The Briggs farm now has two bee hives on it!  We wanted to add bees to the farm for many reasons.  One is to help us pollinate our crops and fruit trees.  Another is concern over the whole crisis involving bees and colony collapse—we wanted to help increase the number of bees.  We also simply want honey that is clean and pure and found out that much of commercial honey you buy from the store comes from foreign countries where you do not know  what toxins or pesticides are in it.  Jennifer and I bought two hives from Betterbees in Greenwich NY—my goal is to have five hives on the farm one day.  I picked them up bright and early on Saturday, May 16^th with my father-in-law Paul who also got a hive.  The hives contained 4800 Italian bees and one queen. They originated from Georgia and made a quick trip up north to New York.   Italian bees are pretty hardy and are more docile than other breeds of bees e.g., Africanized or Russian.  I chose a secluded area on the west side of the property for them.   There they will have minimal disruption (where is that bear?) and will be able to do their work.   Our winters can be a bit harsh with the wind so hopefully this location will provide necessary shelter for them as well.  When I brought the bees to the farm I brought them to their new hives on the hill.  It is very different to be wearing bee garb with a mesh hat to do your work.  I got the bees all situated without having to use the smoker that I had on standby and probably did not need the fancy hat either.  I am working on getting electrical fence up to protect them from our resident bear and any other predators.

I am happy to report that the bees seem to be settled into their new homes and appear to be buzzing around the farm.  I will be the main beekeeper for now since Jennifer is expecting and is not allowed to be near the bees.  I do not plan on harvesting any honey this year allowing them to remain strong through their first winter.  If all goes well, we will add more hives next year.  If anyone is interested in learning more about bees there is a wealth of information out there.  For example, The New York Times has many articles on bees and beekeeping, http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/bees/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=bees&st=cse .  There are 4,000 species of bees in North America and bee watching can be as interesting as bird watching.  There was an important article in the New York Times “Come Hither, Bumblebee, and Pollinate”, in April about the need to plant more native plants and trees to help the wild bees populate and take up the slack for the colony crisis facing honey bees of recent, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/garden/30GARDEN.html The article spoke about the fact that certain bees are only attracted to native plants and will not go near a nonnative plant (what you can often find at a Lowe’s, Walmart or other supercenter),  in their study of plants and pollination they found, “Only 50 were native plants, but of that 50, 80 percent were attractive to pollinators,” Professor Frankie said. “In contrast, only 10 percent of the 950 nonnatives were attractive to pollinators.”  Lowe’s and other large garden centers may not be our best place to buy plants due to their homogenization of gardens across this country reducing native planting through their corporate practices.  In other words, one could say that it is another example of dumbing down America when it pertains to gardening.

We will keep you posted.

The walnut trees were bought from St. Lawrence Nursery in upstate New York.  They claim to have the most hardy black walnut trees on the market.   The black walnut has dwindled in numbers in New York State and it is hard to find a tree in our area.   The legacy trees are just one part in the overall preservation plan for the farm.  Wish us luck.

I am always filled with optimism when the first day of spring rolls around it signals longer days and warmer temperatures–the cure for the winter blues.  Much to my personal disappointment, we have had snow in April (until a two day heat wave) and the cold days have not ceased to end.    That is until I read an interesting article in the April 13, 2009 addition of Country Folks by Paris Reidhead talking about April snow being the “poor man’s fertilizer”.  Snow prevents plants and bulbs from starting at the wrong time.  An April snow prevents soil temperatures from constantly fluctuating between freezing and thawing, soil contains water which expands and contracts and can cause damage to roots.  This is especially true for alfalfa.   There are a number of plants and bulbs that require winter dormancy and will not grow unless they have had exposure to a certain number of days of cold. 

Another benefit to having a spring snow is that you can blanket your garden beds with the snow providing a great insulating cover to the plants. 

The Dictionary of Prince Edward Island English defines a late spring snow fall as a poor man’s fertilizer or “poor man’s manure”  becasue it contains nitrogen and soaks quickly into the earth–and its free.  It says the snow melts quickly into a rush of green.   I am a little skeptical about the nitrogen application from snow but from what I have read the nitrogen comes from “acid rain” which is the result of burning fossil fuels.   I read recently that the concentration of nitrogen in the air has been increasing and one byproduct of this can result in increased growth of trees and plants.   That last sentence is hotly debated on both sides on the topic of  global warming. 

