March Farm Update

By Andrea Yoder 

The farm is almost in full swing as we near the end of March and look forward to the start of April!  We’ve nearly filled our first two greenhouses with seedlings and will need to move into the third house early next week.  Most of our snow has melted away and, thankfully, we made it through the melt without flooding or too many issues.  We’ve enjoyed some beautiful sunny days and it’s been refreshing to have some warmer temperatures to go along with the sunshine! 

Our crew with the willow they've tucked away in the cooler.

Earlier this week the packing shed crew spent some time in the fields trimming the pussy willow and curly willow trees which took off as soon as the weather started to warm up!  We had just a little window of opportunity to get into the field and trim the pussy willow before the catkins (little fuzzy things) opened too far and leaves started growing on the branches.  Our trimmings are safely tucked away in the cooler to keep them from opening further.  We’re also happy to report that no one got stuck in the mud!  The fields are still very wet, but some sunshine and a little spring breeze should help them dry out over the next few weeks. 

Onions in the greenhouse waiting to be planted in the field.

Our first group of field crew will be traveling to Monterrey, Mexico this weekend to have their interviews at the consulate and hopefully they’ll be on their way to Wisconsin with visas in hand by the end of next week!  We’re looking forward to their return and wish them safe travels!  Once they’re back, the pace of the farm will kick into high gear.  We’ll spend some time doing annual training and we have a lot of spring cleaning projects to do, but as soon as the fields are dry enough we’ll be anxious to get some field work done!  Onions are scheduled to go to the field early in April and our first scheduled planting of salad greens, spring spinach, radishes, cilantro, etc is April 8!  We’re crossing our fingers that the weather will cooperate and make that date a reality!

Longtime CSA members, Carol & Bob.

We still have plenty of CSA Shares available and are anxious to fill up our sites before the start of deliveries in just 7 weeks!  If you’ve already signed up for your 2019 shares, you will be receiving a Welcome Packet early in April.  If you are new to our farm or still contemplating whether or not you want to join CSA this year, take a moment to read this letter from longtime CSA members, Carol & Bob.  They sent us this earlier this month and asked that we share it with Prospective CSA Members.  In their letter they make the point that the value of CSA does go beyond the dollars of vegetables in your box.  It is also an opportunity to take your food purchases beyond your plate and vote with your food dollars by supporting farms and systems that are in alignment with your own values.  

Have a great spring and stay tuned for more updates as spring unfolds on our farm!