What We Do
Some of the things we've done along the Tour...
Buckland Farm - Clearville, PA (Sept 2010 - Oct 2010)
harvested tomatoes... dug up potatoes... cut chard... expertly(!) picked basil... fed heritage breed pigs (Gloucester Old Spot & Tamworth)... installed electrified, solar-controlled "piggery" in woods... designed and built a 2-cord wood shed... cleaned and organized the barn... built a pallet & straw bale pig pen for the piggery... drove a Kawasaki Mule... helped corral pig into trailer headed to butcher... helped prepare CSA delivery... ran generator periodically to run well pump to refill water tank for gravity-fed lines... planted beet, carrot, and lettuce seeds... picked up whey from neighbor dairy farm and pig feed from feed store... fished for perch in farm pond, then cleaned 'em and fried 'em for dinner... took target practice on makeshift farm rifle range (with farmer!)... added racks to beehive... worked with British WWOOFer... watered vegetables... installed wood stove in Bunkhouse... had harvest party (w/ bonfire)... mowed the lawn... locked up chickens at night in coop... gathered eggs (& learned to make perfect scrambled eggs!)... went for runs and bike rides on back country roads...
Old School Farm - Honesdale, PA (Oct 2010 - Dec 2010)
installed & repaired deer fence... brushcut & chainsawed... built fence around garden and sheep pasture (including layout, post hole augering w/ 3pt hitch attachment, harvesting black locust posts, installing insulators, stringing up electric fence, and connecting to solar controller)... burned brush... raked & blew leaves... cleaned out the attic... helped fellow volunteer move... made purchases using farm account at local Agway... had dinner & beers with farm neighbors... attended a PASA (PA Sustainable Agriculture) meeting hosted at Old School Farm... made moss gardens... installed a "green roof"... fired shotgun to protect flock from predators (stray dogs)... strung up and butchered a deer... butchered turkey (double-breasted bronze) & made hand-ground turkey patties...
Lost Spur Ranch - Leslie, MO (June 2011 - July 2011, March 2012 - June 2012)
planted and harvested asparagus... planted crimson clover, oats, and hairy vetch as cover crops... built tomato trellis with cattle panels... chainsawed cedars... cleaned the basement & barn... fed, brushed, dewormed, saddled & worked horses (and watched farrier shoe them)... built berry & grape arbor with repurposed cedar posts and old electric fence wire... fixed horse waterer... created farm website, composed budgets & marketing strategies... ran down to local swimming hole... attended produce and draft horse auctions... raised Great Pyrenees (livestock guardian dogs)... worked on volunteer Bunkhouse (installing & plumbing sink, putting up partitions, setting up bunks)... took down & strung up electric fence... operated tiller to cultivate garden... hauled logs with tractor & chain... built a small greenhouse (which later blew away in the wind!)... attended a cattle sorting competition... sprayed weeds along fenceline... repaired & sharpened chainsaws...
Millsap Farms & Urban Roots Farm - Springfield, MO (Aug 2011 - Sep 2011)
repaired chicken coops... pulled weeds... harvested all types of produce... strung up supports for vertical / climbing plants... installed & repaired irrigation lines... assembled second-hand above-ground pool to cool off in July(!)... went on sidetrips with farmers & fellow Volunteers (Denis Potts & Rachel Heitkamp) on weekends... mowed grass between row crops (and repaired mower as needed!)... got insured by Springfield Habitat-for-Humanity ReStore in order to salvage a walk-in cooler from old restaurant for re-use at farm... built greenhouses at local schools with SUAC (Springfield Urban Agriculture Coalition)... attended urban agriculture conference at Missouri State University... hauled wheelbarrows of topsoil to amend garden bed... mixed & sprayed BT... killed squash bugs & japanese beetles... prepared soil blocks... washed & sorted & weighed & stored produce... loaded Homegrown Foods refridgerated box truck (on loan from Adam's sister Amanda) for Battlefield Farmers Market... worked Farmers Markets (including taking money & taking Cube payments) with farm intern (Kyle Huff)... attended educational (non-working) farm tours... installed irrigation system (lines, actuators, timers, valves)... organized tool room & workshop... butchered chickens at Ozarks Natural Foods and then participated in blind chicken taste test (7 breeds) at local restaurant (Farmer's Gastropub) - and all 15 participants ranked Cornish X's at the bottom! ... performed soil tests... transplanted seedlings from greenhouse... installed PlantCam... welded & assembled A-frames for vertical crop supports (pole beans, cukes, eggplant)... had occasional celebrations at Mother's Brewing Company and Andy's Frozen Custard!...
