Day 2 -by Keely Seals, Ethan Rountree, and Isaac Galton

Today is Pete’s birthday. We woke up at the Friends’ meeting in Greensboro to some delightfully thick pancakes. Unfortunately, some couldn’t have syrup because of the corn products.  After breakfast, we promptly entered the Magic Van and drove to the North Carolina A&T research farm. Doctor Nikki spoke to us about goats, goat breeds, and various things that inhabit goats’ intestines.

Then, we went to the more agriculture-heavy part of the A&T research farm, where they tried to find the best varieties of lettuce to plant at different times in the planting season. They also grafted tomato plants to each other—the disease-resistant rootstock to the heavily-fruiting upper half. Although some didn’t survive, the ones that did sure did look neat!

Afterward, we went to Fickle Creek Farm, where Ben showed us around. He had a unique story- he’d purchased this gross, clear-cut, nutrient-depleted land surrounding a high- tension power cut and made it into a beautiful farm, where every animal had a job; not only did they serve as meat, egg, or dairy, they served as a natural rototiller, or a weedwhacker, or a stump-muncher. One of the first things he did to improve the land was actually to put goats all around the depleted areas- they dug the roots and ate some scrub, and their manure added good nutrients to the soil. Although they don’t have goats now, they still have 1400 chickens, quite a few sheep, three cows, and approximately fifteen pigs, as well as growing beds currently full of mainly cover crops. Before we left, we grabbed a few sausages for the road :D

Then, we went to our host’s house. Her name is May Toms, and she fed us some yummy lasagna, with salad and bread munchies. Because it was Pete’s birthday, we went out for ice cream.

INTERESTING THINGS THAT HAPPENED:

Isaac Ashcraft touched the electric fence and pained himself. We laughed.

Ethan drank way too much water and almost exploded his bladder. We laughed.

I fell down the stairs whilst bragging about how strong and capable I am. Pete laughed. Then everyone else laughed.

Written by the new Lead Blogger in-chief, Keely Wednesday. With minor help from Isaac Galton, who is Blog chore today. I was nice enough to do it for him. Ethan didn’t really help, but Isaac wanted to say that.