Beach trip!

On Saturday a group of us went to Wrightsville beach to hang out on the sand and play in the water! Aside from some parking issues and crowded nature of the beach on a Saturday, it was a Saturday well spent. We arrived on the beach a little after 10 and proceeded to head right into the water. The ocean was a perfect temperature and thus we stayed for quite a while. After we had our fair share of the water we sprawled out on our towels and ate some farmer's market cheese and salami that Vinnie had brought. Around 2 we headed further into town to find a bar to watch the US versus Ghana world cup game. We ended up watching it in a Mexican bar and unfortunately the outcome was less than desired :( We went for another walk on the beach afterward before heading out and it was only when I got home that I realized the full extent of my sunburn. I promised I used sunscreen, but it didn't seem to really matter that much since I went into the water right after applying it. Lesson learned again.

How to effect change

Ok ok, I know I'm supposed to be using this time to get some of my research done, but I've got too much on my mind. Scold me all you want, it won't make a difference. :) During yesterday's discussion the idea of "invisible whiteness" came up. Invisible whiteness is the notion that we (as members of the Caucasian variety) don't classify white as being a race when we are talking about racial inequities in various community systems. Basically we do a great job of breaking up people of color into various sub groups and ethnicities, but then we fail to recognize our white race, instead just calling ourselves "other". This leads to unintentionally setting "us" as the standard when talking about flaws in a system. Interesting thought right?
I've been thinking a lot about that discussion yesterday where we looked at how to effect change within a community in regards to local and healthy foods. The article we read spoke of incorrect approaches, which usually involve a missionary approach which only alienated the community in which a person is trying to work with. It's the same kind of thought we had previously talked about in my training to become a service break trip leader last year. The difference is as simple as helping versus serving. Helping a community implies that without you they are unable to accomplish the same task and that they owe you something for your work. Serving, on the flip side, implies that you are working with the community and serving them as a outside member with an interest in the community. This approach shifts our mindsets and makes it easier for us to consider and accept alternative methods and approaches to solving problems. But this is only the beginning. There is much left to be discovered when it comes to using the community to correct issues whether they be racial, social, economical or all three, but hopefully by the end of the summer I will be a little closer to figuring out how to rally and build communities around the idea of change.

For now, I will sip my organic and fair trade certified iced Chai from Global Village coffee shop and get back to my research. I am not a fan of labels and niche markets, but the Chai is certainly very tasty.

Dear sun

Dear sun,

I have learned my lesson. I am not immune to your intense rays, and I need to not be stubborn and put on my sunscreen. Please stop turning my back shades of red and purple. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Sunburned lobster

*This letter is written as a direct result of working outside all day on an urban farm and then the small farm unit at CEFS without any sunscreen. Ill advised.

On a more positive note, today I spent the entire day outside working on farms which always makes me feel good. In the afternoon myself, Jeremy and Louise worked with Dylan, one of the small farm apprentices, picking and sorting onions. We must have gone through dozens and dozens because it took all afternoon to clear the beds. The highlight of the day was definitely when the three of us were riding back to the sorting shed with dozens of Candy onions in the back of the truck and Dylan reverses the truck right into the path of a huge sprinkler irrigating another field, thoroughly soaking the three of us and the onions. It's good to be able to mess around a bit and keep things interesting.

Field trip adventures!

This past weekend 10 out of the 12 interns and 2 apprentices from the small farm went up to the Chapel Hill area to do some exploring of all the cool sustainable-relevant organizations in the area. Our first stop was the Durham farmers market where we were greeted with a large group of people doing yoga next to the sidewalk. I ended up getting some smoked cheese (not a huge fan upon tasting) and other miscellaneous things that you could only find at a farmer's market. We then blasted to the Carrboro Farmer's market which is one of the best in the country and got to wander around for a bit. We then made our way to the Lantern restaurant on Franklin Street and talked to the owner who is big into using local foods in her meals. She was a very interesting person and it was obvious she had a strong passion in the local food movement. It was good to hear from someone in the restaurant business about the local food movement because so far we have only been interacting with small scale farmers, so speaking with someone in the restaurant industry gave another perspective. We had some free time in Chapel Hill afterwords so we hung out in Weever Street market and went to sample Locopops before we had to leave. After a quick stop at John O'Sullivans house we went to Maple View farm for some tasty ice cream and then headed over to the Solstice Party outside of Hillsborough. What an interesting event. I have to say this is probably the closest I have come to a "hippie party" but it was a great cultural experience to say the least. The party happened on the property of Ever Laughter Farms and included live music, an entire cooked pig (head and all), lots of local brewery beer and even more free love and attitudes. I'm a fan to say the least.

