Do These DIYs: Cooling the Home with Less Energy

Stills from the 1959 Twilight Zone episode "Midnight Sun".

As the thermometer dial climbs in the North Country this summer, we can only imagine what you city dwellers downstate and across the country are dealing with. But instead of automatically flicking on the AC the next time temperatures hit 80, consider using one of these easy DIY tricks instead—and save the big guns for the next extreme heat wave.

Homemade AC Designs

The folks over at the Good Survivalist have come up with a genius way to make a $454 air conditioner for about $15. Keeping your home cool in the summer can be very expensive if you use your air conditioner. This air conditioner is very simple to make, and can be made in a few minutes if your are handy.

Even if you are not handy you’ll be able to make one of these DIY air conditioners. One of the nice things about this air conditioner is that it will give you up to 6 hours of coolness. This thing works so well you may need to put on a sweatshirt! To make one of these babies you need a few simple tools, a couple of 5 gallon buckets, along with a few other items. Everything is shown in the video:


The crew at Snapguide has an alternative design, this one using a Styrofoam cooler:
Here's a great list of great, cooling life hacks anyone can do at home or work as alternatives to actual air conditioners, as gleaned from Life Hacker:

• Create a Makeshift Air Conditioner—If you don't have an air conditioner, hopefully you have a fan. On its own, however, a fan isn't always sufficiently cooling. If your home is a hot air trap, blowing that hot air around isn't going to help much. Instead of just running the fan and hoping for the best, take a shallow bowl and fill it with ice. Place the bowl in front of the fan and as the ice evaporates, it will cool the air. 
• Cool Your Drapes—If it isn't hotter outside than it is in your home, you've probably cracked a window already to at least cool things down a little bit. If you're finding an open window isn't sufficient, spray a sheet with cold water and use it to cover the window's opening. As the breeze passes through, the cold and damp sheet will cool it bringing in chilled air and further helping to reduce the temperature in your home. 
• Schedule Your Windows—If all you have are windows to work with, you can still use them to your advantage. While the difference is more significant in arid environments, the temperature outdoors cools at night, and that's the air you want to let into your home. If you keep your windows closed while the sun is up and open them while the sun is down, you can trap the cooler air in your home and keep the temperature a few degrees lower. Even better: Set up a couple of inexpensive box fans in windows on opposite sides of a room to create a nice through-breeze. 
• Do Nothing—Much of the heat in your home comes from heat-generating sources within it. If you avoid generating large amounts of heat you won't have as much of a need to cool. Things like air drying your clothes, skipping the dry cycle on your dishwasher, and turning off your computer(s) when they aren't in use are all good ways to keep the temperature down.

Better Festival's Featured Artist, betterArts Resident Mary Negro

Drawings made of Sharpie ink on an index card. Each is approximately 3 x 2.5 inches.

BetterArts resident Mary Negro will be Better Festival's featured artist in the Art Barn this Saturday, June 21, from 12-8 p.m.

Mary is a born-and-bred Connecticut girl living and working in New York City. She has degrees from Fordham University's College of Rose Hill and the Fashion Institute of Technology. Her chief artistic pursuits involve drawings and collage; both focusing primarily on her feelings toward technology, the media, and digital methods of communication. Mary works by day as gallery manager at the Brooklyn Art Space and Trestle Gallery; and though her worked is steeped in art and she has a studio space in Brooklyn that she uses regularly, Mary sought additional time and space to focus on her work.

"For the past few years," she told us, "I have been balancing multiple jobs while receiving a master's degree in art-market studies. These experiences have been extremely rewarding, but it has been difficult to maintain a continual, rigorous practice... I am at a crucial point in my career where I really need to delve into projects that have been brewing in my mind for over a year. Further, I would absolutely love the opportunity to escape New York City and spend time at a rural farm that highlights the arts and sustainability. It will be a welcome change of pace and environment that I really believe will invigorate my practice. I think the betterArts dual-purpose mission is very interesting and I would love to participate in all of the programs you offer."

Mary has been extremely active at the farm since her arrival June 9. In addition to all the art she's producing, she's kept busy by helping to paint siding for a house, planting Brussels sprouts, boating and swimming in local lakes, helping to prepare for the festival this weekend, and helping with the rehabilitation process of our rescue hens.

At Better Festival this weekend, you'll have the opportunity to check out some completed works and works-in-progress to learn more about Mary's creative process.

