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Farm Business

As the warmer weather begins to peak out, the chores of spring come to the forefront of our business.  Repairing field fencing now that the ground is more solid, although it still rains a lot is near completion.  We have three crews out this week fertilizing and tilling the land for its various uses (including wheat this year).   A good part of spring has been used to re-border the new farm's field, to make each pasture larger, and easier to work with our larger equipment.

There will only be planting in late April or early May, it's too cold before that for germination.   Granted sitting in a tractor for 6 hours a day is not a lot of fun, but it's not disagreeable either.  The principal reason we are away in London this week is that Jennifer is in charge of it all, and has told us clearly that the workload is minimal this week (excluding the high tunnels which are working at usual levels).   

The largest and most demanding part of the farm this week is the meat plant (aka the slaughterhouse) which is working overtime for the planned two-week shutdown that starts tonight.   Friday is the clean-up of the entire structure, everything from pens to shuts to killing area and butchering is being cleaned and next week the plant will be full of our maintenance crew to fix and mend equipment broken equipment.   Inspection of the entire facility will probably occur during these two weeks -- it's like clockwork every time we have a shutdown, we get a surprise inspection.   Are shutdown is always scheduled to occur at the end of Ramadan, 80% of our meat plant workers are Muslims (before you ask they do not fast during Ramadan, it's far too physically demanding and dangerous job).  The two that do not, work the first week of the shutdown to assist our maintenance team (the head of the operation always shows up, despite being off...) in exchange they have a longer Christmas break, it's a deal that works for everyone.   

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