The schoolyard at my kids’ school was drowning this morning, and my next stop was the farm.  I didn’t know it was going to be pouring.  A part of me wanted to just stay home and work on my next blog post.  But farmers don’t get to take the day off, so I wasn’t going to. (Admittedly, one farmer told me they don’t work with volunteers because they often don’t show up, and I didn’t want her to be right.) 

This week the work was not badass (no sweat was produced) or fascinating.  We weeded and washed containers for transporting the upcoming harvest.  But every task on the farm is important. 

Working on this farm is not like working at a big company, where the more you know, the less “dirty” work you must do.  I’m sure there is a farm hierarchy of sorts, but when things don’t go as expected or plans fall behind, on smaller to mid-sized farms, everyone rolls up their sleeves and gets into the weeds, pun intended.

Our boss/volunteer coordinator enjoys getting into the weeds with us, though.  He said if he wanted to get up on a tractor and use more automated tools, he could be more efficient.  But since this farm is both for production and community involvement, he sees the value in being down in the dirt with us – showing us how to use the tools, sharing his favorites, and talking shop.  What I see gaining from this experience isn’t how a for-profit farm is run, but learning about some of the tricks of the trade and some of the challenges that may be faced.

For example, we were weeding, in one of the hoop houses, the crops we had planted and transplanted back in February.  We had both direct-planted carrot seeds and transplanted kale and chard seedlings that had been started in the hothouse.  They were coming in nicely!  The kale and chard had been covered in landscape cloth to keep them warm at night since Michigan winters can be too cold even for the cool season crops.  This morning, the cloth was off and bunched in a corner.

2/3 of one row was coming in beautifully.  It was very rewarding to see that what we had planted was almost ready to harvest.  But 1/3 of the row was bare.  “What happened?  Didn’t we plant here?”, I asked.  “Yep!”, Will answered, “Voles got to them.”  Voles, adorable little mouse-like creatures, saw the fabric as a nice cozy shelter that comes loaded with a free meal.  So, I asked – if this was a for-profit farm, how much would just that 1/3 of a row have sold for?  $500-600.  Nothing makes you want to stomp on an adorable vole like when the little @*#%! steals your wallet.  So, Will said that next time, they will only cover the crops at night, and make sure to uncover them every morning.  More time and more work – $500 worth? Hopefully not. But not using chemicals to keep pests out is a commitment.  To stay profitable, a farmer must learn where the risks of loss are greatest and therefore where their time is best spent.

That reminded me of last fall when I went with my stepdaughter to a farm in West Ann Arbor to get pumpkins for Halloween.  We were out in the field for “you pick” and noticed stickers on the hefty gourds.  So we asked – “why do your pumpkins have stickers on them saying they are from somewhere else?”  The woman processing the sale was very nice despite my question, which in retrospect, was kind of rude.  She smiled kindly and said that the deer decimated their pumpkin crop and they had to go buy pumpkins to sell to us!  I admired their problem-solving in the face of loss.  My guess is that the deer feast was very recent, so the pumpkin mass purchase was rushed, and they didn’t have time to stage them better or remove the stickers. I can’t imagine this solution covered their losses, but I hope they got close.

Crop loss to animals and pests is real and it can be devastating to a farm.  I’ve read about innovative and insightful farmers inviting the natural predators of their most destructive pests by creating an inviting habitat for the predator species. But I don’t think it’s simple or immediate.  I can see how someone walking up to your farm with a magic pill called pesticide can be appealing.  The good news is that there are all kinds of natural solutions out there.  You can buy ladybugs to eat your aphids.  You can build wooden boxes to encourage owls to make a home on your farm and feast on your voles.  You can use sacrifice plantings around the edge of your farm to deter deer.  There are ways to fight invaders effectively.  It’s about learning what’s right for your farm.  As I learn about regenerative agriculture, I can’t ignore that while this type of holistic management can create a better future for the farmers, their customers, and their communities, nothing is a quick fix.  It’s not a one-size-fits-all.  It’s not a straight line. And time is money – something farms have less and less to lose these days.  But all hope is not lost.  There are more and more people joining the movement to support farms of all sizes to find their best way to thrive.