Coping with the Unknown
Life is unpredictable and farming is no different. In fact, farming by its very nature is an unpredictable business venture. There are several factors that farmers near & far account for each growing season: crazy unseasonable temps, hailstorms, late snowstorms & early frost, flooding, drought, poor seed germination, pests & predators. Every year we have pests. Unfortunately, as farmers who spray only water on their plants, we have to assume that at least one crop will be a loss due to pests. And just about every year we’ve been hit by hailstorms. The worst was in 2017 when Benson and other areas of the Omaha community got mauled by baseball-sized hail. The sound of the hail clobbering the house was like someone throwing dumbbells & barbells upstairs, at the walls, at the windows—we were fortunate that not a single window on the house was shattered and no one was hurt. During the storm’s turbulence, we were left to imagine what was happening to the small farm that we cared for & grew from seed. We did have some loss outside: full rows of crops, siding on the house, a sandbox, a car windshield. When all was said and done, we ran outside, holding our breath, to take in the aftermath of the storm. It was truly disheartening to see entire rows of crops like zucchini & tomatoes smashed to smithereens. Perspective in that moment was everything…we were able to recognize that it could’ve been worse. Later that same summer, the summer of the baseball-sized hail, we produced some baseball-sized Spanish Roja garlic & a bounty of other delicious, healthy veggies. We picked up the pieces and overcame.
These unknown elements are no doubt nuisances and extremely frustrating, but we’ve dealt with them before and will face them head-on again. This upcoming season, however, it’s different. Now, in addition to the risks of farming, there’s something else that’s bigger and more foreign to us, and it’s something that is currently being coped with in some capacity by communities worldwide. Farmers markets have delayed start dates or unknown start dates. Restaurants are doing carry-out only and have limited business. There is social distancing. These can be major obstacles in a small farm business plan. Similarly to the other unknowns in farming, we have to be creative in coming up with solutions and rework the plan. The plan will inevitably be extremely different this year. Our fresh, locally-grown produce, handmade products and positive perspective won’t be.
We will be here striving to provide the best. It’s incredibly important that we all have access to quality local produce, products & plants. Here are a few updates from us at Benson Bounty:
If you can grow some of your own food, come by our plant sale in April or May where you’ll find an assortment of big, beautiful, pesticide/chemical-free veggie starts, herbs & other flowers/plants for your garden or patio containers. This is an outdoor sale where we can respect distance; we are also taking pre-orders for curbside pick-up.
Want to eat healthy & local while maintaining social distance? Connect directly with your local farmer through our CSA program (CSA stands for Community Support Agriculture; it guarantees each member a weekly share of what we are harvesting). We’ve added an additional pick-up location for our CSA members’ convenience: choose either Friday nights in Gifford Park or Saturday mornings here at Benson Bounty, 6915 Evans Street. Shares guarantee members either $12.50 or $25.00 in fresh produce weekly; find all of the CSA details here.
We think that everyone having access to quality local produce is incredibly important which is why we are proud vendors that accept Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program & WIC coupons. Participants can join our weekly email list & use coupons for pick-ups at our farm by reaching out here. Spread the word! Curbside produce pick-up available on-site.
Thank you for continuing to support local—our work wouldn’t be possible without all of you!
Michelle & Mark @ Benson Bounty