"The crux of my work lies in an unease of how information is filtered and distributed," Mary told us. "I always use commonplace materials, like crayon, Sharpie and newspaper—and I typically work both sides of the surface. The scale references the size of my cell phone. I aim to visualize a tenuous relationship between the amount of information readily available at our fingertips and the amount of information we encounter that is obscured, censored, or just plain false.

Here's her work station in the Art Barn:

...and a couple works-in-progress:

Learn more about Mary at her website, www.marynegro.com. For more information about the betterArts Residency Program, click here.

Better Festival This Saturday!

Better Festival, the annual open house, fundraiser, and alumni weekend for Better Farm and betterArts, is slated from 12-8 p.m. this Saturday, June 21, 2014. 

All money raised at the annual music, sustainability, and arts festival will directly fund art- and sustainability-related community outreach initiatives in and around Redwood. 

The day-long event features live performances by local and regional bands, a gallery showcasing artwork by painters, sculptors, photographers, and more, booths featuring art and handmade items for sale, tours of the Better Farm campus, information about Better Farm and betterArts 2014 programming, arts 'n' crafts for kids (and adults!), freshly prepared and locally sourced food, a refreshments tent, games, bouncy castle, and more! 

To introduce betterArts' latest endeavor Better Radio, there will be a booth set up for people to create content for that station. Music will also be recorded for live-streaming and podcasts. For complete information, be sure to visit www.betterarts.org/better-festival. Here's what the lineup looks like for Saturday:

Musical Lineup
1 p.m. MIND THE GAP
2 p.m. THE BAD HUSBANDS CLUB
4 p.m. NORTHERN BLEND CHORUS
5 p.m. FOX RICHARDSON
6 p.m. THE MIGHTY HIGH and DRY
8 p.m. OPEN JAM (all musicians invited on-stage to play)  

Confirmed Vendors

• Handy Candy Mittens
• HomemadeHaven
• Peace, Love and Pottery
• Stellar Creations
• WrecordsByMonkey   

Artists

• Mikedelic
• Kristen Caldwell
• Nicole Caldwell
• Catherine Lapointe
• Mary Negro
• Kari Zelson Robertson

Sponsors

• Tunes 92.5
• 4-H Camp Wabasso
• North Country Goes Green Irish Festival 
• Bella's 
• North Country YDIY
• Route 37 Lumber and Hardware
• Farm Family Insurance
• Vapor Divas
• Cheesman's Landscaping 

Camping for the weekend is available for $10/nigh/person. Reserve a spot early by emailing info@betterfarm.org. RSVP to the event here.

Garden Growth Spurts

New, mounded rows are added to the back corner of Better Farm's garden to house pumpkins, melons, and squash.

Exciting partnerships this year with high-end restaurants in the Thousand Islands Region, a burgeoning CSA program, increasingly popular farm stand, and the perennial mouths to feed at Better Farm itself inspired us to add three more rows to Better Farm's main garden.

We put the new rows in the right-back corner of the garden. The first thing we had to do was to turn the clay-rich soil over up the rows and rake the fresh dirt into mounds. After that, we hayed the new rows and started planting pumpkins, squash, and melons.

 

Meanwhile, in the other rows...

Pink Beauty Radishes

From left: King Richard Leeks, Pink Beauty Radishes, and oodles of Sunset Lettuce.

Penelope weeding out the bugs.

 To learn more about Better Farm's CSA program or to sign up, visit www.betterfarm.org/csa.

What Your Unhealthy Food Cravings Mean

Sure, we all have moments in which we crave junk food. But do you know what your body is actually trying to tell you? We found this gem over at Natural News about what your unhealthy food cravings mean. Read on and be amazed!

Chocolate: magnesium
Chocolate is the most commonly-reported craving in the Western world, so it shouldn't surprise us that it is linked to a nutrient in which a huge number of us are unknowingly deficient: magnesium. According to recent statistics, up to 80 percent of Americans are lacking in this essential macromineral, which is needed for over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including reactions that relate to relaxation. In fact, magnesium is nicknamed the "relaxation mineral," since anxiety, irritability, insomnia and high blood pressure are its main deficiency symptoms. This is the reason why magnesium-deficient people temporarily feel better after eating a chocolate bar: the small amounts of magnesium in it (derived from its cacao content) relaxes them. But, of course, there are far healthier sources of magnesium than processed chocolate. Dark leafy greens, seeds and nuts, fish, beans and blackstrap molasses are all excellent sources of magnesium and will help end chocolate cravings.

