Category: Agriculture

Webmaster’s note: The format of this column has changed a bit, with all of the Quill’s Endians participating at various times and in various ways! Phil writes this month’s column.

Generosity of Spirit

While Heather and I were in our food access talk at the MOFGA farmer-to-farmer conference, one of our fellow presenters uttered a phrase that I think is not often uttered.  They missed 2020.  Specifically, they missed the mutual aid and feelings of togetherness that the pandemic fostered. 

The statement has steeped for a week: they missed 2020.  It reminded me of the eight months that were March through November 2020.  You might recall that Quill’s End had some fortuitous “coincidences” that allowed us to step up our production and pivot quickly to meet a rapid increase in demand at the farm.  We had four heifers calve in early April, and our piglet producer had some hogs from the previous fall that we acquired that did not require six months to finish.  This allowed us to have a more stable and plentiful supply for community members who remembered we existed, and our farm store became a convenient way to shop in an era of extreme caution and increased attention to health.  

That was a transition year for the other farmer as well, as they decided to offer a vegetable CSA as a response to the pandemic.  Once the seeds were in the ground, they had someone volunteer to pay for two shares.  One for them, one to give away.  They publicized the free share and had five more donated.  The work then was to find the need.  There were more donors than willing recipients. 

Despite the tension, guarded nature, and anxiety that COVID-19 produced, it also engendered mutual aid and community care. Our farming colleague shared that they miss the concern, heightened awareness of others, and generosity that came with that shared experience.  Times of difficulty bring out the best in our humanity.  Times of fear bring us to our neighbors.  Times of visible need produce generosity.  

More “normal” times have mostly returned us to convenience, and now they must put in more time to raise money for the CSA shares that go to those in need or lose farm income to provide for the increasing needs themselves.  

At Quill’s End, we saw people in 2020 and 2021 that we don’t see at the farm anymore.  Farm shopping isn’t as convenient as town shopping.  Life has returned us to our busy selves, and somehow, without the six-foot distancing, we see each other and converse less.

The pandemic certainly was awful and has left an imprint on our society that will take time to overcome, but we can move forward still with the same concern for others, principles of mutual aid, and the generosity of spirit that came with it.  Isn’t it great that now we can do it with a hug?

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Heather and Phil Retberg and their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Heather is Vice President of Halcyon Grange #345 and writes a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and has generously permitted us to share some of their columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.

Webmaster’s note: The format of this column has changed a bit, with all of the Quill’s Endians participating at various times and in various ways! This month’s column is written by Phil.

Could this be why?

Every year it happens. The cool starts to the days. The dark, dark early mornings. The hints of the colors to come as September advances.

It all invigorates me and adds a quickness to my step. I wonder if it is the cool, the beauty, the bounty, or…the foreshadowing. My northern brain, lacking long-term memory, has lulled me into a false sense of security. The cool starts prick the recesses of my mind, and lead me to inventory: time for the wood to be in the shed, time to harvest and preserve, time to start all the projects that had a vague end time of “before the snow flies.”

 Perhaps this is why a strawberry tastes better warmed by the sun, and an apple tastes better cold and crisp off of the tree. One says, “kneel, stay awhile and linger with my taste in your mouth,”; the other says, “reach, stretch, climb and I will refresh you for your task.”

Perhaps this is the reason that the migratory birds scream, “suckers!”, as they bee-line it to where it is still strawberry season.

Perhaps this is the reason the ones that stay stop breeding for the year and concentrate on their own calories instead of their descendants’.

Perhaps this is the reason the trees hint at their imminent sleep with dazzling colors that leave them naked and free from the pursuits of the last year.

I wonder if they all feel it like I do. Do the trees feel the dark and the cool and think, “better start in on that”? Do the birds wonder what happened to the summer and why they didn’t start in on something sooner?
 

Every season has its cares, and I am so grateful that fall’s cares, while as urgent as the rest of the seasons, can be accomplished in the comfort of crisp autumn air.

