Local, Wellesley Island Grown, Certified Organic

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Snowflake and her babies.  Click either picture for a larger view.

What's Happening?

We opened our new 24/7 self-serve greenhouse this month.  And the piglets are growing fast, grazing, rooting, eating, playing, and sleeping Why not visit the farm for a tour of the gardens, the vineyard, and the piglets?

It is not all work and no play on the farm, especially in winter.  We love to cross country ski, skijore, and dogsled with our four dogs: Poco, Gemini, Snowtoes, and Splash.  Our trail system extends across the fields, around the beaver ponds, through the woods, and up the rocky ledges (but only if the snow is deep enough!) It was a great season for skiing, skijoring, and dog sledding, just like an old-fashioned winter.

The early crops are all in now: lettuce, peas, cabbage, onions.  We are growing hundreds of organic vegetable sets, both to plant on our farm, and to sell to you for your own garden.  Come get yours today!  Dani is already picking greens for the CSA.  She is also planting beans, tomatoes, and other warm weather crops as quickly as I can get the ground prepared for her.

The other big project on the farm is the 15 acre pasture project.  We received a grant from the NRCS (Natural Resource Conservation Service) for a15 acre grazing plan.  We have almost one mile of fence to build, along with water troughs, water pipeline, and a couple of crossings.  When it is complete we plan to raise grass-fed organic beef, goats, and pigs.  (The pigs need supplemental grain along with their pasture and are already here.  Click Pastured Pork for more information)  The animals will be raised naturally without hormones or routine antibiotics, on pasture, and allowed to express their own natural behaviors, just like nature intended! 

We are also buying a new (to us) tractor for the farm. It is a 1967 Massey Fergusen 135 with a front end loader and a brush hog.  This has been on our wish list for the past three years.  With the fencing project we can't put it off any longer.  The bucket loader with help move all of the compost, leaves, manure, and other organic matter we need to keep building our soils, and the brush hog will help us to clear the new fence lines for the mile or so of fence we need to build this year.  Later we will buy other implements to help us continue to build the farm and grow natural food for you.  You can help us pay for the tractor by signing up for Pastured Pork at Cross Island Farms or buying more vegetable plants, honey and maple syrup.  We appreciate all of your support and encouragement.

Stay tuned for the latest news.

A view from the dogsled.  In the lead are Splash and Snowtoes, followed by Gemini.  Poco brings up the rear.  Click the picture to enlarge.

Snowflake with her first litter of piglets, one day old! Click picture for a larger image.

Dave builds the irrigation system, using water provided by the beavers! 
Click the photo for a larger image.

Tom plants grape vines in the vineyard.  Click picture to enlarge.