One Farmer Down

Farm News

The moment I got the phone call from Andrew letting me know he was on his way to the emergency room for a broken leg, I knew our 21st farming season was going to look very different.

It has been two weeks since that day and strangely enough, as only Andrew would have it, we seem to be right on track. June is one of the most critical months for farming in the Northwest. If you do not have certain crops in the ground and established like squashes, cucumbers, potatoes, celeriac, you can pretty much kiss them goodbye.

Fields need to be well prepared at this point, disked, fertilized, shaped and basket weeded. Luckily, we can say we are right there, and we are into our third planting of lettuces, brassicas and parsley, beans are planted, carrots and beets are planted and the solar wire fence to protect from the hungry elk is up and running. This is a tremendous amount of work and even with a broken leg, Andrew has orchestrated the farm work through surgery, pain and sadness of realizing he will be on crutches and in a cast for eight weeks. When I asked him what will be the hardest part,he quickly replied “walking the fields for availability and cultivating on the tractor into the late hours of the evening when the light is at its most beautiful spot.”

We are so fortunate to have a crew small, but strong and tough on our 130 acres that have been making it happen everyday. At the top of this list is Ziggy and Randy. They have been doing double tractor work, hucking potatoes to new ground for planting, fixing the multitude of broken parts for the cooler, tractors and greenhouses. Andrew and I send a huge “thank you” to our crew in these last few weeks they have stepped up without hesitation, and we have been communicating on a level that we are so lucky to have.

Our first harvest of kales, cabbages, and collards went off smoothly last week and the cooler days of rain helped establish our plantings and set us into a feeling of we are doing ok! Even with an injured leg, you cannot take the farmer out of his or her element. When you come to visit our fields and when your veggies arrive in the weekly bag, you will know that we are dedicated and strong beyond belief to bring you fresh, organic, grown with love vegetables!

Don’t forget to find us on Instagram (@fullcirclefarms).

– Wendy