Triform Farm

Piglets at Triform farm part 2

2011-03-04T12:24:00.000-08:00

Kelly is one of Triform's day students. She worked this fall and winter on the farm.

Kelly enjoys the piglets.. So here is a small story she made about the piglets.

Piglets at Triform farm part 1

2011-02-15T13:09:00.000-08:00

David Wallace Thought on the different pigs

2011-01-25T09:10:00.000-08:00

My name is David Wallace and I am a 27 year old farmer all the way from Atlanta, GA. Here on the farm I am an apprentice farmer working like a beaver, there I feed all the animals and give them water wherever it is needed. Through this blog some of my farmer friends and I will share our thoughts and pictures for all of you from all around the world. Here at the farm we always work as we can. Today, I would like to share my thoughts and facts on the different types of pigs we have here at Triform Farm.
The landrace pig is a medium to large sized pig know for his white skin and occasionally freckles with long ears and a long body. In fact, he is know for his lean meat, fast growth, and sturdiness. I like this pig because it was the kind of pig which saved Zeus when he was a baby.The Gloucester Old Spot or GOS if you prefer is a large pink pig with white hair and an irregular black spot on his rear flank. It's a pure bacon type pig although it's sow are know for a high milk production. The GOS breed was first raised as a free range pig which had to fatten it self. I like the GOS because just today one of them gave birth to the prettiest piglets I have ever seen.
The Tamworth pig is a large red pig with a long snout, long legs, and upright medium ears. The Tamworth sizes can range from small to medium. They are used mostly for meat on some occasions these pigs can be used to herd cattle. The Tamworth breeding began in the United States in 1882 when Thomas Bennett brought the first Tamworth to this fine country. I like this pig because she is a beautiful sow.
The large black pig is a medium to large pig with droopy ears. It's breeding started in the United Kingdom long before anyone had heard of them during the present era. I like this pig because, when I look at it from a distance he looks mean (he is a boar) but is a big baby.

I hope that you have enjoyed by reading on the different breeds of pigs as they have evolved from around the world. I also admit that I had a fun time writing to you about this topic.

Your Roving Report

David Wallace

Lillipo Article

2010-02-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

Lillipo Magazine is devoting one of their editions this year to the Camphill Communities of North America. Many of us submitted articles that will be considered for the section on Triform. Here is the article that Elijah and Sarah wrote about his apprentice project. Maybe you will see it soon in the Lillipo Magazine!

“First the pigs. Take down a bucket. Now add two scoops of grain. Can you pour in some milk? Okay, now pick up the bucket. Let’s go.” Across the barnyard I see Elijah helping one of the new students. It is September and a new group of young people has just joined the farm crew. They may have just worked in the weavery, bakery or garden. They might be new to Triform all together. In their fist days on the farm they will try many new jobs; like feeding the animals and they look to the apprentices for guidance. Elijah is one of these apprentices. After three years on the farm, he is confident in his tasks. His responsibilities include feeding the animals, cleaning the milk room, fetching the cows from the pasture, hand milking, and delivering milk cans while driving the farm golf cart.
Most new students, trial visitors, children, new co-workers and guests who come to the farm will work with Elijah. His enthusiasm and patience make him a natural teacher. These qualities have inspired his senior project. Each graduating apprentice must create a senior project. The project will highlight the skills they have learned in their work areas and their personal strengths. Elijah’s project will build on his abilities to work with other people and his desire to share his love of farming.
“For my senior project we are going have kids from different schools come to visit Triform and work on the farm. We have been writing to local schools for children with special needs. We want them to come for field trips or to have summer camp on the farm. They can learn how to feed, milk the cows, muck out, and do woodworking or painting projects.”
Children are an integral part of a healthy farm. They bring joy and vitality to the farm as they work and play. We see this very clearly each year during haying season. Even the smallest community children show up to help unload the wagons and stack the hay. Everyone works hard and gets hot, sweaty and covered with hay dust. In the end we all feel satisfied by a group effort and job well done, as the last bales go up the hay elevator at dusk. Elijah’s project will open up our farm to even more children. As they help on the farm, children will feel empowered by doing meaningful work. They will have the chance to develop a relationship to the natural world and understand where and how their food is grown and raised.
As a hand-on component of the project Elijah will be building a covered wagon. He will take an old running gear and build a new wagon for it. This will be his third wagon project. Last year he also helped build a hay wagon and a flatbed wagon. “I want to build this wagon so we can take the kids out and work in the woods and far pastures. We can bring tea break and supplies. We can bring it down to the creek. One of the projects for the schools group could be to help us build it or paint the wagon.”
Once the field trip program is launched it will be time for Elijah to graduate. The rest of us will carry on the work that he has begun. The project will be a lasting contribution to the farm and community. Elijah will go on to Camphill Village Copake. The skills he has learned at Triform will be a great asset to their dairy farm. “As an apprentice I have become more independent. I have learned how to drive the golf cart and stack hay. It makes me feel good because I know I can be working by myself. I am looking forward to working at the Copake farm. I still want to learn how to drive a tractor!”
-Sarah Bassett and Elijah Kent

