How's the weather been treating you

I've been getting asked alot lately how the weather's been affecting us. The damp wet rainy days have been perfect for transplanting so the thousands of lettuce plants going out into the fields are very happy right now. What this wet weather hasn't been good for is the direct seeding so any seeds we would plant directly into the soil have been put on hold for now. We're keeping an eye on the moon watching for clues from nature as to when the frost danger is over so we can begin planting out the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Last night I was riding through the fields checking on the progress of the crops and was covered in dust from the dry soil on the surface. Amazing how it was sooo wet just last week we couldn't really do much tractor work and now the dust is flying. The irony of all this is that in just a couple of weeks it will be too dry to direct seed. When I was a kid growing up Dad would never plant lettuce in June or July as they would "burn up" as he called it. The seed will germinate and as it breaks the grounds surface it will die from the heat. We're working on extra transplants so as to avoid this problem but we will still need irrigation to help the tender young seedlings settle in. But for now we'll enjoy the cool, damp days of spring and watch the peas and fava beans grow.

Women in Agriculture Workshop

What a great turnout we had for this event. It was a rather cold day, as it should be being March after all, everyone took turns feeding wood to the potbelly stove and warming up with hot apple cider and nibblers prepared by Chef Patti, her lavender shortbread cookies were a big hit. We began with a session on organizing offered by Lisa Montanaro then broke out into groups Jerry Sommer taught the session on electric and Pat Brown handled the plumbing. A wonderful lunch was served by our chef Heather and then on to welding taught by Nancy Colgan and small engine trouble shooting taught by Audrey Wright. The day ended with a talk by Amy Jolin of the Ringwood Farmers Market on of course marketing! The opportunities for networking and learning were fantastic and we have requests for many more such workshops not just at our farm but at other farms as well. We were also blessed with the presence of Cherie Fortis and her husband of Cherie Fortis Productions, Inc, who filmed the day as part of a documentary on Women in Agriculture that she has been working on. A special thank you goes to the Orange County Dairy Court who graced us with their presence. I think one of the participants JJ Murphy summed up the day quite nicely when she wrote:

"Each presenter used their 45-minute time slot to share basic vocabulary, identify tools and supplies, and demonstrate a simple task. I now have an idea of how splice electric wire, solder copper wire without making a mess, and replace an air filter on a lawnmower. Am I an expert? No, but I know how to begin and ways I can practice safely until I learn."