Midsummer growth is a glorious thing to observe on the farm.

All around us, the hayfields are being cut and laid down in swaths to dry in the hot summer sun. Fat cattle stuffing themselves on green grass now, will have plenty of hay for winter. All the calves have dropped and are nursing heavily, putting on weight every single day

Every spotted fawn I see seems to be accompanied by a twin. Their dangly, knuckled legs prance and spring as they frolic at the forest edge, never far from mother.

The July heat is stretching the corn skyward at an astonishing rate. Long tassels bursting with pollen provide protein for our brood nests. These days are precious because they generate the nutrients, calories, and fat necessary to endure the long winter here in Minnesota.

Apiary Updates

We are seeing the blossoms of sweet clover, milkweed, blue vervain, and basswood. Lots of basswood. It is this canopy of mature basswood providing the nectar that gives our honey its own special flavor. The farm is alive with those basswood blossoms everywhere I look, and the smell is intoxicating.

Checking in on our bees, I notice that increase the most in these few weeks of July. From wall to wall brood, to honey stores building nicely. By far our top performing colony right now is that swarm I captured in early June. The queen is vigorous with a long and fat abdomen. I have never seen a colony build up as fast as this swarm has. A super of SimplKomb that I put on just a week ago is starting to fill.

The Primal Hive we have in our apiary this year is also doing quite well, though it did not escape the mid-season urge to multiply. It had some queen cells in it last time I checked. I cut out a few of those cells to put in a starter, and at least one of those new queens has emerged and started laying.

It is a time of abundance, and increase, and we are so thankful for the sweet, sweet summertime. These days are so precious, do all you can to enjoy them.

Then the Smoke Rolled In

This recent heavy haze introduces a harsh reality for the very abundance Dad just celebrated.

Wildfire smoke casts a literal and figurative shadow over the peak of the season, impacting the land and our hard-working pollinators in ways many might not realize:

• Bees rely on polarization of sunlight and keen olfactory senses to navigate and forage. Heavy smoke disorients them, halting honey production just as the flow was peaking.
• The thick blanket of particulate matter filters out the quality of sunlight our crops need to convert light into sugars, slowing down the midsummer growth we rely on.
• Just like us, the wildlife and livestock feel the strain. The simple act of grazing or nursing becomes a challenge when the air is thick.

It is a poignant reminder that farming is a dance with nature that requires us to celebrate the growth while remaining resilient when the skies turn gray.

Even with an AQI over 300, we know the sweetness of July is still there, waiting just above the haze. The honey is in the comb, the corn is tall, and the spirit of the farm remains unbroken.

We hope you're breathing clean, fresh air wherever you are. Send some our way, if you can!