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Friends Overseas It was a relief to be in contact with some of our friends and colleagues in Japan this week. Haruo Soeda, a steward of Shelburne Farms and a board member of our partner organization LEAF,* emailed that he and his wife, Kumiko, were okay in Osaka. But he said the effects of the earthquakes and tsunami in other parts of the country were “beyond description.” Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone struggling with the disasters over there. It makes us especially grateful for the hopeful signs of spring here — newborn lambs and calves, maple sap rising, cheese making starting up again, and new seedlings in the greenhouse.
*LEAF: Learning & Ecological Activities Foundation for Children
Nat and Paul made the first cheese of 2011 on March 2nd, with about 4,900 pounds of milk in the vat. Nat reported it a "happy cheese." And the 600 pounds of cheese meant a high yield of 12.5% (10% is average). Dairy Manager Sam Dixon attributes this to the herd's diet of quality feed and last year's great silage, making their milk rich in proteins and solids. Nat and Paul will be making cheese four days a week through April, when production will kick up. Nat narrates his first day of 2011 cheesemaking in this short video. P.S. Cheesemaker Tom Gardner couldn't make the inaugural day of cheesemaking. He's recovering from knee surgery. P.P.S. Stay tuned to meet our new cheesemaker, Zak Schafer, who joined us this month!
Remember the sheep's "secret code" from the movie Babe? We've been hearing it a lot in the farmyard! We've had 95 lambs born since late February, with only two more ewes still waiting to birth. Farmyard staff have judged the ewe in the photo as "Best Mom.” She has triplets and is managing to take good care and coordinate the feeding of all three. Who remembers the rest of the movie quote?
"Even as an urban farmer on two acres, this workshop was incredibly helpful to my farm programming, now and into the future!" — Sarah Garten Twenty-two farmers from the Northeast and Midatlantic, two days in March, and countless exchanges of ideas, activities and inspiration. That was the ABCs of Farm Education Workshop. This time, we were particularly excited and gratified to have Jericho Bicknell attend. Jericho coordinates education programming for Waltham Fields Community Farm in Massachusetts, but back in 2004-05, she was an apprentice here at the Farm! It was great to see how she's built on her experience here. Couldn't make the workshop? There's still room in the Project Seasons Workshop for Farmers on APRIL 7 & 8 at Appleton Farms in Ipswich, Massachusetts, cosponsored with the Farm-Based Education Association and The Trustees of Reservations. Download the flyer or the registration form. PHOTO: Shelburne Farms' educator Susie Marchand with Jericho Bicknell at the workshop.
Sharp readers picked up on an error in last month's article on our new system for sugaring: The pump creates a vacuum that DECREASES pressure inside the tubing (not increases). We apologize for scrambling the physics. To date, the sap hasn't exactly been "running" (we'll call it a leisurely walk), but Sam Smith has been happy with the new system's impact on the sap we have collected. "It's worked out really well," he says. "It's basically doubled our output of sap from those trees." PHOTO: The actual pump, which lives at the Market Garden
4th Annual Jr. Iron Chef, Sat. March 26, Champlain Valley Expo, Essex Junction, VT, 9:30am-3:30pm Fifty-four teams of student chefs will cook up a storm using nutritious, farm-fresh foods. Hosted by the Burlington School Food Project and VT FEED (we're a partner), Junior Iron Chef highlights local agriculture and encourages kids to make healthy eating choices. See you at the competition!
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Back at the Vat
Baaa, Ram, Ewe.. 
ABCs of Farm Education Workshop
Whoops! The true physics of sugaring
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