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Happy spring from Muddy Pumpkin Farms, where the early warmth caught us all a bit off guard! My favorite way of talking about "feel good" weather anomalies is:

We're going to enjoy the mild winter and the early spring. We're going to get busy planting and transplanting. And we're going to appreciate the chance to get outside earlier than usual. But the thought of these weather patterns creates a bit of anxiety in the larger scheme of things. We enter the growing season worried we could see a late frost or too little rain. We worry about the role played by cold winters and deep frosts in keeping certain insect pests at bay. And we wonder what a more volatile climate might mean: prolonged droughts and harder rains, more violent storms or earlier springs, or maybe just a warmer, gentler version of what we've come to know. Despite these anxious thoughts, we can only enjoy the coming of spring, the greening up of cool season grasses and the unexpected over-wintering of our kale plants, and the blossoms on the wild plums and not-so-wild cherries.

Central South Dakota has been a land of extremes as far back as I can remember it, and certainly for longer than I've been around, but the weirding of day-to-day weather, here and across the country, makes life more and more difficult for those who work most closely with the land and weather. For now, it's safe to say that many of the things we're seeing here around the farm are arriving early, 4-6 weeks early (and we're not talking in the hoophouse). The feel of spring is here, and we'll celebrate the end of winter by planting seeds in the warmth and wind.

The cherry bushes bloomed.

In the hoophouse, early signs of life and green sustenance. (In our kitchens, we've been enjoying the early bounties of spring: wild greens like nettles.)

Last week Matt's experiment in sustainable living and science for kids was a mini solar oven, which he and E built and tried out.

The weather was pretty good for using a solar oven, though the angle of the sun will only improve its functionality as we approach summer. Up at ~44 degrees north latitude, we're still waiting for some hard-hitting sun rays.

Here's Hal unloading the new cover crop planter, which we're excited to use for green mulches and soil building.

And just in case you wanted to see some real pre-garden work, here are the soil blocks we're preparing for transplanting. Usually this time of year, we're yearning for the last of the snow to melt, for a little hint of green in the grass, and the feeling of a little warm sun on our faces. This year, spring has come early, so we're going to enjoy it the best we can. Lots of hard work ahead...

Vinny says hello! (and check out my garlic!)

Welcome back to the Muddy Pumpkin Farm Blog as we begin the 2012 growing season, albeit earlier than we thought. Spring came to Muddy Pumpkin Farms early this year, as it has across the midwest. For more information, check out Jeff Masters' weather blog where he has highlighted our close neighbor Winner, SD for nearly hitting the state's all-time March high and gives some insight into why. We'll be doing our part to monitor the weather here at the farm from now on with our new weather station (we'll even try to integrate it with this website so you can see real-time what our weather is like: expect lots of wind).

For us, an early spring and mild winter has allowed us to make good progress on the bunkhouse we're building. Matt and Hal have stayed busy since they got the footings in the ground in January, and now it's starting to really look like a house. We can't wait to show you the view as things begin to green up a bit.

The newest member of the family is Emma, a puppy from our cousin Heather, who is friendly, stocky, and excited to meet everyone. Charlie (the older dog) tolerates her well enough, as does Burt the cat, and we all like having a young pup around the farm.

As you can tell, both Vinegar (Vinny, up above) and Emma enjoy patroling the newly sprouted garlic, our Montana Giant variety that came up earlier than we had expected. The garlic is probably the most interesting garden-related news have, but it's good news since at least in the short run, an earlier spring means earlier produce. Our tomato and onion starts are coming along nicely, and we'll have more news soon.

One last note, that might be a little bit trendy, but also is quite important, close to home and further away.

Last night I was watching "The Kennedys" on PBS's online American Experience archives, which by the way, are amazing. The documentary was well done, and one of the important storylines (for me anyway) was the time Robert spent on the Mississippi Delta among poor, hungry Americans. And it was striking and somewhat relevant in light of the upcoming release of the movie Hunger Games, which offers a heroic tale of not just a dystopian future, but also a disturbing present. And hunger is not something far off in time or space, weighing on distant others and fantasy-obsessed young readers. Because of a variety of background economic conditions and streamlined, even threatened, school food programs, hunger is back on the Mississippi delta 45 years later, and prevalent across the country.

Here in South Dakota, we hope that you'll support food banks and pantries. Support organizations that are working to improve and fund school lunch programs, including farm-to-school programs like those coordinated by Dakota Rural Action. And lobby your congressional leaders to make sure that tax dollars are getting spent on important programs like keeping children healthy and food secure.

Above is the high density onion planting. These trays are pretty much just Pro-Mix and a little compost. Heat mats for around five days to get a high % germination. If you are going to start you own onions, try buying a bulk pack, 1 ounce, for around 7 to 10 dollars from a real supplier - it is cheaper than store packets by a factor of around 40 to 1. For example, the Yellow of Parma seeds at Baker Creek is a good buy for some heirloom Italian seed while Everwilde seed has even better prices on other quality onion varieties. This will give you enough extra seed to get a nice dense set of onions and not waste your media. 

Muddy Pumpkin Farms, a diverse vegetable and melon farm located above the confluence of the Missouri and White Rivers in South Dakota, seeks interns for the 2012 season. We grow an array of heirloom vegetables, berries, melons and herbs on 5 acres of a 700+ acre ranch for a CSA, local schools, restaurants, food banks and farmer markets that span the state. We are chemical free and transitioning to organic certification. We are far from any city.

We are seeking creative and hard-working individuals who are passionate about local organic food. Previous experience in farming is not required but encouraged. Interns will be involved in all aspects of small-scale, diversified farming including planning, planting, irrigating, weeding, harvesting and direct marketing. Special emphasis will be placed on building soil tilth, producing compost and organic pest and weed control. Applicants should be comfortable in leadership roles, able to keep good records and have strong communication skills. Experience with carpentry and equipment maintenance is also appreciated.

The dates for the internship are flexible (May through October) but we require a commitment of at least 12 consecutive weeks. A monthly stipend can be provided, and on-farm housing in the new bunkhouse is available. All farm workers are given access to all the vegetables, melons and herbs they can eat.

A large library of books is available on topics such as sustainable agriculture, bio-dynamics, permaculture, homesteading and food justice. Materials and expertise for preservation and canning are available on the farm. The farm is home to a small herd of Hereford cattle, friendly cats and dogs, Thunder the horse and (soon) a flock of chickens.  Opportunities to visit and learn from some of our sister farms include a hydroponic tomato operation, raw milk dairy and apple orchard.