The grains that will feed our chickens for the next year and go into our Grain CSA were taken by truck on Tuesday to a certified organic warehouse in Arbuckle. All the bags had to be labeled and identified as ours. First with the year, crop, lot number and bag number. Record keeping is the key to organic certification. It is not something any of us enjoy but we have to track our products so that we can prove the source. These grains are transitional but to be claimed as such they also have to be traceable.
The field was mowed by Roberto to chop the straw before cultivation. Last year we had the straw baled but it took so long for the baling crew to arrive we missed a chance to plant a summer bean crop. This year we are having the field deeply cultivated before we put it into our permanent bed system. In September we will plant 20 acre of pasture here which will be the beginning of our program to change the farm to be more pasture based. Each year 20 of our 60 acres of row crop land will be under pasture. This will rotate every year so that we can build more fertility and keep weeds under control. This will save us money and grow healthier crops.