News
We are exited to be coming to Dimond Hill Farm !
Spring is here and so are the new animals. This year the farm will be adding pigs to the list of farm friends. The yorkshire cross piglets can be accessed easily and food will be provided to visitors for feeding. This addition extends the farm's plan of becoming a community oriented location where small scale agricultural diversity thrives. Exciting addition for all!
Also our new greenhouse has been built standing 21 feet tall and 35 feet wide. We have packed this greenhouse with seedlings ealry spring sale, early beets, radishes, swiss chard, spinach and micro greens. We will open the farm doors in late May once the greens are ready to pick. The tomaotes are in the first blossom set and will be ready to eat in late May early June if the weather holds out. Prices will remain the same, even with price increase of fuel, fertilizer, and supplies for the grrenhouse.
Spring News 2008
Pigs and chicks are home and growing happily, tomatoes are green with hints of red, fresh greens are tall and tasty, and the llamas are resting in the shade chewing their hay. Everything is in order this spring as we have planted 5,000 plants outdoors including heirloom tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, carrots, peas, corn, lettuce, swiss chard, peppers, eggplant, and much more. An aerial view of the farm posted on our about us page shows this work in progress, in the back field you can see a sea of plastic where the plants are growing. In the front of the picture is an acre of plastic for our pumpkins, this year we are going to allow people to pick their own if they so desire. All of our fields are fertilized using our own compost from our llamas, horses, chickens, pigs, and vegetable waste accumulated over the past year. We annually spread 3 tons of compost of our own and another 3 tom from Vermont Compost Company. Since Dimond Hill Farm has Paxton clay, adding compost loosens up our soils and adds a rich balance of soft compost to our stiff rich clay. Farming is a balancing act of taking and giving. So as we head into the summer we hope our community will take the time to walk the land and appreciate the farm beautification project Jane has been working on. The stone walls have been cleared, fields groomed, our animals are healthy, and the environment is cared for. We believe that a healthy life style first starts with a healthy neighborhood, and this is why we try to keep the farm immaculate. If there are any suggestions you may have in making the farm better let us know.
Winter Month News
With winter well under way, the little chicks have decided the cold winter snow isn’t so bad. In fact, the chickens have enjoyed the snow fall which stands 3 feet high beside their outdoor pen. The chickens cluck pleasantly as I scattered scratch feed on the ground. As one is startled, she lays an egg with a thud on the dirt. Both of us are surprised at this exchange--food for food.
Typically during the short days of winter, chickens lay fewer eggs. Our two breeds of chicken typically lay around one egg per day when sunlight is 12 hours or more a day. Since we are getting around 8 hours of sunlight at the present time, you might imagine that our chickens would be laying sporadically and without rhythm. For some strange and unknown reason however, they are laying on average, one egg per chicken per day in the dead of winter. Why would that be? Is it because they live in a clean bright, spacious, deluxe coupe; drink water warmed to room temperature; eat organic feed; or is it simply because laying eggs makes them happy. We may never know, but it has long been the story at Dimond Hill Farm that the animals are given abundant love and willingly give back in kind. Eggs are symbolic of something fragile and new, where all possibilities are endless. In this way, the eggs symbolize the continuous rebirth and limitless potential of Dimond Hill Farm. Through our experiences raising the chickens, we are continuing to learn and striving to be the best stewards of the land, our contribution to a sustainable planet.
This summer also offers great incentives for the local community. Jane Presby, owner and operator, has invested much time into researching farm equipment that would require less labor and greater results in planting vegetable crops. This season we have added two such pieces that allow the farm to work more efficiently with time management, which may decrease the cost which you the consumer will have to pay at the register. This means a lot to Jane as she has always made her vegetables affordable, but maintain profit to keep this farm growing. She is hoping to drop the prices of squash, cucurbits, eggplant, zucchini, and winter squash with the addition of the two pieces of equipment. This is critical for the community as we have seen food shortages and weather related crop damage raise the cost of vegetables you purchase in the market place. It is the farms goal to maintain our competitiveness with massive markets, while giving the customer the best quality product. We plan on doing this earlier and then later into the season. This means vegetables from April to November.
If you would like to see pictures of the new equipment we purchased, and how they will benefit the farm click here.