I don't like Monsanto, I appreciate what you guys do.  there's a good movie called the future of food that brings all this to light and exposes monsanto.

Not Above the Law
Monsanto, the chief biotech corporation and pusher of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms or gene-spliced) crops and their boosters at the dysfunctional regulator USDA-APHIS were dealt a major blow last week when federal district judge Jeffrey White issued an order rescinding the USDA’s approval of the planting of GMO Roundup Ready Sugar Beets.  Judge White ruled that the USDA is not above the law and acted illegally when it approved the planting of RR Sugar Beets without having conducted the mandatory Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  The court decision ruled on a  lawsuit filed by fellow organic seed growers and allies at the Center for Food Safety and at the Organic Seed Alliance (Last year Jim completed a three year term as OSA President).  
    The highly mobile pollen from RR Sugar Beet seed production has the ability to contaminate the seed of table beets, swiss chard and other non-GMO sugar beets.  Click here for more info on the court decision. 

Be Safe and Be Sure
   Wood Prairie Farm organic seed of varieties that are at risk for GMO contamination is carefully grown in isolation and PCR tested in 10,000 seed samples.  Our seed lots must test as “not found in” (meaning zero seeds GMO content out of a 10,000 seed sample) or else we won’t sell it. 

Monsanto in Ag
   We absolutely do not support Monsanto and we do not sell Monsanto seed.
   The Wood Prairie belief toward Monsanto is short and to the point.  It is recorded in Michael Pollan’s “The Botany of Desire” and can be found on page 221: “If there’s a source of evil in agriculture its name is Monsanto.”  
  
Monsanto on the Ropes?
   Monsanto is suffering setbacks.  Last week’s RR Sugarbeet ban marks the second time a Court has rescinded the USDA’s approval of a Monsanto biotech crop.  Earlier this summer Monsanto brought a case to the U.S. Supreme Court.  The High Court upheld a lower court ban ruling against Monsanto and left in place the prohibition on planting GMO Roundup Ready Alfalfa.  (Click here for the story of the defeat of RR Alfalfa.)
Jim

A Louisianna gardener called to talk about fall planting and I asked her about the local wisdom of saving potato seed from your spring garden to use in August.  She said the old farmers would keep the smalls from the early spring planted crop in the dark all summer at about 70 degrees.  In late summer they would start to sprout and could be used for fall planting. 

A customer sent us a tuber with enlarged eyes and second growths (see picture below) asking what was the cause of these defects.  The two articles quoted below indicate excessive rain after a dry spell, or excessive heat. 

From the Journal           Potato Research

"Summary: The development of potato tubers was observed on plants in which second-growth was experimentally induced by heat treatment. Secondgrowth could be induced by subjecting the whole plant, the underground parts only or the foliage only to high temperature (32°C) for 7 days.

The growth of the primary tubers stopped after the initiation of secondary tubers. This cessation of growth of the primary tuber is not a prerequisite for second-growth, but results from the dominance of the secondary tuber.

Depending on which part of the plant was subjected to heat, different forms of secondgrowth occurred such as elongated tubers, bottlenecks and chain-tuberization. It is supposed that the origin of these forms depends on the strength of the elongating influence. This strength manifests itself in the time of occurrence of sprouts and in their number and length.

Observations on the induction of second-growth in potato tubers"

Journal Potato Research

Publisher          Springer Netherlands

ISSN   0014-3065 (Print) 1871-4528 (Online)

Issue    Volume 7, Number 4 / December, 1964

DOI     10.1007/BF02368253

Pages   219-227

Subject Collection        Biomedical and Life Sciences

SpringerLink Date        Thursday, April 13, 2006

Secondary growths

From an internet article by the Potato Council: Supporting the British Potato Industry

"The symptoms are excessive protuberances at the eyes. There may also be a development of small chain tubers attached by a length of stolon. Others may elongate, producing a dolly effect.

Second growth often occurs during good weather conditions, e.g. wet weather especially following dry conditions.

Control

Control may be partially achieved through the use of irrigation to regulate water supply and by earlier haulm destruction"

http://www.potato.org.uk/department/knowledge_transfer/pests_and_diseases/ref.html?item=48  

July 19, 2010

An interesting note from a Florida gardener:

   " I can start planting potatoes in August here in Vero Beach, Florida and plant until February."

Here on Wood Prairie Farm in northern Maine, all of our potatoes are planted and growing, so we are of limited help to gardeners who want to plant from now through mid November.  We will harvest about the first of October but the potatoes go through a natural dormancy period for from 4-8 weeks, depending on variety.   We do have southern customers who save their smalls from the early spring crop, keep them warm, and thereby have something to plant in July - October. 
  Happy Gardening everybody!   I'll try to get some pictures and videos posted up here, now that we have our crop planted and under control.  I'd love to see and share your photos too, especially of interesting growing techniques.   Thanks,  Megan

May 29, 2010 We are planting potatoes today on Wood Prairie Farm.  We are about half done; we'll finish the Field 33 today and move around the corner to the Bootfoot Road Field.  Pictures and videos to follow.  Megan

Wood Prairie Seed Potatoes being warmed for planting.
  4/30/10  We have begun our greensprouting process here on the farm.  Here is a photo of the seed warming. 

