This is me, Rebecca Terk, washing bok choy from my gardens.
I am a small farmer. I am a real farmer. I reject the USDA classification of small farms as “hobby” or “lifestyle” farms, as if anything under 50 acres is simply a lark. I stand for local economies and sustainable development.
We (my partner Harry and I, as well as a couple farm helpers) have a little over an acre in vegetable and fruit production. The rest of the farmscape is in grasses and shelterbelts that are home to a diverse array of wildlife, native pollinators, and other living and decaying things.
Like 55% of other principle farm operators (according to the USDA 2007 Census of Agriculture), I am also employed off the farm. I work as an instructor of English online for the University of South Dakota, and the views expressed in this blog are my own, not theirs.
I also donate my time to helping coordinate the Vermillion Community Garden Project, and I am the president of the Vermillion Area Farmers Market (where I sell my produce during the regular season). I spend a good deal of time helping to create a stable, productive market for other small producers and crafters and in doing so, I help to bolster my local economy and further the rural revolution!
Thanks for stopping by my blog, which I regularly update with discussions about my farm, my cooking, and random other observations about life and politics and locavoraciousness. Come back anytime!
January 23, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I am so glad to have you blog back. There was something missing from my life and now I feel whole.
Keep it going sistah!
love you,
codee
January 24, 2008 at 1:26 am
Thanks! Sorry it took me awhile to extend invitations–I was trying to get some content up and my format right.
Love you too!
–re.
February 5, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Hey, Rebecca, Thanks for letting me know about your website. Enjoyed your review of our trip to Brookings.
I am desperate to get things started for the season, but guess I am stuck in the cold north until March.
February 7, 2008 at 12:51 am
Hello Becky,
I wanted to let you know that I visited your website and enjoyed it. I hope you are able to have a successful growing season and I am grateful that you shared some of your harvest in the form of jellies and salsa with Glenn and I during the holidays.
Best of luck this season!
Denise
March 5, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Hi Rebecca–
I’m new to this blogging thing, but found you by googling “seed starting blogs”. I’m so happy I found your site.
Good for you for all you do! and for living out your convictions. You go girl!
I’m with you on every count–including, even, having English degrees and loving essay writing! I’m a serious organic gardener, but just grow for me and my husband… well, I guess I do sort of feed the neighborhood. And, I’m a gardening a bit further north than you are…in north central Minnesota.
Anyway, you are an inspiration. I’ll be back.
March 8, 2008 at 1:21 am
Now we know Iwecan pick your brain as well as the dirt when it comes to ideas for eating and growing veggies. We don’t mind ours with a bit of dirt on them either. Yum! Hopefully next time we get together you will have some ready for us to nosh on.
The site looks great. Keep up the awesome work!
May 5, 2008 at 7:45 am
Rebecca:
i was fooling around on google and did a search on my own name and discovered your review of the report i did many years ago on energy and agriculture. it was an interesting time when published and there was so much uncertainty regarding the future. much of what we feared back then has come to pass. sigh.
i love your focus on raising food in a sustainable manner. if more agriculutre shifted towars your approaches, i suspect we would all be better off. good luck.
joe
May 6, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Thanks, Joe!
My partner, Harry, was involved in that project back when he was hog farming.
He dug the report out of a box in his barn and gave it to me to read–really fascinating stuff, and yes, many of those findings did prove prescient.
Thanks again for the comment!
–Rebecca
October 24, 2008 at 6:41 am
was surfing hyperion this morning and see you reported on last night’s meeting at vermillion. i was very encouraged to see another person taking pen (in this case computer) in hand and speaking out about the Hyperion issue. if you have time, you may want to visit my blog and see what i have been writing about for the last year or so..enjoyed the blog. keep it up.
January 4, 2009 at 9:39 am
Hi, I was surfing, looking at various information on SD and came across the link to your blog. I am looking to return to SD…probably this Spring/Summer…and I have a friend that has turned me on to CSA’s/Farmer’s Markets, and so forth. We are exploring W. River, as my job is wanting me to live in that side of the state..and specifically exploring the Southern Hills…don’t want the crazy life of the populated Northern Hills. So…any thoughts? I know W. SD is not known for much “farming”…but, know anyone who is growing large gardens out there?
Sooz
January 4, 2009 at 10:34 am
My advice would be to check out Dakota Rural Action’s local food directory. It encompasses the whole state, so you’ll be able to look at who is producing what out there. Good luck on your move!
–re.
January 19, 2009 at 9:59 pm
I went to Chae’s twice today! Lunch with friends and dinner with Lee for our anniversary. We were probably there at the same time.
February 11, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Hi Rebecca…
Thanks for listing me on your blogroll…I’ve had several referrals from your site.
April 6, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Hi,
I have been following your blog and really enjoy it! Our newspaper, The Lennox Independent (Lennox, SD), has recently done a website re-design (http://www.lennoxnews.com) and I am looking for some blogs that I can link to. I think our readers would really enjoy yours. If that is something you would consider, please let me know! Thanks.
Kelli
April 6, 2009 at 3:10 pm
That’s fine by me! Thanks for reading.
–re.
June 5, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Hi Rebecca
I would very much appreciate getting your opinion on row cover and or plastic.
If you look at my website http://www.veggiecare.com the reason will be plain but I do have a serious and sincere interest in helping people grow locally and organically.
You mentioned that you use row cover so my question is how much do you use it and what do you hope to achieve from its use and does it meet your aims?