Stepping Stone Farm - Weaubleau, MO (Sept 2011 - Nov 2011) (July 2012 - Aug 2012)
used Bobcat to move topsoil & ammend garden... raised goats (breeding, kidding, debudding, trimming hooves, deworming, bottle feeding, milking, selling, and butchering)... created online garden plan using Jung's garden planner... filled up QLF water tank loaded on tractor-trailer combo to take water to livestock each morning... siphoned gas to transfer for other farm equipment... learned to identify differences between gasoline, diesel, and mixes... cleaned out grain silo... loaded and ran seed drill (alfalfa / orchardgrass)... pruned apple, pear, plum orchard and learned about coddling moth / pheromone traps... milked goats (by hand) & cows (with claw) twice daily... loaded Jersey bull onto trailer and took to Remer Meat Company - a local USDA processor... welded broken tine on ripper implement... independently reworked greenhouse... helped farmer on side jobs - installing 5-line barbed wire fence at Warsaw farm (Burd's), building log cabin (St James), chainsawing cedars along fenceline (Kretz's)... got permits to harvest & sort hickory trees for rustic furniture maker Ozark Rustic at local Conservation Areas (Lead Mine & Mule Shoe)... dropped transmission and transfer case to make repairs on F250 pickup truck(!)... operated seed cleaning and threshing machine... collected and saved lettuce seed... worked and played games with farm children... used grapple attachement on Bobcat to collect brush... rebuilt deck on running gear... milled lumber using mobile sawmill... burned rubbish... took salvaged ferrous metals from around farm to recycler... picked up trash around town... repaired broken sewer line... climbed windmill... participated in seasonal & faith-based community events... set up & took down farm stand... attended tractor auction... used tractor & hayspike to bring new round bale of hay to cattle... hooked up & operated combine for milo harvest...
Bright Hope Farm - Hughesville, MO (April 2012)
regular morning chores included feeding & watering chickens, ducks, rabbits, alpaca, llama, donkey, miniature horse, goats, sheep, turkeys, pheasants, quail, and peacocks(!)... cleaned out barns & greenhouses & sorted building materials... incubated & raised baby ducks and chicks... worked with another Volunteer (Joe McClure) to build outhouse, poultry expansion, goat/sheep paddocks (incl running power & lights), and bunkhouse addition... put down (with shotgun) an injured pig... observed deep water well & pump repairs... made and canned preserves in water bath... attended and passed Hunter Safety class at State Fair Community College's Agriculture Department... attended herbal soapmaking class with Master Gardeners... attended Sedalia Area Farmers Market end-of-season dinner... observed Mennonite cultures... planted onions... pruned blueberry & elderberry bushes... maintained beehives... set up rain cachement system... built farm website...
Boone Hollow Farm - Defiance, MO (Nov 2011 - Dec 2011)
attended Beginner Farmer seminar hosted by Missouri Alternatives Center (MAC) in Hillsboro... fed & watered turkeys... discussed farming options with young couple sharecropping lower field on farm... designed & built Outhouse... designed & built (partially) wood floor for Farm Office... went on driving tour of area with Farm owner (Dr. Chuck Granger, UMSL) to observe local wineries, Daniel Boone's site, the Cargill compound... (!)
Three Oaks Farms - Labadie, MO & Buda, IL (July 2013 - Dec 2014)
built out new FBi farm building... drive Harsco Army truck (Cummins engine, Allison automatic trans, Mack rear end acquired via Government Liquidations) w/ 40' Wilson hopper bottom trailer... operate Brock Grain Systems Dryer... repair pillow cushion boxes atop grain bins... clean out & repair grain bins (incl. sweep auger)... transfer soybeans from Mack & pup trailer to grain bin using 70' auger powered by tractor PTO... clean inside of wet grain hopper using rope ladder & plastic conduit (!)... install new plumbing & 3/4" pex tubing in-floor radiant heat system... construct 18' 2x4 walls for shop building... operate 50 gal sprayer attached to John Deere Gator... maintain Executive Camper (living quarters)... build Shop Shelves... help install 30 ton hoist... layout & set concrete forms prior to pour... attend farmland auction (311 acres)... unload trucks and run grain elevator & dryer as key team member of 800 acre corn & bean harvest... operate John Deere 4320/4020 tractors... become familiar with AGCO CAT tractor, Monosem vacuum planter, Ag Leader GIS technology, Drago corn head / MacDon bean head, strip-till bars... help with custom fabrication of hitch for Newman Aerator-Fertilizer Cart combination... ride-along on bean delivery to ADM facility on Illinois River... repair 10' deep broken drain tiles... grease equipment & air tires... replace gears & belts on Wet Leg... use moisture tester to monitor corn kernel quality... observe deep well installation... facility painting... trench work... accompany farmer to Field Day in the Quad Cities (hosted by Ag Spectrum)... work with NRCS to redesign runoff trench and bridge culvert...
Factor e Farm / Open Source Ecology - Weston, MO (Nov 2013)
... and this doesn't include all the great meals shared, books read, places seen, conversations enjoyed, and friends made...
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