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TL;DR

We harvested and bunched kale, choy sum, broccoli rabe, and salad turnips, also moved the meat bird coop and cleared out one of two winter squash crates. It was a long but fast day.

Sixty Bunches of Kale

It was nice of Jenkins the dog to come out to harvest kale with me this morning. They usually come to the field when we’re in the bushy stuff because it sometimes causes the occasional field mouse to expose itself, and the dogs love a good chase. Alas, no mouse today though, just two big blue buckets of kale for the CSA this week.

Choy Sum is Awesome

I’ll just get right to it because, while all the other veg we put in the fall bags is great, I hadn’t realized when I first wrote about it that the choy sum was so delicious. Previously, I had only tried the greens on top and didn’t really focus on the stems, but it is the stems that make it so tasty.

Choy sum (菜心 / cài xīn) is a Chinese vegetable that is often used in stir-fries and soups…or, or…you can eat it fresh right out of the ground. I have no idea why the deer nibble our lettuces but don’t bother this stuff. It’s so good.

Evening Chicken Collection

Every evening, Jamie has to collect the meat birds and put them back into the coop. He’s so gentle about it, but fast after all the practice. It’s a tedious and sometimes messy chore (when its raining), but is a necessary part of raising poultry. Unlike layer hens who live longer than a few months meat birds don’t learn to do this themselves and have no natural incentives to do it.

Because we’re using mobile coops, it’s the undercarriage they scoot through that gives the most trouble, otherwise we could easily construct a one-way loop and direct them up and in. Over the winter, I’ll have to think about various ways we might do this and present them to Jamie next year.

The thing of it is that doing a meat share doesn’t result in huge profits. Poultry takes about two and a half months to grow to market size which is about 4-6 pounds per bird. The costs aren’t many and look something like:

Birds: $1.00 per bird, 300 birds (season total $300)
Feed: $1,100 per feed pallet which covers 150 birds per month (season total $1,100)
Coop upkeep per season, new water jugs etc. ($200-$300)

In total to raise these 300 birds, the input cost is about $6,000 on my hypothetical paper. This doesn’t include labor costs of Jamie the farm operator, myself a water boy, or the cost of the coop itself and maintenance by the groundskeeper staff. Each bird sells for about $30 average, so we’re only talking about $9,000 in revenue. That means we’re making a profit of about $3,000 per season. If you were to include the cost of the labor, this would be more like break even.

People buy this chicken because it was locally raised with no antibiotics or hormones on GMO-free food, not because it’s cheaper. If those things didn’t matter, there’s no way a local farm could compete with the big chicken farms mass produced poultry.

AI Summary from Field Notes

Today the Autoscribe LLM summarization process got pretty much everything from my notes right, minus a few minor wordsmithing issues like ‘bunching…butternut squash’ and misspelling choy sum as ‘choi sum’.

Its a bittersweet think, winter break from the farm, in that I’ll miss being there every day but also happy to work on tech stuff that I’ve had to shelf for this whole summer. I think its good though, to have to switch from one motion to another for a while. This puts emphasis on the importance of using the different times of season wisely.

Summary

Okay, let's see. The user provided a detailed summary of field notes from a farm intern. They want me to distill that into a consolidated summary with main themes, activities, new things, questions, and suggested actions. First, I need to make sure I understand each section. The original summary has four sections: main themes, activities, new things, questions, and suggested actions. The user wants these to be consolidated, so maybe I should combine them into a more streamlined version without repeating information. Looking at the main themes, they are Harvest Preparation, Farm Maintenance, Future Planning, and Collaboration. That seems solid. The activities include washing bins, moving the chicken coop, harvesting various crops, cleaning the gator, driving to Ipswich, and coordinating with Jamie. The new things are the gator, meat birds, cold storage planning, the new store, and external collaboration. The questions are about cold storage methods, timing for the store, winter planning, storage techniques, and coordination. Suggested actions include cleaning the gator, organizing storage, coordinating with Jamie, monitoring frost, and documenting storage methods. I need to check if there's any overlap or redundancy. For example, the new things might be part of the main themes. Also, the suggested actions should be distinct from the activities. Maybe the activities are the things the intern did, while the suggested actions are future steps. I should ensure that each section is concise. Maybe use bullet points for clarity. Also, make sure that the questions are clearly separate from the themes and activities. The final summary should be a clear, organized version without the original markdown, just plain text with clear headings.

Consolidated Summary

Main Themes:

Harvest Preparation: Harvesting and organizing fall crops (kale, choy sum, broccoli rabe, leeks, butternut squash) for the fall share and general store.
Farm Maintenance: Cleaning bins, moving equipment (gator, chicken coop), and managing storage spaces.
Future Planning: Preparing for the new general store in Essex, cold storage methods for next year, and winter harvest logistics.
Collaboration: Working with Jamie, coordinating with external partners (e.g., Ipswich), and supporting CSA/meat share programs.

Key Activities:

Washed bins and prepared water for produce.
Helped move the meat bird chicken coop and cleaned the repaired gator.
Harvested and bunched kale, choy sum, broccoli rabe, leeks, and butternut squash.
Stored kale and choy sum in the fridge, bunched squash and leeks for transport.
Drove to Ipswich and coordinated with Jamie on cold storage and storage planning.

