How an Incubator Farm Launched Heeks Farm
This past Tuesday I had the opportunity to attend a Durham Farm Campus Retreat. It was a welcome escape from the heat. The farm stand was still open. I’ve been trying to have everything set up for self-serve while I am busy working in other parts of the farm or if I have to run an errand.
The future Durham Farm Campus is located at the corner of Orange Factory Road and N. Roxboro St. (or US Hwy 501). The plan one day is for it to be an incubator farm. A place where new and beginning farmers can gain access to land and start or grow their farm businesses. There’s also plans for a commercial kitchen space with dry and cold storage. And lots of recreational and educational opportunities. There’s a lot of plans. And right now not a lot of money.
How Research, Deer, and Trial-and-Error Built Our Blackberry Rows
A few years ago I was approached by Durham County’s Agricultural Agent with the Cooperative Extension to see if I would grow a row of blackberries. They were interested in comparing several common varieties to a new blackberry variety developed at NC State. I was supposed to record observations on vigor, yield, disease and insect pressure for the 5 varieties. Sure. Sounds like fun. I had absolutely no idea how to grow blackberries. I got the soil tested, spread the appropriate amendments, and plowed the area to prepare for planting.
One Last Pick: Saying Goodbye to Strawberry Season
In the offseason it’s easy to plan. Farming on paper. Numbers on a spreadsheet. A mental to-do list. A packet of tomato seeds, a few reused trays, bags of potting soil, some fertilizer, time on the tractor, get the field ready for planting, t-posts, twine…What starts out as a series of zeroes and ones, can fit into an envelope in the mail and slowly the scale grows exponentially. The present day farmer can not go back and tell the brilliant planner sipping coffee on a cold winter day that he’s forgetting something.
Still Picking, Still Planting: Music & Memories
I posted a video on facebook this week that featured a snippet of the song “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers, a song seared into my brain by my dad. I can still picture him dancing to his favorite country tunes, especially “Elvira” by The Oak Ridge Boys. My dad gave me a lot of things. Love of music, carpentry skills, a work ethic, anger issues, confidence. I don’t think I was a very nice son when I was young, but that didn’t matter. My dad would still bend over backwards to help me with whatever. And the cycle goes on. I have a son who loves music, has an incredible work ethic and sometimes isn’t very nice to me. I love him no matter and would do anything for him. Father’s Day is June 15th.
Strawberries, Robots, and Real Dirt Farming: Memorial Day at the Farm
I used to think my job was safe from the robots. I’ve discovered a system developed in the UK where they grow strawberries off the ground in these elevated soil bags. They are grown in field scale poly tunnels, protected from the rain and wind. It’s pretty impressive. Everything is highly automated. And they have robots which they say “will increase farm productivity whilst reducing packhouse and farm labour, fruit waste and fungicide use, and ultimately eliminating fossil fuel use.”