How this Farmer Uses Google News

As a small business owner, as a voting citizen, as a husband and father, as a farmer, as a person with a curious mind, and as a contributing member of society (I could go on and on), I feel I have some level of responsibility to attempt to be educated and informed on important issues that impact my everyday life and the people around me.  But how can anyone truly be informed on all important issues?  The Internet can provide an incredible volume of information.  But what information is important?  What sources of information are accurate and reliable?  How can someone possibly manage all that information without going absolutely crazy?  Well, I don't know that it really is possible, but I do know of a couple tools that might help a little!  In this BLOG post, I want to share just one Internet based tool that I use to help me keep my sanity.  I'm not necessarily a Google fanboi, but I do like some of their products.  I like Gmail.  I like YouTube.  I like Blogger.  And, I like Google News.  Today's post is about Google News -- what it can do and some tips in how to use it.

When Michelle and I decided to start a gardening & greenhouse business, I felt completely overwhelmed by my lack of knowledge.  Some of the topics I knew I needed to study-up on included: USDA Organic Certification, current events involving the EPA, anything to do with Monsanto, news about the South Dakota Legislature, Permaculture Design Courses, anything about Honey Bees, and any news about Joel Salatin.  Regardless of starting a business, there are some topics that I like to keep up with, such as: local news about Sturgis, any news about specific politicians, and anything that pops-up on the internet with my last name "Grosek" or our business name of "Bear Butte Gardens".  I could sit at the computer every day and execute a series of Google searches... and try to sort out what is new and what is old, and try to sort out where the information came from... Or, I could let Google news do it for me.   :o)

What is Google News?

This description is from the "About Google News" page:

Google News is a computer-generated news site that aggregates headlines from news sources worldwide, groups similar stories together and displays them according to each reader's personalized interests. 

Traditionally, news readers first pick a publication and then look for headlines that interest them. We do things a little differently, with the goal of offering our readers more personalized options and a wider variety of perspectives from which to choose. On Google News we offer links to several articles on every story, so you can first decide what subject interests you and then select which publishers’ accounts of each story you’d like to read. Click on the headline that interests you and you'll go directly to the site which published that story. 

Our articles are selected and ranked by computers that evaluate, among other things, how often and on what sites a story appears online. We also rank based on certain characteristics of news content such as freshness, location, relevance and diversity. As a result, stories are sorted without regard to political viewpoint or ideology and you can choose from a wide variety of perspectives on any given story.

How to get started using Google News:

Step 1

First of all, you will need a Google account.  Creating a Google account is easy and free.  If you don't already have a Google account, click here to create one.

Step 2
Sign in to Google with your Google account by going to www.Google.com, and clicking on the "Sign in" button in the upper right.

Step 3
Now that you are signed-in, you can click on the Google "Apps" icon in the upper right.  This will pop-up the Google Apps menu.  From this menu, you can navigate to a variety of Google applications.  The application we want is "News".

Step 4
The first time you go to Google News, you will see current news stories based on the default categories that Google recommends.  This is kinda interesting already, but the real power of Google News is in personalizing the news stories to include topics that you are interested in.  To personalize YOUR news topics, click on the icon of a gear in the upper right.

Step 5
This opens the "Personalize Google News" panel.  From this panel, you can enter news topics that you are interested in, and remove any topics you are not interested in.  This is what my "Personalize Google News" panel looks like:

To add topics, find the text input box labeled "Add any news topic" near the bottom, and then click on the "+" button to the right.  What you enter here functions very similar to what you might enter when executing a Google Internet Search -- except that the Google News application will remember your entries.  From my example above, you can see what search terms I used.  The search convention is similar to a regular Google Internet search in that you can use quotes to search on multiple-word phrases, etc.

To remove topics, hover over the term until the trash can icon appears, and then trash it!

You can also customize the "frequency" of how news topics appear by using the slider control.  This can help cut down on some of the static.  Cool huh?

If you need to create a very customized topic, then click on the "Advanced" link.

In addition to all that, you can "Adjust Sources" of your personalized news topics.  From here, you can increase or decrease the importance of specific news "sources".  For example, I don't like Fox News, so I decreased that one.  I also entered some news sources (e.g. Mead County Times Tribune) that Google didn't have by default.

When you are done with your personalizations, be sure to save your preferences by clicking on the "Save" button.

Also, remember that you can continue to "tweak" your personalizations until you get them just right!

Step 6
Enjoy reading the news!  Now, when you log-in to Google and go to the News app, you will see recent news stories that are important to you, and from sources that you like.  The appearance of your screen can be customized even further, but this is what my News looks like today:

On the left is a list of topics.  I can click on any of these to jump down to that topic.  I like the default topic of "Top Stories" to be at the top of the list.  After that you can see my custom topics listed below.

In the center is the main list of news stories, grouped and sorted by my personalized topics.  There are lots of links to click on to get more details from the original web source.

Please note: Google News lists "recent" content found on various web sites.  When you execute a Google Internet search, you will get "all" content, ranked and prioritized, regardless of the content's age.

On the right is a list of recent topics, and other tools.


Every day I try to go into Google News and at least scan through the news stories.  If something catches my eye, I can easily get more details.  It works for me, and I hope it might save you a little time and help you be more productive!

Cheers!

Rick Grosek
Bear Butte Gardens
Sturgis, South Dakota
www.BearButteGardens.com
Rick@BearButteGardens.com

I Love Podcasts! And this is why!

Do you listen to Podcasts?  I do, and I think it is a great way to get a wealth of educational information!  If you want to learn about something, and I mean almost any topic, you may want to consider listening to podcasts too.

What exactly is a podcast?  According to About.com:

A podcast is an audio or video program formatted to be played on the iPod and made available for free or for purchase over the Internet.

Podcasts are shows, similar to radio or TV shows, that are produced by professionals or amateurs and posted to the Internet for download and listening or viewing. Many podcasts are made available for free, though some must be purchased.

