nature
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Under The Canopy
This week I was able to get away from farming for two days and went camping in Nopiming Provincial Park. The heat had finally arrived and after going non-stop since the end of April, with the cool season we’ve had the heat hit hard and fast. There’s no point to getting heat exhaustion this early Continue reading
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Learn By Doing
It’s been two weeks, and our beekeeping mentor couldn’t make it. So, into the hive solo we go! My favourite (and preferred) way of learning is to just do it yourself. Go for it. Get in there. How else are you going to know? Books are great, YouTube is great. But there comes a point Continue reading
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The Beauty of Flight
Something that consistently blows my mind about the natural world is flight. There are no pilots, no training programs, no fossil fuels, yet capable of feats and actions that no amount of engineering can solve. One of the things I love most about nature is that the human equivalent for what nature already designed always Continue reading
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Build It And They Will Come
I’m so excited! It took less than 24 hours since the Tree Swallows first returned and I put up the nest boxes. There have been several pairs flying around the field and checking out each box. It’s really a very satisfying feeling to plan to provide a home for a specific thing, build what will Continue reading
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Tree Swallows and Anticipation
Lots going on and it’s a very busy time of year for us, in addition to seeding we have tens of thousands of transplants to go out. It’s a big three- week push and it gets our whole season underway. If that wasn’t enough for us we also have two major infrastructure projects on the Continue reading
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Farming Requires Empathy
An errand for some supplies. The product we usually get was sold out, or awaiting delivery. We were offered a similar product as a replacement. Upon closer inspection, this “similar product” included some odd trademarked “additives,” which were of mysterious patented origins. The package also included this very helpful note: WEAR GLOVES WHILE HANDLING THIS Continue reading
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Wetlands are Critical Agricultural Infrastructure
Like many other types of ecosystems, wetlands have had more-than-significant destruction and elimination over the past century. Where I live there was once a place called St Andrews Bog which covered some 116, 000 acres. It was nearly all drained, leaving only a small section of the south portion of Lake Winnipeg and, later, a Continue reading
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Spring, Nature’s Best Teacher
There’s a whole world out there. If we’re willing, patient, and we listen, we might learn something. It might be the sound of birds signing, or the smell of leaves on a forest floor. Moss growing on the shaded side of a tree. A flower poking out from a sea of grass. Everywhere we can Continue reading
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Garden Planning
We spend all winter here at the farm planning our season, thinking about what worked well last year, what we should change, and new things to explore that might benefit us. We also think a lot about things we can plant or grow that are not crops, but have ecological benefits, be it providing a Continue reading
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Seeds
One aspect of plants is above and beyond, even magical: the seed. The seed is promise, potential, hope and patience, all engineered into a tiny package able to withstand adverse conditions and wait them all out for the chance to start new life. Seeds come pre-packaged with everything the embryo requires to begin: protection, energy Continue reading
About Graham
Graham is an ecologist-farmer from Canada working on educating about the wonders and beauty of the natural world, and how we can design biodiverse food production systems.
Complimentary Blueberry Juice 