28. The End of the 2020
With one week left of 2020, I’m happy to move forward with 2021 plans on the farm, from expanding the egg business, to engaging in conservation strategies with the National Resources Defense Council, to expanding the market garden and experimenting with new crops, to endeavoring to grow an acre CBD hemp, we have a lot of new things on our agenda for 2021.
This is really my favorite part of the year, or more accurately, I especially enjoy December through March, when planning, starting seeds, and getting the soil ready take center stage since this is a time of hope and possibility, a time when I can right the wrongs of last season, put into practice the lessons I learned from my mistakes, and move toward greater efficiency and efficacy on the farm. Plus, Dreamland is more fun than Realityville.
In 2021, I’m expanding my egg business by hatching out my own chicks. In previous years, I’d bought day-old chicks from hatcheries, and while this works well to get only females (unless you get a bunch of boys like I did this past May), it also costs money and contributes to the ugly practice of culling the male birds that hatch who aren’t wanted (they throw the live little boys into a grinder to sell to dog and cat food companies. That is one source of “poultry by-product meal”.) Yes, I will eventually have to kill some of my boys, but at least they have a great life, and as Joel Salatin likes to say, “…only one bad day.”
I’m also planning on putting into practice several conservation efforts: pasture rotation with the chickens and geese, more cover crops (I did my first round this past growing season), a border along my property line to protect against pesticide, fungicide, and herbicide drift from neighboring farms, and I’m starting a couple of beehives. I may even get my hands on a hoop house through a government program, but that opportunity is still in the works. TBD.
Of course, I’ll continue the work I began this year in composting, planting beneficial flowers and herbs, utilizing crop rotation and no/low-till for soil health, adding to the orchard, and if the weather cooperates, I’ll tap the couple of mature maples we have on the property, too.
So I guess I have my work cut out for me in 2021, that is, if I can eek-out the time to begin and maintain these goals I have given myself. But I guess that’s everyone’s problem, now, isn’t it?
Above: egg collection, a science experiment, day 14 of egg development, and a broody hen.
Meanwhile, my Heavenly Hubs continues to impress me with his newfound handy-dude skills, and the plank flooring he’s creating and installing is looking boffo. Of course, there are so many more steps to complete, but I keep being amazed at his ingenuity, hard work, and problem solving. Sounds like a farmer in the making, right? Some day, I will tempt him to the dark side, but for now, he’s killing himself at his job and at home with the renovations. What a trooper. I’m a lucky lady…