I think of a podcast as a special radio talk show about a specific topic, that I can listen to whenever I choose.  Whenever I am ready to listen, there is an episode to listen to, of a topic that I choose!  Now that's convenient!  Most podcasts that I listen to are less than 60 minutes per episode, some as short as ten minutes per episode.  It works great for me - with my 50 minute commute to work.  All the podcasts I've listened to have been free.  Podcasts can be audio or video.  I generally only listen to audio podcasts.

What topics are available?  You name it!  Almost every topic you can think of!  Over several years, I've listened to podcasts about gardening, permaculture, agriculture, food freedom, healthy living, sustainability, homesteading, bee keeping, music, music/audio recording, mixing live music, music instruments, bluegrass bands, computers, databases, backpacking, canoeing, dog training, product reviews (e.g. cars, phones, computers, guitars, etc.), American history, world news, and politics, just to list a few.

Where are the podcasts?  In general terms, a podcast is a collection of episodes.  It is common for a podcast to have a new episode on some kind of schedule (e.g. weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.).  When someone creates a new podcast episode, it can be "published" in a couple different ways.  The most popular place to publish a podcast is to the Apple iTunes Store.  The iTunes Store contains an staggering quantity of podcasts.  These podcasts can then be subscribed to and down-loaded from the iTunes Store.

Here is a link to preview the Apple iTunes Store Podcast Directory.

A note about the Apple iTunes Store: In order to access the iTunes Store, you will need an Apple ID account.  You can create this account for free.  You do not need to use an Apple iPhone or iMac computer to use the iTunes Store.  You can access the iTunes Store from a variety of devices (e.g. iPhones, other smart phones, Apple iMac computers, Windows computers, etc.).  The process of creating an account leads you to believe you must provide a credit card to complete the process.  If you do so, the credit card will not be charged unless you purchase something from the iTunes Store.  And, they do make it pretty clear when you are about to purchase something (as opposed to downloading something that is free).  However, there is a way to create an Apple ID account without providing a credit card.  Follow this link to learn how.

Another way to publish a podcast episode is to put it on a specific web site that you author and control.  Other people can then go to your website and play or download the podcast.  An example of this can be found at the Farm-To-Consumer Legal Defense Fund website.  On the main page of this website, they maintain a list of news topics.  Some of the news topics are actually links to specific podcast episodes.  From there you can listen to the podcast (streaming over the internet to your computer), subscribe to the podcast, or link to the iTunes Store.  Another example of this publishing method is the NPR (National Public Radio) Podcast Directory.

How to get podcasts?  I mainly get and listen to podcasts on my Apple iPhone, but you can get podcasts on most other smart phones and computers also.  First you need to find the podcast, then you can either "subscribe" to the podcast, or simply pick an episode and listen to it.

This is how I do it with my Apple iPhone:

1. I went to the Apple website and created an Apple ID Account.  Here is a link.
2. On my iPhone, I went to the Apple App Store and downloaded the free application "Podcasts" made by Apple.  This application will allow you to connect to the Apple iTunes store, find podcasts, subscribe to podcasts, manage your podcast subscriptions, and actually listen to podcast episodes.
3. From the "Podcasts" application, I can search for podcasts by entering key words/phrases (i.e. "organic gardening", etc.), or browse thru categories of podcasts (i.e. Arts, Business, Health, Music, Technology, etc.), or browse thru featured podcasts.
4. Once I find a podcast that looks interesting, I can either subscribe to it, or select an episode and listen to it.  Generally, I listen to at least one episode to decide if I'm interested.  If I like it, then I subscribe to the podcast.
5. After I subscribe to a podcast, I can configure the settings of that specific podcast to download episodes as I specify - or I can simply use the defaults.  Since I have an unlimited cell phone data plan, I'm generally fairly liberal with my download configuration.  I usually set it to download new episodes automatically, and keep all un-listened-to episodes on my iPhone.  After I listen to an episode it is automatically deleted from my iPhone.  If I didn't have the unlimited data plan and needed to be more frugal with data downloads, I would set the podcasts to download manually, and I would only download episodes when I have access to free wi-fi (e.g. at a coffee shop, library, etc.).  I could even only download specific episodes based on episode title and description.  However you get the podcast episodes to download, you can then listen to them any time you want to.  
6. I can connect my iPhone to the USB port in my car and listen to the podcast episodes with my car stereo.  This works great for my commute to work.  This also works great when we go on road trips across South Dakota, Wyoming, or Montana where Internet access is not available and radio stations are not cutting it.

This method of getting podcasts (e.g. using the Podcasts app to subscribe to podcasts in the iTunes Store) takes all the work out of it!  It becomes an automated process.  All I need to do is listen.  Nice!

Here is a list of my favorite podcasts right now.  These are all available on the iTunes Store by searching for the podcast name.  Or you can go to their associated websites by clicking on the links below.

• An Organic Conversation - An actual radio talk show based in San Francisco, that  also gets published to a podcast.  They cover health, food, environmental, and gardening topics.  Great show!  This is Michelle's favorite!

• The Permaculture Podcast - Permaculture education and interviews

• Terra Informa - Each week Terra Informa delivers coverage of breaking environmental news from across Canada and around the world. From corporate wrongdoings to tips on living a little greener, they are your source for the news that the mainstream media missed.

• Homesteading and Permaculture by Paul Wheaton - Sometimes Paul is very direct in making a point, and often uses adult language, but his content is very useful.

• The Organic View - The Organic View Radio Show, part of The Organic View Radio Network, is a unique, live, interactive, Internet talk-radio show that features key leaders, scientists and educators who work within industries that involve organics, environment, technology, pollinator health, wildlife, and clean energy.

• Sustainable World Radio - Ecology and Permaculture Podcast

• Food Rights Hour Podcast - The podcast about: small-scale farmer, consumer, and producer rights; effects of genetically engineered crops and foods; farm raids; nutrient-dense traditional foods; homeopathy; raw milk laws; sustainable agriculture and more!

• The Agroinnovations Podcast - Provides people with information about permaculture, organic agriculture, appropriate technology and other strategies to further relocalization and regenerative ecosystem management.

