Welcome Katie Fotta - New Farm Manager 

Hello Pennypack Farm Community, I would like to introduce myself. I am Katie Fotta, the new Farm Manager. I would like to thank the staff, board members, workshares, volunteers, and share members for giving me a warm welcome. I am truly excited to join the team and work on a sustainable farm.

I graduated from Mansfield University with a BA in Music, piano being my main instrument. After graduation I wanted to take my life in a different direction. In search of my path I held various jobs including working with my siblings at their vegetarian cafe in Rhinebeck, N.Y., and as intern for the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Upon returning to Pennsylvania, I was hired at Blue Moon Acres, a micro greens operation in Buckingham. In my five years at Blue Moon Acres, I worked as part of the greenhouse production team, tended the market garden for 2 seasons, and eventually became the farm manager. Attending the PASA conference in 2008 sparked my interest in sustainable farming. In search of more fulfilling work that connects community, education, and farming, I found Pennypack Farm.

I look forward to making deeper connections with everyone in the coming months. I am eager to expand my knowledge of organic and sustainable systems, and add to the farm by sharing my experience and enthusiasm for growing delicious food.

As the Salad Spins

by Farmer Dennis

Hello shareholders! Farmer Dennis here. I'd like to talk about bee keeping with you. We farmers started three hives last year to help with pollination though in truth mostly for our own entertainment. We also have three private beekeepers that keep a total of six more hives onsite.

Pollination is crucial in our farm and sadly pollinators are in a drastic decline in this country. Bee populations are reeling from the double threat of Colony Collapse Disorder and Varroa mite infestation. Sadly the commercial honey industry's chemical response to the latter threat seems to be contributing in large part to the former.

I wish I had better news for you about the state of the bees here on the farm. With temperatures spiking above sixty degrees Friday, February 18th, all our beekeepers went out to check how the hives fared this winter. Sadly the news was grim. Out of nine hives, only one had survived. The one happy note is the remaining hive is the hardiest I've ever seen. The main reason is this hive has been raiding all the empty hive's honey stores for its own use whenever the weather got warm enough.

Why did so many hives die off this winter? While all had varying degrees of mite infestation, the hives health were good going into the winter season and all the hives had adequate honey reserves. Autopsies of the dead hives show only one ate through all its honey reserves yet all the hives showed the tell tale signs of starvation. This means seven of the eight hives died of starvation though honey was still present in the hive.

The problem seems to be the winter cold. Bees are fairly hardy about cold temperatures but run into problems if any cold snap lasts too long. Bees cluster together in the hive for warmth so honey stores near the cluster tend to be the ones eaten first. If the weather warms some, the cluster can move (usually higher) to fresh honey or will send workers to harvest honey from farther away in the hive and bring it back to the cluster. If the temperature stays too cold for too long, the cluster is unable to move to fresh honey. The cluster, in a sense, eats itself into a corner. It can starve with honey stores as little as two inches away if it gets cold enough for long enough. This is what happened to the majority of our hives this year. I chalked this up to inexperience till I learned that local master beekeepers had lost many hives this winter too. Misery loves company.

Saturday, April 23rd, I'll be restocking the farm's hives with fresh bees. You're invited to come (4pm), watch and ask questions and for the intrepid, lend a hand. Be prepared for mud, wearing long sleeved shirts/coats and pants tucked into your boots. Gloves and a hat are must if you wish to get closer to the action. All are welcome but please judge for yourselves if this is appropriate activity for you and your children. Working in a bee-yard calls for a clear, calm mind and slow and considered movement. Those sensitive to bee venom should certainly reconsider. It should be a fun event for both well-behaved kids and those young at heart too. Please contact me at dennisreil@yahoo.com if you'd like to attend. Please leave your email address and best phone number so I can reach you in case of cancellation due to emergency or weather. Hope to see you there!