Winter and Change

Winter
We knew that cold and snow were coming and it came on like hitting a switch.  We finished up all of the projects that we needed to get done before the cold hit except one.  The high tunnel is still taking last priority to everything else, which is okay since the other projects needed to get completed or else we would have issues with winter temperatures and snow causing damage.  As long as the snow doesn't get too deep, we can work on the high tunnel in everything except high wind.
Change
We're in the process of reviewing the 2011 year and one of the items that I haven't discussed with many people is the change in the Little Sioux Growers Co-op (LSGC).  Mulberry Grove Family Farm has been a co-op member for a couple of seasons and the Co-op has been running for about two years with the first year pretty much as start-up process.  LSGC has been great for us in that it allows us to provide The person who led this group and did the leg work including marketing, sales, consolidation and distribution has gone to work for another farm that will be direct selling produce to local and regional customers similar to the LSGC.  With this person leaving, we are left with quite a gap within our organization as well as gaps in our external relationships.  While this is going to be a struggle, this also gives LSGC members the opportunity to assess our past and plan for the future.