• Vegetable Gardening

• The Self-Sufficient Gardener

I hope this information helps you get started with the wonderful world of podcasts!  Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or suggestions you may have.

Rick Grosek

Bear Butte Gardens

Sturgis, South Dakota

www.BearButteGardens.com

Rick@BearButteGardens.com

Putting By

At Bear Butte Gardens, now is the season of "putting by" or preserving food for future use.  Probably most customers of Bear Butte Gardens did this in August or even September, but October works out perfectly for me.  In August I am hip-deep in vegetables in the gardens.  Full harvest season has begun and it is going to continue until frost, which is approximately early October.  My focus during the heavy harvest season is getting loads of vegetables picked daily and quickly getting them to our customers through CSA shares and to local health food stores or selling through direct sales.  Many mornings I start picking 6:30 to 7:00 a.m. to avoid midday heat, take a break in the middle of the day, then get back to it late afternoon and evening.  Not only do I not have the time to start preserving vegetables, but I really don't have an urge to when the days are pushing high 80s and low 90s.  Who wants to stand over a range of simmering pots then?  Possibly, in future years we will consider putting together an outdoor kitchen in a shady spot so I could do a little preserving outside where the big messes won't seem so big.

But my current calendar actually works very well.  Two weeks ago, with the threat of an impending storm (which broke all October blizzard records for the area), I harvested buckets and crates full of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, onions, etc., and stashed them away in corners of the garage and in the cooler.  I knew that I would be able to gradually sell them to our customers over the next several weeks as well as hopefully have some indoor days when I could do a little preserving.  Unfortunately, the next six days were powerless, so I chose not to do any vegetable preserving in the interest of conserving fuel.  Once our power was restored, I knew it was high time to get some vegetables out of the crates and into the freezer.

At this point in time, my preferred method of preserving vegetables is blanching and bagging for the freezer or just putting them directly into the freezer in some cases.  I am not much of a "canner."  I do make a few dozen jars of jam from the berries on our place, but those are about all of the hot water bath-ing I want to do.  We have a nice sized chest freezer in the garage, so most things are prepared to go into that freezer.  Since most of my frozen vegetables are used up by next early summer's harvest time, the threat of losing frozen produce due to a power outage isn't too big.  And, quite honestly, it is not going to hurt a bag of frozen eggplant to defrost and be re-frozen.

Each year I add another item to my list of favorites when it comes to preserving.  One of the first years it was blanched whole tomatoes so that I could avoid canned tomatoes.  The next year I added tomato sauce to the freezer simply by pureeing the tomatoes before filling the bags.  The next year I ventured into tomato paste, which has ruined me on store-bought tomato paste for life.  One year I discovered
salsa verde made from tomatillos.  What a treat that is in February with some organic chips!  A couple years ago I started baking, pureeing, and freezing pie pumpkin and, again, I will probably never eat pie pumpkin out of a can again.  Pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting are an absolute favorite of mine now.

This year I am doing all of those and adding bags of shredded zucchini to the freezer for breads and muffins and soups, making homemade ketchup, and freezing chopped okra as well as beans, peppers, and eggplant.

Of course the easiest things to put by are those that simply need a storage space of the right temperature like winter squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, dried peppers, dried herbs, carrots, cabbage, and onions.  Each year we figure out how to dry and cure something new and add that to the bins and shelves of root cellar items.

I am also becoming enamored with fermented foods, with fermentation being a method of "putting by" that should not be ignored.  The health benefits of fermented foods are so great, I believe they deserve equal time to canning, freezing, and root cellaring.  Some fermented foods that I make on a frequent basis and enjoy are yogurt, kimchi, kombucha, and water kefir.  This year I intend to add fermented ketchup and fermented jalapeños to my repertoire.  In future years, when we have a better harvest of cucumbers, fermented pickles will definitely also be tried.  I recently found a recipe for fermented tomatillo salsa verde that I think I will try.

Some of the publications that I refer to for preserving foods are:

Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning by The Gardeners & Farmers of Terre Vivante
Root Cellaring by Mike and Nancy Bubel
The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz

I also frequently just search on the internet for info about whatever item I have available that needs preserving.  My search words generally include "easy" as I always like a minimum number of steps and ingredients.

I am always looking for new "easy" ideas for preserving the wonderful produce from Bear Butte Gardens and invite blog readers to share their tried and true methods.  If you have any questions about any of the food preservation methods listed above, please feel free to e-mail me and ask.

Michelle
Bear Butte Gardens
Sturgis, SD
605.490.2919
www.BearButteGardens.com
Michelle@BearButteGardens.com

Garden Weeds -- Love or Hate Relationship?

Rick's previous post about dandelions serves as a great warm-up for this blog discussion about weeds.  First of all, what exactly defines a weed?  According to Merriam-Webster a weed is:

"a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially : one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants" 

So, I guess the key phrase here is "not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth".  Seriously, this can create numerous discussions in our gardens and household.  I've never been highly opposed to weeds in the garden, but then I also don't have issue with picking up a piece of dropped food, blowing it off, and eating it....factors which both say something incredibly important about my mindset, I'm sure.

I really believe that weed hysteria probably came into vogue about the same time that monoculture row cropping hit its stride.  Monoculture row cropping is how many of us plant our gardens, a solid straight row of one kind of crop, e.g. corn or peas or tomatoes, etc.  If you like to plant your garden this way, then you probably enjoy the solid lines of nicely tilled black earth in between the solid rows of your favorite crop....which is precisely what we've been taught to do as gardeners for decades and decades, because if you want to run your tractor or tiller down the rows and clear the weeds, you need straight rows without anything criss-crossing in the tractor's way.  And if you want to flood irrigate your field or garden, you need to be able to maintain those irrigation ditches running between the rows and keep them weed-free and free-flowing.

