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October 31, 2007

Fall Changes

Farm News
31 October 2007
Fall Changes

The turn to fall continues to press its self onto the farm. The irrigation canal has closed down for the winter and will not be running water again until the spring. Most of the farmers in Yolo County are done with there processing tomatoes or have given their alfalfa the last irrigation for the year. However, our farm does not fit into that category and I have acres of baby greens that continue to need water. Ricardo and his guys have moved the portable pump to source water from the creek. The pump cannot produce as much water as the previous pumps generated from the canal but with the cooler weather the crops should be okay.

Several of the key members of the crew are making their annual trip back to Mexico for the winter. They will be back in the spring, generally about the middle of March. This year more people are returning that usual, including Daniel who in the years past has been the person to prune the peach orchard. With Daniel gone I will need to find another person who is able to prune the trees, a job that is very important and a job that most people cannot do.

Pruning peach trees is something that gets done in the dead of winter, once all of the leaves have fallen off of the trees. Peach trees would actually be big peach bushes if we never shaped them into trees. The challenge with pruning a peach tree is to leave enough of the correct wood on to produce just enough blossoms to turn into fruit. If too many blossoms are left too many pieces of fruit will be produced and they would be too small. The other challenge is to leave the wood on that will be able to handle the weight of the new fruit. A bad pruning job can really damage the yield of an orchard. I hope we find a good person to replace Daniel.

With the fall also comes my least favorite job as the farm manager; the end of summer lay-offs. The amount of work we have is rapidly decreasing. All of the fields have been cleaned up, all the tomato stakes have been pulled up, all the crops have been weeded and the amount of stuff to harvest just isn’t what it is during the summer. In the beginning of the summer we make it clear to the new crews we are hiring that the work is for the summer only, but the reality of that day coming is difficult for everyone. The management of field labor is the largest challenge in the business of farming.

Well over the majority of the people working for us right now will stay on through the winter and into next summer’s busy phase. But the reality is that there isn’t enough work in the winter for everyone.

Enjoy your boxes this week and have a happy Halloween!

Thaddeus

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