HappyDay: ‘Solstice. The Longest Day of the Year.’

Casey O’Neill is a cannabis and food farmer in Mendocino County who has been writing newsletters about his efforts to provide sustainable produce and marijuana. We feature his column once a week.

Solstice. The longest day of the year. We made it. There is always a feeling of relief as we cross the threshold and begin the descent back towards shorter days. The frenetic activity of spring, the heavy workloads, planting schedules, markets and sales trips make for a rising cacophony of effort. Now comes a slight downbeat, a pause in the headlong rush.

In some ways, nothing changes; trays of starts in the propagation house await planting. Seeds wait in the darkness of the cupboard for the day of their sowing. And yet, a subtle shift is underway. Today we’ll plant cannabis at Brother Lito’s, filling out his garden under the loving warmth of the sun. As the plants go out, the propagation house empties and the workload shifts to caging, netting, pruning and tending.

The last of the meat birds will leave the brooder this afternoon, moved out to a chicken tractor on green pasture that we’ll shift each day to fresh ground. It’s been a hard season for meat birds. We moved the brooders back to my place this year and the twice daily management of feeding, filling waterers and laying down fresh bedding added to the workload at the heaviest time of year.

There were many times when I questioned whether I want to raise this many birds, feeling the frustration of the extra effort and the demoralization of losing birds when batches arrived from the hatchery late because of shipping delays, resulting in sick birds that grew slowly and had health problems. Lots of hard learning lessons this year about our methods, and the need for an intermediate space for birds that leave the brooder but aren’t quite ready for the cold North winds that often sweep through the pasture in spring.

It always feels good to close out a chapter in any part of the farm operation, and I’m glad to move the birds to pasture, clean out the brooders and put away the feeders and waterers until next year. There are currently two batches of birds out on pasture along with a batch of turkeys, so today we’ll skin a new tractor with shade cloth to hold the latest batch of birds.

Any aspect of farming requires an incremental approach; you build infrastructure and acquire equipment at the same time as you increase your skills and understanding of the methods. We’ll raise more chickens this year than ever before, and despite the difficulties along the way, I am glad for the learning experience and have good ideas for how to make things flow better next year.

As we cross the solstice our planting patterns will also shift, beginning the march back towards the cool weather crops of late fall and winter. In the propagation house ready to go out are successions of basil and summer squash (I’ll sow more basil and possibly one more round of squash but we’re nearing the end of summer plantings), while in the next two weeks we’ll sow the first cabbages for fall.

Farming means always having your feet on the ground of the workload of the current season while your head is in the clouds of the season to come. Sometimes you get dragged back to earth with a hard snap, but the dream of better results, healthy crops and financial viability is what keeps hope alive. Practice doesn’t make perfect, but it does make lessons that show us easier methods and how to do more with less.

We’ve never been on the road this much; each of the last five weeks brother Lito and I have traveled to the Bay Area for sales and dispensary visits. It has been deeply joyful to bring our produce and flowers to new markets, and the response has been so positive that we’re excited and committed to continue the journey.

This coming week is a downbeat without travel beyond our normal market channels, and I’m excited to button up some plantings and do some summer organizing, put the final touches on irrigation and assess water systems and usage. This is the time for maintenance and setting the course towards an abundant fall and manageable workloads through good planning and delegation.

Today I’ll gather the harvest list for the week to come, along with the tasks that need doing to flip beds, plant the next successions of salad mixes, greens, root crops, squash and basil. We’re in the off week for sowing, so I can focus on bed prep and planting when I make the weekly spreadsheet this evening. The more clear I can be in the plan, the easier it is for everyone, even though inevitable changes happen as unexpected needs crop up. Practice makes proficiency, one step at a time. As always, much love and great success to you on your journey!