Contractually Obliged

Contractually Obliged

Rich and I are most comfortable operating the farm independently of other organizations and individuals.  We really bask in the freedom and comfort of having our own agenda and no commitments other than to get our goods to market.

Beyond our mortgage and our tractor payment, we are not 'in bed' with anyone.  We have resisted taking out loans from our bank for projects or other major purchases and we have turned down generous offers from individuals interested in investing in the farm.  One man loved our spinach enough he hoped to invest in a second hoop house for us in order to grow more spinach throughout the winter.  We politely refused the spinach aficionado's offer, enticing as it was to imagine a second hoop...the doubling of our winter production.

We have largely been surviving by the flexibility of our schedule and the ability to take things on as we can.  Running a small farm while raising two young kids is wild.  In fact, I have utterly forgotten what boredom feels like as our weeks overflow with t0-d0's as well as whatever play it takes for May and Jack to expend their energy.  We have opted to forego hiring employees in the kids' younger years so as to allow for an unstructured week.  I know...that sounds dangerous.  But in fact, because of the checks and balances on each other, including that of the kids who seem to function as little hourglasses (as soon as I start in on a task, the sand begins to channel through its pass, until it all settles and Jack or May needs my full attention for this or that), we seem to maintain a pretty good balance between labor and leisure.

However, there have been a few opportunities which we've deemed good enough to pursue and commit to.  In 2019 we applied and were accepted for the High Tunnel Initiative, an incentive program through the USDA which financially assists farmers in building a structure which will extend their growing season and offer an incredible growing space.  While in retrospect we can say that we made the absolute right decision in applying for this incentive program, during various stages of the project, Rich and I felt completely overwhelmed.  With a deadline set for completion, paired with the decision we made to build it ourselves, we most definitely took too much on.  The pandemic hit and it was stressful coordinating volunteer help to erect this 72' shelter.  We also couldn't afford to slow down our vegetable and baking production during this time and so we tried to do it all.  Ultimately, I'm proud of what we all did that year...getting the project done and approved by deadline.  But I would suggest to my pre-project self that it would be a good idea to pay a portion out of pocket to hire a crew, rather than risking burnout and injury.

And in early fall of this year, we signed another contract...this time through the USDA Farm Service Agency.  We enrolled a portion of our land in a conservation program.  We will convert a whole swath of our pasture into a native tree and habitat planting, with cost-sharing offered through the FSA...all in an effort to remove land from production and plant species which will improve environmental health...provide a windbreak and habitat, prevent soil erosion and assist in reestablishing wildlife habitat which has been incrementally cut out in our farmlands.  AWESOME, right?  It most certainly is.  I just ordered our nearly 200 native trees and shrubs to be delivered in early spring.  (My kind of shopping).  And here's to hoping that we don't feel we bit off more than we can chew.  In order to stay within our budget, we are preparing and installing the planting ourselves during a time when the farm really starts to need us again.  

But we're all in...we've signed and initialed countless pages of yet another contract.  Here's to hoping we were conservative enough with the acreage we dedicated to this year's contract to get it done without overburdening ourselves at the outset of the 2023 growing season.  We will prepare ourselves best we can by tempering our ambitions with adequate r&r this winter.  And perhaps wrangling some of those who have thrown their hats in the volunteer ring, who've yet to be called upon.