12SEP30

Greetings from Baker Heritage Farms;

Rain, rain, and more rain - fall has arrived and it promises to provide relief from this past summer's heat and drought.

David and Debbie went down to the test garden this past Monday and picked watermelon (both Moon & Stars and Congo), some more beans, cucumbers, and naturally, more squash. The pumpkins are still doing good and David is hoping that they make it to mid-month when they are supposed to ripen.

Watermelons

The watermelons were saved and served at Sunday Night's For Everyone at our church. Donald got to taste test them, and they passed. No one at church complained about them.

Small Pickin's

We are getting near to the end of our harvest opportunities, but it is good to see that the test garden produced so well (better than we had hoped).

Debbie and David went to Smart Mart in Cameron and picked up 500 pounds of Lime. This is less than half of what we will need but will get us started on preparing the production fields. We were unable to do anything with it this weekend due to weather, but hope to get it down soon. We will ultimately need about 1,200 pounds as we need to apply 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet, and we have over 60,000 square feet in production fields.

On Thursday, David, Debbie, and Donald visited with LeFlore County NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) to ensure that we could "alter" Headache Creek (a very small creek that cuts through field 1). We named it headache creek as it is rather deep (probably about a foot) and you cannot see it when the hay is growing. As a result, when you are driving between the main creek and the production fields, unless you remember, you end up with a headache.

This coming Saturday is our Church's Fall Festival, and we have donated 53 pounds of processed and frozen squash. If you live in the area and are needed some frozen squash, be sure to drop by the Heavener First United Methodist Church, in Heavener, OK.

Until next week:

Blessings from Baker Heritage Farms

Starting to Farm

Greetings from Baker Heritage Farm - It is time we started farming. Actually, we are late, but, as those of you who want to start a backyard or small acreage farm will need to be aware of, your life cannot always be scheduled around the farm - most backyard, small acreage farmers will have off-farm jobs, at least to begin with. Those jobs will take precedence (or there will be no farm, no matter what size).

Start small. The smaller you start, the easier it will be to get started and the more successful you will be. Start with a small vegetable garden or a couple of chickens. We are probably trying to start a little bigger then we should, but time is running short and we hope to accomplish a lot in the next five-years. Hopefully this will be our retirement.

Donald and David started actual farming tasks by doing an initial till of the test garden this past Saturday (March 17th). While they were somewhat successful in learning the tiller, the ground turned out to be a little too wet for the next phase, deep tilling (the first till was surface only, approximately 1", as it is virgin ground, the deep till was going to be 3").

David Tilling

Unfortunately, we got over 3" of rain this past week, and the test garden is in the "flood plain" for our front pond run-off.

It is hard to tell, but our front pond is overflowing.

Donald went out today (Sunday, March 25th) to check to see how wet it is, found out it is too wet. In fact, in driving the tractor around the pasture to check the back pond and other areas, he almost got stuck and ended up with a new rut about 10 feet long and 1 foot deep - at least he did not get stuck.

Actually, farming tasks started some time ago in reality. David has started clearing several areas of the property and designed the plots for the Hen House and Turkey run, as well as started fencing these areas in anticipation of ordering the birds. If you refer back to our first update a few weeks ago, you will note that we have started purchasing supplies. As no actual work could be done this past week, Donald and David spent the weekend discussing and revising plans for the hen house and turkey run. A list of supplies has finally been agreed on and it is hoped that the supplies can be purchased next week and the hen house and turkey shelter can be built. The turkeys need to be ordered by mid-April to be ready for Thanksgiving so the pressure is on.

The pressure is on for getting the test garden planted as well. As explained earlier, sometimes the best laid plans just do not happen. As a result of both time and financial pressure, we will be planting heirloom vegetables, but will not be overly picky about what seed we are using (except to make sure that it has not been genetically altered and has been processed under organically acceptable practices).

We are also delaying the purchase of the goats as the fencing will be rather expensive and we would rather get those areas that are more affordable and will show better results going first.

Once again, welcome to Baker Heritage Farms. We will be back with an update next weekend (if not earlier).

Vegetable Gardens

Every farm needs a vegetable garden. Baker Heritage Farm's primary purpose is to raise heirloom vegetables, herbs, and fruit. The initial objective is to determine the best viable produce for the soil and climate (including labor, input cost effectiveness, volume, etc.) using unaltered (not genetically modified) heirloom seed.

