The Art, Science, and Craft of Profitable Onion Production

NOFA Summer Conference

Saturday August 12, 2017

Amazing alliums, unsung farm hero, nutrient rich onions are capable of grossing $40,000+ per acre. We’ll review production steps and techniques to ensure a successful harvest. From start to finish: variety selection, propagation, transplanting efficiency, beneficial insects, nutrient management, pest and disease management, cultivation, harvest and post harvest systems.

Derek Christianson: Farmer and community educator at Brix Bounty Farm.

Workshop attendees – here are copies of the powerpoint and handout…

Brix Bounty – 2017 NOFA Summer Conference – Profitable Onions Powerpoint

Brix Bounty – 2017 NOFA Summer Conference – Profitable Onions 6 slides per page

Brix Bounty – 2017 NOFA Summer Conference – Profitable Onions 2 page handout

Greetings,

Here are .pdf copies of our presentation Growing Profit & Health – Cation Trace Minerals & Vegetable Production (Copper, Iron, Manganese, & Zinc).  Hope the workshop was worthwhile, let me know if you have any feedback to share.

Just a couple of other quick items…

1.  Someone asked for a copy of bibliography/recommended reading – if there is anyone who wants a deep dive on specific studies/academic papers let me know, but here’s the general reading list worth considering…

• The Intelligent Gardener, Solomon & Reinheimer – http://www.newsociety.com/Books/I/The-Intelligent-Gardener
• The Ideal Soil 2014, Astera – http://www.soilminerals.com/
• Hands-On Agronomy, Kinsey – http://www.acresusa.com/hands-on-agronomy

I should note that the Soil & Health Yahoo group is a great forum for mineral balancing/mineral fertility conversations – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soilandhealth

2.  This year’s NOFA Bulk Order (http://www.nofamass.org/programs/bulk-order-program) has micro nutrients on page 5 – I’m not sure what quantities are of the sulfates form of traces listed, but this is another option for folks looking to purchase bag quantities of traces.  I should note that in our experience some of the traces (Zinc Sulfate especially) will quite readily take on moisture and make subsequent measuring & mixing difficult.  I would recommend storing any sulfate forms of traces in a rubbermaid container, and if you want Zinc to be easy to use down the road, take additional measures to minimize the introduction of moisture.  Potentially storing smaller quantities in ziploc containers…

I neglected to discuss applicator/worker safety on Saturday.  Protective gear is a good consideration, you can access MSDS on any material you purchase and I recommend doing so.  Wearing respirators, eye protection, and gloves may be recommended – we use common sense at the farm, always have a clean bandana with us when we are mixing/spreading, don’t mix in a closed up space where you’ll be exposed to dust for long periods of time, and wash hands after working with any material.  We trust each farm/garden will figure out what the best protocol is for them…

3. Hope to see some folks at this year’s Soil & Nutrition Conference (details below), I recommend you register soon to guarantee your spot as we anticipate reaching capacity this year… and here’s the link to info about our season long series (Mar 22, June 14, Sept 13) we are hosting at the farm – http://www.nofamass.org/events/growing-vegetables-health-quality-and-profit-season-long-series

Thanks,
Derek

We had initially invited Jerry to be one of our featured speakers at this February’s Soil & Health Conference, knowing full well it was 50/50 whether his health would allow teaching in the new year.  By mid-September we transitioned our conference planning to plan B and have put together a promising line up, including John Slack from Boreal Agrominerals in Ontario.  John Slack, and his father before him, have been the force behind marketing Spanish River Carbonatite (see http://www.borealagrominerals.com/resources.html) and we are really excited to have John sharing his knowledge of soil development and geo-chemistry with our community.  

John will be joined by Mark Fulford, Bryan O’Hara, Dan Kittredge, & myself in Northampton on February 11th & 12th – http://www.nofamass.org/events/2015-soil-and-nutrition-conference … we’ve already got more than 90 folks registered from throughout the Northeast and are looking forward to a lively 2 days.  The return to Northampton with farmer friendly registration fees and Mira’s delicious cooking guarantee the conference will be great.  Hope you’ll consider joining us this year.

