Author: EEC Forest Stewardship

What does two weeks of rain followed by a week of warm sun bring? Spring growth! From bulbs to bracken fern, the plants are up and growing at Leafhopper Farm. We’ve stripped back the cloche coverings and sewn seeds in the green house to compel new young sprouts for coming summer bounty. Our pastures are off the hook, and chickens can’t even keep up! Our goats are browsing things down fast, and we’re proud of our diversifying pasture plantings. Grasses are not all a pasture should supply to healthy grazing animals, it must also have medicine plants like plantain and dandelion, there should be legumes like clover, and yarrow too. Take a disc to your pasture every few years, not a plow to till it up, but a disc, which opens the soil to new seed without completely destroying the established plants already in the ground and thriving.

In the small garden patch pictured above, a thick growth of cover crop mix sewn last fall is ready to chop and drop. All that green manure will go back into the soil in a second conditioning, Eventually, this patch will be the location of another hoop house. I’ve been jump starting fertility for the future beds which will grow year-round food for the farm.

To grow year round in most North American climates (with the exception of Hawaii), you need shelter and protection from the cold. Insulated covers like mulch will protect dormant crops, but to grow above ground in freezing temperatures, of course you’ll have to insulate the air. This brings us to green houses, and I’ll admit, I still have a love/hate relationship with the thing. By the first frost, I’ve been hunting and have good meat in the larder, making my connection to high maintenance gardens less obligatory. My cloche is the way to go for winter gardening, along with some cold frames for hardy winter crops like spinach or winter lettuce. The greenhouse has become an overwintering spot for certain more tropical plants that need to avoid frost. However, it could be better utilized with more added systems like rabbits or other compost techniques used to generate heat for an open space.

This year, a lot of our starts are herbs, which should survive through the year with proper protection (like a green house). Or the thoughtful placement of a cloche (I plan on building more). Ideally the plants take care of themselves, but stewarding means having a hand in what and how in the gardens. They are for the farm’s larder, and the closest to the living spaces that is cultivated, outside of house plants. This domestic scene takes a lot of water, weeding, and reseeding to maintain. Unlike the forests, which hardly rely on irrigation to survive. Indeed, the garden quest is a noble one, and the rewards are great, along with the losses, but that’s learning, right?

In the front garden pictured below, established winter crops, which were grown under a cloche, have shot up into towering greens for endless salads. The cloche is being reset in a new bed space above the old one, now in need of refreshing (another load of organic material set into the bank, that’s right, hugaculture).

The entire front garden is build on hugaculture, and it’s always ready for more organic material. This growing season, much of the garden is piled up into new mounds, awaiting new sewing of food crops, many of which will be transplanted from the green house. In the west side of the front garden, a cover crop sewn last fall is also ready for a cutting. This bed is only partially build up, and should be tilled in again by hand to return these plants fully into the soil to benefit planting next fall. This area of the front bed is also getting full sun for the first time this year, thanks to some tree work, and production will go up quite a bit, allowing more diversity of planting too.

The kitchen herb garden is enlarging, and the frost peach tree looks fabulous after a good thinning last winter. Kitchen sage, oregano, chervil, and chives have established for our culinary needs. There’s also a mix of early spring bulbs, which I am regretting a little as a companion plant to the herbs because it has made weeding a little tricky. It’s hard in the fall when everything dies back, to remember what will come back next spring. I’ve got maps drawn of each garden, but things change, and I recommend doing a redraw of your beds every few years.

Cultivated space is a lot of work, especially when you expect a certain amount of return on a crop that is most likely not perennial. This means replanting from scratch every year, how tiring! The garden is a lot of high maintenance, and yes, it can be worth it, but how much space can you really tend in this way? That’s something I’ve written about in past blogs, and will continue to bring up in discussion as this land and my relationship to it evolves. This summer I’ll be cultivating more gardens than ever, only partially planted with annuals. The majority of cultivated space in the gardens this year will go to developing hardy perennial plants which can stead the soil, rejuvenate it’s chemical composition, and ultimately take care of its self!

