Balsam Meadows Farm

09/08/2017

07/20/2017

Posts are in for the barn!

06/30/2017

Good farming practices are good for wildlife too. 40 years ago Northern Leopard Frogs were one of the most abundant frogs in the Great Lakes region. Since then there has been a significant decline in numbers. The reason is still debated. Scattered areas have rebounded but overall their populations remains low. Rotational grazing of pasture and no chemical use I believe has helped provide a home for them here. The last two years they've been fairly abundant around the farm.

06/26/2017

3 weeks old today and growing like weeds!

06/07/2017

The cows had their babies!

05/14/2017

Getting ready to plant the strawberry bed. Hoping to have a small trial area ready for pick your own next year.

03/28/2017

Guernsey girl enjoying a beautiful Spring day.

03/28/2017

Bees The Natural Way

For years I've wanted honeybees but after numerous books and other sources I was frustrated with the immense complexity and labor involved in modern beekeeping. There had to be a easier more natural way. I finally stumbled upon the method of horizontal hives and extra deep frames and the pieces started to come together. This traditional philosophy uses natural reproduction, swarms, to populate your apiary. A new queen is hatched and the old queen leaves with a portion of the hive. These bees cluster on a tree or other object until scouts locate a new place to live. Swarms can be lured into a swarm trap and relocated to an apiary. The extra deep frames in this system allow the bees to overwinter in a more natural manner lowering stress and increasing the likelihood of survival. A major factor in honeybee decline is the way we have kept them for the last 100 years. Rudolf Steiner in 1923 warned of this collapse with the rise of artificial breeding. When one considers how queens are artificially inseminated, colonies artificially split, bees trucked all over the country, forced into comb foundation that's not the size they would build, swarming prevented, fed sugar water, and doused with chemicals it's a wonder they've made it this long. This is no less factory farming than a mega dairy or a Tyson chicken house. I've vowed not to participate in this system. Therefore I've made several swarm traps and will attempt to capture bees for starting my apiary. If anyone knows of a feral colony in a tree or building let me know so I could possibly set up a swarm trap nearby. Also if in the coming months anyone sees a swarm please notify me right away that I might be able to capture it. My hope is to build an apiary through swarm capture and maintain it using natural methods that keep the bees healthy. As we move into Spring and Summer I'll keep you abreast on my progress.

Below is a swarm trap installed in a tree.

03/22/2017

Finished the nesting house for the geese today. Hopefully they'll get the hint to use it.

03/20/2017

First robin this morning!

03/18/2017

Bluebird/tree swallow nest boxes have their final coat of paint and are ready to put up!

02/17/2017

The new arrivals. Spring can't be too far away.