Farm Meeting Notes Day After Thanksgiving 2005
Minutes from our 2nd Farm Meeting
The day after thanksgiving, the grand year 2005
Proposal to create an agenda and people noted…
-money (for the farm, where it comes from, where it goes)
-goat fence
-greenhouse
-lightning tree (erica’s investigation of manure sources and feed prices)
-diesel truck
-chocolate (move the whole bowl to the table)
-low-till, no-till, mulching
- tractor ideas
- season schedule
GREENHOUSE:
From Steven, 12’ x whatever length we want hoop house,
But…we need to buy plastic, if it went on foundation we would need to construct a fence around it, and it probably makes sense to put it near the water source (spring fed pond) and where the field will be (behind the pond)
Go on a site walk after meeting!
What about greenhouse near animals…chicken heated???compost heated???
Although….when we get a nice glass greenhouse with insulated north wall, that can be chicken heated…
The green house now will be for seed starting in february etc.
Sheep shed; move it down for garden tools
Conclusion:
Site walk after meeting and little greenhouse (tires and bay window) to be run-in shed for ducks and geese with shelves for house garden seed starting. Little greenhouse needs to be completed in the next few weeks.
ANIMALS:
Chris and Ashley…
Roof of goatshed figure out leak spots, chickens have bad and unsanitary roosts,
Make amendment corner of garden shed into a nice feed room
Hay: estimate we will need 60 bails to last us through the next four months,
Best price $2/bail hopefully we can get it all at once
We need to do a pre-winter clean…stripping out banty shed and chicken coop, plastic banty windows, Ashley will make a list of the daily animal routine (morning and night)
So that we can all have it on our radar,
Think about……geese and ducks, are they worth our time and resources?
Submersible coil for goat water (figure out finances for it)
LIGHTNING TREE
Waiting for feed prices, see if it makes sense to by individual grains and mix our own feed or by the feed already mixed. Erica also got #’s from farmers around that feed their animals organic grain so that we can get their shit.
Shall we get more chickens for the spring, we have space and selling organic eggs at the green market is bling.
Rooster Problem!!!! We have way too many
MONEY$$$$$$$$$$
Ben’s sentiment is that people who invest in the farm very certainly should be reimbursed, we ought separate animal and vegetable expenses, and keep track of our hours.
Still, we will not be able to cover living expenses on the profits from a first year farm without needing to work a fair amount off the land
So….
Investors?
Grants? (there are soooo many kinds, we don’t need to have our own 501c status, especially if someone claims us as their project)
Research the options and come back…
Also Individual fundraising, if we make a solid plan and solicit funding.
PICK A NAME!!!!
Get people involved at this stage!
And we will have to put $ in at this stage as well, where will that come from? (finance section of Monday house meeting)
Quick summary (given that Ben is leaving and we are continually explaining ourselves to people) so that we are all on the same page…..
We are talking about an educational, sustainable community farm project. The CSA is more about building community that about becoming a successful market farm.
Lots of nodding…
Market farm is more about subsidizing projects that we are ideologically connected to (i.e. South Bronx CSA) so that we don’t have to lose money on them
South Bronx CSA update,… Ben talked to Harry and he says that even just growing one crop and greens would be very useful for them.
Steven also says that anything we want to grow for his distributor would be great (esp. Broccoli Rabe)
Look into farms that want specific crops
(edible flowers, basil, arugula, broccoli rabe, collards)
DIESEL TRUCK
Insurance needs to change,
Registration will expire at end of month,
Will be farm truck,
How can we collectivize expenses,
Probably draw from farm expenses which need to be separated from House expenses,
Maybe…Sascha can insure it, it sure would be a heck of a lot cheaper!!!
TRACTOR/LOW-TILL, NO-TILL
There is a roto-tiller coming so maybe we could just use a local farmers tractor for work exchange and then use the roto-tiller for the rest.
We need to make a list of specific things and exact $ amounts to show folks and solicit funds (next farm meeting)
Tractor: ask….Ken and Barbie(kaya and Dylan) Grape Farmer neighbors, and John down the road.
We need a discussion about how we will be farming, what model/ example do we want to look toward?
NEXT FARM MEETING:
Thursday December 1st 6pm
To be coupled with Bobby’s 2-week anniversary meeting.
-make the list of specific things we need and $ amounts
-visioning (what methods and why) (what kind of farm do we want to be?)
- Tractor updates
- Drafting of a season schedule
Things tabled for Mondays house Meeting:
- work party scheduling (goat fence, wood etc.)
- finances!
- New rooster home check in
Designated tasks:
Roosters: Chris will post at feed shop, Erica will make some calls and ask around, Kaya will post on Freecycle.
