Week 14, 2015-16 Season

Finally back home from Guatemala and thank the good Lord, everybody is safe and sound and the farm is doing fine.  Kudos to Jenn for managing everything, expertly, while I was gone.  I had a very productive time in Guatemala working with La Floresta based in Coban, Guatemala as a volunteer in the Farmer to Farmer Program from USAID.  We also had a few classes with other producers and La Floresta's employees.  They propagate ivy, aloe, pony tail palms, liriopes, pothos, and philodendrons at three very different farms for export to the US and Europe.  I assisted them in making recommendations in changes to fertilizers, weed control, and worker protection safety along with some other harvesting ideas.  The main goal was to increase yields and reduce costs.  The bonus will be a reduction in the company's environmental impact and helping their employees minimize their exposure to pesticides.  I also learned a few things from them as well to implement with my growers and farm.  It was also somewhat sad to see the clear cutting of forests.  I was at one farm and could hear the chainsaws working on the nearby mountain side making room for other crops. This was especially poignant as this area abounds in orchids that grow on the forest trees.  In fact, I saw an orchid no bigger than the tip of my finger at an orchid reserve that was dedicated to protecting the plant and preserving their habitat.  When we lose a specie whether it be animal or plant we also lose a bit of ourselves in relation to that species.  All in all, it was a good trip and I learned a great deal more about and have a connection to, the people of Guatemala.  It certainly was a very beautiful country once you get out of the cities.  The country is very mountainous and reminded me of either Arizona in southern Guat. (very dry and desert-like) or North Carolina in north-central Guat (pine trees, tall mountains, cool and damp).  It was very interesting to see a smoking volcano when I touched down in the airport. (Pictures to follow soon.)  I was slightly nervous at times for fear of the unknown and the safety of doing different things but I had a good host and a colleague to assist with things.  I am also very glad to be back with my family and farm.

The farm is doing well and we will be harvesting beautiful lettuce this week along with other items.  The potatoes are doing great and our next crop of tomatoes are gearing up for outside planting.  Next in the line up to plant are beets, cabbage, more lettuce, broccoli, and more Swiss chard.  Within a few weeks we will be planting sweet corn, beans, squash, cantaloupe, and watermelon (yes, I will once again plant melons with the hope/fantasy of actually harvesting them.)

We captured two possums in traps near the strawberries and the electric fence.  My apologies to raccoons, as I figured they were the culprits.  I may have been quick to jump to erroneous conclusions, however I still don't trust those masked fiends.

First Week Pick Up 2011

Things are off to a good start at the farm.  Loquats are flowering, sugarcane is ready, the roselle is tasting nice, and the bok choi looks awesome.  One half of the beans are doing phenomenal.  The other half is not looking so great.  I did the exact same thing to the two rows.  The front half is full of beautiful picture perfect beans.  The back half is still producing but not like the front.  Very perplexing.
A few of the usual suspects are back as well...aphids and my nemesis flea beetles.  Otherwise things are alright.  I am still trying to get the greenhouse set up for the tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and strawberries.  I've got the tomatoes in and the irrigation drippers set up.  I just need to order the roof plastic. 
I planted a few trees over the last few months two pears and an apple.  Last week I planted three persimmon trees.  One was for Karl Rossa passing. 
I hope to have a few pictures soon. 
I will unfortunately miss the first week pick up because I will be doing Extension work in La Victoria, Dominican Republic.  I have been asked to see if I can help out the village agriculturally.  Jenn will have harvest duty for the first time.  I called my Dad out of retirement to lend a hand which he graciously accepted.  Thanks Dad!  I hope things go well for her.  I'm sure she will handle it just fine. 

Go Gator Nation!

I visited my Alma mater last week as part of a job interview for Hillsborough county environmental horticulture extension agent. Which is an off-campus faculty member for UF. It is also nice to get another national championship title and have our star quarterback returning next year! I love to go to the Univ. of FL to see what has changed. I got to interview with some of the professors that taught me. It was a good experience. I also visited the student organic gardens next to Lake Alice and the Bat House. I arrived at the gardens at about 7:30 am and it was about 35 degrees F. But is was really nice to see what is growing out there. I saw some beautiful broccoli, cabbage, and a giant red mustard. I am going to try to grow some of those things at my farm. I also was able to break a piece of sugarcane off to grow out at my farm. I also picked some asparagus seeds and some dried luffa seeds. I will just play with them at the farm to see how they do. I also caught up with some advisers and I was introduced to a new professor, Dr. Danielle Treadwell. She spent a good while with me discussing organic vegetables and sustainability which is her area of expertise. I got some good ideas from her and a good bit of information which I will add to the next few posts just to spread it out.

I have ordered our seeds from Johhny's and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. I am already looking forward to try out some new things and some new cultivars. I have also planted our some of our red onions and red potatoes this week. I have also planted some more mustard, kale, romaine lettuce (just to use up the seeds), and some butterhead lettuce.

This is a list of National resources from Dr. Treadwell of the University of Florida:

AFSIC. Alternative Farming Systems Information Center. http://afsic.nal.usda.gov/
The sustainable agriculture component of the National Agriculture Library.

ATTRA .(Formerly Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas and now known as the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service) website: http://www.attra.org/
This site is sponsored by the USDA, and contains a wealth of information on sustainable agriculture, including organic production. Visit the pest management database (see below)

IFOAM International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements. http://www.ifoam.org/
The premier international body of organic agriculture professionals. They publish an annual report on global organic statistics and provide guidance to certifying agencies world-wide.

National Organic Program. http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/indexIE.htm
This site has information for consumers and growers on organic production in the US, including a complete copy of the standards.

NCAT Organic Crops Workbook. http://www.blogger.com/TALKS_2007/GardensGroves_BrevardCo_March31_07/www.attra.ncat.org
In collaboration with ATTRA, a very helpful workbook that guides producers through the process of certification, including creating an organic system plan for your operation.

OFRF Organic Farming Research Foundation http://www.ofrf.org/
From California, this non-profit organization serves the national organic community by providing research updates and grower survey results. They also offer small grants to growers for on-farm research projects.

SARE Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education http://www.sare.org/
SARE is a federally-funded program administered regionally in the U.S. The educational outreach component of SARE is SAN (Sustainable Agriculture Network). They have several online books that are very popular (see below)

Soil Quality Institute. http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/soil_quality/what_is/sqiinfo.html This website features information sheets on a variety of soil quality topics from the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)