Calm After The Storm

One never knows what the morning is going to bring. The recent run of stormy weather has been frazzling our nerves. We watch the weather closely and do our best to plan for the worst. Water on hand, flashlights and change of clothes packed, chainsaw and fuel in the truck – all in case we decide to leave our house in a hurry. Living in a mobile home elevates the threat of severe weather. Making your living in plastic covered buildings takes it to a whole other level. We feel fortunate in all the years we’ve never had an actual emergency..

Tuesday night’s winds took the top off of the first high tunnel we installed back in 2014. It was due for new plastic on the roof and much like all maintenance on our farm, we were dragging our feet on getting it done. The edges were tattered and torn from years of wind, rain, snow and ice, so the whole east side zipped off clean without damaging the frame as far as we can tell. The 300+ tomato plants inside are now exposed to the weather, but that isn’t such a bad thing being we are in the midst of the hottest part of the summer.

The soil inside of tunnels tends to build up salts and minerals because they don’t get rain inside to flush them. This is a great opportunity to flush this tunnel. We have new roof plastic on hand but have decided to replace the side curtains as well. Roll up sides are easier to manage and do a better job keeping the heat inside in the winter and the animals outside in the summer. This was the first tunnel we ever purchased and there are a few things we’ve been wanting to change.

Finding the silver lining in the seemingly bad tunnel situation is easy. Unfortunately the hail that came along with the wind did a number on our tender leafy crops. The cucumbers and melons have been severely damaged but we are hopeful they will recover. On the contrary, the lettuce will be unavailable for at least two weeks. Just a bit too much damage from the hail. Much like us, everything else looks frazzled but will be fine.

Just another day on the farm,

Week 9 Newsletter 2021 – Paper Version

Digging Into Technology

This week, our family attended Farm Technology Days for the first time. While we were anticipating much in the way of marketing to big agriculture, we didn’t quite realize how BIG ag has gotten. Literally, all of the machinery on display, acres and acres, was created for ever increasing acreage. Never have we seen machines so large. One particular combine was upwards of $900K. There was a definitive lack in technology for small farming operations, vegetable, dairy, beef, and the like.

Along with all of the machinery was plenty of financial businesses, insurance agents, suicide prevention/health resources, government agencies, and some very interesting innovations. Much of it is too specialized for a vegetable farm, but remote cellular field sensors might be helpful. So might drone fertility applicators. Or perhaps remote control cultivation robots. It’s difficult to imagine ever swallowing the cost of a single one of these new tools.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the event is that it was held at the world’s largest horseradish farm near Eau Claire. The growing techniques for such a specialized crop are fascinating. It can be planted in both spring and fall. There were also some intriguing crop plots prepared the year in advance by UW Madison demonstrating several new varieties of small grain, something we have been considering growing. And a living soil pit with tiling demo in the alfalfa field on which the event was held.

Alas, we are sticking with the traditional style of farming for now. And selling direct to consumer so we don’t have to grow larger and larger each year to pay for the cost of the middle man. We’ll continue to dig through the classifieds for some more old-timers’ equipment like our 1940’s John Deere potato digger and our 1952 Farmall Super C. But it is fun to think about the possibilities and imagine everything technology has to offer to the world of farming.

Until next time,

Week 8 Newsletter 2021 – Paper Version

Capturing Carbon

This week, we attended a film screening of a documentary released in 2020 called Kiss the Ground. In summary, the film highlights topsoil loss and features a number of activists, scientists, farmers and politicians who are turning to regenerative agriculture to save the planet’s important resource.

Some staggering statistics set the stage to get us to think about the importance of our farming techniques and the role it plays in keeping carbon out of the atmosphere. According to Rattan Lal, director of Ohio State University’s Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, the world’s cultivated soils have lost between 50 and 70 percent of their original carbon stock, much of which has oxidized upon exposure to air to become CO2. Absent carbon and critical microbes, soil becomes mere dirt, a process of deterioration that’s been rampant around the globe. Many scientists say that regenerative agricultural practices can turn back the carbon clock, reducing atmospheric CO2 while also boosting soil productivity and increasing resilience to floods and drought. Such regenerative techniques include planting fields year-round in crops or other cover, and agroforestry that combines crops, trees, and animal husbandry.

