Where do we go from here?

There is never a dull moment on the homestead.

Even in the winter, we chop wood, devise ways to keep our animals warm and watered, move snow, haul hay and most importantly for places like the Holding Post, we plan.

With the experiments we've had so far with this blog, this expression of what drives us and where we want to go, we've discovered an inkling of a voice. It's a voice that draws from the traditions of generations before us. From the Homestead Act of 1867 to the ever changing farms bills that pump life into our countries agriculture and flow like blood from the heart, we are looking to the future.

Our voice comes from being a multicultural and bilingual family. It comes from traditions that we've learned and pass down to our children to tell them where they come from. Our voice comes from the feeling that our unique micro climate, giving harbor to the birds and bees, should be added upon. We know our voice will be in tune with others as we build a business, spread our tiny hummingbird wings, and take flight.

The hummingbirds are far South in their warm winter perches while the doves search the apple trees for unplucked fruit and owls hunt in the dark and snow. I am tucked in a chair in front of a fire after a long days work in the cold, perusing seed catalogs and planning what is to come.

In the next year we will support the biodiversity of our farm by placing beehives to make sure our squash get pollinated. We'll be planting ARP rosemary, the only type that can withstand the cold here, and planting honeysuckle so that our farm will thrive under the careful tending of multiple pollinators with plenty of nectar to drink. 

As the first order of business for our tiny farm we'll be setting up a small greenhouse to grow vegetable seedlings for spring sales. We're taking advantage of the winter to make soaps and hand salves to tend to the weary hands of other farmers who might tend toward simple unadulterated remedies. Lastly we're giving our tiny shop on the highway a face lift, planting shrubs and flowers and landscaping to welcome anyone who passes. To give them a visual inkling of our rich history and values.

Through all of this, we'll be taking full advantage of the resources available through the Extension services both on the inter webs and in a yearly urban and small farms conferences in Utah and across the country. This dream has been long in the making and we hope that we're in time to catch the train that has been driving through the country full steam with support for living healthier lives, in tune with a greater picture of our world.

My goals for this blog, The Holding Post, are to use it as a place to let my inspirations take root. I've gained some experience in providing substance to support my words and give a credible face to who we are. I'll be sharing here what we are doing and what we learn along the way.

Resource:

Farm Bill 101. May 22, 2018. https://www.farmaid.org/issues/farm-policy/farm-bill-101/. Accessed December 2, 2018.

Beauraeu of Land Management. Patent Document, David Candland. https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/default.aspx?accession=UT0070__.410&docClass=STA&sid=3alomx3t.axl#patentDetailsTabIndex=1. Accessed December 8, 2018.

Ruud, Shelby. USU Extension Sponsors Urban Small Farms Conference. USU Extension. Published January 19, 2018. https://extension.usu.edu/news_sections/agriculture_and_natural_resources/small-farms-conference-2018. Accessed December 9, 2018.

http://www.wasatchaudubon.org/utah_checklist.htm

My Tiny Farm and the Farm Bill

At the Holding Post, we share a dream with farmers across the nation in providing healthy fresh food with an eye to conservation. Farm Bills have been around since the era of the depression, in 1933. The United States Government recognized that without a little boost, millions of destitute citizens would continue in squalor and the fate of our country would be just as desperate and poor. 

About every 5 years since then, a new farm bill has been put to the voices of the people through their elected officials with diverse parts of our one economy in mind. Funding for areas of agriculture and everything it touches are weighed and discussed for their ability to boost individuals and farms who would in turn boost the economy and ecology that keeps our country afloat, healthy, strong, and well fed.

Our farm, though in it's infancy and tiny in size, is not without a big vision for our future. We sit on a spot that is unique in it's geography, with a strong history of providence. It holds within it's wire and post borders a great abundancy of possibilities. We want to feed ourselves and feed our community with the richness that the soil of Chester has to offer. Once considered the bread basket of Sanpete, we believe that we have something to offer that will inspire goodness and wholesome eating and foster goodness for our country for generations more.

We appreciate our great nation's commitment to healthy eco-systems in promoting diversity in agriculture. The farm bill passed into law in 1985 contained a strong element of conservation and we seek in our farm to represent a healthy farm, not just in growing the most tasty vegetables, but also in creating a place of life.

