Not nearly as damaging, but just as devastating, Sandy swept
through Westerlo Monday night bringing with her fearsome winds. Nature can
truly humble us when we witness how easily it can tear down manmade structures
in nothing short of an instant. But with that humility comes great teachings on
the importance of preparation, especially on a small business where the land is
your income.
In the days before Sandy was to arrive, having learned from
Irene just last year, we prepared for the storm as much as possible. It takes
much more preparation than one might expect, having to secure structures, such
as the high tunnel, greenhouse, and barns that we rely on for our farm production.
In addition, care must be taken to make
sure all the animals have shelter or are in a safe spot, and have extra food
and water.
In this week following
Sandy's wake of havoc we are all, more than ever, aware of the destruction such storms wreak
upon our world. I am sure everyone can understand from their own reference
point how frustrating it is to witness a
storm like Sandy sweep through this country just a year after Irene, a storm we
were told is a once in 500 years occurrence. All you can do is try to learn
from the last time, which is why it was that much more unnerving that despite
spending days earnestly preparing for
what you know could very well happen, you are still left with significant damages.
But at Eight Mile Creek Farm we try to keep healthy minds
along with our healthy soil, animals, and people. We want to inform our readers
of the damages done and expenses amassed, but we also want to focus on the
positive. Sandy without a doubt put financial strain on our small family farm,
but looking past that we see that all our healthy animals survived in good
form, we ourselves were left unharmed, and even the majority of our hardy
produce survived the winds and rain. If we could not marvel at our Hon Tsai
Tai, left still standing with its delicate yellow flowers intact, while our hay
tarps, made to withstand varieties of weather ( not to mention that they were secured
with wire), were ripped to shreds like a sheet of paper, then we may have long
ago decided the challenge of farming wasn't worth the costs. But that is not
nearly the case for us. The challenges are worth the end result. We are driven
by these small miracles that keep the farm running, and reinforce our own
beliefs in what we are doing.
What Sandy has taught us is that there will always be
challenges presenting themselves on the farm; things most often out of our
control. Whether it be tropical storms, blight, droughts, or any other weather pattern
nature tosses our way, we will undoubtedly be faced with difficulties both seen
and unforeseen, but from those challenges arise new lessons in preparation and
prevention. Organic farming is an art where the farmer must be ever adapting. And even in the face of total loss and
destruction in storms like Irene and Sandy, we find ways to pull through and
continue our mission. Our mission which we believe wholeheartedly in. Our
mission to transform the broken food system we have created in this country,
giving people the option to choose healthy foods from a sustainable system.
Below are listed a few of the damage costs accrued during
Sandy. We have listed them simply to inform our readers about the unseen costs
involved in an organic farm of our intimate scale.
Damage Assessment From Sandy:
·
High Tunnel: The West facing wall of the
high tunnel accrued about $1,000 worth of damage, with winds exceeding 70 mph
ripping the center zipper clear off, leaving it unrepairable and left open to
the elements.
·
Hay Bales: Due to the inadequacy of the
tarps designed to cover our hay bales and protect it from water damage, the hay
was left exposed to the rain and wind for the better part of Sandy. The
tarps, pricing at about $300 a piece, and covering almost $6,000 worth of hay
meant to last into the winter to feed our cows, were affected. The tarps are
virtually destroyed, being shredded at the ends, leaving it difficult to
re-secure them again. Any wet hay is at risk of molding, potentially causing
issues with the cows, not to mention the immediate loss in money with what hay
will become unusable.
·
Greenhouse: The end wall of the
greenhouse had shingles torn off, blowing out insulation and plastic.
·
Barn Roof: The shingles were torn off the roof,
littering the ground below, exposing the interior to leaks.
·
Electricity: Some of our barns suffered loss of
electricity.
·
Row covers: Our row covers were displaced and torn in the strong
winds, leaving some unusable.
If there is one thing that farming has taught us, it is that
when things are looking their bleakest, life has a way of turning around. Once
again our faith has been restored and we have the courage to persevere.
