Our soil can sometimes seem like a strange and mysterious territory. In this afternoon workshop, the NOFA/Mass technical support team offers this workshop - learn how to test your soil for both its biological vigor and its mineral profile.
These are the days we crave. Full sun, full bloom, full baskets. Now that it’s the peak of summer, the days are long and hot, the garden is beginning to reward us with its most precious and beloved fruits, and we begin to see all our hard work paying off, even though we know it will not let up for another few months. The long hours, the constant attention to detail and the myriad projects that fill our notebooks are like the tide, carrying us toward the shore of the fall and winter months. We hope you are taking breaks, staying hydrated and focused on all the wins you are accomplishing along the way.
On August 10-12 we will again welcome the NOFA community back to Hampshire College for a heavy dose of the family we call the organic movement. With over 130 workshop presenters, 70 vendors, our amazing keynote speakers, Rowen White and Eric Holt Gimenez, and 900 of our closest friends, we will celebrate and immerse ourselves in the latest developments of organic agriculture and lifestyle. Our lineup this year is rich and fertile, with expert farmers, teachers, and merrymakers weaving together a weekend on the Hampshire Campus to cap off your summer.
As seems to be the norm around Wild Browse, there is a still a lot to do, however, the bulk of the crops are in the ground, which is a big load off of my mind. Of course, there will be regular succession planting and maintenance of vegetables and cover crops as the weeks progress.
The signs of summer are everywhere; the strawberries have started to ripen, robins and orioles have fledged, and the deer flies have arrived! The last few nights have served up a dazzling display of wonderment as the fireflies weave their magic in the early-summer night sky. Having been enchanted by these creatures since childhood, I realized that I didn’t know much about their life cycle and how they might affect the garden. So, the Internet to the rescue! Turns out that unlike the short-lived adult (2 weeks), the larva lives about a year in the soil. The larva is carnivorous and eats soft-bodied insects like worms, slugs, and other insect larvae.
Thank you to everyone who has continued to answer our calls to action: writing letters, making phone calls, sharing stories and “memes,” and to all of our yearly members who support our policy work and give us strength in numbers. If you’d like to receive more frequent policy updates as well as volunteer requests, feel free to contact marty@nofamass.org.
Please note: this policy update was written on June 15th, with some updates a few days later. Given the end of the state legislative session at the end of July, things will likely have changed by the time this is posted. You can always check our Facebook page for big announcements.
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Upcoming Events
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Organic Certification
We can help with your Organic Certification
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Raw Milk Network
Buy fresh, unpasteurized milk from a local farm.
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Soil Carbon Restoration
Read our Soil Carbon Restoration white paper
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Soil Technical Assistance Program
Help with soil balancing
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Summer Conference
Save the date August 10-12, 2018 Hampshire College