The next morning we met up at a grocery co-op in Chatam county and had a tasty brunch while listening to the manger talking about how co-ops are set up and how they work. After the brunch we went to the bio fuel plant in Pittsboro which was the highlight of the trip for me. I had no idea a huge plant was right down the road from me and what kind of work they actually do. This plant takes different types of cooking oils and refines them into bio fuel which they actually sell to individual families as well as gas companies which incorporate it into their fuel. It was good to learn the economics behind it too because although a gallon of bio fuel costs $3.50, in a couple of years the cost of petrol might well be higher (it already is in most places around the world). They also do some vermaculture on site, which I really want to learn more about, and they even grow their own bananas! Our last stop was the Peregrine Farm, a well-known small scale farm that uses intense crop rotations to plant 3.5 acres of land with a variety of crops. The farm also incorporates turkeys into their plots as a source of fertilizer and meat for the market. So guess who was asking him tons of poultry-related questions...The owner and his wife are both part of the CEFS board which we will get to meet soon. Whew, enough writing for now, I promise to put up pictures as soon as I get the motivation to do such.

5am is...beautiful

My day began today at 5am, well actually 4:30, but who is really keeping track at this point. Why on earth would I get up this early when I have the chance to sleep in till 9:00?! The reason I get up at this hour which the sun hasn't yet skimmed the East Coast of the beach is those pairs of beautiful doe-like eyes of the Jersey and Holstein cows at the dairy unit. Yes, today I went for the 5am milking at the dairy which was a cool experience in more than just one way. Something about being up at that hour is really invigorating and a great way to start your day (provided you get more sleep than I did that night) and watching the first sunlight hit the pastures as the cows wander back out into the field makes you appreciate the morning more. I also got to interact with one of the inmates this morning in the milking parlor and he was super friendly and much more loquacious than the others. He even smiled :) And as usual I got covered in very runny cow feces, but strangely enough the part that bothered me was when I got too wet from trying to wash some of it off. Funny how that works.

Research in Raleigh

As a follow up to our collection of milk samples from the dairy down here, myself and Claire went up to Raleigh this afternoon to help process some of the samples in the lab at the vet school. It was a great opportunity for both of us because Claire got to see the campus of the vet school at NC State, which is quite different than what she has in Uruguay. Hopefully this will motivate her to consider doing a year or more abroad once she is finished with her studies.

In the lab we organized the samples collected at the farm and using a sheep's blood medium we smeared the samples in plates and saw some examples of the bacteria cultures that grew out of the process as a result. Keena, the graduate student in charge of the lab and the project explained what further processing took place to isolate the Staph Aureous bacteria, which is one of the main causes of mastitis (an infection of the udder) in dairy cattle. Because of the presence of bacteria in the udder, the cow begins to produce somatic cells, an immune response, which is not good for human consumption. Mastitis is the leading cause in a decline in milk production in a herd. The overall project is looking at the presence of the staph aureous bacteria in the milk as well as the flies around the barn (a different collection process) to see if there is a correlation.

Before I forget (although how could I), I should mention the discussion we had this morning for our community engagement time. We had a local poet come in and read some poetry she wrote about growing up as part of a rural African American family in the South, some pretty powerful stuff. I especially enjoyed a poem where she talked about the repetitive and somewhat mindless process she and her family had to endure daily because there was nothing else. We also had a community organizer come in and facilitate a discussion on how to build active communities that deal with issues such as racial structures in agriculture. We sat in groups and each answered a question about our connection to food. The best part of this, in my opinion, was getting to hear everybody speak very clearly for what may be the first time. The rules of the groups were that nobody could talk except for the person designated to and the other people had to completely listen to the person, which meant not thinking about what they were going to say next. I've never really realized how often I do that and how it may affect my ability to really listen to a person. I always pride myself on being a great listener so I guess it's time for a revamping of my skills :)

Great potluck in the evening as well with tons of amazing food!

Walmart surprise...

So we went grocery shopping in Walmart the other day and I experienced what I could only call culture shock. We are so used to being a small group here on the farm with just the resources that we need that when we enter a freaking huge Walmart we get a little lost in the ridiculous size, at least I do. I guess that is an example to how people growing up on a farm or with a rural background feel when they come to a large city. Hopefully this experience will help me better be able to connect with farmers should I become a large animal veterinarian in the future. For now, I believe this to be a testament to how awesome my summer is going to be :)

Weekend in Goldsboro and working on the Small Farm

This was my first official full weekend in Goldsboro. Saturday morning I went with Clare to the dairy to help James, the dairy manager, with the feeding of the calves. They feed them a corn meal blend once a day and throw in a hay bale for the older calves as well. That afternoon we all went to one of the pubs in Goldsboro to watch the US vs. England match in the world cup. That evening was pretty chill as most of us were pretty tired so we ended up watching Food Inc. Sunday we spent almost the whole day indoors because it was so hot outside. We had a large potluck for dinner which included the most delicious food! I made a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, apples, grapes and a peanut dressing that I made myself (one of the other interns instructed me how to do so). Unfortunately I consumed a little bit of pineapple in a delicious chutney that someone made, but I was saved from another undesirable reaction by some awesome ginger, lemon and honey tea that was made for me.

