Farmer Learning Circles: Non-Traditional Recordkeppeing Methods

Join Emily Round, Grounded Flower Farm & New Entry and  Kate McGoldrick, Thousand Leaves Herb Farm; for a fun gathering over pizza at Moraine Farm to chat about non-traditional recordkeeping!

We're hosting this Farmer Learning Circle to swap stories and insights about the unique records we keep on our farms. Beyond seeding dates, harvest logs, and cash flows, there is a ton of information on a farm that doesn’t fit in a spreadsheet. What fields flooded, favorite varieties, first frost dates, crop abnormalities, trials, and more!

Emily and Kate will kick things off by discussing what we can learn from the photos we take on our farms. She'll share lessons from four years of snapping pics with her phone in the field. And yes, there will be pictures of flooded fields.

Then, we'll break into small groups to delve into each other's non-traditional recordkeeping experiences. Share what you've tried, what worked, what didn't, and exchange ideas and resources. Bring along any pictures you've taken on your farm!

Towards the end, we'll pool our knowledge to create a handy resource list for all attending farmers.
Best part? It's free, pizza is on us, and we're committed to fostering a safe space for farmers to share and learn from one another. Your stories stay, and the lessons learned leave with you. See you there!

What is a Learning Circle?

A learning circle typically refers to a small group of people who come together to learn and collaborate on a specific topic or skill. It's a participatory and inclusive form of learning where individuals contribute their knowledge and experiences to the collective understanding of the group. Learning circles are often characterized by open communication, shared resources, and a collaborative approach to problem-solving. This format encourages active engagement and peer-to-peer learning, creating a supportive environment for acquiring new knowledge or skills.

Non-traditional recordkeeping methods are important in agriculture for several reasons:
1. Adaptability: Traditional recordkeeping methods may not always align with the evolving nature of modern farming practices. Non-traditional methods allow for greater flexibility and adaptation to the specific needs and challenges faced by farmers.
2. Innovation and Efficiency: Non-traditional methods requires innovative thinking for efficient data collection, analysis, and decision-making. All these adjusted to daily farming flows and operations.
3. Accessibility: Traditional recordkeeping methods might be non-user friendly or inaccessible for certain farmers. Non-traditional approaches, especially those utilizing user-friendly applications, make recordkeeping more accessible to a broader range of farmers, particularly those with little tech literacy.
4. Sustainability Focus: Non-traditional recordkeeping methods allow farmers to track environmental impact, optimize resource use, and adopt practices that contribute to long-term ecological and economic sustainability.
5. Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing: Non-traditional recordkeeping often involves collaborative platforms where farmers can share insights and learn from each other. This fosters a sense of community, encourages best practices, and contributes to the collective knowledge of the farming community.

In summary, embracing non-traditional recordkeeping methods in agriculture promotes adaptability, innovation, sustainability, and collaborative learning, all of which are crucial for the success and resilience of modern farming operations.

For additional information contact: Emily Round, New Entry's Technical Assistance Manager at emily.round@tufts.edu

About the presenter

Emily Round, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project & Grounded Flower Farm. Emily has been growing and arranging flowers for almost a decade, but her fondness for plants started as soon as she could hold a trowel and call her family’s garden worms her first pets. As a 30th birthday gift to herself, Emily decided to bring her lifelong passion to fruition and provide ethically and ecologically-grown flowers to her community. As someone who grew up in Essex County, it's fitting she brought her vision to life to serve the people and the community that raised her. It’s difficult for Emily to pick a favorite part of running her business—from the big smiles on her customer's faces as they walk the flower rows to the vibrant ecosystems of bees and butterflies, and the budding connections she's built with local businesses. She finds peace and happiness in creating beautiful blooms that bring others joy. Currently Emily is also beginning and small-scale farmers.

Kate McGoldrick, Thousand Leaves Herb Farm. Thousand Leaves is a small botanical herb farm located on the North Shore of Massachusett, run by Kate and Adriana Giacalone. Adriana and Kate had a mission to bring herbs back to the kitchen table as nourishing foods, and are proud to be a small scale, diversified farm selling culinary and medicinal herbs, specialty vegetables and flowers. Together they work to encourage local culinary diversity, and provide an ecological and local source for herbal botanicals in Massachusetts. 

Funding Aknowledgement

This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award number 2021-70027-34693