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Farming methods Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Carolyn CAREs

Category: Farming methods

What Messages are our Readers Hearing?

Social media moves fast. Opinions are cast about, sometimes without further thought. At times, this is okay. Other times, we may have just washed our credibility down the drain.  It is sort of like the high school kid who posts a ton of inspirational Bible verses during the week, and all weekend there are photos of them either drunk, or with alcohol in hand at a party.  Which image are you going to remember? The underage drinking, or the Bible verses?

I like to follow certain agriculture blogs, and have found it worthwhile to connect with them on Twitter and Facebook as well. It seems to be a more complete picture of the message they would like to convey.  I know I’m not the only one, judging by the traffic on those sites.

Today, there was a lot of conversation going on about this speech that made the news last night.  I read the article, and decided to digest it a little while before commenting.  I watched my Facebook and Twitter feeds, looking to see what others had to say as well.

I have many friends that farm organically, and I have many friends that farm conventionally. When we are together, we do not throw barbs at one another, or make inflammatory remarks about their methods of farming. We are passionate about what we do, and want to promote our products. That is not a bad thing. Every farmer should be proud of what they raise.

There are times when passion takes over, and lines are crossed. It makes me sad when farmers are attacking one another, just because they farm differently. The trend this afternoon has been to take snippets of Mark’s speech (linked above), and use it to bolster their opinion.  How does this make us any better than the activists who are bent on putting us out of business, simply because they have an impassioned opinion about what we do?

Jonathan and I both share the opinion that there is room for all kinds of agriculture in the United States.  This means that I try very hard not to put down farming practices that are different from mine.  I learn more when I try looking at things from a different angle, or try understanding where another person is coming from.

To be honest, I was hoping people would react to Mark’s speech in a way that could heal some of the division we are seeing in agriculture. I would challenge others to view the speech not as validation for any one point of view, but as a courageous admission that maybe we don’t know everything.  I challenge my friends and neighbors to stand up for each other. Support the farmer’s choice for how they farm their land, or raise their animals. Our goals are all the same, really.

This leads me to ask, what messages are our readers hearing? The ones where we say agriculture needs to be united, or the messages where we put down that which is different than our own?

Organic Certification Inspection Day

We had our annual Organic Certification Inspection today.   We take pride in raising quality crops, and enjoy the working relationships that we have with our buyers.   The certification process helps our buyers know that what we are selling them has been raised according to the standards that have been set.

In May, we mailed in our 100+ page application and documentation forms.  It contained field history maps, cropping plans for the next 3-5 years for each field, lot numbers for each variety of seed, and our bin numbers along with what crop will be in each bin this fall.   Then we send in a check which basically pays them to come and inspect us.  We have about twice as much paperwork at home, compared to what we mail in.  Some of the paperwork comes naturally after farming organically since 1998.  Some things still have to be located before the inspection, which is where it can get a little nerve wracking.  Even though the annual inspection is once a summer, we usually get dropped in on 2 or 3 other times during the cropping season.

The inspector comes to the farm, and goes through all of our paperwork. Some of the things he checks are:

  • If you planted  all non-GMO seeds that were free from seed treatments and fungicides
  • If you sourced organically raised seeds
  • What steps you take to protect the organic crop from GMO cross pollination and spray drift; buffers between your crops and neighboring fields (including planting dates)
  • If your equipment has been used on any conventional crops or ground, and the steps taken to clean it for organic crops
  • Anything that you put on your fields was approved for organics by the certifying agency
  • Check soil tests to ensure you are building soil quality
  • Checking your 3-5 year cropping plans for each field
  • Checking your methods of weed control, and looking to see if you have things under control
  • How the crops are handled after harvest.  Was it placed in clean bins, were the buffer strips harvested separately and not co-mingled with organic crops
  • What cover crops are being used
  • Checking to see if each load of grain leaving the farm was accompanied by a clean truck affidavit signed by the owner (us) and the driver
  • Checking to see if the final fees based on percent of gross organic sales has been paid to the certifying agency
  • Reviewing daily log of field activities
  •  Reviewing each field history sheet, which includes any products applied to that field
  • Walking crop fields

There are other things they look for, but these are some of the bigger items.

Our family does not feel that organic farming is the only way to farm.  We are offering one of the choices that consumers are asking for.  We realize that organic farming is not for everyone, and we do not think less of our conventional neighbors.   We enjoy what we do, especially after a successful inspection!

The kitchen table, papers ready for inspection:

Things I’ve Learned

We started seeding our small grain this week – field peas, barley, and wheat.  You could say that I am Jonathan’s pit crew. Our drill needs to be folded up into transport mode to go down the road, and unfolded once we get into the field.  It is a two person job, so whenever Jonathan needs to move to a new location, I get a call.  I also help him load seed into the drill when I am needed – usually when a lot of bags are used as opposed to the mini-bulk system which involves a grain wagon and auger system.  After the first two days back out into the field, I have learned a few things…

  • Telling jokes and flirting with your favorite spouse while working makes the job a lot more pleasant. And it can help put you in a better mood.
  • Work boots are not great for running in.  They may have ankle support, but they are heavier than my running shoes, and not as flexible. And they don’t look as cute.
  • If you are going to go out and work with the boys, it is alright to look good. A little pink looks awesome with all of the green equipment.
  • Learning to ride a horse during the first two days of planting is not always a good idea.  Saddle sores on the bottom, and a stiff upper back can make you feel much older than you really are.
  • Running, and weight lifting with dumbbells will not prepare you enough for the lifting and pushing/pulling of farm work.  I wonder if someone could invent a machine for that for my local YMCA. Then I wouldn’t feel as wimpy in the spring.
  • I don’t like the wind. Okay, so I already knew this, but it was reinforced yesterday. I don’t like grit in my teeth. It is hard to laugh at a good joke and not get dirt in your mouth when the winds are blowing dust and dirt into every nook and cranny.
  • It is easy to work your way up the ladder at a rapid pace.  The first day it was 48 pound bags of barley. The second day it was 60 pound bags of wheat.  I’m thankful it rained. I don’t want to know what today’s bags would have weighed.

Even though it is a stressful time of year, learning to balance the farm wife part of my life with the mom and housewife part, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.  I may not have the fastest pit times in the neighborhood, but I’m working on it!

The Office