I saw the farm’s corn maze yesterday from the best possible vantage point – 1,000 feet directly overhead from the seat of an R44 Raven helicopter, doors off.
This was my first time in a helicopter. I found it to be several degrees more exciting than being in a small airplane, and small airplanes are pretty sweet. But if I had to describe the helo experience in a single word, it would be this: “windy.”
Joining me on the trip were John the Pilot (we let him do the flying), John Conn (a professional photographer), and Gary the Farm Manager (present to help navigate).
My good idea was to attach my video camera to a pole and stick it out the door in hopes of capturing awesome video. John the Pilot warned me that it would be fairly difficult to hold onto the camera if I did this, because of the wind that would be whipping against it. He also said that if let go of the camera and it took out the tail rotor, they probably wouldn’t invite me back.
I tried my technique, and sure enough, it is a little challenging to hold a camera on a pole out the door of a helicopter. But I held on, and here’s the result:
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
CONSERVING COLLEGE KIDS
The University of Richmond, my alma mater, recently announced a new campus-wide energy monitoring system:
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/news/aug08/Dominion.html?tr=y&auid=3902146
The system, which will be installed in all 14 residence halls, will allow students to track their energy use online. The idea is that if they can actually see that turning off their computer saves energy, maybe they will.
When the system is installed in Fall 2009, dorm residents will compete for the highest decrease in energy consumption. When Oberlin College did this, "students were able to reduce their electricity use by up to 55 percent over two weeks."
Worth noting, the system is being paid for by the Dominion Foundation. Dominion, based in Richmond, is one of the nation's largest producers of energy. They burn a lot of coal and are currently pursing plans to build a new coal-fired power plant in Wise County, Va. Here's a Washington Post article about it worth reading:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR2008062401552_2.html?sid=ST2008062500042&pos=&s_pos=
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/news/aug08/Dominion.html?tr=y&auid=3902146
The system, which will be installed in all 14 residence halls, will allow students to track their energy use online. The idea is that if they can actually see that turning off their computer saves energy, maybe they will.
When the system is installed in Fall 2009, dorm residents will compete for the highest decrease in energy consumption. When Oberlin College did this, "students were able to reduce their electricity use by up to 55 percent over two weeks."
Worth noting, the system is being paid for by the Dominion Foundation. Dominion, based in Richmond, is one of the nation's largest producers of energy. They burn a lot of coal and are currently pursing plans to build a new coal-fired power plant in Wise County, Va. Here's a Washington Post article about it worth reading:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR2008062401552_2.html?sid=ST2008062500042&pos=&s_pos=
ELECTRIC CARS AND VICTORY GARDENS
Wired magazine, one of my favorites, has two interesting sustainability related articles this month.
The first, the cover story, is about a businessman named Shai Agassi and his plan to bring electric cars to the world, starting with Israel and Denmark. His company, Better Place, has the cooperation of these governments and has raised more than $200 million in committed capital. According to Wired, Agassi has managed to launch "the fifth-largest startup of all time in less than a year." He's not building cars, but rather a grid of battery charging stations that will sell electricity like cell phone companies sell minutes.
Rather than try to summarize Agassi's crazy complicated business plan here (which began to sound less and less crazy as I made my way through the article) I'll leave it to the dedicated Farmbedded reader to find his own copy of the magazine. I recommend it.
The other article, an essay by Clive Thompson, argues for urban farming:
"The next president should throw down the gauntlet and demand Americans sow victory gardens once again."
It's worked before. Between 1942 and 1943, victory gardens produced 40 percent of the vegetables consumed in this country, according to Thompson. And innovations since then have made urban food growing "radically more efficient and compact than the victory gardens of yore," he says.
It seems like such a simple, sensible thing to do. The result would be better, cheaper food for urban Americans, less obesity, less CO2 resulting from shipping food across the world, more food independence, and you could even cool the cities by planting crops on rooftops.
What's more, Thompson writes:
"But what I love most here is the potential for cultural transformation. Growing our own food again would reconnect us to the country's languishing frontier spirit."
Well said.
The first, the cover story, is about a businessman named Shai Agassi and his plan to bring electric cars to the world, starting with Israel and Denmark. His company, Better Place, has the cooperation of these governments and has raised more than $200 million in committed capital. According to Wired, Agassi has managed to launch "the fifth-largest startup of all time in less than a year." He's not building cars, but rather a grid of battery charging stations that will sell electricity like cell phone companies sell minutes.
Rather than try to summarize Agassi's crazy complicated business plan here (which began to sound less and less crazy as I made my way through the article) I'll leave it to the dedicated Farmbedded reader to find his own copy of the magazine. I recommend it.