But what did the human race do before they had machines to help them till and turn the soil?  Was it as necessary way back when to have weed-free straight rows of a single crop?  The first example that comes to mind is the Native American three sisters garden.  A typical three sisters garden lays out corn which is companion planted with both beans and squash.  The corn shoots up first and then the beans germinate and gradually start to grow up the corn stalk, then the squash starts spreading across the ground under the corn and beans, shading the soil with its giant leaves and choking out the "weeds".

I have been planting a variation of the three sisters garden for a few years now with good success.  What are the benefits?

• No trellising or poles required for the beans as they climb the corn.
• The beans add nitrogen to the soil which is usually depleted by the corn.  Because the beans are so beneficial for the soil, at the end of the season the soil is in much better shape for the next year with minimal or no soil amenities needed in the same garden space.  
• You plant the three types of seeds in each "hill" so when you water, you are watering three crops at once. 
• As stated, the corn and the squash work together to shade the soil and we all know that weeds don't do as well where it's shady.
• Maximum usage of square footage!  Each of these crops can be rather space intensive, but when they are all planted together, you get a lot of bang for the buck. 

What are the drawbacks?   No mechanized weeding or harvesting can be used, which sounds like a big ag problem, doesn't it?  I was admittedly quite skeptical about harvesting a three sisters garden.  I envisioned the bean picking being quite a laborious task since they would be wrapped about the corn stalks.  And then you would have to be careful not to step on squash vines....but in reality it works out very nicely.  What I like to do is plant either a soup bean or a bush bean (or both) at the base of the corn.  My reasoning is that the climbing soup beans can stay in the garden until the entire plant is dried up, which happens about the same time the corn is finished growing and harvested.  So you can either pick your sweet corn and then allow the corn stalks and soup beans to dry together and then harvest the beans or if you are growing dent or flint corn, the beans and corn will be ready to be picked about the same time.  A bonus if you are growing bush green beans or snap beans is that you can pick the beans in the shade in the corn rows even on the warmest days.  The squash just seem to take care of themselves underfoot and not really cause any issues, in my opinion.  

As for weeding, yes, you just have to get in there and do it by hand.  Again, an issue for the very large gardens/producers.  But honestly, I learn more about the health of my garden by spending some up-close (or should I say down-close) time on my hands and knees pulling weeds, than I can in any other way.  When you are forced to pull weeds one at a time, by hand, you start noticing things like how the soil smells, how much moisture is in the soil, what kinds of bugs and worms are living in the garden, whether there is any damage to the stems and roots of the garden plants, etc.  

The three sisters garden is just one example of companion planting.  My other gardens have combos of things like snow peas and radishes, cabbages and cucumbers, tomatoes and onions and basil or tomatoes and carrots and beets, sweet potatoes and peppers, garlic and potatoes.  An internet search will reveal hundreds of combinations for companion planting, all allowing for more food production in less space.  

Another newly popular concept based on an age-old technique is called permaculture design.  In permaculture design you plant compatible plants to best utilize space and provide a maximum quantity of food while building healthy soil and land.  Generally permaculture design courses focus a lot on perennials; however, annuals can also be worked into permaculture.  In permaculture very little attention is given to mechanized weeding and harvesting while lots of attention is given to companion planting and water efficiency.  We have known for a very, very long time that flood irrigation is the absolute least efficient use of water resources.  Sprinkler irrigation ranks about second in inefficiency.  Both flood and sprinkler irrigation methods lose a lot of water to evaporation with a small percentage of water getting deep to plant roots where needed.  

I recently read an article entitled "Listen to Your Weeds" and felt very validated about my weed beliefs.    This article states that if you take the time to assess the weeds in your garden, you can learn quite a lot about your soil such as degree of compaction, alkalinity, and levels of nitrogen, phosphorous, etc.

Our gardens sit atop a very breezy ridge where transplant shock is just common place in the spring.  No matter how well you "harden off" a pepper plant, it's going to go through a setback when it's put out into a garden where 35 mph winds are common.  I have come to really appreciate the value of those early weeds that shoot up in the spring as they provide a buffer for my poor transplants....kind of a safety net around the baby peppers until they can take hold with stronger roots and stems at which time I go through and simply pull the weeds out of the way and lay them down as mulch at the base of the transplants.

And ultimately, when you are working in questionable soil, weeds can do wonders to put it right.  Weeds will pull nutrients up to the top soil from deeper levels while, at the same time, sending out an undoubtedly fabulous network of roots which help to aerate the soil.  Lateral-growing weeds also serve as a "cover crop" or "green manure" in many situations---cooling soil, avoiding erosion caused by bare soil, and then providing critical biomass when turned back into challenged soil.  The key is just keeping the weeds from going to seed.

Often times when I finally get into a specific area of the garden to pull out thigh or waist-high weeds, I will find a myriad of beneficial insects have taken up housing in the weed patch, often times many kinds of beetles and spiders.  Unwittingly I have created a beetle bank within the garden, harboring a safe place for beneficial beetles and spiders to live and reproduce so that they can go out and prey on garden pests that are not to my liking.

Having said all of this, sometimes the weeds can just get on my nerves, hence the following list.

Times when weeds start to bother me:

• when they slow down the actual harvest process, e.g. trimming salad greens and needing to spend more time picking out grass and weeds than actually cutting the greens
• when it's obvious that the "chosen" crop (or maybe I should say "cash crop") is not prospering because of said weed, e.g. when bindweed slows growth of another plant by wrapping around it and choking it down (but pay close attention to what that bindweed is telling you about your soil!)
• when the weeds are so tall that I simply cannot see the cash crop anymore ALTHOUGH often times once I do get in there and clear the path to the cash crop, those veggies look spectacular!  Plants sitting in a somewhat shady spot, cool roots, no wind.....life was good for them!  
• thistles--ouch!  I never like thistles in the gardens, maybe because I frequently like to harvest bare-handed and wearing flip-flops.  

Once I do get into a garden to do some serious weeding I know the next step will be to lay down mulch  to keep the soil covered and retain soil moisture.  Often times the pulled weeds themselves can be laid right down as a mulch in addition to grass clippings and rotted hay.  