Sugary foods: chromium, carbon, phosphorus, sulfur and/or tryptophan
The second most commonly reported craving in the West is high-sugar foods. This is the most complex craving to pin down, since deficiencies in no less than five nutrients could be causing it: chromium (helps to regulate blood sugar levels), carbon (one of the elements from which sugar is made), phosphorus (helps the body produce energy), sulfur (helps remove toxins) and tryptophan (a serotonin regulator). Therefore, the best way to end incessant sugar cravings is to simply improve your diet, which will help remineralize your body in all areas.

Refined carbohydrates: nitrogen
A craving for refined carbs like pasta and bread signals a deficiency in nitrogen. Nitrogen compounds are an essential component of nucleic acids and protein, and deficiencies in them can result in malnutrition due to a related protein deficiency. Therefore, if you find that you're craving a lot of refined carbohydrates, add more nitrogen-rich foods to your diet. Most foods contain nitrogen in organic or non-organic form, but fruits and vegetables are especially rich in it.

Other cravings
The following cravings are less common than those detailed above, but are still regularly reported in today's society:

Oily and fatty foods: You are deficient in calcium. Good sources of calcium include raw milk, cheese, turnip greens and broccoli.

Ice: You are deficient in iron. Eat more iron-rich foods like leafy greens, meat, blackstrap molasses and sea vegetables.

Salty foods: You are deficient in chloride and/or silicon. Try adding more fish, nuts and seeds to your diet.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.ruled.me

http://eatwiseteens.org

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

http://www.tandurust.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

About the author:

Michael Ravensthorpe is an independent writer whose research interests include nutrition, alternative medicine, and bushcraft. He is the creator of the website,

Spiritfoods

, through which he promotes the world's healthiest foods.

Rescued Chicken Update

Rescued hens!

Two weeks ago, we saved 27 "spent hens"—or, what the egg industry considers spent hens. 

Never having been outside, these girls are enjoying the fresh air and eating green grass every day. The hens are starting to get color back in their crowns, and they also are starting to grow their feathers back (several are now sporting furry butts covered in down). When we first got the hens they were really quiet. But after just a day or two, they started talking to each other and clucking away.

Spent-hen rescue committee.

Right now we have the hens in a big, fenced-in area where we are working on getting the new hens to go up into the coops every night. This is still work in progress, but once they understand to go up in the coop every night we will let them walk around freely. Twelve of the hens will be adopted off once we get them in a bit more rehabilitated—probably in the next week! The birds are so happy to have gotten a new lease on life. Here are few photos of the rescue operation:

Washing one of the hens—a very, very dirty job.

Checking out grass for the first time in her life.

In time, this chicken's crown will turn from this pale pink to a bright red.

We will keep you guys updated on our new hens. In the meantime, you can get involved by sponsoring one—or several—of these lovable girls. Click here for more information.

BetterArts Gets Grand Tour of NCPR Studios

A professional radio broadcast setup in one of NCPR's rooms.

The team at North Country Public Radio last week invited board members from betterArts out to the NCPR studios in Canton, N.Y., for a tour of the facilities, meet 'n' greet, and brainstorm session with some of NCPR's heaviest hitters in order to offer betterArts some insight as it forays into broadcast with its newest project, Better Radio.

Based in Canton, NY, in St. Lawrence County, NCPR informs, enriches and connects the region-on air, online and in local communities. The organization operates a network of 32 transmitters broadcasting to the entire Adirondack North Country, western Vermont and southeastern Ontario. The commercial-free format includes a wide variety of programs from National Public Radio including All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Fresh Air and more. NCPR's award-winning news team can be heard weekdays at 8:00 am with regional news broadcasts, features and interviews. The station also airs an eclectic mix of locally-hosted music programs.
 

Last Thursday several betterArts board members were treated to a sit-down meeting with several station hosts, reporters, producers, and managers to go over Better Radio plans. We discussed funding options, content, FCC rules and licensing arrangements, and even the potential to work together on future projects involving content-shares and more. BetterArts also got the grand tour of a variety of broadcast rooms to get some design ideas for Better Radio's main station at Better Farm.

Many thanks to everyone at NCPR, including Jackie, Natasha, Radio Bob, Sarah, Ellen, and Martha for being so supportive, informative, and helpful! For more information on how you can get involved with or support Better Radio, click here.

BetterArts Adds Pavilion to Festival Grounds

BetterArts' new pavilion is taking shape!

