: Not crooked enough for me!

We did some sowing today, tobesure. Wonderful to sow seeds, directly into the ground, on 29 January. Right into the soil of the cold frame, hoop house, where the ground temp is 50degrees. We have been starting flats of the earliest stuff too, like broccoli.

This particular flat of broccoli seed was supposed to be put in the house on the heat mat under some grow lamps before the end of the work day. However, at this writing I am remembering that I forgot to put it inside. It must be sitting on the concrete pad near the shop, where I set this afternoon. Oops. Now I can only hope the rain that is falling is not too strong where as it washes the soil and seed from the tray...

A to B to C to F

When down on the farm, we might think we have a plan. We know what it is we are going to do. However, there may be slight delays or tiny problems. For example, not planning each move or contingency, or really, thinking of everything first, before starting.

By no means do we start in the middle of a task. That gets a farmer no where and it takes forever to get there. It's just that when trying to do X, B C D and E must be done first. Only one didn't know that D and E were part of the project. So, if A was the goal, it is by now F. Some of the middle parts are beneficial side effects which is nice. I mean, they were on the List somewhere.

Take Monday:
Big day! We are going to till inside the cold frame! The north end of the cold frame has a removable panel large enough to allow passage for the Kubota, the Farms lovely Orange tractor. Easy-peezee: remove panel. Drive tractor in, and till. Well, in case you haven't been paying attention, It Is January. Which means the tiller is in the back far away from the cold frame. In essence in cold storage. Alright, no big deal. Take a drive to the back and hook 'er up!

We have a thing called the Blade that attaches to the tractor that is used for scrapping coops and barns. It is currently attached to tractor. Well, seeing as how we have not scraped the Goat barn yet and it is on the way to the other implements, we'll just go head and git that did. OK, so Scrapie scrapie. Done. More fuel for the compost pile. Sweet! Also, another thing to move down the List. Now the blade can be unhooked. Speaking of moving, let's go ahead and move the brush-hog to a better storage place so chickens stop laying eggs under it. Hook it up and move it and unhook. And! Lettuce move the goats to new pasture. Which means we have to Hot Up the netting delineating the chicken yard out back in order to discourage the Does from venturing into the that area. Add a couple of gallons of Bio-fuel to the tractor tank at this point.

Now. Now we can attach the tiller! And oh my, what a beautiful site. The freshly tilled earth is dark and odoriferous and fluffy. Ready to receive the seed. Which by the way, we did sow. That's right! Tatsoi, Arugula, Mesclun, Kale, all went in to get the Party started!! Oh what a day!! Like spring it was.

Replace Panel.

Full circle. Can you dig the connectedness?

WISH LIST

Oh man, is it ever easy to come up with Things to wish for:

cultivating tractor.
dump trailer.
bobcat or some other brand of little front loader/skid steerer
forty-eight thousand dollars.

WISH LIST

So here is an idea for a regular, or at least semi-regular, i. e. when I think about, post title or topic called, WISH LIST.

This list will be composed of, that's right, wishes. Wishes for things I would like to have down on the farm. And everyone knows that if wishes were fishes we would all cast nets.

I WISH we had a chipper! Not some tiny twig chomper like from the Homo Depot. But, a great big fucker to eat up whole trees if we want. One of the giant jobies from Vermeer or Morbark. A self feeding monster that is towed behind a truck or a tractor and has a winch to pull huge piles of brush right into the maw.

It's just a wish so I am going for broke. With a piece of equipment like this we can chip up the ten or so brush piles in, frankly, no time at all. Seriously, an entire 25 foot cherry tree can be reduced to wood chips in 5 minutes!

The beauty of having one of these is that all generated material stays on the farm. All nutrients tied up in the tree, for example, goes right back, eventually, into the soil, the land that comprises the Farm. None of it is carried away, or even set afire and burned up in smoke.
And well, that just makes me happy!

I WISH we had a wood chipper!

Clukin' Crazy

Yeah, it's more about chickens. I cant help it, the dirty birds are on my mind.

