A few announcements and a few insights — all in one newsletter! First the announcements:
Still trying to sell the remaining shares. We get one or two orders trickling in weekly. It would be great to get ten times that number. Keep spreading the word! We appreciate your support!
Just a few EggShares left. Order them ASAP.
Same for FlowerShare and WinterShare.
Not same for CoffeeShare and ‘ShroomShare. We can get lots of these but still order them soon.
Please pick up the six packs for those who ordered them.
Still shooting for June 19th as the starting week of the harvest season.
Farm News
Being a farmer is a lot like being a sports fan (especially a Minnesota football fan). You start out the season optimistically. On paper your team seems like it has all the talent it needs to reach and win the Superbowl. All the pieces are in place to make a run. Though of course you’re concerned that the aging players (tractors) may not perform as they once did as rookies right out of college, but they have experience! You never feel like it is a “rebuilding year”. During the off season you picked up the missing pieces to the puzzle (potato digger) that should propel you into an incredibly successful season. What could possibly go wrong?
Then, of course, the first week doesn’t go quite as well as you expect. Maybe you lost a game that you should have won (poor germination). Or you didn’t beat your opponent as handily as expected (loss of power and therefore heat in the greenhouse). But there is still time to regroup (replant lost plants), make a few changes (increase later planted veggies) and persevere. Then your star quarterback (hoop house) gets a season ending injury (verticillium in the soil) resulting in retooling your whole offense (planting sweet potatoes in the hoop house instead of tomatoes).
Over the course of the season you have your ups and downs. Your wins and losses. You make more changes and adjustments (put carrots on drip tape). Bring in new players to fill spots that were not succeeding (try “crack resistant” cherry tomato). And you somehow always remain in the hunt, maybe not for first in your division but at least making it into the playoffs as a wild card. Your expectations are lowered but you still feel there is a chance for the ultimate success (all farm members are happy and return next season).
With all the hard work you ultimately make the playoffs, though perhaps by limping in through a wild card spot won on the last day of the season as your main rivals loses what should have been an easy win against a losing team (weather was unusually favorable). But still, you’re in the playoff and still have a possibility of greater success. Then during the playoffs you may make a run — or not — but the team never quite achieves the goal you thought they were capably of at the beginning of the season (no squash bugs). Maybe it was the injuries (early frost). Or maybe another team came out of nowhere (constant rain) and rallied while you dealt with these injuries (can’t cultivate wet soil). But the ultimate goal still eludes you and the team.
Overall it was an exciting season (lack of sleep). The stats look decent (the veggies were mostly successful). There were no glaring deficiencies — or if there were you feel you can pick-up a few free agents or draft picks to fill the gaps for next season (plant extra green beans next year). You decide the season was successful enough that you remain a loyal fan, are eternally optimistic and look forward to another chance at success the following year (everyone rejoins the farm), which of course leads to the same frustrating result (well not that frustrating, you’re still a fan). And finally, the last thing that makes being a farmer a lot like a sports fan is that at the end of the season, after you bought the season tickets (seeds), the team merch (new equipment) and all the beer (beer) during the season you have far less money than when the season started. Being a sports fan or a farmer are both very expensive — and potentially frustrating — passions.
As always, do not hesitate with questions, comments, suggestions, jokes, puzzlers or orders for another few shares.
Joke of the Week
What did the dad carrot say to his son before the son’s first football game?
I’m rooting for you.