Prairie Crossing Barn Movie Night

This Friday, 7:30 March 26^th at the Byron Colby Barn, we'll show the critically acclaimed film, THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN. For close to a century, a great American epic has been played out in the tiny town of Caledonia, Illinois, about 75 miles west of Chicago. THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN tells the story of one man, his farm and his family—a story that parallels the history of American farming. But Farmer John is no laconic, Grant Wood-type with a scowl and a pitchfork. Equal parts performance artist, writer and farmer, John Peterson has been known to switch out of his overalls into leopard latex or a purple-feathered boa.

After almost losing the farm in the 80’s John turned his enterprise into an organic operation, naming the farm Angelic Organics. He was soon invited to become a community supported agriculture (CSA) farmer: “I realized that my whole life had been about community—enabling people, bringing them to the farm, working and playing together, sharing the farm experience.” The story of Angelic Organics’ success as a CSA farm over the last 15 years is the final delight of THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN.

Better than Popcorn!!!! Beginning this week, we will have Organic Farm Fresh eggs from the Learning Farm to sell at the movie.

Why Choose Organic

Well there has been a lot of debate of why someone should choose organic over conventional produce. Many people talk about the nutrition benefits or lack thereof in organic produce when compared to that of conventional. Now this is a hard thing to measure scientifically, since to do it adequately one would have to change only one variable. Variations in soil, irrigation methods, climate, and many other factors change the outcome. However, for me its not as much about nutrition as a lifestyle choice. I want the decisions I make to have the smallest impact I can make. So when I choose organic produce at the store it is an environmental choice more than a health choice. I do not buy much food at the grocery store. In fact one of the house rules is to buy produce that is in season and as locally as you possibly can. For this past winter Naomi and I have used produce that we froze or canned last year. We are beginning to run out of some and still going strong on others.

Article about the Choice

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2010/03/is-organic-better-making-sense-of-organic-choices.html

Local Means Knowing Seasonality

Many of my students do not seem to have a full grasp on what crops can grow here in Chicago and when they are fresh. I have many students that believe that the bananas that they buy at the store in December were grown just down the road. This year and next year I am beginning to develop a Unit that will address some of these concerns. But for everyone who is not in my classroom and for those students who read this here is a helpful guide produced by the City of Chicago.

Yellow Tail

Every morning on my way to work I pass by the Lake County Farm Bureau, which has displayed the add "Don't Buy Yellow Tail Wine!" Now I haven't bought any Yellow Tail wine, but to be honest I really haven't ever bought any wine from this company in a very long time. However, just this week I was wondering what has Yellow Tail done to basically raise the hackles of the Farm Bureau. Is it because it is in Australia and there are many more US wineries that are deserving of our money, or maybe its because they practice unfair labor laws or grow their grapes in third world countries effectively skirting the law.

Well the reason behind this major boycott is; they gave $100,000 to the Humane Society of the United States to help with spaying and neutering programs. This is the dastardly act that has brought about the ire of the Farm Bureau. The Farm Bureau states that the Humane Society is part of a group of lobbyists how create unwieldy animal welfare laws that hurts livestock farmers. I can understand this to a point and I am wondering how Nick Janovski, my meat CSA farmer, feels about this donation. Is he upset by it and will this ruin his buisness?

But in the end, I am a bit skeptical about this protest, since I know that CAFO's and the Farm Bureau are very, very friendly. Quite frankly, I am cynical of the Farm Bureau; who walks hand in hand with large corporations that help to destroy small family farms and our environment.

So even though I haven't bought Yellow Tail wine in quite some time, maybe the next time I am at the store I might just buy a bottle or two and do a little toast to Bob Barker.

Building a Seed Germination Rack

Well its been some time since I last blogged, but Spring is here (kind of) so its gardening time. Since the last time I blogged I have won a gardening grant for my classroom from Welch's and the National Gardening Association. I also built a seed germination rack last Saturday.

The seed rack was my solution to what has been for the last two years is a makeshift paint can/ shop light system. I wanted to update the system and make it possible to start more seedlings without taking up the entire floor of the guest bedroom.

I found a couple of prototypes from green roof growers and tiny farm blog and then adapted them to meet my needs and design aesthetics.

