We took advantage of the warm Temperatures on New Years Day to collect soil samples for this season. It always seems like we wait until the last minute for this every year and it just worked out well.
We are starting to finalize our seed and plant order for the season. According to Dixondale Onion Company onion plants may be in short supply because of the cold and rain in California and Florida. So I sent out the order a little early and got conformation on it today. They have the Big Daddy’s and I really like how they grow. They make a nice green onion and then really fill out and are a nice keeper onions later in the season. I finally figured out how to use the Michigan Market Maker and got the name of a sweet potato grower another Michigan farmer uses. They have a lot of information about growing sweet potatoes successfully in Michigan on their website and the owner of the company was very helpful with varieties that would do well here and also provide a sweeter potato. When I went to the expo I talked with the seed sales reps from Hollar seeds. I have been looking for a nice cantaloupe melon that is sweet and is a shorter day melon. I got several seed samples in the mail today from them and it will be interesting to see how they do.
I really enjoy the Great Lakes Expo put on every year in Grand Rapids. It attracts people from all over the country and a lot from Canada as well. It was Dec. 7, 8 and 9 this year. The educational opportunities that are offered are wonderful and it gives you a chance to interact with people and hear their experiences. I really think diversification is key to survival and I think you have to keep up on new information. You really have to keep adjusting your practices and I think you can grow from listening to suggestions from others who have tried new things, what worked for them, what they would do differently. I also really love the trade show which is huge. The seed dealers are there, the green house growers are there, and equipment dealers are there as well. I am also going to attend Beef 101 offered thru MSU extension this spring. I think there is always room for improvement in any operation no matter how big or small. You also have to listen to your customers what they like what they don’t.
I was very happy to hear the MAEAP program was going to receive more funding this year. I feel the work they do is important. They help you verify you are using safe and approved farming practices. This is important to me. This farm has been in my family for almost a century and I want to leave it as good as or better than it was when we got it. I think you should be able to pull an onion up, wipe off the dirt and eat it without fear. I think you should be able to eat your beef without checking for a recall number. All of this can be accomplished with safe practices. I think sometimes ignorance or maybe greed gets in the way of doing things the right way. There was a young man at the Expo that said it best. He sells milk shares from a small dairy and his advice was “ follow the practices you know to be right because when someone cuts corners and uses poor practices it makes us all pay with more unnecessary regulations which cost us all time and money.