Our tiny ecosystem, with flowing natural waters, native berries, thriving fruit trees and soon to come beehives, is also a haven for hummingbirds. In the years to come we hope to create an environment that will allow these alternative pollinators to thrive in the hills and valleys of Sanpete.

The Migratory Bird Treaty act, first enacted in 1916, works in unison with Mexico and Canada to protect migratory birds like the hummingbirds that visit us in the warm months, and the bats that eat thousands of insects on our farm every night until they migrate South.

We're proud of where we are and of where we want to go and hope you'll come share in the journey with us as we delve into our dreams for our Holding Post.

References:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. August 20, 2018. https://www.fws.gov/birds/policies-and-regulations/laws-legislations/migratory-bird-treaty-act.php. Accessed December 2, 2018.

Farm Bill 101. May 22, 2018. https://www.farmaid.org/issues/farm-policy/farm-bill-101/. Accessed December 2, 2018.

Colibri

Trochilidae is the name he's given in Latin. Colibri is one name in Spanish, picaflor another. In Navajo, the bird is called Da-hi-tu-hi and his name means "he who brings life". Many Native American tribes consider the hummingbird to be a healer. All throughout North, Central and South America each region has it's own name for this mythical bird that means many things to many people.

Like the land, he is one bird, the quintessential American bird. If the bald eagle is the bird for The United States, The hummingbird is the bird for the whole American continent. Found no where other than here, "inhabiting from the lakes of Alaska down to Tierra del Fuego", the Southern most city in the world in Argentina.(Monroy 2018) Between each of the borders that are drawn on a map this bird roams freely, migrates and inspires. 

In Argentina Gaucho singers called Payadores, armed with their guitars, sing their history around campfires and in bars. In the case of "Me dicen el Picaflor" or "They call me a Hummingbird", the well known song, still taunted by my mother in law, gives a warning to young girls to beware of hummingbirds. In it lives the  Argentine tradition of doublespeak. The lyrics speak not of a man being called a bird, but of being a dangerous womanizing predator:

"They call me a hummingbird, because I go from branch to branch

Looking for a lost love, from the night until the morning.

And I am forgotten as I sing my fame"

In another American Folklore tradition from the ancient Mayans It is named for the sound it makes as it wizzes by your ear. "x ts'unu'um" The legend maintains the sacredness of these birds as one of the gods most special creatures.

"The gods created all things on the earth. And in doing so, every animal, every tree, every rock, they gave a job. But when they had finished, they realized that there was no one charged with taking their wishes and thoughts from one place to another.

As now they had not neither mud nor corn to make another animal, they took a stone of jade and with her carved a small arrow. When she was ready, they breathed on her and the small arrow went flying. Now she was not a simple arrow, now she had life, the gods had created x tsu'unu'um" (Cordova) 

It is said by others "If one day you see a Hummingbird, it is because someone is thinking of you and there is a reason why a hummingbird crossed your path".

My Argentine husband always insists that the Americas are one continent. No matter that here, an American is someone from the United States, America is a continent with one range of mountains and tectonic plates that span from Canada to Patagonia and beyond. He is American. Our Mexican Neighbors are American. We share this bird, this land and the traditions that come with it. 

As I think on these things and begin to create our farm and life, a sanctuary for the feathered arrows who tantalize the air around them, I begin to give meaning to them. I didn't call them but they were here. Now when I watch them hover outside my window I'll know that someone is thinking of me. I have stories to pass on to my kids as we sing around a fire and teach them of their heritage as we make this Holding Post our sanctuary. 

Citations:

Blue Panther. Gift to the Hummingbird. Manataka America Indian Council. www.manataka.org/page1088.html accessed November 6, 2018.

Cordova, Rafael. La Leyanda del colibri. Leyenda Maya. Como en el tianguis. www.rafflesc.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/la-leyenda-maya-del-colibri/. Accessed November 6, 2018.

La Yunta. Me Dicen El Picaflor / El Corajudo / Nostalgias Tucumanas / Al Jardín de la República. El Teatro Mercedes Sosa de Tucumán (Mayo, 2016). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDHOClj8VIA Accessed November 6, 2018.

