A local organic apple farm has agreed to let us use some land that they are not using. We are clearing it with plans to grow organic feed on it for our grass-fed pigs, turkeys and chickens. We have been buying most of our grains from an organic farm in PEI. This doesn’t seem very practical and sustainable in the long run so we have had our eyes open for better options.

When we found out that Boates Farm had some organic land that they weren’t using we dropped in to talk with them. They were happy to let us use it since we will keep it organic.

Some of the land hasn’t been used for many years and is reverting to forest. However, there were other areas that were nearly clear. There was some brush growing up but we figured it we could clear it off without too much work. Well, Caleb thought that anyway! He was really looking forward to both the clearing and later growing organic grain.

Caleb began the project with our tractor last fall before it got too wet. He cleared about four acres and heaped the brush up in little piles that we’ll deal with in the spring.

In January there was a period of good weather coming up so we decided to rent a small excavator to do a lot of clearing at once. An excavator works more efficiently for a job like this so we thought it would be a better use of our time.

So for a week Caleb headed over to the Boates farm every day during daylight hours and kept the machine going. He learned very quickly how to operate the excavator and worked quite efficiently.

By the end of the week he had cleared another 7 acres of land, leaving heaps of brush. We will either push these piles out into the corners or possibly burn some of them. The only mishap was a broken windshield–we still don’t know how it happened because there was no tree really close. Something must have hit it and shattered it. That added an little extra expense, but overall it was successful.

In a way it’s sad to see the young trees being uprooted and the soil plowed once again. But at the same time we know we do need organic grain for some of our animals. Cows can thrive on grass and hay, but pigs and poultry need something more for a source of energy.

And once Caleb has finished the initial heavy work, we will grow the organic grain with minimal tillage, and using diverse cover crop mixes. This will preserve the soil life and will build organic matter to help feed the crops.

Now we still have a big job ahead next spring, raking out the roots and plowing the patches we have cleared. But that will be no hardship for Caleb! He’s already hoping to get another chance at that excavator, this time with a root rake attachment.