Going Local: Accounts of an Organic Farming Internship

Week 8

supermanda — Thu, 22 May 2008 22:47:26 +0000

Over the weekend, Luisa and I went to interview Kris at La Vista CSA in Godfrey, IL. He has a gorgeous farm, with rich soil and lots of weed-covered untilled ground. It was interesting to see another CSA and how things worked there; he had his interns dropping marigold seedlings in-between winter squash, as an insect repellent, and had a much larger tractor than we do at Amy’s farm. We happened to come out on a volunteer day, where members of the CSA come out to help plant, among other things. As many people arrived earlier, Luisa and I did not get our interview in, but instead emailed him some questions. He was very nice and we are looking forward to hearing what he has to stay about why, as a young man, he decided to become a farmer.

So far the weather has been beautiful. Monday was spent planting the last lettuce of the season, and today (Tuesday) we harvested for the first time! Radishes, bok choi, and lettuce were the main things. Amy emphasized the importance of rinsing and cooling the vegetables so they don’t begin to decompose before they get to someone’s fridge. Before today, I didn’t know that some types of lettuce grew back after harvesting them once or twice.

On Wednesday, Amy, Segue and I packed boxes for their CSA members in St. Louis. It was probably one of my favorite days on the farm – seeing the outcome of our hard work! We loaded the boxes full of bok choy, red and green lettuce, golden and red radishes, broccoli raab, and mixed greens. Admittedly, it was a meager start to the season, as the boxes were very light and Amy commented that all of the produce this year is smaller than it was last year.

Thursday: The weather has held up all week, and it only rained for a few minutes today. It was colder and grayer outside than yesterday, but not nearly as bad as last week. I finally met the pigs! There are six of them (if I recall), two red, one black and three white. The runt is quite adorable, as are the red ones. Segue said it was difficult last year to send them to slaughter at the end of the term, but that he’s getting more used to the idea. The idea is tough for me to swallow as well, but at least the pigs will have happy lives. We weeded radiccio with the stirrup hoe, and used a hand hoe for the leeks, which are growing slowly. We also planted melons, and a few sweet peppers.

Last night Amy and Segue took us all out to eat as a token of their appreciation for our work on the farm. We went to a fantastic authentic Mexican restaurant, then visited a Colombian grocery. It’s interesting to learn about our latino population in the area, especially with a native Colombian and Mexican to tell you about all of the great foods they eat at home. We had a joint interview in the car which was mostly directed at Amy, and I got a lot of great quotes for my paper. Amy is very knowledgeable and has a lot of great things to say about the local food movement, so I am glad I had a tape-recorder handy. We went back to their house and watched a movie titled The Real Dirt on Farmer John, about an Illinois farmer and how his farm transformed into a CSA. This also happens to be the place where both Segue and Amy interned and where they met! The movie provided a good history of farming in the Midwest.

I have one more trip to the Tower Grove farmer’s market, either this Saturday or the next. It’s hard to believe that I only have one week left on the farm! The quarter in general has gone by so quickly. And to think that when I come back in August, they will be harvesting tomatoes and many other things from the bare plants in the field.