Better understanding just how much carbon can be held with the soil layer, restoration programs have been initiated in places like the former North American prairie, the North China Plain, and even the parched interior of Australia might help put carbon back into the soil and reduce the carbon in the atmosphere.

As a small farm, we play a micro-role in the soil sequestering cycle. But put all of our tiny farms together and the pool gets significantly larger. Collectively, small farm are making a difference. The subtle shift in the discussion about global warming, which has been heavily focused on curbing emissions of fossil fuels is the take away for us. A closer look at bringing carbon back into soils brings a sharper focus on the importance of soil health. Not only to offset fossil fuels, but also to feed a growing global population.

Hoarding dead plants,

Week 7 Newsletter 2021 – Paper Version

Lending An Ear

Everyone has their reason for buying from our farm. Some want to support the local economy, others appreciate the garden fresh produce, many choose to eat organic as much as possible. Whatever the reason, we hear about it at the farmers markets week in and week out. Not that we mind, but we are often caught off guard by how much people tell us about why they are buying our produce.

Most often, there is a health problem to share. Perhaps a doctor has suggested they eat more vegetables. Sometimes a dear friend has an ailment or terminal condition that may have been prevented by healthy eating. As our amazing customers are spilling their health details, we wonder if they tell all to the grocery store clerk? Or the cafeteria staff? Probably not. But that is the important part, they’ve established a relationship with us. There is a level of trust and they feel better knowing who produced their food.

Over the winter, Medford Aspirus contacted us about managing their farmers market prescription program. It is new to Medford, but not to the bigger cities around us. Through this program, a doctor can give their patient a prescription to purchase food at the market and it is paid for by their insurance. The patient brings their prescription to our booth much like they would walk up to the pharmacy counter. We give them a bundle of tokens in exchange for the card and they are free to spend their tokens on specific fruits, vegetables and herbs from local farmers.

What a great idea! We’ve known for years that healthy eating lays the foundation for a healthy life, and health professionals have found a new way to get their patients motivated to eat more vegetables and in some cases, make a life change.

This takes us to a moment when a new farm member was picking up her weekly share and declared, “Your CSA has changed my life.” After explaining how much better she was feeling after treating her diabetes with a healthy diet, we knew she was on track for a life change. We’re just glad to play a small part in it all.

Health coaches in disguise,

Week 6 Newsletter 2021 – Paper Version

Year End Reflection

This is your final share of the 2019 season. Thank you again for choosing We Grow to provide you with produce over the past five months. We strive to get better ever season and big part of that is your feedback from a customer standpoint. Criticism is never easy to hear, but being honest and providing thoughtful suggestions will help shape our program to be more successful for the next group of farm members. It does us no good to carry on the way we want if it isn’t working for you. Please take a two minutes to fill out the feedback form on our website at wegrowfoods.com/survey. There are only a few questions and you can remain anonymous.

While each season has its unique challenges, learning to deal with the ups and downs is a large part of being a successful grower. It is fun to reflect on what we improved and what we flopped at the past growing season.

The spring started out a few weeks behind temperature-wise and we never actually got ahead to make up for this. It was the first year we took a week off from shares and it was so well timed for us, we might write it into the plan for the coming seasons. Aside from that first, we didn’t really have many “vegetable firsts” per say. It was the earliest we’ve ever given out zucchini and cucumbers. The most we’ve ever given out peppers and the largest crop of sweet potatoes to come out of our field. This was the first season we ever grew sun gold melons and enough watermelons for everyone as well. We also never had enough of our own carrots to provide them for ten of the 20 weeks. Onions were plentiful and we had lettuce for nearly every share this year.

Disappointments are headlined by our potato crop. We invested more than ever in potato seed and did not invest enough in the fertility of the soil where we planted them. The first planting of field brassicas suffered in the cold and never rebounded. The tomatoes were down from other years. The beets didn’t size up. And our kale didn’t have enough fertility. All easy things to address as we another go at this in four months! Take care of yourselves in the off-season and keep in touch!

