WHEAT ON THE WAY!

by Jennifer Boyle

Yet again, Berea College Farms’ summer team of researchers is conspiring to bring you a new product. The pavilion in the Agriculture building now conceals several storage containers of wheat ready to be ground. If all goes well, fans of the college’s homemade jam and local honey will soon have some bread to go with them.

The goal, according to one student researcher, Steve Hammond, is to begin grinding within a couple weeks and have flour and bread for sale sometime this fall – but it could be later.

They have good reason for the apparent delay. Between harvesting, separating the chaff, and grinding, a great deal of work goes into the conversion of raw wheat to flour. The summer researchers have pooled together all their time and energy in the process and even enlisted the help of the greenhouse employees. Trials began in late June, when students at the greenhouse harvested wheat from four varieties in the test field. Under the direction of Dr. Sean Clark and Andrew Oles, they worked by hand, clipping the golden stalks with shears and storing them separately for comparison.

To clean the grain, students rubbed the wheat heads to release the kernels. They then separated the chaff by bouncing the uncleaned wheat on a screen in front of a fan, says Steve Hammond. He estimates that the hand-cleaning process for just one trial variety required two days with two people working; it yielded five pounds of wheat.

In contrast, one person with machine power winnowed 60 pounds in 6 hours, making the task of harvesting more productive.

“I think if we’re using the combine we can do it in quantities that would be beneficial,” said Steve Hammond.

As part of the summer research, ‘Alice,’ ‘Fuller,’ ‘Jagger,’ and ‘Karl 92’ will be evaluated for grain yield and flour quality. According to the Journal of Plant Registrations, accessed via website, the hard winter wheat called Alice is a promising candidate. Their study concluded that this was the top-ranking variety for bread quality in its category. It also had the second highest yield.

Berea College Farms’ ‘Alice’ wheat is certified organic: produced from organic seed and grown in organic ground. The farm will be cooperating with Joyce Begley, better known as “the bread lady,” to produce local loaves from the flour. In an interview at the Berea Farmers Market yesterday, Joyce explained why she eagerly awaits the first batch.

“I would love to have a local source of flour because it’s fresher,” she said. In the past, her flour came from up to 60 miles away, but she currently buys it from Gordon Foods in Lexington.

Joyce says the high gluten content of hard winter wheat makes it perfect for bread-baking. She plans to use the new flour for her sourdough and “Good Seed” breads.

When choosing her flour, Joyce judges its quality by kneading the dough. “With bad flour the dough feels wimpy and lifeless. A good flour has life to it,” she says.

Considering the amount of life Berea College Farms has invested into its wheat – from flourishing, organic fields to the avid interest and dedicated labor of its students – its flour should be lively indeed.

Caption for photo: Steve Hammond demonstrates a low-tech method of cleaning wheat that relies on gravity. The chaff is blown away by the wind or a fan, while the heavier kernels fall back onto the screen.

FOUR-LEGGED WEED-EATERS

by Jennifer Boyle

Who says weed-eating has to be a noisy, messy job? Berea College Farms is always looking for the sustainable alternative – even to mundane chores like weed control. They recently contracted four goats to clean up a weedy situation near space reserved for shiitake mushroom production.

The goats are tackling a dense stand of oriental bittersweet, Japanese honeysuckle, and bush honeysuckle. They might even eat the poison ivy, says Dr. Sean Clark.

The four-legged weed-eaters will need a few weeks to complete their job, but Dr. Clark says it’s worth the wait. He explained that although a couple people could do the same work in about half a day, the goats are more efficient. Using these livestock in place of human labor eliminates the need for chainsaws and traditional weed-eaters.

Scruggs Gets Serious Recognition

As you all may or may not know, the Labor Awards Banquet took place last evening, the 15th of April.

One of our own “aggies,” Jessica Scruggs, a senior ANR major from Cowee Valley, NC, was recognized not only for Student Employee of the Year for the College, she was also awarded Midwest Regional Student Employee of the Year, as well as…

NATIONAL STUDENT EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR!

Here’s what our office manager would like for you all to consider in light of this fantastic achievement:

“Because Bob Harned and I were the only lucky representatives of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department at the Awards Banquet, I would like to say that you would all have been so proud to see Jessica receiving some rather huge honors. She has brought national attention to the Berea College labor program (which we all know is exceptional), but she also represents the best qualities of character that student farm laborers at Berea College possess and in that she represents all of your hard work!

If you see Jessica, let her know how proud you are of her even if you have to embarrass her with praise.”

Courtesy of Sarah Pauslon, Office and Farm Marketing manager, Agriculture and Natural Resources

More information about Jessica and her achievements are on their way, pending a face-to-face interview with her direct supervisor and Farm Manager, the aforementioned Bob Harned.

Update on Biodiesel Project

This is to let everyone know that the pilot project for Biodiesel production has been completed!

Last week Nathan Hall, along with Bob Harned, tested the fuel in a couple of the farm tractors.