In a final reflection, gardening and tending a growing space for food is a great feat, it’s also investment in survival. Know your food and where it comes from, what it takes, how much risk there really is for us to keep up such a civilization of consumption. The concept of a victory garden is not only a practice in times of war, but a lifetime commitment to survival, self sufficiency, and a closeness with the earth that cannot be artificially created. Many of us claim we don’t have time. That is the language of a defeatist, and well worth looking at.

If you cannot grow food where you live, in your lifestyle, how can you grow yourself? Do you have pets, children, house plants? There’s some quality cultivation already in your life taking other forms, why not extend it into growing your food? Or, supporting others who do. At least going to the grocery store with a conscious intention to shop as an informed consumer is a great first step. Well, what is informed? Follow the typical questions; WHO- grows the food? WHAT- are you eating? WHERE- does it come from? WHEN- was it harvested? WHY- are you eating this? Question and skepticism are not the same, and being informed is a far cry from being nosy; especially when it comes to our bodies and health.

Guess who just became a new mom at Leafhopper Farm? That’s right! Lucia gave birth to two kittens last night and there’s no doubt who the father is. Muir is lazing on the porch with no clue. Meanwhile, tiny rat like kittens are mewing and nursing in their first full day of activity in this world. Lucia is a little upset about being kept in the bathroom, but she’s getting unlimited canned organic fish in olive oil. Yummy!

These are the first kittens I’ve ever known from birth, and they will be welcome additions to our rodent removal program. This will be Lucia’s only litter, and we’ll be fixing both her and Muir in the next few months. I wanted to let her breed once in a full life cycle experience, also having a few extra awesome mousers is great for the farm. These kittens are so vulnerable, yet destine to grow up into unparalleled predatory powerhouses.

In other news, ducklings!

20 baby Khaki Campbell ducklings arrived from the hatchery early this morning. I lost sleep over how to set up their pen, then got up at 6am and threw it together like a pro. It always amazes me how smoothly habitat construction happens once things are down to the wire. These little birds are a pleasure to sit with, and offer lots of feel good energy as spring moves into full force.

There’s a never ending list of “to do” here, but the baby animals make everything so much more fun! I’ll be learning a lot in the coming weeks as ducklings in substantial numbers settle onto the farm in a good grazing rotation while kittens will eventually open their eyes and turn into wild and woolly balls of fluff. Tune in for future cute pictures and funny videos of the livestock at Leafhopper Farm.

Weiss Creek has a new buffer fence along her head waters off Big Rock Rd. and it’s happening on Leafhopper Farm! With the help of my amazing family, we got the last of this fence line up and stretched in a final two day push. We’ll hope to hang the gates this week, focusing on final tie downs and secure post settings in prep for a walk though with King Conservation District reps this summer.

In the fall, USDA will fund a restoration project to remove blackberry and knot-weed using glyphosates (Round Up) in a “spot treat” method for minimal exposure to the sensitive salmon stream. Don’t ask me how the county justifies using Round Up, but it does prevent continual re-occurrence of the invasive species in only two years. After the initial spot spray (they selectively treat each root base of every invasive established within the buffer zone), and then return to spot check again the following year. By then, native species will be planted throughout the habitat to restore native under story and establish new forest zones along the creek to enhance rain forest stands.

This stream buffer represents Leafhopper Farm’s commitment to habitat restoration and natural resource regeneration. It is very satisfying to see the space cultivating healthy soil and water for future generations. I look forward to the work still yet to come as we establish new native species and design a mushroom log operation which will allow access to monitor and encourage planted spaces within the buffer, while actively maintaining the buffer zone by continuing to prevent the establishment of blackberry or the return of knot weed from upstream.