In time for this year's Better Festival June 21, betterArts volunteers and board members have been working hard to improve festival grounds and add a pavilion.


The project involved ripping down an old shed:

...using an excavator to rip out old cement from a 19th-century barn that was torn down in the 70s:

...and of course, to construct the gazebo:

For all the latest on the Better Festival and information on reserving your campsite, visit www.betterarts.org/better-festival.

Cold-Hardy Hatchlings Arrive at Better Farm

We wrote back in March about the incoming flock of Better Farm babies: a batch of cold-hearty birds designed to improve and diversify the gene pool back at the ranch. In short order, here's a Who's-Who of our newest feathered roomies:

Read-Shouldered Yokohamas:

German Spitzhaubens:

Buff Orpingtons:

Light Brahmas:

These birds will be integrated into the larger, Better flock: a couple dozen rescued Leghorns, a crew of Barred Rocks, last year's Ameraucana/Leghorn/Barred Rock hybrids, and a couple Ameraucanas. You can get in on the chicken fever by sponsoring one of our rescue hens, stopping in to pick up a fresh dozen eggs ($3/dozen), or simply coming by to visit and see these wonderful birds and interact with them.

Gallery Opening of Works by betterArts Resident Lilli Fisher May 31

This larger-than-life burdock sculpture by visiting artist Lilli Fisher utilizes on of North Country's most notorious invasive species to become a giant, interactive piece of art. Fisher's work will be on display in Better Farm's Art Barn in Redwood Saturday, May 31.

BetterArts resident Lilli Fisher will show her ongoing series of three-dimensional pieces made from flora and fauna in the North Country at a gallery opening 6 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at Better Farm in Redwood.

Fisher, a Durham, N.C., native, in 2012 earned her BFA in painting and creative writing from Maryland Institute College of Art. Her sculptures, drawings, paintings, and writing have been featured in multiple galleries along the east coast and in São Tomé and Príncipe. Fisher has worked behind-the-scenes for studios and graphic designers; and participated in several community art projects.

She has been staying in Redwood for the month of May through a betterArts residency held at Better Farm. Her residency has focused on temporary installations featuring living and decaying works that may create habitats, be consumed, or be built by organisms in the ecosystem. The intent of her work has been to question human-environmental relationships.

"My work is a physical process of searching,” Fisher said, “in which I investigate my existence in the context of contemporary life. I collect discarded human-made objects before they are swallowed back into the earth.” At Better Farm, Fisher focused on gathering invasive plants to make book works and larger sculptural pieces. She made pigments and dyes out of spices, herbs, and dirt.

“I interpret these culturally disparate substances as part of a globally interconnected ecological system in which we are all participants,” Fisher said. “My aim is to provide a sensual experience, removed from the boundaries of language, which encourages the viewer to question their paradigms.”

The betterArts Residency Program offers lodging, studio, and gallery space to artists, writers, performers, and musicians at Better Farm, a 65-acre sustainability campus in Redwood. Residencies are designed to offer artists of every discipline space and time to work on specific projects; whether a series of paintings, a composition, book, set of sculptures, or album. Artists are encouraged to interact and participate in the goings-on around the property, and to help out with chores and farm-related responsibilities during their residency. At the conclusion of each residency, artists present completed and ongoing works to the public in gallery shows, readings, and performances.

"BetterArts is unique among residencies in that it provides not only an artistic community but also a community of people devoted to living sustainably,” Fisher said. “This type of community is an invaluable resource for me because of the mode of artistic experimentation I want to explore. The feedback I receive has helped me make the work I really want to make, and to gauge the reaction it receives against a diverse group of perspectives and backgrounds.”

Lilli Fisher's work will be on display in Better Farm's Art Barn at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 31. The event is free and open to the public. Better Farm is located at 31060 Cottage Hill Road, Redwood. To see more of Lilli Fisher's work, visit lillifisher.com. For more information about betterArts residencies, visit www.betterarts.org.

Better Farm Spring 2014 Newsletter

Hello, Friends of Better Farm!
On this day in 1970, my Uncle Steve signed papers that would make a little farmhouse in Redwood, N.Y., his. He called up his closest family members and friends, and invited them to take part in a great experiment at this special place he'd decided to lovingly name Better Farm. Take part they did: making the trip to Northern New York from throughout the Northeast to put an addition on that tiny house so it could hold a dozen or more people at a time, furnishing it with electric and indoor plumbing, and starting a tiny garden off to the side of the property that grew small potatoes, carrots, and greens.

