Sterling College ~ Sustainable Agriculture Semester

Morning on the farm and the One Cow Revolution

2009-07-08T08:41:00.004-04:00

Session II of the Summer Agriculture Semester has begun with students arriving at the barns at 6:30 to meet and milk Weebit, move lambs, feed chicks, collect eggs, groom and feed horses, move cattle to fresh grass, and generally return to the rhythm of farming. Classes include Permaculture, Agriculture Power Systems, Homestead Arts, and The One Cow Revolution.

Chicken Tractors

2009-07-04T17:23:00.005-04:00

Six chicken tractors loaded with 60 free range broilers, 40 barred rock layers and 15 Narrangansett turkeys headed out of their brooders and into the pastures today, they will follow the lambs in the pasture rotation. Another 25 turkeys will enter the brooder next week and will follow along behind this group in about 2 weeks.

Bread Oven

2009-07-03T14:21:00.002-04:00

Construction on Sterling's own bread oven began with an idea between Heidi Wilson and several students and is now approaching completion. The oven was built with the help of Peter Schuemann (Bread and Puppet)and many students, used lumber harvested from the Sterling woodlot and milled on Sterling's sawmill, a crosscut saw was used to create the arch for the doors, and clay was mined from a nearby source. The next step is to begin firing the oven with small twig fires and the first loaf of bread is on the near horizon. Small grains are being grown in our garden, rye, wheat and oats, and will be harvested with scythes and milled by hand. This writer cannot wait for the first pizza night!

Farm update

2009-07-02T08:41:00.004-04:00

The farm has been busy, compost bins have been constructed to manage the chicken manure and stall bedding, our gilts have been routed out to the woods and, along with delicious natural forage, are being fed whey from Ploughgate Creamery. An herb bed has been built to make healing salves and natural anthelmitics for the animals; lavendar and comfrey have been established guarded by marigolds.

Lamb Management

2009-06-30T17:31:00.004-04:00

We hope to raise 1000 pounds of grass-fed lamb for the kitchen for the coming school year; here, students learn the processes associated with lamb management--dewormer, CD&T shots, hoof trimming, and weighing for biweekly weight gain.

First Cultivation of Potatoes

2009-06-29T12:08:00.004-04:00

While we seem to be stuck in the same weather pattern as last year, daily rain and lots of it, our storage crops are thriving. Here, as part of the Agriculture Power Systems course, we are cultivating our potatoes using a horse-drawn two row cultivator--this is tricky since one wrong step by the horses or one misjudgement by the driver operating the foot treadle can cause lots of damage to the young plants. Students gain confidence working the machine outside the garden area then proceed to working over the plants.

Learning to Drive: Logging and Cultivation

2009-06-19T16:38:00.004-04:00

Students are gaining confidence working with the horses as they move logs around the log yard and work the cultivator in the bean patch. Working in a relatively low risk environment such as this will pay dividends once we begin skidding logs from the woodlot and working with the two-row riding cultivator.

Mowing with horses

2009-06-17T22:19:00.004-04:00

Over the winter, we rebuilt a McCormick Deering Number 7 horsedrawn mowing machine; today, with the help of teamster Nick Hammond and his horses, Peter and Paul, we took the mower out for her maiden (at least in a resurrected since) voyage. We intend to use the mower to clip pastures behind our animals or in front of our animal rotations if the grass moves too fast for them to keep up. Our next project, a McCormick Deering grain drill is moving into the shop and repair work is scheduled to begin next week.

Chicks, Logging with Horses, and Pasture Management

2009-06-16T14:36:00.005-04:00

As we approach week 3 of the summer farm semester, much is happening around the farm, in the forest, and in the gardens; and, of course, in the classroom! Meat birds and turkeys for the kitchen and laying hens for the farm are growing in their brooders, logs are being skidded from the woods to soon be milled into lumber, and pastures are being managed to ensure that our grass will not only last into the fall but that next season's grass will have the best start possible. The last of the transplants have been removed from the greenhouse and are in their beds. 500 bales of first cut hay are in the barn and the next cut awaits a stretch of good drying weather.

Garden chores

2009-06-09T08:40:00.003-04:00

Each day at 6:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m., students not taking care of the livestock descend upon the gardens to weed, plant, transplant, mulch, trellis, hill, harvest and nurture our food for this coming season. A new addition this season, strawberries, are being established between the other berries and the apple trees. Hopefully, the plants will thrive and we will be able to supply the kitchen with enough strawberry jam to furnish the needs of the Sterling community.

