Hundreds of cold-weather crop plants moving from the greenhouse to the farm fields this week!

Garlic rises!

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Spring tilling finally began at the farm today! The first direct-sown seeds of the season were planted. Are you a shareholder in this years's growing season? Spots still available! Www.wishfulacresfarm.com and click on "CSA".

Bye bye goats

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I know we'll have some disappointed customers, many of whom enjoyed seeing our 2 buck goats (buck goat just means a male, un-neutered goat).... but the goats are gone.  I have struggled with this decision since last fall, when they reached full-grown size (standing on their 4 legs, their backs were nearly to my waist!).  Then they went into rut (smelly, aggressive, mating season.... you don't want to know).  Then, they began jumping on us.  Not such a big deal for an adult, the goat can be pushed off... repeatedly.  But, if you're a small child.... scary.  The goats sometimes escaped their pen, and a couple of times they jumped up & knocked down one of our young sons.  It was not fun.  Frustrating.

They had to go, and finally I gave them away to some other farmers not too far away.  Who have no small children.  And some female goats.  For breeding.  The boy goats will have fun there.

They've been gone over a week now, and honestly I can say that we all feel relief.  I do miss looking out the window & watching them fight, graze, and wander around.  But I don't miss taking care of them.  At all.  And neither do my children or husband.  All in all, a tough decision to make, but it was the right one for everyone involved, goats included.

Want to farm? I
Over my 5 years of growing produce for market, many people have told me they would also love to do what I am doing. Here is some advice: do you love growing / caring for animals / cooking / homesteading? Have you worked on a farm before (I spent a summer working a bit in exchange for food on a vegetable farm... It's a good idea to know what you're getting yourself info. Now, here is another question: can you live frugally and do you also have a source of off-farm income? Another job or a spouse with a job? You'll need it, farming is a "labor of love" rather than a financial windfall. I once had an intern tell me he was here learn how to get rich as an organic farmer... Believe me, the words "rich" and "farmer" don't go hand in hand.

If you're lucky, by your 3rd year or so, you'll earn enough income to pay for the vegetable expenses (seed, animal feed, livestock, equipment, gas, advertising, etc), and still have enough leftover to cover the property taxes on the farm.

If you're a numbers-oriented person like I am, you will enjoy this article & study on 5 farms similar to ours. After seeing the charts, sales, and net income (meaning your income left over after paying the business expenses), if you're not scared away... Then good for you! :). Maybe you have the labor of love in you!

Here you go: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/sites/default/files/BeginningVegFarmers.pdf

Remembering tomatoes from 2012

Oh boy, who remembers last year's tomatoes at Wishful Acres Farm? They were *awesome*. 

Which variety was your favorite? Our farm's CSA members received every variety, and lots of them!

 Here is the blog posting with pictures from last year's peak of tomato season: http://all-natural-mama.blogspot.com/2012/09/tomatoes-pictures-descriptions-now.html

Sweet onion plants have arrived! After the snow melts & soil thaws, these will be going in! :)