They couldn't have known then that 44 years later, Better Farm would boast a sustainability program inviting people from all over the world to Redwood for a premier green-living education. No one could have expected an artist residency program that would attract some of the most talented painters, musicians, performers, sculptors, and writers to create—and share those creations with people living in Redwood and the larger Thousand Islands Region. Who'd have imagined Better Farm with a radio station, partnerships with top-notch restaurants along the St. Lawrence River, a host of awards and recognitions, and, finally, a tell-all book?

But all these things have, miraculously or unmiraculously, happened—and continue to happen. Better Farm has been an organic unfolding, with its increasing popularity and visibility a true testament to the people who have come to this most special of places and turned it into something that is ever-evolving, ever-growing, and always, simply, better.

I'm reminded of the history of this place every time I move between rooms or dig in the dirt outside. As betterArts launches a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for Better Radio, or we foray into backyard beekeeping, or our music festival circuit grows to include some of the most popular bands in the North Country, I recall the history of Better Farm as passed down through stories told to me by my father and mother, grandparents, friends, and of course, by my Uncle Steve. There are so many good ghosts in this place, and so many more stories to come.

In this newsletter, we're inviting you to help us Build a Better Radio—an initiative that will bring cutting-edge, independent journalism to you on-air and online, a showcase of North Country talent, talk shows, gardening tips, fishing reports, and all the movers and shakers that make this part of the world so provocative. We've also got a workshop schedule that will keep you tapped into your creative side all summer, enough art galleries, performances, and arts showcases to shake a stick at, a Better Mud Run extreme obstacle course, and a CSA program for all you North Country locals to join that will provide you with weekly shares of fresh, organic produce straight from Better Farm.

As always, stay tuned to our blog to follow all Better Farm's adventures. And thank you so much for ushering in Better Farm's 45th year in style. It is because of all your support that this place is so sacred.
 

Until next time, better be.

Nicole Caldwell
Executive Director and Co-Founder
Better Farm


Better Farm News - Spring 2014:

• News: All the Buzz Around the Farm!

• Help betterArts Build a Better Radio!

• Upcoming 'Better' Events and Initiatives

• Summer Sustainability Education Program

• betterArts Residency Program

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News: All the Buzz Around the Farm!

People from Better Farm and non-profit betterArts have stayed mighty busy this year with community outreach activities, projects around the farm, and new initiatives. Here's a review of all recent things "better":

• Kickoff of Better Farm's CSA—Community-Supported Agriculture programs, or CSAs, are designed to bring individuals and families living locally weekly shares of fresh produce at extremely affordable rates. Better Farm's CSA runs through the last week of November and invites members to stop in on a weekly basis to pick up their shares of produce. Learn more and sign up at www.betterfarm.org/CSA.
• Better Radio Student Outreach—BetterArts kicked off Better Radio, a new FCC-approved, low-power FM station, with outreach work that equips students throughout the North Country with New Media skills such as making and editing digital recordings, broadcasting, and archiving. Projects created by students at Indian River High School and Sackets Harbor Central School will be broadcast on-air and online via podcast. This outreach project was made possible by a Best Buy Community Grant. Click here to learn more.
• Tree-Planting Partnership with DEC—Better Farm entered its third year of a tree-planting partnership with the DEC in which 50 white spruces were planted on the Better Farm property to encourage responsible land stewardship and provide educational opportunities in conservation for young people visiting Better Farm.
• BetterArts Kids Room at Irish Festival—For the second year, betterArts hosted a successful Kids Room at the North Country Goes Green! Irish Festival held in Watertown. Volunteers offered arts 'n' crafts stations where kids could make leprechaun planters, caterpillars, leprechaun ears, and rainbows made from recycled items; game booths where children could try their luck at bean bag tosses and fishing games, a face-painting station, jewelry making, and more.
• Muse Presentation Features Music by betterArts Board Members—The North Country Arts Council's annual multi-arts presentation "MUSE" this year featured music by betterArts board members AmberLee Clement and Erin Fulton. The song was written by AmberLee for the family of Walter Boname, local hunting and fishing guide and friend.
• Better Buckets Compost Initiative—In partnership with the Redwood Neighborhood Association, Better Farm's "Better Buckets" initiative invites individuals and families living locally to fill 5-gallon pails with food scraps that are then picked up (or may be dropped off at the community compost bins) on a weekly basis throughout the year. The dirt produced in the compost bins are available for free to the public.
• Shop AmazonSmile, Support betterArts—AmazonSmile is a new program allowing a portion of all your Amazon purchases to be donated to betterArts in order to support arts and cultural outreach in the North Country. Here's how it works: You visit smile.amazon.com (or simply follow this link) and plug "betterArts" in under charitable organization. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon marketplace you're used to—except a percentage of your purchase amounts will be donated to betterArts.
• Local Outreach Work—Better Farm and betterArts in May participated in the One District, One Book Initiative, H.T. Wiley L.I.F.E. Event, Macsherry Library Garden Day, and the Mustard Seed Organic Market's Annual Earth Day celebration.
• Better Bees!—Thanks to a generous donation by the Mollica family, Better Farm has forayed into backyard bee keeping! The young bees purchased from local bee keeper Ted Elk have transitioned into their hive and are producing honey like mad. You can read about this new venture here.
• Spent Hens Rescue Mission—For the second time, Better Farm has rescued a flock of "spent hens" from an egg factory and is working to rehabilitate and rehome the birds so they can enjoy the rest of their days out from behind bars. Learn how you can get involved here.
• Better: The Book!—Better Farm's Executive Director Nicole Caldwell has signed a contract with New Society Publishers to pen a book called Better. Chronicling her own experience transitioning from cubicle to country and the mission of Better Farm, Better is one-part memoir, one-part call to environmental action, and one-party instructable with DIY projects for everything from aquaponic fish tanks to upcycling. Better is due for release in Spring 2015.

