Winter is a time for learning.....

The Farmwife and I just spent 2 very intense but pleasurable days at the third annual Winter Green-up, Grass-fed Conference held at the Century House in Latham, NY.  The seminars were very educational and thought provoking.  We especially liked hearing Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm speak about his farming experiences in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and his marketing strategies for the products they produce.  Quite enlightening to hear someone speak of the eggs from the "Eggmobile" being "cream" and earning $375,000 a year with them!  The original purpose of the hens on pasture was to eat fly larvae from the cow patties.  The eggs were just a side benefit.  WOW!  Joel definitely gave us a lot to contemplate for a while.

The other speaker that really got my attention was Ray Archuleta from the North Carolina field office of NRCS.  He spoke at great length about the ways to restore health to our soils, and in so doing bring back the productivity that has been slipping these past many years.  Again, he gives us much to consider and work towards when the snow that is blanketing the fields begins to release it's icy grip.  The good thing is this still allows us some time to make plans for improvements that can be put into place this spring.

The rest of the presenters also gave some really good information and the networking with other farmers from around the area was great.  The meals we were served were outstanding, and were prepared with the produce donated by folks participating in the conference.  Shows the pride in the products we are capable of producing in this area.  Maybe next year we can get some goat on the menu?  We'll see what time brings to us.

In the meantime, we are bracing for another onslaught of winter weather this week and need to be prepared for the potential of power outages from the ice they are predicting.  Stay warm and talk to you soon.