So, don't fret about weeds.  If you want a clean garden, then by all means keep those weeds pulled, but first make an assessment of what kinds of weeds are growing and try to determine WHY they are in the garden.  The weeds might be able to tell you something very important about your garden's health.  

Michelle Grosek

Michelle@Bear Butte Gardens.com

www.BearButteGardens.com

Self-Created Problems – Part 1 - Lawn Care Herbicides

Michelle and I have noticed a great number of birds hanging out at Bear Butte Gardens this year – way more than in past years.  We've had flocks of Robins, Meadowlarks, Sparrows, Black Birds, Prairie Chickens, and Finches.  I've never seen a flock of Robins before this year.  It was cool!  We've had Blue Birds, Mourning Doves, and many more varieties.  I've been asking around if other people are noticing a lot of birds this year.  “No” they say.  “Not any more than any other year.”

So I’m wondering… the birds must be attracted to our property for a reason.  Then, the other day we noticed something.  We saw a flock of birds land on our front lawn and start feeding on… Dandelion seeds!  The aggressiveness and thoroughness of the birds eating those seeds let me to wonder if any seeds would survive the feeding frenzy!  Hmm… maybe this is the balance Mother Nature intended?  Those bright yellow flowers certainly seemed to attract birds.  If we would spray chemicals on our lawn to kill the Dandelions (like many people do), then we probably would not attract so many birds – and the birds would not keep our Dandelion seeds in check.

Dandelions are actually very beneficial in many ways.  They have deep tap roots that break-up hard soil and bring nutrients to the surface.  In a way, they actually fertilize and aerate the soil to the benefit of other plants, like grass.  Dandelions provide nectar to bees – and at a very important time of year when bees don’t have many other options for nectar.  Dandelions have many nutritional, health, and medicinal benefits as well.  Visit www.mofga.org/Default.aspx?tabid=756 for more information about the benefits of Dandelions.

With all the benefits of Dandelions, I just don’t understand why so many people spray chemical herbicides on their lawns to kill the Dandelions.  Chemical herbicides have so many negative side effects also.  Even though the lawn chemical companies say their products are safe, I have serious doubts.  You might think that some government agency, like the EPA, requires complete testing of these products for the safety of kids and pets.  Well, you would be wrong.  And, besides the kid and pet safety concern, there are many, many more risks.  Visit www.organiclawncare101.com/dark-lawns.html for more information about the risks of lawn care products.

If you don’t spray chemicals on your lawn to kill the Dandelions, then you get some benefits (like birds & bees), and you avoid creating all of these other problems.  Win/win? Of course, your lawn might not be a “pretty” as you might want, but where exactly did you get your idea of a pretty lawn anyhow?  From some commercial on TV?  From someone trying to sell you something?  Just sayin’.

Rick Grosek
Bear Butte Gardens
Sturgis, South Dakota
www.BearButteGardens.com
Rick@BearButteGardens.com

It Feels Like.......Spring!

It's always most important to write a blog when you're procrastinating doing other things.  :-)  I have two tasks I should be doing tonight:  1)  sewing curtains for my son's new apartment and 2) creating a tri-fold display about Bear Butte Gardens for this weekend's Earth Day celebrations.  Therefore, it only makes sense to get cracking on a blog post!

We're having a fabulous spring at Bear Butte Gardens!  In contrast to last year's 70s-80s-90s in the spring, we are having what we're supposed to get......snow, cool daytime temps, below freezing nights, cloudy days.....yay!  I'm finally starting to look forward to planting seed potatoes and spring greens because it actually FEELS like it's supposed to in April.

As usual, some things are right on track (onions, brassicas, and tomatoes maturing) in the starter house, more trays germinating under lights in the house (peppers, eggplant), peas and potatoes seeded into the cold soil in the garden waiting to sprout over the next few weeks.  And, as usual, some things are behind schedule.......simply take the aforementioned list and repeat it.  I have more onions, brassicas, and tomatoes to get seeded late.  I have more peppers to seed.  I have more peas and LOTS more potatoes to get out in the gardens.  Alas!  I believe I've seeded enough eggplant, though.

But, honestly, that's exactly what I love about gardening.....you can always do more.  And if you don't have time, just be thankful for what you've accomplished so far.  Each year is its own normal.  This year will not be the same as last year and, happily, next year will not be the same as this year.  I love this life!

This year we are venturing into raising certified organic chickens for meat.  I have the chicks ordered and received confirmation on the orders today.  I have the certified organic feed tucked into the storage room.  In the next couple weeks we'll start building chicken "tractors" so they can be the happiest, healthiest little chickens for their 12-week lives.  They will get access to fresh native grass pasture, fresh air, clean water, and the option of a dry and shady shelter on wet or hot, sunny days.  In exchange, they will fertilize and till up our grassland and provide us and our customers with fresh, healthy chicken meat.

In case you haven't seen my post about locally grown foods vs. Bountiful Baskets, you can read it on the Dakota Local Food Network's site as well as a follow-up post regarding our personal efforts to support our local community and economy, in response to a reader's comments.

Over the next few weeks we're looking forward to seeing the trees starting to bud out, garlic starting to sprout up through the ground, bees starting to buzz, and birds hauling little twigs and dried grass to build nests.  Happy Spring!

Michelle & Rick Grosek, Owners
Bear Butte Gardens
www.BearButteGardens.com
e-mail:  Michelle@BearButteGardens.com
605.490.2919

MOSES Organic Farming Conference - part 3

This is my third BLOG posting about the MOSES Organic Farming Conference that Michelle and I attended last week in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  MOSES stands for Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service.  Here is the URL to their main website: www.mosesorganic.org.

In this post, I would like to talk about my favorite session "Restoration Agriculture - An Introduction to Farm-Scale Permaculture".  But first, allow me to build up to it...

