With the end of 2009, we try to look back and determine what we did right and what we did wrong. If making mistakes makes you smarter, we should soon be some of the smartest people in the world. With this being the first year of a new accounting system, first year of operating under an official LLC business name, first year of having full time and seasonal employees, first year of being involved with a CSA, first year for several new crops and first half year without Tommy having a fulltime (sometimes more)  job, it has been quite a challenge.

Along with all that, we lost a major part of our family on July 3, with the passing of “Papaw Barbee”. Not having the opinion and guidance of 80 + years of experience, to say the least, hurts!  As papaw always said, life goes on, and we intend to carry the traditions of this farm as generations before us have done.

Sincerely,

Tommy, Anna, and Brent Barbee

Most folks think of winter time on the farm as being a time when farmers sleep late, sit by the fire and rest. Not here. We started a “winter projects list” back in July, and it is still growing. Most of our winter projects include but are not limited to, fixing what was broken all summer long, cleaning and organizing shops, supplies, greenhouses, rebuilding equipment that is worn, seed purchases and storage, planning for the coming crop season, plus creating income to pay the full-time folks. Early in January, we will start trimming peach, apple, and other fruit trees for the coming year. February and March will bring times for sowing the first seeds for the coming year’s outside production. Greenhouse production is still slow for us as we continue to try new things inside to create something marketable for this time of year. There is a reason that we have been afforded the knowledge and ability to freeze and can everything that is so plentiful during the summer months. Greenhouse production is extremely challenging and expensive. Hopefully we are learning some of the “tricks of the trade” because, here again, we have made plenty of mistakes. Maybe we can all benefit for these mistakes in years to come. Season extension is an area that we intend to spend lots of time and research on for the future.  We want customers to have options of locally grown food for twelve months a year. We actually picked tomatoes from March 26 through January 18 this past crop year.

Greenhouse Strawberries January 2010

As 2010 rolls around we hope to be able to reap the benefits of past years planning. We are supposed to have a limited supply of asparagus from 1100 crowns that were set last March. We should have more peaches this year from a new orchard that was set 4 years ago (subject to weather). We have been enjoying fresh strawberries since Nov 1 from 800 plants that were set in the greenhouse in September. Hopefully production numbers will increase as daylight hours increase, and more will be available. Blueberry plants set last spring are still a few years away. We are planning more different varieties of heirloom tomatoes for the coming year for those of you that crave that real tomato taste. Several new items are planned for the coming year and will be highlighted once we figure out that we can produce them.

Also, new for this year is our exclusive Barbee Farms CSA. All details are available on our website for those that are interested. As always, our website is updated weekly to inform you of what is available during this time of year. Being open for business is just a phone call away

If you deal with Barbee Farms for very long, you will realize quickly how important family is to me. I am extremely lucky to have the best family in the world. We still have Sunday lunch together with the whole family, with everyone contributing, every week. Anna and I cook and eat together at the kitchen table (not in front of the TV) at least 6 nights a week. Most of our planning takes place at the same kitchen table every night. Brent (our son) is our farm manager and puts in more time in a week than most people do in 2 weeks. Charlie (my brother) shows up at 7:00 am, 6 days a week and does whatever needs done, with no compensation whatsoever. Did I mention that he could fix anything that is broken and that he’s retired from full time employment? Kevin (my nephew) is our other full time employee. Kevin has an engineering degree and farm experience beyond  most engineer’s wildest dreams. He is extremely valuable to us, but would consider employment in his field if the right position became available. Dana (Brent’s wife), Hillary (Kevin’s soon to be wife), and Sharon (Charlie’s wife) all help with markets along with holding down full time jobs. Yes, this is truly a family farm.

I am also extremely proud to say that we still hire “local” high school and college students for summer help. Most of our employees from last year have already committed to coming back this year, which makes me happy! This has it’s challenges, but if you are willing to buy “local”, I should be willing to hire “local”. These kids become an extension of our family.