There are a few loony cluckers that go straight for my eyes every time I reach in to gather eggs. I am not kidding, people. These fowl-ettes scream and crash, blast off flapping for my face. They mean me no good and aim to damage. I have to duck for cover. Or, rather, I would duck for cover if I wasn't afraid the ol' whirling plumage rampagers would escape and run crazy in the barn whilst I danced around, trying to catch them. Instead, I face my fear and block with one hand, hockey style with the waffle, and make the save. I must admit I do not have a 100 percent save rating, but who does really?

And another thing, I have clipped wings. Caught an unruly escapee, grabbed the scissors, spread wing open, and snip snip snip. That is a thing in life I never thought I would do. It's not bad at all. Thank you Farming!!

Production Away!

Away? Heck, it's more like get out of the way. Of the chickens, that is.

Attention! Attention! The Hens have turned the Layers ON! A complete turn around in mere days. December saw nary a dozen eggs laid all week. Now, Bang! A dozen every hour almost!

Each day has more sun light available and the temperature has been pretty steady lately. No freezing or way below freezing nights, and, perhaps a serious reduction in the rooster population contributes to the glorious bounty. A neighbor suggested a fun old-farmers-tale concerning hens and the sudden seasonal egg outburst. She said when the lawn changes color(increases in green a shade), the chickens get to making eggs. Oh, how I love seasonal changes and the obvious connectedness of life, the world, and every thing....

GOT EGGS? click here to get some.

What just happened?? and blah blah blah

Crymini! Let a few days past with out a post, and, blam! What the hell happened?

I cant begin to remember what all has gone down down on the Farm lately...

OK. Try a little free-flow form:
Planning, lots of planning--new ground to prep; trees to fell for over creek bridge; sow seeds for indoor starts; what is the crop rotation? When does what go where? How? Who?? Man, there is serious shit to consider. New cold-frame? What size? Financing? Water pumps for water harvesting tanks? $? I don't feel the "flow"...

Yep. I am pooped. Feel bewildered. Now, I know I moved a huge pile of saw dust today. And built a compartment for plastic pot storage today, and buttoned up the scrap wood mess(a project wholly completed:)), and of course, chased some damn chickens from where they ain't suppose to be back to the coop, and collected eggs every hour. But, most of that was not on my list for today. So that means I will be starting tomorrow behind schedule. And, it is Already Wednesday and the week is nearly over. There is a shortage of time. I want to Farm for far more hours than are available each day. And now maybe I am being a whiny baby.

One thing I can remember from past days is complaining about chickens: Chickens Make work.

The boogers are awesome! I mean, let's do the List: Eggs! Meat! Fertilizer! (get ready, here it comes) BUT, they make work for a body. They are forever getting into places where they are not suppose to be. Chickens have a confined area including coop, yard, roost, and laying boxes. Feed, too. No shortage of yummy-good-for-chickens scratch and pelletized yummyness. And yet those bitches are all over everywhere on the farm. They probably escape and get trapped by accident. However, I have seen them learn and I have seen a single chicken start a trend; others just blindly follow.

And speaking of bitches, the majority down on the farm is female. Dogs, both female. Goats, all six female. Chickens? Well, we count roosters as bitches, too...looks like by now ol' Tim is making the list as well.

Drew is really kicking around CSA ideas these days. Hard to believe we get to start that wonder again already, in five months. Very exciting, really. New gigs wanna get thrown in the mix this year: Work Shares, pot lucks, increased participants. We will be ready and we will have Food!! And forgoodnessakes, it is some good eats.

Speaking of good eats, an egg customer told me that she and her family have tried many area farm fresh eggs and Drew's have the best flavor. Rock on! Laughing Duck Farm chicken eggs can be purchased right down on the farm. Also, during the season look for them and other goodies at the Corvallis Farmers Markets!! That's right, Saturday and Wednesday. And!! Check it out! Very cool indeed: Corvallis Local Foods

Thanks for listening.

Something special?

Guest Post by Ahnonni Moose.

