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TL;DR

We harvested kale, tatsoi and basil. I also harvested the first of the leeks this year, a favorite of mine and thus the hard work was a special treat for me. Abstracting is a past-time of mine, even the leaky/leeky ones.

First, the Tatsoi

For the last two weeks of the summer share and into the fall share, we had seeded a few rows of tatsoi here and there. Since it’s a cut-and-come-again crop, we’ve also been able to harvest a few times already. Some of it has some minor bug damage, but it’s still entirely tasty and nutritious.

People who want no imperfections in things baffle me. At a time where bombs are dropping on people almost daily, pampered U.S. consumers complain about food prices but throw away mild insect damaged organic produce. It’s kind of similar to execs who throw away otherwise great business plans and workforce simply because there’s a promise of something marginally better in another grassy field.

This all depends on your definition of what perfect means. Nature is perfectly fine with variation, disaster, slow regrowth, multiplicity, and lack of centralized authority. The harder you try to curate it into some idea of ‘perfect’, the harder it pushes back. So eat some salad greens and enjoy how beautiful they are because of (not despite) a few nom-noms from the insects whose homes we disturb to grow food.

‘Leeky’ Abstractions

I used to listen to this guy Joel on a podcast about 17 years ago talk about ‘leaky abstractions’. While building the absolute behemoth that became StackOverflow and running Fog Creek Software at the same time, he talked about how bad an idea it is to try to re-implement custom DNS, the trials and tribulations of running large-scale websites on ASP.NET and the challenges of building a company with a diverse team.

A leaky abstraction is a software design concept where a simplified interface (abstraction) exposes details or limitations of its underlying, more complex implementation, contrary to the goal of hiding complexity.

Building many microservices in my homelab, I think about this a lot because I don’t want to accidentally couple them together and thus make it harder to evolve independently from their future consumers. Much of what was discussed on that podcast was in fact a leaky abstraction itself, but I remember one episode where my understanding of having to evolve with your customers over time was originally formed.

Well, my now career has similar parallels. The more I farm, the more I want to farm. The hard work fades away and what’s left is entrepreneurship, complexity, healthy exercise, and of course very tasty and nutritious food. This blog is my abstraction from all of it, and sometimes a leaky one.

As I uprooted 250 leeks today, I thought about what kinds of details leak out into the world based on what the farm brings to market, when it does and doesn’t, and how it operates in front of customers. Most people who eat the organic food we lovingly and painstakingly grow don’t ever visit the farm and many have no background in farming, so little details that leak out are often lost to lack of context.

My hope is that with all the context I’ve earned this year, it will inform my own future business plans and help me make better decisions as I continue to grow and evolve as a farmer and entrepreneur.

AI Summary from Field Notes

Yeah, looking through the notes, the shallowness of knowledge around organic agricultural dynamics in these big LLMs (like Qwen3 and Ollama) is pretty ‘leaky’. After all, it’s just huge statistics about prior knowledge expressed as words out on the internet, but it lacks context.

It’s going to be a busy two weeks for me, but I’m going to try to steal small bits of time here and there to work on the RAG prototype of the summarization process and all the comparison testing it will take for me to feel confident in rolling it out.

Part 1

Okay, let's break down 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, questions, and suggestions. First, I need to parse the text carefully. The intern talks about their tasks on the farm: packing the electric van, watering the pigs, and noting that chickens use less water when combined. They mention the weather being cooler and more rainy. Then there's a part about the farm business management course, which is part of a six-week program at Moraine Farm, an extension of Tufts University. The intern is taking this course and is considering whether to continue with it or defer it. They also mention using a blog for coursework and future research, and mention LLM tools for note-taking and summarizing. Main themes would be the daily farm tasks, the course they're taking, and their planning for future academic and practical work. Activities include packing the van, watering pigs, and observing chicken water usage. New things might be the course itself, the farm incubators, and using LLM tools for note-taking. Questions could be about the course's structure, whether to continue the course, and how the course integrates with the blog. Suggestions might be to proceed with the course, use the blog for coursework, and explore the incubator program. I need to make sure I don't miss any parts. The intern is also talking about their business plans and the need for formal structure, which is a key point. They mention that they have some business plans but are aware of gaps, so that's a future area of research. Also, the use of the blog for both farming and coursework is a suggestion. The LLM tools for summarizing notes and questions are part of the suggestions as well. I should structure the answer into the four sections: main themes, activities, new things, questions/research, and suggestions. Need to check if all points are covered and if any parts are missed. For example, the intern is taking the course as a prerequisite for the incubator program, so that's a new thing. The blog as a separate category is a suggestion. Also, the intern is considering deferring the course, which is a question about future plans.