With many thanks,

Week Twenty Newsletter

So Starts Another Season

The end is near! It seems like no matter when that first frost and winter weather arrives, we are not ready. In the past, it was definitely us procrastinating but as the kids get older we find ourselves taking advantage of those nice fall days and doing things with the like hiking, canoeing, hunting, fishing and cabin time. Then when the weather man warns us that it is all coming to an abrupt end, we start the fall scramble and quickly try to get done as much as we possibly can in those last few sixty degree days. All too often we anticipate one more return of that summer-like weather, but it seems more often than not that it never returns. These last few days of fall is precisely when the garlic must be planted.

That brings us to this point, when we get to ask ourselves if we should continue on growing another year. This is it! We are about to plant to garlic and once we do, we are committed to the next season. We have well over one thousand dollars worth of garlic seed ready to go in the ground. Garlic is a valuable crop, vegetable gold one could argue. This season we saved back two times more seed garlic than we ever have. It grew beautifully and we hope to sell a portion of our 2020 crop as seed for other organic growers next year.

Wednesday, late in the day, the garlic beds were shaped and fertilized and are now ready for the next dry spell when we will use the waterwheel planter to plant it all. Individual cloves will be pushed into holes 6” deep, then top-dressed with composted manure and finally covered with a thick layer of leaves we acquire from the village of Rib Lake. Hardnecked garlic must be fall planted because the cloves need to be vernalized, or cooled to 32ºF for several weeks before they will grow. The naked cloves will send out a huge root system yet this fall, still growing down to near freezing temps. Next March when the weather starts to warm, it will be the first sign of spring. Through the snow, tiny green garlic shoots will begin to pop and give us hope that a fresh new crop of farm food is on the way. Even Mother Nature’s harshest Wisconsin winter can’t defeat the venerable army of garlic cloves.

Respectfully growing for you,

Week Nineteen Newsletter

Food is Thy Medicine

Selling our produce direct to consumer, we have the pleasure of speaking face-to-face with just about every one of our customers. Some folks only give us a bit of small talk and others dive into their entire health history. It happens suddenly when a patron finds out that we grow using organic methods. Suddenly the farmer behind the table is much more than just a farmer, we are health conscious farmers. Perhaps farmers with some knowledge of nutrition and its effects on human health and quality of life. Clearly we care about our own health and yours enough to offer a clean product.

This is the point at which our deep-diving customers decide to open up and tell us why they are choosing to buy our food. We have learned about illnesses of every sort over the past five years. Some we had never heard of like diverticulosis, which makes it painful to eat anything with tiny seeds. We’ve learned about dangerous drug interactions like vitamin K in the cabbage family when someone is taking blood thinners. Who knew?! Apparently one of our customers has been fighting cancer for decades with garlic infusions, baking soda and trips to Mexico for traditional medical treatment not available in the United States. It is all incredibly interesting to us both and we enjoy hearing and learning from each person’s experience as they rethink health care.

It has become clear over the past few seasons our customers have taken the phrase “know your farmer, know your food” to a whole new level. When we first printed this phrase on our brochure, we thought people were going to get to know us, better understand our farming methods and trust our food and us. Little did we know it would be the other way around, the farmers getting to know the customers. We are beginning to feel like a part of their health team as they share their stories and search to alleviate the symptoms of their ailments. People are starting to recognize the power of healthy eating. They acknowledge that the first step toward lowering health costs is to rethink their diet as preventative health care.

Yours in the field,

Week Eighteen Newsletter

The Work of Many Hands

A group of high school students from Medford High along with two teachers visited the farm on Friday last week. The kids had to choose a project to work on for their required community service credits. Twenty students decided to come to our farm to work for two hours. Some chose farm work last year and knew what they were in for, but some were perhaps caught off-guard with the tasks assigned to them during their visit.