First day working with horses

2009-06-05T12:53:00.005-04:00

This week, one half of the Agriculture Power class began working with Lincoln, Rex, and Pete--all draft horses that provide much of the motive power for the Sterling College farm and forest operations. Much like Driver's Education, the first lessons are centered around in-hand work such as turning on the forehand, turning on the hindquarter, movement commands such as gee and haw, back, and step up. Basic pre-work grooming and hoofcare along with harnessing complete the introductory component of the course. The next step involves ground driving the single horse through obstacles and taking a nice walk around the common. Once students become comfortable with these procedures, they will move on to more complex movements with the single horse followed by real work applications such as skidding logs and cultivation.

Spring Lambs

2009-06-04T17:31:00.005-04:00

With frost warnings again tonight, tomatoes and strawberries will spend the night in the hothouse. On the farm, we purchased 13 new lambs from a local flock owner, these lambs will combine with the seven of those born here to complete our sheep flock for the summer. Chores will now consist of lamb management(vaccinations, deworming, tagging, banding, and weighing) with the goal of producing premium grass-fed carcasses for the nourishment of the Sterling College community. In the fall, students enrolled in Agriculture Techniques will trim hooves, shear, supervise the transportation and oversee the butchering of the carcasses based on the needs of the kitchen. We will manage the sheep, as with all our grazers, following good rotational grazing practices and hope that in addition to sound-growing animals, we can improve our pastures to grow good grass and other beneficial species of forage.

Opening Week

2009-06-04T07:25:00.009-04:00

Eleven students arrived on June 1st to begin a 77 day intensive Sustainable Agriculture Semester. Joined by five faculty and four academic interns, the students will immerse themselves in the daily rituals of managing the farm and gardens at Sterling; livestock and garden chores coupled with intense classroom sessions focused around our theme: Conscious Farming in the New Economy.

Each morning, students rise and are working by 6:30, crews are at the farm feeding our current load of animals (lambs, heifers, cows, beef steers, poultry, horses and oxen), moving fences, or building projects in preparation for the arrival of poultry (100 meat birds, 25 turkeys, and 50 barred rock laying hens) and 15-20 lambs; or, working in the gardens where seedbed preparation and transplanting are in full swing. This summer, we are expanding our small grain operation to include nearly an acre of wheat, oats, and rye. With the construction of our new bread oven, we are hopeful to offset our dependence on outside sources for flour.

The draft horses are in full operation finishing primary tillage responsibilities and beginning to cultivate young crops. Students are split between horse power and mechanical (tractors) systems to learn what type of motive power system is best applied to a specific farm application.

One large project, the development of an improved compost system, is in full swing as compost bins are being constructed next to each six garden sites. Our potting mix for next season is nearly finished with the active stage of composting and will be set aside for curing--this took only 21 days with our new bin system!

Permaculture projects are emerging in preparation for the Permaculture Design Principles course taught by Keith Morris of Prospect Rock Permaculture. Students are already looking at our landscape and brainstorming ideas for their projects.

Food, as always at Sterling, has been wonderful--localvores are in culinary heaven as Mary (our cook extradonaire), interns, and students prepare delicious meals for our nourishment.

Northeast Animal Powered Field Days

2008-09-29T16:18:00.004-04:00

Saturday, September 27th, twelve Sterling College students attended the 2nd annual Northeast Animal Powered Field Days, a celebration of animal power on the farm and in the forest. Students participated in workshops, viewed quality teams of horses and oxen working in the fields, and ate really good pulled pork (and pesto pizza for the vegetarian option) sandwiches.

Summer Highlights

2008-08-20T10:04:00.003-04:00

How things change over time.

2008-08-15T13:47:00.002-04:00

So here I am living in the woods in my tent. Nobody, including myself, would ever have guessed that I once was terrified of the forest and the mysteries within. Really—I was terrified. Vermont itself was scary to me. I felt like I had no business being within Vermont, and it had nothing for me. But here I am on a crazy hill called Craftsbury in the Northeast Kingdom completely sidetracked from where I thought my life was going. But I very quickly came to realize that I was in fact not sidetracked, but going in the perfect direction. Though school has been a struggle for me personally, Sterling College has done incredible amounts for me, and the biggest aspect I believe is introducing me to agriculture. Agriculture to me five years ago was the grocery store and shelves being restocked at night. Now, agriculture to me is closing the systems, figuring out how farms (including Sterling) can improve the connection between nature and wildlife and to work with both aspects to enhance both the farm system and surrounding ecosystems. Its funny how things work out sometimes, it really is. I am not able to bring myself to go home to suburbia, New York, but I am so happy. There is no history of farming in my family, but I am confident to say that I am thrilled to continue my life with the track I am now on by creating harmony between the farm and wildlife, to help serve a community and one day pass on my gathered knowledge to the next generation to maintain healthy ecosystems. With all of that said, I think I’m going to go into the woods now to the swimming hole. Third day of sun in a row now—it’s worth celebrating.

