CHICKENS AND SHEEP

Four young hens raised by Dare2Dream Farms in Lompoc were added to our flock to replace the four carried off by foxes last summer. After two weeks of adjustment, the new pecking order is in place and the eight birds are getting along well.

Following the expert advice of Beth Reynolds at the Cuesta College  Workshop last month, City Farm purchased two ewes and a wether (castrated male) from Alex and Kelsey Karol at Outlaw Valley Ranch. In partnership with the teachers and students at Mariposa Education we will raise them and their offspring to engage in rotational grazing, an important element of regenerative agricultural practice. They are Navaho-Churro, a rare and especially hardy breed, the oldest in the New World.

DECEMBER 10--HOLIDAY FARM BOX

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GOODBY TOMATOES!

It took a killing frost on the night of December 1 to end the run of this year's 665 lb. tomato crop. Next day we took down their trellises and hung the vines in the pergola in the hope that the many remaining green ones will still ripen and be available for the Holiday Farm Box.

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS--ADAPTING TO CIRCUMSTANCE

Although a special waiver allows the continuation of the weekly PREPARE horticultural therapy program, we still grieve the absence of the students who regularly attended the Pacific Beach Continuation High School Farm class and the hundreds of elementary school children who were brought to the farm by bus on field trips until March of this year.  Under the direction of Education Director Tree Lees with the assistance of volunteers and staff, we will bring the farm to students in their online classrooms with a series of lively videos.

SCHOOL DISTRICT INTERACTIVE ANIMATION VIDEO

At the behest of Erin Primer, Director of the SLCUSD Food Service, interns Lauren and Carissa came for a visit and interviewed tenant farmer Frank Martinon and ED Steven Marx. They included their footage in an amazing composite interactive animation video distributed to children throughout the district. Clicking on the garden in the window on the first page takes you to the City Farm section.

AND STILL MORE TECH

Frank's newly leased portion is visible here in a still from the drone footage that will be part of a promotional video for the Farm now in production by Jen Dudley, Bonnie Ernst and drone photographer, Tony. Stay tuned for more on this project.

For the whole story in pictures, check out our Flickr site and/or our Instagram feed.

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