Fighting the Man

This blog is meant to follow our personal transition into farming life, but I feel a rant coming on. As usual I'm not going to apologise for venting in this forum. I feel justified because I'm sharing what I have learned about agriculture and what is happening right now is impacting me, my farm, my family and my livelihood as well as making me mad!

Yesterday was a big day for the farming industry. The effects of 'Big Ag' are a major part of the discourse between small farmers and homesteaders right now. First of all, Avian Flu was discovered at two big factory farms, a turkey barn in Abbotsford and a chicken farm in Chilliwack. On the same day, beef was recalled due to a discovery of E-coli.

I've learned a lot about food security and ethical farming since transitioning to this lifestyle. Some of it I've had to learn as part of making an informed choice about our farming practices, some of it I've discovered completely by accident, some of it I wish I didn't know. So, let me take the time to explain why these issues arising now are a big concern to me, and to you.

I'm going to start with the Avian Flu. 11,000 birds have already been culled at the two affected farms. The outbreak is the fourth in the Fraser Valley since 2005.

In 2009, an outbreak of avian flu in the same region led to the quarantine of several farms. In 2004, an H7-type flu transformed into a highly contagious strain. Farm after farm was quarantined until finally about 15 million birds — almost the entire valley poultry population — were destroyed. 

Wait, what? How come so many birds culled? Our friend Leona of My Healthy Green Family wrote this yesterday:

"Everyone with poultry, even the smallest farms like mine, had to allow for the authorities to come on their property and let them gas all the healthy birds as a precautionary measure. Pets, or not. I remember hearing of a little old lady who cried when they killed her pet peacock. Why? Because these massive egg factories where chickens live in cages and are debeaked so they don't peck each other to death, are a perfect breeding place for a flu. Now, I am totally blowing this out of proportion since it is only 2 farms at this point and no one is saying this will have to be done again. But I am worried.... and disgusted."

Not only are birds culled, but you are not allowed to keep hatching eggs, not even from healthy birds. So farmers cannot even replace lost birds. It takes an incredibly long time for the population to recover.

Let's just think about the emotional impact. Imagine you have to tell my 7 year old daughter, Jessica, that all her chickens and ducks have to be killed because someone else's birds got sick. I may be casting aspersions here but I doubt the owners of those big factory barns will be shedding tears like the children of small farmers....unless it's over their profits. And let's think about economics for a moment. It's not the big factory farms with their $2 a dozen eggs, their millions of anti-biotic fuelled birds, their GMO & soy laden feed, and their government subsidies that will be hurting. It's the people like me. The average cost of a young laying hen is $20. I have 60. Even if there were hens available after a cull, my budget would not stretch to that.

I, like many small farmers and homesteaders, treat our animals with the utmost respect. Our birds have 'luxury' homes, pasture to free range on, homemade chicken feed, warmth and protection, and here we are potentially bearing the brunt of the people whose values are at the opposite end of the spectrum to ours. Whose benefit is the factory farm for? Not yours, as consumers, not mine as an ethical farmer, not any ones as global citizens on a planet that is being drained of it's resources. Listen to this short clip of from UK Chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall touch on the issues: Objections to Factory Farming 

Moving on to the massive beef recall (yes, another one in Canada).  All meat from a plant is recalled because of practices of mass meat production and distribution. Parts of many cows, not just one cow, are in a single package of ground beef. Cows that aren't even from the same farm, they are from all over the place. The current beef recall due to e-coli is from Walmart. Not local. No one knows where the meat was even raised. This makes controlling disease that comes from factory farms almost impossible without mass culls. If our meat were traceable, disease would have minimal causalities.

I'm continuously thinking about making good food choices, but how can I make a real and tangible difference? There are groups that fight Big Ag & factory farms, and while I support them, I am of the belief that we cannot fight corporate greed and I am saddened that we have to fight our own governments to protect our health and environment. I believe the only way we can effect any positive change is to educate ourselves as consumers and vote with our money. I get that what I've just said may feel like a big challenge. Busy lifestyles often dictate the need for convenience, thus feeding the problem. So, I'm reflecting on the changes I've made as I've transitioned from Suburban Consumer to Sustainable Food Advocate. I've come up with a list of things to do and changes that can be easily made make. I don't expect everyone to live like me, but I think it's reasonable to expect everyone to get informed. Have a look through. Maybe you can just choose one thing to do to make a difference? 

