(Laura, her daughter Alice and granddaughter Ana in the field of sunflowers)

Sunflowers of Autumn: Farm Fresh Updates

 

“Tuscany!” said my dear friend Becky.

“No, Kentucky,” I replied.

We’ve embraced the folly at Mt Folly. With this new crop, are we giving it a bear hug?
Sure, as organic farmers, we always are looking for something new to add to our crop
rotation. Diversity above ground increases biological diversity in the soil. This, plus
farming without chemicals, leads to a healthier microbiome for all of us, which keeps us
healthier.

 

Facts are facts.

But I planted organic sunflowers because they are beautiful.

There, I said it.
Yes, farming is a business, and organic farming is a particularly tough business. The
sunflower seeds are contracted to Perdue, headed for a crush plant in north Georgia for
organic sunflower oil. A few bushels will be sold at The Mercantile on Main, birdseed
for your backyard winter friends. If our yield is anywhere near the target, we’ll cover our
costs, make a little money.

Why was my instinct to apologize for creating something beautiful? My guess is that it’s
a learned response from being a “girl farmer,” now an “old girl” farmer, still not always
taken seriously.

The beauty at Mt. Folly takes my breath away, almost every day. It soars well past
sunflowers. Today, it was getting in the field to chop silage, the corn beginning to dry
down, a dragon fly landing on my yellow linen shirt. Harvest is here.
A week ago, it was flowering buckwheat, volunteering in the organic soybeans. Later, it
might be pawpaws; it might be a pileated woodpecker; it might be the Kubota 108
coming back from the mechanic with a complete fuel system rebuild.
Beauty is fleeting, but it’s here.

Thank you for supporting us on this regenerative journey. We are giving it all we’ve got.
Find out more about the farm, including how to book a farm stay, at
www.mtfollyfarm.com. Learn about the companies we’ve started at www.mtfolly.com

 

Fondly,