As the temperature and the wind, don’t forget the wind, makes us all recognize that it is truly winter, we will set out to answer the question that we often get from people this time of year. The question goes something like this . . . So, it must be nice to not have much to do on the farm during the winter. As a matter of fact, what exactly do you do in the winter?
In all fairness, we do not have the physical work and the long hours of the growing season. And, I would like to say that we more or less sit around, drink tea, listen to records, take naps and do yoga, but the reality is, there is a lot of planning and getting ready for the season that happens this time of the year. So even though the windchill has been dipping into the -20s F, we are busy farming away in a sense.
Here is a snapshot of our days:
Joan is busy ordering seeds, sorting seeds, field planning, communicating with share members, finalizing records from last season, meeting with co-ops, updating brochures, ordering supplies, finding new recipes for the newsletters, marketing, managing finances, attending conferences, applying for grants, and . . . taking in a little time for reading and yoga.
Nick is on craigslist, that is a bout it…Well, that is only partly true. However a lot of time is spent searching for equipment and following ’round about leads on certain items. Also, cover crop planning, readying machinery for the season, back on craigslist, field planning, organizing the outbuildings, updating the website, oops–back on craigslist and irrigation planning.
Abe is hard at work too. Mastering his alphabet puzzle, zooming tractors, tumbling, dancing, organizing cupboards, painting, playing hockey, reading stories and feeling the rhythm with his percussion instruments. We have also put him in the new role of accounts manager as it seems he has taken to this at a very early age.
Never a dull moment on the farm to say the least. It is a good time to recharge the mind, body and spirit as we eagerly await the upcoming growing season.
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