• Get to know your local Farmer. Shake their hand and meet them face to face. If they're wearing any sort of breathing apparatus or HAZMAT clothing, walk away. Generally, small farmers like to be transparent. I love it when consumers take an interest in their food and come and ask me questions and hold me accountable for my claims. On the opposite end of the scale, transparency & accountability are often dirty words in Big Ag. If a farmer won't let you see their produce, you probably don't want to eat it.

"Smaller diversified farms employ more people and use less land and water and produce more foods," says Norberg-Hodge. She explains that localization also shortens the distance between consumers and producers, which helps the environment and also ensures that you do not eat produce that is pretty much dead traveling such insane distances".

• Invest in a CSA box. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It's good for local farmers, small businesses, the environment and for you. You pay in advance for a box of seasonal produce, each farm is different so look into the terms and choose whichever suits you. You will get better value & fresher produce. Not only that but you have healthy food in your fridge that you have paid for and you have to use. You will learn to cook more recipes from scratch and experience a variety of healthy food. Often, your farmer will be happy to share ideas, recipes and suggestions on using or preserving your vegetables.
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• Buy your meat from a local farm. Invest in quarter, half or a whole animal (chicken, beef, pork, lamb, etc). Don't want an entire side of beef to yourself? Share with a neighbour. As well as superior taste, choosing pasture raised meat is the ethical choice.  Trust me, I've seen pigs and chickens from factory farms and it's changed my perception. If I couldn't raise my own animals or buy from a local farmer, I would go vegetarian. Not only that, but many small farmers go to extreme lengths to rescue food that would otherwise be destined for landfill. We spend many hours reclaiming food and sharing it with other family farms. And before you quibble over the price, let me assure you that you will not find quality meat in the grocery store at a comparative price. But by choosing local farms, you'll be choosing:
  

• Create cooperatives. Work with your friends and neighbours to create buying clubs and cooperatives. If you have friends that bake, get together and buy organic flour from a local mill in bulk. You'll all enjoy financial savings. My friend Janessa makes her own bread from a bulk buy scheme. She calculated that a loaf of her bread costs under $5 a loaf: it's 1 1/2 times the size of a store loaf, it's totally organic and loaded with healthy extras (steelcut oats, grains, flax, etc). Or you could create a growing club with some neighbours. Choose one item to grow; Sally could grow lettuce, ask Bob to grown tomatoes, Jill to can get some herbs going and Paul can start on some edible flowers. Share your variety of produce for fresh salad all summer. As people see you doing it, they will want to be part of it. Soon you'll have beans, zucchinis, cucumbers and much more. Take back control of your food and your spending. Here's an article on creating a buying group and some more good advice here on things to start making yourself. Doing this will save you money and strengthen you're community. You'll probably be eating healthier too. If you needed any more convincing, there's strong evidence that gardening makes you happier and combats depression.
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• Boycott! Ok, I don't want to sound over dramatic. You don't have to stop buying everything you are used to. Choose one big company that you don't like based on any reason that aligns with your personal values. They may operate unethically, have links to Monsanto, use GMO's.... I started with Nestle many years ago because I was fed up with my hard earned cash funding unethical companies, check out this Wiki page on the original Nestle Boycott. I then moved on to stop buying anything by Kraft, which was the best thing I ever did for our diet. When you shun big companies, you often find better products. For example, no Kraft meant no Philadelphia and now we buy a local cream cheese that is organic and has probiotics. Don't worry about choosing a company, there are many to choose from in this link to get you started!

"Industrial agriculture and our globalized food system is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, up to 50 percent if proper account is taken of emissions from land use change and deforestation, most of which are due to agriculture, and for food-related transport, processing, storage and consumption," writes 

 ISIS (Institute of Science in Society).

Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg, there are problems on a global scale. Just today I've read an article about the UN calling for an end to industrialized farming. I've attached some links at the bottom for further reading. It's time to take back control! There has to be a food revolution. So step away from your Round-Up ready corn and step onto your local farm....but not until we've got rid of Big Ag's Avian Flu!

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2014/dec/02/12-paths-to-strengthening-food-security-and-nutrition-in-an-unstable-world

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdp6IAedWKo

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/organicfarmingblog/the-advantages-of-polyculture-vs-monoculture

http://www.permaculture.co.uk/videos/can-permaculture-replace-industrial-agricultural-farming-methods

http://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/08086.pdf

http://www.sustainabletable.org/869/impacts-of-industrial-agriculture

What is Permaculture?

Frequently I am asked to explain what permaculture is.  Good question!  Explaining permaculture succinctly is like trying to explain Buddhism.  Both are 'kinda philosophies' to live by.  Neither can be surmised with one sentence.

Permaculture literally means "permanent agriculture". When you type "What is permaculture" into google, you get a lot of complicated and very wordy phrases which collectively make you more confused.  Here's some examples:

"Combining the best of natural landscaping and edible landscaping, permaculture aims for a site that sustains itself and the gardener. The ultimate purpose of permaculture is to develop a site until it meets all the needs of its inhabitants, including food, shelter, fuel, and entertainment".

"Permaculture is an innovative framework for creating sustainable ways of living.  It is a practical method of developing ecologically harmonious, efficient and productive systems that can be used by anyone, anywhere."

Errrr, what?  The easiest single quote I found to grapple with is this:

"Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labour; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system".  - Bill Mollison.

Maybe some history will help explain a bit.  In the early 1900's Dr. King, former chief of the Soil Division of the US Department of Agriculture, went to Asia to find out how farmers in China could farm the same fields for thousands of years without applying artificial fertilizer.  He learned about how they used the principles of permaculture such as building soils, sharing the abundance and waste reduction to maximise their farming and lifestyle.  King then brought these ideas back to North America.

But even with all those quotes and information; how do you do it? Here's some examples of what it looks like on a practical level on Laurica Farm. 

Some plants promote growth of other plants or repel bugs/diseases.  It seems logical then to plant these 'friends' together to aid growth and as an alternative to artificial fertilizers or insecticides.  An example of this companion planting was something we read about First Nations people doing.  They planted corn, peas and squash together.  The corn provides a structure for the peas to grow up.  The peas put nitrates into the soil that benefits the other plants, and the squash crowds out the weeds.  Seems sensible, right?

Things like salad like shade.  Again, we embrace logic and the resources we have here.  Instead of planting them in straight lines and prescribed beds, plant them near trees.  You get fertile soil under trees as the leaves fall on it all Autumn and decay all winter into a natural compost.  No human effort required.  Once you have observed the land for a while, you can plant your shade loving produce in the appropriate place under the canopy.

We're planning a food forest.  I won't try and describe this in detail, here's a self explantory diagram:

The herb spiral here is another practical example of permaculture practice.  The spiral has it's history rooted in Mayan culture.  The design also creates microclimates allowing you to plant a diverse range of herbs in a variety of positions(sunny, sheltered and shady). In a typical garden bed or pot, all plants are grown on the one level, so the growing conditions are the same. This design offers you multiple options in a compact space.

I talked in an earlier post about agriculture not being sustainable.  As an example, the idea of using fertilizers that have been made elsewhere and transported to our farm seems a ridiculous resource-laden practice. And using fuel & time to plough a field in a tractor seems silly when it can be done by a couple of pigs for less money and you get free, organic fertilizer and bacon as bi-product.  Generally, you can only till a patch of land for 7 years before you have 'killed' it and need to add resources.  So why do it?

Permaculture teaches you landscape design and management that promotes building and protecting the soil for us and for future generations.  We'll manage the grazing of the animals here and plant winter cover crops that we can mulch into the land as opposed to sourcing it off-site.  The chickens are great assets in composting.  Our compost bin is in their run.  I empty compost into it.  They scratch through it everyday, eating what interests them but turning it over everyday.  Saves us the effort.

