Contents
PREFACE
Who We Are
Why This Book
INTRODUCTION
Cast of Characters
CHAPTER ONE
Heather Stretch and Northbrook Farm
Why Farm?
Where to Farm
Getting Started
Animal Problems
What to Grow
How to Grow It
Field Layout
Irrigation
Crop Rotation
Fertility
Chickens
Green Manures (or Cover Crops)
Equipment
The Harvest!
How to Sell It
Recordkeeping
Farm Journal
Planting Spreadsheets
Harvest Spreadsheet
Invoice Book
Expense Spreadsheet
Crop-Rotation Records
Inputs Records
Compost Records
Certification
The Business of Farming
Woman, Farmer, Mom
Farming with Kids
Help! (or Farm Labour)
Farming in the Future (or Tips to Avoid Burnout)
CHAPTER TWO
Rachel Fisher and Three Oaks Farm
Apprenticeship in Paradise
My First Market Garden
Redwing Farm
Greenhouse Woes
Bed Layout and Rotation Plan
Mulching and Tilling
The Reign of Slugs
Duck Duties
From Mulching to Tilling
Coping with Exhaustion
Exhausted, and a Baby to Boot
Looking for Chocolate Cake
Water
Overhead Water or Drip Irrigation?
The Lay of the Land
The Four Directions
Deer Fencing
Greenhouse Dream
Designing my Movable Greenhouse
Supporting the Greenhouse during Transport
The Cost
Starting Seeds
The Bottom Line
Setting Financial Goals
The Human Landscape
CHAPTER THREE
Robin Tunnicliffe and Feisty Field
Apprenticing
Starting the Farm
Building the Soil
Developing a Style
Business Skills
The Physical Elements
Choosing your Site
Before Signing a Lease
Site Design
Irrigation
Soil
Weeds
Greenhouses
The Glasshouse
The Recycled Wood Greenhouse
Long John—The Aluminum Kit
Pros and Cons of Greenhouse Growing
Mineral Buildup
Drainage Ditches
Harvesting
First Market Day
Chickens for Meat
Lambs
Certified Organic: Is it for You?
Conclusion
CHAPTER FOUR
Why Organic?
Seed
The Effects of Fertilizers and Pesticides
The Green Revolution and Loss of Traditional Agricultural Practices
Social Costs of the Green Revolution
Corn and the Industrialization of Farming Systems
US Department of Agriculture Policy and its Long-term Implications
Factory Farms
Animal Welfare
Antibiotics
Manure
Farm Workers
Moving Forward
Endnotes for Chapter Four
CHAPTER FIVE
Coming Together as Saanich Organics
Background
Life Choices
How We Came Together
The Box Program
The Commercial Division
The Moss Street Community Market
Long John: The Greenhouse
Hiring Employees
The Finances
Personal Compatibility
CHAPTER SIX
Our Conclusions
RESOURCES
APPENDIX A
Farming Set-Ups
Heather’s Spreadsheets: Planting Data
Heather’s Spreadsheets: Harvesting Data
Heather’s Notes to the Spreadsheets
Robin’s Lease Agreement
Robin’s Crop Value Charts
APPENDIX B
Saanich Organics’ Organization
Saanich Organics: Suppliers and Outlets
Saanich Organics: Internal Structure
Saanich Organics: Sample Newsletter
Saanich Organics: Sample Sales Spreadsheet
Saanich Organics: Sample Weekly Invoice
Saanich Organics: Income Statement from 2008
INDEX
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS