Winter weather has arrived on the farm! We've been busy preparing for snow, ice, wind, and single digit temperatures. This means moving the laying hens from the pasture to their winter quarters in the barn, out of the wind, where they enjoy scratching in a deep bedding of wood chips. The pigs, also in the barn, received several bales of fresh straw bedding to keep them warm, and dry and the cattle--the hardiest livestock on the farm--moved to a part of the pasture that provides the most protection from bitter wind chills.
Speaking of getting out of the wind, at this time of year I am especially grateful for our high tunnel. During our most recent lettuce harvest, I didn't mind the sleet, snow, and 40 mph gusts because both the lettuce and I were protected from the elements. And we aren't just growing cold weather vegetables in the high tunnel, we are also using it as a workshop to assemble components for a new construction project. We are in the process of building eight 14-by-60-foot hoop houses that will help us provide even more fresh produce in the "shoulder" seasons of spring and fall this year. We just need another stretch of mild weather to allow us to install end walls and cover the structure with plastic. While the immediate forecast isn't promising, here's hoping that happens soon--it won't be long before it's time to start planting for spring!
Your farmer,
Zach