The other article, an essay by Clive Thompson, argues for urban farming:
"The next president should throw down the gauntlet and demand Americans sow victory gardens once again."
It's worked before. Between 1942 and 1943, victory gardens produced 40 percent of the vegetables consumed in this country, according to Thompson. And innovations since then have made urban food growing "radically more efficient and compact than the victory gardens of yore," he says.
It seems like such a simple, sensible thing to do. The result would be better, cheaper food for urban Americans, less obesity, less CO2 resulting from shipping food across the world, more food independence, and you could even cool the cities by planting crops on rooftops.
What's more, Thompson writes:
"But what I love most here is the potential for cultural transformation. Growing our own food again would reconnect us to the country's languishing frontier spirit."
Well said.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
HORSESHOES AND HORSES
The first event of the Howell Farm Olympics finally kicked off yesterday — horseshoes.
Horseshoes history, according to Wikipedia:
“Iron plates or rings for shoes may have been nailed on horses' feet in Western Asia and Eastern Europe as early as the second century BC…. There is a theory that the camp followers of the Grecian armies, who could not afford the discus, took discarded horseshoes, set up a stake, and began throwing horseshoes at it.”
Also from Wikipedia:
“Following the Revolutionary War, it was said by England's Duke of Wellington that ‘The War was won by pitchers of horse hardware.’”
The first round results:
Unfortunately, the Howell Farm Olympics are highly dysfunctional, as it's difficult to get enough people together at any one time. Other events that have been envisioned, such as the hay bale toss and the 14-times around the farm run, are in danger of cancellation.
Worst of all was a stunt pulled yesterday by Farm Director Pete. All week long he’s been talking horseshoe smack about how, “Yeah, I’ve thrown a horseshoe or two in my day,” and “I wouldn’t count the old man out.” So the day of the competition comes, and Pete disappears suddenly, under the auspices of needing to go to Lancaster to “look at a horse.”
Nice try Pete. I challenge you, publicly, to a winner-take-all horseshoe throwdown, any time any place. The loser will buy the winner a steak, and I like sautéed mushrooms on top.
In unrelated news, the farm bought a new horse from a Lancaster horse trader yesterday. He hasn’t arrived yet, but I’m told he’s about 15 hands and 1,500 pounds. More on that when I learn more.
Horseshoes history, according to Wikipedia:
“Iron plates or rings for shoes may have been nailed on horses' feet in Western Asia and Eastern Europe as early as the second century BC…. There is a theory that the camp followers of the Grecian armies, who could not afford the discus, took discarded horseshoes, set up a stake, and began throwing horseshoes at it.”
Also from Wikipedia:
“Following the Revolutionary War, it was said by England's Duke of Wellington that ‘The War was won by pitchers of horse hardware.’”
The first round results:
Unfortunately, the Howell Farm Olympics are highly dysfunctional, as it's difficult to get enough people together at any one time. Other events that have been envisioned, such as the hay bale toss and the 14-times around the farm run, are in danger of cancellation.
Worst of all was a stunt pulled yesterday by Farm Director Pete. All week long he’s been talking horseshoe smack about how, “Yeah, I’ve thrown a horseshoe or two in my day,” and “I wouldn’t count the old man out.” So the day of the competition comes, and Pete disappears suddenly, under the auspices of needing to go to Lancaster to “look at a horse.”
Nice try Pete. I challenge you, publicly, to a winner-take-all horseshoe throwdown, any time any place. The loser will buy the winner a steak, and I like sautéed mushrooms on top.
In unrelated news, the farm bought a new horse from a Lancaster horse trader yesterday. He hasn’t arrived yet, but I’m told he’s about 15 hands and 1,500 pounds. More on that when I learn more.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
THE HONEY HARVEST
At the Howell Farm honey harvest today, I learned how beekeepers make it happen.
First, the beekeepers open their hives and remove the honeycomb-filled frames. They use smoke to keep the bees docile. This works because when bees sense smoke, they think their house is burning down. They react to this by gorging themselves with as much honey as possible, fearing they might not be seeing another good meal for a while. And the result of this is that they feel so fat they won’t even bother to sting you.
Once the beekeepers have the frames, their task is to get the honey out of the honeycombs. This process involves a centrifuge.
First, take your frame and gently scrape the surface of the honeycomb with a scraper, which grants access to the honey on the inside. Then, take your frame and insert it into a holder inside your centrifuge. Start cranking the centrifuge handle. This sends the frame spinning and your honey splatting toward the outside of the centrifuge container. The honey will slowly drip down the sides until it reaches the bottom, where it is collected in a honey bucket.
Basically, the process is exactly the same as harvesting weapons-grade uranium from uranium gas, except easier.
