{"id":2193,"date":"2013-03-04T14:58:00","date_gmt":"2013-03-04T14:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fairsharefarm.com\/wp2\/2008-our-fifth-season\/"},"modified":"2025-04-21T05:45:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T05:45:27","slug":"2008-our-fifth-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fairsharefarm.com\/wp2\/2008-our-fifth-season\/","title":{"rendered":"2008—Our Fifth Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2008 we met our 5-year goal of being a 100% CSA farm. No more standing around at market hoping the customers would come to buy, instead we were able to stay focused on farming, knowing that all of our produce was already sold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Morning light in winter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

As we plotted our future we realized that one thing we were not doing was getting the most out of the land we were cultivating. It seemed friends with home gardens were growing more in small areas than we were in long beds of crops. We decided to expand our operation by contracting – growing less plants and paying more attention to them.<\/p>\n

We had been asked that January to coordinate a CSA Workshop at the Great Plains Vegetable Growers Conference in St. Joe. We immediately contacted Liz Henderson from Peacework Organic Farm to join us on the panel. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to show her our progress since those days in 2001 at her farm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Rebecca and Elizabeth Henderson in January<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

We also took time to visit friend Liz Elmore who was working at The Land Institute<\/a> in Salina, KS. This group of folks, headed by Wes Jackson, are working in a field they call natural systems farming. In what they state is at least a 100-year project, they are breeding perennial grains that can be grown in a prairie-like system. We suggest you visit their website to learn more, and to support their efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Board at The Land Institute explaining some of their work<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

February was busy as we converted the Allis Chalmers G tractor from gas to electric. With volunteer apprentice Lorne Carroll’s help and John Graff’s welding ability we performed the operation lickety split. We had just started our blog and documented the progress there<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Lorne assembling new motor parts, old G gas engine at top of photo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Then there was Rocky. We knew that we needed help keeping the critters out of our fields and off of our crops, but were not sure what type of dog would do the trick. Livestock guarding breeds seemed to be the best choice – big and intimidating to a critter, but calm and sweet with people.  So when Tom Parker told us a local farmer had Great Pyrennes\/Anatolian Shepherd cross puppies for sale we jumped at the opportunity. We brought Rocky home on February 5th. He was tough to resist.<\/p>\n

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Rocky and his brother Bandit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n