Harvest Time 2012

Harvest is always a sort of year end for me. It is always a time to reflect back on the year past and take inventory of what we've accomplished and what is left to do. All of this is of course in between actual harvest activities. The busiest time of year by far. 

The farm is beginning to take shape more and more. Since I've started farming full-time (along with operating the milling business) I have had the chance to spend some time with landscaping and some construction projects, but nothing major. The back deck went from just that to basically a full fledged addition. I've got it about 1/3 finished, but my goal was to simply have a deck and a roof this year and finish the rest next year. 

All in all, the farm has gone from completely rough to marginally functional...hows that for a description? Some of the yard work, gravel and grading have been accomplished and new bins and buildings have been ordered and are on their way. 

The business itself has undergone a transformation too. Once again, there are two families who own and operate Gold Forest Grains. The Schneider's and The Bennett's. Chris and I are partners now in the farm and milling business. It is a tremendous help to have another person involved with a vested interest in the business. Chris is as passionate about organic food and farming as I am and together we are growing Gold Forest steadily and rather quickly.

The Market sales have increased for us and being in the three largest markets in Edmonton has really helped to get the word out about our fresh flour and grain products. Old Strathcona Farmers Market is still our best performing market, we simply love being involved with such a tremendous market. It is professionally managed and the customers are there to purchase food. Unlike other markets in town where entertainment is the focus, as a vendor I appreciate the focus on local food at Strathcona. Our sales at that market are more than all other markets combined weekly. 

The grain harvest is ongoing. We have purchased a new combine and it is being delivered today. It is newer and in better condition than our old L combines...it is an L2 by Allis Chalmers. Not new for sure, but in prime condition for its age and we are looking forward to less mechanics and more harvesting. 

This past summer has been trying from a weather standpoint. The fields around home are still water logged and swathing has been a nightmare. Stuck every 3 minutes. Our flax will simply have to wait until freeze up when we can go into the frozen fields with the straight cut combine. Other crops have been damaged by excessive storms, but it could have been worse. We avoided hail for the most part. Next year will be better...that is always the promise of "next year".

the future

I was just thinking about the blog today and spent a little time going over past posts back to 2006 when I first started blogging. It seems so long ago to be talking about bees and pigs and pastured chickens. I miss all that. Cindy and I are still knee deep in finances and trying to get the house presentable along with the the basic issues of daily family life but we are still thinking about future plans for our little farm and furthering our self-sustainable lifestyle. 

We are a couple big steps closer to our goals of sustainability. We have a cozy little house that is ultra-efficient. We have a larger base of land that we own. And we have our little herd of Galloways. The thing we miss the most right now are our laying hens. Currently they are hanging out at Cindy's sister's place. They are producing a good amount of eggs apparently because Cindy came home with 7 or 8 dozen eggs the other day! One of the first things we will do this spring is to build our chicken coop and yard. I am playing around with some ideas in my head. I haven't quite decided what type of house to build them. I am thinking cordwood or perhaps another straw bale structure. The other alternative is to provide them with a moveable house and yard, but with so many unruly neighbour dogs about, that is a disaster waiting to happen. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a dog harassing livestock, but would prefer to avoid that scenario at all costs. No matter the situation, a farmer shooting a neighbor's dog always becomes the farmer's problem. Keeping the hens safely in our yard, close to the house, is probably the direction we will go. Somewhere near the garden.

I love the creativity of these folk's chicken coop!

There are, of course, quite a few other things on our radar for the farm. We have to get pigs back in our lives. I miss them. For that project I am also considering a permanent yard situation as opposed to portable. Perhaps though we can combine two types of accommodations for the pigs. Maybe they can farrow in the yard and then get moved out to pig tractors when they are older?

The garden and orchards are ready to go for 2011. We seeded the garden with fall rye last autumn and it will be ready to till and plant when things dry up. 

Other projects include a root cellar of some type and a smoke house. I really want to try building a stone smoke house. The land around us is quite stony and so I won't have many problems finding suitable building materials once I till the land in the spring. 

Of course there are other farm buildings to build too. A shop. A proper milling building with hopper bottom grain bins. Landscaping. Fish pond...good grief, what have I done? Anybody looking to sell their downtown high-rise condo?