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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!
Note: This entry was originally written last Thursday…dictated to Anna, as we were heading down the road.
I was thinking this morning about the movie “Parenthood” with Steve Martin. There is a scene where he is having an argument with his wife about accepting her pregnancy. He is not sure he can handle the chaos and uncertainty of the new child. The grandmother comes in and starts talking about roller coasters. She loves them – the anticipation of the climb towards the top (the clicking of the chain as it pulls the cars up), and the thrill once you are over the hill and rushing back down. She goes on to say that some people cannot handle the roller coasters. They don’t like the ride. They just ride on the merry-go-round. Then she leaves the room. Steve Martin’s character completely misses her point until later in the scene when they are attending their daughter’s school play. The youngest son charges on stage, thinking they are hurting his sister. Chaos ensues, and the audience starts yelling that Martin’s son is ruining the play. Then Martin starts feeling like he is on the roller coaster, and you hear the clicking and the screaming associated with those on the ride with him (the camera angles make it look as if the whole auditorium is on the coaster). Martin looks like he is about to become sick, and is not enjoying this ride at all. But then he turns and looks at his wife, who is laughing and enjoying the ride. He then starts to look at things from a different perspective. The ride doesn’t seem so scary after all.
This last month has been a roller coaster ride for our family. We started out in May with small grain seeding and Mother’s Day. This was the exciting part of the ride. The day after Mother’s Day, I hurt my knee while helping Jonathan with the grain drill. I “bruised the heck out of the knee-cap” as my doctor put it, and wound up on crutches for two weeks. A month later, I still cannot bend it all the way, although most days are relatively pain free. I found out that I am not a very patient patient. I had too many plans and activities to have to deal with this. I had to learn to accept help from others, which is a difficult thing for me to do. During that time, I started to feel more anxiety and felt a little depressed because I couldn’t help Jonathan or do as much as I wanted to. The bright spots during this time were when the girls moved home from college and the visit from our exchange daughter’s parents. Christina and Laura were able to work with Jonathan, helping to plant corn and soybeans along with other field work. I was very proud of the way they jumped in to help.
Viktoria’s parents immediately felt like family, and we all connected like friends who had known each other for a long time. Melanie and Ulrich helped prepare for Viktoria’s going away party. Ulrich even did some field work! Melanie jumped in and helped out in the kitchen. As fun as this was, I could hear the roller coaster clicking… We said good-bye to our German family on May 28th. Many tears were shed on both sides as the roller coaster came rushing down the hill.
Things were pretty smooth for awhile, until we got word that our Pastor’s wife had passed away. Candy was a bright spot in many lives. She had many health challenges, but she handled them all with grace. We loved visiting with her and getting to see hints of her humor along with her compassion. We will miss her.
The following day, we attended church, where the atmosphere was rather somber. Late that afternoon, we were outside enjoying the beautiful evening before a game of cat and mouse broke out. We were having a little fun with the 4-wheeler and Ranger Utility Vehicle, taking turns on who was the “cat” and who was the “mouse”. This is a game we have played many times. You could say it is a favorite of ours. But, you know what they say, “it’s all fun and games until someone winds up in the ER at 10:00 on a Sunday night.” I was the “cat” on the 4-wheeler while Jonathan and Anna played the “mouse” on the Ranger. The cat was about to pounce, when the mouse darted, tipping the Ranger onto its side. Anna had her seat belt on and was okay (she would bruise where the seat belt held her, but otherwise was okay). Jonathan went to the house quickly after he crawled out, clutching his hand. I went into the house to check on him, asking if he was okay. He asked me to get him an ice pack and take him to the hospital right away. This is never good coming from him. He usually argues that it isn’t necessary. I grabbed the ice pack and a towel, checked on the girls, and then we left for the ER. After much fussing, pain meds, x-rays, cleaning and stitching, we were able to leave around 1:00 am. The following morning, Jonathan had surgery to place two pins in his broken left index finger. They also cleaned out the cuts on his finger and stitched them up. While he was under, they scrubbed the rest of his abrasions to help prevent infection. His middle finger was also broken, so he now sports a cast surrounding the first two fingers on his left hand, extending up his forearm. They sent him home with pain medicine and heavy antibiotics. He had quite a bit of pain until later in the week. He will be in a cast until the first week in July. Can you hear the screams as we are hurling through the loops on this roller coaster?
Today (Thursday), we attended Candy’s funeral. I am having Anna write this entry as we are driving on our way to Austin, MN to meet her ride to Milwaukee. She will be spending the summer there with Campus Crusade. This is the part of the ride where the clicking begins again. Friday, Saturday and Sunday I will be at the SW MN Synod Assembly, where we will spend time in worship and Bible study, business will be conducted, workshops presented, and fellowship will happen. It will be a fun yet exhausting time for those of us on the planning committee.
As much as I fear the anxiety of the approaching descent of this phase of the roller coaster of life, I am finding that it is much better than just going in circles on the merry-go-round. I am surrounded by people who love me even though I am not completely healed. But more importantly, I am surrounded by the arms of Jesus, who is sitting on the seat beside me riding with me the whole way.
Photo: (back) Jonathan and Ulrich, Viktoria, (front) Carolyn and Melanie
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!
We decided to stay in Parsippany, NJ and take the train into the City for the two days we had to sightsee. The first day was all on our own. The second day, we would be meeting at Chatham Imports before going to lunch with Joe and Connie.
The train ride into the City reminded us of the Polar Express, when the conductor came down the aisle to punch our tickets. We looked to see if he punched any words in them, but he didn’t. Our train destination was Penn Station, which is under ground. When we rode the escalator up to street level the first time, we were all breathless. The view was absolutely incredible. We were in New York City. On Fashion Avenue. Blocks from Broadway and Times Square. Un-be-liev-able!
