Week 5

Hi Everyone! 

I'm looking forward to Devin & Dylan's presentation on economics, agriculture, and climate change tomorrow evening. Since farming is so utterly dependent on climate and weather, climate change is definitely something farmers are worried about. Unfortunately, our current economic system doesn't do a great job of promoting practices that will help agriculture adjust to climate shifts (and as you learned last week, agriculture is in fact a big contributor to climate instability). There are certainly some good initiatives aimed at increasing the resiliency of our food system, though, so I hope we'll get a chance to talk about those. Here's a video that profiles one dairy farm that is utilizing practices to make it more resilient to uncertain and severe weather patterns. It addition, it contains a diagram of the sort of drain tiles that I described that run through my farm and that Chelsea was asking for a better explanation of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1FdF2RD2Ik&list=PLcWFNNhgxVSxwms1ovyKnFkn2fVZm2GWJ&index=3.

The weather this week calls for 50% chance of rain on both Tuesday and Wednesday, so that will influence what we're able to do on the farm. What I'd like to do this week is to have you help us prep some additional beds and transplant seedlings into the ground, but the weather may not cooperate with that plan. If it is raining, I may have our Tuesday group work inside the hoophouse and take the Wednesday group up to Family Farm and Home for a field trip.

It is really important that you harden off transplants before planting them outside, otherwise you may kill the little seedlings that you've nurtured so diligently. We do that inside our hoophouse, but here's a two-minute video that describes the process you would go through if you didn't have a hoophouse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhDnVK25pGY. 

The rain this coming week should help the seeds that you planted last week to germinate, however, it is important that you monitor your gardens to make sure that they are staying moist in the event that we don't get regular rains. Flowering plants are generally classified into two types: monocots and dicots. Their seeds are structured differently and so their germination looks a little different too, as shown in the diagram below. For an entertaining (and really quite informative) tutorial on the differences between monocots and dicots, check out fourth grader Julia Sherwin's claymation video on the subject: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBz1unaMr6I.

And for a little inspiration while you wait for your seeds to germinate, here's a quotation from Henry David Thoreau: "I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders."

Monday Topic: Agro-ecology

Nino will be facilitating our learning about the effects of different agricultural practices on ecological systems this week, so he'll be responsible for leading half of Monday's class on that subject. I'll suggest that we use the other half to deal with any course logistics that we need to take care of, talk about Novella Carpenter's visit, review your progress on your gardens, and discuss your goals for the coming week.

Even though Nino will be providing the primary material for Monday's class, I'll offer links to a few articles/videos that I think might be useful to consider.

Dr. Wollenberg mentioned the difference in the diversity and abundance of microbial life in agricultural soils vs soils in other ecosystems such as prairies or rainforests. Here's an NPR blog that takes a larger comparative view of biodiversity in these environments: http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/11/29/166156242/cornstalks-everywhere-but-nothing-else-not-even-a-beehttp://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2012/11/29/166156242/cornstalks-everywhere-but-nothing-else-not-even-a-bee.

This TED talk by Jonathan Foley details the destructive effects of agricultural world-wide: http://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_foley_the_other_inconvenient_truth.

And this article by Joel Salatin asks the question "What can we do about it?": http://wanderlust.com/journal/guest-scribe-joel-salatin-can/.

Looking forward to talking with you about agro-ecology on Monday.

Weekly Topics

Hi Everyone,

You asked me to post a list of the topics you wanted to explore each week and the names of who had signed up to facilitate our learning about each topic. Here's the list:

Week 4: The effects of agriculture on ecological systems. Nino.

Week 5: Economics, agriculture, and climate change. Devin & Dylan.

Week 6: The effects of the industrial food system on human lives and communities. Matt.

Week 7: Food access, equity, and availability. Lola & Eric.

Week 8: Food identity, sovereignty, and culture. Sara & Chelsea.

Week 9: Diet & nutrition, including explorations of different types of diets such as the "American" diet, "healthy" diets, and/or the "CSA" diet. Shelby & Chelsea.

Week 10: How to find good food wherever you end up living. Becca.

Urban Farming Incentives

Hi everyone,

Since we are going to continue talking about urban farming this week, I thought I would post some of my findings from last week here to the blog.

