Hi everyone. Shorter update for this week. While I’m going to try to be neutral to upbeat about things, you may find I’ll vent a little from time to time due to the weather conditions. Of course, as a farmer, weather is just one of those things you deal with, since I have neither a giant dome to place over the farm, nor a weather machine. As the saying goes – C’est la vie.

AROUND THE FARM
A juvenile skunk has decided to take up at least temporary residence at the farm. While not a direct threat to the chickens, it has decided to try to get into the buildings, so I’ll be trapping and removing it as soon as possible. They are generally nocturnal, so this shouldn’t be an issue for visitors, but please be aware of it if you decide to walk out into the field.

IN THE FIELD
Rain, rain, and rain. Same problems as before. It is supposed to dry out for the next few days, but at this point it almost doesn’t matter – damage done. I should still be able to get some of most items listed, though the lettuce selection going forward is still going to be quite limited in both size and number.

In the orchard, the rain has also continued to cause problems with the trees, although it is also my fault for not having thinned the peaches as much as I probably should. The fruit on one tree have turned yellow, and I am just waiting for them to finish ripening. Shouldn’t be too long now. Peaches – yum, yum.

FROM THE COOP
Chickens are doing fine. I was able to add another layer of fencing to their enclosure so they are able to wander outside the pen and coop. They are enjoying the extra area to explore, as it affords them the opportunity to find all kinds of things to eat. One chicken even managed to catch and eat a frog. I’d never seen a chicken eat a whole frog before, and didn’t think it would be able to do it in one go, but a couple of gulps and it was gone.

OTHER GENERAL INFO
Not much else going on this week. Additional plantings are still going in the ground, and given the mini greenhouses, additional seeds are still being started in hopes of having a much longer growing season.

That’s it for now. Hope to see you all at the farm soon. Have a great week.