I am an innovator. I enjoy starting new endeavors, kicking stuff off, hitting a goal, talking vision and proving it can happen. Yes siree, that is my strength.
Tell me something can’t be done (something that is exciting) and I will jump in full force.

This time I am learning patience. It is not easy for me. There is always something going on around here and my lack of experience is what creates the “thing” that goes on around here. Here is an example…we are all about growing perennial grasses year round. The story goes that if they are allowed to grow up to 2 feet or so and have consistent haircuts by the cows (leaving 8 to 12 inches), they will grow back to 2 feet-ish in 2 months….each time they get the haircut and begin to grow the roots grow also. By the dry season the roots can be far enough down, 2 to 3 feet, where they can access water and don’t need rain. Yeah! Green grass all year round. Green grass photosynthesizing carbon back into the ground and feeding cows and chickens!

In our 8th month here, November 2009, it was beginning to rain a bit, here and there. The Perennial grasses would take 3 to 5 years to show up and I was…impatient. What if I just tossed out some Perennial grass seed? Not a lot as it is expensive. Just some, a little. My CFO husband was not all that crazy about the idea and thought the expense was unnecessary. So, I did what any determined, impatient wife does, I waited until he was on a business trip and told one of our employees to pick up the seed for me while she was in town. A few days later I noticed the bag of seed sitting in the barn and took it out to a couple of areas where the cows and chickens had been and tossed it out randomly.

As we all know, while one thing is going on, many other things are going on. We had our pigs in the rock pasture. The pasture with lots of buried rocks. We were planting corn, fava, turnips, wheat and barley in the rock pasture and once it was a good foot high we put the pigs in and they dig up the plants and rocks along with it! Genius. Great way to move out the rocks and fertilize at the same time.

Craig and I were walking over the land (sounds romantic) we came across a corn stalk in the middle of nowhere. Do you see where this is going? The gal I had asked to pick up the seed had forgotten. The seed I threw over the pastures was the seed for the pigs pasture - corn, fava, etc. I suppose I should have known as the bag was open but I was so excited. Don’t be surprised to see various vegetables growing around the farm, outside of the garden.

The good news is that we had a grass expert walk the property and we already have about 15% of native perennials growing where the cows and chickens have been. Mother Nature did not need to be rushed. I apologize profusely to her and realize she has a sense of humor…..so does my husband…

Your Farmer Tara Smith