These are just a few examples, but the focus is on putting less in and getting more out.  By getting more out we are also able to share the abundance.  We do this by selling some of our produce at reasonable prices but also by supporting the food bank.

Recently, I had to explain permaculture to a group of children.  I did this by turning the language into child-friendly wording.  I'm glad I did, it really helped me too.  Put simply, the ethics read like this:

• Earth Care

• Fair share

• People Care

Easy!  When I took the complexity out of the principles, they seemed quite manageable.  They don't embrace everything that permaculture stands for but were easier to grasp:

• Build thing up - give something back to the earth and to people

• Look after things; protect agricultural land for future generations

• Save some for later

• Plan - mistakes are ok but better on paper

• Observe and interact - let nature lead you

• Turn problems upside down; find solutions

• There is a lot to share!

• Small changes have a big effect

• Include a bit of everything

• Produce no waste, use what you have
  

Permaculture is not just about how we farm, it's about how we choose to live.  For me, it's about making farming easier.  If you change your perspective and let your environment guide you have instead of pre-determining what you want to grow, nature will do the job for you.  It's also very much about sustainability, intuitive approaches, building communities, embracing tradition and protecting the future. 

Has that cleared anything up for you?  At least next time someone asks you what permaculture is, you'll might have a couple of quotes on hand!

Culture-shock!

As 2013 draws to a close and 2014 beckons, it seems appropriate to take some time to reflect, evaluate and plan.  Obviously 2013 has been an epic year of change for the Finley family and I’d like to think (perhaps rather arrogantly) that our experience has touched the people around us too.  If you have read our blog, dined in our barn, painted posts, shoveled concrete, drank in the Tiki hut or enjoyed farm fresh eggs for your breakfast, then you are part of Laurica Farm and you continue to motivate us to keep going.  Thank you for your ongoing and unwavering support and inspiration.

The farm has come a long way since July 24^th 2013 when we moved in.  What was 5 acres of serene land with chest high grass, a ramshackle barn and a small house has been successfully transformed into…wait, I’ve just looked out the window…into a muddy construction site with open trenches and half-finished projects!  So it’s not as serene and picturesque as it was six months ago but the fact that I now call it a farm is remarkable.  It wasn’t anything when we moved in and now it is a working farm with exciting new projects evolving before my eyes.  Even since my last post, things have changed.  A quick re-cap on this year’s projects:

• The Tiki Hut: the world’s most over-zealous fire pit.  What started as a vision of a ring of stones and some benches now looks like a gazebo on steroids.  What a fabulous asset to the farm and heart of the social scene here.  Thanks to the reclaim/reuse nature of this build and some charitable donations of roofing materials, the total cost was around $400.

• The Barn: The interior of the original barn has been stripped, insulated and walled.  No longer are there cattle feeders but a large open space with open, beamed ceilings and a wood burning stove waiting to be installed.  Venue of dinners and parties during the colder months.  The barn has an extension in the form of Ian’s workshop and feed store.  I love that we were able to painstakingly reuse some of the bevel siding from the original barn to make the extension fit seamlessly.

• Chickingham Palace and the Fruit cage: As you know the original coop did not meet the needs of our growing flock.  What was designed for 6 chucks quickly grew into a home for 41 chickens.  Over half of our birds are laying now giving us around 20 eggs a day in a beautiful array of colours and sizes.  The palace connects to the fruit cage allowing the birds to roam free in a 20,000ft netted area, protecting them from predators.  In return for their protection, the chickens are doing a fantastic job of fertilizing, turning over the soil and making compost ready for planting in the spring.  Although a few weaknesses were exposed with the recent snowfall, there is nothing a bit of remedial work can’t solve and we are pleased with the outcome.  We even have other homesteaders coming to view the concept!

  

  Chickens at work

  

• The Orchard: The area that is now referred to as the orchard has had all the existing trees ‘pruned’ Ian Finley style (no secateurs involved, just a chain saw!) and there are our first four apple trees planted and doing well.  Trees have been cut down around the area to allow more sunlight and what timber couldn’t be reused in our building projects has been chipped and turned into mulch for the new trees.  It also houses 2 tire swings for the kids.  Plans include a yurt for visitors and some sheep roaming through the orchard.

