Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

This summer I have had the opportunity to work at a local farm called Paradise Valley Orchard. This has given me a unique opportunity to see exactly how my food is produced.

I helped in the entire process of food production.

First, I prepared soil blocks from coir and a peat mix. After that, I planted 3 seeds of lettuce in each soil block. Then, the soil blocks go under a heat lamp for 3 weeks to germinate the seeds and give them a head start on growth. When the seedlings get about 2 inches tall I moved them to 3x3 pots. Then, those go back under the heat lamp. After growing in the post for about 3 weeks, we start the process of hardening off. This means putting the plants outside to get them used to the temperature of the air and the soil so when it gets planted it doesn't get shocked. Then I transplanted the plants outside. They grew and we watched them to see when they were ready to harvest. After harvesting the heads of lettuce, I washed them, mixed them up and then put them in bags to sell at the farmer's market. Because I helped at the farm, I got to take some home and eat it. It was delicious.

I loved helping at the farm because it meant so much to be able to know exactly where my food was coming from. The food seemed to taste better because I helped with every step of the process. Plus, I knew it was healthy!

Tracing My Farming Roots

My family has been involved in agriculture for a long time. There have even been books written about my family in their small farming community of Burlington, Wyoming. This has set a great example for me in how agriculture affects my life today. My dad and my grandpa are both great examples of how to let agriculture into your life in different ways and they have both used both modern and historical ways of farming and ranching.

My grandpa is a rancher in Burlington, Wyoming. He only has about 100 head of cattle, but this was made possible by crops being developed to grow in less tolerable areas than before. In the 1850’s alfalfa started being grown on the west coast, and that made it so people in Wyoming were able to use those processes to grow it there.

Because of the example that my grandfather had on my dad he knew when he left home that he still wanted to have some connection to the land. So because commercial farms started growing bigger and smaller farms have become more rare, we were able to buy a small plot of land that is good for growing small amounts of food for us, and plenty of food for our horses.

Modern farming differs in many different ways than farming long ago, but the feeling behind it is just the same. Farmers are a breed of people that know how to work hard and how to get things done. Because of modern technology we are able to do that in a bigger setting, but the basic principles of relying on the land and being grateful for what we have will not go away, no matter how big the commercial farms become. I am grateful for the chance we have to look at the past and to appreciate the future.