Backyard Farmgals

Here's a little snippit from my Monday this week: There are some pretty wild and fun things that I get to do as a master's student. This one was so interesting and I enjoyed it greatly because I got to drive the tractor and hedge trees at one point. The best part was that the trees are in full bloom, and as I drove, petals were falling like snow. Best. Day. Ever! It is really difficult to be a tart cherry grower. Trees go in the ground and they are not typically harvested for 6-7 years after. Waiting for a crop can be financially difficult. We are trying to find ways to help a tart cherry tree reach production maturity a little faster. By doing this, the investment return would happen sooner, and it would give growers a few extra harvests from their investments. Sustainable agriculture is so important. To help us reach this goal of faster production, we are hedging trees. We are hopeful that by hedging the trees, there will be new spur growth that will form flower bu...

Master's projects are big, in an epic and ginormous way.  This is what I have learned in the last week and a half. Many of you know that I went back to school some time ago and I graduate with a second bachelors of science degree in plant science this summer.  However, I was accepted to the graduate program at USU for a masters in fruit production.  I haven't graduated with the BS yet, and I am off and running on the MS.  I started my project a week and a half ago, and it is huge.  Yes, I am certifiably crazy, I still don't know how I will pull all this off, but somehow it will fall into place, and I will settle into the work.  I had a very strong feeling that this path was the right path for my family and for me, I am sure that I will find out why I am so drawn in this direction with time. This last week and a half has been a whirlwind, I take that back, a tornado.  It's a darn good thing I was blessed with the ability to put my head down and go t...