As with any business, one of the goals is to make money.  I hope to someday be able to leave my current day job and be able to make a living off the land as an entrepreneur farmer.  Bear Butte Gardens is just two years old.  We are not there yet.  But, I think we are on the path to get there someday reasonably soon.  Another even more important goal for me, is to be a good steward of the earth.  This is a classic example of Wendell Berry's concept of exploiter -vs- nurturer that I explored in an earlier post.  This is a balancing act that is often times much more difficult than one might think.  In my opinion, many (most) people in this world do not find this balance -- and the world is not a better place because of it.

This, I propose, is a three-step process to find your balance:

• Step one is to understand the concept of exploiter -vs- nurturer. 
• Step two is to understand who you are and how you want to live your life
  (in regards to the exploiter -vs- nurturer concept). 
• Step three is to make decisions that will get you where you want to be
  (in regards to the exploiter -vs- nurturer concept). 

For me, much of my upbringing, education, business experience, and exposure to modern society has pushed me toward the exploiter mindset.  However, I want to be more of a nurturer.  I want to be a good steward of the earth.  I want to leave my little corner of the world a better place than I found it.  I want to contribute to society in a positive manner.  I want to give these gifts to future generations.  I need to make a living and provide for my family.  So, how do I do make a living off the land, without degrading it?  Then in comes the term "Restoration Agriculture"!

Mark Shepard presented the session "Restoration Agriculture - An Introduction to Farm-Scale Permaculture" at the MOSES conference.  He is also the author of a book titled "Restoration Agriculture".  I was fortunate enough to attend the session, buy his book, and have him sign the book.  Michelle and I also got an opportunity to visit with Mark.  He teaches a Permaculture Design Course (PDC) at his farm in Wisconsin.  Mark explained to us that his PDC has a unique perspective that includes his concept of Restoration Agriculture, differentiating it from other PDCs.  His PDC is focused more on larger scale applications, rather than backyard gardens and small acreage homesteading.

So what is "Restoration Agriculture"?  In an attempt to relay the definition, I'll quote some phrases from the Restoration Agriculture Institute website:

Agriculture and nature are generally seen in opposition to one another. Agriculture converts natural ecosystems to fields dedicated solely for the efficient production of crops or livestock for human consumption. Conservation seeks to preserve natural ecosystems from agricultural or urban development.  Restoration rebuilds ecosystems broken by agriculture, mining, or other human development activities.

Restoration Agriculture is the intentional restoration of healthy, functional ecosystems as the context for economically-viable farm operations. Perennial crops, livestock, fungus, and pollinators are integrated to produce abundant food, fiber, and fuel and simultaneously restore critical ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, water purification and infiltration, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity. 

Restoration Agriculture combines agricultural production and ecological restoration with the purpose of growing abundant and nutritious food while simultaneously restoring healthy ecosystems. Restoration Agriculture seeks to mimic the structure and function of natural ecosystems. Instead of monocultures of annual crops requiring annual tilling and planting, Restoration Agriculture utilizes polycultures of perennial plants resembling native ecosystems. They are therefore self-reliant in terms of water, fertility, and fuel. As opposed to conventional agriculture, Restoration Agriculture actually builds soils, sequesters atmospheric carbon, recharges groundwater reserves, and fosters biodiversity. These ecological benefits are a direct result of management for the production of abundant, nutritious, and valuable crops.

Here are some URLs to websites with more information about Mark, Restoration Agriculture, and his book:

• restorationag.org
• www.forestag.com
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb_t-sVVzF0
• www.permies.com/t/20601/books/Restoration-Agriculture-Mark-Shepard

So far, my knowledge on this topic is limited to the session I attended, a podcast I listened to, our discussion with Mark, and some Internet research -- I have not yet read his book.  So why am I so exited about Restoration Agriculture?  Let me try to explain with a comparison between the process of agriculture to the process of carpentry.  Imagine a situation where three people are given a toolbox full of tools, and some basic instruction about how to use each tool.  Now they are expected to be carpenters.  They each have two goals: 1) to build a home, and 2) do not deplete the world around you.  What do they do?  The 1st carpenter cuts down most of the trees in the forest and builds a huge mansion.  He only achieves one goal (he must be from Monsanto).  The 2nd carpenter cuts down a few trees, builds a modest cabin, and then replants more trees.  This guy is a natural carpenter.  He achieves both goals.  The 3rd carpenter, even though he knows how to use the tools, he doesn't know how to actually design and build anything.  So he does nothing, or worse yet, he cuts down the entire forest and builds nothing.  This carpenter failed at both goals.  If that 3rd carpenter had a plan or blueprint showing how to build a house, he might do better.  Now imagine a farmer who has access to land, water, sunlight, seeds, and tools.  Restoration Agriculture is the blueprint.  Mark (and others) is the natural farmer who developed it.  It can help other farmers achieve both goals -- without starving, and without destroying the earth.  Balance.

Rick Grosek

Bear Butte Gardens

Sturgis, SD

http://www.bearbuttegardens.com/  

Rick@BearButteGardens.com

MOSES Organic Farming Conference - part 2

This is my second BLOG posting about the MOSES Organic Farming Conference that Michelle and I attended last week in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  MOSES stands for Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service.  Here is the URL to their main website: www.mosesorganic.org.  In this posting I would like to share my schedule of events and sessions that I attended.  I do this with the perspective that some followers of this BLOG may be curious about what this conference is all about, and may be interested in attending in the future -- which I would highly recommend!

Day 1 - The Drive
La Cross, Wisconsin in a 663 mile drive from Strugis.  Michelle and I drove my Honda Civic for about eleven hours along I-90 to arrive in La Crosse just after dark.  After checking-in at the hotel, we headed downtown.  We discovered a nice sushi restaurant named Sushi Pirate.  The service and the food was great, but the really interesting part was our conversation with the waiter.  He was a friendly Chinese immigrant, probably in his late twenties.  In being polite, he asked us why we were in town.  We mentioned the MOSES Organic Farming Conference and he lit up!  He said that it is his dream to be a Farmer!  He wants to someday own his own small farm and grow Dragon Fruit.  He came back to our table several times and each time had a few more questions about being a farmer.  What a nice guy.