Sterling College Welcomes Lincoln

2008-08-14T11:52:00.002-04:00

Recently, Sterling College accepted the gracious donation by Raymond Chauvin of Lincoln, a seven year old Belgian gelding. Lincoln is quite a willing worker, having only been at Sterling for a few hours, he helped Rex with wagon rides around the Common at our annual summer pig roast and moved wonderfully. Students of the Summer Agriculture Program have really benefitted from his presence as they have witnessed first-hand the process of integrating a new horse into the farm.

Connection to our Food: Harvesting Rosco

2008-08-12T18:11:00.003-04:00

To show respect while harvesting our food, Mitch takes the Summer Farm students through the process, from birth to death, in a manner that gives thanks to the animal, allows students the opportunity to experience an on-farm slaughter event, and, perhaps most important, creates a platform to discuss the close connection of food raised for human consumption.

Rotational Grazing Systems

2008-08-05T11:59:00.004-04:00

On a small farm like ours that houses many different animals, providing appropriate feed rations is a challenge--rotational grazing provides a systematic method to address and meet the different nutritional needs for each animal while providing a holistic management program for the soil.

Agriculture Power Systems: Introduction to Farrier Science

2008-08-05T11:02:00.002-04:00

As we have chosen to use horses for much of our traction work, responsible hoofcare is a practical skill that is introduced to students as a part of the draft horse management curriculum. Outside of feed, hoofcare is the largest yearly expense for a horse owner; by learning basic hoofcare practices and mastering a few fundamental farrier skills, students can greatly reduce their yearly expenses associated with working horses.

Metaphors

2008-08-03T13:44:00.003-04:00

Recently, Lynn Miller (editor of The Small Farmer's Journal) presented what I interpret to be a "call to action". Lynn draws our attention to three key realizations that I paraphrase here:

1. ...the climate is changing...

2. Oil is over...

3. ...the world food inventory is hanging by a thread over a precipice...

Lynn's metaphor between the collapse of a colony of bees into small like-minded (like-skilled) groups--communities--to survive and the current movement toward a model of human-scaled farming (to also survive) is very timely and meaningful to me.

I intend to weave these three strands into each of my agriculture courses this year; the intent is to keep these concepts in mind as we learn to work with animals in our fields and forest, gain confidence in the care and use of our tools, and perhaps of some higher importance, work with one another toward achieving a common goal at Sterling--that each student will connect with the food and fiber system with conscious effort.

Internship Profile: Jascha Pick at The Flack Family Farm

2008-08-01T15:56:00.005-04:00

At Sterling College, students must complete a formal internship (see http://www.sterlingcollege.edu/P.internships.html#What); for a student majoring in Sustainable Agriculture, the internship is a critical component to the degree program encompassing multi-faceted learning opportunities and real-life insight into the daily challenges faced by agricultural practitioners. While not a compartment of the Summer Agriculture Program per se, if applicable, students can apply their experiences during an internship to complete two important graduation competencies in Organic Crop Production and Livestock Systems Management.

Agriculture Power Systems

2008-07-29T11:39:00.002-04:00

On-farm power systems range from poking one's fingers in the soil to plant a seed to large scale diesel tractors. Here, students learn how to operate two pieces of machinery used at Sterling College: A portable sawmill and a brush-hog mower. Following this course, students will be able to make an informed decision about the power systems required to work a piece of land.

Everything

2008-07-28T16:50:00.002-04:00

Last friday I was fortunate enough to work with Paul and his two steers Bronze and Chrome, some of my favorite animals here at Sterling. Working with them is similar foundationally as working with the horses, things like haw and gee still mean left and right, and whoa means stop. However unlike working with Pete and Rex where you use your voice and your direct contact through the lines, Bronze and Chrome's behaviour relies on voice only, and usage of the whip when needed. It is pretty impressive to see how well they obey if you are clear and firm. I find one of the most important things when working with animals is the ability to establish dominance without feeling overly harsh or mean, but to the point where you are still firm and obviously in charge. At first Bronze and Chrome, especially Chrome, tried to test me by heading to the nearest patch of grass, it didn't take long though for me to gain the confidence to properly command them to listen to me, and the rest of the evening went rather smoothly. As with the steers and the horses, and pretty much everything else I do in life I need to: slow down, breath, don't have too much slack on my outside line, and smile.- advice given to me by many different people throughout my life, most recently given by Rick last Thursday morning. It is true, and infact I attribute the progess I have made in this department throughout the years, to horses, and now many of the animals here at Sterling, and just the overall pace of life here in Craftsbury.

