Today marks the first day of spring! With all the excitement of renewal, rebirth, green leaves poking up through frozen, muddy ground, also comes a daunting task - spring cleaning on the farm. However you farm - livestock, veggies, homesteading, gardening - there is much to be done in spring, sometimes so much it can seem overwhelming. Don’t worry, you are not alone! We have broken down the most important few tasks with a few tips of our own to help you transition into warmer weather with optimal ease and efficiency. 

1. Equipment and infrastructure maintenance - ‘Tis the season. Dig out all your 2-stroke engine machines and get them tuned up and working. Order extra parts or accessories now, so you have them when you need them (just don’t forget where you put them…not that we’ve done that before…). Dust off the mower and make sure all the belts are in good shape. Make your appointments at your local repair shop early, because they will fill up! Now is also a good time to oil gate and door hinges, inspect your barns for damage, fill holes, set mouse traps, etc. End of season things can be done as well - clean, service, and store your generator and snow blower now to make things easier later. 
2. Seed sorting - Throw out those old seeds! Spending a few bucks on new seed is cheaper then spending a few weeks waiting for old seed to germinate, watching it fail, then having to reseed anyway. Check out this handy chart on determining when to buy new seeds. 
   
   
   
3. Fencing and pasture management - The best time to install new fencing is before you need it! Don’t wait until the animals are chomping at the bit to graze on new pasture, or until they’ve outgrown the barn - do it as soon as the ground thaws, if you are fencing in spring. Now is also the time to fix any fencing issues you may already have, so get out there and walk those fences! This goes along with your pasture management plan - figure out where everyone needs to be at what time of the year, and you can fertilize and seed accordingly. 
   
   
4. Clean out the fridge and freezer - If you are growing food, you likely have a lot of last year’s food still in your kitchen somewhere. Check out your stores of frozen, refrigerated, dried, or canned foods and use them up before the new batches start coming in. Make it fun - pretend you are on a cooking show and you can only use up what is in the kitchen already!
5. Weed control - Earlier is better when it comes to weed control! Lay down that cardboard, mulch, biodegradable black plastic, or whatever you use, early in the season so that weed seeds don’t have the opportunity to germinate. Pull weeds up before they get established, and you’ll have a much easier time. Remember, once a weed flowers and sets seed, you’ll have more weeds in the future! Get them before they mature, and you’ll significantly reduce your weeds next year. 
6. Compost - Last but not least, it is never too early to start thinking about compost - that black gold that makes crops thrive! Email us to get on the list now - delivery starts in May.