Thoughts from a Senior Student

2010-02-02T09:12:00.000-08:00

For me, being a senior student is a bit rocky and hard at times, but mostly it can be fun. These couple of years has gone by like a fan, which blows off all the pages until you come to a blank page of your life. On this page is the heading of: "Now that you are about become an apprentice, what workplace will you apprentice in and why?" Also, are there any memories you would like to share with everyone, that happened in your life here at Triform?
I will answer the questions as I have placed them in order. The place that I would like to apprentice in is the farm. This is because there are many animals to take care of in health, lots of mechanical projects to fix and clean, and also there are still lots more things that I can improve on from working here. Some of them include working your hardest to get rid of ice when it comes into the water troughs and always fill the water troughs to the top and not cut corners when it gets cold. Another reason I would like to work on the farm is I have read some of James Herriot’s works and I would like to find out about more about farming and become a farmer.
In answer to the second question I have to answer "yes," there are some thoughts can be let out in the open. One of my most favorite memories from here at Triform was when I got to name one of the calves and watch her when I could in the daytime. Also I have seen a few births here on the farm and I would like to see some more.
Thank you letting me share some of my thoughts, from becoming a senior student to an apprentice.
-David Wallace

Kids on the Farm

2010-01-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

For my senior project we are going to start a school year program for kids on the farm. We made some brochures to send to schools for children with special needs. We want to see if they will come on the farm for a field trip. When they come on a field trip they can do things like cleaning the barn, feeding the animals, working in the hay loft, walking the cows to the field, picking and drying herbs, wood working and carpentry projects, painting the barn and fences, camping, swimming, nature walks, and more.
We are also going to build a wooden wagon for the camp. We can bring the wagon for tea breaks, working down in the woods, and going down to the creek.
I like this idea because I like children a lot and work well with new people that come up to the barn, like students and trial visitors. I can't wait to do my senior project and graduate from Triform Camphill Community .
-Elijah Kent

Winter on the Farm

2009-12-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

This is David Wallace and Mandy Connor coming to you from the Triform Farm on a cold and wintery day. So many things are happening this winter. Lets take a look at some of them. David and a few other farmers worked very hard on cleaning out a pig pen where the Copake pigs lived. From what we have seen, they did a good job. Now the pen is standing ready for new pigs in the springtime.
We moved the cows that were in the field into the shed where we store our tractors and other farm machines. From what we have seen they are living like monarchs in their own pen. One of the cows that were born in the autumn was sold and the owner who got her has decided to keep her name. She was Smokeys calf and her name is Suki. She now lives at Blue Star Farm.
The prices of the meat shop have been lowered for our holiday sale. So if you want to buy some meat from us, now is the time to do it!
The piglets from the last batch are being sold today. Soon we will move the next litter of piglets into that pen so they can wean. We hope that we can sell them. If you want any piglets on your farm, come on down before they get sold like hot cakes.
Well, that is all from us so have a safe and happy holiday. This is David Wallace and Mandy Connor signing off until next year. If you want any more meat and information on what we do and how we run check out our website.
-David Wallace and Mandy Connor

