this is alice, with only a few minutes to write - i'll write more about this soon. we just sent in some air and water samples from our farm to learn more about pesticide drift. this picture is from june - you can see our air sampler and the herbicide sprayer in action. we're doing a pretty cool data collection project with Pesticide Action Network and Practical Farmers of Iowa.

Farm Update
Potlucks
Workdays

this is an email that nicholas wrote, with edits and additions from alice.

Farm Update
The farm continues to exist. Though we've gotten a bit of rain, it is still pretty dry. (alice heard a rumor that iowa is officially in a drought - not sure if this is true, but it's really dry. )We've just started harvesting our green beans this morning and our peas have finished. Our garlic is drying and we've started harvesting onions and other things.

Potlucks

hi Everyone,

Today it is officially spring, though it has felt like summer for a week. what a strange year!

email summary (1. ag-arts event. 2. prairie burn. 3. carpooling to the farm. 4. rough farm schedule)

(sorry, i've lost the camera - hopefully there'll be some pictures soon!)

hi all,

This friday is our March potluck.6pm march 9 at Jennifer Garst and Steve Libby's house (708 brookridge in Ames - this is just north of 6th street by brookside park)

a CSA box.

Farm news: This Saturday, we had a goodbye dinner for Chantal and Luciano, who are both leaving this Friday (totally coincidentally) to go to their new homes on the two far coasts. Chantal is going of to Massachusetts to go to graduate school and Looch is going to Tacoma to run a kitchen for school children. They have been wonderful team members and we will miss them very much.

here are a few pictures from the evening. it was also nate's birthday.

ATTENTION: Midwest Catholic Worker Gathering, SUGAR CREEK 2011

September 16, 17, 18.

Dear all,

Soon it will be that wonderful time to gather together with friends old and new – Sugar Creek. Our small, humble, and sometimes disorganized team here at the Mustard Seed Community Farm CW will do our best to help this event happen, and we are grateful to know that our Catholic Worker friends will help it all come together beautifully.

Here’s the SCHEDULE we have tentatively assembled:

Arrive Friday afternoon and evening.

Everything is growing so well on the farm this year!
Last year we had so much rain, and so many trials and tribulations, and this year, it's been raining an inch a week and everything looks beautiful.

this friday's pot-luck is about spiritual gifts, and our leaders are Tom and Heather Brumm.

for those folks, mostly in my family, who want to know what our house looks like inside, here's one picture, from sometime this winter.

here are some photos of the superheroes from 2 weeks ago.