This Week
September 27th, 2005 by Northern FarmerA beautiful day in Central Minnesota. Sunny and in the seventies. But by tommorrow night they’re talking the possibility of a good frost. We’ll cover the tomatoes and peppers this time, not quite willing to give up yet. After covering them a few times and half the time it doesn’t freeze outside anyhow a person finally gives up and lets the weather take em. This morning we butchered a nice angus cow for ground beef and I always enjoy talking to the guy butchering because his son took over their farm and is farming organic. It’s always a pleasure talking to like minded folk. Most of the rest of the day we were hauling in some round bales from the fields that were baled a few weeks ago but never had time during daylight to get them in. Only around 800 bales left to bring home. At least it’s not much work on the old bones.
Tommorrow evening we’ll be in church and the following evening I have to go to a meeting and vote in order to keep our local co-op local. It just bugs me that Big Ag wants to take over everything that there is. There’s only one thing to do about it at present and that’s go to town a vote. I’m hearing alot of rumbling out here in the country, by the good folk wanting to keep it a local co-op. With luck we, (the good guys), will win out. I’d rather see our dollars kept in the local community than to one of the giant ag companies. Face it, they don’t need our money, so I wish they’d just stay out of here. The way things are going maybe it would be for the better if they came, and more farmers would wean themselve from the tremedous inputs that modern ag calls for. But whatever, I’ll vote NO!
September 28th, 2005 at 1:49 pm
I scratched my head when I read about the frost. As a native Floridian, I just now put out my squash and tomatoes. If I had done so any earlier, the squash would be squashed by the heat. It’s still 90 here, mid 70’s at night. Floridians have spring and fall gardens, not summer though. Kind of wishing for that cool 70’s though.
September 28th, 2005 at 7:51 pm
Amy,
The way it looks and feels here this evening there’s going to be frost on the pumpkins alright. But then back up into the upper 60s or low 70s tommorrow. That’s when things start to get beautiful around here in the north country.
September 29th, 2005 at 6:43 am
I hope your plants weathered the chill last night. My husband refused to run out to cover the tomatoes (smart man) when I remembered around 10pm, so we will just hope that it didn’t get quite cold enough down here. I saw on the wcco site that you all might have snow - did you?
September 29th, 2005 at 8:40 am
Tom,
May the other voters on this issue have the same wisdom and courage as you. Big Ag is a corrupter of all it touches. I’m convinced only by reading about this (Small Farmers Journal, Acres USA, Salatin, etc.)or hearing it - you’re living it. That beast needs to be humbled.
God bless.
September 29th, 2005 at 5:20 pm
Gwen,
We sure did get a frost last night but had most of the important stuff covered. It’s supposed to warm up the next few days so we’ll see when the next cold blast comes if we will just give up for the year. And no snow this time!
WJG,
Well, in a couple of hours I’ll go and pick up Dad and we’ll go to town to the meeting and vote. I hope they count the votes there on the spot so we know right away. By the way, Small Farmer’s Journal is my favorite. That Lynn Miller is an agrarian leader.
Tom