I am really interested in the policy that affects urban farming. For example, one of the videos that we watched about bees mentioned that until very recently, bee keeping was illegal in NYC. Imagine such a misguided prohibition in light of all the good that they could have been doing for local ecosystems.

Of course on the human level, having systems in place that facilitate farms in urban areas is great for community and meeting people's nutritional needs.

When diving into my research, I thought I would begin with my own hometown of Los Angeles to see what regulations were in place. I was thrilled to find out that the State of California is currently taking a lot of initiative on this issue. Last year, Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill No. 551 into law, which provides a pathway for farming on empty lots in urban areas of 250,000 people or more. Land owners who do not have immediate plans to develop the property can turn it over to the community for growing crops for a minimum of 5 years. As an incentive, they get to pay a lower tax rate on property taxes.

I think this idea is ingenious and I am so proud-Californian right now. I am anxious to see the impact of this legislation in my neighborhood and many others throughout the city.

Guess what? I talked to my mom today and, without mentioning this topic, she told me they are developing a community garden near my house and she is looking into getting a plot. Exciting stuff!

So, the link to the text of the bill is here if you want to take a gander:

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB551

And an LA Times article explaining it, here:

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/oct/02/local/la-me-urban-agriculture-law-20131003

And also this cool website I found called cultivatelosangeles.org which has a nice interactive map of all of the urban farming projects currently going on in LA County:

http://cultivatelosangeles.org/

I can't believe I was so unaware in the past! But I guess that it was this class is all about.
Enjoy the links, everyone!

I'll leave you with a screenshot of the cool interactive map.

Have a good night and see you in class tomorrow!!

-Matt

In the Spirit of Bees...

Hey everyone! Last week on the farm, I asked Amy if she had read Sylvia Plath's bee poems from Ariel. She suggested that I post them on the blog for everyone to look at in their own leisure. So if you are a poetry geek like me or are just feeling curious, check these out :) I found "The Arrival of the Bee Box" and "Stings" to be particularly relevant. Enjoy! http://strongverse.blogspot.com/2013/01/sylvia-plaths-bee-poems.html

Week 2 on the Farm: Soil!

Weather forecast: Monday, high of 40 degrees F; Friday, high in the mid-50s. Partly cloudy both days.

This week on the farm we'll be teaching you about organic methods of soil and nutrient management. Healthy, living, soil is absolutely key to organic growing systems! But what exactly is soil and how can we tell if it's healthy?

Take just a minute to write down your definition of what soil is. Then, read through this succinct article on the components of soil by soil scientist Dr. Patricia Fraser: http://www.compostingvermont.org/articles/what_is_soil.htm.

Did your definition include all of the components of soil? Each component of your soil is going to have an effect on the plants that grow in that soil. The nutrients available to your plants through the soil will also have an enormous influence on their health (and their ability to produce healthy food for YOU). Here's a website that details the essential nutrients for plant growth: http://www.ncagr.gov/cyber/kidswrld/plant/nutrient.htm.

But just because nutrients are present doesn't mean that plants are able to absorb them. Conventional and organic farmers use different methods to make nutrients available to their plants. In this video, Dr. Elaine Ingham talks about the destructive effects of conventional agriculture on soil microbiology and how organic practices such as composting can help restore the biological health of the soil and release nutrients for plant use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEtl09VZiSU.

Dress warmly this week! Hats, gloves, and boots are probably all good ideas.

Vermiculite and Perlite

Some of you were asking about two of the ingredients frequently found in potting soils: vermiculite and perlite. Here's a nice article in the Washington Post about the two substances, where they come from, and why you might use them in a seed-starting or potting mix: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/get-to-know-your-potting-mix-vermiculite-and-perlite/2014/03/25/c0385bf2-add0-11e3-b8b3-44b1d1cd4c1f_story.html

Saving Tomato Seeds

This past week we talked a lot about seeds and seed-saving. If you want to try to save some of your own seeds, tomatoes are a great crop to start with, since they are mostly self-pollinated and you don't have to worry too much about genetic crossing between varieties.

Here's a link to a Seed Saver's Exchange post that gives step-by-step instructions for saving tomato seeds: http://blog.seedsavers.org/heirloom-tomato-seedsaving/.

