Learning From The Pros......Piedmont Farm Tour 2014

This past weekend we decided to send the kids to the grandparents and head towards the eastern part of the state and take part in the largest farm tour in the United States. It's sponsored by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. I've learned quickly that these folks have a wealth of knowledge and really want to help up and coming beginner farmers. We spent two days visiting a total of 6 farms (there were a total of 36 farms to pick from).

On Saturday, we took part in a special bus tour that was only for beginner farmers. We were able to take notes, ask questions, and really get up and personal with the owners and workers at each location. Our first stop was to Perry-winkle Farm. They have sustainably grown vegetables, and cut flowers. They have a crop rotation system to insure a healthy environment. They had two chicken tractors with two different types of meat birds. We also got to see their Hebel Block passive-solar greenhouse. They also have an onsite brick bread oven. The smells coming from that thing were mouth watering!


Next stop was to Granite Springs Farm whose future plan is an interesting concept. They grow vegetables and have pastured laying hens. But the very cool thing was their 95 foot long hoop house where they grow vegetables and oyster mushrooms that are grown on straw in bags and suspended in the air. It looked very complicated to me! They also practice vermicompost using earthworms. This is a 140 acre farm and their eventual plan is to create an intentional agrarian community where all of the homes will be together on the property and everyone farms and works together.

Our last stop on Saturday was to Cozi farm where they raise Jersey dairy cows, sheep, and meat chickens. They also had some beautiful Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs.

On Sunday, we got to choose the three farms that we most wanted to see, so we really tried to pinpoint places that were of interest to us as far as similarities in produce and livestock.

First stop was to Chapel Hill Creamery. Here they turn soil, sunlight, and grass into delicious farmhouse cheeses. They had a beautiful herd of Jersey cows. We got to ride a wagon pulled by draft horses. We saw some pigs who eat the whey left over from making the cheese and we got to see their team of oxen that they use to plow the fields on the property. Of course, I bought some cheese. No way could I pass that up!

Our second stop was to Fickle Creek Farm. They had egg mobiles where you got to pick your own fresh eggs. They also raise sheep and lambs, steers, pastured pigs, ducks, and Freedom Ranger broiler chickens. They also have a market garden. I came away with some fresh country sausage!

Our last stop was to Minka Farm where I got to love on some meat and dairy goat babies. They also raise pigs and beef cattle. I met a new donkey friend as well.

 We came away with lots of new ideas and things we'd like to try and implement at Ellis Farms. Wish us luck!

Til next time,

Audra

Getting Trashy On The Farm

Recently at Ellis Farms, we "acquired" a Rubbermaid tote full of worms and worm dirt. I say "acquired" because it was essentially given to us from the local 4-H Office. I have been involved in the 4-H program here since I was 5 years old, first as a 4-H'er then as a volunteer. I currently serve on the 4-H Advisory Board. At the last board meeting, I was asked, "Hey! Do you want our worms?" And I was like, "Huh?" It was then I was quickly educated on the world of Vermiculture. According to Wikipedia, "Vermicompost is the product or process of composting using various worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and other earthworms to create a heterogeneous mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and vermicast. Vermicast, also called worm castings, worm humus or worm manure, is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by an earthworm.^[1] These castings have been shown to contain reduced levels of contaminants and a higher saturation of nutrients than do organic materials before vermicomposting.^[2] Containing water-soluble nutrients, vermicompost is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner.^[3] This process of producing vermicompost is called vermicomposting."

And so, this tote of worms made it's way to our upstairs office where, for the past few months, I have fed them veggie scraps and left them alone. Easiest pet you'll ever have! Haha

This past weekend, I decided the worms needed to make their way from the office to a REAL compost bin. So I did some quick research, finding a great helpful article Composing- A Guide To Making Compost At Home. Using scrap wood from the family sawmill, and in no more than an hour, our household compost bin was complete.

My plan, is to use the compost for planting flowers mainly, but I'm sure it will be used in the garden. It's a great way to make natural fertilizer from things that you'd normal throw out with the trash. The next thing I did was order a kitchen composter that will fit under the kitchen cabinet so I can collect the food scraps and then, when it's full, dump it into the outside bin. I found a cute one online for $19.00 plus free shipping at Hayneedle.