This summer has been a really interesting one for me, but I have learned a lot, and am sure I will continue to do so over the next three weeks. Part of my wanting to get home in a hurry, is really just that there are so many things this place has taught me how to do and motivated me to do them, that I am itching to apply them to my life back in California,

Vegetable Brianni for dinner in a half hour, I'm pretty stoked. See ya all there

Working Cattle

2008-07-28T10:01:00.005-04:00

Thanks to the careful instruction from our ox trainer and teamster Paul Ferrari, students receive instruction on how to work cattle in yoke. Here, a student learns the basic commands necessary to move a team of oxen. Chrome and Bronze arrived about a year ago and have become integrated into the farm power systems. In addition to the draft horses and tractor, these oxen round-out our ability to do a multitude of traction tasks on the farm, in the garden, and in the woods. As the team matures, their ability to do more work will increase as will their utility in the Colleges' curriculum.

Pig

2008-07-25T10:05:00.002-04:00

When is a pig not a pig? When she is a jersey calf! Pig, a 5 week old jersey calf has been the resident "greeter" on the farm since her birth. Arriving in the back of a Ford stationwagon, Pig has captured our hearts as she greets us daily with a juvenile "moo", a hop-skip-and-a-jump about her paddock, and looks mournfully if you walk by her without a scratch on the chin. Pig is a student farm project--those projects that extend a learning experience outside the domain of the current animal load--other projects include pasture-fed pigs (real ones!) and chickens, the construction of an earthen bread oven, and a medicinal plant garden for treating ailments encountered with our farm animals.

Fertility Systems: Compost

2008-07-24T17:17:00.002-04:00

As a community, Sterling College generates roughly 20,000 pounds of organic waste per year--waste that includes kitchen scraps, garden residue, grass clippings, manure, bedding, and mortalities. All the organic waste is captured in a holding and mixing area then brought out to a working pad where the pile can be adjusted to achieve a carbon to nitrogen ration somewhere around 30:1. Students learn how to manage the pit, drive a tractor, run a PTO-driven manure spreader and "spin the load" to build a pile. Once the pile heats to around 130 degrees farenheit, the pile will be turned to continue the aerobic respiration process. In a few months, the finished compost will be delivered to the gardens with horses and applied via a ground driven spreader.

Working Horses: The Video

2008-07-23T11:37:00.003-04:00

"...I write, as I must, from the point of view of a country person, a member of a small rural community that has been dwindling rapidly since the end of World War II. Only the most fantastical optimism could ignore the possibility that my community is doomed--that it was doomed by the overwhelming victory of industrialism over agrarianism (both North and South) in the Civil War and the history both subsequent and consequent to it. It may be that my community--its economy, its faith, its local knowledge, its affection for itself and its place--will dwindle on for another generation or two then disappear or be replaced by a commuter's suburb. If it is doomed, then I have no doubt that much else is doomed also, for I cannot see how a nation, a society, or a civilization can live while its communities die."

Wendell Barry, 1995 (from Another Turn of the Crank)

From this quote, one could be sorely tempted to give up, give in, and walk away from the very ideals that make the agrarian lifeway worth living--I believe that the use of draft animals at Sterling College, in one small way, continues to guide a strong community of current and future agrarians investing time in learning the skills necessary to use draft animals as a source--perhaps even THE source--of power on their farms. I am not willing to give up, not yet, never. I believe in the collective will of a small group of people questioning the current paradigm in agriculture, posing questions--good questions--and planning solutions to meet the current needs and future challenges in agriculture; these same students will build strong, vibrant (and probably very local) communities--they are the generation of change.

Making Fenceposts, Splitting Rails

2008-07-21T16:37:00.004-04:00

In the Northeast Kingdom, "rich farms" were those with enough white cedar to make fenceposts--by that definition, we are a "rich farm"! Today, students began the hard work of processing logs on the landing; sorting logs that will go to our sawmill, cedar that will be processed into fenceposts or split rails, and soft-wood pulp. Here, students learn to sharpen a cedar post and use a series of three wedges to split apart a stem into four posts. Our farm replaces roughly 200 fenceposts per year; the life expectancy of a cedar fencepost is roughly 10 years. As we learned today, "good fences make good neighbors", with students working this hard, we should have many good neighbors for years to come.

