TL;DR

Aside from the usual harvesting, weeding, and chores, I also got to talk business and needs with the farmer. Very little time to take photos, but I did get a few of the piggys.

While weeding the onions in the dry field, I got some one-on-one time to talk with Jamie about business needs and priorities, particularly options for value-added products that the farm could offer based on their current operations and produce.

What Are Value-added Products from a Farm?

The term ‘value-added products’ refers to transforming raw agricultural products into something new through processing, packaging, or other methods. These products are categorized and regulated differently than ‘farm fresh’ veg produce, eggs, and other outputs of operation like honey from bees.

Value-added products save consumers time, meet their specific culinary desires, and expand the farm’s profile. They also nicely fill out a farm stand or local general store with goodies that spark peoples’ curiosity and imagination for what their farming neighbors can offer.

What Value-added Products Could We Offer?

While we sweated under the hot sun, I thought about which value-added products we could offer:

salsas and sauces
jams, jellies, and preserves (peppers, tomatoes, herbs)
pickled vegetables such as bok choy, cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, radishes
dried/dehydrated vegetables such as kale chips, tomatoes, and carrots
dried herbs and flowers
honey candy

All of the above could be sold at farmers markets, CSAs, and other retail outlets without changing current outputs. It is also using surplus produce rather than hoping to sell that to local restaurants and distributors last minute.

Additionally, if the above works well, we might consider expanding productions to partner with other local agricultural businesses with a similar need for partnership, such as:

veg-infused oils and cheeses
home-preservation classes
ready-to-use veg such as lettuce mixes, ‘zoodles’ (zucchini noodles), and medley of gourd spears

Side-note on Farm Product Revenue

It’s not simply the sticker price of products a farm has to think about when dividing their labor and time. Some things like eggs are not a big revenue generator, but they are an essential characteristic that CSA members value and the chicken coops are a natural source of free high-nitrogen fertilizer when rotated properly across fields. Producing hay, while not a revenue generator, is worth it for farms that already have the equipment to do so (provided this isn’t core to their produce model).

The diversity of operations on a farm also contributes overall resilience of it’s business model when one or a few areas are affected by adverse weather and other factors. Building in appropriate buffers, fallbacks, and flexibilities is the responsible thing to do if at all possible.

I Should Feed My LLM Better Produce

The thing about AI is, it’s just a tool and only as good as you feed it context. In my daily notes, I do my best to avoid mentioning specific names, business details, or other information that could be considered proprietary or sensitive. I also have yet to procedurally feed in prior notes and blogs as context for the LLM to draw upon.

Like humans, we are what we consume. The following doesn’t include any of the above human-written details because I didn’t include them in the audio notes…on purpose. Some details are better left private, while other information I share because I’ve had time to confirm with Jamie the farmer that it’s okay to be transparent about certain aspects of the farm.

This is the most honest work I’ve ever done…between the real field work, the writing, the technical process development, and the daily commitment to turn around a blog post within 24 hours. I can’t wait for the summaries to get better that this:

AI-generated Summary of Field Notes

Okay, so I'm looking at this farm intern's notes from June 12th, and I want to make sense of what's going on. Let me try to break it down. First, the intern talks about harvesting various greens like kale—specifically dinosaurs, red Russian, and curly green—and also Swiss chard, spinach, arugula, and tatsuyo. I'm not familiar with tatsuyo, so that's something new I should look into. Maybe it's a type of heirloom or unique green used in cooking. Next, they mention weeding parsnips and onions. They started the parsnip weeds two days ago but didn't finish because other tasks took priority. After lunch, they went back to onions, which are under biodegradable mulch. There are six rows of onions, and only three were left that day. I wonder how long it typically takes to harvest onions at this stage. Then there's a call from a CSA member needing their share picked up. The owner was busy with floral arrangements for pop-up markets in Ipswich and other markets, using both cultivated and wild flowers. While the intern was handling tasks like cleaning bins and bringing water to pigs (they even mentioned a gator, which I think is an ATV, used for transporting water), the owner was arranging flowers. The intern also bagged arugula for sale. They also focused on waste management—cleaning bins and ensuring no vegetable scraps were left around to avoid attracting vermin. At the end of the day, the intern swept the barn and made sure everything was picked up. So, putting it all together, the main activities are harvesting leafy greens, weeding parsnips and onions, assisting with CSA pickups, supporting floral arrangements, cleaning, and managing farm waste. New things I learned: They use biodegradable mulch, have a gator for transport, pigs get water from the intern, and tatsuyo is another type of green. I'm curious about what tatsuyo is specifically—maybe it's a leafy green used in Japanese cuisine? Also, how long does onion harvesting usually take at this stage? And what strategies does the farm have to manage heat and keep workers comfortable? For suggestions, I think adding shade structures or hydration stations would help with worker comfort. Composting vegetable scraps instead of throwing them away could also be beneficial for reducing waste and providing fertilizer. I should make sure these suggestions are practical and align with existing practices. Maybe check if composting is already in use or if it's feasible to implement. Also, perhaps assess the current heat management strategies before suggesting anything that might not fit the farm's setup. Overall, this day highlights the variety of tasks an intern might handle on a farm, from harvesting and weeding to assisting with CSA and floral work, all while managing waste effectively.

