DAMAGING DERECHO
Last Wednesday was yet another memorable night on the farm. The evening starting out pretty much business as usual for a chicken catching night. As we do every chicken catching night we loaded the trailer with empty chicken crates, recruited some volunteers, and planned to gather out in the field to catch and crate birds about one hour before sunset. A bit of rain and thunderstorms did pop up in the forecast which had not been predicted, but it didn't seem like a big storm. Of course, the rain itself was due to arrive right around 6 pm, just when we planned to meet up with volunteers at Mt. Misery field, but otherwise, all seemed fine. Jared and I decided to get a jump on the weather as we first had to catch the last 40 turkeys at Van Leer field, then head over to Mt. Misery. We successfully caught all the turkeys as planned and loaded them in the back of the pickup truck. Toby the guardian dog looked on lazily as we caught the birds, no doubt happy to be done working for the season, then Jared loaded Toby in his truck and we both headed back to the farm to hook up the big trailer with the empty crates and to drop off Toby.
I was eager to get going as I'm always a bit excited and hopeful that chicken catching goes well - so I headed over to Mt. Misery first - Jared would soon follow. Just as I arrived in the field where the coops were located, some raindrops started falling. I got out of the truck to open the electric fence gate and as soon as I opened the truck door I felt a strong gust of brisk wind and some big pelting raindrops smack me on my bald pate - never a nice feeling! I jumped back into the truck and pulled into the field about 200 yards from where the coops were located. Driving slowly towards the coops, the weather closed in, uncertain how much rain would fall, I stopped the truck. The raindrops were unusually large - but the rain was not falling heavily. But then a strange wind quickly descended from the tree line. The tall trees surrounding the field swayed in the strong wind. Before I knew it, the 8'x12' open-floored, tarp-covered chicken coops, each containing 65 chickens, started lifting off of the ground. One popped off the ground and descended again - like a kite trying to take off- then was suddenly picked up and flew through the air, tumbling and twirling side over side until it lay resting at the tree line about 200 feet from where it started. Then just as quickly another coop - and another - and another lifted off the ground and flipped over. I honestly could not believe this was happening. We have used these types of coops for over 10 years and never ever has this happened before. But this storm, later to be officially classified as a Derecho (defined on Wikipedia as a widespread, long-lived, straight-line wind storm that is associated with fast-moving windstorms, potentially rivaling hurricane and tornado force minds), was like nothing I have ever seen. As the coops tossed and turned and danced in the air I could only imagine how many chickens were being injured. As quickly as the storm arrived, it departed. I called Jared, who had yet to arrive, and shouted out to him about the disaster I just witnessed - he was on his way. I was afraid to get out of the truck for fear of another wave of wind, but thankfully it never arrived. Once Jared arrived we cautiously walked out to the coops to survey the damage. The chickens were scattered around, newly exposed to the open sky, and disoriented from the sudden change in their housing situation! Many chickens were walking around aimlessly in circles, wondering where their feeders and waterers went, some were huddled together in small groups trying to stay warm, and yet other birds took advantage of their newfound freedom and started foraging, searching for tasty bugs and grass bits. As Jared and I walked in circles surveying the damage we began developing a plan as to how to unravel this mess. Volunteers starting arriving and we all pitched in to catch and crate the birds that were ready for harvest. We then had to relocate the homeless birds back into shelters for the evening. It was the best we could do as nighttime quickly descended. We would sort it all out in the morning. And just as we were finishing up and moving the last of the homeless birds back into shelters, an opportunistic hawk swept down and grabbed a free chicken dinner! And to our amazement, that one chicken dinner was the only chicken that we lost due to the storm.
Unfortunately, the story does not quite end here. While we were dealing with the chickens, our pigs over at Minuteman National Park were also impacted that evening. Minuteman National Park along 2A was devastated by the storm with a tremendous amount of fallen trees. A large branch fell in our pig field, knocking down our pig fencing and injuring some of the more than 60 full-grown pigs who live on the field. Several days after the storm three pigs died from internal injuries suffered from the fallen branch. They were beautiful full-grown Old Spot pigs that we had been growing since the spring. Tremendously sad accident. So far the rest of the pigs seem strong and healthy and we are keeping a close eye on them. Never a dull moment....
These events that happen all too often are just part of the many physical and economic challenges farms like ours face every day. We feel it's important to share these stories to provide a deeper understanding of our work and what it take s to run a small diversified farm in today's world. As always, we appreciate any and all feedback and are grateful for your support! Onward!
Pete@codmanfarm.org
GRASS-FED BEEF AND BACON ARE BACK!
Starting Saturday, this weekend, we will once again have a full selection of our own 100% grass-fed beef AND BACON!
All cuts of beef will be available including tenderloin, rib steaks, strip steaks, ground, burgers, roasts, and more.