~Derek

Starting and Sustaining School Gardens

Teacher Training Intensive

Saturday March 19th, 2011

9AM-3PM

Register Online

$15 includes materials and lunch

Friends Academy

1088 Tucker Road

Dartmouth, MA 02747

For School Garden Facilitators at Every Level of Experience

Beginning, Intermediate, and Experienced

Download the Flyer

Led by Steve Walach, Friends Academy & Derek Christianson, Brix Bounty Farm

Course Overview

The workshop will feature a variety of gardening basics: composting, seeding, transplanting, harvesting, plot design, planting schedules, mineral amendments, soil management and soil testing. Special attention will be paid to concerns germane to school gardeners, like administrative support, student involvement/management, curricular relevance, budgeting and what to do about summer vacation.

The first half of the morning schedule will consist of demonstrations, slide shows and discussions. Then, before lunch you will have an opportunity to get a jump on the growing season in a hands-on way. We will supply industry-standard trays and high-quality starting mixes plus seeds for a variety of spring crops. You will seed two, 98 cell, durable plastic trays and take them home with you – a practical way to get ready for your traditional mid-April transplanting. Or, you can seed one tray yourself and take a second tray back for your students.

In the afternoon, hands-on demonstrations of useful, kid-friendly tools and seeding/transplanting methods will be held in the Friends Academy garden, a site that last year produced more than four thousand pounds of vegetables for a nearby food pantry.

Professional Development Points will be available for attendees who complete the additional/required four hours of course-prescribed work, which can be easily accomplished by simply following through with the stated goals of starting or maintaining a school garden.

In advance of Dan Kittredge’s presentation this evening at the Friends Academy, The Standard-Times printed an article on Monday written by Anika Clark focusing on the movement toward nutrient dense production.  Check it out…

Farming movement goes back to the roots for a nutrient-rich crop

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101129/NEWS/11290304/-1/NEWS

I’m looking forward to squeezing in a break from fieldwork later today to listen to Carol Mosley Braun speak at UMass Dartmouth.  She’ll be presenting information and a talk about her current passion; Ambassador Organics, which markets organic and biodynamic coffee, teas, and spices.

Since we arrived on our land here on Tucker Road we have been working with the Josephine Porter Institute, who supplies Biodynamic Preps (think of them as a mix of compost tea, homeopathic energetics, and a method for farmers to bring new spiritual energies to our farms) for growers who aren’t currently able to produce their own preps.  Later this month, as our fields continue to warm up for the season, we’ll be applying field sprays of horn manure and equisetum.  These preps are only one part of our fertility plan which aims to bring vibrant life back to our soils here on the farm; if you drive by on Tucker Road and see us with a backpack sprayer we are likely applying a biodynamic prep, compost tea, or fish fertilizer; all of which play a crucial role in reinoculating our land.

Much like Rudolf Steiner who wrote and lectured on a wide array of topics, Robert Karp who is the Executive Director of the Biodynamic Association in the U.S. recently penned a terrific essay examining economic relationships inherent to sustainable agriculture systems, “Toward an Associative Economy in the Sustainable Food and Farming Movement”, link available through the BD association website.

In the spirit of recycling near Earth Day, here is a blog post from the original Brix Bounty Farm Blog  from December 2008 with a few good links regarding Biodynamics:

Biodynamics is a field of agriculture that has developed from an initial series of lectures, Spiritual Foundations for the Renewal of Agriculture, presented by Rudolf Steiner in the summer of 1924.

In 2006 and 2007 I farmed at Hawthorne Valley Farm in Harlemville, NY. While I focused primarily on the 12 acres we had in vegetable production, the farm also had a dairy herd that played a central role in the life and fertility of the farm. Hawthorne Valley has played a leading role in the development of Biodynamic Agriculture in the eastern United States, alongside: the Pfeiffer Center in Spring Valley, NY and the Josephine Porter Insitute (JPI) for Applied Biodynamics in Virginia.

Biodynamics has a national certifying agent, Demeter USA. I’m not aware of any certified biodynamic operations along the Southcoast though there are a few growers who are using practices associated with Biodynamics.

