Thursday, June 13, 2013

13JUN13

Greetings from Baker Heritage Farms;

Summer is already here - at 3.:45 pm the actual temperature was 101 degrees (F) and it has been reported that the heat index was 122 degrees (F), and we believe it! Usually we have at least a steady breeze on the top of our hill; however, for the past several days the best we could do was an occasional breeze, and then not much of one.

The entire family went down to the production fields this morning at about 9:00 am and planted two rows of tomatoes (approximately 35 plants in each row). We planted one row of Cherokee Purple and one row of Arkansas Traveler. The seedlings did not look good so we are not sure of their survival chances, given everything that is going against them.

Our planting crew consisted of Donald (pre-digging planting holes), Debbie and Adam (getting seedlings out of the planter and dropping them into the planting tool), Danielle (operating the planting tool), Elizabeth (ensuring the plants are set properly in the ground), and Logan (compacting the planting holes Donald dug and assisting Elizabeth). With the heat, it took almost two hours to get the two rows done.

Planting Crew
We are now leaving the peppers and the tomatoes in the hands of the Lord, though it will be entirely our fault if the crop fails, as we were (1) unable to prep the ground properly, and (2) our irrigation system is not set up.

During the balance of 2013 we will concentrate on:

1. Poultry (chickens and turkeys) - eggs (chickens), fertilizer (chickens and turkeys), and meat (turkeys);

2. Repairing equipment (tiller);

3. Preparing fields for 2014 (planting ground cover, tilling, etc.);

All-in-all, we feel we are back on track, and once we get settled back down farm operations will once again be fruitful.

This will be the last update to the blog for the next two weeks. We will resume updates the weekend of June 29th.

Blessings to all from:

Baker Heritage Farms

"But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace." Psalm 37:11

Monday, June 10, 2013

13JUN10

Greetings from Baker Heritage Farms;

As many of you already know, we had severe weather the end of May, which put a damper on accomplishing much around the farm. We are way behind and do not have much hope for catching up in the near future; however, this may be the best thing that has happened to the farm.

Our farm crew keeps shrinking. David is no longer on the farm, Danielle is in a family way and her participation is limited and will be further limited as time goes on. And now, Donald has accepted a part-time position with the church. While all of this may seem limiting (it is), it also may be a blessing in disguise.

One of our goals with the farm is to build a farm business to supplement our retirement. With all of the changes, we have learned that time management skills are a high priority. We are currently working on an acceptable schedule that will allow all of us to participate, as a family, in the farming enterprise. This should improve both the operation of the farm and our piece of mind (we are hoping to have time to spend setting on our deck just enjoying the evening).

The children are now an active part of our farm crew. Elizabeth and Logan are working with the Turkey's and the Chicken's, which is a great help to Danielle.

Adam has been the primary caretaker of the seedlings, but we hope that he will have less to do with them in the near future. This past Friday evening, when Donald got home from church, we all went down to the production fields as a family, and planted just under 150 pepper plants. We got two partial rows of each variety planted, and plan to plant tomatoes Wednesday morning before it gets too hot (yes, summer appears to have arrived). We can only hope and pray that they survive the month as we do not yet have the irrigation turned on for the production fields.

With the exception of Adam and Logan, the entire family will be off the farm for 10-days. This will result in a very busy and hectic schedule from now until Thursday evening (we leave the farm early Friday morning). Some of the chores that need to be completed before we leave include cleaning out the chicken house (the first cleaning of the actual house), clearing out the chicken droppings under the house, hopefully getting them more hay, and cleaning the turkey tubs. We also hope to get at least the tomatoes planted as well.

Danielle will hopefully complete tying down the fence around the turkey pen (we use hog rings) so that we can get the rock down as soon as we get back. They are getting big and will be ready to go into the pen by mid-July. Donald is debating whether or not he should enclose their lean-to so that they have additional protection at night.

As soon as we return, we will need to get the irrigation system up and running (hopefully it will not be too late). An unusual request, but we will actually be praying for light rain while we are gone to help support the peppers and tomatoes that will be in the ground.

Donald took the little tractor to town to mow the property there. If he did not mow it, there was a very good chance the city would send the company a nasty letter and threaten to do it themselves, and charge the company. So it is done and should not need it again for two weeks.

Adam and Logan will be in charge of the farm while we are gone, but they have been taking an active part in the farm operations and should not have any problems.

Hopefully we will be able to update the blog before we leave.

Until next time,

Blessings from Baker Heritage Farms

"The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly." Joshua 14:9