Farmers need a wide range of skills to run a farm. Paying skilled tradespeople, especially now, is often too expensive for all the jobs that need to be done on the farm. Farmers need building, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, plant science, human resource, mechanical, and veterinary skills. Welding is also a very useful skill. It is often used to modify tools, repair anything that is metal, or build something new. David is a self-taught welder and makes no claims to be skilled in the trade. He took some time after the workday on Friday to teach any interested members of the farm team, and members of the farm team next door at Fill Yer Boots Farm, an introduction to welding. He was very patient, went over all the safety considerations, and let everyone try. The world went black as soon as I pressed the button on the welding gun. I was wearing the safety hood which protects my face and eyes. I guess I should have moved my face closer to the sparks, which is not intuitive. The introduction gave me enough to realize I’d like to learn and try it more. There were six of us trying it out, and it was so much fun! So empowering.

As a woman, I am intimidated and scared to bust in and learn. I really admire the fact that Eli has risen to the challenge of being in charge of irrigation. This means she has learned a lot about plumbing and can be found all over the farm setting up sprinklers, laying drip tape, repairing headers, and of course, fixing leaks! She’s confident, calm, and in demand this spring, as we have had less rain than normal. The farm team has been planting so many transplants, and they need water. This week many of the eggplant and peppers were planted outside.

We’re very pleased to finally have cucumbers, carrots, and celery this week! The struggle with cucumber pests is real, and today we replaced the screen on the cucumber tunnel to protect the new baby cuke plants.