We're often asked how we feel about the growing season — and honestly, we love the question. It's a reminder that you're paying attention too, noticing shifts in your own gardens and green spaces and wondering if what you're sensing lines up with what's happening out in the fields. In a way, those questions make you part of our ecosystem. We ask the same of our plants and animals to check in on how they're doing. We jokingly say, "we speak for the trees." We also listen to the trees and want to share what's going well — and what's challenging — for all the living things within our farm ecosystem.
Jeff was out last week to conduct a field and water system review when he stumbled upon our predatory harbingers of ecosystem health: our coyote population! The pups were adorable and smart, and kept a healthy distance while staying playfully close to home. They were clearly learning the ropes — venturing out to explore, staying close to their parents, and beginning to figure out how to find food. As always, a beautiful reminder that we're all part of the same system and food chain on this land we share.
Coyotes typically give birth in spring, between March and May, after a gestation period of about 63 days. Litters usually range from four to seven pups, though they can be larger. On our open farmland, coyotes play a valuable role in keeping their prey, rodent and rabbit populations, in balance making them helpful partners in a healthy ecosystem. Beyond this management partnership, predators play a critical role in creating "ecological hotspots" local areas important for both animals and plants.
If the coyotes and we were to sit down and give a joint report on the spring season so far, it might go something like this:
- Despite a longer stretch of cool weather than we're used to, we've appreciated the slow and steady progression toward summer.
- We continue to be challenged by the unpredictable, ever-shifting nature of weather in an era of climate change.
- That said, we're also becoming more flexible and agile each growing season — more willing to change and adapt to whatever comes our way. We account for microclimates across the farm in our planting plans, conduct regular water movement and field reviews, keep a steady eye crops like field spinach on Sunday evenings to spot signs of trouble before the Monday harvest, and proactively protect crops from the pests that thrive in warmer weather.
Whether you're a coyote pup finding your legs or a farmer moving with the changing seasons, we're all improving our skills year after year. We'll continue to speak for the trees, the coyotes, and the spinach!