The result? Full function with a mild stench of Chinese food!

For those who are interested in learning more, Nathan and the department are currently working on a proposal for a bigger, better operation for the future.

If you would like to help, or know of any funding resources, please contact the Agriculture and Natural Resources department at 859-985-3591 or email us at:

paulsons@berea.edu, halln@berea.edu, or greenem@berea.edu

Thanks for all your support and encouragement! Our biggest hope is to get more student interest and involvement so that when this next chapter in the project unfolds, we’ll have some help with it.

You've ordered the meat, now what?

Check out the lamb and pork sections (lamb loin chops and half-ham, specifically) for delicious new recipes we found in Sunday’s edition of the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Look for: * “Baked Ham with Bourbon Glaze” * “Conor McCarthy’s Shepherd’s Pie” and… * “Adobo-crusted Lamb Loin Chops”

These are just a few recipe ideas for you to try with Berea College herbs and meats!

Update: Antique Grain Mill

ANR has just been informed that one of the cast-iron pieces for the antique grain mill has been repaired. A metals T.A. from the Technology & Industrial Arts welded it back together, so there’s only one more cast-iron piece to go!

At this point, funds are being carefully allocated to purchase a trailer on which to mount the mill.

Will also has plans to meet with a gentleman from his hometown in West Virginia who restores old mills like the one in the pavilion. In addition to this meeting, Will plans to draft blueprints of the machine, along with a user manual, to provide easy instructions for the future operator.

We’ll keep you posted as we learn more!

-Maggie Greene, ‘08

Berea Biodiesel: Out of the frying pan, into… your gas tank?

Jessa Turner and Jim Dontje, former Associate Professor of Sustainability & Environmental Studies (SENS) and Compton Chair of Ecological Design started the very first Berea Biodiesel system during a course in Ecological Design. Nathan took over the underdeveloped system during short term (‘07) because of his existent interest in alternative energy and fuels. The original class-related system was “rudimentary,” Nathan says, and was, essentially, inadequate. If fact, “we only made a couple of batches [of fuel],” Nathan recalls. Students may remember the “eyesore of a thing” in the Agriculture pavilion that once was an old hot water tank. This was the original operation.
After having taken Intro to Sustainability in the fall of 2006, Nathan began to develop a more focused interest in Biodiesel and consequently collaborated with Jim Dontje, again, for a directed study in Biodiesel production. Nathan’s ideas quickly outgrew the existent venue and he soon realized that the project needed a “dedicated, more conveniently located space.” Because many of the chemical materials used in the process are toxic, it was best to relocate and he found that the College Farm had just the place.

At Dead Horse Knob, a section of the Berea College Farm, there was a concrete pad that was not being utilized. Per Dr. Panciera’s suggestion, Nathan and others worked to build the structure that now houses the biodiesel operation. After speaking with several people on campus, Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) chairperson, Dr. Sean Clark called Nathan, willing to adopt the project and, as a result, the department purchased an all-metal building for the operation. Unfortunately, the building is not climate controlled and, because biodiesel gels (and cannot be used) at just above freezing, much of the work is contingent on the weather. While Nathan was away, “a big gust of wind” knocked over the shed. Fortunately, the Greenhouse manager was able to salvage it and remount it with the help of a tractor and several other greenhouse workers. “I still make mistakes,” laments Nathan, “but that’s part of the learning process.” He will never forget his one “fatal flaw” when he installed a plastic pipe that melted during the heating and filtration process. Boiling hot oil sprayed everywhere inside the structure. What a mess! He has since revised the system with black iron piping so as to avoid another similar setback. Nathan insists that if he had “other minds” and other students who are interested in alternative fuel, small but detrimental mistakes could be overcome and reevaluated.

“I only have so much time and resources. But, more than that, I only have so much knowledge.” With others helping to brainstorm and take part in the project, Nathan feels confident that the goals for the project could be within reach. The immediate goal of the Biodiesel project is to produce enough fuel to run the farm vehicles and machinery. “But,” he says, “we’re hoping to eventually meet all the diesel needs of Berea College campus” as well as helping to provide fuel alternatives to the local community. “There’s some hurdles,” he admits, because the operation will have to grow in order to function and produce on a larger scale. To do this, though, Nathan cannot commit himself solely. In addition to his full-time dedication to the biodiesel project, he also has homework and other academic demands, like any other Berea College student. Nathan is also only one person. And though he invests much time and energy into research and improving the facility, the project would grow and function more efficiently with others by his side.

*Biodiesel production consists of a complex system of heating, filtration, and purification that transforms biological oil (which Nathan retrieves from Food Service and Crossroads Café) into fuel that will propel most any machine equipped for diesel use. With this alternative, we can help to reduce dependence on foreign oil which, as you may or may not know, is steadily approaching its peak. It is a reality that we will run out of such natural resources and be forced to rely on other alternatives. Help us (and Nathan) do our part to be more sustainable!

