GOPR0853.JPG

GOPR0854.JPG

GOPR0856.JPG

GOPR0857.JPG

GOPR0859.JPG

GOPR0863.JPG

GOPR0864.JPG

GOPR0866.JPG

GOPR0867.JPG

GOPR0875.JPG

caption goes here

Video autoplay

TL;DR

I washed bins then harvested tatsuyoi, basil, tomatoes, and butternut squash. We weeded lettuce with stirrup hoe and started deconstructing tomato trellises as well.

I also spend some head cycles coming up with a way to frame feedback, particularly that between the ecosystem of a farm and observers/operators. Loosely based on signal processing, this is more about the return to the input of a part of the output of a machine, system, or process rather than (‘feedback’ as used commonly in office settings) the transmission of evaluative or corrective information about an action, event, or process to the original or controlling source.

Firstly, the Butternut Squash

On Monday and Tuesday, we went through the delicata and butternut fields to snip the gourds from their vines. Then we let them sit in piles in the fields to age a few days before bringing them in to the garage for dry storage. Even when only half full, a green bin of heavy squash is…very…heavy. I’ve gotten the process of hoisting one onto my right shoulder down so that it doesn’t hurt my back, since carrying them at mid-level seems to do so far more.

We will begin distributing them in CSA member shares and selling them at the farmer’s market next week. I will likely take the two I have and trial a few recipes to bring to the member potluck next month.

Secondly, the Tatsuyoi

I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy the tatsuyoi this season. Often the choy families are too ‘brocco-leafy’ for me, some also causing a chalky sensation in my mouth due to their levels of oxalic acid (the worst for me is plain spinach). But the tatsuyoi had only a mild broccoli flavor and a nice, crisp texture. It was also very quick to grow and easy to harvest.

Thirdly, the Tomato Trellises

We started deconstructing the field tomato trellises today, two rows that are completely done. I remember like it was only yesterday (nope, it was May 21st) when we painstakingly pounded all the stakes into that field. I remember planting the leggy tomatoes thinking that they might not make it (they did). I remember asking Jamie about when we should add the second and third weaves on the trellises.

Mostly, I’ll remember sitting in the rows, pushing up the overgrowth with one arm and picking the tomatoes with the other hand, in the deep heat waves of summer.

Finally, Framing Feedback

Okay, so I spent some time thinking about weak and strong signals, particularly what to do (or not do) with them when encountered. For instance, a weak signal that someone is interested (or not) in an idea or issue can easily be missed, but a strong signal definitely should not. Action should not always be taken, but options for how to interpret, reframe, and/or respond to them should be considered…hence a framing.

What’s All This Rubbish about Framing Anyway?

Framings are useful as the backdrop to most structured thought. They are everywhere in business, philosophy, science, and mathematics. They help as canonical references for both top-down and bottom-up thinking. If in the weeds about something, frames can help you get your brain up and out of them to make sure a more holistic view is considered. If to high up in the clouds (abstract) on a project, frames can remind you where there are gaps to fill with detail to make the effort align to reality. Framings are the mental meat grinders to structured though processes.

In many conceptual frameworks though, the real world is simplified down so that the few key concepts underlying the framework become the primary focus. Unfortunately, reintegrating anything abstract learned in this mode back into real-world contexts can sometimes be challenging, particularly if the complexity of the framework doesn’t match the ability of those using it. This is where ‘context markers’ come in to play…unlike abstract concepts and terms, context markers are more real-world examples and words that we can remember and use to help us understand and apply the concepts in practice.

Why Focus on Feedback in Agriculture?

Farmers observe much. Good farmers listen to what their fields, crops, livestock and broader land ecosystem is telling them. Nature uses mostly weak signals until the few strong ones are all that’s left.

Lost crops, infertility, droughts, floods, and wildfires are strong signals…whereas soil erosion, increased pest and disease pressure, poor uptake of nutrients or conversion from crop to produce…are weak signals that somethings not quite right. Imbalances in the ecosystem can lead to weak signals that are not immediately obvious, and lack of compensating action to balance over time can lead to huge losses. Conversely, over-reacting to every little weak signal can also lead to imbalance and even burnout. Looking for weak and strong signals isn’t enough; you need to know what and when to do (or not).

