Nancy J. Hayden & John P. Hayden
Nancy J. Hayden is a writer, farmer, artist, and former environmental engineering professor; she has published numerous articles about food and farming; a student of World War I history, she recently published The Great Dark, Noir and Horror Stories of World War One
John P. Hayden is a former researcher, extension agent, university educator, international consultant, and practicing regenerative organic farmer; his farming and business experience includes organic livestock, vegetables, fruit and nursery production, and marketing; has served on the Vermont Pollinator Protection Committee and several non-profit boards
The Lay of the Land
It’s early morning or midday or evening, any day in every season no matter the weather. It’s time to walk the perimeter of the farm. Time to walk the dogs. On these early walks, we check out what’s happening with the fruit crops, the stream, the plants, and the wildlife. We notice the bumble bees on the honeyberry flowers in early May, the first milkweed flowers in June, and hundreds of green darner dragonflies massing for their fall migration at the end of August. We hear the honey bees in the goldenrod in fall and the rawk of the ravens in winter. We smell the delicate sweet plume blossoms in spring and taste the juicy fruit in summer. They say the best fertilizer is a farmer’s footsteps. Walking the land is the best way to understand and appreciate biodiversity too.
These walks provide a slow close-up view to the natural world and keep us in touch with plants and animals, weather, and the many happenings on the farm. A great way to start and finish the day, it’s also an important step in learning about the various habitats on our land, the plants and animals that live there, and their complex relationships – the definition of “ecology.” Watching our own lives unfold along with the phenology (the plants’ and animals’ seasonal cycles) reinforces our sense of place and connectedness with our world.
from Farming On the Wild Side by Nancy J. Hayden and John P. Hayden (Chelsea Green Publishing)