Every season also comes with its own flavors, and fall offers the bounty of the land: slow-cooked veal stew simmered with garlic, onions, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, greens, leeks; veal cutlets in a simple sauce of fresh tomatoes, capers, garlic, and lemon; veal short ribs in homemade barbecue sauce. BLTs! Crock pot pork loin roast with freshly dug potatoes, crispy kale, and sweet corn if you’re lucky. Add fresh tomatoes with queso fresco and basil for the simplest and happiest-making salad.  Fresh pears and cottage cheese for a light lunch? 

Food from our farm and farming neighbors can make warm days and cool evenings sparkle.

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Heather and Phil Retberg and their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Heather is Vice President of Halcyon Grange #345 and writes a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and has generously permitted us to share some of their columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.

Webmaster’s note: The format of this column has changed a bit, with all of the Quill’s Endians participating at various times and in various ways! This month’s column is written by Phil.

When Things Break Down…

There are seasons when everything seems to break down.  In nature, in societies, and with equipment, stressed systems eventually give.  So it has been with equipment at Quill’s End this year.  Being beings of few means, we rely more on our resource and sagacity during such seasons.  This, too,  has fallen short this summer.  Our tractor (1989), which already displayed uncommon character, has sat idle at far too regular intervals waiting for proper attention. 

We have taken our cues and are refining our mechanical skills, such as they are, to meet the moment.  Animal husbandry, as we practice it, does not require daily usage of steel, diesel, and hydraulics, but they do come in handy to move, crush, turn, spread, mow, and transfer when needed.  As the season wears on, the need for a working machine, having oft been broken when needed, becomes more pressing.  It occurs to me that machinery only goes awry while you are using it, whereas the opposite applies to living beings.  The inanimate objects in our lives can only display character when in use; living beings can display character even while at rest.

Astrid was born on a cold November day 5 years ago.  A daughter of Teeter and Freddy, she was immediately destined for incomparable character.  Marked by a white star on her forehead,  her name was her destiny as well.  I had to save writing about her for last, as the words to describe her are more complicated.
 

A magnet for human attention, Astrid is usually the first in any given paddock to approach.  She demands attention and gets it as her coloring, health, and shiny coat endear even the most inexperienced bovine observer to her.  Oh, but it doesn’t stop there.  She loves proper attention, and scorns being slighted.  She can come to the barn in a mood for perceived slights, discomfort, or…nothing at all.  She will refuse to be milked until such efforts are made to mollify her and assure her of most favored status.

Having her is a pleasure as her personality brims over and spills out when interacting.  Her health and vigor makes you think you know what you are doing.  She is a one of a kind that you’re OK with, as a barn full of Astrids would probably be unmanageable.  There is only so much farmer to go around.

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Heather and Phil Retberg and their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Heather is Vice President of Halcyon Grange #345 and writes a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and has generously permitted us to share some of their columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.

Webmaster’s note: The format of this column has changed a bit, with all of the Quill’s Endians participating at various times and in various ways! This month’s column is written by Phil.

She’s an Easy Keeper!

This week, I was reminded of the age-old acronym KISS.  Keep it simple, stupid.  For some time now, my main form of transportation has been misbehaving, and even a short to the mechanic’s shop this week drive provided a massive dose of adrenaline. 

Since my appointment with the mechanic was scheduled three weeks after my phone call, I had time to research, troubleshoot, and possibly save some money by doing some of the work myself.  The more modern the vehicle, the deeper the rabbit hole of sensors and components.  My little Toyota Tacoma is a 1996, and fortunately, still has a fair amount of mechanical, rather than electrical, components.  I should have concentrated on corrosion instead of sensors, it seems.  My research complicated a problem fixed by a professional with WD40.

I was flabbergasted when, after a harrowing drive to the mechanic shop on Wednesday, they called with a fix mere hours later.  Thank God for knowledgeable professionals.  Mechanics are a mystery to me.  I lack the patience for discovery and the mechanical sense that clicks so easily in their minds.