Main Themes:

Daily farm tasks and observations (watering pigs, packing the electric van, monitoring chicken water usage).
Participation in a farm business management course (prerequisite for a sustainable farm incubator program at Moraine Farm, affiliated with Tufts University).
Integration of academic planning with farm work, including business planning and future research.
Use of technology (LLM-driven note-taking, transcription, and summarization) to organize coursework and reflections.

Activities Performed by the Intern:

Pack the electric van for CSA pickup.
Water the pigs.
Observe and note water usage differences in chickens (combined vs. separated).
Document daily tasks and observations in a farming blog.
Engage in coursework for the farm business management planning course.

New Things Not Yet Encountered:

The farm business management course (prerequisite for the Moraine Farm incubator program).
The concept of using LLM-driven tools for note-taking, transcription, and summarization in academic and agricultural contexts.
The integration of formal business planning with on-farm operations.

Questions and Future Areas of Research:

How will the course structure (prerequisite for the incubator program) align with the intern’s long-term goals?
Will the intern proceed with the course or defer it to focus on farm work or tech contracts?
How will the LLM tools (note-taking, transcription, summarization) aid in organizing coursework and future research?
What are the dynamics of the farm incubator program and its connection to Tufts University’s sustainable agriculture initiatives?
How can the farming blog be effectively used as a platform for both agricultural observations and academic coursework?

Suggested Actions:

Complete the farm business management course to meet prerequisites for the Moraine Farm incubator program.
Use the farming blog as a separate, organized space for coursework, reflections, and future research.
Explore the incubator program’s structure and resources to determine its alignment with the intern’s career goals.
Continue using LLM tools for note-taking and summarization to streamline academic and agricultural documentation.
Reflect on the balance between farm work, academic pursuits, and future career planning (e.g., deferring the course or pursuing tech contracts).

Part 2

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 research, and suggested actions. First, I need to read through the transcript carefully. The intern talks about their daily tasks starting at 8 AM, cleaning bins, preparing the veg wash station. Then they helped with pig and chicken chores, towed a gator, and worked with Jamie. They mention the harvest process, focusing on leeks and tatsoi. They also talk about the life cycle of plants, the growth of leeks from April to October, and the importance of timing in harvesting. There's also a mention of the weather affecting the harvesting process, like the 80-degree day causing wilting. Main themes would be the daily routine of the farm, the harvesting process, the life cycle of crops, and the challenges of weather affecting produce. Activities include cleaning bins, assisting with chores, towing the gator, harvesting leeks and tatsoi, washing and binning produce. New things might be the specific crop life cycle of leeks, the process of harvesting different crops, and the impact of weather on harvesting. Questions for research could be about the optimal timing for harvesting, the effects of high temperatures on produce, the efficiency of different harvesting methods, and the impact of the gator's breakdown on the farm's operations. Suggested actions might include monitoring weather for harvesting, optimizing the harvesting schedule, and checking the gator's maintenance to prevent future issues. Wait, the user also mentioned "new things not yet encountered." The intern is harvesting leeks for the first time, so that's a new experience. Also, the process of using the gator and tractor might be something they're learning. The impact of weather on the harvesting process is something they noticed but might not have studied yet. I should make sure to list each of these in separate sections as per the user's request. Need to check if there are any other new things. The intern mentions the life cycle of leeks, which is a new thing for them, but maybe that's more of a theme. The questions about the weather's effect on the produce are part of the research areas. Also, the mix of rows and the irregular harvesting might be something they want to investigate. I think that's all. Now, structure the answer with the main themes, activities, new things, questions, and suggested actions. Make sure to be concise and clear.