Chainsaw Workshop: Agriculture Power Systems

2008-07-18T16:11:00.005-04:00

At Sterling, we are fortunate to steward a working woodlot of nearly 130 acres to support our wood-product needs on the farm. Our property is managed by a local forester with faculty and students responsible for oversight of the forest management plan. Today, our Sustainable Agriculture Semester students spent a morning learning chainsaw maintenance, operating procedures, cookie cutting, bore cutting, all culminating with a directional felling workshop in the woods. Here, a student releases the trigger wood on a stem after setting the face cut and bore cutting to set the hinge; she pounds two wedges to lift the stem into the face cut, then escapes along a predetermined route while the stem falls within a few inches of her desired target. Tomorrow, students will return to the woods to learn limbing and bucking practices, releasing spring poles, special cuts to assist with extraction procedures, and finally special techniques to fell side-leaning and back-leaning trees.

Fertility Systems: Mixed Power and Compost

2008-07-16T16:35:00.003-04:00

On-farm fertility, that sacred process of returning nutrients back to soil, is the headwater of sustainable farming. Here, students learn how to work with the tractor and manure spreader to bring our compost from our storage pit out to a windrow for the finishing process. At Sterling, kitchen scraps, bedding, manure, and other organic residuals are placed into a storage pit, turned, cured, then returned to the gardens to rebuild the edaphic environment of the soil ensuring a healthy crop yield next year. As a part of the Agriculture Power course, students learn how to work tractors and associated implements to do the critical traction work on the farm. Coupled with draft animals, tractors compliment our work defining a true mixed power system. In the fall, students enrolled in Draft Horse Management will use the tractor to load the horse-drawn manure spreader then drive the horses with the spreader attached to the gardens for application.

Training Teamsters with Good Horses

2008-07-15T12:44:00.004-04:00

Today, rising teamsters drilled with Pete, Carson, and Rex while negotiating a variety of obstacles designed to imitate situations our work horses will encounter while working in the woods--backing, stepping over debris, listening, turning on the forehand and hindquarters, and general line management. These drills build confidence in both the teamster and the horse in a low-risk environment while preparing both for work in more difficult scenarios.

humus

2008-07-11T21:47:00.002-04:00

I have found true real humus! It is sponge-like, as if walking on closed cell foam. You have probably walked on some spongy forest soils like this. I believe there is some in the cedar swamp where it is not mucky--ie it is on the rises around trees, caught up in moss-covered roots. This is where I really recognized the stuff today--caught up in cracks on rock or caught up in roots. It was clinging to bedrock near a lake in a mainly undisturbed area. It was mostly damp, retaining moisture like a humus colloid should. It seemed that moss was the key builder, so maybe this is just peat or sphagnum that I'm referring to, but I think it would have been fantastic for growing whatever, not just birch trees, blueberries, and other taiga bushes. There were hemlock trees nearby as well. I find the pine-forest soils to be very spongy as well. Plenty of water seems to have a lot to do with this humus-building, though humus resists drying out. Pines don't transpire as much as hardwoods, and so the soil stays wetter, more acid, totally fungally dominated.

Row Crops: Beans, Potatoes, and Sunflowers

2008-07-08T17:44:00.003-04:00

As part of our continued interest in using draft animals as primary source of traction on the farm, I have recently introduced a horsedrawn tillage laboratory to our curriculum which includes row crops such as potatoes, beans, sunflowers, and corn. Students learn how to use horsedrawn equipment for tillage, cultivation, and harvesting. Occasionally, a plant or two gets damaged--I have learned that the best teacher is direct feedback as a new skill is being taught--students always keep a great sense of humor as they continue down the row. Clearly, students enjoy this time discovering a wonderful relationship between the horses, the equipment, and themselves.

Cultivating Potatoes

2008-07-08T17:35:00.002-04:00

Hot and humid weather persisted throughout the day, the horses were employed to cultivate potatoes in preparation for the first hilling on these particular plants. The cultivator was recently donated by David Rogers from East Craftsbury; this is a McCormick-Deering Big 4 circa early 1900's. If you watch closely, you will see Mike work the foot treadle to adjust the crop shield while underway avoiding plants.

First cut in the barn

2008-07-07T17:31:00.004-04:00

Today, we completed putting in about 14 acres of square-baled hay. Using a mix of power, horses for tedding and raking, two tractors for mowing and baling, we put up about 650 bales of good quality hay and stored another 3000 pounds of loose hay in the barn. Baling-twine blisters and sunburned necks, jugs of water and the smell of the July sun are the trappings of the day. The weather has turned away from cool and rainy to hot and humid, thundershowers returning to the forecast--we are all breathing a bit easier with first cut in the barn.