Check in about geese and ducks (are they worth it?)… (house)
Ashley:call greenhouse plastic suppliers (farm)
BEN TO BOTTOM LINE LISTSERVE
The day after thanksgiving, the grand year 2005
Proposal to create an agenda and people noted…
-money (for the farm, where it comes from, where it goes)
-goat fence
-greenhouse
-lightning tree (erica’s investigation of manure sources and feed prices)
-diesel truck
-chocolate (move the whole bowl to the table)
-low-till, no-till, mulching
- tractor ideas
- season schedule
GREENHOUSE:
From Steven, 12’ x whatever length we want hoop house,
But…we need to buy plastic, if it went on foundation we would need to construct a fence around it, and it probably makes sense to put it near the water source (spring fed pond) and where the field will be (behind the pond)
Go on a site walk after meeting!
What about greenhouse near animals…chicken heated???compost heated???
Although….when we get a nice glass greenhouse with insulated north wall, that can be chicken heated…
The green house now will be for seed starting in february etc.
Sheep shed; move it down for garden tools
Conclusion:
Site walk after meeting and little greenhouse (tires and bay window) to be run-in shed for ducks and geese with shelves for house garden seed starting. Little greenhouse needs to be completed in the next few weeks.
ANIMALS:
Chris and Ashley…
Roof of goatshed figure out leak spots, chickens have bad and unsanitary roosts,
Make amendment corner of garden shed into a nice feed room
Hay: estimate we will need 60 bails to last us through the next four months,
Best price $2/bail hopefully we can get it all at once
We need to do a pre-winter clean…stripping out banty shed and chicken coop, plastic banty windows, Ashley will make a list of the daily animal routine (morning and night)
So that we can all have it on our radar,
Think about……geese and ducks, are they worth our time and resources?
Submersible coil for goat water (figure out finances for it)
LIGHTNING TREE
Waiting for feed prices, see if it makes sense to by individual grains and mix our own feed or by the feed already mixed. Erica also got #’s from farmers around that feed their animals organic grain so that we can get their shit.
Shall we get more chickens for the spring, we have space and selling organic eggs at the green market is bling.
Rooster Problem!!!! We have way too many
MONEY$$$$$$$$$$
Ben’s sentiment is that people who invest in the farm very certainly should be reimbursed, we ought separate animal and vegetable expenses, and keep track of our hours.
Still, we will not be able to cover living expenses on the profits from a first year farm without needing to work a fair amount off the land
So….
Investors?
Grants? (there are soooo many kinds, we don’t need to have our own 501c status, especially if someone claims us as their project)
Research the options and come back…
Also Individual fundraising, if we make a solid plan and solicit funding.
PICK A NAME!!!!
Get people involved at this stage!
And we will have to put $ in at this stage as well, where will that come from? (finance section of Monday house meeting)
Quick summary (given that Ben is leaving and we are continually explaining ourselves to people) so that we are all on the same page…..
We are talking about an educational, sustainable community farm project. The CSA is more about building community that about becoming a successful market farm.
Lots of nodding…
Market farm is more about subsidizing projects that we are ideologically connected to (i.e. South Bronx CSA) so that we don’t have to lose money on them
South Bronx CSA update,… Ben talked to Harry and he says that even just growing one crop and greens would be very useful for them.
Steven also says that anything we want to grow for his distributor would be great (esp. Broccoli Rabe)
Look into farms that want specific crops
(edible flowers, basil, arugula, broccoli rabe, collards)
DIESEL TRUCK
Insurance needs to change,
Registration will expire at end of month,
Will be farm truck,
How can we collectivize expenses,
Probably draw from farm expenses which need to be separated from House expenses,
Maybe…Sascha can insure it, it sure would be a heck of a lot cheaper!!!
TRACTOR/LOW-TILL, NO-TILL
There is a roto-tiller coming so maybe we could just use a local farmers tractor for work exchange and then use the roto-tiller for the rest.
We need to make a list of specific things and exact $ amounts to show folks and solicit funds (next farm meeting)
Tractor: ask….Ken and Barbie(kaya and Dylan) Grape Farmer neighbors, and John down the road.
We need a discussion about how we will be farming, what model/ example do we want to look toward?
NEXT FARM MEETING:
Thursday December 1st 6pm
To be coupled with Bobby’s 2-week anniversary meeting.
-make the list of specific things we need and $ amounts
-visioning (what methods and why) (what kind of farm do we want to be?)
- Tractor updates
- Drafting of a season schedule
Things tabled for Mondays house Meeting:
- work party scheduling (goat fence, wood etc.)
- finances!
- New rooster home check in
Designated tasks:
Roosters: Chris will post at feed shop, Erica will make some calls and ask around, Kaya will post on Freecycle.
Check in about geese and ducks (are they worth it?)… (house)
Ashley:call greenhouse plastic suppliers (farm)
BEN TO BOTTOM LINE LISTSERVE
posted by Germantown Community Farm at 3:07 PM
0 comments
