Opening Day 2017

The farm help was up at the crack of dawn picking corn for the stand and deliveries.  Generally, when we start a new picking, we have to hand pick a few rows to get started. This is no one's favorite thing, but the kids were troopers...even with a little mud!

We treated our first 100 customers to a YUMMY sugar cookie!  (In the shape of a cob of corn, of course!)  Well, it actually may have been a few less than 100...some of us just had to have a sample and make sure that what we were sharing with our customers was good!

We had lots of delicious produce at the stand today!

Oh, ya...and CORN!

We had all kinds of GREAT help on our opening day!  This is the "corn wagon" that Brent designed and built. It works like a charm!  The only problem is turning this set up around in tight spots.

We load the pallets on the corn wagon before placing the big produce boxes on.  This makes for easy fork lifting once the boxes are full.

Here's the crew hand picking a few rows.  We put the box on the forks of the tractor and load the armfuls of corn right into the box.  (THIS IS NOT FUN!!  It's itchy, generally hot, and sometimes slippery and muddy!)

We're getting the boxes ready for filling.

Everyone helps.  Here's Little Jack helping Uncle Jordan move the load of pallets closer to the wagon.

And here they go!

Check out these handsome guys on our corn crew this year!  (Both handsome and handy...a real bonus, gals!!)

Porter's maiden voyage on the corn wagon as an official "worker."  He was as proud as can be.  He worked hard and stuck with it...and he's just five!  

This cute gal joined us all the way from Wyoming!  Wish she lived closer!  The gals on our crew can work as hard as any of the guys!

We have some unwelcome guests in our cornfield.  We've got a great neighbor who's helping us keep the corn critter-free!  We captured two of these guys during the night.  They were huge!

Dads and cousins!

And...we're open.  The littles found some dirt to use their sand toys in while their mommas helped out at the stand.  And in true fashion, all the mommas were so busy at the stand that we never really stopped or thought about taking photos!  So....sorry gals....I didn't get pictures of you two slaving away!

Uncle Bailey taught Porter a great way to restock the cantaloupes!

Our talented friend, Glori Alsop, whipped up this darling picture for us to use as our Shaffer Farms logo.  The boy on the cornstalk in her picture is this cute guy, Jack.  We're gunna have to write us a book called, "Jack and the Cornstalk!"

These two...best cousins ever.

And these two...Claire and Penelope...played with bubbles, enjoyed riding bikes in the barn, played with the babies, and had fun together!

Tiffany and Bailey helped get things all cleaned up and put away at the end of the day.  They then spent some time testing out a giant laser to see if it would scare the blackbirds out of the corn field!  It worked for the time being!  We'll hope it keeps working!

By day's end we were all pretty tired....but are excited for the upcoming harvest season!

We Grow Family

Just as growing high quality crops takes effort, time, and patience....so does "growing" a family.  During harvest season, spending time doing something together (other than working) can be difficult to fit in.  However, the guys made a great effort on Saturday to spend time with our family watching the Blue Angels up in Idaho Falls.  It was a wonderful show!

While we thought we'd make it home a little earlier, we actually ended up making it home around 8:00 PM.  Generally, that's not a big deal, but Brent had promised Harmon's Distribution in Salt Lake a delivery of green beans first thing Monday morning.  Our family values and strives to keep the Sabbath Day holy.  On Sundays, we attend church, spend time visiting our families, and worship. And, other than the basic "must-dos" (feeding animals and irrigating), we have chosen to not work.

So, in order to honor their commitment to God, and to their families; Jeff, Bailey, and Brent all headed right out to harvest and sort 50 boxes of green beans.  The refrigeration system kept them perfect and ready for delivery first thing Monday morning.  (Good thing we had lights installed in the barn!)

While all the littles are too young to realize the sacrifice, the examples, and the love demonstrated by these three great men...I hope, someday, they'll know! (Thanks, Jeff, for the video!)

"Do-It-Yourselfers"

I've finally figured out that we've been blessed (or cursed) with a family full of "Do-It-Yourselfers." While this is generally a very good thing, it has sometimes been a bit of a frustration.  Doing things yourself can save you lots of money and, in the end, you typically end up with a high quality item.  The downside is TIME.  When you try to do everything yourself...projects can end up taking a lot longer to complete.  

I've noticed, however, that when we do things ourselves, we do end up feeling good about our efforts. Everyone is born with a desire to create, right?  

Bailey wrapped up a beautiful contribution to the produce barn this morning.  Check out these great produce display boxes he made.  Handcrafted, sturdy, and as cute as can be!  (The cute factor is important!!)

It's Getting Close!

Jeff and Brent have spent the past couple of days hauling and spreading gravel around the barn.  We convinced them to stop for a bit to put up some plant hooks for the hanging flower pots.  Just a couple of weeks until we officially open. Grandpa LOVES to come up and oversee the progress on the barn! And...the littles are always on board for some time at the farm.

We checked the corn tonight...and it's looking GREAT!

Crop Dustin'

Last year, we discovered how quickly a crop of pumpkins can be devastated by powdery mildew.  When we spotted some signs of it returning this year, we contacted a good friend, Pilot Wayne Larsen.  He works for our local airmotive services.

This morning, when the winds were calm, he flew up for some fancy flying.  The stunts he pulls as he efficiently swoops down to dispense the saving fungicide are beyond crazy!  He puts on quite a show!

Knee High by the 4th of July

The old time farmers around here say that the corn should be knee high by the 4th of July to make sure a crop can be harvested before there's a chance of frost.  All of the yummy sweet corn is knee high and we've even got some tasseled out!  We should have some deliciousness ready for picking by the end of July!  YUMMERS!