Field Notes: Slow Tractor Farm

Grain growing on three GFN fields in Florence has been underway since April. The fields were plowed, disc harrowed, and then seeded with 9 acres of malting barley, 9 acres of oats and 17 acres of buckwheat. The East Field is where the buckwheat is growing as a green manure. We may attempt to harvest some buckwheat for seed and/or food.The oats and barley and both looking good. We venture down to the fields at least once a week to look at the growth, color, and weed pressure in the fields. Christian has cultivated the fields with our tine weeder in order to keep the weeds down. So far this organic method of weeding has worked well. We expect to harvest our barley with a combine in 2-3 weeks and the oats shortly there after. Stay tuned to see when straw will be available.