Farm Intern Notes Analysis: June 12th

Main Themes:

Leafy Greens Harvesting: The intern harvested several types of kale (dinosaur, red Russian, curly green), Swiss chard, spinach, arugula, and tatsuyo. Tatsuyo is likely a unique or heirloom green, possibly used in culinary applications.
Weeding and Maintenance: Tasks included weeding parsnips and onions in dry fields under biodegradable mulch.

Activities:

Harvested diverse leafy greens.
Assisted with CSA share pickups.
Supported floral arrangement preparation using cultivated and wild flowers.
Managed farm waste by cleaning bins and ensuring no vegetable scraps were left.

New Information:

Use of biodegradable mulch for dry fields.
Utilization of a gator (ATV) for transporting water to pigs.
Introduction to tatsuyo, a specific leafy green.

Questions:

What is tatsuyo and how is it utilized?
How long does the onion harvest typically last at this stage?
What strategies are in place for worker comfort during hot conditions?

Suggestions:

Implement shade structures or hydration stations to aid worker comfort.
Explore composting options for vegetable scraps to reduce waste and enhance fertilization practices.

This analysis captures a day filled with diverse farm tasks, emphasizing organization and sustainability in agricultural practices.

Part 1

Okay, so I'm looking at this farm intern's notes from June 12th. Let me try to figure out what's going on here. The intern talks about harvesting various greens like kale, Swiss chard, spinach, arugula, and tatsuyo. They mention starting with dinosaurs and red Russian kale, then also curly green. That's a lot of different types of kale! They also talk about weeding parsnips, which they had started two days ago but didn't finish because of other priorities. Then after lunch, they went back to onions, specifically the dry ones under mulch. They mention there are six rows and only three left after that day. So the intern is helping with weeding in different sections of the farm. They also mention a call from a CSA member needing their share picked up at the barn. The owner was doing floral arrangements for pop-up markets and Ipswich markets, using both cultivated and wild flowers. While the intern was handling some tasks like cleaning bins and bringing water to pigs, the owner was arranging flowers. Then the intern bagged arugula for sale. The intern also mentions cleaning bins and ensuring no vegetable scraps are left around to avoid attracting vermin. They ended by sweeping the barn and making sure everything is picked up. So, putting this together, the main activities are harvesting leafy greens, weeding parsnips and onions, assisting with CSA pickups, floral arrangements, cleaning, and managing farm waste. New things I didn't know before: They use biodegradable mulch for dry fields. There's a gator (probably an ATV) used to transport water. The farm has pigs that get water from the intern. Arugula and tatsuyo are specific leafy greens I'm not familiar with, so maybe they're heirlooms or unique varieties. Questions I have: What is tatsuyo? Is it a type of green like arugula? How long does it take to harvest onions at this stage? Also, how do they manage the heat and wind mentioned in the note—do they have any strategies for worker comfort? Suggestions: Maybe suggest shade options or hydration stations for workers on hot days. Also, could they use composting for vegetable scraps instead of just discarding them? That might help with waste management and provide fertilizers. Wait, but I should make sure these suggestions are appropriate. Composting is common in farming, so that's a good one. Shade structures or break areas would be helpful given the heat mentioned.