New Leadership Team Member

Well, we have added another person to our team. Her name is Jena Thompson. She is an Ag-J major emphasizing in web communications. She will be running the weekly newsletter for our customers. We talked strategy and she has some great ideas to solve some of our problems. She will be taking over this blog and our Facebook group of Bradford Farm CSA . Hopefully, communications will improve, as this area is not my strong suit.

Seeds Bought

We just bought our first order of seed, from Johnny's Selected Seed. I know they can be more expensive, but they gave such great service that it helped make this first order easier. This is only the first of cool season vegetables, but it's a start.

Also, bought some soil block makers. I'm so excited!

Great Plains Vegetable Growers Conference Day 3

Today I went to a class on Organic Potato Production. My potatoes this year got some kind of fungus and all died leaving me nothing but little baby potatoes. I went next to a class on Organic IPM. It was fine, wish there had been more resources that we could look up on our own. They only gave this lady 1/2 hour, not nearly enough time. It was packed.

Next, I went to Record Keeping. It too was something I needed to better improve myself. The Emergency Planning I wanted to go to next was canceled. I then went to a classes on Solar Powered Irrigation Systems, Energy Saving Practices on the Farm, and No-till Using Organic Production. These were interesting, but the last two for me were kind of a let down. Maybe I was expecting too much? I did still learn so much today. I hope I can remember it all and implement it all as well.

I took a wrong turn on the freeway there in KC and boy what an adventure, as we had to go to KS before we could get turned around. I hate driving in KC! I can't say that enough. I hate driving in KC! Anyway, we finally made it back to Bradford around 7:30 p.m. What a day! What a trip! I look forward to going again.

Great Plains Vegetable Growers Conference Day 2

Today I attended classes on specific vegetables such as tomatoes varieties, controlling disease in cucurbits, and how to 'squash' insect/pest problems. I also attended a class on Weed the Soil not the Crop, it gave a lot of food for thought. Last I went to a class about Sustainable Greenhouse Practices, this guy didn't seem to know what he was talking about and used some terms pretty loosely for some of us in the audience. I picked up a lot of catalogs and literature, look forward to reading and browsing. We had a meeting tonight called the Grower Innovation Meeting or something like that. It was great! Lots of great ideas, a good MC helped keeping going and the skit at the end by two Mennonite guys really stole the show.

More tomorrow.

Great Plains Vegetable Growers Conference Day 1

CSA Mini-school

Well I came with Tim Reinbott to the Great Plains Vegetable Growers Conference in St. Joseph and I attended the CSA mini-school on today. Tim went to the High Tunnel workshop. I learned quite a bit today. I came with the attitude that if I learned at least one good thing that helped me I had made the right choice. Two pages, front a back, later I say I got my money's worth of helpful information.

I have always considered doing a CSA where the shares are preboxed. In New England they have moved away from that and now do it where people get choices at the place of pick up. This yields higher customer satisfaction and retention.

I learned a lot more but this is all I will write tonight. I am so excited and grateful to be here!

CAFNR website update!

Well the CAFNR website was just updated with our story. I have got to go on a diet. To all you lurkers, who don't post, do you have any questions I could answer?

Odds & Year ends

Well first off I was invited to a Christmas party of people interested and involved in sustainable agriculture. It was great, my wife and I enjoyed ourselves. Next, I received a Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog in the mail and decided to call them. They have been very helpful so far. I hope this relationship blossoms. I think they can help out quite a bit. This week I am going to the Great Plains Vegetable Growers Conference in St. Joseph MO. I look forward to what I can learn and hopefully apply in this venture. I will post after I get back.