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TL;DR

We harvested carrots and lots onions, dealt with an ornery gator, then packed up to go to market. The gator needs a new starter most likely and chores will be a pain until it gets one.

Forking Carrots

Since it was already a warm, soon-to-be hot again day, we started out by harvesting carrots. The pitch fork we purchased a month ago from a local hardware store simply just doesn’t keep up with the rocks in the soil, usually bending an outside tine or two every 50 feet or so. We can bend it back, but the more we do, the more it shows how not-hardened the metal is. I think we should bring it back and ask for a refund.

Even when you do get a good pitchfork’s worth of soil up about 2-3 inches from the carrot line, the soil can still be too hard to expect to pull carrots out of without losing the tops in the process. So sometimes I’ll go along and do the other side of the same row with a hand pitchfork which seems to do the trick.

The Onions Are Here!

It seems like only yesterday when we planted these onions, but really it was April 29th, almost exactly 3 months ago. We pulled one of six 300-foot rows in the dry fields today then spread them into trays used to dry cure them over the next week or so. This process will repeat until the end of August at least, so CSA customers have a steady supply of onions to look forward to. We are now one-third of the way through the onion harvest, considering that the Alise Craig fresh onions from the main field are all harvested now too.

This weekend I made Pico de Gallo from the fresh onions, greenhouse tomatoes, hot pepper, and field cilantro all coming from the farm. With a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt and pepper, it was ‘gas’ as the younger generation on the crew said. It was also ‘fire’ because I added half a Hungarian Wax pepper, then promptly forgot to not rub my eye with the same fingers for a few days after touching them (no, I did not wear gloves when cutting it up).

But regarding the onions…they are a lot of work, trimming, planting, weeding, harvesting, and drying…but well worth it.

Fixing a John Deere Gator

Today the starter on the gator finally stopped working. It’s been a bit ornery for a while, but it gets used a lot every day. Compared to the other Gators on the property, this one is the oldest with many miles on it. It’s pretty essential to getting around to the pigs and chickens for morning and evening chores, so being stuck down at the chickens unusable is not ideal.

We looked at it for a little while today, tried a few things. Like many folks with boats who I’ve witnessed tap the starter to get it going again, we tried that too but to no avail. We checked connections, but everything else electrical seemed fine. Usually in this circumstance, we would call over to the guy on the landscaping crew with automotive background to come help fix it, and we might have to do that or even call a service tech. But like many things on the farm, we also could try to fix it ourselves.

If we were to try to DIY the fix, it would be a time-consuming process, since this model of Gator (and more recently many models of John Deere equipment) make some of the more common repairs difficult to access. Also, the starter might only need a repair kit or might need to be replaced entirely…you just don’t know until you get it open and we don’t really have the bench equipment to verify a repair like that vs. a replacement. The repair kit is around $50 whereas the replacement starter is $150, but even as cost-conscious as a farm budget needs to be, I think from a time and timing perspective it makes more sense to replace the entire starter assembly.

I hope I get a chance to help on the gator repair. I don’t have a ton of automotive experience, but I want to gain some for common farm equipment like this whenever I can. I AM very mechanically and electrically inclined, so I think I could at least be a helpful part of the repair process if they still chose to keep it in-house.

Cooler in the Next Few Days

The forecast for the next few days is for cooler weather and some spots of rain, but you never know what will actually happen to specific fields in hyper-specific locations. This is why it’s important to inspect crops, typically while doing something else like moving irrigation or harvesting, to keep eyes out for unexpected damage and growth rates.

The better the weather, the more we tend to do outside. Some days are buggier than others, but I’d rather be outside turning crops into produce than twiddling with inside activities. The gator repair might have to be done where it is in the field, and if so, I hope we bring one of the tents along.

How Much Can AI Do to Help Repair Equiptment?

In a world where ‘Youtube University’ makes people feel like they can do anything, it’s important to remember that AI is still a tool, not a replacement for human expertise. While AI can provide insights and suggestions, it’s up to us to apply those insights in a practical and safe way.

Unlike my homelab AI, platforms like ChatGPT tend to aggregate your queries into a sort of model of you, the user. Recently, Sam Altman of OpenAI basically admitted to zero-privacy when it comes to users’ data, which should be a person’s default assumption when using a free and/or SaaS product anyway.