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Help betterArts Build a Better Radio!

With your help, we can get Better Radio on-air and online with groundbreaking, grassroots content ranging from sustainability to art. A new Kickstarter campaign by betterArts invites you to make Better Radio a reality by helping to procure necessary funds for a transmitter, antenna, and other equipment. Visit the Kickstarter page and pledge your support here.
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Upcoming 'Better' Events and Initiatives

Summer music festivals, extreme obstacle courses, and workshops galore: Here's your guide to everything Better in the coming months! Visit our upcoming events page for more information.

MAY

• 31 Dragonfly Festival—The Redwood Neighborhood Association, Indian River Lakes Conservancy, betterArts, and Better Farm present the First Annual Dragonfly Festival. Held at the public pavilion in the center of Redwood, this event features live music, a cook-out, arts 'n' crafts, costume contest, homemade wine tastings, and more.

JUNE

• 21  Better Festival—Enjoy live performances by local and regional bands, a gallery showcasing artwork by painters, sculptors, and photographers, booths featuring art and handmade items for sale, tours of the Better Farm campus, information about Better Farm and betterArts 2014 programming, arts and crafts for kids (and adults!), freshly prepared and locally sourced food, a refreshments tent, games, bouncy castle, and more! Click here for all the information.

JULY

• 12  Better Mud Run—The first annual Better Mud Run kicks off at high noon. Hosted by Better Farm and featuring more than 20 obstacles, Better Mud Run invites the fiercest  athletes and thrill-seekers to the Better Farm campus for agility obstacles, wall-climbs, scaling mountains, and—of course—getting really, really muddy. Click here for info.
• 18 Open Mic Poetry Reading—No cover, all poets welcome! Pre-registration encouraged, pre-register by emailing netague@gmail.com.

AUGUST

• 2 Upcycling Workshop—This all-ages workshop invites students to transform old items into something new. Furniture, clothing, or anything else you find is welcome! Crafts supplies like glue, needle and thread, embroidery floss, and others will be available. There is a suggested $5 donation for this course. Email info@betterarts.org to pre-register. Instructor: Stephanie DeJoseph of La Mia Designs
• 16 Redwood Field Days Parade—Cheer Better Farm and betterArts on in their annual Redwood Field Days Parade float! Parade starts at 6 p.m. on Route 37 in Redwood.
• 18-23 Blast Off With Piano—This introductory piano camp is held for 45 minutes Monday through Friday. Students will learn fundamentals of rhythm reading and keyboard geography, and how to play with others through board games, ensemble piano playing, and other age-appropriate activities. Children will be divided into three age groups: Ages 5-6/10-11 a.m., Ages 7-8/11 a.m.-12 p.m., and Ages 9-10/12-1 p.m. There is a 6-student max for each age group. On Saturday, students are invited to perform at 12 p.m. to kick off the annual Summer Fest, a music festival held at Better Farm. Students do not need a keyboard instrument at home to practice on. The camp studio is equipped with enough keyboards for in-class use. Cost: $70, pre-register by 8/11 at info@betterarts.org. Instructor: Jason Comet of Watertown Piano Lessons.
• 23 Children's Weaving— Children from second through fourth grade are invited to this two-hour class to learn two types of weaving. Students will acquire basic weaving knowledge, gain hands-on experience, and discuss basic weaving vocabulary. Students may additionally bring old clothes, fabric, or yarn for their projects if they like. Cost for class: $5. Email info@betterarts.org for more information or to pre-register. Instructor: Local artist Alyssa Curley is a fiber-working expert. She earned a BA in Art Education from SUNY Potsdam.
• 23 Summerfest—Get the full rundown at www.betterarts.org/summerfest!