Day 2 - Registration and Conference Opening
During the AM, we took a drive about town.  We had breakfast at a small local restaurant named "Rosie's", stopped in at a couple of music stores, an outdoors outfitter type store, and had lunch at "Cony Dog Island".  For you music enthusiasts, "Dave's Guitar Shop" is INCREDIBLE! Here is the URL: davesguitar.com.

After lunch we went to the convention center and checked-in at the conference (which took about two minutes).  We then watched a film titled Queen of the Sun about bees.  It was good.  Here is the URL: www.queenofthesun.com.  After that we briefly checked-out the Exhibit Hall, which was packed with vendors in a room similar in size to the main concert arena at the Rapid City Civic Center.  The main event of the day was the conference opening keynote and "Farmer of the Year" presentation.  This year's recipient is Charlie Johnson of Madison, SD. Who knew it would be a guy from SD?  We ended the evening by attending a Poetry Slam -- with farmer poets!  Nice!

Day 3 - Sessions
This day started with continental breakfast at the conference.  At breakfast, we met Atina Diffley.  During conversation, we discovered that Atina is the author of the book "Turn Here Sweet Corn" (which we purchased and she signed), a session presenter, and a keynote speaker.  Here is a URL with more info about Atina: atinadiffley.com.

The educational sessions were the main events for this day, and the next.  My 1st session was "Weed Control Equipment for the Vegetable Farmer".  This session mainly covered physical/mechanical cultivation tools -- everything from hand hoes to recommendations on good deals for old tractors and cultivation equipment.  Now I want to go buy an old Allis Chalmers G and convert it into a solar powered, electric drive tractor!  :o)

The keynote speech this day was titled "What We Learned Making GMO OMG".  I spoke of this keynote in my previous BLOG post.  This looks like a great film!  The URL is: www.gmofilm.com.

This day offered an organic lunch at the conference.  Yum, yum.  At lunch we met Frank James and his wife.  Frank is the Staff Director at Dakota Rural Action.  Great conversation!  Here is the URL for DRA: dakotarural.org. After lunch we hit the conference book store, which had hundreds of titles covering all aspects of organic vegetables, livestock, poultry, water/land management, recipes, AG politics, AG philosophy, health, and more.

My 2nd session was "Restoration Agriculture - An Introduction to Farm-Scale Permaculture", presented by Mark Sheppard.  This was my favorite session of all!  I came out of this session with all kinds of new ideas that I want to try at Bear Butte Gardens!  Mark got a roar of applause from the audience several times during the session, and a standing ovation at the end of the session.  Wow.  Just, wow.

My 3rd session was "Composting Organically for Small to Mid-sized Farms".  This again was a very good session.  I took pages and pages of notes.  After that, we hit the exhibit hall again.

For our evening meal, Michelle and I left the convention center and found a very nice restaurant named "Piggies".  The food was fabulous!  And, they had a great four-piece blues band.  Later in the evening, we went to the "New Young Farmers' Shindig" social event in downtown La Crosse.  Here we got another opportunity to chat with Frank James, his wife, and some of his staff from Dakota Rural Action.  Fun! Fun! Fun!

Day 4 - More Sessions
Again we had an organic breakfast and lunch at the conference.  My 1st session on this day was "Time and Labor Saving Equipment for the Vegetable Farmer".  This session was full of ideas for building and using small devices, carts, tools, tractor implements, and many ideas about working safely and efficiently.  At the conclusion of this session, I decided I need to get a welder and learn how to weld.  Anyone know of any good deals on a used welder?

At lunch, Michelle and I had so much to talk to each other about, we could hardly contain ourselves!  After lunch, we attended a short panel discussion about Farm-to-School food programs, policies, news, methods, and success stories.  We also hit the exhibit hall again.

My 2nd session this day was "Farming's New Future: Thriving in the Face of climate Change".  This session was hosted by a panel of national experts in the field of weather and climate change.  Very, very interesting... and enlightening... and a bit scary!

My 3rd session of the day was "Living with Parasites: Building Healthy Ruminant Livestock".  We don't have our own cattle at Bear Butte Gardens yet, but I learned a lot about how to build an entire livestock system that is organic.  In Sturgis, a fella can get a lot of advise about livestock -- but little of it pertains to organic livestock.  This session covered everything from grazing, feeding, watering, fencing, breeding, weening, common ailments, and how to doctor a sick organic cow.  Very good info for someday soon.

After that session, we had our evening meal at the Health Food Coop Store in La Crosse.  Good stuff!

Then we headed back home to Sturgis.

Conclusion
The conference was very well organized.  It was easy to find your way around -- lots of signs and maps.  Parking was easy enough - and we never had to pay for parking.  The overall mood was light, cheerful, and friendly.  All of the session presenters were very good.  There were many sessions to choose from.  The schedule flowed nicely.  And, the conference food was great!

One more thing that impressed me about this conference was the number of "young" people in attendance.  I recently heard that the average age of the the American farmer is 55.  There are many challenges in the AG industry to get new, younger people interested in farming.  It is very difficult to "break-into" this business -- high cost of purchasing land, high cost of equipment, high inheritance tax, lack of a "sexy" image, and all the hard work, just to mention a few.  This conference showed me another side of the issue -- a lot of young people (twenty-somethings) who are interested!  Many of these challenges are being addressed and are changing for the better.  This is GREAT!

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this entire conference!  I highly recommend it!

Rick Grosek
Bear Butte Gardens
Sturgis, SD
www.bearbuttegardens.com
Rick@BearButteGardens.com

MOSES Organic Farming Conference - part 1

Michelle and I attended the MOSES Organic Farming Conference last week in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  In general, I'm usually not all that enthusiastic about attending conferences.  But this one was really good.  MOSES stands for Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service.  Here is the URL to their main website: www.mosesorganic.org.  I could go on and on about all the great information I learned at the conference, or about all the wonderful people that I met, or about the many new concepts that I was exposed to, but in this BLOG post I want to expand upon only one concept.  Maybe in future postings I will share more.