From time to time, I will use ChatGPT to compare responses with my homelab processes and other AI platforms to see how they handle similar queries. As you can see, while somewhat helpful, ChatGPT can only go so far until you provide it more and more specific information about your circumstances, such as in this case the exact model of the gator. At some point, I imagine a law suit between John Deere and its consumers will include information about what they Googled or asked ChatGPT about custom repairs.

For now, I will continue to use my homelab AI for more specific tasks and rely on ChatGPT for general queries. And as always, my personal AI generates the following summaries for free and without any privacy concerns:

AI-generated Summary from Field Notes

Okay, I need to help the user distill the information from the provided document into a consolidated summary. Let me start by going through the original content again to make sure I don't miss anything. The main themes were about the hot weather, crop work, volunteer help, equipment issues, animal care, and CSA pickups. The activities include harvesting, transporting, drying onions, packaging, fixing the gator, animal chores, and CSA logistics. New things encountered are the gator repair, onion drying setup, volunteer coordination, animal care routines, and CSA pickups. The questions are about gator repair, onion drying efficiency, volunteer workflow, CSA coordination, and weather adaptation. Suggested actions involve contacting the landscaping crew, standardizing onion drying, training volunteers, adjusting CSA schedules, and using shade structures. Now, I need to make sure these are all covered in a clear, concise summary. I should group the themes, activities, new things, questions, and actions into bullet points or sections. The user wants a final consolidated summary, so I need to avoid repetition and ensure each section is distinct. Also, check if there's any overlap between sections. For example, the new things might be part of the activities, but in the original, they are listed separately. So I need to maintain that structure but make it more concise. Let me start by listing the main themes again, then the activities, then the new things, followed by the questions and suggested actions. I should use clear headings and keep each point brief. Make sure to use the key terms from the original summary but present them in a more streamlined format. Also, check for any additional details that might have been omitted. For instance, the user mentioned "the 300-foot row of onions" which is a specific detail under activities. Also, the volunteer family's role in onion harvesting is important. I need to ensure that the summary is easy to read and that each section is clearly separated. Maybe use bold headings and bullet points. Also, check that the suggested actions are actionable and based on the original content. The original suggested actions include contacting the landscaping crew, standardizing drying processes, training volunteers, adjusting CSA schedules, and using shade structures. That's all covered. Okay, I think that's all. Now, structure it into the final summary as per the user's request.

Final Consolidated Summary

Main Themes:

Harvesting & Crop Management: Celery, carrots, onions, and potatoes were harvested, processed, and stored.
Volunteer Involvement: A volunteer family assisted with onion harvesting and setup.
Equipment Challenges: A faulty gator (four-wheel tractor) required repair, impacting workflow.
Animal Care: Pigs, chickens, and egg collection were managed.
CSA Logistics: Two separate pickups with different trucks required coordination.
Weather Impact: Extreme heat influenced work schedules and safety.

Key Activities:

Harvested and transported crops.
Dried onions using trays, sawhorses, and ladders.
Fixed and repurposed the gator for animal chores.
Coordinated with volunteers for crop tasks.
Managed CSA pickups, including member assistance.
Monitored animal health and egg collection.

New Experiences (Not Yet Experienced):

Gator Repair: Dealing with an old, malfunctioning gator.
Onion Drying Setup: Using trays, ladders, and sawhorses for drying.
Volunteer Coordination: Managing a group for crop tasks.
Animal Care Routines: Regular checks for pigs and chickens.
CSA Pickup Management: Handling two separate pickups with varying logistics.

Questions for Future Research:

How to efficiently repair or replace the faulty gator?
What is the optimal method for drying onions in the shed?
How to better integrate volunteer help into crop schedules?
How to manage crew shortages during CSA pickups?
How to adapt workflows for extreme heat conditions?

Suggested Actions:

Gator Repair: Contact the landscaping crew for assistance.
Onion Drying: Standardize tray, sawhorse, and ladder setup.
Volunteer Training: Provide clear instructions for the volunteer group.
CSA Coordination: Adjust schedules or allocate additional help during pickups.
Weather Adaptation: Use shade structures or adjust work hours for heat.

This summary captures the critical elements of the original content, ensuring clarity and conciseness while maintaining all key points.