Material for Monday, April 14 (Urban Agriculture)

Even though we covered a lot of ground (so to speak) during our Week 2 Monday meeting, we didn't have a chance for each of you to share your research into urban agriculture. So let's devote next Monday's class to that and to working out whatever details we need to address to move forward with your on-campus garden. If you have websites on urban agriculture to share with us, post them to the blog. If you have handouts, bring them next Monday. And let's all read "Farm City" before then too, so that we can include Novella Carpenter's book in our discussion (and possibly come up with some more questions to ask her).

Here's a link to a urban-farming video that I just happened upon. It includes apiculture, aquaponics, livestock, hydroponics, and growing vegetables in vacant lots. Check it out: http://video.pbs.org/video/2276862085/!

Praying Mantis

Last week we found some praying mantis egg cases in the field behind my house. If you'd like to see what it's going to look like when several hundred baby praying mantises emerge from those little egg cases, check out this video: Praying Mantis Life Cycle.

And if you'd like to see the mantis in action, check out this Animal Planet clip: Nature's Perfect Predators - Praying Mantis.

Here's one patrolling my Swiss Chard patch a few years ago:

Week 2 at Harvest of Joy Farm LLC: Seed-starting & Bees!

Forecast: Highs in the low to mid-50s. Cloudy Tuesday; sunny Wednesday.

This week on the farm we'll disassemble my parents' beehive and try to see if we can find some clues for why their bees might have died over the winter. Here are a couple of videos that will give you a little background on Colony Collapse Disorder, including one on beekeeping in cities:

Marla Spivak on Colony Collapse Disorder: http://www.ted.com/talks/marla_spivak_why_bees_are_disappearing

Noah Wilson-Rich on Urban Beekeeping: http://www.ted.com/talks/noah_wilson_rich_every_city_needs_healthy_honey_bees

And from PBS's Nature, a clip on the "dance-language" of bees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE-8QuBDkkw

If you are interested in learning more about bees, beekeeping, and other pollinators, there are many local opportunities to do so. The Kalamazoo Bee Club meets monthly at the Kalamazoo Nature Center and hosts monthly field days at their club apiary beginning in May. John & I will be attending these events and you'd be welcome to ride with us if you are interested. Also, on April 12, Dr. Ann Fraser will be leading a native pollinators workshop at The Barn at Riverview Launch. You can find out more information about that here: http://kalamazoobeeclub.org/images/NPW_eFlyer.pdf.

Also this week, we will talk about a variety of methods for starting your own transplants from seed. And of course, you'll be checking on your worms to see how they like their new homes and the apple mash you gave them last week. Remember to bring them some fresh food! 

We'll see you soon. Amy & John

Background Material for Monday's Class (April 7)

On Monday, John & I want to share with you our philosophy and process for choosing what seeds to grow on our farm. Perhaps this will help you in your decision-making about what seeds you'd like to grow in your on-campus gardening project.

Some of the subjects we'll be covering include crop biodiversity, hybridization, genetically modified organisms, and seed ownership. I've selected a few videos which I hope will give you some context for understanding what we'll be talking about. Please watch them before class and bring us your questions about the issues they raise.

Dr. Carey Fowler, biodiversity archivist: http://www.ted.com/talks/cary_fowler_one_seed_at_a_time_protecting_the_future_of_food#t-23494

Gary Hirschberg, chairman of Stonyfield Farm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGyOwnqpCKk

Winona LaDuke, author and activist: http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxTC-Winona-LaDuke-Seeds-of-O

Vandana Shiva, physicist, author, activist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsK3V04LAvw

Please bring the seed catalogs that we gave you last week to class with you. When we handed them out, we asked you to read them through with a couple of objectives. First, think about what plant varieties offered in your catalog you might like to plant for your gardening project. Second, see if you can answer the following questions about your catalog:

What is the company's seed philosophy?

What is the ratio of heirloom and/or open-pollinated varieties versus F1 hybrids that are offered?

Does the company offer plant protected varieties?

Are organic seeds offered?

Are seeds treated or untreated (with pesticides)?

Does the catalog provide growing information about each crop?

What percent of the seeds are grown by the company? If the company is purchasing seed from outside suppliers, does it list or feature any of its suppliers?

What kind of ecological footprint does this catalog represent?

Looking forward to talking with you on Monday!