• The Duck Pond:  It’s finished and Jessica has already fallen into it – twice!  Another ‘bigger than expected’ project, made possible by the loan of an excavator in exchange for storage.  We will build a duck house and then find some new residents for it.  I will enjoy sitting in the hammock chair up there watching the baby ducklings.

  

  Note the boots stuck in the mud!

• The Tree House:  This is the thing that Ian boasted about.  Claiming he would have the base finished within a week of moving in.  Needless to say, other things took priority.  However the foundation posts are concreted in and we have some AMAZING reclaimed windows to go into it.

• Poly-tunnels: While we had the use of the excavator, Ian cleared a big plot of land and levelled it.  He has stated building raised beds in there and we will use our own compost as a base in these.  There is some talk of including an Aquaponics system here as well…we will see. (http://www.backyardaquaponics.com/guide-to-aquaponics/what-is-aquaponics/)

• The Pig/Goat house: The base is complete in the front paddock.  This project was put on-hold while we had the excavator so we could make the best use of the equipment we had on loan.

• The Asparagus Bed: A raised bed in front of Ian’s workshop that will get maximum exposure to sunlight and can be covered during the winter months.  Filled with our own homemade compost.

• The Trenches:  Not really a project as much but in taking advantage of the excavator.  We dug huge trenches across the land to sink additional power cables.  This property has a lot of power coming onto it but needs to be fed around to all the new buildings.  We’ve spent the last 2 days in the trenches, threading cables, gluing conduit, etc.

Phew!  Even typing all that has made me tired.  Of course, ‘the projects’ are just part of the story.  There’s always work going on behind the scenes.  But the biggest growth has been in us, the people.  Rarely can you measure human development in a tangible manner but I invite you to just come and see us here.  You will find a once reluctant teenager who has embraced the change, she’s the one driving the tractor.  You’ll laugh at a little girl who was always meant for the outdoors and has been released into her natural environment.  You will find a hardworking man who lights up when he returns to the homestead and gives everything to make it work. And somewhere in the chaos, you’ll find me, probably talking to my chickens, maybe blogging about the whole thing, occasionally applying my new carpentry skills but always making it fun.

As 2014 approaches, it’s time for some real farming.  Up until now, most of the work has been building and prep, but now we must plant, grow and keep animals.  We have not taken this looming challenge lightly and we have learned and researched as much as we can.  The biggest and cruelest thing I have learned, having just embraced a life of farming, is that agriculture is not sustainable.  That’s right, the very thing we came here to do conflicts with our core values.  Bummer, eh?!  But it’s ok, we’re learning about new approaches and ideas; we’re even playing with some of our own theories.  Permaculture is our way forward.  It combines three key aspects that are important to us:

1. an ethical framework

2. understandings of how nature works, and

3. a design approach

The word 'permaculture' comes from 'permanent agriculture' and 'permanent culture' - it is about living lightly on the planet, and making sure that we can sustain human activities for many generations to come, in harmony with nature. Permanence is not about everything staying the same. It’s about stability, about deepening soils and cleaner water, thriving communities in self-reliant regions, bio diverse agriculture and social justice, peace and abundance.  One thing is for sure, it’s a fascinating subject with many aspects, and it’s still evolving.  We have the advantage to working from a blank canvas and we’re looking forward to applying an ecologically sound and ethical concept to our future and our children’s. (http://www.permaculture.org.uk/)

As we learn more about farming, we learn more about ourselves, which changes our ideas, thoughts and feelings.  It’s clear to me now that we are part of a cycle of growth and learning.  We rely on our growing knowledge base to get the best from the farm and in return give ourselves the best.  How exciting to start a new year with this opportunity and responsibility.