First, the beekeepers open their hives and remove the honeycomb-filled frames. They use smoke to keep the bees docile. This works because when bees sense smoke, they think their house is burning down. They react to this by gorging themselves with as much honey as possible, fearing they might not be seeing another good meal for a while. And the result of this is that they feel so fat they won’t even bother to sting you.
Once the beekeepers have the frames, their task is to get the honey out of the honeycombs. This process involves a centrifuge.
First, take your frame and gently scrape the surface of the honeycomb with a scraper, which grants access to the honey on the inside. Then, take your frame and insert it into a holder inside your centrifuge. Start cranking the centrifuge handle. This sends the frame spinning and your honey splatting toward the outside of the centrifuge container. The honey will slowly drip down the sides until it reaches the bottom, where it is collected in a honey bucket.
Basically, the process is exactly the same as harvesting weapons-grade uranium from uranium gas, except easier.
THE BEAN BEAR
Farmer Rob believes he has discovered a bear’s claw marks in the Market Garden. The alleged track was found among the beans.
I’ve never heard of a bear liking beans, but other evidence also points to a bear:
-Rob also found what he believes to be bear droppings under a nearby cherry tree.
-In the past, black bears have been spotted in the farm vicinity.
I, ever one to question the official story, suggested an alternative: Perhaps a smaller animal with one claw scratched five parallel marks into the dirt.
Now, however, after analyzing the photographic evidence and running it through my crime-solving computer, I believe that Rob is correct. It’s hard to argue with this:
I’ve never heard of a bear liking beans, but other evidence also points to a bear:
-Rob also found what he believes to be bear droppings under a nearby cherry tree.
-In the past, black bears have been spotted in the farm vicinity.
I, ever one to question the official story, suggested an alternative: Perhaps a smaller animal with one claw scratched five parallel marks into the dirt.
Now, however, after analyzing the photographic evidence and running it through my crime-solving computer, I believe that Rob is correct. It’s hard to argue with this:
Thursday, August 7, 2008
BIO-GAS AND FARM ENGINES
The fodder-chopper churned outside the barn yesterday. Cornstalk grinding has a special place in my heart because it was one of the first jobs I did at Howell Farm when I visited back in January. You can read about that experience here:
http://farmbedded.blogspot.com/2008/01/sheep-and-cornhusks.html
In the pictures below, you can see that a belt connects the chopper to a stationary hit-and-miss engine, which provides the power. The engine runs off gasoline.
Farmer Rob (who is also a trained physicist) says that on the sustainable farm of the future, he thinks stationary engines will still have a place – for jobs like threshing and corn shelling. The difference, from a sustainability standpoint, is that these engines will run off bio-gas processed on the farm from the release of methane from manure.
My first thought on this was, if you’re going to run a stationary engine off bio-gas, why not just run a tractor with a PTO off bio-gas? Rob says that the problem with gas is that it’s diffuse – hard to store in a reasonably sized tank on a vehicle that needs to be mobile such as a tractor.
All true, but I’m still pulling for do-it-all, bio-gas powered tractors. By the time bio-gas engines are ready for primetime, maybe the technology of methane gas compression and storage will also have hit its golden age.
According to Wikipedia:
“If concentrated and compressed, [biogas] can also be used in vehicle transportation. Compressed biogas is becoming widely used in Sweden, Switzerland and Germany. A biogas-powered train has been in service in Sweden since 2005.”
http://farmbedded.blogspot.com/2008/01/sheep-and-cornhusks.html
In the pictures below, you can see that a belt connects the chopper to a stationary hit-and-miss engine, which provides the power. The engine runs off gasoline.
Farmer Rob (who is also a trained physicist) says that on the sustainable farm of the future, he thinks stationary engines will still have a place – for jobs like threshing and corn shelling. The difference, from a sustainability standpoint, is that these engines will run off bio-gas processed on the farm from the release of methane from manure.
My first thought on this was, if you’re going to run a stationary engine off bio-gas, why not just run a tractor with a PTO off bio-gas? Rob says that the problem with gas is that it’s diffuse – hard to store in a reasonably sized tank on a vehicle that needs to be mobile such as a tractor.
All true, but I’m still pulling for do-it-all, bio-gas powered tractors. By the time bio-gas engines are ready for primetime, maybe the technology of methane gas compression and storage will also have hit its golden age.
According to Wikipedia:
“If concentrated and compressed, [biogas] can also be used in vehicle transportation. Compressed biogas is becoming widely used in Sweden, Switzerland and Germany. A biogas-powered train has been in service in Sweden since 2005.”