Monroy, Alonso. La Leyenda del colibri. Camino Ligero. www.excelsior.com.mx/blog/camino-ligero/la-leyenda-del-colibri/1243253. Accessed November 6, 2018.

Man Power

Today I'm here to write about man power. What is the man power that has brought us to this point where I'm looking at hummingbirds as pollinators in my garden? I hope someday to have lots of hummingbirds pollinating my garden but manpower doesn't start with the birds, that's for sure.

The first people in this equation are the people who used fertilizer on their plants. They found, probably through a process of years of trying and failing, that giving soil more nutrients would grow bigger plants fruits, than not doing it. Over time many stopped doing other things that were done for generations to keep soil healthy and alive. Putting manure into their soil, rotating what plants they planted where, overwintering with organic material that would give more life to their soil, simultaneously supplying nutrients.

Later they started looking for other easy fixes. They had weeds... Insect infestations... Plants seemed to beckon more and more diseases. They bought special powders and pellets and sprays to stop the insects, which introduce us to the second set of hands in our scheme of man power. Chemical researchers, the companies that pay them, and every person in the chain of merchandise, patenting, marketing, selling the pellets, powders and sprays to kill the weeds and get rid of the pests.

For a while this worked.

Over time, the powders, pellets and sprays accumulated in the soil and the insects started to develop defenses to them, as did the weedy plants and diseases. So new powders, pellets and sprays, stronger ones, were developed by new researchers to think more creatively about ways around natural defenses. Different classes of powders, pellets and sprays were developed. A flavor for each threat to the garden and grass, for each crevice of the home where insects were uninvited.

One of these flavors are called neonicotinoids. You've probably heard this word before. As it is used in infamous ways to describe a tragedy happening to the food supply. Enter in another force in our chain of man power. Every person, including bloggers, special interest groups, chemical companies, hippies, antiwar protesters and ecologists, who have written and influenced information regarding the chemical management of a life cycle, have contributed to this source of man power. Each different representation of perspective comes with it's own set of values. And unfortunately it's not always clear what the truth is about this source of man power.

It has been suspected for a long time but only in 2013 did we begin to see concrete evidence of negative impacts of this, the most popular class of pesticides. A study was published in European Food Safety Authority earlier in 2018 confirming the belief that Neonicotinoids are responsible for the fast occurring die off of our most prevalent pollinator, honey bees. And finally, the EPA is reviewing whether to ban them and where. Which brings us to today.

The time when we can no longer depend on our crops being pollinated by bees is fast arriving. Many growers and researchers are now looking for more ways to pollinate. Indeed we may find that the most unique source of this tiny manual labor is in scarce supply. Hands can't do what a few hundred pairs of wings might. Neonicotinoids don't only affect honey bees but native bees as well. The biodiversity that maintains our ecosystem may be at risk. New researchers are looking for different insects to pollinate and the man power in this arena has developed into city councils and local government to regulate neonicotinoids in their areas.

Of course, the original man power here exists in each person who enjoys observing nature and wishes our environment to thrive as we know it. Maybe someday hummingbirds will be identified as a great source for pollinating crops, not only for the spectacle of speed and color that calls to nature lovers and birdwatchers. If it does, I'll be ready for them.

References:

Clawson, Beth. Seeking Alternative Pollinators. Michigan State University Extension. June 14, 2012. http://www.canr.msu.edu/news/seeking_alternative_pollinators. Accessed October 29, 2018.

Environmental Protection Agency. Schedule for Review of Neonicotinoid Pesticides. United States Government. 2018. https://www.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/schedule-review-neonicotinoid-pesticides. Accessed October 29, 2018.

King, Anthony. European risk assessment slams Neonicotinoids. Chemistryworld.com. 2018. https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/european-risk-assessment-slams-neonicotinoids-/3008725.article.  Accessed October 29, 2018.

