Hello Readers!
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| Volunteers at the farm (Click to make image larger) |
We're now near the middle of June and keeping busy! At the farm, the work never stops but luckily the
weather has held out and, for the most part, has stayed pleasant. We’ve even had
the good fortune of decent rainfall, so far, this season.
One job that never stops is weeding. With most of our staff
out of the country for a few weeks, it has been a never-ending battle against
these clever, opportunistic plants. It
seems weeds are one of the biggest problems for all farmers and our farm is no
exception. From resistant Pigweed to giant Johnson Grass to stubborn Wire Grass
(Bermuda Grass), we have them all. But now our staff has returned and so more
hands means that we will be able to manage these weeds better.
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| Piles and piles of weeds (Click image to make larger) |
We've also electrified our deer fence! Deer have a never
ceasing appetite and so we’ve found it necessary to protect our crops. In order
to remain sustainable, we’ve electrified our fence using a photovoltaic cells
or a solar panel. It produces the energy
needed each day to protect the crops from deer at night without continued dependence
on fossil fuels.
Then there is the main point of any farm…the crops! There is
one thing that any crop needs in order to grow…water! And we have quite a few
crops growing out there. So to conserve water, at the moment, we are doing our
very best to water
only the areas where the roots of the plants are found. By
doing this we hope to conserve water and prevent excess run-off. We are also in
the process of installing an irrigation system. The system will follow the same
principles that I just explained. The only difference is that it will more
automated reducing run-off drastically.
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| Weeds in between the rows (Click image to make larger) |
Our farm is looking great! We’d love have you all over!!
Feel free to come any Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday anytime during the day. Our
volunteer hours are specifically between 4pm and sundown but we’d love to see
you any time!
Like our facebook page and follow us on twitter!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NCSUagroedu
There are lot's of new exciting developments coming soon!! So stay tuned for more details!!!
-Agroecology Education Farm Staff
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