Category: Q&A

Local farmers contend with heavy rain, dip in demand

Every sumShawn Jasper, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food, gave an update on the current growing season and how local farms are doing.

How is the summer growing season going so far?

It’s sort of a mixed bag as to what’s going on out there. … Things started out very dry for much of the state. There was enough moisture that many of the farms, particularly the ones that were growing hay for forage, had a very good first crop, but then they were very concerned about the second crop. To a large degree, in the areas where a lot of the hay is grown, we never really got into a drought, but we were in dry conditions. Now the problem for most of our farms is that things are too wet. … We’re getting a lot of rain and just enough sunshine that the corn is shooting up like crazy, but for some of the other crops in some areas, like tomatoes, it’s not enough sunshine. … The other problem is we’re not having three days of dry weather to really be able to get out into the field. That’s a concern at this point, because second cutting should be well underway and almost wrapped up in most areas, but farmers can’t [work]. I’ve heard of some farmers who are out in the field trying to do various things and getting stuck, and that’s never a good thing. … Still, it’s certainly a lot better than where we were last year, when everyone was running out of water or their irrigation ponds were going dry and it was just one thing after another.

What conditions would be ideal for farmers for the rest of the season?

We’re praying for some sunshine at this point, for an extended period of time. Four or five days without any rain would really allow the vegetables and crops to take advantage of the moisture that’s in the soil. We could be poised for a very good remainder of the year, and all the fruits and vegetables are probably going to do pretty well if things dry out and don’t just immediately go back into another drought. Ideally, we should have a rainstorm about once a week, not once every other day.

How are local farms doing business-wise?

During the pandemic, our farmers markets and farm stands did very well. I hoped that people would continue to buy from our local farms, but that’s one case where things have gone back to normal. We need more people to buy more local products if agriculture is going to expand in New Hampshire. We’re all a lot healthier when we’re eating local food and getting those fresher products into our systems. It’s going to be a little bit more expensive, but as we’re seeing, [food] is getting more expensive anyhow, even at the grocery store.

What are farmers doing to protect their livelihood?

There’s no question [farming] is a challenge in New Hampshire, and it probably always will be, but New Hampshire farmers are smart. We’re seeing a lot more innovative farming methods. A lot more people are using high tunnel greenhouses; they don’t require any heat because they allow natural heat to be trapped within the greenhouse, which means farmers can start their seasons earlier. We had local corn on the Fourth of July because [the crops] were started under black plastic, which, again, traps heat and allows the corn to get a great start. Farmers are trying all the methods that are out there.

What is the best thing people can do for their home gardens right now?

Be aware of their soil conditions. A lot of the nutrients are leaching out of the soil with this large amount of rain, so putting in some extra fertilizer is going to be helpful.

Featured photo: Shawn Jasper. Courtesy photo.

Shaker Village welcomes resident artists

Every summer, Canterbury Shaker Village offers an artist-in-residence program where artists spend two weeks living and working at the Village, creating art inspired by the architecture, landscape, traditional crafts, furniture, artistic endeavors and culture of the Shakers. Current artist-in-residence Maria Molteni discussed the opportunity.

What kind of art do you typically do?

I tend to make artwork that’s sort of formally rigorous, conceptually rigorous and very experimental and playful. A lot of what I do is project-based, so, for that reason, I work in a lot of different media, depending on what project I’m doing. … I do a lot of artwork that’s performative and often involves writing and publication and sometimes drawing and movement.

What drew your interest to the residency at the Shaker Village?

I came to create art inspired by the Shakers, but I’m also here to do experiential research … and learn more about the history and culture of Canterbury Shaker Village just by being on the land and in the presence of this Shaker energy. … You could say I’m kind of a low-key Shaker academic. … I’m very interested in how Shaker culture was different from community to community. I’ve visited all of the Shaker villages that I’m aware of … and have made artwork at several of them. … I was really excited to come to Canterbury Shaker Village because it had a very vibrant culture that sets it apart from some of the other Shaker villages.

What do you hope to accomplish during your time at the Village?

Two weeks isn’t very much time, so I’m not putting a lot of pressure on myself to meet a deadline or goal. … I’m just letting myself flow intuitively and explore and experiment. I’m not sure what I’ll come up with, but I want to make as many drawings and notes as I can so that I can take all this research with me [after the residency] and continue building on this work.

Will you be interacting with the public?

It’s not required that [artists] interact with the public … which is nice. … I interact and engage with the public a lot in my [regular] work, and I love it, but I think it’s valuable and a great privilege for an artist to have some time and space alone.

How does the residency impact your creative process?

As a full-time artist, I have so much administrative work to juggle all the time: meetings, phone calls, budgets to balance, grants to write. Residencies are nice because they allow me the time and space to breathe and focus, and the minimal presence of objects and materials primes my mind to create inspired work.

What does a typical day look like for you during your residency?

I wake up and do some reading; I brought around 20 books with me, and half of them are about Shakers. … Then, I set out into the woods; I’ve been exploring the trails, trying to find areas that feel spiritually charged to me. I’ve been filming myself doing movements, and I’ve been taking photographs of artwork and objects that I bring out to the woods. Then, I come back [to the studio space] and work on drawing and on an essay that I’m writing about Shaker gift drawings. … I’ve also been trying to stretch each day and take the time to be healthy and take care of my body more than I normally get to with all the pressure and hustle in my regular life.

Featured photo: Maria Molteni. Courtesy photo.