Thankfully, we had Linda and Roxanne on hand to help oversee the youth who were split into a number of groups. Eric had some of the kids digging and topping carrots, others were taking down old trellising, pulling vines and rolling up huge sheets of landscape fabric, harvesting tomatoes, removing vines and infrastructure from the high tunnel, and when all of that was done we all pulled plastic sheeting from the onion rows. Needless to say, we got a lot of work done in a short amount of time with that many hands moving at once.

We owe thanks to the teacher in charge of this project who happens to be a CSA member. As we conversed throughout the morning, she commented on how much the kids learn about the work it takes to grow food and farm in general. There was dirt, heavy lifting, mud and heat! Some of the kids grew tired quickly, for others the manual labor was second nature. We knew little of each one’s background but forced small talk as we got on with our day. Little did the students realize the learning experience they were taking part in.

Before the group loaded back onto the bus, we sat down for a water break while our staff began to wash carrots. Everyone had the chance to snack on the fresh veggies. We even sent a bag of baby carrots along for the ride home. Hopefully a few found the flavor to be incomparable to store bought like we do. Making an impression on these kids is an important part finding future food enthusiasts. Seeing first-hand that small farms can be a thriving business and an integral part of a community is an equally powerful lesson.

Growing for you,

Week Seventeen Newsletter

Homegrown Wellness

This is a reprint of an old article we feel is worth repeating, particularly for all of our new members. Did you know that sweet potatoes, spinach and cashews all help fight depression? Have you heard that dark leafy greens and grass-fed meat can reduce your migraine symptoms? And apples, cranberries, celery and onions can heal the inflammation in your stomach caused by acid reflux? Before foods were fortified with nutrients, we ate spinach, black beans and asparagus for folate to ensure a healthy pregnancy. Although it probably wasn’t a conscious effort. The required nutrients were already in our diet, we didn’t have to make an extended effort to find 100% of our daily requirements.

While we do need to be careful of the health claims, it is no secret that the remedies to most common maladies can be found in nutrition. It also shouldn’t be a surprise that our ancestors didn’t suffer from many of the same illnesses that modern society experiences. The top four causes of death at the turn of the century were infancy death, death from childbirth, death from infections, and death from accidents. Today, the leading causes of death are heart disease and cancer. Clearly, something has changed.

If you think people didn’t live as long 150 years ago as they do today, that is not exactly correct either. The average life expectancy figure is greatly skewed due to infant mortality rates. In the year 1907, the rate was nearly 10%. Today it is closer to 0.07%. Back then, many people lived long into their 80’s and 90’s despite their diet loaded in fats.

We focus so much on the quick cure for our ailments, that we forget all about the cause. At the root of our modern health crisis is our modern diet and desire for a quick fix. All of this fueled by million dollar marketing campaigns. The numbers are staggering! Unfortunately, family farms can’t compete. Mainstream America has come trust infomercials instead of trusting their instincts to feel better by eating better. Eating real food, simple food and overpowering illness with nutrition and living a long healthy life.

Yours in the field,

Week Sixteen Newsletter

Rain, Rain Another Day

It has been a challenge to dry out between days lately. We mucked out the potato and carrot harvest last week and we mucked out the carrots and beets again today. It seems like it has been raining every day this month, but of course, that is not completely true. With the cooler temps, the soil in the field stays wet and each day that it doesn’t dry out our fall crops are at risk to rot in the ground. So far, the only crop that we have seen a problem in is the radishes. It could be much worse.

Flashback to the fall of 2015, our first year with a CSA membership. We were farming in a low hay field with heavy clay that is adjacent to where our high tunnels are presently located. The soil had little to no organic matter. We got a foot of rain over the course of a few days and all of our carrots, potatoes and beets quickly rotted. We were devastated to say the least! Since then, we’ve discovered other fields on our land have significantly better soil structure and drainage. We also purchased a bed shaper that raises the soil into a 36” wide flat ridge on top of which we have planted most of our fall crops just in case of heavy fall rains. The area we are farming has also been prepared for this scenario. Three years of cover crops have slowly increased our organic matter to nearly 4%. That means our soil has four times the water holding capacity than when we started working that area. Acting like tiny passageways into the clay, organic matter lets the water soak in rather than run on top. But even perfect soil has a saturation point. We’ve definitely reached it at We Grow.