Baker Heritage Farms is planning on planting at least two vegetable plots in 2012. One will be for family consumption and will be located on top of the front hill. The family food plot will have fewer restrictions than the test plot (see below), but will still be grown in a chemical free environment.

The second plot, the Test Garden, will be approximately 137 feet by 28 feet and will be limited to heirloom seeds.

The test garden plot has been untouched by chemicals for at least the past 11 years and, as far as can be determined, for many additional years before that. Staples such as corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, radishes, lettuce, sunflowers, squash, pumpkins, and others. The test plot will initially be tilled; however, future tilling methods will be based on location, density, type of crop, and cover crops. No chemicals will be used (such as herbicides, insecticides, synthetic fertilizers, etc.).

The initial intent is to grow consumable vegetables to supplement (and eventually replace) family food needs with healthier and more wholesome food products. if successful, excess produce will be donated to local churches and food banks.

Baker Family Farms does not currently plan to grow "organic" crops; however, all crops will be grown naturally and will not be chemically altered (seed or plant).

Plot Development Starts, Part I - Chickens

Plot development has started at Baker Heritage Farms.

Heritage chickens will initially be raised for egg and fertilizer production. Eggs will supplement family food needs while providing a healthier product, with excess eggs being donated to local food banks and sold on a small, retail basis. Chicken litter will be used as fertilizer on various produce plots as well as for making all natural compost.

If successful, 2013 operations will including raising additional chickens for breeding and meat production.

Our initial choice for chickens is the Silver Laced Wyandotte.

Silver Laced Wyandotte's are the original Wyandotte variety. They have a heavy body and small rose comb. The hens are hardy, energetic and faithful layers. They were admitted to the American Standard of Perfection in 1888 and originated in New York. They work well in either confinement or free range.

• Average Size: Hen - 6.5 pounds; Pullet - 5.5 pounds; Rooster - 8.5 pounds; Cockerel - 7.5 pounds.
• Purpose: Dual, egg laying and meat production.
• Egg Color: Brown
• Average Egg Production: 200 per year.
• ALBC: Recovering status, considered a sustainable heritage chicken breed. 

Chicken Coop

Due to the variety of animals expected to be raised on the farm, isolating animals is a priority. As a result, the plot chosen to house the chickens needed to be in an area that would not be used to house other poultry or stock and would be isolated from other types of poultry. The area chosen for the plot to house the chicken coop is behind the main home. While the goat pen will be on two sides of this plot, cross contamination should not be an issue (more on the goats will appear in a future post).

The pen will be approximately 1,000 square feet and will contain a hen house. It is anticipated that 25 Wyandotte Silver Laced pullets will initially be purchased by mid to late March. The pen is ready to be fenced once the hen house is constructed.

Our Soil

Deep, nearly level to sloping, moderately well drained loamy soils that have a loamy or clayey subsoil over colluvium or shale; on uplands.

Area soils are in broad, smooth areas and in narrow valleys. These deep, nearly level to gently sloping, moderately well drained soils are very slowly permeable. The surface layer is brown silt loom. The subsoil is dark yellowish brown silty clay in the upper part and mottled., yellowish brown and gray silty clay in the lower part over soft shale.

Soils of minor extent are the moderately deep Cowton soils on low ridges and the deep Wing soils, along small drainage ways, that have a high sodium content in the subsoil. Also included are the deep, shaley Kanima soils on strip mine pit spoil banks and soils similar to the Stigler soils on low, circular mounds.

About 75 percent of the soils in this area are in tame pasture and native grass meadow. A few areas are in soybeans and small grains. Both tame pasture and cultivated crops respond favorably to fertilizer and lime. Native vegetation mainly is mid and tall grasses and a few scattered hardwood trees.

The dominant management problem in broad, smooth areas is removing excess surface water. Because of wetness in winter and spring, these soils have medium to low potential for cultivated and sown crops. If row crops are grown on sloping soils, terracing and contour farming are needed to control erosion. Mounded areas that are too irregular for terracing are better suited to tame pasture or sown crops. Crop residue management is needed to help maintain tilth.

The soils have low potential for woodland. The clayey subsoil restricts root development, and seasonal wetness restricts equipment use.

Because of seasonal wetness and the high shrink-swell potential, the soils in this area have low potential for most urban and recreational uses. Potential is high for use of these soils as habitat for bobwhite quail, mourning dove, and cottontail rabbit.