On Monday we went to the small farm unit in the afternoon and did some solid manual labor to help out the apprentices. I went with the group to do some blueberry picking and then later sifted through a huge pile of sandbags to figure out which ones were still good for use. We also moved a huge donated hay bale, which is harder than it sounds, but at least we got to ride in the bed of a truck with a huge pile of hay!

I absolutely love it here! I thought it was going to be difficult not having TV or internet in the house, but it's actually been the best thing for me. On Sunday night after the potluck instead of going inside to check facebook or watch some Sunday night TV, a group of us went outside and watched the sunset while having a relaxed conversation. It's great to be able to get up early without being tired and spend a couple of hours each day cooking great organic meals. Sometimes I miss being home but I am learning so much cool information not just from the internship lessons and research, but also from the other interns. It's such an eclectic group of people and I am continuously being surprised in a great way. I am sure I will have 11+ new friends by the end of the summer.

Milking at the Dairy Unit

Spent today at the Dairy Unit getting to know the staff and downloading all the information I need for the project. I will be looking at the statistics for the last two years and assessing reproductive efficiency of the different types and crosses (Holstein and Jersey) of dairy cows. I also milked today in the evening which was smelly and dirty. I got pooped on. Many times. But I love it.

Beef Cattle workshop

Yesterday we had a great opportunity to attend a workshop on beef cattle handling and pregnancy checks on some of the heifers at the beef unit. I went a little early and helped Dr. Alley, a veterinarian from State do some pregnancy checks on a dozen of the heifers that had been bred by AI 60 days ago and then followed by a bull 25 days later. The conception rate for AI was about 60% which is about standard. All of the heifers had been synchronized with CIDR beforehand, which is a progesterone implant that we learned about in Reproduction and Lactation class. Hurray for practical applications! Dr. Alley also checked on a bull that had injured his penis during mating. For the workshop Dr. Alley and Dr. Poor showed how to properly herd cattle in a low impact and low stress manor which can increase the efficiency in moving a group of cows as well as decrease the probability of injury to both the cattle and the herder. The principles were based off of using distance and movement that were familiar to the cattle, such as moving in the same direction as the flow of movement to get them to slow down and moving in the opposite direction to get them to speed up. Dr. Alley didn't even have to use a stick, prod or even his voice to get them to move. He did a pregnancy check on the remaining 6 heifers and allowed me to go in after him and do a rectal palpation of a fetus that was about 45 days old. I even won a sweet hat with a Wayne Country Cattlemen logo on it as part of the door prize :) This afternoon will be spent at the Dairy Unit collecting some samples for a research project some grad students are working on at State about bacteria and mastitis.

Address

If you want to be adored by me forever then you can write to me at this address:

Natasha Vos
c/o Steve Moore
NCDA/CEFS
201 Stevens Mill Road
Goldsboro, NC, 27530

I have arrived at CEFS!

I wasn't really sure whether I was going to keep up a blog or not this summer, but it turns out I have more free time and motivation than I thought so here goes...

I arrived on Saturday afternoon to Goldsboro, NC, which is not the most active place in the world, especially with a population of less than 40,000. I am staying in a house with 5 other girls next to the Small Farm Unit of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (which is what CEFS stands for, if you didn't catch onto that). CEFS is a 2,200 acre operation that deals with projects from organic farming and crop rotations to dairy cattle and alternative swine. It also happens to be next to a mental hospital, two prisons and a correctional facility, basically the set-up for a bad horror flick. There are 12 interns on the program and 4 apprentices each doing a research project in something completely different.

The first couple of days have been a cool introduction to the program. Sunday was really chill and we just got to know each other throughout the day and made some food shopping trips, although with all the organic vegetables and fruits that we have access to on the farm, I'm not sure how much food I will need to buy. Yesterday we had a lecture on what it means to be sustainable and the differing views on how to create a sustainable agriculture in the US. In the afternoon I went with two girls from Uruguay to the dairy unit to help with spraying an organic fly repellent on some of the heifers and steers as well as give them Rhinovirus vaccinations.

I can tell that this summer is going to be an awesome one between all the cool activities we have planned rotating through different units on the farm, spending time at the dairy and the great weekends we have planned around the area and the beach! :)