Sat 14 Feb 2015

Winter Reading, Geology, & Snow

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It’s snowing again… a good excuse for more wintertime reading and celebrating the bountiful winter conditions with the family.

I really appreciated the perspective John Slack (Boreal Agrominerals, Ontario, Canada) brought to this year’s Soil & Nutrition Conference.  His presentation on the “Agricultural Landscape:  The Geochemical Province” inspired a trip to the library to pick up James Skehan’s Roadside Geology of Massachusetts.  John is fond of testing soils well beyond the top 6” weak acid Morgan analysis… favoring a deep soil analysis, examining soils through the A, B, & C horizon using a stronger Aqua Regia extract to determine geochemistry; with a bit of help from US Geological Service – (USGS) Maps.  Really excited to learn that John Slack will be working with the Bionutrient Food Association to carryout a soils mapping project in the Northeast this April.

For those looking for a quick perspective of Massachusetts Geology – Check out the article by Barosh & Miller (.pdf) posted on the Environmental Engineering Geologists Website.  Of course there is always the Wikipedia perspective.

I found the Bedrock Geological Map of Massachusetts (published in 1983) on the USGS website and also their online maps quite helpful – check out their Digital Geological Maps by State, to learn about your state…  Learned something new, we’ve got Alaskite (an alkali granite) as the bedrock under the farm on Bakerville Road in Dartmouth.

MIT Open Courseware has an Introduction to Geology Course available for those looking to gain a basic introduction to the topic.

Enjoy the storm.

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Mon 12 Jan 2015

NOFA Mass 2015 WC Trace Mineral Workshop Materials

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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…

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

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Sat 27 Sep 2014

Farmstand is well stocked for Saturday September 27th

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A bit of summer heat for our final weekend in September.  We’ve got a great selection of fall veggies available at our farmstand today, including yellow wax beans, butternut squash, Mountain Merit tomatoes, All Blue potatoes, & more…  Stop by today, we’ll be open ’til dusk.

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Thu 31 May 2012

Farmstand Open Friday June 1st…

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Spinach season is in full glory!

We’ll have the farmstand open Friday June 1st and generally be open Fridays – Mondays in early June.

Please note, however, the farmstand will be closed Saturday June 2nd; apologies for the inconvenience…

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Sat 5 May 2012

Farmstand Reopens on May 6th

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Brix Bounty Farmstand will be OPEN on Sunday May 6th and Monday May 7th (10 AM ’til dusk)!
We’ll celebrate the return of sunshine on Sunday with an early jump on the harvest season. Offering absolutely delicious springtime radishes (“Yummy, more radishes please” – a dinnertime quote from our 2 year old daughter) along with a nice selection of fresh greens and green garlic to add local flavor and crunch to your kitchen table.

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Wed 28 Mar 2012

CSA Member Workday

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CSA Member Work Days

This season we have decided to offer a chance for our members to gain a deeper connection with their veggies by inviting you to monthly work days on the farm.  Every month we’ll celebrate the joy of agriculture by welcoming folks onto the farm on the final Friday of the month.  Our work sessions will happen rain or shine to give you a true taste of farming.

We’ll be continuing our CSA Work Days this coming Friday, February 24th with two optional work sessions:
Friday March 30th – 2:30-4:00 and
Friday March 30th – 4:30-6:00


For folks interested in joining us for one or both sessions we kindly request that you RSVP via email or a phone call by Friday at Noon.

We have decided to welcome folks of all ages to join us, but request those interested in working with their young children (5 -10 yrs.) to consider joining us for the mid-afternoon session from 2:30 to 4:00 PM. For those members who have expressed an interest in joining us in the fields; these sessions will allow for folks to gain a deeper understanding of what steps we take to grow delicious food for our community.

The afternoon’s tasks will vary throughout the season and be highly dependent on weather conditions and our field priorities; this week’s work may include seeding greens in the greenhouse, renovating beds in our new greenhouse, & continued brush work along the field edges and in the bramble patch.

We would ask folks who are joining us to come prepared to work and roll up their sleeves, get a little dirt under their fingernails.  Please dress accordingly; the springtime offers a lot of raw weather days and as the sun’s strength dies down the late afternoon can become chilly.  Layers and something to break the wind are especially valuable, as is a water bottle to help keep you hydrated, and good solid footwear.

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Tue 6 Mar 2012

Fixing Nitrogen without Legumes or Rhizobia

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We are really looking forward to our first full season trialing BioNatural’s Blooming Blossoms bio-inoculants.  They have 2 different soil application products and a foliar product; all 3 are focused on harnessing the capacity of Azotobacter to fix Nitrogen.  They are just one of many folks marketing biological inoculants; you can see a list of other suppliers on the new Bionutrient Food Association website.

Their NutriFoliar  has proven to actually “fix” Nitrogen directly on the leaf surface.  We have been pleased to secure our supply through Crop Services International in Michigan; Juneau Sales in Minnesota is another supplier.

We’ll report back later this season with details (and hopefully some pictures) of our results.