Horses over Tractors

2008-07-07T16:19:00.003-04:00

Horses and woods leave me speechless, and Kubotas leave me frustrated along with being in an electric fence, that was at least not hot at that particular moment in time. I'm done with tractors until the day I die. But at least haying has been successful these past couple days.

Logs to Lumber: Old School, Part 3

2008-07-02T17:19:00.003-04:00

As part of the Agriculture Power class, we have been spending time in the woodlot focusing on the mixed power model for log extraction. Today, students used our small farm tractor with a skid winch to pull logs from a difficult hillside to a small landing where the horses could easily hitch and forward to the sawmill. Here, a student drives Pete and Rex who are hitched to a logging arch. The skid is all uphill, difficult, and very rough. Over the past few weeks, students are gaining an appreciation for what is required to manage a woodlot and operate a sawmill to fulfill the lumber needs of the farm.

Weather Woes

2008-07-01T17:09:00.000-04:00

Nightly thundershowers continue to hamper our efforts both in the garden and in the hayfield. Although this weather pattern is normal for our region, we are anxious about putting up our hay for the winter. The first three day window with a favorable forecast is rising on Friday. Working in the woods continues, I like to say that it never rains in the woods, only drips.

Driving Journal July 1, 2008

2008-07-01T16:37:00.004-04:00

I had my second lesson on how to drive a work horse. Zarran was present for this lesson and he was quickly brought up to speed. We were shown where all of the horse's gear is put away inside of the Sterling Farm barn, how to set the gear up so that it is efficiently put onto the horse and taken off of the horse, and we walked behind the horses while steering them through body pressure with
the driving lines. A lot of it was review from the first time , but I never remember things the first time unless its painful or traumatic. I need to become more confidant in directing animals where to go because the bigger they are the easier they can damage their surroundings, their selves, and other animals. I'm working hard and I'm hoping I can bring this semester to a more successful end than the last one. I am about one class day behind in my work now so I am hoping that this weekend will be a good chance to catch up, and maybe tell my family about what I am doing at school.

Logs to Lumber: Old School, Part 2

2008-06-24T13:26:00.003-04:00

Working a horse in the woods provides students with the insight into historic logging practices as well as the practice of modern restorative forestry. Here, a student removes two stems which will be processed for sugarwood. Working together, the driver, swamper, and horse effeciently extract the logs with a minimum of conversation. As part of the Agriculture Power Systems course, students are developing an appreciation of and requirements for different traction options on the farm and in the woods. The last step of the "logs to lumber" process is to harvest sawlogs and take them to our portable sawmill.

Logs to Lumber: Old School, Part 1

2008-06-23T18:13:00.004-04:00

As part of the Agriculture Power Systems course, students experienced firsthand the process of felling and bucking trees using the technology of the late 19th century--the crosscut saw and the single bit axe. Early settlers to the region were faced with the challenge of clearing land for agricultural purposes, procuring construction material for the home, and income. In this segment of the course, students gained an understanding of the hard work required to successfully fell a tree in the desired direction and then buck the stem into useable lengths. Tomorrow, students will harness the horses and twitch the logs to the sawmill where we will turn our logs into lumber.

Field Trip Fun

2008-06-20T16:52:00.003-04:00

...nothing like a little humor as we unload from a van ride. Today, students visited two small vegetable farms, Bub's Best Produce and Wildbranch Farm. As the second week of the summer farm program draws to a close, students have been exposed to many experiences related to the craft of farming--both positive and negative--it is nice to see that none of them have lost their sense of humor.

Driving Journal 1

2008-06-20T13:41:00.001-04:00

A few days ago I had my first session learning how to drive horses. At 8:00 in the morning we headed out to Rick's house, and led the horses out from the field. I tried somewhat unsuccessfully to absorb all the names and parts of the horse and harness, but I think I got the general idea. (I did get the knot down, though, and used it to tie up the cow yesterday for milking.) We simply practiced ground driving, without any implements, which was tricky enough. At times driving horses can start to feel like driving a car, pulling two lines instead of turning a wheel. It's similar, but really the horses only go anywhere because they decide to. It might feel like I have control over where they go, and if I push on their bodies they do generally move away from pressure, but if at some point a horse has other ideas there's little I can do about it. They're pretty big. That's the whole point. My job as driver, it seems, is to convince the horse to decide to walk where I want him to go. But to do this I have to act like I know what I'm doing. I don't. Pete, of course, knows exactly what's going on. I feel like even though I try to fake being sure of myself, he's still thinking, “Dude, you don't have a clue.” Which is mostly the case, for now.

