February 2, 2021 I just wrote a letter for our Mercantile customers touching on the hours of Zoom farmer meetings I attended in January. Here is my main point: The main theme… was how to use biology to solve our environmental and health problems. From the gut microbiome to carbon sequestration in agricultural soils, this…
We all know that because of the global pandemic, this year is like no other. Certainly, the farm has been impacted with erratic prices and late delivery of custom-made specialized equipment. But the grass grows, Covid or not. Cows calve; goats kid; corn grows. Alone in the mornings walking down the farm road, climate change…
Our rye cover crop starting off strong, it will protect the ground from erosion and sequester carbon while adding vital nutrients to the soil. Deluge or drought (and we’ve had both this year), there is a rhythm to the farm year. We are nearing the end of harvest, with the non-gmo crops and the organic…
Christian, Laura, and Ben admire the hemp transplants. It is June 1, wet, and I don’t recall being this far behind on planting, though I know my memory can trick me. Our Austrian Winter Peas, which we plant before organic corn to fix Nitrogen and then plow under, have made a crop! Yesterday, walking the…
Dear Friends, At the fall equinox, farmers pause to reflect on the growing season, with harvest upon us. Here at Mt. Folly, I’m dispensing with happy talk. From Covid to climate, the year has been rough, so rough I’ve had to summon my inner mule. Here is the back story, some of which you may know:…
Dear Friends, Like everyone else on the planet, amid COVID chaos, I need to stop and remind myself why we are doing what we are doing: raising organic hemp for Homestead Alternatives, raising organic corn for Wildcat Willy’s Moonshine, raising pasture beef for our farm-to-table restaurant, seeking customers who welcome alternatives. Here my answer to…
Dear Friends, At Mt. Folly farm, we are doing big things, simply. We are part of the drawdown movement, which seeks to sequester carbon dioxide in plants, trees and soils. We have long been a part of the organic movement as well, for us meaning our products are raised in soils, part of the underground…
Dear Friends, And the winner is Julia Truitt Poynter! Thanks to all who signed up for the Mt. Folly Farm newsletter and entered to win a stay at the Homestead. Julia and I will tour the farm, visit the distillery and the new Mercantile on Main, see our downtown. She plans to visit in October…
Dear Friends, Fall is here, the silage for our winter feed is up, and our plans turn to harvest, cover crops, complex rotations, grass and soil diversity. Per my last letter, I’ve paid a visit to our friends the Halls, at The Troublesome Creek Times in Hindman, Knott County.* There, I spent an afternoon, delivering…
