The ebb and flow of the seasons on the farm command a variety of chores and activities.
In addition to the weekly demands of livestock, edibles and creative earthwork projects, there are surprises from week to week that keep everyone on their toes. The farm life is exciting, demanding and unpredictable, full of lessons to be learned and life to be lived. We would’t have it any other way.
Notes from an Apprentice Farmer: “A Man Divided, Part 4”
1st Monday Genre: Fiction *** Spring, when it finally came, was a surprise. Spring was the season of renewal, of rebirth, and of release from the consistency of Winter. Spring in Corbin wore many faces. [...]
Healthy Competition: 2-in-1 Tree Plantings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdE6Wx9R8Ho Yesterday, we had a group of 4th graders visit ABC acres on a field trip. They were quickly charmed by Cargo, our outgoing and friendly barn cat, and were captivated by the crater garden, farm [...]
Notes from an Apprentice Farmer: Heirloom
4th Monday Genre: Open Letter ——— Dear Sekuru, Recently, I overheard an old farmer talk about how he learned to grow things. He described, in simple but vivid detail, a scene from his youth. His [...]
Jerusalem Artichokes: Perennial Food for Pigs and People
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cyhvGg_7BY In permaculture, we tend to favor perennial food sources more. The efficiency of planting something once, and then enjoying the harvesting of the edible, medicinal, or other usable products makes so much sense to [...]
Notes from an Apprentice Farmer: Yoked
3rd Monday Genre: Poetry ——— I Speak, Grandfather. Grow me roots that bind. Show me the dirt beneath your fingernails, I’ll trade for dust within my mind. Grow me lasting limbs—tall, sturdy, oaked. To you the [...]
The Buzz on Pig Feed: Fermenting Grain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osBTa2wKe80 Our pigs live the good life at ABC acres. Regular rotations to fresh pasture offers a good portion of their diet, and we eagerly look forward to when our fruit, nut, and legume trees [...]