On a slightly different note, I’ve been working on a brief resource list for Know Your Vegetables. One site I’m sure to include is ATTRA (the National Sustainable Agricultural Information Service), they are a great resource for gardeners and farmers of all experience levels; they regularly publish information on a wide array of relevant topics. Back in 1999 they published information on Biodynamic Farming & Compost Preparation.

In the recent years, Biodynamic Agriculture has continued to grow in both interest and practice throughout the States.  I reckon the movement will continue to grow well in the future, thanks in part to the development of a North American Biodynamic Apprenticeship Program.

Before we get to the celebration of our community, this Sunday evening I would like to brings two interesting  articles/op-ed pieces to folks attention:

• Paul Krugman provides a view on the economics of climate change with his article “Building a Green Economy” in today’s New York Times Magazine.  See also our quick 2-pager on Climate Change and Agriculture in the Northeast from last November.
• On the other end of the spectrum, the Boston Globe published an op-ed piece by Elliot Entis on the merits of genetically engineered crops which was titled “Green Thumbs”.  This will surely bring a broad response from readers on the controversial subject.  Thankfully, NOFA-Mass provides good information about organic growers opposition to Genetically Engineered Crops on their website.  No doubt, Ronnie Cummins of the Organic Consumers Association would offer quite a different view than Entis’s piece published in today’s Globe.

There are quite a few points in Entis’s editorial which I take exception to, not the least of which is his claim that, “since genetically engineered crops have been planted, there have been no incidents of harm to man, beast, or the environment.”  Entis is correct in stating that many conventional growers have come to appreciate the technology in genetically engineered crops, which allow them to streamline herbicide applications from 4 or 5 chemicals to 1 chemical (e.g. glycoophosphate, commonly the brand name Roundup).  I was able to observe this on a farm tour through Boulder County Colorado last June, where sugar beet growers were affirming that without roundup ready technology they wouldn’t have planted Sugar Beets.  But before we adopt wide scale application of a technology, I believe it is necessary to consider the impact of our decisions.  Contamination of non-gmo (genetically modified organisms) seed with gmo traits is in my mind a clear example of “harm to man, beast, or the environment”.  Whether its the case of Canadian grower Percy Schmeiser whose Canola crops were contaminated by Roundup Ready Canola, or the current concerns held by the organic table beet or chard seed producers, planting of gmo crops continues to have major implications for our society.  Hopefully we’ll see a well written rebuttal to Entis’s op-ed piece; maybe even a perspective which includes the proper role of soil stewardship in continuing to feed and nourish our globe, as opposed to the strong bias toward technology as the silver bullet of the future.

While Entis states, “genetically engineered crops are now under develop to address this constraint” (fresh water scarcity), organic and biologically minded conventional growers have already been practicing methods of agriculture for decades which works to build soil organic matter, thereby increasing carbon levels in our soils.  As we increase organic matter in our soils, we build the resilience necessary to face the impact of climate change, new rainfall patterns, and the availability of irrigation.  But a stark difference is at the heart of focusing on improving our soils rather than relying on technology… that difference would be who profits from such action.  A reliance on new seed technology fosters long-term dependence on seed companies and their “patented” seeds, while improving our soils builds profits for the farmer.  No doubt, as a vegetable grower I’ll vote for the latter.  Unlike the ballot cast at recent town elections, or with our dollar in the marketplace, this vote will take the form of remineralizing of our soils, sowing cover crops, reinoculating our soils with mycorrhizal fungi (which will help us build glomalin levels in our soils) and beneficial bacteria.  I consider myself lucky, at the farm we get to vote every single day for the future we would like to help manifest; and we invite you to join us.

Springtime is a busy one around the farm… along with the usual farm activities:  seeding in the greenhouse, spreading amendments and field sprays of fish and biodynamic preps, getting the apprentice crew up to speed, we have been enjoying a rather productive couple of weeks engaging with our local community.  Through a dynamic process of sharing and learning we aim to add our threads to an ever stronger network focusing on sustainable agriculture in SE Massachusetts.

