News from Terra Firma Farm

If you've flown across the country you've probably seen these fields -- a green circle inside a larger square, with brown corners where the sprinklers don't reach. This is an irrigation system called "center pivot", used by most of the largest farms in the U.S., in which a single pump in the middle of a 640 acre field is used to water a giant circle. A motor-driven wheeled pipeline hung with sprinklers rotates automatically, like the hand of a clock. The system is a miracle of modern agriculture, a way for a small number of people to farm vast amounts of land in a way that is extremely efficient economically.
    But "economic efficiency" in agriculture does not necessarily translate into "maximum food production", as center pivot farming clearly demonstrates. Those brown corners that don't get watered -- or planted -- total 141 acres of each 640 acre block, or 22%.   And when you add it up, it represents millions of acres of good farmland in our country that is simply not being used to produce food because it's inconvenient.
   You may have heard a story on public radio last week that featured several academics explaining why organic farming can't feed the world and why only large scale agribusiness can accomplish that goal. According to these experts, small farms are inefficient, the food they produce is more expensive, and have lower yields than larger farms -- especially if they are small organic farms.
   While it is true that large scale agriculture can produce many commodity crops more cheaply than smaller farms, this doesn't translate into feeding the world. I could spend all day giving you examples of how and why this is true. Instead, I will offer you a few bullet points in case you find yourself arguing with a person spouting the "only big farms can't feed the world" line.
1) Farmers don't set food prices. The biggest factors in the price farmers small and large get paid are the weather, government subsidies (if applicable), and supply and demand. The prices consumers pay for food is set by brokers, manufacturers, and retailers. A common example used is the price of the corn in a box of corn flakes -- about 20 cents of three dollars. In other words: larger supplies of crops do not necessarily translate into lower prices.
2) All Efficiency is Local. Rice farmers in Thailand, where labor is very cheap, can harvest their fields by hand for less than it costs a grower in California to harvest with a combine. Large scale farms use mechanization and chemicals to save money on labor; this business model is not appropriate in much of the world. Small farms in developing countries still provide much of the world's food.
3) Small farmers are more efficient users of space than big farms. Center pivot irrigation is one example. Another is the use of very large tractors or harvesters that require extra-wide spaces at the edges of fields to turn around. Small farms waste less space because they need every acre to produce. They also often produce more crops per acre, either by planting a second crop in the same year or by grazing livestock on crop residues.
4) Agribusiness is built on fossil fuel -- diesel for tractors, and petrochemical based fertilizers, weedkillers and insecticides. It seems ridiculous right now to advocate the world move even further towards dependency on non-renewable resources. Organic farmers produce food using less fossil fuels. Small scale Farmers in the developing world are still producing food using "human power". Both should be supported and encouraged for not increasing demand for fossil fuels.
In closing, I will make one final point: big farms receive the lion's share of federal direct crop subsidies. If big agribusiness is such an efficient producer of cheap food, why do they need subsidies at all?

Thanks,
Pablito

In your boxes
    Spring is in full effect this week at Terra Firma and in your boxes. You'll probably notice that the color of the season is green.
Our short Pea season kicks into high gear with both Sugar Snap and English Peas in some of the boxes.   Snap peas have edible pods and peas, with just a small inedible tab and string to remove. They can be eaten raw as a snack, or lightly cooked.
    English Shelling Peas have a larger pod, tough and leathery, that opens easily to reveal the fresh green peas inside. The pods should be discarded. These peas can also be eaten raw, but they are best boiled or steamed after shelling. If you have any doubt which peas are which in your box, try to "snap" one in half. Only the Snap peas will break cleanly and easily.
   Some subscribers were probably happy to see Kale disappear from their boxes a few weeks back, while others have probably been missing it. We did an experimental spring planting in January this year, and the first bunches are in the boxes this week. I think the heartier, chewier Kale provides a nice contrast when cooked some of the delicate spring veggies in today's boxes (see recipe).
    We starting harvesting Cherries this week -- just a few trees, and just enough fruit for the Large boxes. However, there is lots more fruit that will be ripe by next week. On the other, there is also a chance of rain in the forecast for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. A heavy rain can destroy ready-to-pick cherries, so keep your fingers crossed for dry weather.

Size up for Spring
    Subscribers will probably notice their boxes being noticeably lighter now. Many of the labor-intensive crops we're harvesting now or will be soon -- strawberries, peas, cherries -- have relatively high values. That means it takes fewer items to fill up the boxes.
    Small boxes are probably the most dramatically affected. It doesn't take many berries and cherries reach the $14 value of Small box. The spring Small boxes are full of fun items, but they won't make much of a meal. We could almost call it the "Snack" box.
If you're finding this week's Small box tasty but less filling, you might want to invoke your inalienable right as a Terra Firma subscriber to switch sizes from one week to the next. Check out what's in the Medium box today. If it looks good to you, you can log onto you account and make the change for next week.
    If you're getting a Medium box, you can upsize to a Large. Alternately, anyone can add a second box of any size to their delivery for the week.

Recipe -- Many Shades of Green Risotto

Cooking spring vegetables is really like kitchen theatre -- there are dozens of different costumes and sets you can use to bring out the actor's talent. If you cook the veggies correctly, all you need at most is a light sauce. Then, serve them with a small amount of rice, polenta or other suitable backdrop for their delicate flavors. For this recipe, you can make the risotto ahead of time and then reheat it when it's time to cook the vegetables, which take just a few minutes.
For the Polenta:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then lower to a simmer.
Chop 1-2 spring onions and saute in 3 T. olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot until tender. Add 1 1/4 C. arborio rice and toast in the oil for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Pour 1 C. white wine into the pot and stir to deglaze the pot. As soon as the wine evaporates, add 1 C. of the hot water to the rice.
Remove the stems from 1 bunch of kale and then dice. Add the kale to the pot and stir to combine.
Continue adding water 1 C. at a time and stirring it to combine until the rice becomes thick and creamy -- about 30 minutes. Add 1 C. of grated parmesan or dry jack cheese and stir to mix.
For the Veggies:
Rinse and trim 1/2 lb. of snap peas and 1 bunch of asparagus. Cut the snaps in half. Cut the asparagus into 1 inch pieces, slicing extra thick ones in half lengthwise. Shell English Peas to make 1 C. Rinse and chop cilantro to make 1 C. Mince green garlic to make 2 T.
In a wok or skillet, heat 2 T. olive oil and add the asparagus. Saute on high heat for 3 minutes, then add the snap peas and the garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes, then add 1/2 C. white wine (or try lemon juice), the English peas, and the cilantro. Toss to combine, then remove from heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
You can mix the vegetables into the polenta, or serve them on top.