GREENHOUSE PROGRESS UPDATE
We (I mean Jared) continue to make steady progress on the greenhouse project. The twin-wall plastic end walls are just about complete and Bryce spent hours this week trenching so we can bring electricity and internet out to the new greenhouse. Propane will be installed on Monday, and next week we plan to "skin" the house...ie, pull on the plastic! Electricity hook up will follow then we will have a bunch of smaller tasks to complete such as grading around the house, laying ground cloth inside, and building tables. The end is in sight...just in time for winter!
TOUR DE CODMAN
Success!
The inaugural Tour de Codman last weekend was a tremendous success! Thanks to all who participated! It will sure to be an annual event, pandemic or not!
As quoted by an enthusiastic board member:
"The route was terrific, the group size was just right, the spacing of groups was just right, the weather was spectacular, the snacks were spot on, and it felt SO good to be back together again holding an event at the farm. THANK YOU for the first inaugural Tour de Codman - a truly spectacular idea, and so well executed! "
BRAVO!
VOLUNTEER SHOUT OUT
Over the past several month's Steve Creavin and his boys, Stephen and Thomas have been tirelessly cleaning up fence lines and performing other work around the farm. Most recently, if you drive along Old Sudbury road and past Van Leer field, where we were growing turkeys this season, you might have noticed a VERY overgrown fence line with invasives winding their way into the fence. Over many Saturdays the boys have been diligently unwinding and cutting down those invasives, opening up the field to view again. This is tireless work and we are so grateful to them for their hard work! Maintaining and clearing the edges of our fields is never-ending work and we greatly appreciate ALL our volunteers who help to keep the farm trim and looking good.
FRESH PRODUCE- THIS WEEK
Each week availability of produce and fruit shifts a bit. Some of these items are grown by us using organic growing methods (We are not certified organic), most of the other veggies we buy-in from local farms ARE certified organic, and most fruit is NOT certified organic, but IPM (which means low spray or low use of chemicals, when possible).
Available this week
October 16th-23rd
FRUIT
Apples (honeycrisp, mac, macoun, fuji, gala, cortland)
VEGETABLES
Codman farm cherry and slicing tomatoes (limited),
chard, kale
LOCAL organic loose carrots, beets, fresh onions, garlic, fresh ginger,
lettuce mix, spinach, winter squash, and pie pumpkins, potatoes (gold, russet),
sweet potatoes, shiitake mushrooms, leeks and more
MOST ALL THE PRODUCE WE BUY FROM LOCAL FARMS IS CERTIFIED ORGANIC
THIS WEEK WE PURCHASED ORGANIC PRODUCE FROM:
New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, Beverly
Fat Moon Farm, Westford
Picadilly Farm, Winchester NH
FARM STORE DELIVERY and SCHEDULE
As we get into more of a routine we wanted to share what to expect each week as far as product arrivals and days to expect certain items...here goes!
MONDAY
High Lawn Farm (early morning)
Fresh milk, butter, cheese, ice cream deliveries
Myers Distributor (early afternoon)
Our local distributor from Massachusetts grown farms -
Local and Certified Organic fresh veggies, fruit, cider, donuts, flowers, and other items
TUESDAY
Bread Obsession (by 11 am)
Fresh bread baked in Waltham; baguettes, whole wheat slicing loaf, durum levain, sourdough, multigrain
WEDNESDAY
Bread Obsession (by 11 am)
Fresh bread baked in Waltham; baguettes, whole wheat slicing loaf, durum levain, sourdough, multigrain
Cape Ann Fresh Catch
Fresh local fish usually including haddock, scallops, salmon, swordfish, grey sole, and catch of the day
12:30-2:30ish
THURSDAY
High Lawn Farm (early morning)
Fresh milk, butter, cheese, ice cream deliveries
Myers Distributor (early afternoon)
Our local distributor from Massachusetts grown farms -
Local and Certified Organic fresh veggies, fruit, cider, donuts, flowers, and other items
FRIDAY
Bread Obsession (by 11 am)
Fresh bread baked in Waltham; baguettes, whole wheat slicing loaf, durum levain, sourdough, multigrain
Mi Tierra Tortillas (by 11 am)
Fresh, local, organic corn tortillas
Sweet Tahini
Fresh, gluten-free bread, and Israeli inspired sweets made with no processed sugars
Local Veggies
We will be harvesting our own veggies and buying seasonally available produce from local farms, as available
SATURDAY
Bread Obsession (by 11 am)
Fresh bread baked in Waltham; baguettes, whole wheat slicing loaf, durum levain, sourdough, multigrain
C&C Fresh Lobster and Fish
Fresh fish and lobster
10am- 12pm
MISC INFO...
1. We remain OPEN 24/7, so if you want to avoid contact with others, visit in the wee hours of the night!
2. MANDATORY MASKS: Please wear MASKS in all public places so be sure to have one on when you visit the store. They are a pain for sure but JUST DO IT! ;-)
3. THANKS: Farm store sales remain brisk and we appreciate your support!
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions please contact pete@codmanfarm.org.
WEEKLY PICS by Pete
Mt Misery meat bird coops
The last of the turkeys, eager to jump in the truck to go to Freezer Camp!
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