Fall 2011
This has been an odd year, with many late crops: some of our wine maker friends were still waiting on their grapes to mature to the correct sugar content in the last week of September. Weather, humidity, sun, rainfall and time to crop maturity are but a few of the many variables involved in farming. Thankfully, our animals have enjoyed this summer and our very fertile sow recently added many more new piglets to our growing pig family. The organically raised chickens have been steadily producing beautiful and flavorful eggs and the turkeys are also doing well, feeding every day on goat whey, goat milk and all the organically raised grains we plant and harvest all year: corn, sunflowers, wheat, sorghum, etc. The turkeys are growing fast and should be huge by Thanksgiving. Some of those boys weighed in at over 40 lbs. after slaughter and butchering last year. This year promises to deliver great tasting birds, once again.
Affiliations
As a long time organic farmer, I have spent many years on multiple boards - 6 year board member of Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), past president at California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) Fresno/Madera/King/Tulare chapters, and past president and still board member of Slow Food Madera, for which we organized the very first event "Tomatoes' Night Out". I have greatly benefited from all the discussions, projects participations and friendships that have resulted from belonging to such groups of enlightened individuals, whose energy towards worthy missions of sustainability, and respect for the environment, has inspired me to keep working towards those shared goals. The 20th anniversary of our organic certification has reenergized me to keep working with those like minded friends and to keep producing the best foods our farm can raise.
