Fall is arriving and Feywild Farm is rocking! Today we did an on-site interview with Paige Hansen from Fox21 News along with Dana from UMD, and Cece and Rachel with DCWC's Nourish program. It was a wonderful opportunity to share the goals and mission of the farm, including volunteer work and community garden expansion for 2027. The GoFundMe is currently running and donations are welcome. Please share on social media and within your circles. Our goal is $5,000 to help pay for hired work, soil deliveries, building materials, fencing, posts, and get a dumpster delivered before the snow flies. So far, the funds have paid for an amazing new gas walk-behind tiller, new hand tools for brush removal, new shovels and a saw. The three 270 gallon water storage tanks were delivered and the well is running great! Getting on grid next year will help simplify running the well and accomplishing mechanical tasks, instead of using the gas generator. In 2027, we plan to greatly expand growing areas in the field, share space with more community partners and youth engagement, have chickens on site for egg production and donation, have beehives on site, expand and fence in the orchard, and engage a full time seasonal on-site volunteer/renter. Sydney with Farm Buds will be bringing their group out on Sunday, September 27 to do work and more volunteers are needed. Lunch will be provided. Please contact Sarah to sign up.
Current Goals:
-Heavy equipment work to clear out small tree, buckthorn and tansy overgrowth, create parking spaces, extend the driveway into the field, and clear areas behind the barn for gardens and pollinator habitat plantings, including native plants and shrubs. A friend is willing to do work with his backhoe, but we need to find someone with a big truck and 18' trailer to transport it locally. We plan to dig out a small duck pond in center of the field and contour areas to prevent water retention. Providing wildlife habitat and establishing native plants are important. Installing owl and bat houses, and more bird houses helps attract bird populations and add biodiversity. Bats also eat a TON of mosquitoes!
-More volunteer groups are needed for trash removal, thus the necessity of the dumpster. Gravel delivery is needed for the parking areas as well as garden soil delivery for the raised beds. Donations and deliveries would be incredibly helpful. Trail work is also needed, as 2.5 acres(!) of the farm are fully forested. We have hand tools and a weed whacker in the garage. (Contact me for the key code). The woods are quite beautiful and peaceful for nature exploration and birding.
-Building and tilling the gardens. Work will be needed to build more garden beds and fence in planting sites. Lumber, garden bed materials, fencing, posts and a greenhouse, and/or high tunnel would extend our growing capabilities in Northern Minnesota. Volunteers are helpful for picking up donations we may receive. We also plan to house laying hens for egg production and donation next year, and a strong predator proof coop and fenced in run will need to be constructed with consideration to the rural critters that abound on the property. Chicken lovers unite!
-Gathering volunteers! Businesses, school/youth groups, local organizations, churches and nonprofits and more are welcome. Contact me with dates available. Thank you to the helpful folks that have been out weed whacking and cleaning up. Dana said fall garlic can be planted soon in the bed beside the garage. A friend may be willing to donate their alpaca manure to help enrich the soil.
Today we also received amazing news that the barn my grandfather built in the 1950's has been deemed structurally safe for revitalizing after a site visit from Friends of Minnesota Barns. This what what we were hoping to hear. Hundreds of aging or neglected historic barns are demolished annually in the U.S., forever lost as relics of the past. The barn was constructed primarily of old growth softwood such as fir and spruce. It is a smaller sized barn, that Grandpa housed his tractor in, the cow he milked, and pigs he kept, and the chicken coop inside. My dad said Grandpa ordered 50 baby chicks every spring! There is extensive barn repair ahead, including a new roof, door, beams, and paint. The foundation is solid. If you have any further connections regarding historic building restoration funding/contractors, please share, as repairs may be a lengthy process. We are also looking into snow removal this winter to plow the driveway, as the farm will still be available for ski trails, snowshoeing and fort building. Kids welcome! Sourcing maple syrup making supplies is another goal, so kids and students can help tap maples and gather sap on the farm to learn the process of homemade maple syrup. Yum yum.
Thank you for being a part of the Feywild Farm family! Together, we are looking ahead with optimism and determination. Freddie Mercury said it best: "Don't stop me now!"