Constructing the Initial Frame

I knew that the ‘weak vs. strong signal’ axis would be a good way to think about one part of this framing, but I also considered many other cross-axes. For today, I ended up deciding on ‘rejection vs. projection’ as a cross-spectrum which seems to harmonize the ideas of potential analysis, refactoring, and action adequately (for a weekday evening’s initial thought work). This way, a variety of ‘what to do with it (or not)’ topics can fit within each quadrant’s detailed example items.

quadrantChart title Balancing Weak and Strong Signals x-axis Rejection / Past --> Projection / Future y-axis Weak Signal --> Strong Signal quadrant-1 Strong Amplify quadrant-2 Strong Dampen quadrant-3 Weak Dampen quadrant-4 Weak Amplify

More to Come…Tomorrow’s Update

I need to thing more about agricultural, ecological, and biological examples to put into this frame so that it’s more concrete and actionable. The ‘context markers’ are of course the quadrant labels: strong-amplify, strong-dampen, weak-dampen, weak-amplify.

AI Summary from Field Notes

This weekend, I think I may finally tackle building a RAG prototype for this farm notes site’s automated summarization of field notes. I have plenty of historical transcripts and their point-in-time existing summaries to compare to, so quality validation of a new process won’t be hard. I think it will be how to choose the external sources of information, pick the highest quality ones, and then how to limit the cycles on which the RAG process thinks on the specific topics.

I do think that the current process does a good (enough) job of breaking apart the key concepts and topics into distinct categories, and this is necessary because I can’t expect a RAG process geared towards processing individual topics to work well on a generic transcript of my words. So if I were to guess, the process might go something like:

Generate transcript; parse out key concepts (theme, new activity, research area)
For each concept, run it through a RAG which pulls in relevant sources
Instruct the final prompt to generate one or two questions and suggested actions
Provide top sources used in the RAG process as references in the final output
Combine each topic and it’s RAG results into a final, consolidated summary

Yeah, that’s what I think I’ll work on this weekend. Forget the existing trello backlog of homelab maintenance and mobile app development. It can (and will) wait, secretly sulking in the corner, as it always does.

Summary

Okay, let's see. The user provided a detailed summary of field notes from a farm intern, and they want me to distill that into a consolidated summary. The original summary has sections for main themes, activities, new things, questions, and suggested actions. My task is to make this more concise but still cover all the key points. First, I need to check if all the main themes are covered. The original has five themes: crop management, field maintenance, storage and logistics, animal care, and equipment/safety. I should make sure those are clearly listed but perhaps in a more streamlined way. For activities, the original lists nine tasks. I need to ensure that each activity is clearly mentioned without redundancy. Maybe group similar tasks, like harvesting and weeding together, but the original lists them as separate points. I should keep them as individual points but maybe use more concise language. New things include tatsuyoi, Florida weave stakes, storage vessel, plastic string management, and volunteer assistance. I need to make sure these are all included and perhaps explain briefly what they are if necessary, but the original summary already does that. Questions are five in number, about sustainability, stake removal, storage vessel, stake impact, and harvesting techniques. These should be listed clearly. Suggested actions are five points: standardize plastic waste, document stake removal, monitor storage vessel, train volunteers, test storage conditions. These need to be concise but clear. I should check for any overlaps or redundancies. For example, in the activities, the intern did both harvesting and weeding, which are part of crop management. But in the original summary, they are separate. Maybe that's okay. The user probably wants each activity as a separate point. Also, the original summary mentions "tatsuyoi" as a specific type of leafy green, which is a new thing. I need to make sure that's included. I should ensure that the final summary is in a logical order, perhaps starting with main themes, then activities, new things, questions, and actions. Use bullet points or numbered lists as in the original. Avoid any markdown, but the user's example uses markdown, so maybe follow that structure. Wait, the user's example uses markdown, but in the final answer, they want it in a consolidated summary. So maybe use clear headings and bullet points without markdown, but the user might have intended markdown. However, the original response uses markdown, so perhaps the assistant should follow that. But the user's final instruction says "distill it into a final, consolidated summary" so maybe in plain text with clear sections. But looking back, the user's example has markdown, so maybe the assistant should use that. However, the user's instruction says "put your final answer within \boxed{}", which is typically for mathematical answers, but the user might have intended it as a summary. But in the example, the assistant used markdown. Maybe the user is okay with that. So, the final answer should have the same structure as the original but more concise. Let me check each section again. Main themes: crop management, field maintenance, storage and logistics, animal care, equipment/safety. That's five points. The original summary lists these as main themes. Maybe combine some if possible, but the original has them as separate. So keep them as is. Activities: nine points. The original lists them as separate, so I'll keep them as individual points. New things: five points. The original includes them as separate. Questions: five points. The original includes them as separate. Suggested actions: five points. The original includes them as separate. So, the final summary should have these sections, each with their respective points, but in a more concise manner. Maybe shorten the descriptions where possible, but without losing key information. For example, "Tatsuyoi" can be described as a specific leafy green, and "Florida Weave Stakes" as a type of agricultural stake. The storage vessel is a custom wooden crate. The plastic string management is a process for collecting and disposing of plastic waste. Volunteer assistance is collaborating with educational volunteers. In the questions, sustainability of plastic string, efficiency of stake removal, storage vessel optimization, stake impact on crops, and harvesting techniques. In the suggested actions, standardize plastic waste, document stake removal, monitor storage, train volunteers, test storage conditions. I think that's all. Now, structure it into a concise summary with clear sections.