Driving Journal 06-19-08

2008-06-19T16:48:00.005-04:00

This morning I met Rick Thomas at the farm. I was alone, my group partner Zarren is still recovering from a nasty illness which has beat him into submission; hopefully he will recover soon and be back to his normal, hard working, self. Rick was riding Carson, his least seen horse on the Sterling property, who can get easily startled when his daily routine is changed. For the class time Rick brought out Pete, one of the common faces around Sterling nowadays. He taught me how to tie a quick release knot when tying a horse to a hitch, grooming, commands on how to go, stop, turn and back up, and how to keep them calm when walking outside. Horses are prey animals who are always suspicious of the surrounding world, ready to run from possible predators at a moments notice and it is your job as the owner, and companion, to ensure the horse that nothing will happen to it. The terminology is a bit tricky the first time around, but if we review it each time we meet there is no doubt that I will be able to remember what each part is called, for the horse and its equipment.

Morning Commute

2008-06-19T10:56:00.003-04:00

My commute is seldom boring, I harness the team around 6:30 a.m., hitch to a vehicle, and head off to work at about 4 miles per hour. Here, gridlock is defined by a white-tailed deer running across the road at the same time my friend's tractor is moving feed for his dairy cows. As you can see, the view is amazing, the air is clean, the sound of trace chains rattling along puts my mind at ease. The College is about 4 miles away where our students are preparing breakfast and getting organized for the work of the day--work that will include these two horses.

Washing Fleece

2008-06-17T14:28:00.004-04:00

Today, students and interns worked with Jeff Bickart to clean fleece recently sheared from our sheep flock--the fleece will be dried, carded, and spun. During the summer farm program, sidebar experiences such as this fiber arts workshop randomly occur as faculty enjoy sharing their hobbies and passion with students.

Fleece Processing

2008-06-17T14:20:00.007-04:00

Interns Nina and Katey and summer farm student Alison scrub fleece in preparation for the next stages of fleece processing. This spring, our flock was sheared and the fleece will be used primarily during the Fiber Arts course taught during the Fall semester. Processing our own wool, the Sterling College farm demonstrates a "closed loop" system as we strive to model the use of sustainable resources.

Driving journal 6-17-08

2008-06-17T12:53:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, Alison and I hung out with Pete and Rex—Sterling College's draft horse team—and learned how to harness them and attach an implement. It'll probably take a few more times before I get it down, but it was pretty manageable. I'm excited to learn the lingo so I can talk about this stuff without sounding like an idiot.

We hitched up a chain harrow (which acts to spread nutrients around the pasture and destroy parasite eggs) and drove that around for a while. We learned how to negotiate turns safely by always walking on the outside of the turn, and we started to get a general idea of what it feels like to control a working horse.

Field Trip: Butterworks Farm

2008-06-13T16:13:00.002-04:00

Today, along with the participants in the Rural Heritage Institute, our students enjoyed a farm tour at Butterworks Farm. Students enjoyed time with Jack as he explained the making of his wonderful yogurt. Upon their return, students enjoyed our favorite lunch of the week--leftovers! This afternoon, students helped Angie and Beth transplant crops and direct seed more beans.

Michael Pollen, Thunderstorms, Potatoes and Rural Heritage

2008-06-12T16:24:00.003-04:00

Tuesday night, we loaded into the van and drove to Burlington to hear Michael Pollen speak about his new book: In defense of food. The students were treated to a solid lecture about global food systems, sustainability, and the importance of being purposeful about food choices. During the evening, a large thunderstorm blew in with a great display of lightning and a very heavy downpour over Lake Champlain. Back at campus, the tent village withstood the strongest winds with no damage.

Today, Armone used our "new" cultivator (1914 McCormick Deering #4) on the potatoes. The horses stepped nicely around the young sprouts and the crop shield only damaged a few spuds. Working the foot treadle is complicated as there is much to think about and do while the horses are moving down the rows.

Paul Ferrari and I presented a workshop on the use of animal power for traction on the farm to about 25 participants of the Rural Heritage Institute being held right now at Sterling. For more information, check out the links on the front page of this blog and click on Rural Heritage Institute.

