Kids on the Farm

A topic I've been meaning to share but am just getting around to is about having visitors, specifically kids. We have no interest in having kids of our own but it's a lot of fun to have kids on the farm to get a connection to agriculture and forestry. When we moved home and wanted to eventually run the farm, we always knew our goal would be to produce products that were high quality and priced to a point where people who wouldn't normally buy local would feel comfortable trying a local product. This eventually morphed into getting people to see where and how farm products are produced since so few families connect to this lifestyle. 

The first venture into this was open farm day several years ago, where we quickly realized after 150 people showed up, we needed more space and needed to make the farm a safer space for kids to be around. After building the event building and learning new and better ways to host events, we have had some amazing Open Farm days and family-friendly events.

For many of the kids, we met over the years, many haven't seen tractors, vegetables, or even cows in real life. It's always a ton of fun to introduce them to big gear or animals. It's exciting but also sad to watch this. When I was a kid, even my friends in town had relatives who farmed. Now, this generation has a rare family connection to the industry and that's where I'm glad we can bring that to kids. 

One of the best examples of this was a little boy who came to the farm because we had a "Touch a Truck" set up and he could see the tractors. Although he lived in the city, he did all the virtual farming he could and knew all about tractors and crop planting. He wore a New Holland hat and shocked me with the level of knowledge he had on tractors even though he never really got to see them. I took a lot of time to give him the full tour and try all the gear. He was so thrilled that he drew me a picture I have in my shop still and it reminds me why we do these things for the public.

I'd also like to share some of our learnings with parents as well who bring kids to farms since there are some things to remember:

• One of the biggest things to remember is that farms aren't playgrounds. Make sure you tell your kids to ask if they can look, touch or go somewhere before they do. When we first did open farm day, a few families let their kids play around with the pitchforks in the barn and some others chased our chickens around the yard. If you want to keep your kids safe and also respect the farm, make sure you ask what they can and can't do. 
• No all animals like people. Sometimes cows and other animals look cute and calm, but if you aren't familiar with them, they may react, which won't always be positive. Make sure you check with the farmers on what you can and can't do. 
• Let the farmer know early what they want to see and do! Most farmers want kids to see and learn all they can so make sure that's clearly communicated. 
• Dress appropriately! Unless it's Hatfield Farm, most farms are working farms with different ecosystems and setups that may not always be dry and clean. 

We're hoping to do more on-farm events again, post-COVID so watch our site (www.barmranch.ca) for more updates!

Machine Repairs - A farm/forest necessity

As most of you who follow our farm social media, you'll know that I have gone back to school (NSCC) to take the Heavy Duty Equipment program. This is a blended program where it's online and in the shop on Monday and Wednesday evenings. The things I am learning are mostly about engines, welding, hydraulics and electronics with heavy equipment and large trucks. So you might be wondering why I am taking that type of program and not something else farm related to animals, field management or otherwise? It's because machine repair is the most common issue and costliest problem on the farm and forest operations here. 

After 10 years of building up a number of machines I currently operate:

• A TimberJack skidder
• A Branson Tractor
• All haying equipment
• A manure spreader
• A firewood processor
• A Valmet Forestry Tractor
• A 12 ft dump trailer

Operating some of the larger gear like the Valmet means things go wrong all the time because they have complex hydraulics and engine setups and they are operated in a tough forest environment. In this picture above, you can see a common issue of a hydraulic hose break. These are fairly easy to fix, but some issues are a lot tougher.

This issue above was the one that made me apply to the heavy-duty program. It was a fuel issue with the Valmet forestry tractor. The mechanic that helped me fix it, showed me that knowing the fundamentals will allow you to fix the problem. I applied to the program shortly after :)

Machine repairs make up the majority of expenses here on the farm. With the large forestry tractor, a service call is almost a $1000 minimum cost but can go up depending on the issue. Parts and mostly labour can bring a bill up and taking this program eliminates the labour costs which are often 70% of a service bill. 

As I wrap up my 1st year of the 2 year program, I have already used my skills on multiple projects and looking forward to learning more next year to be even better with engines, etc.

Buying Meat from a Farmer - What's the Process?

For those who follow our farm on social media, we recently had a cow processed with a new butcher in Bridgetown NS. D'Aubin Family Meats did a great job processing our 2 and half years old certified Angus steer. I picked up the meat after two weeks of aging for more tender and flavorful meat that was a new tactic we'd read about from other farmers. 

The drop-off was textbook perfect this year with the cow being very calm on the drive down and the distance from the trailer to where it was processed was short and it didn't stress out which makes the meat more tender. One of the realities of bringing cows to the butcher is that they can sometimes stress out if they get unsure of where they are and that causes them to tense their muscles up and make the meat a little tougher. 