Tiki happiness

Goodness, I’m tired.  And I’ve managed to aggravate a shoulder injury.  But don’t turn away now; this is not a whiny ‘I’m working so hard’ post because I FEEL GOOD.  Something has happened for all of us this week to dispel fears and enthuse us.  I’ll try and encapsulate some of those things but for those of you expecting a high-integrity, agriculture related write-up, call back in a couple of weeks…maybe.

Firstly, let’s talk about aesthetics of the farm.  Remember the adult swing set I talked about that we’ve poured blood, sweat and tears into?  Well, that is almost finished and it’s evolved. Not only does it look amazing but it’s a real triumph to our recycle, reduce, reuse lifestyle.  It can no longer be referred to as an adult swing set though.  When Ian made the benches that were intended to swing, he made them so sturdy that they were too heavy to swing from the frame.  His solution….to roof the frame.  But then another issue;  the benches would hang over behind the frame if they were swinging and Ian’s OCD senses started tingling.  The benches will now be fixed to sit flush with the frame.  We had prepared 6 benches for the octagonal frame leaving 2 sides to hang hammock chairs from, but with the roof the whole thing started to look more like a Tiki hut, and so it obviously needs a bar.  That very week, the fridge at Ian’s office died a death.  Ian reclaimed it of course.  It’s currently lying on its back, raised off the floor being clad in wood.  We will fill it with ice and people can put their drinks inside.

Some of you might have an idea of a Homesteader in your mind and think that a Tiki bar is not an essential part of the lifestyle.  So let me explain why I am pleased with it.  I am happy because it’s a nod towards our intention to enjoy this land.  If you’re working hard then there has to be some rewards.  This Tiki hut is an enabler for relaxation, reward and social gatherings.  I feel it’s an achievement because it looks awesome.  When you drive along the road, it’s the Tiki hut that grabs your attention.  But it’s not intrusive, we chose to paint it and kind of bark colour as it sits next to the trees and the roof is clad in cedar coloured shingles.  It complements the landscape.  But here’s the real homesteading achievement.  The structure is approx. 18ft wide and 15ft tall.  I estimate the total cost of building it to be around $400.  Not bad for something that size!  Had we purchased new materials we think it would have cost around $5000.  Not only that but we have had the experience of bartering and utilizing volunteers.  I will post some photos next week when it’s completely finished.

The next thing that has made me feel good is a conversation with my friend Kirstin.  She asked me how I was dealing with the bugs and animals as I talked about snakes, spiders, frogs, coyotes and alike.  How have I come to terms with these things?  Well, it’s been like an extreme desensitization program.  What can you do when you’ve invested everything into a home?  I can’t walk away and move in to a condo downtown because there’s too much wildlife.  I still let out an involuntary squeal when I see a snake but you just have to plough on (no pun intended).  It’s become more of an annoyance than a fear and that happened real quickly because it had to.

The final thing on my quest for happiness this week came courtesy of the tractor.  Up until now I have found it difficult to tell people "I’m a farmer".  I feel like such a fraud and opt for less intimidating alternatives, like “oh, I’m just a Homemaker”.  This week I completed an unquestionably farm related activity.  I tilled the back field for the fruit bushes and created a huge compost heap.  Even as I was doing it I felt embarrassed every time our neighbours (real bona fide farmers) were in the field.  I imagined them sitting around laughing about us as they wondered what the heck we were doing.  Anyway, we tilled the patch of land once, and then I moved the entire top layer of grass and soil to a neat compost heap that will eventually go back on the same patch of land.  Then I tilled 3 more times, and you know what, it looks great.  I’d even go as far as to say it looks professional!  And so now I’m over it.  I have something to show that I can farm.  I have a patch of tilled land and some chickens, in a coop.  We also have plans now for the veggies, the orchard,  the poly tunnels and the duck pond. Not much, but a start.  I even have a Tiki bar to show that I can enjoy farming too.  Bet our farming neighbours don’t have a Tiki bar.

So to conclude this post, confidence is growing, friendships with new neighbours are developing, epic social gatherings are taking place, volunteers have been fed, food has been preserved, we're having fun, and non-invasive, environmentally sensitive, organic architecture is happening.  Sounds to me like we are rocking this gig.