The Value of Discussion in Learning

Some of the great discussions that have popped up in the past couple of weeks have really made me think about why this I started this blog. If you go back a year-and-a-half you will find THIS POST introducing The Beginning Farmer Blog. I said it then and I will reiterate now, the reasons I started this blog were to be a journal of my journey and to hopefully be a source of information for those with the same desire to farm. I have always been a person that gets the most out of something when I can write about it, so in a sense the blog is my opportunity to do that ... and possibly is a bit self-serving :) But, now that we are into it a ways I just have to thank everyone that has gotten involved in the discussion. I feel like I have been able to learn so much and have a better grasp on so many farming related topics because of what everyone has contributed.

I want to say thank you to everyone who has thrown in their two-cents or answered questions. I think reading is great, doing makes you learn, but in many cases you can't beat some good discussion that brings in many points of view. Through the discussion in the comments on different posts I have been pointed to other articles that give me ideas, shown another side of something that I had never considered, and even thought about changing my mind!

So, here is my challenge ... If you aren't even reading the comments on the bottom of the posts, get reading (you can also find new comments in the right column)! Often times there are better thoughts there then in my posts. If you are already commenting, keep it up ... I (err... WE) need the thoughtful insight, jokes, or contrarian point of view. If you have never posted, jump in the fray! Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we don't have anything to add, but I know there are a lot of great minds out there so help us out. And finally, share this blog with other like-minded thinking about, beginning, and practicing farmers. The more minds the better I say!

If you want to see some of the great discussions that have been going on lately check out these links and get involved:

The Joy of Work

How Much Land Do You Need?

Eating Local ... What is Local ... Why Even Try?

Writing for the Epi-log...

Well, I'm two weeks into writing for the epicurious.com "epi-log". It was a pretty cool opportunity that became available to me around a month ago and I decided to grab onto it and see what happens. If you missed my first post let me give you a quick description of the "epi-log". Basically epicurious.com is the online home of Gourmet and Bon Appetit Magazines and the "epi-log" is their blog. Their staff writes for the blog and so do a handful of guest bloggers (mostly chefs, food lovers, and food writers). I fall into the category of "guest bloggers", but not so much because I'm a chef (I do make a mean corn casserole though). They wanted a blogger with a farmers perspective ... kind of me ...

But, the reason I bring this up again (it has only been a little while since I first mentioned it) is because it has been an interesting experience. I have received some interesting comments and feedback on posts ranging from calving to the NAIS from people genuinely interested in understanding more about farming and the farmers who provide the food that they eat. It has been great to see non-farmers thoughts on some of the issues that farmers face and to just share some of the joys of farming.

The more I think about the people who are reading the "epi-log" the more I realize that these are the people that are potentially customers (maybe not mine, but possibly customers of their local farmers). These are people that love good food! They love to prepare it, they love to talk about it, they love to write about it, and they love to eat it (as do I). But, for whatever reason ... maybe because of where they live or where they were born, possibly because there is an agricultural stigma, or even because farmers have become isolated from their customers ... these readers and writers have not had too many opportunities to connect with their food providers.

My hope is that in writing about my joys, concerns, hardships, day-to-day chores, and all that is farming they will be able to find a connection with farmers in their area ... wherever their area is! So, make sure you go and check out the "epi-log". Read through the posts (they have some great thoughts and topics) and make sure to check out the recipe section (if you like to eat good food).

And finally, spread the word (not about the blog, but you can if you want) about the need for a connection between farmers and the people that eat the food the farmers raise and grow!

**The above picture was from the "photo shoot" we did when we were trying to get a picture for my bio. As you can tell from the picture it is very easy to make fun of me from time to time because I do silly things like that! Oh, and in case you are wondering I have gloves on because it is COLD, not because I'm afraid of chickens. I've had about five people comment on that when they saw the picture!**

**You can check out my by looking on the left column of the "epi-log". If you want a direct link to my posts you can always click the red link on the right side of this blog.**

Big News for The Beginning Farmer...

Check out "The Beginning Farmer" on "the epi-log".



I have been holding on to this big news for quite awhile now as I waited for everything to come together... But, since my first post appeared yesterday I thought I would spill the beans and encourage you to check out the newest place to read the rambling posts of me, The Beginning Farmer, and a bunch of chefs ... cookbook writers ... wine affecianados ... and people who just plain love food. Of course the other bloggers posts probably won't be as rambling as mine usually are!

Hopefully this will be another great resource to help connect consumers with the producers. And, if it could be truly successful we would no longer need to call them consumers or producers ... we can just connect the people with their farming neighbors. I'm pretty excited about the possibilities to share with people from across the country and around the world my passion for farming and for sustainable and beautiful agriculture.

So, make sure you check out the main website www.epicurious.com if you are interested in good recipes and other food articles. Surf over to the "epi-log" for food related topics, and of course thoughts from me a few times each week. And, if you want to have a direct link to my posts you can always click on this link in the right column:

Sugar Creek Farm / New Links / Updates

I try to spend a little bit of time each day researching farming, reading about farming, practicing farming (doesn't happen as often as I would like), or planning in my mind and on paper. I that I have come across quite a few neat blogs and websites that are very helpful. One blog that I have been checking out a lot lately is the Sugar Creek Farm Blog. Sugar Creek Farm is located about three hours north of where I live here in Iowa and I have enjoyed reading about their work. They are doing a lot of things that interest me so I have found a lot of good information reading back through their blog. You can check them out by clicking on the link above or by looking at the links section on the right. (The image pictured on the right is their logo)

Another link I have been looking at lately is the Farm Crawl website. The Farm Crawl is an event that I heard about through the PFI. On October, 7th from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm five area farms will be open to the public for tours, questions/answers, and sales. These farms are all within about 15 minutes of our town so I'm looking forward to checking out something very local. You can click on the link above or on the right to get all the details, but I'm really interested in checking out the goat dairy, and the 110 acre farm that is being rebuilt to profitability through great farming practices!

Another blog I check out often is, Northern Farmer. They are located in Minnesota and have a love for farming, faith, and family. I have enjoyed reading many of their posts and I encourage you to check out the link if you find this blog interesting.

**UPDATES**

Just a couple quick updates. First of all I mentioned a few days ago that we were going to pick up some new Dexters to add to our herd. Some of you may be wondering why I have posted pictures of them at their new farm ... well, that is because they haven't made it yet. In order to move livestock from state to state you are supposed to have a certificate of health for the animals and the vet wasn't going to be able to check them out until this coming Friday. Because of this we won't be going down until Saturday, which will be fine because we are going to make it a fun family trip. Look for new pictures of our herd next week. Secondly, I have added a few links and rearranged a bit over on the right side, so check that out.

And, finally ... the main reason that I'm running this blog is for my own benefit. I'm a sort of a visual and thinking learner, so it helps me digest information if I can write it down and check back through it from time to time. Since I was going to be writing it down anyways I decided to put it out there for everyone to check out. As you have noticed it is mostly random thoughts and links to other information that I have found useful. If you enjoy reading this blog feel free to pass it on to others who you think would enjoy reading also!