New Things Encountered:

The New Gator: A repaired gator requiring regular maintenance.
Meat Bird Chickens: Chickens moved to the coop for the meat share.
Cold Storage Planning: Methods for storing onions, garlic, and other crops.
New General Store in Essex: A retail outlet opening in late November for fall products.
External Collaboration: Coordination with a partner in Ipswich.

Key Questions for Future Research:

What are optimal cold storage practices for long-term crop preservation?
How will the store’s November opening affect harvest timelines?
How to prepare for winter crops and ensure supply chain continuity?
What equipment or techniques are needed for effective cold storage?
How to streamline collaboration with external stakeholders (e.g., Ipswich)?

Suggested Actions:

Schedule regular maintenance for the gator to ensure it’s operational.
Organize storage spaces for future harvests and document cold storage methods.
Finalize cold storage plans with Jamie to align with the new store’s needs.
Monitor weather patterns to adjust harvest schedules and protect crops.
Record consultation details with Jamie for future reference and planning.

Part 1

Okay, let's tackle this query. The user provided a transcript of field notes from a farm intern and wants me to identify main themes, list activities, new things encountered, questions for future research, and any suggested actions. First, I need to parse through the transcript carefully. The intern is detailing their work on a farm on a Monday. The main themes would probably be the harvest activities, preparation for upcoming events, and planning for the future. Looking at the activities: washing bins, moving chicken coop, harvesting various vegetables like kale, choy sum, broccoli rabe, salad turnips, leeks, and butternut squash. Also, there's the part about moving the gator and helping with cleanup. Then there's the part about consulting with Jamie about storage methods and planning for the new general store in Essex. New things not yet encountered: Maybe the new gator that was repaired, the meat bird chickens moving to the coop, the planning for the new store, and the cold storage methods for next year's harvests. Also, the intern might have encountered the process of moving the gator, which is a specific task. Questions and future research: The intern mentions consulting about cold storage for onions, garlic, and planning for the new store. They also talk about future consultations with other farmers and the supply chain. So possible questions could be about optimal cold storage methods, how to plan for the new store's opening, and the timing for winter planning. Suggested actions: The intern mentions cleaning the gator, moving the crate, and helping with the leeks. Also, there's the need to plan for the new store and the cold storage methods. They might need to coordinate with Jamie for the meat birds and the storage methods. I need to make sure I didn't miss any activities. The intern also helped Jamie move the chicken coop, which is a specific task. The new things include the gator, the meat birds, the new store, and cold storage. The questions are about storage methods and planning for the new store. The actions are cleaning the gator, moving the crate, and preparing for the new store. I should structure this into the required sections. Check if there's any other info. The intern also mentions the timing for the new store opening and the frost approaching, which affects the harvest schedule. That's part of the planning for the fall CSA and the general store. So the main themes are harvest prep, farm maintenance, planning for the new store, and cold storage methods. Activities include all the harvesting and moving tasks, plus the gator and coop work. New things are the gator, meat birds, and the new store. Questions are about cold storage and planning. Actions include cleaning the gator, moving the crate, and coordinating with Jamie.

Main Themes:

Harvest Preparation and Execution: Organizing and harvesting various crops (kale, choy sum, broccoli rabe, leeks, butternut squash, etc.) for the fall share and general store.
Farm Maintenance and Logistics: Cleaning bins, moving equipment (gator, chicken coop), and managing storage spaces.
Planning for Future Seasons: Consulting on cold storage methods, preparing for the new general store in Essex, and planning for winter harvests.
Collaboration and Coordination: Working with Jamie, coordinating with others (e.g., the person in Ipswich), and supporting the CSA and meat share programs.

Activities Performed by the Intern:

Washed bins and prepared water for washing produce.
Helped move the meat bird chicken coop.
Harvested and bunched kale, choy sum, broccoli rabe, salad turnips, and leeks.
Washed and stored kale and choy sum in the fridge.
Bunched and transported butternut squash, leeks, and other crops.
Cleaned up leeks and helped with the gator (after repairs).
Drove someone to Ipswich.
Assisted in coordinating with Jamie for cold storage and storage planning.

New Things Not Yet Encountered:

The New Gator: A repaired gator used for farm tasks, requiring cleaning.
Meat Bird Chickens: Chickens in the coop for the meat share, which are later moved to the chicken coop.
Cold Storage Planning: Methods for storing onions, garlic, and other crops for next year.
The New General Store in Essex: A retail outlet opening in late November, which will sell fall CSA and meat share products.
Collaboration with External Parties: Coordinating with someone in Ipswich and planning for the store’s opening.

Questions and Future Areas of Research:

Cold Storage Optimization: What are the best practices for storing onions, garlic, and other crops for next year?
Timing for the New General Store: How will the store’s opening in late November impact the harvest schedule?
Winter Harvest Planning: How to prepare for winter crops and ensure supply chain continuity.
Cold Storage Methods: What equipment or techniques are needed for long-term storage of perishable produce?
Coordination with External Partners: How to ensure smooth collaboration with the person in Ipswich and other stakeholders.