Similarly, if you use hoop houses covered in plastic the same question applies.
Do you find that using row cover or plastic has any serious disadvantages?
Or on the positive side what characteristics would you like them to have that at present they do not provide?
I am conscious that you may perceive my post as just being a way to promote my products so if so please just remove it from your blog, though I would very much appreciate and value your responses to my questions if you have the time.
Cheers
John
PS Seeing you are an instructor in English makes writing to you very daunting!
June 7, 2009 at 5:37 pm
John–
OK, I’ll bite. Please don’t use my comment approval to sell stuff on my blog.
I don’t use plastic, but I do use floating row cover. I use it quite often for a number of purposes–more in the spring than summer/fall.
I use row cover to protect against cold snaps, flea beetles and other insect problems, and to moderate the effects of hot, dry winds. I also use it over crops that are shallowly sown in order to keep the soil moist and to aid in germination of same (and also to help weak germinators like carrots).
Does it meet my aims? Yes, mostly, or I wouldn’t use it. I occasionally to get some insect damage under the covers, so I sometimes use them in concert with diatomaceous earth.
Disadvantages: I live in a windy climate. That makes row cover difficult to lay/secure sometimes. It also makes it harder to keep them in good shape from season to season, though I do generally get a few seasons out of a cover, and I cut them into shorter lengths if need be until they’re too worn out to use. The major issue is that a cover that is lightweight enough to let in a decent amount of light and yet provide a few degrees of frost protection generally tends to rip easily. So there’s a trade-off between the weight/durability and the light availability.
If there was a way to make them more durable without sacrificing the amount of light pass-through, that would be nice. I have noticed that the older Agribon brand name printed row covers I got from Gardens Alive! a few years ago have outperformed the ones I got later on without a brand name printed on them–though they’re advertised as the same weight. It is also nice to have the name (or anything else, really) printed down the middle of the length of the cover, so it’s easier to find where the middle is when you’re trying to lay a cover neatly down a long row.
Hope this helps! Don’t be scared of of the English instructor–I won’t literally bite or correct your grammar.
–Rebecca
June 16, 2009 at 2:21 am
Hi Rebecca,
I’ve been out of town w/ my s.o. who got a couple new stents at the VA in Minneapolis, tho he had a couple of scares the people at the hospital were amazing, had they been less so it would have gone much worse. Finally we’re both feeling better after the stress overload, pulling weeds in the yard after the rain yesterday is the most real I’ve felt in too long.
The girls (hens that is) loved the wilted greens, thank you! I give away most of what they lay to neighbors much less fortunate, my 2 cents to your debate. Barring unforseen intervening events I look forward to stopping by the farmers’ market Thursday tho I’ll miss your spinach.
As to Todd, I shake my head. I’m no babe but I value substance over looks, & believe in seeing people for what is on the inside while tending to not notice outside stuff as much. Strange I suppose to most …
I love your enthusiasm! Wish I had a couple drops of your energy too. Later!
June 16, 2009 at 7:40 am
Glad to hear you’re back, and that your s.o. is recuperating (and you are, too).
I still have your bucket–I’ll bring it again to the market this week. Sorry I didn’t realize it was you that day, bringing the chicken poop–I thought Gail was shooing the kids away while I was on the phone!
BTW–you are mentioned by name in one of Todd’s most recent posts, as one of his readers/supporters.
See you soon, I hope.
–re.
July 19, 2009 at 1:12 am
Rebecca,
I enjoyed reading your blog, and am now following you on twitter (I’m xjimenez) . Good luck w/ this years growing season.
Xavier
July 24, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Hi Rebecca’
I have used Bordeau mixture for blight with some good results, it works better as a preventative & I’m pretty sure it’s ok to use w/organics, tho you want to check to confirm that. Its an old European vinyard thing. Somewhere I remember reading that they used to plant roses at the end of the rows as a warning indicator as the roses would show damage before it spread to the vines, giving the vintners the heads up to know when it was needed before the damage spread. Let me know if you’re interested, I’ve got some & an applicator, plus some diatomaceous earth to thin it out a little & help it go farther if you have alot of plants that might need it. Haven’t forgotten about the lemon mint, I’ve been distracted w/ more so health prob’s tho fortunately we’ve found out this time it’s ok. Might try to catch you home & we can talk more about it. Later!
August 1, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Hi-
Ask our friend if she (& you’re welcome too!) Still wants arricots? Stillsome nice ones…
August 7, 2009 at 1:00 am
Re: the possibility of West Nile, if you get a headache go in & get checked! It sucks!
August 15, 2009 at 10:58 pm
It was fun to see your entries at the CC Fair- Good work!
August 30, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Rebecca: I don’t know if the last message I sent went or not; it disappeared. I’m interested in purchasing some pickles from you, when will you have some at the market? The ones from last year just get better and better. Also, do you have an email I could send this recipe to? I can not get into Facebook right now.
Thansk, Cathy P.S. Congrats on all your ribbons at the fair!!
August 31, 2009 at 10:56 am
Wow! Well, I only have a couple jars left from last season’s batch, but I could make some more if you would lend me your crock–the folks I was giving little cukes to have already filled theirs. I could start this year’s batch tomorrow if we could coordinate a crock-pickle exchange. You can e-mail the recipe to me at organicpeas(AT)hotmail(DOT)com.
September 26, 2009 at 10:55 am
REbecca …what a great site. I have enjoyed your blog all summer..wish I had found you sooner….Love ya,