    Sprout in the dark at 75oF for 1-2 weeks (depend on variety's dormancy) then two critical factors must change: 1) turn lights on after putting tubers into gs trays.  light will green up tubers and prevent elongation of sprouts that would otherwise get long and break off during planting process, and 2)lower temp to 50-55oF to minimize respiration and slow down aging.  while a greenhouse is great for light it is way too warm and will age the tubers way too far and that expenditure of vigor/aging will impact potential yield.  Extremely vigorous early generation seed may need temps lowered to 45o or even 40o to restrain growth.  if spouts are growing too long you can regain control by modifying two inputs: lower temps and/or increase light intensity.  Mist the tubers if warranted to prevent excessive moisture loss. 

Question & Answer.  Economics of Growing Potatoes.

Q. I own a small farm in Arlington Vermont. The State of Vermont has deemed the soil on the farm to be some of the best in Vermont.  My interest would be potato farming.  Would 4-6 acres of open field with great soil be enough to be profitable?  Your thoughts? 

FH
Arlington VT
A.  Well, that's a big topic to cover.  For starters I'd study Eliot Coleman's “The New Organic Grower” and your fellow Vermonter Richard Wiswall's “The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook.”  My advice on farming is to start small, build on success and learn from your mistakes while on the low end of the “J-curve” before education comes at a high cost.

  The economics of potatoes as a component of a market operation are very good.  Take, for example, the scale of a quarter acre of potatoes. Here are some numbers.  At three foot row spacing there are 14520 row feet per acre or 3630' per quarter acre. At 9” in-row spacing that quarter acre would be 4840 hills.  At 1.5 ounce seed piece size you'd need 453 pounds of seed potatoes per quarter acre. On the harvest end, assume a reasonable yield of 1 pound per row foot or 3630 pound per acre.  Assuming a 90% packout of salable tubers you'll have 3267 pounds of potatoes to sell.  In selling if you do a good job with sought after varieties and can average $2/pound in a farmers market setting you'd pull in a gross income of $6534.  If you can do the work of growing the crop with your family's labor and keep your out of pocket expenses to under $1500 (20% of gross), you ought to be able to clear $5000 (net) from that little quarter acre. And that's no small potatoes! 

  One of our growers in Washington state once reported that he planted 750 pounds of our Rose Gold seed potatoes and harvested an amazing 24,000 pounds, a remarkable 32X increase. Most of us won't achieve that kind of success but it's a goal to work towards. Good luck!

Jim

   Not long ago we were asked to envision a sustainable food system for Maine.  Starting with underlying community values of justice, sustainability, food security and democracy here is our concept of local food sovereignty.  While neither exclusive nor complete we believe these are practical goals for our close knit State of Maine.  We think they can also be extrapolated to regions with greater populations.

Our Common Values for Maine Food.

      Grocery stores and restaurants that are enthusiastic local outlets for Maine grown and Maine produced food. from fish to beef to to milk to vegetables to bread and grains.

        High quality locally grown nonGMO (genetically modified organisms) organic seed of vegetable and grain varieties that are delicious and regionally adapted to Maine's sometimes challenging growing conditions.

       Extensive Community Supported Agriculture subscription garden programs organized at work and at church that keep Maine people fed and create stable new markets for Maine family farmers.

       Intelligent utilization of local sources of fertility such as manures; cover crops; fishery, timber and crop waste; and rock powders.

       School breakfasts, lunches and snacks that are nutritious, local and organic.

        Community safety nets that support elders and limited resource neighbors who should not have to choose between winter heat, medicine and healthy food.

       Strawberry Festivals, Lobster Festivals,  Ployes Festivals, Muskie Tournaments,  Maple Breakfasts, Harvest Suppers and all sorts of food centered community celebrations so numerous and iconic that Maine's reputation for the good life becomes synonymous with a delicious reputation for good food.

       A culture of responsible stewardship of food production by organic and sustainable methods that keeps Maine's water pure, our crops free from GMO and pesticide contamination, our soils thriving and improving for future generations, and our woodlands healthy for fish and wildlife.

       Family scale livestock raised humanely on Maine grown nonGMO feed and treated with respect on the farm and at well run local family scale slaughter facilities.

       Affordable access to farmland for young and new farmers that allows purchase or long term tenure which encourages long term capital infrastructure improvements such as farm buildings, wells and access roads.

        Schools that teach the lifelong lessons learned from gardening and nature, and the priceless benefits of  food literacy to societal and individual health and well-being.

       A future of hope, expectation and permanence so that next generation farmers and fishers are encouraged and confident in carrying forward their family's heritage of food production.  ~~

Our Guinea Hog sow, Allie, had a litter of piglets on April 27th.  Amy loves them and Allie is very friendly, even when people are playing with her new babies.  Click here to see a video of them on You Tube