Farming in the shade

A glimpse of a recent morning: Eat (and work) at the Fire Department's annual pancake breakfast, then deliver a mattress topper to my mother and pick up some carpet rags she cut up for me--wave at the group tour of our farm for part of a Master Composting class; back inside for hasty packing for a weekend away--oops! gotta answer the phone call from an implement dealer who is in the area--could he check out our haybine to see if he wants to buy it? run out to speak with my father who is helping with the tour to see if he can talk to the implement dealer when he comes...gotta wait while the tour is busy listening to him--then an introduction of me (!) and a request for a short talk on what we do with the wool produced on the farm...quiet whispers with my father about the impending visit of the dealer--call me when he comes, he says; back up to talk with son who I left watching for the dealer--he's been and gone, mom! Just wanted to see if the cutter bar was good...I helped him; ...

Actually, four. And (LOL!) since we had exactly four entries, those who entered had 100% chance of winning! I'm good with math that way... Congratulations to JustJaynes, PB Girl, sewmelody, and jennifer. I'm off to email you to let you know...

Through the farm bill, funding is provided to farmers and ranchers for conservation, for programs that prevent soil erosion, preserve and restore wetlands, clean the air and water, and enhance wildlife. Farmers, ranchers and other landowners have installed 1.54 million miles of conservation buffers under a USDA initiative. Agricultural producers who install b buffers improve soil, air and water quality; enhance wildlife habitat; and create scenic landscapes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today is the last day to enter the Friday Fun Farm Facts Giveaway. GIVEAWAY is now CLOSED. Thank you!

I am recovering from a mild case of pneumonia. Having had a mild case, I don't ever want to mess with the real thing. The Farmer, during the past two weeks, worked his tail off. When he works his tail off, he tends to get sick. I suspect influenza (fever, body aches, head and chest congestion). Since neither of these topics is photoworthy, I thought I'd show you some of the things I've added to our etsy shop lately. If I'm really with-it, I'll figure out how to link to the shop. We'll see... Yarn from our Suffolk sheep Socks made by The Farmer from yarn from our Suffolk sheep Cool mittens made by my mom from recycled wool sweaters Roving from our Suffolk sheep Hand-crocheted cotton dishcloths What's new with my readers? ETA: I guess this proves I'm not "with-it". No luck on the linking. To find our etsy shop, click here.

America's farmers are the world's most productive. Today, each U.S. farmer produces food and fiber for 155 people in the U.S. and abroad. In 1940, farmers fed 19 people. In 1950, farmers fed 27 people. In 1960, farmers fed 46 people. In 1970, farmers fed 73 people. In 1980, farmers fed 115 people. In 1990, farmers fed 129 people. In 2000, farmers fed 139 people. Today, they feed 155 people. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don't forget to enter the Friday Fun Farm Facts Giveaway!

Recently we delivered a load of hay a long ways, hauling hay wagon behind truck. We crawled slowly, for speed makes the wagon sway wildly. After what seemed like forever, we turned the last corner before our destination. "Ah, I'm so glad the tires have held," I breathed. "Don't say it!" came the admonishment from the back seat. The kids are not superstitious, but still. We should hold our gratefulness until the proper time. Two minutes later, we heard the sickening squeal of a tire blowing. Within spitting distance of the finish line. Each bale of alfalfa hay weighs about 50 pounds. The wagon held 126 bales. Over three tons of hay. After 5 o'clock on the Saturday of a holiday weekend. No jacking, no fixing, no help, nohow. The Farmer decided the rim was worth sacrificing. We drove on. We unloaded the hay, left the wagon for another day's repair, and headed home. So close.

Today is a special birthday of a special person. What a gift, to be able to be her mom... Happy birthday, dear!

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. --Psalm 51: 10-12

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! U.S. consumers spend just 10% of their disposable income on food each year, while those in other countries spend much more. Japan -- 14% China -- 32% Philippines -- 38% Jordan -- 43% Pakistan -- 50% Of the 10% of disposable income Americans spend on food each year, 58% is for food eaten at home and 42% is for food eaten away from home. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've been posting these Friday Farm Fun Facts off and on since the end of March of this year. One of my goals for this blog is to educate the general public about agriculture, both by showing the big picture and by showing the life of one farm family. In honor of the almost 6 months of Facts, I'm hosting a giveaway. I have to give away four copies of "Food and Farm Facts" a magazine sized publication (with poster!) from the Farm Bureau. From their site: 32-page book with poster. Charts/graphs with facts about today’s agriculture; food costs, consumption and safety; ag termin...

Have you heard the saying that farming is like gambling? It is, truly! Flashing lights, loud noises, free food (in the garden, in season) and the rush that comes with risking it all... The weather can make or break a crop. Let's say that you farm 100 acres (small, by most standards today, but it's a nice round number). If you've got half of it planted to corn, a quarter of it to soybeans, and the rest in hay or wheat, your corn crop is worth 1/2 of your annual CROP income. You might have livestock besides, but a bad year corn-wise can really cut into the designated money to buy food and clothing for the family. The weather is never perfect, always variable. This year, we've had a cool, wet year. Our pastures were simply lush in August, when they are usually nothing but dried-out weeds. We've had a fabulous year for hay, getting lucky (or benefiting from God's providence) on the timing of the rains. But the repetitive, regular rains have cost us our oat crop. T...

We finally (!) got a batch of salsa to be hot enough. For years I have been afraid to use chilis, after a nasty up-close experience with the pain of dealing with them. The Farmer was conscripted to help this year with the salsa prep. He used gloves--smart guy! We used our Victorio Strainer this year on about 1/3 of the tomatoes, to provide a smoother texture (something that was important to the kids). All tomatoes, both chopped and put through the strainer, were first disemboweled. Our weapon of choice was a grapefruit spoon. It seems that scooping out the center of the tomato (seeds and all) makes for a thicker salsa (something that is important to all of us). Here's a photo of the finished results. We're happy! Here's how the Salsa of 2009 was created: 8 cups of tomato puree, made from Roma tomatoes, disemboweled and put through the strainer 14 cups of Roma tomatoes, disemboweled and chopped 3-4 cups of chopped onions (the food was flying, folks, it was hard to keep up...

"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us-- yes, establish the work of our hands." --Psalm 90:17