Triform Farm News

2009-10-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hello, this David Wallace and Mandy Conner and there are many things happening at the Farm. Today lets take a look at some of them. Over the weekend one of our sows gave birth to a litter of 9 of the cutest piglets that have ever been seen. The meat shop is going well. We have made a few changes. Some of the changes are we have made new posters and are distributing them to local businesses. Also we have stocked up with new meat like sausages, steaks, ground beef, pork chops and more. Soon to come are hams and bacon.
All-in-all things have been going well here, in fact, one of our apprentices Elijah Kent has gone to our sister community known as Copake for a trial visit. We hope that he enjoys it there and hope that he comes back to work here. Mandy has been working very hard to open the meat shop and her new assistant manager David Wallace has been giving her a hand at helping whenever he can. Sometimes his busy schedule
interferes with his responsibilities and he can’t help out but he tries as best he can.
Jesse Lopez, one of our coworkers, has been working very hard at building a chicken coop where we can store chickens when we get them. Sebastian has been working on building a round bale hay wagon with Elijah Kent. From what we can see it looks like they are working hard on it. Sarah our lieutenant works on many different projects at the Farm such as moving calves, fixing machinery, milking, and talking with people who want to purchase our animals. As you can plainly see, there are many things happening at the Farm which need to be done if you just open your eyes. So until next time this is David Wallace and Mandy Conner signing off for our blog.
-David Wallace and Mandy Connor

Elijah's Senior Year

2009-09-27T12:36:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos that I took with my camera. This year I am a senior apprentice on the farm. Last year we wrote about Kim's Jeep Project and Billy's Meat Shop Project. This year I will also be making a project for graduation in June. Some ideas that I had were:
-Making a farm camp at Triform Farm
-Taking photographs with my camera
-Writing a book about the farm
-Fixing up the golf cart
I am still working on choosing a project or figuring out how to combine all of these ideas into one project. I really like working on the farm.
Also during my senior year I will be going for a trial visit at Camphill Community Copake. I will be working on their farm for a month. I can't wait to go to Copake and chose a project to do during my senior year.
-Elijah Kent

A New Year on the Farm

2009-09-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

We are coming back to our blog after a busy summer! It was a rainy summer but we still managed to do a lot of haying. It was hot and sweaty work but we had fun anyways. Sarah and Martin were out working on the tractors. Ethan was our main stacker and Elijah, Magnus, Emily, Ceci, Fabian, Iona, Brendan, Andrew, Melanie, Louisa, Kim, Etienne, Beate, Alex, Sequoya, Kevin and even more were throwing bales down from the wagon and passing them into the loft. We had such a good crew!
Now we are beginning a new year on the farm. We have some new students. We also have some new coworkers and a new work master Our new students names are David, Ben, and Peter. Our new coworkers names are Sebastian and Jesse. Sarah is now our work master. Our apprentices that are still hare on our farm are Elijah, Louisa, and Mandy. Danny is our journeyman.
Elijah will be graduating at the end of this year.
We have an exciting year ahead of us. We have new calves in the barn. Elijah will be working on an apprentice project while also looking into future positions on other farms. The meat shop will be getting a new look and re-opening soon! Martin and David K will be working on restoring our new combine so that we can look forward to harvesting our own grain. Sarah will be looking into building a new equipment barn and Jesse will continue work on the chicken house. So as you can see, we are still busy with lots of projects. We think it will be another great year at Triform Farm. We look forward to seeing many of you at Parents and Friends weekend!
-Mandy, Elijah, David W, Sarah

