Where's Jack?

Please get some action going on this forum.

I know we are all busy, but there is always time to talk farming.

I will be going to New Zealand for three months starting in November. I have several connections with the New Zealand Farmers Market Organization, and will be meeting with them and seeing most of their markets throughout their summer. They are really big on "Authentic" farmers markets, as in only growers, fishers, ranchers, and brewers who sell what they grow, catch, raise, and brew are allowed to sell. No resellers or crafts.

I was there for 6 weeks a few years back, and now know I will need more time to capture the summer I don't get while working all the time here during the summer up here in Montana. Remember, the warm side of the buildings is on the Noth Side, and warm winds are the Northerlys.

We have to get by this pumpkin season first, and really looking forward to October 32nd, the end of our season. We have had one of the best seasons ever, and the only bad spot was losing our outside tomato crop (3,000 plants) to hail (hell). Everything else did record breaking performance. Great pumpkin crop, outstanding corn crop, too many cucumbers, eggplant, and peppers, and enough winter squash, summer squash, onions, and customers.

Now get busy and wake this forum up!

Greg

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Permalink Reply by Jack Ellis on October 6, 2011 at 7:19am

Hi Greg --

The New Zealand trip sounds great - perhaps the only place in the world with better trout fishing than Montana (Alaska might take issue with that, though).

I haven't had much to talk about, Greg. Our irrigation water dried-up just as we began our tomato harvest in May, after no rain for many months. We have been completely shut-down since June 1st due to the worst drought in Texas history.

Our whole Gardeners for Jesus project is disintegrating - our two other main growers have (had!) cattle and their veg production was just a little sidline to support the church. They have been totally occupied, of course, trying to find hay and selling-off stock. It's a real disaster around here! I won't even mention our "summer of fire" - for awhile in Aug, we were afraid to go to sleep at night in the middle of a tinder-dry pine forest with uncontrolled fires raging all around us. All our volunteer labor is drifting away and finding other things to do.

And worst of all, they say it's not over and to expect more of the same through the winter and all next year. Timber is our main industry here. We already have a lot of dead hardwood trees in the woods, along with newly-planted pines, but the older pines have a deep taproot and survived the summer. If we don't get some significant rain soon, the woods are going to die and it will be too dangerous even to live where we do.

I did put in an additional well here at the house to give us a little more fire-fighting capability and keep the grass alive - the grass is not reponding to the water, though - already totally dead. Have fun in New Zealand.

Jack

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Permalink Reply by Jack Ellis on October 24, 2011 at 6:25am

I started a topic that should evoke some controversy - global warming/climate change - but it doesn't seem to be working.

I can't figure-out why this site doesn't get more usage - great software, polite and professional-type people, good adminstrators, etc. Should be the perfect place for smaller and moderate-size growers to share info and technology.