May 18-23 (Day to Day)

Monday: This week began on a busy note, and we worked on planting until 8:30 tonight. First off, I worked on rotovating 5 passes in Field A, preparing the soil for transplanting. Next, I drove the tractor back to the North Farm and switched out the rotovator for the transplanter. I then proceeded to drive the tractor while Stephanie, Kirsten and Shawn transplanted lettuce. I then switched places with Stephanie and we planted a pass of celeriac. In the afternoon, we went to Ruth Zinniker's Farm for the first of a series of lectures/hands on training with biodynamic preparations. We then finished out the day by picking up the tractor and planting beets and calendula. 

Tuesday: Mara and I went to Ela Orchard with Bob and helped move the electric fence to set up a new pasture for the sheep, we also helped bottle feed the new lambs. We then walked all around the orchard scouting for pests and scab on the apple leaves. 

Wednesday: I had today off as rest day due to the busy weeks coming up.

Thursday: Today started out with the students working on a variety of projects including scuffle hoeing all of our crops currently in the ground, and setting up irrigation/drip tape. In the afternoon, Mara and I went to beekeeping and helped Dan set up a nuke, used for splitting a hive before a new queen has hatched from a queen cell.

Friday: This morning I began by weeding an existing chard bed and then planted a new succession of chard between all the existing plants. After lunch all of us students packed up and drove to Mark Sheperd's New Forest Permaculture Farm near Viola, Wisconsin. I camped out on Friday night, drank hard cider and picked Mark's brain on a variety of agricultural topics.

Saturday: The rest of the students arrived in the morning and Mark gave us a very extensive and quite amazing tour of his 100 acre permaculture farm. We learned about the use of swales, pocket ponds and berms for slowing rainwater runoff and encouraging infiltration into the soil. Mark Sheperd also showed us the perennial crop species he focuses on including chestnuts, hazelnuts, apples, pears, raspberries, grapes, asparagus and so much more.