The one thing I want to share at this time is actually a quote that was referenced by one of the keynote speakers at the conference.  One of the keynote presentations was titled What We Learned Making GMO OMG by Jeremy Seifert and Joshua Kunau.  The duo recently made a documentary movie titled GMO OMG that will be released later this year.  During the presentation, the audience got to see a sneak peak at some scenes from the new movie.  I'm really excited to see the entire movie when it does get released!  The URL for this film is: www.gmofilm.com.  Anyhow, at one point during the keynote presentation, Jeremy explained one of his personal motivations for making the movie -- a quote from Wendell Berry's book The Unsettling of America.  The quote is sometimes referred to as The Exploiter -vs- Nurturer.  Here is a URL with more information about Wendell Berry: www.wendellberrybooks.com.

These words from Wendell Berry hit me hard.  I find the Exploiter -vs- Nurturer concept he describes to be deeply profound.  This concept describes many, many internal (and external) conflicts that I've been dealing with when I try to understand who I am, what I stand for, why I do what I do, and what I want to do with the rest of my lifetime.  It's like a light bulb was just turned on for me!

Here is the passage from the beginning of The Unsettling of America (HD1761 .B47):

We can understand a great deal of our history... by thinking of ourselves as divided into conquerors and victims. in order to understand our own time and predicament and the work that is to be done, we would do well to shift the terms and say that we are divided between exploitation and nurture...

Let me outline as briefly as I can what seem to me the characteristics of these opposite kinds of mind. I conceive the strip-miner to be a model exploiter, and as a model nurturer I take the old-fashioned idea or ideal of a farmer. The exploiter is a specialist, an expert; the nurturer is not. The standard of the exploiter is efficiency; the standard of the nurturer is care. The exploiter's goal is money, profit; the nurturer's goal is health --his land's health, his own, his family's, his community's. Whereas the exploiter asks of a piece of land only how much and how quickly it can be made to produce, the nurturer asks a question that is much more complex and difficult: What is its carrying capacity? (That is: How much can be taken from it without diminishing it? What can it produce dependably for an indefinite time?) The exploiter wishes to earn as much as possible by as little work as possible; the nurturer expects, certainly, to have a decent living from his work, but his characteristic wish is to work as well as possible. The competence of the exploiter is in organization; that of the nurturer is in order --a human order, that is, that accommodates itself both to other order and to mystery. The exploiter typically serves an institution or organization; the nurturer serves land, household, community, place. The exploiter thinks in terms of numbers, quantities, "hard facts; the nurturer in terms of character, condition, quality, kind. (pp 7-8)

I think each and every one of us has both the exploiter and nurturer within us.  I ask, which is dominant?  When?  Why? 

I think that much of our society can be boiled down to the blend of exploitation and nurture as well.  Is it in balance?  Think about Republicans, Democrats, Monsanto, McDonald's, the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, artists, vendors, musicians, Uranium mining, XL Pipeline, TV programming, commercials, advertising, school systems, scientists, men, women, children, and on and on.  It seems that much of our society encourages exploitation more than nurture.  Could this be true?  Should this be true?

I generally don't make New Years' resolutions, because in part, I find it difficult to identify a worthy goal that is truly meaningful.  But now I have one.  My resolution is to strive toward a mindset of a Nurturer.  Not only for this year, but more.

Rick Grosek
Bear Butte Gardens
Sturgis, SD
www.bearbuttegardens.com
Rick@BearButteGardens.com

Gearing Up!

It's time!  The first shelves and grow lights are set up.  One shelving unit can hold 8 trays with each tray containing 50 soil blocks.  Some soil blocks have one seedling, some have up to four per block, depending upon the type of seedling.  We will have at least two shelving units set up at peak germination time, perhaps three.  Once seedlings get a couple inches high they are moved out to the starter greenhouse to benefit from the perfect grow light---sunshine!  Once one batch of seedlings is moved out, another batch is started under the grow lights.    

The high tunnel greenhouse is waiting (high tunnel on the left, starter greenhouse on the right).  ----->

Leftover seeds are inventoried.  The new seed orders are nearly complete and ready for online confirmation. 

The soil block ingredients and mixer are lined up in the garage.  

And last, but certainly NOT least, the CSA share payments are rolling in day by day.  

So here's the plan for the next several weeks:

• This week - order and pay for seeds
• This weekend - start making soil blocks, seeding them, and germinating indoor under lights (onions first!)
• Next week - set up watering system and direct seed inside the high tunnel greenhouse
• Early February - seed a few tomatoes and cabbages to be planted into high tunnel early as a trial
• Late February - attend MOSES Organic Conference in Lacrosse, WI and on return hopefully start harvesting baby greens out of high tunnel to sell
• Early March - move early seedlings out to starter greenhouse
• Mid-March - seed cabbages and parsley into soil blocks and obtain seed potatoes

In March things really start moving along quickly.  The starter greenhouse (our permanent structure greenhouse on the right side in the above photo) should be very warm during the days and safe at night for seedlings that are covered.  And it's time to seed pretty much everything else into soil blocks (tomatoes, peppers, herbs, celery, leeks, flowers) so they will be a nice size to transplant out into the outdoor gardens beginning mid May.  Eggplant get seeded just slightly later for an early June planting outdoors.  

This year we are adding another aspect to our seeding and germinating.....we will be germinating a limited number of starter plants to direct sell to customers for their own gardens.  These will, of course, be certified organic starters and will be ready to go out into gardens in mid-May.  Right now we are planning to start early tomatoes, slicer tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, hot peppers, bell peppers, eggplant, herbs, and cabbages to be sold as certified organic nursery stock.  Of course this step requires one more license through the state, but we're hoping it will be worth it for us as well as our customers.  

That's how my calendar is shaping up!  It's been glorious having a couple "down" months to focus on outdoor off-season gardening tasks, household chores, holidays, family, and cooking, but now it's time to get the hamsters running in the wheel and step things up a little.  Yay mid-winter!  

Michelle & Rick

www.BearButteGardens.com

605.490.2919

Michelle@BearButteGardens.com

Rick@BearButteGardens.com