Farm Update 07-15-21

Hope all of you are doing well today. I’m fairly happy that the sun has at least decided to pop out occasionally from behind the clouds. The rain was getting to be a bit much, and was starting to cause real problems with the lack of time to spray for bugs and fungus.

With the rain holding off the field work that has been delayed is getting done. Loads of additional planting and general work is getting accomplished. Due to the gray days we had, some crops have been growing a little slower than expected. I also couldn’t get them sprayed with the foliar fertilizer I normally use, so that’s added a little to the delays as well. Still, things are moving along in the field.

The chickens are now more or less used to the hotter weather, so production is pretty much full steam ahead. As is usual, most eggs are Large-sized, but there are a decent number of XL and Jumbo. Though in fairness, there seems to be a lot of interest in the Jumbo eggs, so don’t be surprised if you can’t find them.

The next round of Broiler Chickens are getting bigger. All of the Red Royal birds I’d had are now sold. I’m not sure if I’ll get them again, so any feedback from those who bought them would be greatly appreciated. There will be no processing this week, so just frozen birds will be available. The next round of processing will be depend on how quickly the chickens get big, so could be next week, or the week after. The birds I currently have run in size from mid-4s to 7 pounds.

In the field, Sweet Corn does not look to be doing well at all. The same goes for Sunflowers. I’ll definitely be planting more flowers, but I’m not sure there is anywhere near enough time for the Corn. I guess it’ll depend if I have enough time to get more started and want to take the risk. It certainly would be nice to have 3 – 4 days of dry weather when I have time to be in the field.

If you’re looking for Strawberries again this week, then prepare for disappointment. I don’t know what the issue north of the border may be, but the seamless, constant supply of berries promised earlier in the season is anything but. There is now no word on when they will be available again.

While I was able to get Local Blueberries this week, the farm that grows the Raspberries was unable to harvest due to weather conditions. Hopefully I’ll be able to get them again next week.

And now something many have been waiting for – PENNSYLVANIA PEACHES are here. I was able to get a few boxes this week, and more should be available going forward.

That’s it for the update. Hope you all have a great week. Thanks so much for helping support the farm.