Since we will no longer be allowed to use goats or other livestock to mediate the area, more direct contact with the landscape on the part of the land stewards will be required. By folding in systems of production, like material harvesting (willow for baskets) and mushroom log cultivation (approved agro-forestry within stream buffer), the engagement with this space will remain strong, if not more connected than ever before. This is how we invest in our land, and work to restore and enhance our habitat. Without weaving ourselves into the natural world through direct engagement, it is difficult to fully comprehend, or care about the place we live.

Leafhopper Farm will continue to demonstrate good stewardship practices in the foothills of The Cascade Mountains in Western Washington. The farm will also continue to offer tours and consultation regarding stream buffer, habitat restoration, and food production systems in our temperate rain forest environment. The farm offers a physically implemented and federally recognized buffer instillation in site as part of our demonstration practices. Please contact us- info@leafhopperfarm.com to plan a farm visit, or for stream buffer consultation and planning with land steward Liz Crain of Leafhopper Farm.

It’s the first time Leafhopper Farm has had a “gang” of kids running together in the larger herd. They are most often together exploring, grazing, or laying in a big pile. There is a lot more behavior to watch with this more complex herd structure. The two male goats (Gwern and Proctor) spend a lot of time pushing each other around, mounting, and head butting. They are also the most likely to wander over to their dad, Brock, who they also butt heads with. They are still small, and Brock is so gentle, but firm. He’ll also graze calmly as shown in these photos.

Proctor seems to be the most watchful and aware. He always puts eyes on me when I come around, and often checks in with his mom, Brownie. As lead doe in the herd, Brownie has the wisdom in the group, and I’m glad to see her son taking after her as a watchful, observant goat. His sister Gamble, is a lot more care free, spending more time romping around in her own little world. She also tends to stick closer to her mom, Brownie, and watches the world passively, compared to her brothers. Gwern had a larger frame, and was born a week before his half siblings. He was pushing everyone else around a lot at the beginning, but now the three kids seem to be balanced out, enjoying their effort in exploration together more than alone (herd animals).

The kids are at an age of great activity, and lots of fun antics. I found all three kids crammed into the out house today, and they flew out together at once in a pile of cream colored velvet, flowing into the lush green grass. In the morning when I let everyone out for grazing, the kids sometimes get distracted and wander off instead of following the rest of the herd down the hill. When the realize the other adult goats are gone, a high pitched orchestra of bleating comes flying down the hill through the underbrush as kids pop out of the bramble and slide under their doe’s udder for some milk courage and maternal reassurance.

The kids are healthy, happy, and growing up fast. I’ll continue to soak up the cute weeks of babyhood and learning that these newest members of The Leafhopper Farm goat herd. We plan to weather the two boys, as our virile breeding buck Brockstaro is a great daddy goat, and gentle teacher for the young ones. I’m curious to see what size these kids grow to with their Nigerian Dwarf and American Boer genes together. I’m betting Gwern stays smaller, while his half siblings Proctor and Gamble, grow larger. I’m guessing this based on the leg length of the twins. Time will tell!

I’ve been away from the farm for a writing workshop, and returned to find a beautiful gift in the front garden. This spring, a single morel fruited for Leafhopper Farm. It’s the third year in a row we’ve had surprise morel action in the cultivated garden space. The personal excitement I get out of this wonderful site is endless. I never expect them, but some how, they arrive, even if it’s only a solitary bloom. On a bed of fresh dandelion flowers, I feast! It’s nettle, dandelion, and a mix of winter garden greens in a spring diet. Gratitude for such a gift from the land, and the ability to share it with another who has never enjoyed this fruit of the soil before.

This is the 3rd generation of Ayam Cemani chicks from Leafhopper Farm. All ten chicks are developing nicely, and there are some fine looking hens in the bunch, along with a few cockerels. We’ll attempt capon action (rooster castration) soon, if timing is right. They have to be operated on while young, and these guys are at the right age. The technique will be challenging, but I’ve handled a lot of birds and want to make it easier to integrate the whole flock without the need for so many separate pens. Because this idea involves surgery, my thoughts are, this is too “high maintenance”, but the idea that hatched chicks are 50/50 male/female ratio, it could offer a lot of production worthy meat into our poultry system.