Week 7 May 11-17

supermanda — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:55:47 +0000

On Saturday I went to Tower Grove Farmer’s Market. At around 11am, there were so many people that I was barely able to walk through. This in itself is a testament to the growing demand for local produce and other products, as Amy said it was not nearly as crowded the previous year. She also mentioned that any produce that had been there (spinach, turnips, etc.) had been cleared out by 9am or so, 30 minutes after the market opened. I was able to have a brief interview with Patrick Horine, the founder of the market and nearby grocery Local Harvest, which carries 50 percent organic produce, and as much local produce as possible when available. I found two articles in the Riverfront Times, one from May 2006 and the other from this month, interviewing him about these two parts of his life. In the former article, it was stated that there are “too many farmer’s markets and not enough farmers” (Roberts, RFT 2006). I asked Patrick if he has accumulated venders from that time, and he said that the market is up to 25 regular venders, whereas there were only 13 two summers past. The farmer-associated venders sell a mixture of items, from shiitake mushrooms to Missouri-native bedding plants to starter tomatoes, lemonade and pizza flour. There are also many people who make and sell their own crafts. He said that few new farmers are coming up, and that there has been only one new organic farm started recently in the area. In his words, “There aren’t enough.” We also talked about how organic food prices have been affected by the global food crisis, and he said that he has seen the same changes occurring in organic as non-organic produce, which I found surprising. Wheat and corn have gone up, making prices in processed foods go up as well, he says. Overall I really enjoyed the market, and am planning on returning there to help Amy out before the term ends. There is a lot of set-up and take-down involved, but when the customers clear out of the market, the venders begin to turn to one another with leftover goods and trade. I got a loaf of bread out of the deal; most of the venders I met were very kind.
The weather at the beginning of the week was less than gracious, with strong winds and cold rain. Two beds of cucumber seedlings were damaged beyond recovery, mostly by the wind. Many row covers were found ripped off of their crops on Monday morning, and those row covers that stayed on became heavier with water, and the weight damaged the lettuce especially. On Tuesday Jenny and I were only on the farm for about 30 minutes, re-seeding the cucumber beds, before it started raining again. During these couple of days the idea really hit home that farmers have a very difficult job, suggesting that their entire livelihood depends on uncontrollable conditions. Luisa and I did some prayerful work about this idea in regards to God’s endless source of supply.
On Wednesday the weather perked back up to being sunny and warm. I went out with Jenny in the afternoon (first time!) and learned how to use the mowing function on the tractor. We also weeded the radishes, which seem ready to harvest. Thursday was colder and drizzly again, but it did not really rain while we were there. We dropped and planted kohlrabi, which is related to broccoli and supposedly tastes like potatoes. After covering the new beds, we went to the carrot bed and hand-weeded there. There was poor germination in most of the rows, and some sprouts were still small enough to mistake for grass. Needless to say it took a long time, as we had to locate and identify each parsley-like carrot top before clearing the ground around it. The pigs are coming next week for sure, and I’m very excited to meet them.

Week 6: May 4-10

supermanda — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:19:01 +0000

Over the weekend, I read a chapter from the book Deep Economy by Bill McKibben. It was titled, “The Year of eating Locally,” and was very similar to Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” and Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon’s book, “Plenty,” in approach. What the three authors have in common is that they went for a good period of time without purchasing any food that was grown outside of the 100/150-mile-radius of their home. While McKibben did this only for one winter (the other authors went for an entire year,) it should be recognized that winter is the most difficult time to procure local foods, at least of the sort we are used to seeing in grocery stores. The difference in McKibben’s analysis is his economic and historical prowess, which gives it an interesting edge over the plethora of books which have come out lately, but have focused more on environmental issues than economic issues. I only began to understand the economic practicality involved in strengthening the local food economy this quarter, and think the view McKibben gives will appeal not only to environmentalists, but to those who worry about the U.S. economy and the food security issues we have seen in the news lately. I will be referring to his words a lot in my paper.

I also read Amy Cloud’s Business Plan for her farm and CSA, which was originally given to banks in an attempt to be given a loan for solar panels on the farm. That hasn’t worked out quite yet, but the plan itself is a wonderful guide to how a CSA works.

This week on the farm, we have mostly focused on weeding. I found out I’m better at using a hand hoe than a stirrup hoe, so Amy and I worked a lot with that to weed the beds of mixed greens. Before Segue cultivated them, the rows basically looked like mini golf fields with all the grass that was sprouting in-between the crops. CSA members are going to have to wait an extra week to pick up their first load of produce, thanks to the crazy weather we’ve had this spring. It has been raining a lot this week, so Wednesday was spent in the greenhouse transplanting tomatoes and seeding watermelon into flats. Thursday it rained again, and Amy didn’t have more work for us to do inside, so we had the day off. Earlier this week we were anticipating the arrival of a few pigs from a local pig farm, but at the last minute the owner decided they weren’t ready yet. Hopefully they will come in soon and we can get started on the pig fence. Segue and Amy are very excited for the new arrival.

Last week Amy and I fertilized with dry meal, but on Tuesday I got to use the liquid stuff. Fish emulsion, to be exact. Luckily I couldn’t really smell it as I sprayed it in small amounts onto the leaves and roots of our strawberry plants, which are coming up quite nicely and have nice white flowers.
On Saturday I am going to the Tower Grove Farmer’s Market, the first day of the season, where Amy will be selling bedding plants and making connections. She said that if it rains, she can expect 50% less profit than she would have made otherwise. Apparently people in St. Louis don’t like to be out when it’s raining. I am looking forward to interviewing Patrick Horine, the owner of the market and a health food store called Local Harvest. I found an article about him in the RiverFront Times that speaks of the different farmer’s markets in St. Louis; you can check it out here.

At the farm, the garlic is basically the best-looking crop around, and they have been able to get a lot planted this past week, with special thanks to all of Amy’s CSA members and the Principia students who came out to help on Saturday. A lot of students at Prin are interested in helping out at the farm, which is really exciting! Hopefully this will help people know their options for fresh produce when they graduate .