I found other phrases that relate to spring snow.  “A snow year, a rich year”, “The more snow the more healthy the season”.  Snow melting fills our streams and rivers and saturates the soil for plant growth which is always much appreciated.   I am slowly adapting a farmer’s attitude about the rain and snow.  Don’t forget to sign up to receive updates regarding the farm.  You can sign up at the top of the blog on the right hand side.  We appreciate your readership.  Always remember, no farms no food, support your local farmer.

Last week I was on the hill taking inventory with the fruit trees on the farm thinking about the growing season ahead.  I was hoping we will have a consistent rainy season this spring that will grow grass but won’t impede our ability to put in first cut hay this year.  Last year it practically rained every day on the farm whether it was a minute, an hour or a day through a good part of June which wreaked havoc on our haying plans.  It is clear that everyone especially farmers want a little cooperation from Mother Nature.   There are more than a few of us who want to exercise a little control over the weather and some believe that they actually do have occasional control.  In fact, history is filled with stories of people trying to control the weather.  Take a peek at http://wapedia.mobi/en/Weather_control .

Mark Twain has also been credited with the observation that while everybody talks about the weather, nobody seems to do much about it…or so he thought.

Jennifer as an Indian Girl

I remember as a kid growing up on the farm where there were times that my father fretted over not having enough rain for his crops.  Being the dutiful child wanting to make her father happy I would go outside and do my American Indian rain dance in hopes the clouds would form.  Didn’t Indians have a way of “making” rain?  I would dance in a circle making “Indian” rain sounds with my hand patting my mouth.  I would do the dance barefoot in the dusty dirt driveway so I could kick up some dust and dirt thinking that is the way the real Indians did it.  I do recall having success one time with a raindance and happily took full credit for it!   My family dressed me up as an Indian girl one year for a contest at the Delaware County Fair in Walton, N.Y.  As you can see (picture above) I was not happy riding a horse bareback and recall worrying that I would fall off.  I think I did not win the contest because I was not a happy Indian, they should have kept me on the ground so I could do my rain dance, that is when you would have seen a smile.

As a newly minted 6th generation farmer, I now will resort to other means of “controlling” the weather, however, sadly you won’t see me doing any more Indian dances.   I compiled a list of things that have seemingly proved to tease the droplets from the clouds.    

1. Forget to take your umbrella.

2. Leave your car sunroof open.

3. Plan a barbecue or an outdoor wedding

4. Greet a stranger with the phrase “Ooh, isn’t it a  beautiful day?”

5. Wear something that is not meant to ever get rained on e.g. silk

6. Do a charity walk

7. Plan a day at the beach or park

8. Park your car in a spot the furthest away from the store

9. Get the lawnmower out

10. Leave your windows open when you are not home

Feel free to add to this list in the comment section.  I may need enthusiastic ”volunteers” who will take up the cause and throw a B-Q or leave their sunroof open on their car for the sake of having a well irrigated  Briggs Heritage Farm.  Like it or not, on any given day, the weather belongs to all of us but during the growing season I just ask that you think like a farmer.  Remember kids, no farms no food.

A Funny Weather Story

My dog Harry just got a bath so taking him outside in the rain is not making me happy nor him–he is what we call a “petra-sexual” (a pet version of  the term “metro-sexual”) and is not keen on getting his paws wet.  To prove this, I was photographed on 3/2/09 carrying Harry over my shoulder (he is a mutant 25 lb Bichon Frise) in the snowstorm and ended up in a NYC morning edition newspaper

and online at MSNBC http://www.msnbc.com/modules/interactive.aspx?type=ss&launch=29459663,3032128&pg=9  .  Now that is what I call a dog having his day!

In entries to come we want to talk about things we believe in and are passionate about; humane treatment of animals, sustained agriculture,  eco-beef and eco-kosher practices, pasture-raised animals being the happiest and healthiest animals, being a part of the locavore movement,  keeping New York State a thriving agricultural state and many other topics.

The motivating goal of creating this blog was for it to be part of our marketing strategy but we also hope it will help educate and raise awareness about the struggles of New York State farms perhaps make new contacts and friends.  In our comment section, we hope to get good advice and tips from those who read our blog.

Have a wonderful day and support your local farmer!