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Better Farm's Sustainability Education Program

Better Farm’s Sustainability Education Program was created to offer individuals an immersive, introductory crash-course in sustainability initiatives. Those enrolled in the program receive a hands-on education in a myriad of seasonal topics related to sustainability and environmental issues. Instead of a traditional working farm with acres upon acres of one or a few different crops, Better Farm has many gardens demonstrating different styles of small-scale farming and stressing the need for diversity of crops instead of mono cultures. Better Farm equips students with a variety of solutions to real-world agricultural issues, including small spaces, temperamental soils, pests, and climate change. The aquaponics, hydroponics, layered gardens, fruit orchard, and forests on the property are extremely varied so students coming from all over the world will learn real-world tools that can be applied back home. The Sustainability Education Program runs in one- to three-month intervals. Those attending receive daily assignments and chores all related to sustainability initiatives and organic farming, as well as the opportunity to design and implement projects on their own. Upon completion of all units and responsibilities, participants will receive a certificate from Better Farm. College students may additionally receive course credit for completion of Better Farm's Sustainability Education Program. To learn more and to apply, visit www.betterfarm.org/sustainability-internship.

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betterArts Residency Program

betterArts offers a unique opportunity to artists, writers, performers, and musicians with a residency program based out of Better Farm. Residencies are designed to offer artists of every discipline space and time to work on specific projects; whether a series of paintings, a composition, book, set of sculptures, or album. A private room, 24/7 access to a fully stocked communal kitchen, linens and towels, WiFi, parking, and round-the-clock access to the Art Barn are all included in a low stipend required of all residents. betterArts residents are encouraged to interact and participate in the goings-on around the property, and to help out with chores and farm-related responsibilities between three and five hours each week. These responsibilities may include working in the gardens, participating in arts-related community outreach projects, helping with house chores, cooking, or assisting with other odd jobs. At the conclusion of each residency, an artist is required to present his or her work to the public in a gallery show, reading, performance, or via some other appropriate medium. Residencies are for two weeks, three weeks, one month, or two-month periods. Basic facilities at Better Farm will be provided; but betterArts residents are expected  to provide the majority of materials and equipment they would need for the production of their work. For more information about the betterArts Residency Program and to download the application, click here.

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Better Farm
31060 Cottage Hill Road
Redwood, NY 13679
315-482-2536
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Climb Aboard Our Spent-Hen Rescue This Friday!

Former residents Sally Jane Kerschen-Sheppard and Matt Smith clean up one of the Rapunzels after our first rescue in 2012.

A year after their rescue, the Rapunzels in 2013 still laid on average one egg a day apiece. And check out those colors!

This Friday, do double diligence by pledging to produce your own healthy, local eggs right in your back yard—while also rescuing a hen who has had it with being a factory girl. We're embarking on a rescue mission tomorrow to save some white leghorn chickens who've been cooped up their whole lives without so much as the simple pleasure of walking around outside. Our "knight in shining armor" move comes just in time, as all these girls are fated to have a meeting with a processing plant June 1.

All that is about to change.

With your help, we are going to bring a flock of birds to Better Farm for some TLC and organic rehab. After that, your sponsorships—and adoptions—will ensure these girls enjoy their retirements in clean, cozy, spacious conditions.

A spent hen is a bird who is a little more than a year old and whose egg production has dropped by industry standards. By normal standards, however, these birds are mighty egg layers—in fact, two years after adopting our spent hens, they still (at almost 4 years old) outproduce any other member of the flock, aging in range from 9 months to 5 years.

Here's how it works.

