There are many of you that ask what I do all winter and how I gear up for the upcoming growing season. This is what I do in January & February (I take some much needed time off in December)!
I wear many hats here:
Owner
Production Manager
Greenhouse Manager
Wholesale Manager
Accountant
Book-keeper
I am very involved in my industry off the farm (this is what I do with my spare time):
Chair, Littleton Agricultural Commission
Middlesex County Rep, Massachusetts Association of Agricultural Commissions
YF&R Rep, Middlesex County Farm Bureau Federation
Chair, Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee
YF&R Rep, Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation State Board of Directors
My Checklist
File H2A job orders with New England Apple Council & the Department of Labor
This part of my job is probably the most stressful. We need to file two seperate job orders. One for April 1st and one for May 1st. This will bring up four H2A employees from Jamaica to come and work on our operation for the entire growing season. This program is crucial to our operation and if the program ever came to a halt my business along with many other operations in New England would be in jeopardy.
Some of you ask me why I choose to be a part of this program when there are so many Americans without work these days. My answer is pretty simple, Americans have no desire to work on farms. The idea to them seems peaceful but once they are out in the fields with us; weeding carrots, picking beans, and staking tomatoes in all weather conditions, working in agriculture is awful. I have had interested personel show up for their first day of work and quit within two hours (this has actually happened several times). The guys that come up and work with us each year are farmers back in Jamaica. They come up here to work because they choose to bring home money to support their growing families'. They are professional agriculturists. They seed, plant, weed, harvest, run equipment, and load trucks. Without their involvement in the farm, Springdell would not be producing the abundance we do.
Seed orders for the home farm
This requires a whole lot of math, something that I actually was never really good at. I need to take into account the suggestions made by our customers and shareholders. Make note of a new variety that did not work out the past year and make the decision to cut out a certain variety or crop that is just not working well for us anymore. We purchase seeds from about eight different companies.
Seed order for Gibbet Hill Farm
As soon as the last item is harvested off of Gibbet Hill Farm (located at Gibbet Hill Grill), I sit down and meet with the chefs and Jed to go over what worked well, what did not work well, what the chefs want more of and what they would like to see no longer planted.
This year, they added in a 25 member CSA share to the farm. Let my inner Einstein get to work.
American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting, TennesseeAmerican Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference, ArizonaHarvest New England Marketing Conference
...and dream of putting up 3 more...
Tend to the high tunnels growing winter greens
This happens to be a science expirement for me. For those of you in the Winter CSA, you know what I am talking about!
Dirt orders are placed for what we need to begin seeding in the greenhouse for both the home farm and Gibbet Hill Farm. This year, I researched into carrying a product for our customers. We will have an entire line of potting soil, compost, and top soil available at the farm stand!
Packaging inventory & place orders for spring delivery
This sometimes turns into trying to convince packaging companies that they should offer more options in the color purple. White and brown are just so boring.
Make a list for Dave (my brother & farm mechanic) of equipment that needs repair
My brother works at the farm part time. He maintenances our tractors, equipment, and trucks and reminds me that I should consider purchasing a "wrecker" because like many farmers, I have a lot of junk. His shop is located at our sister operation at Gibbet Hill Cattle Company in Groton.
Saturday April 6th: Getting Started in your Backyard
This workshop will teach you how to choose good seed and plant varieties for your home garden from the right seed companies and plant suppliers. It will also go into detail on how to prepare your garden for the season.
$10 per adult, children welcome.
Approximately 1.5 hours starting at 10:00AM
Saturday April 13th: Planning your Season & Tips to be Successful
This workshop will dive into the details of how to plan your crops to be successful as well as reasons for crop rotation and how to execute it properly. We will discuss what works at home and what doesn't, long and short season crops and successive planting schedules, and simple steps to avoiding disease and fungus.
$10 per adult, children welcome.
Approximately 1.5 hours starting at 10:00AM
Saturday April 20th: Taking from Mother Nature & giving back
This workshop is our tribute to Earth Day and will be a discussion all about treating the earth with respect and care. We will talk about the access backyard gardeners have to the resources that commercial growers do, how you can put them to the best use, and how to avoid crop failure. We will also talk about the differences in IPM vs. organic, the Commonwealth Quality label, and more. Make sure to bring lots of questions to this workshop, too! Each paid person will be taking home a bucket of our own manure to help get their home garden started!
$15 per adult, children welcome.
Approximately 1.5 hours staring at 10:00AM
Saturday April 27th: I Can Grow That in a Container, Right?
This workshop will cover all things having to do with container gardening! It will go into depth on "fake" vs. "real" soil, proper sunlight, fertilizer, water control, and more. Each paid attendee will be picking out their own tomato plant from our greenhouse and planting it in a provided patio pot with soil, manure, stakes, and ties.
$25 per adult, children welcome.
Approximately 2 hours staring at 10:00AM
Friday May 10th: Crop Production: The good, the bad, & the ugly. A Springdell evening by the fire.
A group discussion around the fire about various agricultural practices. We will discuss why we farm the way we do and why others choose to farm in different ways. We will be asking questions as well as inviting you to bring some of your own.
Adult only (21+) discussion, $5 per person.
BYOB, feel free to bring treats for the fire as well.
Approximately 2 hours starting at 7:00PM.
SO COME SPEND A DAY WITH ME AT THE FARM...you can RSVP to me at jamie@springdellfarms.com
At least I make the effort to begin the year off having an organized office. By August I know that everything is in "my pile" and I will get to it on a rainy day.
Turn the heat on the main Greenhouse for February 10th
This time of year I am the only person on the farm seeding, prepping trays, transplanting and watering the greenhouse. And yes, I do it all by hand! Someday I will own one of those fancy machines that seeds everything for me...until then I am thankful for my eye site and my steady hand.
High tunnel tomatoes, kale, collards, lettuce, parsley, basil, celery, hot peppers, bell peppers, cabbage, and broccoli are seeded as of today.