It is that “click” that sets an individual apart in any field.  Sometimes, creatures just intuit a skill.  Cows as well as humans.  True in fields of pasture as well as mechanical fields.  Ariel is like that.  She is just three and on her first lactation as a dairy cow, a novice in her career.   Yet, she is the essence of a dairy cow…she embodies it.

Born from Pippin, of whom I wrote three weeks ago; and sired by Hughbert, the mellowest bull we have ever had, Ariel has been eager to please and unwilling to make a fuss from day one.  She goes about her business with class and skill, no matter what you ask of her.

She calved last fall when we had too much milk and were trying to sell a few cows to even out the supply-demand cycle.  We felt we had to list her for sale along with some other difficult choices.  We are glad no one bought her. 

She raised three veal calves for a few months and then willingly came into the milking parlor to provide you all with dairy products.  This would not be an easy transition for many cows.  She would melt into a larger herd, but is all too happy to be treated to royal care here at Quill’s End, where we can seek her and her wonderful, willing personality out and value the ease she provides us. 

Old-timers would call her an “easy keeper” and I am beginning to understand just what that understated metaphor means, thanks to Ariel.

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Heather and Phil Retberg and their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Heather is Vice President of Halcyon Grange #345 and writes a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and has generously permitted us to share some of their columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.

Webmaster’s note: The format of this column has changed a bit, with all of the Quill’s Endians participating at various times and in various ways! This month’s column is written by Phil.

There are times on the coast of Maine when a land farmer has to dress for fishing.  If one could call June “times,” it fit the bill.  

I have had to practice gratitude this last month, as day upon day of rainforest weather has grown fantastic grass and also tread upon my spirit.  So I’m remembering the Junes when all the first cutting of hay is in because of the lack of rain, which means that hay might be needed in August rather than December, and the second cut won’t amount to much.  I’m remembering dry pants after moving the cow fence in the morning when by rights, my thighs ought to be wet from wading through tall, dewy pasture grasses.  I’m remembering jonesing for rain during “perfect” weather.  A rainforest month like June sure does grow grass, and grass sure does make milk, and extra milk sure does make beautiful pork and veal.

As this weather pattern stretches into July, a different consideration arises.  Rain gear does a great job of keeping the weather out, but it is also quite good, at warmer temperatures, of wetting you from the inside.  Now the decision to don the full gear is harder.  Rain does the job comfortably in warm weather; gear does not.  Rain requires a change of clothes and gear wets less but offends the olfactory senses. 

I have choices this summer unavailable to me in dry years, and try as I have, pleading, and later, obscenities, do not produce rain.  Logically then, too much moisture is better than drought.  Plenty of grass and wardrobe choices.  So, why do I still feel like I’m trying to convince myself?

To celebrate (despite?) this wet, wet weather and make room in our full, full freezers, we are offering a sale on smoked hams, loin roasts, veal chops, and veal short ribs.  A great meal in good company need not wait for clear skies.  Fog, mist and rain all call for comfort food.   Embrace the damp with fantastic food.  Leftover ham bone makes a great pea soup to go with the fog.  Short ribs stewing in a crock pot or Dutch oven smell divine on gray days.  Veal chops make any weeknight special.  A loin roast is an occasion to invite your neighbors in from the downpour.

When your tongue is dancing, you may forget you cannot see the end of your nose outdoors.  

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Heather and Phil Retberg and their three children run Quill’s End Farm, a 105-acre property in Penobscot that they bought in 2004. They use rotational grazing on their fifteen open acres and are renovating thirty more acres from woods to pasture to increase grazing for their pigs, grass-fed cattle, lambs, laying hens, and goats. Heather is Vice President of Halcyon Grange #345 and writes a newsletter for their farm’s buying club of farmers in her area and has generously given us permission to share some of her columns with Grangers. Visit the Quill’s End Farm Facebook Page for more information.