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Sat 3 Mar 2012

Nutrient Density and High Brix – Better Flavor and Nutrition

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10 Reasons Why a Brix Bounty Farm CSA Membership May Be Right For You

A Series Written and Published by Brix Bounty Farm
(“10 Reasons Why” Series Archive)

Reason #4 – Nutrient Density and High Brix – Better Flavor and Nutrition

by Derek Christianson

At Brix Bounty Farm our priority is growing high quality vegetables with an emphasis on nutrition and flavor.  This commitment to quality has put us on a journey toward high brix crops; noted for their pest and disease resistance and top notch flavor (see What is Brix for more about Brix).  What does it take to grow nutrient dense vegetables?  A deep commitment to caring for the land, the full-spectrum of trace minerals present in our soils (critical for the plants enzymatic systems), and healthy and robust soil biology which is the key to providing plants minerals in their ideal form.

The process to restore health to worn our soils doesn’t happen overnight; as we are working with natural systems we must remain patient.  Each season we strive to achieve a higher level of quality with our production.  Overtime we expect the flavor of our crops to continue to speak for themselves as more and more consumers reconnect with delicious local vegetables.  In concert with better flavor will be higher levels of “bionutrients” – minerals, proteins, fats, plant secondary metabolites, and more; all delivered through real food.

Our commitment to quality includes an emphasis on producing crops with high levels of trace minerals often lacking in conventionally grown produce.  One small example of this is our commitment to amending our soils with small amounts of selenium (in the form of sodium selenate).  Selenium is a trace mineral which has been linked to heart health; in the past century low soil selenium levels were connected to high levels of heart disease in parts of China and Finland.  In fact, the Finnish government even took the step of mandating the addition of selenium to crop fertilizers in their country.  In America farmers who work with livestock include a focus on selenium levels because selenium is considered a necessary nutrient for livestock.  It has not however been proven to be critical for plant health; as a result many growers focusing on produce don’t test their soil’s selenium levels.  We have tested our soils, and like many soils in the northeast our selenium levels are less than adequate so we have decided to take action by applying soil and foliar applications of selenium in 2012.

This is just one of the many actions we take at Brix Bounty Farm to provide our community with deep nutrition… and why we feel investing in a Brix Bounty CSA Share is a great investment in your health.

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Fri 2 Mar 2012

Compost Tea

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At the recent SEMAP Ag & Food Conference I had the pleasure of catching Carl Brodeur of Arborcare present a workshop on Actively Aerated Compost Tea (AACT).  Carl did a great job presenting some of the basics and keys to utilizing compost tea.  Below are a few of the resources his highlighted in his presentation as well as additional links which may be of interest.

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Tue 21 Feb 2012

2012 CSA Confirmation Letter (finally)

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Thank You for Investing in Health and Local Agriculture!

Joining Us Along Our Journey

2012 marks our 3rd season offering Community Supported Agriculture Shares and we couldn’t be more excited.  Our farm is in many ways still in its infancy, although we have plenty of successes to celebrate from our first few seasons we are well aware that we have a long road ahead toward one of our primary goals of producing the best quality produce in our region.  Similar to a new pair of sneakers, we have laced up another winter season (however mild it was) of knowledge and are prepared to make terrific bounds along our path.

Each spring we begin our season from a new place, both metaphorically and physically.  Last February we had just begun a series of field sprays which included our renewed focus on bringing silica forces from Equiseteum (the horsetail plant) to our fields.  Cobalt and Molybdenum, two important trace minerals which test low on our soils had yet to be procured.  This February we are 12 months deeper in our focused efforts stewarding health and vitality within our soils.  This season’s focus on fertility includes the application of nearly 50 tons of rock dust to our soils which will provide a broad base of minerals to vitalize our soil biology and in turn crop health.

Our commitment to quality doesn’t stop when we pull out of the driveway.  This wintertime has been a particularly fruitful season for sharing knowledge and learning from others.  In early February we joined more than 130 farmers and gardeners at the First Churches in Northampton for the inaugural Soil & Nutrition event.  The crowd included the next generation of growers who are still seeking land to start their farm to respected elders like Jack Lazor of Butterworks Farm (who produces some of the best yogurt money can buy).  In addition, Steve and I offered workshops at the NOFAMass Winter Conference and we are halfway into a 2 session course I’m teaching for the Bionutrient Food Association at Skip Paul’s Farm in Little Compton.

Our success is judged not solely by the quality of our production, but also by the quality of our neighbors and colleagues.

Throughout this winter I’ve started using a phrase to describe our production techniques here at the farm…caring, honoring, and dignifying our biological systems. The work we undertaker as farmers today is built upon a sense of duty.  A mandate brought to us from future generations, which asks us to care for the land as the precious resource providing us life, to honor the complexity within the soil through full spectrum remineralization, and to dignify our natural environment through the abstention of chemical abuses.

The natural yield of this approach is bountiful harvests which continue to impress with flavor and quality and ultimately provide the nourishment at the core of a healthy diet.  As always, it is with tremendous gratitude that we share our thanks for investing in our farm, becoming part of the Brix Bounty CSA community, and providing us with opportunity to embrace work which we love.

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