Shortly after it was processed, I was able to get the liver, tongue, heart, and tail right away for my really good friend, Amy, who has an Asian family who can make amazing dishes with these cuts from the cow. It was great to know that more of the cow could be used and not go to waste. The oxtail soup from the tail was the coolest this year and I'm so glad we can connect to families this way. 

Once we pick up the cow, we have to quickly distribute it to customers and divide up what we want to keep. Why is this a more challenging and busy time? Thee reasons:

1. We don't have enough freezer/fridge space for anywhere between 500-700 lbs of meat. This is typically why we get meat processed at this time of year because the outdoor temperature is usually the temperate of a fridge.
2. The amount of meat we are going to get is always not 100% sure until the day of pick up. The cow this time had a finished weight of 750 lbs. That was one of the larger ones we've ever had butchered and because of that we can't really secure orders until we know that number which is usually the day of pick up. 
3. We will ask for the type of cuts we want but it can often vary depending on the composition of the cow. This means we can't always accommodate the exact meat cuts people want so we have moved to a mixed meat box order. 

Doing deliveries this year was a bit different since it was during COVID so there was a need to be socially distant but I still got lots of time to visit with many repeat customers that are often my friends who have come to the farm. For many customers, I could tell them what cow it was, since they had been to the farm over the summer. This connection to their food is what many people want and for good reason. This level of connection means that they can taste a difference between cows they may have had before from our farm because they may have been fed differently or had different body compositions.

Based on some of the conversations I had this year I also thought I'd share a few things to remember when buying meat directly from a farmer:

• For the reasons mentioned above, buying meat from a farmer directly means it's not like the grocery store. You often don't get all the cuts you want because it's from one cow, not multiple mixed together. This means that you may have cuts that are different from what you expect. You can expect you may need to google the cuts you received in a meat box or if you order a side or 1/4 of a cow and find ways to use it. 
• Meat changes in flavor and texture between cows. We had many customers who have written to say this recent cow was even more tender than in other cows. This again has to do with the situation this time where the cow was stress-free, aged longer, and simply because their body composition was a bit different. 
• Why did we do a meat mixed box and not pick what you want ordering? For us, as mentioned above, we have all our cuts from one cow so we try and give everyone a diverse mix of cuts instead of everyone buying all the t-bones or prime rib.  '

Thanks to everyone who went in on this cow and thanks for all the great questions and conversation at drop off!

Seed swap?

In pre-Covid times, I loved heading to as many local Seedy Saturday events as I could with a purse full of seed packets I’d made up from my home-grown and saved seeds. I’d search for the table where the seed swapping was happening hoping to score some new-to-me varieties and chat with the other seed savers. Although I think there will be some in-person seed swaps this year, I can’t imagine it being the same. They were frequently very busy, shoulder-to-shoulder kind of events where I’d squeeze my way to the front of the crowd to approach each table where a local seed producer was eager to talk about certain seed varieties.

Thankfully, last year, I had placed (and received) all of my seed orders and even attended a couple of early Seedy Saturday events before the pandemic hit. In 2020, there were a lot of first-time gardeners (or Covid Gardeners) who were forced to stay home and eager for a new hobby and the demand for garden seed skyrocketed. Over the years, I’ve been increasing the number of varieties, and quantities of seeds I save. I could have planted a full garden without placing any orders for seeds. The generations of people who lived on this farm before me, saved seed out of necessity; long before there were glossy seed catalogues and online ordering options. I save seeds for fun. I like trying new-to-me varieties and eating veggies that can’t be found on the grocery store shelves.

So this year, I’m trying something new! I want to swap seeds with fellow (Canadian) seed savers without meeting in a big crowd. Hence the online seed swap. We have an online store for our farm website where I’m posting my first online seed swap. To sign up, you purchase your “spot” in the swap on our website. This payment will cover the cost for me to mail seeds back to you. Once you’ve purchased your spot in the swap, you mail me the 25 individual packets of seeds (at your expense) that you’ve saved from your garden this past year. I need to receive seeds from everyone registered prior to me sorting them to send 25 different packages of seeds back to you. Each person who participates will end up with an envelope containing 25 individual packets of seeds from fellow seed-saving-enthusiasts.

Christina

New Ross, NS

As I write this, there is a heavy snowfall happening with 8 inches already on the ground. It's a soft snowfall that makes me feel like I am in a snowglobe. In our old Meister Farm House, the furnace is full of wood I made last year and it's keeping the two of us and the dogs warm. Before supper, I took a walk to the barn and fed the cattle in the cool, dry barn that, since renovations, is like a fancy hotel for cattle. On the walk back from the barn I looked over a good portion of the community I live in from the top of the hill here. It was during this moment I had an amazing feeling of connection to the land, people, and history of this community.

