Hello from FreezeLand!

Is it cold where you are? Of course! It's cold all over Iowa right now. We are comfortable in our little farm house with the corn furnace burning away, but it's not so nice when venturing outside. From a window, the bright sunshine is just a tease - and we fall for it every time.

But the cold is not actually all discomfort and inconvenience. For us, as we look at the new season, we are happy that we are getting a dose of deep freeze as this is an important phase that nature uses to do some population control. As a result of this frigid weather, we will see a noticeable difference in our pest pressure - especially in the beginning of the season. The bugs that overwinter in the grasses and soil will not be as populous as if we were having a winter like last year when it was much warmer for much more of the time.

Another result of the cold is that the soil will be frozen much deeper this season. Last year, we talked with a local excavation contractor who said that they were digging in unfrozen soil in late January. As is the case with everything about nature, the deep frost is both good and bad. We will have to be a bit more patient this spring while we wait for the frost to come out of the soil - probably a bit later this season getting into the fields for prep and planting. But because of the deep frost line, we will see a difference in the way our soils "work up" this spring. They will be less compacted and more friable due to the heaving caused by the freezing and thawing cycles. And we are anticipating that they will be loaded with much needed moisture early in the spring which will cause us to test our "field patience" and wait for the right time to start working the ground. But this moisture will also grow great crops! We are also please with ourselves for doing our part by getting our sub-soiling done last fall allowing the moisture and frost to easily penetrate the soil's surface. We sometimes get it right - and we actually allow ourselves a small bit of private gloating!

Please visit us on the web at www.sunflowerfields.org and be sure to explore our Farm Shares program - with the brand new FlexCal option! We are honestly more excited about the coming 2008 season than any other we can remember. It seems like enough to melt the ice and snow!

Best to you all from everyone at Sunflower Fields

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