In the fall broccoli, kohlrabi and cabbage plantings, the furrows between our raised beds are nearly filled in with washed soil as the entire area was in standing water last week. Today when we checked on the area, the makeshift ditches were drier but there was still some standing water. The plants can’t take much more wet. Hopefully it will change course soon and they can grow into the crops we need to finish the season. With the warmer weather expected this coming week, the rutabaga and broccoli should finish nicely. Without rain, nothing grows. Too much rain, nothings grows just the same.

Growing for you,

Week Fifteen Newsletter

The Winter Pantry

Tonight our family spent the evening putting summer food away for the winter. The boys were busy cutting up damaged red potatoes and filling quart jars. When that set of jars were all filled, they were on to pushing tomato soup that we had been cooking all day in the pack shed through the tomato saucer. Then it was a several more hours of tending the pressure canning process as there were several batches to get through.

There are easier ways to eat potatoes in the winter. When you consider that we can hold potatoes in storage without any extra processing until at least April and also the price on grocery store potatoes, it might seem a waste to can spuds. But if you work on our farm and see five or ten pounds of potatoes get thrown away each week as seconds, you might also want to rescue them from the compost pile and put them to use. But the real reward comes when you are preparing a meal in a hurry and want to simply open a jar of fully prepared potatoes and quickly mash them for supper or slice them to fry with your morning eggs. We learned a few years ago that going against recommended practice and maintaining the skins gives them an amazing earthy, almost smokey flavor we love. Keeping ugly food from the compost heap is a huge factor in determining what’s in our canning cupboard come winter.

Canning foods has been around a very long time. The heating and sealing process was first researched and utilized widespread in the early 1800’s for use by troops. The impacts of canning were huge for a civilization that didn’t have the luxury of modern refrigeration.

A few weeks ago, we had an excess of cucumbers that did not sell at market. Our friends Tom and Linda offered to come make two big batches of sweet dill pickles with us in exchange for half. Many hands made light work and we each have another shelf on our pantry filled. Every time we reach into our storage cupboard, there is a huge sense of pride packed in every perfectly packed and sealed jar. Memories of a time and place when that food was grown and made. And flavor that you can’t buy in a store.

Growing for you,

Week Fourteen Newsletter

Farming Friends

Our dear friends at Red Door Family Farm are sharing some of their spectacular harvest of beets with you this week. In exchange, they have chosen some of the best We Grow garlic for use on their farm. Since meeting the Botsford family in 2015, they have slowly become our closest friends. Not only are we working in the same industry being CSA farmers, but having started the same year we are living many of the same struggles. Our common ground includes a wide array of topics: crop loss, machinery breaking downs, variety trialing, workers, our children and the list goes on and on. Having another vegetable farmer to lean on and sympathize or celebrate our trials and tribulations and share dreams makes our farming life significantly more enjoyable.

Last fall, we teamed up with Red Door to offer our customers an additional opportunity to continue their local eating with two local food deliveries. Botsfords helped us provide a wider selection of produce that we would not have been able to offer on our own. The orders were collected through our website and put together on their farm. We look forward to doing this again.

In a couple weeks, we are holding a farm-to-table evening at Red Door Farm to celebrate and show our gratitude to our worker shares and employees. Both farms’ workers will be our guests and both farms are contributing to the meal. A huge part of being a community supported farm is finding “our people” and cultivating a social atmosphere. Our workers have spent time together for a few hours a week for the past thirteen weeks. Some were here last season, but about half are new to their respective roles. Already, they are meeting for coffee, exchanging babysitter’s phone numbers, going on adventures and sharing recipe ideas. This month’s appreciation dinner will be another opportunity to make connections and be amongst like-minded people.

Surrounding yourself with a strong, supportive network provides encouragement and focus. Because of this, surrounding yourself with supportive people can play an important role in achieving goals. Even more so when your goals include one another. Success can be a group activity.

Growing for you,

Week Thirteen Newsletter