Swarm.

This is swarm season for honey bees. On our farm, we have four hives and I have been watching them and checking the hives for signs that they are in "swarm mode." Yesterday I returned home from working in the vineyard about 1:00 p.m. and noticed more bee activity then normal and started walking towards the bee yard.

 

 

There was a large swarm about two feet off the ground, just yards away from the hives.

 

 

I already had a box prepared for swarms, so all I had to do was cut the limb and shake the bees into the box. All went well. They were still there today, which means that the queen was captured, too.

 

 

The bees are extremely gently when swarming. Standing among 30,000 bees and being able to catch them to keep is a pretty awesome feeling. Now we have five hives on our farm.

-Barry



Surprise!

Obviously one of our hens is a practical joker.

 

Opening day.

Saturday was opening day at our Danville Farmers' Market. Crowds were small, maybe due to the cold temperatures. But overall, we had a good day. Our friends at Shorty's Bakery helped out by taking all of the remaining eggs. They eat them and sell some for us, too. Thanks, Todd and Sandy!

After a day of rest on Sunday, work on Monday was cut short by drenching rain. We're not complaining about the rain, though, because a lot of the county is still in drought conditions. Hoping for sunshine this week as we will do our first chicken processing on Friday!

-Barry

Welcome to our blog!

Our farm is "branching out" with other products this year. Along with our tried and true items like chickens, eggs, and lamb, we are now selling pork and some vegetables. We have raised pork for the last two years, but it was only available as whole hogs, halves, and quarters. This year we will still do that, but we will also be selling individual cuts from the farm and at the Danville Farmers' Market.

 

 

We also set up two high tunnels (see photos at the bottom of our photo gallery) for season extension vegetables. We already have tomatoes planted, along with sweet peppers and summer squash. The warmth of the tunnels gives us a head start on warm season plants. We will also be selling lettuce and mesclun mix. A new year and new ventures...we're excited!

These pictures show a cover crop of Austrian winter peas and oats. We always use cover crops to build the soil. The "new" ground will be tilled for more vegetable beds and the "old" ground is planted with buckwheat for our bees.

 

I'll try to post regularly with updates. The Danville Farmers' Market opens on May 4th! Hope to see you there.

 

-Barry