The Bookworm Sez

One little hole in the ground. book. No, this is much more of a That’s all it takes, as big around as your little finger, a pencil eraser, a coffee stirrer. A tiny fissure in the Earth, that’s what you need to grow dinner next week or next winter, flowers for your table, sustenance for your animals or, as in the “We Are Each Other’s Harvest: Celebrating African American Farmers, Land, and Legacy” by Natalie Baszile c.2021, Amistad $29.99 / $36.99 Canada prayer for the Black stewards of the land, and for those who’ve listened to their hearts and stood, one hand filled with dirt and the other with seeds. Whether you are a farmer, know new book “We Are Each Other’s Harvest” 368 pages one, or accept the fruits of one’s THE BOOKWORM SEZ By Terri Schlichenmeyer Natalie Baszile gives praise to Black farmers and ranchers, showing that what may seem like a newly-discovered connectedness to the land goes way back. It is, in fact, a slice of the past that’s rich as a fertile field, but also loaded with rocks that crushed many dreams. And yet, while the stories Baszile lets loose need a wider audience today — they can’t be silent anyby Natalie Baszile, a tie to your past. Years ago, while taking weekly provisions to an elderly relative, Natalie Baszile learned that the presence of food in a neighborhood (or its lack) could be a racial issue. Shortly afterward, she discovered her ancestors had been involved in farming, long before she was born. That’s not unusual: as we learn in the introduction here, nearly all African Americans today can claim farming is in their genes. It’s never been a smooth thing, though. labor, this book is the perfect meditation. Lush as a spring morning but sharp as barbed wire, “We Are Each Other’s Harvest” is a book for the well-grounded. Look for the reviewed book at a bookstore or a library near you. You may also find the book at online book retailers. The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri has been reading since she was 3 years old and never goes anywhere without a book. She lives in

Over and over in previous decades, Black farmers more — anger at the past isn’t the reason for this Wisconsin with three dogs and 10,000 books. v paid faithfully each month to buy farms from white landowners, only to ultimately, cruelly be denied ownership. Others persevered, and then lost their land through lack of financial literacy, or problems with Letters to the editor are always welcome. banks, the USDA or the Farm Service Administration — the latter which, suggested one farmer, seemed to have been created to make problems. Send your letters to: Editor, The Land

And yet, there were bright spots: like folks a cen- 418 South Second St., Mankato, MN 56001 tury ago, Black farmers know that sticking together is best for all. They’re speaking up and persevering, e-mail: editor@thelandonline.com in planting and paperwork. Black farmers have All letters must be signed and accompanied by a phone number (not for publication) learned to think around bigger issues by forming to verify authenticity. Black-owned co-ops, teaching new farmers, making sure the next generation wants ownership of the business, and ignoring old myths which say women don’t farm. Black farmers are mentoring. They’re Time for alfalfa stand assessments redefining the word “farm.” They’re doing what it takes to keep possession of their land because for them, there just isn’t any better way to live. FOLEY, Minn. — Despite some colder temperatures, alfalfa stands appear to be looking nice heading into May. However, there can be differences When it comes to assessing stands visually, typically we would start from the top down. Looking at the tops of alfalfa plants, we look for symmetry of the

So you know where your food comes from. Bonus between nice-looking fields and fields that will pro- buds coming from all sides of the crown. points if you grew it yourself. Even better, when you duce decent yields. This is why all stands need to be Asymmetrically plants indicate winter injury did read “We Are Each Other’s Harvest” after you’re assessed each spring for winter injury to make sure occur and yield potential may be lower. At this point done weeding. that winter injury issues aren’t going to surprise you. you will also want to check to see if the root system Using a little of this (fiction excerpts, poetry, and quotations), along with a little of that (essays, interviews, first-person tales, and history), author For stand assessments we need to focus on two-parts: stem counts and root and crown health. With stem counts, we usually measure this as stems per square foot. The relationship between stem density and yield is constant, making this method reliable in estimating yield. To perform a stem count, mark off a 2 square-foot section in each area you take a count. Count only those stems which are 2 inches or taller. Divide your count by 2 and average across all section. This will get you to the necessary stems per square foot needed to check yields. Typically, is up out of the ground. Alfalfa taproots which have been pushed out of the ground by over an inch will most likely be short lived during the spring provided they don’t break off. Next, dig up plants from three or four representative locations in the field including at least the top 6 inches of the taproot to examine. Cut the crown in half and examine the color and rigidity of the inside of the crown. You want to see a firm, offwhite interior with little to no signs of rotting. Discolored and spongy crown interiors indicate rotting and a plant that may not live another year. stem counts over 55 stems per square foot indicates If you have questions, email ndrewitz@umn.edu, or a good stand. In that condition, we would expect you call (608) 515-4414. could lose some plants and still produce good yields. With stem densities of 39 stems per square foot or less, we would expect yields in those stands to be low This article was submitted by Nathan Drewitz, University of Minnesota Extension. v enough to consider replacing.