Ten Below Zero on the French Riveria

We woke to a temperature of -10 degree Fahrenheit this morning here in Minnesota. It has been relatively mild until now and this is the first severe cold of this season.

It is no surprise to the hardy Scandinavians settled this area that we would have this kind of cold. We often see -20F or even -30F earning us a Zone 4 designation on plant cold hardiness scale.

Ten Reasons to Shop at the Rochester Farmer's Market

Here are my ten reasons to shop at Rochester Downtown Farmers Market 

The Healing Professions

We live in the shadow of the Mayo clinic. Many years ago I heard a statistic that there were 3000 MDs in Rochester, MN where the Clinic is. There are probably 5000 by now. Pretty cool to know there is an answer for identifying just about any ailment just minutes away and they are very good. If you have some weird tropical malady they have you covered. If you have an obscure genetic deficiency they have the tools and tests to future it out.

This is kind of an antiquated term but they used to call those that sought the decades of training  to heal the body and mind as the, "The Healing Professions".

I think that farmers are in the "Healing Profession" too and here is why..

Ten Reasons Your Church Should Be Debt Free

We often talk about personal and farming financial matters on our blog.

Here is a topic for your church to consider for 2016.

If your pastors and elders aren't encouraging agressive debt reduction. Please talk to them about searching scripture on this and pray about becoming debt free.

The list below will give you 10 reasons to be debt free.

End of the Year Giving for Farm Families

Farm income, and many types of business income, is notoriously seasonal. We do our best to smooth it out by shifting sales to early in the season and doing some canning, drying, smoking and storing to provide some income during slower times of the year.

Because of this seasonality many farm families do the largest share of giving to their church and other charities at the end of the year.

Beside being scriptural. Generosity changes us as a person from a potentially tight fisted miser to an open handed happy person. You must open your hand to give, but it is also necessary to open your hand so that more blessings can come your way. 

Farm families also have the possibility of giving of the fruit of their labor. My father used to give and extra wagon full of corn at the end of the year. He would have them make the check out to the church.

We give left over produce to Channel One (the local food shelf) all summer long. We often bring extra with them in mind. Again in the fall we take a load of squash or pumpkins. Usually this is produce that God has blessed us with above and beyond our needs for the business. I could wholesale this abundance to a store or something but I like to give it. Kinda of a picture of what God is doing all the time through our paychecks and other income.

Here is my check list for end of the year giving:

Thou Shall Prosper

I read an excellent book by Daniel Lapin over the weekend. He says there are ten principles that tips the scales in our financial approach significantly toward prosperity.

Here is his list of 10...

The Cost Is In Being There

Some one coined the phrase, "The cost is in being there.". The is one of my favorite axioms of farm life.

Here are 10 ways it applies to our farm...

Why Our Garlic is The Best

Here are 10 reasons why our garlic is the best...

10 Things that Are Good For You that You Are Never Going To Feel Like Doing

There are lots of things in life that are good for you that you are never going to feel like doing. It is like a ten year old boy who doesn't remember to brush his teeth or the twelve year old girl who doesn't feel like making her bed.

Scientists call the act of changing a behavior, activation energy, meaning it takes effort to change a behavior. Behavioral psychologists say if you practice a new behavior for 21 days you can establish a new habit in your life.

Here are 10 things that are good for you that you are never going to feel like doing...

How to Make Your Community One of the Most Fertile Places in the World

In yesterday's post we said fertility from a home perspective is the ability to sustain life, to prosper, to achieve and to be a place of refuge. We can all work towards these goals in our families, but it is only when we make them part of the communities we live in that our communities become a "fertile place".

Here is a list of 10 things that make our communities a fertile place...

Home, One of the Most Fertile Places in the World

The idea of fertility is the ability to reproduce and sustain life. Being able to produce abundant growth or crops. The home on our farm has been a good place to grow children. Fertile places support strong families and grow strong children.

Here are 10 ideas for how your home can grow a strong family and strong children.

Willing to be Weird...No Fear, Only Wonder

I have talked about being weird in our previous posts. A worldview of principled non-conformity is essential to advancing the leading edge of any field.

Agriculture is replete with farmers that conform to the status quo. They never achieve any more than their farmer buddies that drink coffee at the "round table" in the town cafe every morning. There is nothing wrong about that, except you will not stand out, you will never leave the boundaries of the tribe, you will not be weird!

Here are 10 principles for being weird, whether you are a farmer or not.

A Servant's Heart

Service is at the core of our farm and business philosophy.

Service permeates all that we do.

It gets a little personal, but here is our top ten list of how we serve:

Plants That Do Well Together in Pots

There are a number of combinations of garden plants that do well together in pots. Here are 10 combinations:

1. Sunflower, squash and peas. Similar to the three sisters that were planted by the native Americas when the Europeans first settled in America.
2. Two peppers do well in pots. They also do well planted together in the garden.
3. Combinations of herbs, such as Basil, Rosemary and Thyme.
4. Edible flowers such as pansies work well with shorter herbs.

Characteristics of a Good Farm Father

A good farm father has some unique characteristics that most of us could learn from. In honor of all those farm fathers here is my top ten list...

10 Benefits of a Micro Farm

We have 8 acres of tillable land on our farm and typically plant about 5 acres to vegetables and fruit each year.

Anything under 10 acres is a micro farm.

Here are 10 significant benefits of a micro farm...

10 Reasons Why Rochester Minnesota Is a Great Place to Raise a Family

Spring is in the air and people start thinking of moving and relocating. With all the talk about the Destination Medical Center (DMC), many people will be thinking of relocating here. The local papers and TV are promoting Rochester as a mecca for employment and growth.

As a long term resident, I would like to offer my list of why the Rochester area is a great place to live and raise a family.

How to Pick the Best Garden Vegetable Seeds

One of the rituals of spring is picking out seeds for the garden. Until you have some experiencing it is always a challenge to pick the best varieties and seed. 

Here are a few tips...

10 Ideas for Personal and Family Success

I was thinking about elements for success for a family and a farm. Here are my top 10.

1. Have a strong faith.
2. Mary the right person. Someone with similar values and faith
3. Make your family a top priority.
4. Handle money well. Spend less than you make, stay out of debt and save for the future.
5. Be generous and give. To church, to the poor and to your family.
6. Work at something you enjoy. Farming is a great career.
7. Under promise and over deliver to your customers.
8. Be persistent in reaching your farming goals.
9. Be honest and loyal.
10. Be innovative and open to change in your farm.

10 Ways to Maximize Your Food Dollar

Produce at the Rochester Downtown Farmers Market is one of the best ways to maximize your food dollar.

1. Local farmers have a better selection of produce
2. Local vegetables are fresher
3. Fresher means vegetables will keep longer
4. Longer shelf life means less waste due to spoilage
5. Fresher means vegetables have better nutrition
6. Local produce is more sustainable (less miles from farm to table).
7. Get to know your farmer so you know how your produce is grown.
8. Local purchase dollars stay in the community
9. Local produce supports local farmers and families
10. Local vegetables are far less likely to be genetically modified.