Consolidated Summary

Main Themes

Crop Management: Harvesting and maintenance of leafy greens (e.g., tatsuyoi) and gourds.
Field Maintenance: Managing agricultural stakes (e.g., Florida weave stakes) and plastic waste.
Storage & Logistics: Designing and optimizing storage solutions for squash.
Animal Care: Feeding and managing the gator.
Equipment & Safety: Proper use of agricultural tools and waste management.

Key Activities

Harvested leafy greens (tatsuyoi) and gourds.
Maintained agricultural stakes (Florida weave stakes) and managed plastic string waste.
Constructed and monitored a custom storage vessel for squash.
Collaborated with volunteers for gourd harvesting.
Fed the gator and loaded feed.

New Experiences

Tatsuyoi: A specific leafy green (likely Rorippa or Brassica species).
Florida Weave Stakes: Trellising tools used in fields.
Storage Vessel: A wooden crate lined with cardboard for squash preservation.
Plastic String Management: Systematic collection and disposal of field waste.
Volunteer Collaboration: Working with educational volunteers for field tasks.

Key Questions

How to minimize plastic waste and its environmental impact?
What are best practices for safely removing stakes?
How to improve the storage vessel for long-term squash preservation?
Does repeated stake use affect plant growth?
How to optimize harvesting techniques for tatsuyoi and gourds?

Suggested Actions

Standardize plastic waste collection protocols.
Document stake removal steps for consistency.
Regularly inspect the storage vessel for moisture or pests.
Train volunteers on field tasks and safety.
Test the storage vessel’s effectiveness for squash preservation.

Part 1

Okay, let me try to work through this. The user provided a transcript of field notes from a farm intern. They want me to identify the main themes, list the activities, new things encountered, questions for future research, and any suggested actions. First, I need to read through the transcript carefully. The intern is talking about their day on the farm on September 19th. The main activities mentioned are washing bins, harvesting tatsuyoi (which is a type of leafy green), checking pumpkin and squash fields for health, damage, weeds, and soil moisture. They also did weeding, hoeing, and some tasks with the Florida weave stakes. They picked basil, harvested butternut squash, and did some maintenance tasks like water for pigs and chickens, loading feed for the gator. Now, main themes would be things like crop management, field maintenance, harvesting, weeding, and equipment maintenance. The intern also mentions storage for squash, which is part of the storage and logistics theme. For activities, I need to list each task they did: washing bins, harvesting, checking fields, weeding, hoeing, pulling stakes, managing plastic string, picking gourds, preparing storage, watering animals, loading feed. New things not yet encountered: The intern mentions "tatsuyoi" which is a specific type of leafy green. Also, the Florida weave stakes and the process of removing them with care. The storage vessel inside the barn with cardboard lining might be a new thing for them, or maybe it's a standard practice they're learning. Questions for future research: The intern might be wondering about the proper way to manage the plastic string, how to efficiently pull the stakes, the best practices for storage of squash, or maybe the impact of using certain materials in the field. Also, the intern might be curious about the long-term effects of using the same stakes over multiple seasons. Suggested actions: The intern mentions that they pulled the stakes and managed the plastic string, so maybe they need to document the process, or perhaps they need to ensure that all plastic is collected properly. Also, the storage vessel is prepared, so maybe they need to monitor the squash storage or check the storage vessel for any issues. I need to make sure I don't miss any details. For example, the intern talks about the storage vessel in the barn, so that's a new thing. Also, the process of handling the Florida weaves and the plastic string is something they might be encountering for the first time. The questions could be about the storage conditions, the effectiveness of the storage vessel, or the management of the plastic waste. Also, the intern mentions that they had volunteers helping with gourds, which is a new thing for them, maybe. So that's a new activity or a new encounter. I need to structure all this into the required sections. Make sure the activities are listed clearly, the new things are the specific items or processes they encountered for the first time, the questions are the things they might want to research or think about, and the suggested actions are the tasks they did that could be repeated or improved.

Main Themes

Crop Management: Harvesting, weeding, and monitoring crops (tatsuyoi, butternut squash, pumpkins).
Field Maintenance: Removing plastic string, managing stakes, and ensuring field cleanliness.
Storage and Logistics: Preparing storage for squash, organizing bins, and coordinating with CSA members.
Animal Care: Ensuring water and feed for pigs, chickens, and the gator.
Equipment and Safety: Proper handling of tools (scissors, stakes) and avoiding damage to machinery.

Activities Performed by the Intern

Washing and Organizing Bins: Cleaned and sorted bins for storage.
Harvesting: Collected butternut squash from two locations.
Field Inspection: Checked pumpkin and squash fields for health, damage, weeds, and soil moisture.
Weeding and Hoeing: Removed weeds and maintained beds.
Stake Removal: Removed Florida weave stakes from rows, ensuring proper string management.
Plastic String Management: Collected and bundled plastic string from stakes, trellising, and hay bales.
Gourd Picking: Assisted in harvesting gourds with volunteers.
Storage Preparation: Constructed and prepared a storage vessel for squash.
Animal Care: Watered pigs and chickens, loaded feed for the gator.

New Things Not Yet Encountered

Tatsuyoi: A specific type of leafy green (likely Rorippa or Brassica species) not commonly known.
Florida Weave Stakes: A specific type of agricultural stake used for trellising.
Storage Vessel Design: A custom wooden crate lined with cardboard for squash storage.
Plastic String Management: A detailed process for collecting and disposing of plastic waste in fields.
Volunteer Assistance: Collaborating with educational volunteers for gourd harvesting.

Questions and Future Research Areas

Sustainability of Plastic String: How to minimize plastic waste in fields and its environmental impact.
Efficiency of Stake Removal: Best practices for removing stakes without damaging the soil or machinery.
Storage Vessel Optimization: How to improve the storage vessel for long-term squash preservation.
Impact of Stakes on Crop Health: Whether repeated use of stakes affects plant growth over seasons.
Harvesting Techniques: How to optimize the harvesting of tatsuyoi and gourds for yield and quality.

Suggested Actions

Standardize Plastic Waste Management: Develop a checklist for collecting and disposing of plastic string.
Document Stake Removal Process: Record steps for removing stakes to ensure consistency and safety.
Monitor Storage Vessel: Regularly inspect the storage vessel for moisture or pests.
Train Volunteers: Provide guidelines for volunteers on harvesting and field maintenance.
Test Storage Conditions: Evaluate the storage vessel’s effectiveness for squash preservation.

September 19th - Teeming with Feedback