Warm Fall Weather

It's been awhile since I wrote a blog post and it's probably because it's been busy on the farm! This fall has been particularly busy because of a few reasons:

• The weather has been extra warm this year with a temperature of +18 degrees on October 30th! This means we can do work that normally couldn't happen until sprint that we didn't get to in the summer.
• With the delay in haying season, there is lots of general farm upkeep work that was also delayed we need to do before winter. 
• Generally higher demand for all farm products meant that we have been busy during harvest season with produce to sell but also a longer firewood season that I just wrapped up yesterday. 

The warm weather also means we have pasture grass still growing for the cattle. The picture below is from Oct 20th if you can believe it:

In many ways, this is helpful for getting work done on the farm and having a longer growing season but on the other hand it's troubling sign of how the climate is changing. We are seeing warmer times of the year when it should be cooler and also more extreme weather like the extreme wet conditions we had all summer. We are doing our best to adapt since it comes with positives and negatives but as this becomes the normal. 

The fall still is a highlight in Nova Scotia with an amazing array of colors on the trees which never ceases to impress us every year.

Although this fall has been unique, it's still an amazing time of year on the farm!

Haying Season!

It's been awhile since I wrote a blog post but it's been a busy year so far, especially since things have started growing! The weather this year has made for perfect growing conditions for everything on the farm, specifically hay! 

The history of haying on the farm goes back to when the first fields were cleared and the hay was cut by hand and hauled in by animal power. Luckily, the work is more mechanical now with tools like tedders, rakes, and balers to dry and pack the hay into manageable forms to handle. 

On the farm now, we keep a small cattle herd with a maximum of 9 cow stalls so we make more hay than we actually use. Each cow eats a bale of hay a day for about 180 days when they are in the barn over the winter so we use about 1620 bales of hay but make up about 3000 square bales and about 40 round rolls from a neighbour's fields.

As we have reduced the cattle herd to a more manageable number, we have taken more time to invest in better hay yields and better equipment to make the hay. This year we purchased a new hay baler and drum mower and in the last two years, we got a larger tedder and a wheel rake. These new pieces of equipment work very well and allow us to make hay when the sun shines so to speak :)

The first step in making hay is cutting it. This year this has been particularly hard since the wet weather has slowed us down. Once we see 3 or 4 days in a row of sunny weather, I'll get the drum mower on the tractor and mow 1-3 fields 

Once cut, the hay needs to fully dry, so once baled, it doesn't go moldy and doesn't spontaneously combust in the field. You can read more about this here. Drying is done using a tedder which for us is a 4 basket tedder that spins metal teeth in the hay to fluff it up and flip it. This is done 3 or 4 times over 2 or 3 days and once dry we move to raking. 

Raking hay means raking up the dry hay into windrows so the baler can pick up the hay easier. This past year we moved to using a new wheel rake which has been a great farm implement since it works well and has only 4 moving parts so less chance of anything breaking down. Once the hay is raked up, I switch over to baling.

This is done using a square baler for us. Many farms have now moved to larger round bales which are probably most familiar to anyone who has driven by a farm and seen the big round hay bales, stacked in a row. For the farm here, square bales are easier to handle when in the barn and we see much less wasted hay since the hay is stored inside right away compared to round rolls which are often stored outside or at least stay outside longer. 

Once the hay is baled, we usually hire one or two other people to help put it in then we repeat the process next time we get good weather. 

We have always been the kind of people who enjoy activities doing things for a purpose to recharge. This means on hot sunny days we enjoy working around the farm making hay more than going to the beach. Thankfully this is the case since making hay in nice sunny weather is critical so it's nice to be able to do this and enjoy it in the summer months. 

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.