Main Themes

Farm Daily Operations: Cleaning bins, preparing wash stations, and assisting with animal chores.
Harvesting Process: Harvesting and washing leeks and tatsoi, with challenges in timing and crop distribution.
Crop Life Cycle: Observing the growth and harvesting of leeks (planted in April, harvested in October) and other crops.
Weather Impact: Noting how high temperatures (80°F) affect produce freshness and harvesting efficiency.
Team Coordination: Collaborating with Jamie and others, including managing limited crew resources.

Activities Performed by the Intern

Cleaned bins and prepared the veg wash station.
Assisted with pig and chicken chores.
Towed a broken-down gator using a tractor.
Harvested leeks (planted in April) and tatsoi.
Washed and binned harvested produce.
Coordinated with Jamie to manage crop rows and harvesting schedules.
Documented observations about crop growth and weather effects.

New Things Encountered

Leeks: Harvesting a long-cycle crop (planted in April, harvested in October).
Gator Maintenance: Towing and repairing a broken-down gator.
Weather Impact: Noting how high temperatures (80°F) cause wilting in harvested produce.
Crop Distribution Challenges: Irregular row layouts and mixed harvesting due to crop maturity.

Questions and Future Research Areas

Optimal Harvesting Timing: How does the 80°F weather affect the quality of harvested produce?
Crop Life Cycle Efficiency: Can the leek growth cycle be optimized for faster harvests?
Harvesting Techniques: What methods can improve efficiency for irregularly distributed rows?
Weather Resilience: How can the farm mitigate wilting risks during high-temperature days?
Gator Maintenance: What steps can prevent future breakdowns of equipment?

Suggested Actions

Monitor Weather Conditions: Track temperature and humidity to adjust harvesting schedules.
Optimize Crop Layouts: Plan for irregular rows by adjusting harvesting routes or tools.
Conduct Crop Cycle Studies: Document leek growth stages to refine planting/harvesting timelines.
Repair Gator: Schedule maintenance to prevent future breakdowns.
Train Team on Weather Impact: Educate staff on how weather affects produce quality and harvesting.

Part 3

Okay, let's tackle this query. The user provided a transcript of field notes from a farm intern and wants the main themes, activities, new things, questions, and suggestions. First, I need to parse the transcript carefully. The intern mentions several tasks: washing, helping with chicken chores, dealing with leaks, harvesting kale, washing kale, picking basil, bagging potatoes, and weighing them. Main themes would be the daily tasks on a farm, the variety of work, the importance of precision in tasks like potato bagging, and the mention of weather affecting work (rainy days). Activities: The intern did chicken chores, handled leaks, harvested kale, washed kale, picked basil, bagged potatoes, and weighed them. New things not encountered: The intern mentions that leaks are for tomorrow, so maybe that's a new task they haven't done yet. Also, the CSA pickup location in Essex is mentioned, which might be a new area or process. Questions for future research: The intern talks about the precision in weighing potatoes, maybe the impact of weather on tasks, or the efficiency of different tasks. Also, the mention of "leaks" could be a term they're not familiar with, so that might be a question. Suggestions: The intern might be suggesting that leaving some tasks for the next day is okay, but they need to harvest what's necessary. Also, maybe they're indicating that certain tasks are better done on rainy days. I need to make sure I didn't miss any activities or themes. Let me check again. The leaks are mentioned as something that's anticipated for tomorrow, so that's a task they might not have done yet. The CSA pickup is a new location, so that's a new thing. The questions would be about the exactness of the potato weighing, the impact of weather, and the nature of the "leaks." The suggestions are about leaving some tasks for the next day and focusing on necessary pickups.