Today in the orchard
The crew from the Ecdysis Foundation
It was hazy and warm today in the orchard. A group of agricultural researchers from the Ecdysis Foundation in South Dakota came to visit today. There were nine of them, including entomologists, soil scientists and an ornithologist. They spent the morning up in the Finley Lane orchard counting bugs, taking soil samples and listening for birds (I think he said he counted eight different warblers.) They visit farms across the US, make detailed observations and then assess different agricultural practices in an effort to determine which ones (if any) could be adopted by other farmers as we attempt to invent a new agriculture for the 21st century. It was fun to show them around and then watch them go to work. They’ll send us their findings in a few months. Hopefully something we’re doing at SCF can be of use to others.
Later in the day I cut nettles and set it on screens to dry. We drink lots of nettle tea in the winter. We probably have enough nettles out in the BRC orchard to start a business making nettle tea.
During the evenings lately we’ve been serenaded by several thousand frogs that spend their warm season in and around the ponds and wetlands here on the farm. The frogs are probably at least a few decibels louder than the Grateful Dead on a wild night in San Francisco in 1968 (the good ol’ days). And yet, they don’t seem to keep us from nodding off. Green noise.