Power-washing and Barn Cleaning

2009-05-08T10:43:00.000-07:00

Quite a lot has been happening on the farm lately, so we haven't had much time for updating. The cows, steers, and calves are all out grazing in the fields now, and we've been working hard. Today we cleaned out the barn, and decided to share some photos with all of you. Tristin learned how to use the powerwasher for the first time, and Louisa got to put the powerwashing skills that she already had to good use, cleaning the mats from the dairy cows' stalls. These pictures are (from the top) Danny doing lime and woodchips in the barn that everyone helped to clean, Louisa powerwashing the tractor, Louisa powerwashing the mats, Tristin and Liva learning proper techniques from Martin, Tristin powerwashing on his own, Tristin learning to use the powerwasher, and Tristin getting help with his goggles.

-Liva Jostad-Laswell and Elijah Kent (photographers)

Final Edit of the Meat Shop Video

2009-03-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the final version of the Meat Shop video. Copies of the DVD will be for sale this weekend (Sat. March 28th) at the Grand Opening of the Meat Shop at Triform Farm. There will be a presentation of the video at 1PM followed by a farm tour and open house. You can visit the animals and make your first purchase from our new Meat Shop! We hope to see you there!

-Sarah Bassett and Billy Spillman

Printing T-Shirts

2009-02-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

Here is a short slideshow about our screen printed T-Shirts. Kim, Elijah and Sarah took these photos. Martin and Ames made them into a video. Look for our T-Shirts for sale at Triform Parents Weekend and in the soon to be opening Meat Shop at Triform Farm. Enjoy the video!
-Sarah Bassett

Kim's Apprentice Project: The Jeep

2009-02-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

Pictures

2009-02-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

This afternoon I took some pictures of the animals on the farm. I took them on black and white because I wanted to get some pictures on my new camera and I took them on black and white because I wanted to see how it looks on black and white. I got to choose 2 of my favorite pictures and I picked a picture of 1 of our sows sticking out her nose. I picked that one because I think it looked cute sticking out hes nose. She is the pig in the way back who just had piglets. The 2nd picture I chose was one of the cows. It was Morning Star and she was eating. I chose that picture because I liked the way it looked on my camera . I took pictures of the piglets, the dogs, the farm cats, the cows, the sows, and the steers. I liked how the pictures came out and so did Sarah..
-Elijah Kent

Orange Tractor

2009-01-13T07:36:00.001-08:00

the day i wrote about the orange tractor - by danny albert dalessio september 12 2008
the orange tractor was bigger than a future tractor - the colors were orange and black and it has big tires - 2009 - the future tractor is bigger then a normal tractor that is green - the tractor is orange and black with big tires - the future tractor has a great designer- it has many streaks faster then the green dark tractor- it is a future tractor that is a little faster and areodinamic- - it is a tractor of the future that is orange and black - it is a future tractor that is big- in this future it is more aeodinamic a tractor has to be faster - it is much faster then the older one - it is alot faster - both tractors are different, one is fast and one of them is slower- the future one of them is better then the other one- the future one is the best and brighter - the orange tractor is faster- this is my news article that is faster and better- the tractor is orange and black that is the end
- danny dalessio

The Meat Shop

2009-01-08T14:40:00.000-08:00

This year, 2009, I am finally opening the meat shop at Triform Farm. I am graduating this year from Triform Camphill Community. The meat shop is part of my Apprentice Project. First we need to organize the shop and make doors and windows. Then we need to find a good deli scale, make a sign for the front of the shop, and organize the inside of the freezers. Then we will be ready for the grand opening. We hope to open the shop at the end of March or beginning of April.

We want people to be able to get fresh, organic, biodynamic and grass-fed meat. Grass-fed meat is less fattening. By running a meat shop we will learn about how much things cost, using a cash register, and using real, real, money. When people come to buy meat they will see the farm where the animals are. They will get to meet the meat manager and the farmers as well. We can't hardly wait for those people who are interested in getting meat to come to our farm.

-Billy Spillman

2009-01-07T18:09:00.000-08:00