We hope this finds all of you well and staying healthy amidst these times. While so many questions remain unanswered about the past, present and future, the farm remains focused on our production plan. The past few weeks have seen many successions of beets, turnips, radishes, arugula, lettuce, spring mix and broccoli find their way to the field. The farm remains steady in our mission to grow healthy food that has the capacity to nurture a whole human being. If anything, these times have brought this mission into a more crystalline focus.
In addition to growing field crops, the farm also engages with several projects around the farm that serve to add to the holistic character of ATG. We call these projects "heart enterprises" and the Honeybee is one such enterprise. Two honeybee hives, which began as nuc packages in the spring of 2019, successfully survived the winter and emerged in the spring of 2020 with determination and optimism. One of those hives produced a swarm last week! Swarms are the Bee's way of naturally reproducing. The hive who swarmed decided to grow a new queen, allowing the old queen, along with approximately 8,000-10,000 workers and a hand full of drones to leave their original home in search of a new abode. Thankfully, the swarm landed on a river birch tree just behind the existing hive bodies. M Mueller, self described as the "old man about the place," lifted the bees from the trunk of the birch and gently placed them into a box, where they would congregate for the evening. The next day, M shook the bees onto a sheet in front of a top bar hive and we all watched in awe as they marched into their new hive body.
The story of the Bee is complicated; she's been brutalized by mono-crops and chemical farming, but when she is cared for and respected, she offers lessons of deep love, rebirth and hope. There are still so many mysteries of the Bee. Humans don't have all of the answers as to why she perishes and why she thrives, but when she gives birth, like she did on the farm last week, she reminds us of the resiliency of nature and the love that comes from selfless cooperation.
In other news, our farm stand is open for pre-orders for pick up at either the farmer’s market or the farm stand on Saturday, April 18th. Sign up for the farm stand here: