Hello Mustard Seed Community Farm friends,
(post written on the equinox, by alice. also, some of the links in this post aren't linked at the moment - sorry!)

Happy equinox! Happy spring! Happy day after some crazy wild winter weather! Things are rolling on the farm - the birds are coming back and migrating over, we've had a few volunteer work days, we're starting seedlings and prepping the garden, and a few nights this past week, we've heard different frogs waking up and singing their songs.

Upcoming Events
March 20 at 5:30 PM: Growing Food in Iowa class at Wheatsfield led by Alice
March 22, Saturday 1-4pm: SPRING WORKDAY ON THE FARM!! - start seeds, work in the field, so much to do!
March 27 from 6-8 PM: Alice presenting at the Quilt Guild meeting: 6:00 pm: Social with snacks
6:30 pm: Program and guild business
First United Methodist Church
516 Kellogg, Ames, Iowa (Not just for quilters! - Alice is going to talk about the farm, storytelling, cooperation, the economic and ecological impacts of our fiber and fashion industry, the fibershed movement, and how to creatively reduce waste and consumption (and somewhat ironically, selling farm merch) http://www.amesquiltguild.org/
April 6: Story county Conservation gardening class
April 12: spring planting work day
April 19: Repair Cafe and Seed Sharing
April 26: spring planting work day
May 10: our first Ames Farmers Market of the season
May 17: tentative date for Annual Seed and Plant Share at Romero House
We are still in the process of scheduling spring and early summer events so stay tuned for more details. If you want to help us plan events- reach out by replying to this email.

Spring Work Day Have Started!
Fill out volunteer form to get on the list for spring work days in March and April, to be scheduled depending on weather. Sign up!

2025 Workshares & Volunteer Opportunities - Sign up!
Workshares are volunteers who attend harvest mornings from 7-10 AM on Tuesdays and/or Fridays throughout the growing season (May-October). During this 3-hour shift, we harvest, wash, and pack all the vegetables for our donation sites, workers, and CSA members. Workshares receive a box of vegetables in exchange for their help. Many of our workers come regularly throughout the season, but we welcome workers who can only come once and awhile as well. Signing up just puts you on the list to receive more information and does not commit you to anything. If you've never been to a harvest before, we encourage you to come check it out and see if you enjoy it. Click here to read all about workshares and harvest mornings on our website.

PLEASE USE THIS LINK for 2025 workshare and volunteer opportunities. We create a new contact list each year, so please take a moment to fill out the sign up form even if you've done it in previous years. *If you would like to be removed from the workshare email list because you've moved away, please email outreach.mustardseed@gmail.com.

Seeking 2025 Crop Leaders
Crop leaders are one of our experiments with shared leadership on the farm. Are you interested in learning more about a particular crop? If so, you might like being a crop leader.

The role of a crop leader is to do at least some of these things. We can teach you how:
Get to know that particular vegetable, fruit, or flower
Check on your crop when you are on the farm and communicate care the crop needs to Alice and the intern team
Assist with or lead tasks associated with the crop: starting seeds, prepping beds, planting, weeding, harvesting, etc.
Please fill out our CROP LEADER INTEREST FORM if you want to learn more.

Step into more Leadership on the Farm
At Mustard Seed, we believe that everyone is special, unique, and has gifts to offer. Our farm is a beautiful, imperfect experiment in community, consensus, and shared leadership; and we are always interested in more people taking on leadership and responsibility. Furthermore, we experience a lot of transitions on our team, and that can create gaps in leadership. Here are some places where we would like to train more leaders. To learn more about any of these roles, please contact Alice (mustardseedbee@gmail.com or 978-471-8414, Amie or Solveig (outreach.mustardseed@gmail.com).
Click here for a detailed list of leadership opportunities!

Thanks for reading all the way to the end of this email! We are grateful for each and every one of you!

Love,

the Mustard Seed team

Follow Us on Social Media
If you haven't already, connect with us on these platforms to stay up-to-date on farm news and events.
Website
Facebook for Mustard Seed
Facebook Group for Mustard Seed Community Farm Friends
Instagram
YouTube Channel