I’m always fascinated by the barred rooster which shows up. Each batch of chicks has had at least one. In this flock, there is also a silver colored hen. I look forward to seeing what she turns into as her mature feathers come in. These chicks have moved into an outside pen, just in time for the warmer weather. They are growing up fast, and will soon be moved in with the rest of the adult flock, bringing our laying hen number back towards 40.

We’ve had many inches of rain over the past few weeks, and plants are erupting into production with the coming light and warming temperatures. Weiss Creek is up and flowing fast, but that’s not a guarantee of good moisture in the soil. There are typical signs of saturation, but the deep watering our large forest expects through very light rain all winter has not happened in years. Instead, heavy rain created fast runoff, not soaking in for the long haul of summer drought. The climate changes will continue to haunt this forest and many like it for decades to come. My western hemlock trees are starting to die, and they are the indicator species of drought in our temperate rain forests. Many of them are half dead, meaning that entire tree failure is inevitable. We will be seeing much more dramatic change in this lifetime, so get ready.

The rains have also brought back our lovely fungal friends in the region, and I am happily wandering the property, looking for shy up and coming mushrooms. We had the worst season of chantrelles I’ve ever known last fall, and I hope these rains bring on a recovery bloom, because mushrooms are so good, so good.

Clockwise from top left: Gandoerma applanatum (artist’s conc), LBM-little brown mushroom (deer mushroom), Hirneola polytricha (black wood ear fungus), and a mystery white mushroom I don’t know yet! It’s endless exploration on the fungus front.

In other news of the fungi function, our mushroom logs are starting to perk up more. The mottling color continues to grow, indicating that inoculation has happened in the dead wood. Yay! With luck, these logs will be the first to produce yummy edible mushrooms for our farm by next fall. We’ve got many more logs to plug and set up before it gets too hot. Summer will be running at us full tilt before long, which dries up the environment and makes plug spawn unhappy.

We are using red aldar, and plugging with Fungi Perfecti strains of shiitake, oyster, and turkey tail. I highly recommend this website to anyone interested in mushrooms! By ordering mushrooms at Fungi Perfecti, you’ll also be supporting great research on mycology to better humanity and the planet as a whole. It’s great to be cultivating these fungi on the landscape at Leafhopper Farm, and to see the wild ones popping up with the onset of spring.

We’re slow roasting duck for dinner, and the flavors are amazing. Yes, it was time to cull the magpies from the pond. Male ducks should be slaughtered when they are first mature (after 7 weeks). Ours are a little older, but not by much, and the carcass was still supple and juicy. Older drakes are tough and dry, making them stew birds, rather than meaty meals with potato and veggies above. If you have some fresh herbs in your garden this spring, or some dry herbs like the kitchen sage added to the onion garlic potatoes, such flavors go wonderfully with the oily dark meat.

My partner and I both agree that duck is indeed, a reward for the work put in. We’re expecting 20 ducklings in late April. These khaki campbells are suited to pasture conditions, with nesting space and a night shut in. The ducks will be our first layer flock study folding into our rotational grazing systems here at Leafhopper Farm. The ducks are great sluggers, and I hope to let them loose in the gardens after our harvests next fall. Depending on how the pond is looking, we might also allow the flock into the water for a little while again to help with sealing, once the water level rises again.

A special thank you to ducks, as teachers, workers, gleaners, cleaners, quacking good company, and nurturing to us as we toast the water birds and roast a good dinner!

Did I mention there’s a lot of back-stock trail-cam footage? The vegetation has sprung forth, covering the once limp hanging vines of blackberries are now shooting out buds in preparation for the growing season here at Leafhopper Farm. Ungulates all over the place are feasting on the young growth, and this veracious herbivore in the footage above shows the almost panicked browsing on the fence line where this camera was placed. There were almost ten similar moments captured by two different does on the land.

