Success through Stuborness
New opportunities on the horizon
Late season monsoons yielding frequent afternoon thunderstorms across the Front Range continue to soak our farm. Yesterday a 20 minute deluge had running water moving through our driveway and filled the walkways between crops with water. The moisture is great for many plants, especially weeds. They are attempting to take advantage of our weariness and move in on crops. With the continual moisture there is little we can do to stop them.
Weeds teach us persistence and abundance. Their ability to return, reseed, and continually sprout is amazing. Success through stubbornness, they simply keep showing up.
Keep showing up, do the work, and eventually something will happen. Even writing this now I know it isn’t my best work, but returning to writing has changed me for the better over the past few years.
As of now this is the 127th post I have made since starting the Farmer’s Notes Blog in December of 2021. That almost puts the blog at one post per week for nearly 3 years (80% of weeks, classic B student). There has never been a specific goal or direction in mind. I only want to share what’s happening in my life, around the farm, and in the broader agriculture industry through my eyes as a first generation market farmer.
Recently I have been inclined to do more journalistic type posts. Jumping into branding calves at Lehi Ranch or interviewing Farmer Mike at One Acre Farm in Maryland. These interactions have left me feeling inspired by others putting in the daily work and building something directly tied to land. It is so special to take part in these interactions, each one seeing a little piece of the heart of other growers.
I have an opportunity coming up that would send me to Cortez, Colorado for The Great Chile and Garlic Experience at Pueblo Seed and Food Co. These are growers I have admired for many years. Much of our garlic seed came from them as well as seeds for many crops over the years. I have been invited to partake in the event for free in exchange for writing a blog piece. I just need to get there.
I write you today asking for support. If you have been following for a while you’ll know I do not push paid subscriptions. I greatly enjoy the practice and find it to be tremendously useful for myself. A lot of my posts are a byproduct of writing I would be doing anyway.
Including travel aspects to the work comes with expenses. Leaving the farm for any period of time means relying on hired help to run day to day activities. Preparing for a road trip takes planning, gas, and time. I do not do this for money, but a little goes a long way when working with a small budget.
By contributing financially to the blog you are enabling more creative work, stories that would otherwise go untold, and allowing more opportunities for collaborative learning. If you have been considering becoming a paid member, now would be a great time.
Currently there is very little benefit to being a paid subscriber. I do not put out much exclusive content. I like that most of the writing is available for those curious or interested enough to seek it out and would like to keep it that way.
Financial support could help grow this blog to include things like video, interviews, photos, and more. It would help share stories of growers across the country and build momentum towards something greater.
Like those weeds, I intend to keep up the writing and get something into the world every week. I just need a little rain to help fuel the journey.
Farm News
We are excited to announce the opening of our Expanded Winter CSA! The CSA will run from November-March offering prepacked veggie boxes complete with a wide range of delicious winter produce. This is made possible by the a new EQIP funded high tunnel that will help us offer fresh, unheated, greens throughout the cold season.
We are participating in a Farm Tour Event in partnership with the Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and Larimer County Extension. More info can be found below.
Farm Stand Hours: 10-6pm Wed-Friday, 10-4pm Saturday and Sunday
Hopefully stocked this week:
Colorado Fruit: Donut Peaches, Organic Peaches, Plums
Greens: Hearts and Souls Salad Mix, gem lettuce heads, summer head lettuce, chard, kale, arugula, radicchio
Roots: Grilling onions, beets, carrots, turnips, radishes and garlic
Veggies: Cherry Tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, shishito peppers, eggplant, sweet corn
Herbs: Oregano, mint, thyme, sage, parsley, basil
Perennials: Gallons are now $10 each. We currently have columbine, foxglove, sedum, elderberry, elecampane, daisy, goldenrod, gaillardia, lavender, mint, thyme, sage, mountain mint, lemon balm, and echinacea. We also have 4.5” perennials for $5 each! Now is truly the perfect time to plant.
Lehi Ranch, High Point Bison, KREAM Kimchi, Jodar Farms Eggs, Rey Atelier Home Goods, Bread Chic Sourdough, Fox Den Coffee, Owl Tree Farm Worm Compost, Bee Squared Apiaries Honey, Abuelita’s Hot Sauce, Christie Leighton Jewelry, Life’s A Buch Kombucha