A Trip To The Farm

Last October I joined a board recruitment volunteer project for an organic farm learning center.

The timing of this project was perfect in a few way. First, I had just rolled-off my first board recruitment project so there was no lag time between projects. Second, a few of my friends had joined a farmshare that past summer so I was in the process of learning about the organic farms and the urban farming movement. The project lasted 9-months and during that time on several occasions are primary contacts with the organization had mentioned that we were welcome to visit the farm once the summer months were upon us.

"Hell yes!" I was totally up for such an experience. Throughout this project I had learned tidbits here and there about organic farming which made me want to know more. Additionally, I wanted to see the program our efforts would hopefully enhance firsthand. Unfortunately, once the project was over coordinating such an outing fell by the waste-side... That is I took the bull by the horns and began to coordinate things.

Today, three of our six team members made a trip out to Caledonia, IL for a walking tour of the Angelic Organics Farm. For approximately three hours we toured the grounds . . .

Before I go into some of the details of the tour, I would like to say I did have my camera with me and took LOTS of picture; however, it appears I cannot find my card reader (or my SD cards that were with it) at this time. So, any pictures I took are being held hostage until I either 1) find my card reader; or 2) decide to buy a new one.

The first half the tour focused on the principles on which the farm is run, learning about the different types of equipment used and the types of vegetables grown on the farm. During this portion of the tour, the group got the opportunity to sample various veggies currently being grown. They are were tasty! I have to admit I was naive to exactly how much goes into growing fruits and vegetables, let alone organic farming. It is not something I really think about when I am at the grocery store picking out these items. After today I a new appreciation for the process.

Before embarking on the second half of the tour, our guide talked about various structures on the grounds such as their clay and stone oven that was built in a day, or how they have an architect that specializes in building structures out of trees and tree branches versus pressed wood that you would get from Home Depot of Lowe's. The structure we looked at were amazing and I was impressed by the capabilities of the stone oven.

The second leg of our touring focused on the animals that currently reside on the Angelic Organics farm. Amongst the animals on this farm you will find cows, goats, chickens and a horse. I would like to note that the farm does not have any sheep. This made me a bit sad as I have a special affection for sheep, but since there are places local to me were I can visit sheep I was not too sad.

The cows that reside on the farm are there to produce manure which is used during the farming process. The milk that comes from the goats on the farm is used to make cheese. The chickens lay eggs every 24 to 48 hours. Our tour guide mentioned to us that they typically have eggs available for sale, but recently the chickens were not producing enough so there were none for us to buy. This was another thing I was sad to hear. Back in December, each member of my project team had received a dozen of these organic eggs as a thank you for the work we were doing. It was the first time I had had organic eggs so I took one of my store bought eggs did a side-by-side comparison. The eggs I had received greatly surpassed the eggs at home on so many levels - (i.e. appearance, taste). One of the things about this visit I had been looking forward to was purchasing some eggs. (Oh well!) However, as we walked around this area of the farm, someone found a bunch of eggs nested in two different areas of the field. Apparently not all the chickens were using the chicken coop to lay their eggs as they were suppose too. Yes, the mystery surrounding the low-levels of egg production had been solved! All that said, I have to admit it was tempting to take one of the eggs that got laid while we were visiting the chicken coop, but I didn't. I did, however, get to hold a newly laid egg... it was amazing,simply amazing. One minute there was nothing in the nest and the next minute there was an egg; warm to the touch.

After the tour concluded my group had one more objective in mind - we wanted to meet Farmer John. One of our group members had interviewed him as part of our project and we thought it would be nice to make the in-person connection. For me part of my interest in meeting him had to do with the fact that I had watched the documentary about him and his farm - "The Real Dirt On Farmer John." It was an excellent documentary on the history of the farm and I'm glad I saw it before I visited the farm. It truly enhanced my experience.

Typically Farmer John doesn't meet with the tour group because he is a very busy, however he was kind enough to visit with us for a few minutes since we had worked on a project that would have an impact on the learning center that is associated with his farm. During this time Farmer John took us to a few areas that weren't covered on the tour such as some of the living spaces that are on the farm for those staying overnight. Also, we saw were the farm staff gathers to hangout and relax and the kitchen which has a table that holds up to 18 individuals for periodic farm staff meals. It was an honor to be given access to these areas. For me it really brought together what I had learned about the farm from the movie and on the tour. Additionally, getting to meet Farmer John was a wonderful experience. I got a true sense of his passion for farming, and organic products.

All said and done, my experience today was one I will treasure for years to come. Also, it has given me a greater appreciation for the production of fruits and vegetables, organic products and farming in general that I will carry with me each and every time I visit my local grocery store.

Until later . . .