If you haven't been to New Ross, it's about an hour from Halifax and 30 minutes from Bridgewater and Kentville, in the interior of Nova Scotia. Settled in 1816, this small community is in the middle of nowhere but the center of everything. We have all we need to survive in town with a grocery store, gas station, home hardware, two restaurants, post office, and a bank to name a few things. We have multiple forestry stores that speak to the industries here as well as the hard-working people who maintain those industries. 

As you can see from the aerial picture (credit to Matthew Gates), it's a small town, removed from the hustle and bustle of the big city life we left behind 10 years ago. I grew up here, along with 6 other generations before me. Christina grew up about 15 minutes away so the lifestyle here is not far off from what she is used to. Growing up here was fun but I just wanted to move away and live in a city but as time went on in that life, it became clear that it wasn't the right place even though we loved Calgary. 

As soon as moving back to New Ross, I was reminded how supportive everyone was with no shortage of people asking to help us and lots of great community activities to engage in. 

Looking at this community in 2021, it's clear this is truly a haven from the crazy world we live in. It's not hard to have lots to do every day on the farm but still go 14 days in quarantine by accident because of how removed you can be from the world. The farm/forest operation here has a to-do list that could last through 10 lockdowns and provides us our own food and heat, the new fiber-op internet allows us to work our office jobs remotely and also manage our side business online and the ability to always be in nature has meant we social distance before social distancing was a thing. 

If you are looking for an oasis from the city? Do you want a place where the rest of the world seems like a world away? You could be as lucky as we are and have a place like New Ross to call home. 

Christmas Break 2020

After a wild and interesting 2020, the Christmas break has been a needed and welcome break. For me, it's meant that as soon as my office job ended end of day on Dec 22nd, I crashed for 4 days with sleeping being a key theme in my activity schedule. I didn't realize how tired I was until I stopped and because of that, I've slept in and napped until Dec 27th when I finally got outside and started cutting firewood and doing work around the farm. It ended up being a beautiful snowy day that was still and quiet and gave us all a chance to pause and reflect on the moment. Being present in the moment has been hard this year but the Christmas break has given an opportunity for that with today being a highlight.

Being able to enjoy the farm in this slower time is always a treat but this year has been a unique exception where it was needed by everyone. With so much of the year being busy with activities like haying, fencing, and barn renovations, this season has been a welcome reprieve where spending days in between naps and watching movies has been a guilt-free activity. 

With both of us going back on January 4th, we still have a full week before that happens so what will be the way to get rested before the winter push of work and classes? Most of the day will include some light work outside like cutting firewood, barn chores and general maintenance. The mid day cycle will include a nap and evenings are TV time which is very, VERY rare on the farm since we normally work on other office work in the evenings like finances for the farm, blog entries, social media updates and general research. 

I am looking forward to this next week of relaxing and socially distancing from everyone and everything while we recharge for 2021.

COVID and the Farm - Second Wave

 As we move into late December, it's clear that the second wave of COVID is upon us but what does that mean for us on the farm? For the majority of our work, it doesn't impact anything or very little but it has impacted some things more than others:

• The Christmas tree U-pick that was scheduled for the last weekend of November and the first weekend in December had been reduced with no one from HRM area allowed to leave for unnecessary travel. This was unfortunate but we had encouraged that everyone remains in HFX until this is under control. Hopefully, 2021 will see a different U-pick. 
• The community Christmas festival was canceled which is what drives a lot of traffic to the U-pick. Although we understand, it isn't thrilling to hear that all that work volunteers have put into things is going to have to be canceled. 
• Getting parts and supplies takes a lot longer. With most dealerships experiencing shortages of parts, it can take longer than normal to get a part. 

What hasn't really been impacted?

• For firewood production, I am still cutting lots of wood for next year's orders. This has been a good news story from the farm this year. After a big investment in a firewood processor, there is a huge demand for local firewood, and since I have worked out the bugs of the process like having a moisture meter and sending pre-approval pictures of the load, my firewood quality has gone up.
• The cattle still need the same work and also the demand for local beef is very strong. This is particularly good since I've just invested big time in the barn renovations so it will help pay for those renos. 
• Our work from home situation with our office jobs. Although I still go to class in Dartmouth on Monday and Wednesday nights, I don't commute in during rush hour traffic which is much harder and longer to accomplish. It appears I'll be doing this until April and hopefully beyond as well, Christina only goes in 1 day a week or so. Since our upgraded internet, we have been able to work so much more efficiently from home so this has been one of the pros of this COVID time. 

As I said in earlier posts about COVID, farm living is inadvertently built for this pandemic since so little changes about the day to day operations and I can work around the farm with no interaction with anyone else for days at a time.