The aftermath of the heavy rains last week continues to play out, with both plant and harvest losses. Beyond that though, most things on the farm are proceeding like usual, and honestly it’s weirding me out a little.

In the field I’ve lost at least a couple of hundred plants. Sadly, most of the losses are pumpkin plants, since that was the area that was underwater the longest. Additional losses were found scattered about the field, mostly in the lowest spots, where presumably the plants were also underwater longer than others. Thankfully, I have so far been able to keep the fungus at bay. I am keeping a close eye on the forecast, since we are supposed to be getting a number of days with thunderstorms and rain showers starting today.

Aside from the flooding damage, the same beasties that previously ate the Kale seems to be back, and are doing their best to repeat the job. I am not pleased, since I have been trying to get these critters under control all summer.

There will be more of my own Broccoli this week, along with the first few Green Cabbage. Peppers and Tomatoes are still taking a long time to get ready, as is Cauliflower.

The Laying Hens are laying at full speed, with a good split of eggs between Large and XL, and even some Jumbos.

The Broilers have gotten so big, so fast that they already moved into their permanent coop. These chickens will be ready as Fresh starting on August 28th, and there will be Fresh Chicken for that weekend, Labor Day weekend, and the following one as well. The final round of Broilers will arrive on the farm on August 17th, and will be ready before, and for Columbus Day weekend.

Off the farm, the situation is no better than it has been most of the summer. Availability and pricing are all over the place, with no sign of stabilizing. I just got a notice today that feed prices are increasing again. Please be sure to check the What’s Available page for this week’s offerings.

A quick note on the Cyclospora situation – to the best of my knowledge, and with all the reports on it I’ve read, no US grown crops are implicated as causing the illness. Please be wary of media reports that over-hype and make blanket statements about the suspected sources. There is a lot of fear mongering and misinformation out there, and nobody needs any of that in their life.

That’s it for this week’s update. Hope you all stay well, and have a great week.