I arrived at Spoutwood late Tuesday afternoon only to hear, from apprentice Pete McLean, a harrowing tale of disaster narrowly averted. It seems that some sort of small rodents – mice or voles – had wrought great devastation among the new seedlings in our germination chamber. Thankfully, our apprentices had wisely planted more seeds than were originally thought to be necessary, a precaution we'd also taken last year. As a result, they were able to plant up the backup seedlings and recoup the damage. Then they, along with farm handyman and jack-of-all trades Chris C., proceeded to heavily reinforce the germination chamber with plywood and wire mesh.

But it was a narrow escape, and just goes to show by what a thin thread farm success or failure often hangs. If they had not planted those extra seeds, the loss would have put our whole growing cycle weeks behind schedule. If we still lived in an early, agrarian-based culture, such a loss could have been catastrophic. As it was, our apprentices had to put in many more hours re-doing work they thought had been done for the season... which, of course, prevented them from doing other tasks they had planned to accomplish. This year, it was rodents. Last year, it was a "fungus gnat" attacking our brassicas shortly after they'd been planted in the field. Farming is nothing if not fraught with challenges! Yet somehow we manage.

 One thing working at a CSA (community supported agriculture farm) teaches, whether one is a staff member or shareholder, is that we can take nothing for granted. Another is that whatever produce we receive – and Spoutwood shareholders typically receive a lot – is a consequence of considerable hard work, and not a little luck. And, perhaps, the blessing of unseen forces, if you happen to believe in such... In any case, the disaster was averted, however narrowly. Kudos to our apprenices, Kat, Pete, and Ashlee, for catching on to the situation before it got worse, and for being foresighted enough to plant extras! We are, once again, blessed with an excellent team of apprentices, and are looking forward to another excellent year.

 Tom