WHITE OAK TREES ARE ON FARMER JEFF’S RADAR

The dry weather at Stratford Ecological Center on Liberty Road during the past month has helped, as the fall jobs and preparations for winter take place on the farm.  The spelt seed has germinated well.  It came up quickly in the loose soil surrounding the foxtail grass in field 3.  We purchased garlic bulbs this year, and many hands broke the cloves free to individually plant in a single row in field 3, close to the Lane.  We opted not to use our own, to ensure we meet the demand for locally grown bulbs, until we harvest next summer. 

Farmer Jeff has turned his attention to our White Oak trees, as their wood is used in many ways.  They grow better in an open area, and we recently girdled the surrounding trees by cutting through their outer bark, the phloem layer which carries the sap, and finally the cambium layer where growth occurs. This will eventually cause the tree to die and fall, either adding to the forest litter or becoming firewood at the Sugar Shack.  We also planted the fruits, better known as acorns, of White Oak and Burr Oak, in the raised handicapped beds outside the small greenhouse.  White Oak acorns gathered from Shaker Village in Kentucky were planted in pots and placed outside.  The seedlings will eventually be transplanted to our woods, where they have a better chance of survival than directly planted acorns.                

The two remaining black hogs, with white socks, appear depressed after their three roommates left for the processor in late October. They were brought into their pen in the barn, and the plan was to keep them there until their own departure on December 12.  The bigger hog has mastered the art of eating while laying down!  If this continues there may come a time when he cannot get up, even with Farmer Jeff’s help.  To relieve the depression a decision was made to open their small door to the backyard and allow them to continue grazing, and delay reseeding the ground.  They were reluctant to exit, which ruled out the possibility they were missing the grubs in the soil.  The next step is to use an old trick and entice them out with feed.   

Our young bull calf left the farm on November 14 for the processor.  Seven females of varying ages now make up the cattle herd.  Six are Red Devon/Hereford crosses, and one is a black and white Holstein called Oreo.  Some may be in-calf, and we will confirm this over the winter.    

Our ram, Sir Patrick, joined the twenty-one ewes and began mating in early November.  The lambs are expected in April.  This is a good time to give birth, when the weather has started to warm up and the sheep have access to the pasture.  Shale, our new buck, has benefited from his time on pasture, and added some weight.  He joined the seven nanny goats on November 7.  They had shown interest in him when he first arrived and was housed in the neighboring pen, but they showed no interest when he joined them, and butted him away.  With their estrous cycle occurring on average every 21 days it should not be long before they welcome his attention.  Their gestation period is the same as sheep at 150 days. 

Paula Ziebarth, the Delaware County Area Contact for the Ohio Blue Bird Society, shared this year’s Bird Trail Report for Stratford.  Due to the extended cold and wet weather in mid-June, when the Purple Martins struggled to find enough food for themselves, they fledged only 148 compared to 234 in 2022. The Eastern Bluebirds fledged 43, which continues the rising overall trend, compared to 52 in 2022 which was a record year.  The Tree Swallows fledged 92 compared to 101, with the 2023 total being the second lowest in eight years.  We appreciate the tremendous effort put forth by volunteers to tend to their needs and record the data.     

The Prairie Pavilion beside the pond was aglow with colored lights on November 7, when the farmhands and garden gang gathered for an evening potluck for the first time.  Farmer Jeff grilled tender lamb chops on a grate above the main campfire, and farmhand Garry cooked sumptuous burgers on a grill.  The meat, of course, was home-raised!  There was a good variety of food, and a surprising number of cakes made by farmhands, or their generous wives.  The weather was thankfully dry, and the sunset viewed across the fields and over the barn was brilliant. 

This month we welcome two AmeriCorps Service members who will be with us for a year.  Mariah Burkhart will focus on land stewardship and Kiersten (Kiki) Carsey, who transitioned from an Education Intern, will focus on Environmental Education.  Their help will be invaluable, as the workload increases annually as we interact with more and more people. 

Saturday, November 18 is the last Saturday we will be open to the public until Saturday, January 13 from 9-1 pm.  We will continue to be open for self-guided tours on Tuesday and Thursday from 9-4 pm., except Thanksgiving Day, through December 19.  We will re-open for Tuesday and Thursday visits on Tuesday, January 9.  Our Farm Store is open Monday-Friday from 9-5 pm., except during the holidays.      

We wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. 

Pauline Scott is a farm and nature guide at Stratford Ecological Center, 3083 Liberty Road, Delaware.  She can be reached at 740 363 2548 or by email at info@stratfordecologicalcenter.org  Stratford’s web site is www.stratfordecologicalcenter.org