I’m confused. Is this the end times or the beginning times? The political system is topsy-turvy, eggs are now good for you and Apple, Google and Facebook are the new “Big 3”. We’re supposedly entering the new “Gig” economy where people do what they want to do instead of what they were supposed to do and then they move on to something entirely different. Millennials are changing the way money is spent because they’re not buying cars or houses yet they’re spending 14 times more than we do on food. They’d rather enjoy a $200 dinner with friends than buy a new dress or suit. Uber’s replacing taxis, video stores are gone, fewer folks buy books, newspapers or music albums and sugary soda and clothing sales are tanking. The Hilton Hotel chain took 100 years to build 750,000 rooms and Airbnb took 6 years to offer 1,000,000 rooms. Just about everything seems to be changing … except for one thing. People still like fresh food.
I’m always amazed at the worker conversations in the morning that center around the creative meal recipes that were prepared the night before. It’s pretty satisfying knowing that the food we grow is so appreciated even by our own employees. It’s also very educational to find out exactly what they like – Jimmy Nardello peppers, Chocolate Stripe heirloom tomatoes, fresh ginger, German Butterball potatoes. What better hobby than to eat fresh, certified organic produce? A few years ago I tuned in to a PBS show that was talking about a different way to diet. The presenter was telling the crowd not to eat less but to eat more of the good things. He talked about the acronym GOMBS: Greens, Onions, Mushrooms, Beans & Berries and Seeds. These are some of the good guys and you do yourself a favor by eating more of them. I’m not sure how true that is and how other fresh vegetables and fruit also contribute but I do firmly believe that eating well is the key to a healthy life. That is the theme of our garden center and farmstand for 2016: Eat well, be well. We’re very proud
To ensure that the food we offer is safe and clean, Walker Farm successfully completed a new food safety program in 2015 that was sponsored by the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Grower’s Association. The Community Accreditation for Produce Safety (CAPS) plan is viewable on our website and details the extraordinary measures we take to make sure our fruit and vegetables gets to you safe and clean.
The warm, dry 2015 summer provided us with one of our best growing seasons ever! The tomato crop was spectacular and seemed to last forever. Thanks to our irrigation systems we were able to provide water to the crops when needed. The USDA says the northeast will have above average rainfall but the rains that do come will more often be of an extreme nature with heavy downpours and possible erosion. We will still experience periods of drought so irrigation is important but we also need to farm with methods that mitigate eroding rains. Our raised-bed mulch layer helps us in that respect as it puts the crops above the saturated soil and sheds most of the heavy rain. We also use a sub-soiler and chisel plow to break up hardpan beneath the soil’s top layer and allow water to drain and plant roots to tap into deeper minerals. Nothing is as important to a farm as the health of its soil and that is one of the main reasons we choose to farm organically.
We had continued success with our greenhouse biological program in 2016. Daisy had weekly phone calls with our “good bug” consultant that helped us learn more about the parasites and predators needed to fight the bad greenhouse invaders. The use of these biologicals has helped us to reduce spraying over the last few years by 90%! Occasionally we do have to use a spot spray if a situation gets out of hand and we need to save the crop but these instances have become fewer and fewer. Some of our crew attends
Our garden center flower and vegetable plant sales were again off the charts for 2015. Fruit trees and berry bushes sold out early. Sungold cherry tomatoes were again the
In order to interact more with our community, we’re planning to offer some agricultural events at our Elysian Hills Tree Farm this summer. Last year we again met our 2015 goals designed to improve and strengthen the sustainability of that part of our farm operation. Those goals included:
- A strawberry planting for organic pick-your-own.
- A raspberry planting for organic farmstand berry sales.
- A barn cleaning and repair for agricultural social events.
- Introduction of a Cut-Your-Own option for our Christmas trees.
First year of a three-year transition to Certified Organic for our trees.- Additional crop fields that helped with farm crop rotation.
- Timber harvest in accordance with our Forest Management Plan.
Rebuilding of an equipment shed that was in danger of collapsing.- Increased tree and wreath sales.
- Extended winter vegetable sales from Thanksgiving until Christmas.
This year we’d really like to have more visitors that will be able to enjoy the beauty that Elysian Hills has to offer.
The 2016 crew is ready to go. The planting season is slowly arriving. It’s a challenge each year to put together a team that can work quickly and efficiently to accomplish the goals we strive for in a new season. Somehow we’ve been lucky enough to attract a great group that care about the work they do and help us meet those goals. You may notice a slight bump in some prices this year that we need to implement in order to provide a just wage for our crew. We like to think that agriculture offers a viable economic opportunity for those that are excited about growing healthy, organic food and beautiful plants for the community. We think you probably agree. After all, you’ve been the best locavore supporters the world has to offer so far! The Walker Farm family and crew thank you.
