Farming is and isn't what I thought it would be.
Anna, the apprentice that started about 2 weeks after me, is leaving the farm because she realized that this was not the experience she was looking for. Jen and Kyle have jobs off the farm so they don't spend their days in the field with the apprentices. Basically Jen (and occasionally Kyle) tells us what to do and shows us how to do it and then leaves us to figure it out by ourselves. I sort of expected that since I knew beforehand that they had jobs other than farming but I didn't realize how much responsibility I would have as an apprentice. It's pretty empowering. No one has given me this much freedom in a job situation to make mistakes without wanting to butt in and tell me how to do it right. Because Jen gave me this opportunity from the get-go and didn't make it seem intimidating or like it would matter if something went wrong, I just sort of went with it, and didn't really think about what was happening until Anna sat us down and told us the issues she was having with the farm. She felt like she wasn't learning as much without an experienced farmer working next to her all day and when I really started to think about it I was surprised how little it bothered me. I want to learn how to farm. And sometimes I am overeager. But for some reason right now I feel ok, like I will learn it all in time. It's not something you can learn all at once, I think. It takes so long and learning from your mistakes, while frustrating at times, can actually be a lot more rewarding in the end. I haven't made any big mistakes yet, but I'm sure it will come. Jen, Kyle, and Brad are going to Cape Cod for 4 days and I am going to be farm-sitting. 4 weeks of farm experience and I am allowed to run the farm unsupervised for 4 days???? Seriously?? But it's not intimidating because they trust me and therefore I trust myself. I think it will be great. A really really good learning experience and if something goes wrong I will figure it out. I doubt that anything will go wrong. But if it does it will be fine.
Before I came here all I wanted to do was learn how to grow vegetables. And it turns out that I have fallen in love with the animals and if I ever own a farm there will be lots (of animals). Interacting with the animals, whether it is shoveling their shit or feeding them is instant gratification. They are very thankful. They are so perceptive, playful, and lovable. Taking care of the animals and taking care of the plants are both things that require a lot of hard work. But with the plants there is no instant gratification. You have to wait months to harvest what you planted, weeded, watered, and watched grow slowly, slowly. With animals there is always an instant reaction. And it is heartwarming. Warm and fuzzy. Not to mention that manure is the best fertilizer for crops and when you have plants and animals you have a full circle, which just makes sense logically and scientifically. Bottom-Line-I love veggies, but animals are essential.
There is so much more to say, but be patient. I promise to tell it all eventually :)
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