“The thing that makes farming so interesting – and sometimes so heartbreaking – is the unpredictability that is built into natural systems. You really can’t count your chickens before they hatch. As farmers, our impulse is to control as many variables as we can (which is how we end up with CAFOs and GMOs) but the longer I farm the more I think nature is far too chaotic and powerful for our little minds to manage. The best we can do is hold on to her hem, and try not to get squashed when she takes a quick step. On Wednesday, I was building a new sheep pasture with Mark and the girls when the sky turned green and the world got still. We could see lightning in the distance. A bolt hit the hill to our west, and Mark felt the jolt of it in the piece of electric fence he was holding. That’s when we decided to go inside. We watched from the door of the house, and even Miranda was quiet. Wind came first, carrying big drops of rain. Then the rain came in sheets, blurring our view of the swaying elm tree across the driveway. Then the hard sound of hail, bouncing off the greenhouse, off the car, off the roof. As the hail got bigger and harder and fell faster, it felt like what it must feel like to witness an earthquake: thrilled by the force and beauty of the thing, while simultaneously registering the loss…” [Continue reading Kristin Kimball’s farm update.]

There will be a weekly farm walk for members starting on Fridays at 4pm, so you can see how all the different farm systems work, ask questions, and pet cute animals. And don’t forget there will be an Essex Farm Tour June 9th.

Related articles

• A Local’s Look at The Dirty Life (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
• State of the Farm | Kristin Kimball (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
• Hail Storm & Apple Tree (rosslynredux.com)