Ramping up for the season ahead
March has arrived on the farm, meaning that things start to get very busy very quickly again. There’s seeding to do, supplies to order and greenhouse preparations to be made. We’re coming to the end of our frozen vegetable stockpile and the potatoes we have left are starting to sprout. My body is craving fresh food, movement and sunlight. I remind myself it won’t be long until I’m working 12-hour days again and feasting on the “firsts” of the season.
This winter has been a weird one, with warmer, drier conditions than usual. Last year, which was our first winter on the farm, brought many snow and ice storms plus lengthy cold snaps. It was followed by a cold, wet spring, which I am praying doesn’t happen again this year.
It’s not just the weather that was strange this season, but the feel and flow of it, too. Since the winter didn’t have us hunkering down as much, many weeks I felt there were various projects to do that usually would have waited until spring. I’ve found my inner clock is thrown off; I feel I’m lagging behind in preparation for the year, even though I’m completing tasks on schedule. The last few weeks (with sunny, 60-degree days) had me wondering if it was time to get out and plant already (it’s not even close to being that time!). There’s been a lack of deep, solid rest as this warm-winter restlessness floated around me.
Some farmers I’ve been connecting with see this as a great opportunity – as the climate warms, they believe we will get more days of field time and more chances to produce food longer into the winter/early spring. While that seems wonderful in theory, it also has me feeling a little overwhelmed. One of the perks of farming in the north has been that you get the winter off to recuperate and heal after working your body and mind hard during the growing season. In years past, it has been a time for me to visit family and friends, attend educational events, catch up on reading and hobbies, decompress and dream. Although it would be outstanding to have fresh food all year round, what price will our health and wellbeing pay for that? Perhaps it will be a matter of choosing to take some time off instead of being forced out of the fields for a few months.
But here we are over halfway through March already. I’ve been busy starting seeds like onions, herbs, flowers and peppers. Over the weekend I finished weeding (we already had dandelions!?!) and prepping one side of the greenhouse to be tilled in for spring plantings. I’m also trying to figure out how to haul water up to the greenhouse once the seedlings are housed in there; with the nights still well below freezing, we can’t have the hoses hooked up yet unless I want to drain them and reel them in each night. We still don’t have a farm well and rely solely on our house water to connect to irrigation, which is an issue I’m always trying to solve.
During the first half of last week I got to travel to Scottsdale, AZ, for the National Farmers Union annual convention. It was wonderful to see the national delegation in action, debating policies and priorities for the coming year. I received the opportunity to go through my participation in the NFU’s Beginning Farmer Institute. It was a great trip with lots of laughs, good food and inspiration for the 2024 season.
Additionally, I was recently chosen to participate in a Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Fellowship, which partners farmers with advisors to come up with climate change adaptation/mitigation strategies for their operations. Our group just finished up with the opening winter learning sessions, which included presentations on topics such as climate change data, communications work and possible funding solutions. For the next two years, I will work with my advisor to complete risk assessments, financial comparisons and other tasks to choose a project to pursue. I’ve realized it’s easy to be fearful of climate change and get wrapped up in doomsday scenarios. Much of the data points to a completely different landscape for many places. But at this time, I’m trying to focus on taking emotions out of it and brainstorming ideas to lessen the possible negative impacts.
Looking ahead, my excitement for this season continues to grow. I’ve got just a handful of spots left to fill in my CSA – I’m hoping to get those claimed soon. It’s amazing to be back with the soil and think about all the wonder that comes with the tiny seeds I’m sowing.