United States Geological Survey. Native Bees are Exposed to Neonicotinoids and Other Pesticides. United States Department of the Interior. June 27, 2018. https://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/2015-11-04-pesticides_bees.html. Accessed October 29, 2018

Seed Savers

My next venture in life, and toward graduating from Utah State University will be to create a small farm store. Landscaping my home to be more ecological and inviting bees and hummngbirds will be a part of that process. The holding post is in essence, an online expression of parts of my vision already, as the name of my store will be el Palenquito, which translated is The Holding Post. I've been considering a long while how I would go about branding my store based on my experiences with marketing and networking combined with what I hope to bring to my community, wanting to make it an experience others would take a risk on.  This is a great place to start because I am a customer of this catalog and I hope to emulate them in some forms.

I Love Heirloom seeds. I've been sourcing my seeds online through small growers and through mail order catalogs almost since I started gardening about 14 years ago. My garden was all in containers on the back patio of my little basement apartment, in Logan. I'm pretty sure my upstairs neighbors thought I had a few screws loose, but where else was I going to garden?

I've grown more and more aware of people reactions to my different projects over the years. Not so much because I care what they think... there will always be haters... But to gauge their perceptions by their reactions for future purposes. In writing, there is always an unseen audience with varying degrees of known and unknown factors. Since I know that my future audience is the unknown public who will drive by my house, I am more aware of the piles of nicely cut wood (or uncut branches strewn across my would-be lawn) because I know that messiness doesn't invite.

Today I'm analyzing The Seed Savers Exchange catalog to better consider how I can present myself to my intended audience. I see myself and my audience. I see people that are looking for more connection to the land. People who want more connection to their food. People who want to work together for something they will all grow with and love.

www.seedsavers.org

Everything about this magazine calls to the common man, the base, the earthly, and especially the covered in dirt. The text is not made ambiguous by using strange or creative characters. It's written in white, with a simple symbol of seeds changing hands next to it.  The imagery is simple and accessible, a hand holding a small bouquet of radishes. The colors are bright and clean. A green background with bright white and red; on the side are a pare of blue jeans on an unspecific wearer. This communicates what is confirmed on the next page. There is something of community in the image and something of patriotism. The red, white and blue held strong by the land and the people who till it.

www.seedsavers.org

On the next page is confirmation of the real audience of this publication. Two dozen gardeners with an iconic red barn in the background, it shows a splash of blue shirted Americans standing among the garden beds communicating too the audience, they are blue collar common-folk. Hard workers. The green and idyllic scenary are not the scenary of mere uncultured farmers. They decorate their gardens with paintings of oversized cows and flowers to attract bees.


Seed Savers is saying something to their costumer base about themselves. They are smart and creative. They are intelligent enough not to accept the norm, but seek an elevated existence. Seed Savers seeds are organic, heirloom, non-gmo and they have a mission: to see seeds change hands. And you are part of that.

Welcome to the Holding Post!

 A place where all the tedium of normal every day life meets the magic that you make of it. We live on this run down old plot of ground that has been lived on by a dozen or so families over the last hundred and forty years. Our goal is to make it ours for the next hundred or so more. We've come across a lot of challenges over the last year and a half, as we've restored most of the home and just started on the land. Some of them more pleasant than others! We've had infestations of snakes, voles, spiders, and most recently bats!. We've had misses and near hits with wasps, skunks and racoons.

But hey! lets not focus on the negative. I am a grower of things and a watcher. We've also had roosts of starlings, morning doves, perching owls and armies of bees in our trees. But to me the most majestic have been the hummingbirds that visit our window. We first started seeing them as we looked out our window in the morning in the spring and summer. They came more and more but each time looked in the reflection in the window, as if to say "Hello!' We hung a humming bird feeder on the porch. They came. One, found the nectar and stayed, watching the bottle, hung dangerously for all to see. Two, the first fending off competition for a food source. More every day until we observed at least half a dozen all at once, buzzing in for a perch being chased away until eventually he gave up the fight and 4 drank at a time, flitting away faster than you could see.

Sadly they may have moved on for the winter with the waves of cold we've had in Chester. When the garden is asleep is the perfect time to plan for spring. As I mull over the garden this winter I'll be planning my gardens and flower plantings. In the very center of the state, Sanpete is a dry county. As a horticulturist, I want to the Holding post to be an example of good landscaping with the reality of natural resources. We have plenty of trees that need pollinating. Apples don't grow without bees and we want to attract as many bees, dragonflies, pollinators and beneficial organisms as possible and we want it to be a haven for hummingbirds because they're the most fun!