Part 1

Okay, let's tackle this. The user provided a transcript of field notes from a farm intern and wants me to identify the main themes, list the activities, new things, questions, and suggested actions. First, I need to read through the transcript carefully. The intern is talking about their workday on Wednesday, June 30th. The main points are the hot weather, activities done in the morning, harvesting celery and carrots, bringing them to the barn, helping with onions, the volunteer family, the 300-foot row of onions, setting up sawhorses and ladders, the process of drying onions, then lunch, working on onions, potatoes, then fixing the gator, borrowing another gator for animal chores, checking pigs and chickens, collecting eggs, then going to the CSA pickups. Main themes: The day was hot, the intern worked with different crops (celery, carrots, onions, potatoes), involved with volunteers, maintenance of equipment, animal care, and CSA pickups. Also, the challenges with the gator and the need for repairs. Activities: Harvesting celery and carrots, transporting to the barn, helping with onions (pulling, bunching, drying), packaging potatoes, fixing the gator, animal chores (pigs, chickens, eggs), CSA pickups. New things: The intern might have encountered a gator that's old and has a faulty starter, the process of drying onions in the shed, the volunteer family helping with onions, the use of sawhorses and ladders for setting up trays. Also, the need to swap gators and the logistics of CSA pickups. Questions: The intern mentions that the gator can't be fixed in the field, so they might need to check with the landscaping crew. Also, the process of drying onions and how they are stored. Maybe questions about the efficiency of the current setup, or how to handle the CSA pickups when there's a crew shortage. Suggested actions: Fix the gator with someone from the landscaping crew, maybe check the logistics of the CSA pickups, ensure that the onions are properly dried, and maybe plan for the gator repair. Also, maybe consider the impact of the hot weather on the work schedule. Wait, the user mentioned to list out the new things not yet encountered. So the intern is probably encountering things like the old gator with a faulty starter, the volunteer family, the setup for drying onions, the use of sawhorses and ladders. Also, the animal chores (pigs, chickens, eggs) might be new for the intern. The CSA pickups with different trucks. Questions for future research: Maybe the intern is wondering about the effectiveness of the current system for drying onions, the maintenance of the gator, the logistics of CSA pickups, or how to handle the crew shortages. Suggested actions: Fix the gator, check with landscaping crew, improve drying process, maybe adjust the schedule for CSA pickups, and ensure that the volunteer family is properly integrated into the workflow. I need to make sure I don't miss any details. Let me check again. The intern mentions the volunteer family helping with onions, the setup of sawhorses and ladders, the process of putting onions into trays. The gator issue, the animal chores, the CSA pickups. Also, the intern is new to some of these tasks, like fixing the gator, maybe the animal care, or the CSA logistics. So the answer should have the main themes, activities, new things, questions, and actions. The user wants a helpful answer, so I need to structure it clearly.

Main Themes:

Harvesting and Crop Management: Celery, carrots, and onions were harvested and processed.
Volunteer Involvement: A volunteer family assisted with onion harvesting.
Equipment Maintenance: A faulty gator (four-wheel tractor) required repair.
Animal Care: Pigs, chickens, and egg collection.
CSA and Market Logistics: Two CSA pickups (Gloucester and Ipswich) and market preparation.
Weather Impact: Extreme heat influenced work timing and shade use.

Activities Performed by the Intern:

Harvested celery and carrots, transporting them to the barn.
Assisted with onion harvesting, including a 300-foot row of red onions.
Dried onions in the shed using trays and sawhorses.
Packaged potatoes into one-pound bags.
Attempted to repair a faulty gator (failed in the field).
Borrowed a gator for animal chores (pigs, chickens, egg collection).
Helped with CSA pickups, including transporting and assisting members.
Coordinated with a volunteer family for onion tasks.

New Things Encountered (Not Yet Experienced):

Gator Maintenance: Dealing with an old, faulty gator and its repair logistics.
Onion Drying Process: Using trays, sawhorses, and ladders to set up drying equipment.
Volunteer Coordination: Managing a volunteer group for crop tasks.
Animal Care Routines: Checking pigs, chickens, and collecting eggs.
CSA Pickup Logistics: Managing two separate pickups with different trucks.

Questions and Future Research Areas:

Gator Repair: How to efficiently repair or replace the faulty gator.
Onion Drying Efficiency: Optimal methods for drying onions in the shed.
Volunteer Workflow: How to better integrate volunteer help into crop schedules.
CSA Pickup Coordination: How to handle crew shortages during pickups.
Weather Impact: How to adapt workflows for extreme heat or humidity.