SPRING IS HERE

hard to believe that spring is here. i am still feeling a little mixed up from starting daylight savings time so early. moving the clocks ahead gives us more daylight which many people welcome. the farmer translation: more daylight = working longer days. usually before the time change, we have worked in the greenhouse for a month, are getting our farm muscles back and are on our way to being organized. i guess the change feels abrupt this year.

i worked my way out to the barn this morning to gather more trays for seeding. what started out feeling like a brisk morning all of a sudden felt down right cruel. a wind chill below zero. i am sure it is spring in many places. for instance, dudley, NC where my dad lives or eugene, oregon where i lived for a few years. it is here that i first experienced an honest spring...flowers,warm temperatures, many bird songs, riding my bike, frisbee and yes, some slightly soggy days. i know our true spring will come here in vermont. march and april are a gift. i can sum it up in two words, maple syrup.

i went to the FEED conference yesterday. i saw some familiar faces and met new people. i enjoyed talking with other farmers about how the season is starting off. there aren't as many farmers at this conference as school teachers and food service workers. it is an amazing gathering of people coming together to find creative ways to buy products from local farmers for school food programs, connect children with area farmers, arrange farm visits and bring agriculture into the classroom. i heard many many more inspiring stories. this update is to be continued..........it is late.

here is a photo of our chicken coop. i don't know if we'll get chickens this year. we hoped to have a few layers and considered using the coop this year. next year we wanted to have more chickens and sell eggs. in the future, we plan to have a movable chicken house... many great designs out there. i am sure spencer will come up with something unique for elmer farm chickens. anyways, spencer said we can't work on cleaning out a house for birds until we have a house to live in ourselves. this makes perfect sense.