Wednesday April 30

supermanda — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:40:24 +0000

A bit warmer this morning, probably 65-70. Linda Hannan came out and took pictures of me for the ACA office. We took row covers off of the plants to fertilize and cultivate them. Rolling them up into huge balls was a bit difficult with all of the wind, but the plants are looking a lot better than they were last week. The person who worked on the farm before Amy and Segue used conventional methods, which stripped the soil of many nutrients. So we apply organic animal-based fertilizer to help build the level of fertility, and help the plants make it through the growing season. The fertilizer itself could be made of bone or blood meal; I didn’t care to know at the time of application J.

Tuesday April 29

supermanda — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:40:14 +0000

This morning was sunny but cold. It got warmer as we worked out in the field. Segue taught me how to properly line the beds with drip tape and cover them with a plastic-type mat, which works as mulch in stopping weeds from growing. Amy talked about the benefits of using this type of row cover vs. the much cheaper, quickly disposable version. Apparently there is another type which farmers buy, use for one season, and throw away; but this one can be used for many years, so she decided to spend a bit more for it. The drip tape has tiny holes which constantly let out small bits of water, which will go directly to the root of the plant. We did that for about an hour, got a couple of beds done, and then I switched places with Jenny and weeded using a stirrup hoe. It’s named for its shape, and is ergonomically designed to make it easier on one’s back, etc. Hand weeding (or anything involving hand tools and weeds) is always the last resort, after cultivation, to get rid of the weeds.

Monday April 28

supermanda — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:39:46 +0000

It was pretty chilly this morning when I met Amy in the greenhouse, and because of the potential for rain she decided we would stay there. We seeded 10 or so flats of lettuce, my five being a type called Magenta, and had done about 15 flats of melons by the time I left. She and I talked a great deal about my project and interviews. In my interview with the manager of Tower Grove Farmer’s Market, who is also the owner of a small grocery store called Local Harvest, I will look into how he has helped and benefited from the growth of the local food movement in St. Louis, and ask about the growth of businesses parallel to this. When I talk to Kris Larson at La Vista, my focus will be on why he as a young man not previously engaged with farming chose to make this his livelihood. Amy has said that there is a very high demand for CSAs in St. Louis, yet only two CSAs which deliver there, (hers and Beaver Farms in Edwardsville) leaving a gap between supply and demand. I believe I will do the rest of my interviews through email, for the sake of having everything written down.

Sunday April 27

supermanda — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:39:31 +0000

Today I took the adventure to St. Louis in order to visit the Bottleworks at Schlafly, and then the new site for Fair Shares, a combined CSA started by Sara Hale and a woman named Jamie who I only met briefly. I took my boyfriend David along to the Bottleworks Restaurant. The menu was really impressive, with a little picture of Missouri next to the items which were made from local ingredients. On the back there was a list with the sources of the bison, pork, pasta, bread, veggie meat substitute, etc. which are bought locally. We also checked out the 1/3 acre garden, which was actually part of the parking lot there before they converted it.
After eating lunch, we went over to the Fair Shares building to interview Stephen and Sara Hale. Stephen is the head brewer at the Tap Room, and they have both worked with Schlafly for a number of years. Along with Rebecca Marsh, they are also co-leaders and organizers of the Slow Food St. Louis convivium.

Thursday April 24

supermanda — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:39:04 +0000

Sunny, a bit chilly until we got moving. Jenny, Amy and I attacked the strawberry beds with our mini spades and began clearing straw and weeds away from the strawberry plants. I used a shovel to take out a few large thistle plants with fairly deep taproots. When Amy went to cultivate another bed, Segue joined us and we had a great conversation about Mexican folklore and movies.

Wednesday April 23

supermanda — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:38:52 +0000

Sunny and warm. I learned how to properly ride and use the tractor, and made a bed that was slightly crooked, but apparently better than Segue’s first attempt at one! We then dropped and planted radicchio.

Tuesday April 22

supermanda — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:38:23 +0000

When we got to Amy’s today, the sky was dark and looked like it might rain. We walked around the field checking on the plants, and then planted a few rows of flowers. The strawberry leaves are coming up strong, the garlic keeps shooting up, and the broccoli has improved greatly since last week when it had become translucent. Amy told us that it rained earlier for about 5 minutes and then stopped; we were hoping it would pass us over. A few minutes later there was thunder and lightning, and it started raining pretty hard. We took cover under the barn and watched the thunderstorm, talking for a while. When it didn’t let up, Amy told us we could go, as it was now too wet to plant anything else.