Materials

Drill (assorted drill bits and tools)

wood screws

3/8" carriage bolts washers and nuts

(6) 2x4's 8 foot long

3 sheets of plywood 2' x 4'

Cross braces

6 shop lights

12 plant lights

Jack chain

and S hooks

1. start by cutting 4 6 foot long 2x4's

2. take the 2 foot 2x4's and lay them on the ground with two of your 6 foot boards like so:

3. Repeat step two

4. add the four foot boards by first measuring out where you want the shelves and mark it. I made my shelves at 24" and 48".

5. Lay the four foot sections and clamp them like so

Then drill the holes for the four carriage bolts

6. Count sink each hole with a 1/2" counter sink (Note: counter sink the 6 foot board and the four foot board should go inside the rectangle. In picture it is opposite because I don't always do things the easy way the first time around)

7. Attach all four foot 2x4's to the inside of the rectangle.

8. screw on the plywood sheets to each level including one to be a top

Optional Steps if you want to keep pets out of the plants especially cats

9.. Place rack on side and then roll out 30" by 84" screen onto side. It is good to have a second person to help with this step, so the screen stays taut. Use a staple gun to attach the screen to the side of the rack. Then do the other side in the same fashion.

10. Attach the cross braces to give the rack more support. Four sided objects tend to shift from side to side. Cross braces stop this shifting motion by creating a more sound shape the triangle.

11 (Optional Screen step) Attack a front screen that is 48" x 84" to the top plywood sheet with the staple gun and then attach adhesive Velcro to posts and the screen to have a secure fit.

12. Install shop lights with eye hooks (I spaced them out at about 10" and 13" onto the plywood sheets and also the 2 foot 2x4 for the top rack only), Then use the jack chain and the s hooks to affix the shop lights

After you have installed all six lights to the three shelves you are basically done with construction. However I do have some helpful tips and suggestions.

Suggestion/tip: Pre-drill all holes it will make putting screws and eye hooks in much easier.

Suggestion/tip: If it is going in the basement (like mine) then purchase heating mats for the seed trays or germination may never actually begin.

Suggestion/tip: When doing this kind of project take your time never get in too much a hurry that you don't think two steps ahead of where you are at.

Hoop Houses and Winter Gardenting at the White House

Local Foods Movie Series at the Byron Colby Barn Continues

Last November Mike Sands showed the movie Fresh! and the event was a big success for all who came. Well this event is continuing for at least two additional nights. This Friday, January 15, is the film HOMEGROWN and Feburary 24th is the acclaimed film King Corn and the short sequel Big River.

The Byron Colby Barn is located at 1561 Jones Point Road in Grayslake IL.

All movies are FREE!

On Friday, 7:30 January 15th, we'll show a 52 minute video by Robert McFalls entitled HOMEGROWN. HOMEGROWN follows the Dervaes family who run a small organic farm in the heart of urban Pasadena, California. While "living off the grid", they harvest over 6,000 pounds of produce on less than a quarter of an acre, make their own bio diesel, power their computers with the help of solar panels, and maintain a website that gets 4,000 hits a day. The film is an intimate human portrait of what it's like to live like "Little House on the Prairie" in the 21st Century. HOMEGROWN is ultimately a family story. It's about what lead them to where they are today, what changed them and what keeps them together. Perhaps by learning of their journey to a sustainable life style, we might be inspired to take our own first steps. To see a trailer go to www.homegrown-film.com/trailer.html

On Wednesday, 7:30 February 24th, we'll show the acclaimed KING CORN followed by their short sequel BIG RIVER. KING CORN is a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation. In KING CORN, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from college on the east coast, move to the heartland to learn where their food comes from. With the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, and powerful herbicides, they plant and grow a bumper crop of America’s most-productive, most-subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat—and how we farm.BIG RIVER picks up where the 2006 film KING CORN left off - in the banks of the Mississippi River. Where KING CORN was a light-hearted look at our industrial food system through the lens of two wide-eyed Yale graduates (Curt Ellis and his partner-in-crime Ian Cheney) cultivating a single acre of corn in Iowa, BIG RIVER is a harsh reality check, examining the impact industrial farming has on the Mississippi River. For trailers go to www.kingcorn.net and www.bigriverfilm.com

There will be discussion leaders and door prizes at both events.

Please pass on this information to any colleague or you think would be interested or onto your own blog. The screenings are free and open to all!