Among the long list of the past few week’s hi-lights:

• In Fall River, community gardens are blossoming; we participated in a community workshop on seed selection on April 6th at the Oak Village Apartment community Room.
• See the Farm to Table blog entry about The Friends Academy Garden just North of the farm on Tucker Road.
• Sharing the Harvest at the Dartmouth YMCA is in the process of building a new greenhouse for starting seedlings; last week we joined farmer Dan in assembling the ground posts, bows, and purlins.  This week they’ll be skinning the greenhouse with poly and growing starts in their brand new greenhouse!
• This past Saturday we hosted one of NOFAMass’s Spring Organic Gardening Workshop Day here on the farm… a hearty group of folks braved the strong west wind, rejoiced in the solar heated greenhouse and picked up a few new tips and tools for the 2010 garden season.
  

  Workshop Participants view the Raised Bed, April 11, 2010

A final note, at the end of March, President Obama declared the 31st Cesar Chavez day …  For more info see http://www.chavezfoundation.org/ or the link to a PBS program on the subject – http://www.pbs.org/itvs/fightfields/.  Quite a worthy tribute to one of the heroes of the American agricultural labor movement, and good reminder for us to be thankful for the folks who grow our food both here in the USA and the crops which are imported across our borders.

Spring has arrived in full force.  After last week’s heavy rains and the abundant sunshine green is everywhere on the farm.  We can also gauge the coming of spring by our continued busy list of workshop presentations; including a free workshop on plant and seed selection in Fall River this Tuesday the 6th (see the Brix Bounty Events page).

On this Saturday, April 11th, we will be one of 10 locations around the state hosing a hands-on Organic Gardening Workshop in partnership with NOFAMass.  To pre-register of for more information please visit the NofaMass Programs Page.  The workshop will run from 9AM to noon.

Spinach in the GH, March 2010

This email was recently posted to the Food&Ag Working Group of the Southeastern Massachusetts Council on Sustainability…

Hello,

Hope to see folks at the quarterly Council on Sustainability meeting this afternoon (March 11th) and at this Saturday’s Shrink Your Footprint Fair; 1-5PM at the GNB-Voc Tech School, 1121 Ashley Blvd. in New Bedford.  Here are a few other items that might be of interest to the Food&Agriculture working group in the coming weeks:

Health, Nutrition, and Food

• The School Nutrition Bill and the Local Farm Products Bill will be voted on in the Senate today (March 11th); see also today’s Globe Article:  Support grows for limiting junk food…
• IATP Food&Society Fellows Child Nutrition Issue was recently published on the web (Feb 2010).
• Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition – Food Systems and Public Health: Linkages to Achieve Healthier Diets and Healthier Communities free access to current issue online.
• Healthy Southcoast by Design Summit in New Bedford featuring Mark Fenton – March 23rd and 24th.

Sustainable Agriculture at the Local Level

• Enhance Your Farm’s Future -One Day Farm Conference and Resource Fair – Sat. March 27th at BCAHS in Dighton.
• Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches and Communities, a guide to federal programs that provide financial and technical support for sustainable agriculture.
• Relocalizing our Foodshed Conference is next Mon/Tues in MN – might be worth watching what reports or abstracts come out of this gathering…
• The Carrot Project – Small Farm Loan Program has a March 19th deadline for loan applications.
• Slow Money’s Ideas for Change in America Invest in Local Food Systems to Save the Economy and the Planet

Educational Resources and Events

• Annual Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom Winter Conference – Sat. Mar 13th in Ludlow, MA.
• Saturday March 13th – Shrink Your Footprint Fair ; 1-5PM at the GNB-Voc Tech School, 1121 Ashley Blvd. in New Bedford.
• Helping You Grow Your Bounty, Trade Your Foodmiles for Foodsteps: ongoing – organic gardening, nutrient density, and sustainable agriculture workshops presented by Brix Bounty Farm – see list of upcoming events and resources.

Cheers,

Derek

UPDATE: Due to the anticipated arrival of a winter storm and a Snow Emergency Parking Ban in effect in the City of New Bedford, we have decided to postpone the start of our Roots Down Series until next Thursday Feb. 18th. If you have any questions please contact the farm. Thanks.

And if you haven’t heard the news out of Washington; The First Lady launched Let’s Move, the new Childhood Obesity Campaign yesterday (c-span video coverage) and the USDA released it’s impressive Food Environment Atlas, which contains an astounding array of data related to access to healthy food.