wonderful time! Last time we went we didn't have a farm, but this year we do. That made us look at things differently. This year the fair was cold and windy. The first day the wind was brutally cold with wind chills in the low twenties and teens. The second day the wind wasn't so bad and it warmed up during the day. The fair has many outdoor tents with no sides, so that meant a miserable first day, so we bundled up, not to be deterred.First, we went to "Making a living on 1.5 acres." It was a program by Jean-Martin Fortier. We have his book "The Market Gardener." While he lives in a very different climate than us, some of his systems still apply. His farm is located in Saint-Armand, in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, Canada. Our farm is in the North Georgia Mountains. He gave us very good hints about planning the farm. He didn't use large and expensive tractors. and since we don't
have the funds to buy a large and expensive tractor that was wonderful news.The family split up Grand, Summer, and I went to one thing and Mama, Daddy, and Matie went to another thing. I don't have pictures of what Mama, Daddy, and Matie went to but I do have pictures of what we went to. Once the other group left. Grand, Summer, and I decided the Summer and I would go to one program and Grand would go to another. Grand went to "Extending the Season at Both Ends" by Eliot Coleman. Summer and I went to "You're Kidding Me: The kid-run farm and homestead" by John Moody. Since us kids are secretly planning to take over the farm, we thought this would be beneficial to the cause. John talked about how you need "kid-sized" infrastructure and how you shouldn't reward your kids with more work. We kids think we should be rewarded with cash, but our parents disagree.
On Sunday, We went to "Soil Sisters: A toolkit for women farmers" by Lisa Kivirist. She talked about how more women are going into farming and how they could make a living farming. How important connections are among women farmers. We also liked her "PowerPoint." Instead of making it on the computer, she cut out old-fashioned paper dolls and hung them on a clothesline. It was very interesting hearing her because, our farm is run by my grandmother, my mother, and my sometimes bossy sister. We guys are just the farm-hands.
The last program we went to was "Just Add Water: Tips for adding ducks to your backyard chicken flock" by Lisa Steele. Since we now have 8 Indian runner ducks, we thought we should attend this program. This was the only program the whole family attends. We are all very excited about raising ducks. I found the program very interesting and informative. I found out that duck eggs help cakes and other baked goods rise better. I also learned that that unlike chickens, ducks really enjoy a new member of their flock. They also make a big mess with their pool. They also lay longer than chickens. We really enjoyed meeting Lisa Steele. My Mother also got one of her books , Duck Eggs Daily. Miss Lisa was nice enough to sign my mother's book. She also was nice enough to try to identify my little brother's mystery chick. we are really looking forward to new experiences with our ducks. Thank You, Miss Lisa.
Except for the cold, it was a great weekend. We learned a lot, and heard many good ideas. And the presenters are always friendly and willing to answer questions.
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