The three H's: Hot, Humid, and Hazy

2008-06-10T09:05:00.002-04:00

"Off and running" might be a good analogy for our first day; not much down time as we are in the midst of seedbed preparation, cultivation, transplanting, direct seeding, and hay machinery maintenance. In addition to working, classes are underway and the evening hours are spent reading Coleman, Miller, Wessels, and a host of other great authors.

Sunday night, our students witnessed a solid demonstration of "Kingdom weather" as a thunderstorm arose to our north with a splendid display of lightning--the storm stayed to the north and we had only a bit of welcome rain. Students are getting comfortable in the tent village and small kinks are being worked out in our community structure and function. Mary has provided wonderful food for the first few days and the students seem to appreciate the love and concern she has for their nutrition.

Monday, Students worked through an introduction to Organic Crop Production with Heidi and Jeff and spent some time with hand tools in the garden. In the afternoon, Pete and Rex were harnessed and students enjoyed a light-hearted drive around the Common.

Tonight, students will travel to the University of Vermont to hear Michael Pollen describe his new book: In Defense of Food.

The heat is scheduled to break tonight, thundershowers are in the forecast and some drier, cooler weather is predicted for the next few days-might be heading into our first cut of hay by next week.

Arrival Weekend

2008-06-07T11:28:00.002-04:00

It is finally here, arrival weekend. Many long months of planning, recruiting, reading applications, preparing seeds, plowing fields, and planting are now behind us; in front, 10 students eager to learn our style of "new economy agriculture" (President Will Wootton's words). The faculty are very excited, what a strong group of educators committed to small-scale farming and farm education. Tomorrow night, our welcome potluck features home-cooked lasagne with farm-raised beef, greens from our local gardens, fresh baked bread, fresh strawberries and shortcake, and whatever else faculty can gleen from their early gardens. As I prepare for the journey ahead, I am reminded of work done by John Cavanagh who works in the important and emerging field of energy conservation: "No domain of the global economic activity does greater social, environmental, and political harm than today's dominant energy systems, from source to waste". I hope that as the summer progresses, our small program can ask some hard questions about the coming challenges to our food system, energy resources, and personal footprint as we embark on a 70 day expedition into the realm of sustainability and ultimately survival of our planet.

Pigs in the Woods

2008-06-06T11:57:00.003-04:00

Our breeding sow, Betty, and her new beau, Roger, have now been moved to a small section of woods. Following their time rooting about near the lower garden, they seem happy and content to forage, sleep, and, well, procreate. Betty's offspring will provide nourishment to the college during the fall. Betty is a great mom and good friend, this will be here third litter. Indicative of her mixed breeding, hybrid vigor shines through in her babies. Betty loves to be scratched with a lawn rake, her ears flop back-and-forth as she coos with pleasure.

Cucumbers and Squash

2008-06-04T13:33:00.002-04:00

Today, Heidi and Angie transplanted all the cucumbers, winter squash, summer squash, and watermelons from the greenhouse into the growing beds. Following torential rains last night, the soil was heavily saturated therefore the plants were mounded into hills. To prevent early pest infestations, the plants were covered in Remay. The weather is changing, a strong warm front is pushing through tonight and tomorrow with predicted highs into the 80's by the weeks end. Excitement is building as the beginning of the summer agriculture semester approaches.

Garden Update

2008-06-03T15:42:00.003-04:00

Along with two interns and one student, Heidi Wilson (garden manager) completed the transfer of all the tomatoes from the greenhouse to the growing beds. In addition, another 100 lbs of seed potatoes were planted bringing our total potato volume to about 300 lbs. The weather has remained cool although a change is on the horizon as rain and warm temperatures approaches from the southwest.

In the Circus Patch Garden, Pete and Rex (our draft horse team) completed a final disc harrow to knock down emerging weeds and prepare the seedbeds for dry beans. Heidi is happy with the progress of transplanting and direct seeding and reports that we are on-schedule.

Sustainable Agriculture at Sterling College

2008-05-28T15:15:00.004-04:00

The Sterling College Sustainable Agriculture Semester immerses students in the daily rhythms and realities of small scale farming. The Sustainable Agriculture Semester is an 8 - 11 credit integrated program of work and study exploring ecological management of plants, animals, and land. Classroom instruction, hands-on training, and work on the farm are combined to teach sustainable practices and to foster discussion about agricultural issues. Our farm includes certified organic vegetable gardens, a small greenhouse, a movable hoophouse, a small orchard, solar and wind powered barns, and a variety of livestock including sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, poultry, and draft horses. We implement a mixed-power model, using both tractors and draft animals in our gardens, pastures, and forests.

For more information visit:

http://www.sterlingcollege.edu/AD.summerfarm.html