Thanks to all our wonderful donors, Costanoa Commons has added a valuable piece of equipment to our farm. After much research, we bought a Ferrari for our farm… (Well, OK, it came in a crate stamped with the Ferrari name!)
Our new walk-behind tractor, a BCS, was made near Milan, Italy. It’s the best selling two-wheeled tractor in Europe and is designed specifically for smaller farms and gardens. We also bought three attachments, a power harrow, a flail mower, and a rotary plow. We’ll use these to cover crop individual planting beds, prepare seed beds, and manage our small farm’s mechanical needs with reasonably priced equipment.
We like the BCS because it is more gentle on our soil and helps maintain soil structure, a vital part of its health and productivity. It’s the perfect tool for market gardens and should last us a very long time.
A big thanks to EarthWorks in Kentucky for giving Costanoa Commons farm a nonprofit discount on our purchase. For farm geeks who want more information about two-wheeled tractors, visit Earth Tools at https://earthtoolsbcs.com or come to the farm for a demonstration!
Facebook chicken contest winners
The arrival of 19 new chickens on the farm gave us the chance to test our Facebook followers on their poultry knowledge! We held an online contest to guess the six different breeds: Brown Leghorn, Delaware, Black Australorp, Ameraucana, Plymouth Barred Rock, and Buff Orpington.
Kudos to Tina Underwood and Cristina Moretti, shown with their Costanoa Commons T-shirt prizes, who came up with all six breeds and tied for first place, and to Ruth May, our runner up!
Students and graduates celebrate on the farm
Once again, we joined forces with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education Special Education Post-Senior Program at Cabrillo College to host an end of the year celebration for their young adult students and graduates. Family, friends, and teachers gathered to honor four students who graduated from the program in early June.
Farm volunteers fired up the barbecue, while former post-senior student and professional DJ Jeff Roco, also known as DJ Jeff, kept everyone up and dancing. We ended the afternoon with speeches from teacher Becka York and the graduates and plenty of cake!
The graduating students will move on to various adult programs such as those offered by Hope Services, the Quest Social Center, and Monarch Independent Living Services. Congratulations from all of us at Costanoa Commons!