We pretty much walked everywhere the first day. We ate at a McDonald’s that has appeared on Travel Channel shows, walked past the theater where we would be seeing Mary Poppins the following night, and walked into Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum to purchase tickets for our sightseeing bus tour. We figured the bus tour would be a good bet, since we could get a feel for the city without wearing Anna out. Unfortunately, their dry spell ended that day. We were given rain ponchos to wear while we were on the top level of the bus, but it was raining much too hard for them to keep us dry. Jon and I ended up sitting below, where the windows were fogged over, and there was little ventilation. Me, being claustrophobic, thought I was going to die. Every time the bus slowed down for a stop, water cascaded down the steps from the upper deck into the lower level. We eventually got off at a stop without knowing exactly where we were. We were just about to call a cab, when another bus pulled up that had a plastic cover over the front of the upper seats. It was the Brooklyn tour. The rain showers had let up by this point, so we jumped on and had a great tour of Brooklyn. When the tour was finished, we walked back to Penn Station to catch the train to our hotel. We would have to be on the ball the next morning so we wouldn’t be late for our meeting.
The weather was definitely better the following day, although trains were running late through the tunnel between New Jersey and New York due to flooding from the deluge the day before. We had to hurry from Penn Station to Chatham’s in order to get there in time. Thanks to the GPS on my Smartphone, we made it.
The office itself was pretty small, but everyone was very friendly. The secretary is originally from Iowa, and made us feel very welcome the way Midwesterners do. Connie brought us into the conference room, where Joe joined us a short time later. They asked the girls a ton of questions, just getting to know them, and making sure they were experiencing the City the way they were hoping to.
After hearing more about their company, Jonathan and I were invited to have a sampling of the vodka made from our corn. Chatham’s markets three flavors of organic vodka under the Crop label – plain, tomato, and cucumber. We learned the proper way to taste test without getting intoxicated before lunch. 🙂 It amazed me how the tomato and cucumber vodkas tasted just like fresh from the vine produce. We next tasted their organic gin, which is marketed under the Farmers Gin label. I had never tasted gin before, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The taste of juniper was very pronounced, but when we did the “spit” part of the taste test, the flavor of lemon filled my mouth. For fun, we were given tastes of Joe’s favorite Biscotti liqueur, which tasted just like the cookie. We chatted for a few more minutes, then we were off to lunch.
Next… lunch!
The girls in their rain ponchos before hopping on the bus
Now that harvest is wrapped up, and traveling is done for awhile, I can catch up on my blogging!
A few weeks after the visit from Joe, Connie, and Jim, we received a package in the mail. It was a box from Joe and Connie, containing gifts for Jonathan and I…and Pongo, our rat terrier. They sent Jonathan an Hermes tie, and I received an Hermes scarf. They also sent a thank-you note with another invitation to visit them in New York. That really started the wheels turning in Jonathan’s head!
It is tradition in our family that the graduate gets to choose the summer family vacation destination before they head off to college. Anna chose the Iowa Speedway for the inaugural Nationwide Series race. (She was hoping to see Joey Logano, her favorite driver. Sadly, he was not there.) Christina wanted to go to Los Angeles or Hollywood, but I was trying to talk her into staying in the Midwest. Then we received the second invitation to visit New York. Christina, with Jonathan’s full support, quickly chose New York City as her family vacation destination. The first week of July we were still trying to find an open week in our schedules. We narrowed it down to the week of July 10 – 17. That gave us about 3 days to make all of our travel arrangements, and line up help for chores. Not to mention our town’s celebration, and my very first 5k attempt…
Jonathan contacted Connie, who was thrilled that we would be coming. She asked what we were planning on seeing while in the City, and gave Jonathan some ideas. Christina really wanted to see a Broadway show, and walk in Central Park. The girls all wanted a chance to shop a little, which was no surprise. Connie asked which Broadway show we wanted to see, which we left up to Christina. Wicked was sold out, so she chose Mary Poppins, since we all love the movie.
We packed up, loaded the van, and headed east. We put in a long day on that first day, getting past Chicago. Lessons learned…take frequent breaks to stretch and get the blood flowing, drink a lot of water, and don’t eat salty snacks.
Next up – our arrival and first day in New York City.
This is me, back home after my very first 5k at Cottonwood Coming Home Days. We left the following day for New York.
Twenty two years ago, I went from city girl to farm wife. I moved three hours away from my family and friends to start a new life with my husband, Jonathan. We were married in a drought year, which meant harvest had started within a few days of our wedding. We decided to come home a day or two early from our honeymoon to help my father-in-law.
Our house had been “decorated” by Jonathan’s friends, so we had a little clean-up to attend to before we could help move corn wagons. My in-laws had surprised one of the guys doing the decorating, and suggested we enter the house carefully. After a little cleaning and unpacking, I learned how to hook up the wagons to the John Deere 4020. Eventually, I learned how to drive the 4020, and how to unload the corn into the bin. It was a lot for me to remember and I made many mistakes. Jonathan and his dad were so patient with me, that I wasn’t afraid to try all the new things.
The patience and caring that I was shown as a new bride in a new atmosphere has had a lasting impact. I try to live by those same principles, and treat others with respect and care. Their example has also fueled a passion for agriculture and its importance in our world.
Jonathan and I have three beautiful teenage daughters. We have both become active in our church and community. I am currently serving as president of our county Farm Bureau, and have served on a few State Farm Bureau committees. I look forward to sharing some of my perspectives with you about the farming industry, and what goes on in our family during the different seasons.