-Maggie Greene, ‘08

Jimmy Might Have Cracked Corn, but Why Should We Care?

Before the days of food processors, microwaves, and pancake mix, farmers ground their corn and grain by hand. By the 1800s, people were using sophisticated machinery, called “mills” to do the work for them. Today, we have a shining example of one of those very machines. If you’ve visited the Agriculture building in the last six weeks, you might have noticed a strange ambiguous contraption in the middle of the pavilion floor. This “contraption” is actually an antique grain mill that was once fully functional on Sarah Paulson’s former farm but suffered some damage during transport to the College and Will Nicely, Technology Management major, Agriculture minor from Quinwood, WV, volunteered his time and effort to repair the mill. “We still don’t know a whole lot about it,” admits Will, but it is his job to research and find out its origin, as well as the mechanics of it so that it can be repaired for full function. The problem, Will says, is that “the cast iron is broken.” This is a repair that will take a lot of time and resources including money, which Will confesses is “already tight enough.” But, the goal is to “fix ‘er up” so that the mill can be used to grind cornmeal and wheat to sell at the farmer’s market.

So far, Will notes that the machine’s wooden panels will need replacement. He would like, however, to keep the original –nearly flawless- millstone intact. By revitalizing this once “outdated” machine, ANR hopes to re-embrace traditional farming practices and keep the historical memory and priceless knowledge alive. We’ll keep you posted as the project progresses. New findings, photos, and information about the newest (and oldest) addition to our operation will be available on the weblog, so look for it!

-Maggie Greene, ‘08

ANR 117: A Blast from the Past

Dr. Gary Neil Douglas, nutritionist and professor for the Agriculture and Natural Resources department, and his student tribe of 18 members focused this short term on the primitive arts, technology, and survival skills of the Native Americans. The inspiration, Dr. Douglas said, originated in childhood: “My mother and grandmother would always visit these historical sites and it was so fascinating to me.” In 1990, Dr. Douglas truly realized his love for history while studying Anthropology at the University of Kentucky as an undergraduate. In 2000, as a graduate student, Dr. Douglas made his very first pump drill.

The pump drill, as he explains, is a primitive tool made for drilling holes in soft objects such as pulpy wood, fibers, or even bone. It can also, be used to create fire! This tool, and many others, were both created and utilized by Dr. Douglas’s students in this course using materials that were as authentic as possible. Even the bailing twine pilfered from the farm was unwound and rewrapped so that students could experience, hands-on, what the natives had to do to create rope. The cordage was originally made of basswood bark, but for the purpose of convenience and due to a lack of time and resources, Dr. Douglas collected bailing twine from the farm. He required students to unravel the twine and re-ravel it to create their own cordage for their bows. In fact, he required them to do many things that required such patience.

For many a morning during short term, loud clacking could be heard from every floor of the Agriculture building. The noise was coming from the next phase of the Douglas tribe’s project, the hammer and axe. Students (loudly!) repeatedly and tediously banged together various rocks to create just the ride edge and just the right indention to make a primitive hammer and axe. “Pick the wrong materials and you will almost always fail,” Douglas tells his class during a presentation. Students were taught to apply the concept of trial and error to their hard work and though they often experienced frustration, Dr. Douglas impressed the mantra, “You can do it! Have patience!”

Students also got to make an atlatl which Dr. Douglas calls “a primitive bow and arrow from the Aztec.” It is a dart-thrower, if you will, that was used to kill mastodons and mammoths during the earliest centuries in America. This was a course favorite. Groups of throwers, like wild natives, took aim and fired at a few misfortunate cardboard boxes 10-20 feet away. It was freezing outside that day, but students created only small and manageable fires.

As you might imagine, these tools were effective in spite of their raw and crude nature, so they could be very dangerous. Dr. Douglas consistently emphasized safety—first. Before students got their hands on any materials, they learned about the cultural history of the natives and then knife and fire safety. Class materials included a serrated utility knife and part of the course was to learn how to make and keep a fire. It was his hope, Dr. Douglas said, that his third time teaching this class would keep the record of no serious injuries. When asked if this class was in keeping with the past, he said, “So far. We had somebody get a paper cut so bad it bled, but that’s about it.”

“The most rewarding part about it,” said Gean Majewsky, “is that now I know if I’m out in the woods, I have what I need to make a fire for myself.” These are skills that Dr. Douglas says “will live on as long as these kids keep it alive.” Student Zachary Sieban goes camping “almost every weekend.” He said, in reference to using the skills in the future, that “it’s nice to know you could do it if you had to.” Students get to keep all the materials they used in the course. This will help them to keep the traditions alive so that they can pass the knowledge on to others, for the gifts that they are, like Douglas did to them.

-Maggie Greene ‘08

This market is preparing to open!

This market was added to the LocallyGrown.net system on Friday January 25, 2008 04:41 PM. It should be open for business soon!