You can see the trailing blackberry leaves in this doe’s mouth as she browses along, compelled by hunger and the onset of new growth. These does are also most likely pregnant, working to put on the weight to develop their fawns. My goat does act much the same way. This year, my goats kidded a little early; usually, they drop in April or May. The black-tail deer drop fawns from May through June. It is understandable why they are feasting with such appetite right now.

And now for something completely different…

Who do you think this is?

You’ll miss it if you blink at the very beginning of the film. I control the film with my mouse to study the movement and eyes. Theories abound! I’ll tell you one thing; it’s not a deer!

I’ve been taking a bit of time to go through recent trail cam footage and have a lot of black tail deer behavior. Something particular I’ve noticed is how the deer are looking a little itchy. I’d like to say it’s because of the warmer spring weather starting to come, signaling many animals to shed. My goats have been dropping their winter coats, and spending a lot of time rubbing up against trees to comb out the itchy loose hair. However, the deer behavior is different; instead of rubbing against things, I see specific biting and scraping on the hind end. The itching is concentrated in only a few places, and the “hot spots” are visible, taking more hair than necessary in a shed.

This leads me to think the deer are struggling with the warm up as an activation of parasites. Mites and lice feed externally on deer, while worms prefer to live inside the animal. Both cause irritation on the body, but the worms are most active in the gut and butt, the two places this deer is rubbing. In nature, many young deer can die of parasite infestations, but enough make it through to adult hood with enough immunity built up to handle a small colony within them. Still, I bet by summer, this doe will have a bare hind end and look mangy. What’s also alarming, is the fact that many of these parasites on the deer, can be picked up by the goat at Leafhopper Farm! This is indeed a reason to take note of what the deer are feeling, as a cue to treat and manage parasites in the farm herd.

I used to pay a lot of money to my vet for a fecal sample, which should be done on multiple animals, leading to continued costs seasonally to maintain herd health. Well, with the gift of a microscope from my loving partner, and the internet to explain, I am proud to say I’ve started doing my own in house fecal exams and the results are thrilling!

This is a look at my goat Bran’s fecal matter. It’s some poop mixed in saline solution (epson salt in water) and dripped onto a slide for observation. You can see a lung worm and some potential tapeworms, but the picture is hard to take down a microscope.

There are also some nematodes in this fecal sample, which are no surprise either. Goats eat a lot off the ground, so they pick things up, as do all grazing animals, and meat eaters, and us. Yes, we too carry worms, though I will not be doing a fecal sample on myself anytime soon. 😉 With the help of this microscope, I can actually see what’s eating my animals. The parasite count in a goat determines how bad the infestation, and subsequent damage to the internal system of a goat will be. All my goats are still up and running seemingly well, but parasites are tricky, and may lay dormant in a host animal for months, or even years. They will grow to infest an animal when it’s immune system is weak, like a doe after she has given birth, hence dosing the herd now, after kidding. The kids will need to be observed too, because the young are vulnerable, and mothers can pass infestations on to their offspring through milk, and in utero through the blood.

The lung worms were my suspect, and I’m glad to know that’s what’s happening; an easily treatable infestation. My goats are always in need of a worming in the spring, things warm up encouraging the world of microscopic animal life to reanimate . Usually I use garlic, but in this case, the lung worm requires something more potent, and so, I bought a chemical wormer for full treatment; after 6 years of holistic management. Because The Pacific Northwest is so damp and warm a lot of the year, parasites can hit hard, and kill animals if you are not observing and taking the proper precautions.

For the deer, nature decides, for the goats, my fecal exam tells me what the extent of infestation is, because goats always have some worms in their system. Then I know when there is a high count of worms, and it’s time to start treating. This is usually in the spring, and you can bet that if your goats are eating anything off the ground, they have picked up some friends, who won’t be so friendly once they establish a colony in or on the body of their host.