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
TOM'S FARM
Ramchandra, Peter, myself, and my friend Erin traveled to Kimberton CSA yesterday to visit Former-Intern Tom, who has ascended in the world to the position of Kimberton Farm Manager.
I last blogged about Tom and Kimberton here:
http://farmbedded.blogspot.com/2008/05/departure-of-intern-tom.html
Kimberton is located near Phoenixville, Pa., about an hour and a half from Howell Farm. We listened the whole way to Ram’s CD of Nepali pop music, which is distinctive in that many songs run longer than 20 minutes. (Think Green Day’s “Jesus of Suburbia” times two, or, for older generation readers, significantly longer than "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.")
Tom’s farm is about ten acres, seven of which are under cultivation for vegetable and fruit production. This year the CSA has about 200 members, with an average share price of $750. (At a yearly pledge meeting, some returning CSA members pledge more than $750 in order to subsidize lower share prices for other members.)
I was curious to see what a weekly share at Kimberton gets you, and by my estimation it’s quite a haul. Here is the fresh produce members will receive in their box this week, in addition to U-pick blackberries, beans, and cucumbers:
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 garlic
- 1 cabbage
- 1 eggplant
- 3 beets
- 1 lettuce
- A whole lot of edamame
- 1 cantaloupe
- 1 watermelon
- 2 bell peppers
- 3 zucchini
- 3 yellow summer squash
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 1 lb. of onions
- 2 cucumbers
I asked Tom what are some of his standouts this summer. He said it’s all good, before adding, “The garlic is freaking huge.” He also highlighted his “really good” seedless European cucumbers.
Tom is the guy who first got me really thinking about why someone would prefer to use horses on his farm instead of a labor-demolishing tractor, so I was interested to hear how its been for him using the tractors at Kimberton. Apparently, he broke the first tractor he touched by running it out of fuel and clogging the fuel injectors. I was about to tell him, “Well, your last mistake is your best teacher,” but instead I just let it go.
Tom said he hopes to eventually bring a team of horses to Kimberton, so I also asked him if he thought he’d have the time and ability to accomplish with 4 draft horses all the same work he’s been getting done with the tractor. He sounded optimistic, while realizing the tractor would still have some special duties. More precisely, he said:
“Mostly yeah, except without a front-end loader it would be difficult to do some compositing and stuff. Stuff like moving around dirt when you need to.”
Here are some photos from the visit:
I last blogged about Tom and Kimberton here:
http://farmbedded.blogspot.com/2008/05/departure-of-intern-tom.html
Kimberton is located near Phoenixville, Pa., about an hour and a half from Howell Farm. We listened the whole way to Ram’s CD of Nepali pop music, which is distinctive in that many songs run longer than 20 minutes. (Think Green Day’s “Jesus of Suburbia” times two, or, for older generation readers, significantly longer than "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.")
Tom’s farm is about ten acres, seven of which are under cultivation for vegetable and fruit production. This year the CSA has about 200 members, with an average share price of $750. (At a yearly pledge meeting, some returning CSA members pledge more than $750 in order to subsidize lower share prices for other members.)
I was curious to see what a weekly share at Kimberton gets you, and by my estimation it’s quite a haul. Here is the fresh produce members will receive in their box this week, in addition to U-pick blackberries, beans, and cucumbers:
- 4 tomatoes
- 1 garlic
- 1 cabbage
- 1 eggplant
- 3 beets
- 1 lettuce
- A whole lot of edamame
- 1 cantaloupe
- 1 watermelon
- 2 bell peppers
- 3 zucchini
- 3 yellow summer squash
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 1 lb. of onions
- 2 cucumbers
I asked Tom what are some of his standouts this summer. He said it’s all good, before adding, “The garlic is freaking huge.” He also highlighted his “really good” seedless European cucumbers.
Tom is the guy who first got me really thinking about why someone would prefer to use horses on his farm instead of a labor-demolishing tractor, so I was interested to hear how its been for him using the tractors at Kimberton. Apparently, he broke the first tractor he touched by running it out of fuel and clogging the fuel injectors. I was about to tell him, “Well, your last mistake is your best teacher,” but instead I just let it go.
Tom said he hopes to eventually bring a team of horses to Kimberton, so I also asked him if he thought he’d have the time and ability to accomplish with 4 draft horses all the same work he’s been getting done with the tractor. He sounded optimistic, while realizing the tractor would still have some special duties. More precisely, he said:
“Mostly yeah, except without a front-end loader it would be difficult to do some compositing and stuff. Stuff like moving around dirt when you need to.”
Here are some photos from the visit:
Monday, August 4, 2008
4-H FAIR PHOTOS PART 1
The Mercer County 4-H Fair came to Howell Farm this past weekend. Here are some photos:
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
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