The White Oak crew got back to work yesterday, braving ceaseless fog and chilly temperatures to add a gate onto the new wood storage and clean up perennial beds that border the vegetable plots. It wasn’t a hard day of work, but it left us all plenty tired after so much inactivity.
This morning we didn’t let the turkeys out so that we could clip their wings. At the moment, the turkeys are 100% free range birds, given total run of the farm. Lately though they’ve been interested in the chickens, and have been flying into the chicken pen. They get along fine, but there is a risk that the two species could pass along diseases to each other, so we do our best to keep them separate. With only three birds, wing clipping is a quick ordeal and they’re back to wandering the farm in no time.
Lately the farm has been experiencing a rest period. For the holidays the White Oak crew returned to their respective families, and we left the critters in the diligent care of two farm sitters. In the last week or so we’ve all returned. Now the wood stoves are roaring and the smell of woodsmoke is in the air. We’re looking forward to another year crammed with possibilities for White Oak Farm. So far Tyler and Taylor have laid plans for a brand new extended natural building internship, we’re taking applications for farm interns, and Courtney, an intern from Summer 2010, is taking on the role of Education Coordinator. Stay tuned!