Friends, let me welcome you to the Crooked Furrow kick-off blog entry. I had to do this guest post because otherwise the farmers would never get round to it. They are busy dudes. And right sexy. Oh, yea. You should get down there and see fer yourself. Better call first, just so they know you're comin'. Not that they'll be up to no good or nothin'. It's courteous and that way they know when to expect visitors. Don't have your hopes up about seein' them work shirtless in the summertime though. These guys are professionals. Well, at least sensible; apply and re-apply sunscreen, big hats and oft times long-sleeves.

OK. So the Crooked Furrow? WTF? I know that's what is on your mind. Heck, my mind too. And who the blazes am I, anyway? This aint 'bout me at all, y'all. It is about a Small Farm named Laughing Duck Farm. See, there are ducks and there were ducks, none which is laughin' now. That is two wholly different tales. Worth telling fer sure, but I don't know, not happy ones. Gruesome one of them is, reckon. Tuther is nice in a adopted-a-duck sorta way. These tales might get telled someday.

Looks like I got distracted. That'll happen. What was I goin' on about? Crooked Furrow is what a farmer gets when he doesn't use a string-line to determine the straight and narrow for the crop rows. I side with at least one of the LDF farmers, the Lesser, or assistant farmer: straight aint great and it is all done by hand anyways. No GPS or some shit. Why, my old Gramps use to say,"Anything too perfectly lined up looses something." He was talkin' 'bout a brick patio, I think. So, well, these red hot farmers apply it to the rows of food they grow.

Neither of the middle aged, beefcake, hard working, hunky farmers, are themselves crooked. At least not in a criminal sense, but in a adjective sense.

These guys are family men. Dreamers. Hard workers. Food providers for a few. Eager, ready willin' and able to provide for more, right in the community.

Which, dig the segway, brings me to CSA.

What is CSA? Of course the letters stand for Community Supported Agriculture. But, what is it?
shareholders. trading goods and/or services. local(at least not involving thousands of miles of travel and packaging). many hands. help. support. shared transport. delivery/drop off. markets...purchase a set amount of weekly goods, ahead of time, for a predetermined cost, and enjoy. Take it to the next level and get your hands in the dirt; harvest, pull weeds or otherwise contribute to the Farm! The Farm and its supporters are a community in its self. A'right then. Gettin' a little deep for old Ahnonni...

Tis a thing worth contemplating. Worth being involved in, a part of. Tis sustainable for the farm, the farmers, and for families.

That's it, folks. Get in there and be a part of It!! Farmers need you and y'all need Farmers.

Thank ya.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ok, so that was something I had asked for months ago, to get the ball rolling as it were. Better late than never. Thanks heaps, Ahnonni!

At an end,

I found this bit lying round in email folder limbo and thought I would post it now because I didn't then and there is no going back to do so so as to ensure its freshness. Does that make any sense?

Season's End
9 Nov 09

All that is left now is to look back on what has past. It would seem that the longest farming season I have yet to farm has ended, already. Also, I am reminded that of all the "Farmer's tans" I have had in my life, this year's was the first from farming!

Funny how a person can be so busy, in the moment or its groove, that he can't see it happening; if one does not stop to breath deep or look up, one can miss whole days.

And how are we to judge a season of CSA a success or failure? I think we have to wait til the start of the next season. Wait and see what Shareholders return, and how many new ones join and participate. Or, I guess, an accounting of bills, income, receipts and feedback...

I must say the food we grew tasted beautiful. What a treat to eat! The best bean I ever ate was yellow and warm from the sun. Pick and eat. Nothing like eating a veggie in the veggie field seconds after harvesting.

Another treat to farming is noticing the surroundings. We spend a lot of time bent over, on all fours, nose to the furrow. The best idea sometimes is stop, for 10 seconds, stand up, look up and around. Where am I? Ahh. Yes. What delicious air and an enjoyable view in all directions.

I feel somewhat a failure, I cannot recall all the varieties of the fruits and vegetables we produced this year. I will try a general list right now:

cherry tomatoes. tomatoes. purple potatoes. red and russet pots too. onions. leeks. garlic. sweet and bell and baby-bell peppers. Hot ones and Italian ones. ground cherries. watermelon. cantelopes. summer squash and winter. corn. filet beans. purple beans and green. lettuce(s). eggplant. okra. pie pumpkin. purple cabbage. broccoli and cauliflower. beets. carrots. chard. kale. basil. cilantro. sweet cherries and pie cherries. brussel sprouts. apples. strawberries. kohlrabi. radish. cucumber. snap peas and shelling peas. collard. dill.

sumpin' 'bout chickens

I reckon I will always be amazed by the complexity of farming. There are untold relationships down on the farm. I know, I know, I am hitting a pretty big subject here and it is unfair of me to tic off such a short post, but hey, it's Friday. Nigh on the next day(11:49 pm) and I'm tired, so short and sweet and just crooked enough to keep me thinking.

chickens: We have about 165 chickens. They consume a lot of time, and feed. They also provide a lot. Chickens are Food, whether it be eggs or meat or fuel for the soil. Fuel? Yes, fuel. Remember, I said they consume a lot of feed? So that means they generate a lot of...

Anyway, the amazing part is how varied tasks can be concerning these birds. Why, just the other day, Thursday in fact, Farmer Drew and I occupied the same space, a close proximity, doing very different things for the chickens. My duty was to build a roost for the night-time snoozey activities and Farmer Drew was culling the roosters and processing them for meat. Very different things, indeed. All connected.

It all helps and it is all farming!

And, I could go no and on. But not today. Good night.

Make, Making, Made a list, or seven

There is nothing I have encountered as long as a Farmer's TO DO list. Even as tasks are scratched off more are added. Some are completed but never scratched off, they instead, are moved to the bottom only to come back round again. And do they come back round. The very next day even.

Fact is there is a daily to do list; a weekly, monthly, seasonal and annual to do list, too. Never shortening, always lengthening. No fear of running out of things to do...no chance to be bored down on the farm.

Farmer Drew and I whacked out a TO DO list or two just this afternoon. For grins and giggles I'm going to whack one out right now:

Feed the chickens.
Feed the ducks.
Check all livestock water.
Collect eggs.
Count goats.
Feed dogs.
Clean nesting boxes.
Wash eggs.
Build Table-saw bench.
Change filter and oil in tractor.
Build roost.
Repair old roost.
Strengthen/repair fence.
Move section(s) of electric fence.
Till ground.
Start seedlings indoors.
Sell CSA shares.
Sow seed.
Grow food.
Take food to market(s).
Pull weeds.
Pull weeds.
Pull weeds.
Harvest.
Cultivate.
Harvest.
Prune orchard.
Spread compost, mulch.
Clean gutters.
Harvest rainwater.
Sweep barn.
Prune berry shrubs and canes.
Scrape coop and goat barn.
Delivery eggs.
Delivery CSA weekly boxes.
Fell trees.
Buck trees.
Chop firewood.
Cull chickens.

Scratching the surfaces, folks. This is by no means a complete list. A representation only. Trouble is most of the list components are kept in the head and scrolled strobe fashion across closed eye lids at night.

Oh, it's you. Welcome to the show.

Just crooked enough, I like to say. Slanty window covers, wavy lines, and crooked furrows. Perfectly straight is creepy, man. UnNatural. Farming is real, to me(understand this is all about me) when I am down in the dirt doing my level best to get the job done. I am always making a hard, honest go of it. To make it all just crooked enough.

A few other catch phases the Farmer and I throw around regular come to mind presently. Heck, they might be motto's, or mantras, words to live by, and plain old good ideas:

"That's Farming." "Quick and dirty." "Temporary permanence."

Pretty much these three phrases can be said all together as one. Add a little crooked-ness, and well, you got yourself a Farmer, his helper, and Laughing Duck Farm...

Now listen. We are not crooks, lawless swindlers hurting the populace. No. Quite the opposite. We do CSA; Community Supported Agriculture. Which means it is pert near impossible for us to hurt folks. We grow food for people. And there ain't nothing bad or wrong with that! Statistically speaking, the greatest, most helpful low- impact thing a body can do is, Grow Food!! So just to aid in clarification and relieve some snarky tendencies, look here and groove on the likes of curved, bent, and lopsided, and never mind the negative definitions.

(And yes, I made up the whole statistically speaking thing. And no, the photo is not of the darling LDF. Merely the winner of a random pick from google images)