We go to the egg farm tomorrow and transport a bunch of factory girls destined for dog food to Better Farm. Once here, we will clip their toenails, wash their skin, introduce them to water bowls and food dishes, and admire them as they walk for the first time outside. Here's a video clip of what that process is like:



It takes about two weeks to get all the gunk out of their bodies, and all the good stuff (worms, bugs, food scraps, and laying mash) in. After a couple of weeks, they will be ready for adoption. These girls will make the perfect addition to your existing flock (if ours are any indication, your adopted leghorn will outlay any existing bird you've got), or you can adopt them and start a new flock where there wasn't one.

These hens are unbelievably gentle (though quite skittish, understandably), quiet, and make loving, hard-working birds you will never regret taking under your wing. If you've been toying with the idea of having backyard birds (or indoor—a chicken doesn't need sleeping space any bigger than a parrot cage), why not rescue a hen who's worked for the last year in an egg factory and who deserves a beautiful retirement? Email us at info@betterfarm.org or call (315) 482-2536 to reserve your bird—each adopted bird means another bird we pick up tomorrow!

Don't feel like taking on the responsibility of owning your own hen? Then how about rescuing one anyway and sponsoring her at Better Farm? The Redwood Tavern has already taken the lead on this initiative, sponsoring one of the birds we pick up tomorrow. That allows us to keep one more hen from her fated "processing" June 1. Sponsorship is $5/month, or $60 for the year. You can sponsor a hen online by clicking here.

As for the eggs...

Let's face it: Store-bought eggs just ain't what they're cracked up to be. Hens kept in tight, cramped conditions fed only cheap grain or pellets and never given the chance to run around outside are simply not happy birds. And unhappy birds without a varied diet and exposure to fresh air are not going to produce the best eggs.

In fact, even store-bought eggs from so-called "cage free" hens don't come close to comparing with backyard eggs. Check out the evidence:

Backyard Better Farm egg, left, organic "cage free" hen egg from store, right.

Here are the numbers:
Backyard eggs have approximately 25 percent more vitamin E, 75 percent more beta carotene, and as much as 20 times the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids as do factory farmed eggs. Perhaps best of all for those who avoid eating eggs due to worries about cholesterol, backyard eggs contain only about half as much cholesterol as factory-farmed eggs.

Please be part of the solution! And stay tuned for video footage of tomorrow's rescue!

Bee-ginner's Beekeeping at Better Farm

Artist-in-Residence Lilli Fisher gets acquainted with our newest roommates.

Better Farm last Thursday picked up its newest batch of roommates; several thousand honey bees and a queen from beekeeper extraordinaire Ted Elk in Hammond, N.Y.

Ted has a great backyard beekeeping setup, and sells honey, bees, and other related equipment out of his business Many Flowers Honey Company. Excited by the prospect of purchasing local bees already acclimated to the North Country seasons, we jumped at the opportunity to partner with Ted for this project.

Ever inventive with how we do things around the farm, Director of Education and Programming Katie Mollica picked up the honey bees with her hatchback car (you can imagine the ride back to the farm...). Ted talked her and a few other Better residents through the care of said bees and how to transfer the nucleus into a hive.

When you start out with backyard beekeeping, you purchase a nucleus set of worker bees and a queen, called a nuc. This initial group of bees begins the process of reproducing in a large cardboard box holding several rows of trays. These look a bit like hanging files in a cabinet.

Once you take the bees home with you, you want the opening in the box to face true east in order to protect bees from prevailing winds. You need to wait a couple of days before transferring your bees into the hive in order to let them acclimate to their new surroundings and get over the stress of the move.

This morning, betterArts resident Lilli Fisher volunteered for the task of the Better bees' first transfer from box to hive.

First, she suited up in this amazing bee suit Ted let us borrow (we'll be buying a new one from Better Bee this week). She also put on a light-colored pair of heavy-duty work gloves (bees are more inclined to sting if you wear dark colors, which they don't like. This is why all bee suits are white). Check out the duds:

Lilli moved the nucleus box over a couple of feet and put the bees' hive in the exact place the nucleus box had sat. Honey bees have a ridiculously strong sense of direction (they're said to be able to find their way home from as far away as 1.5 miles), and that sense is so precise that if their hive is moved so much as three feet away they might not go inside it.

Then, Lilli lifted the lid off the nucleus. We were surprised to find the bees had already produced so much honey that there was one frame stuck to the top of the nucleus box. No problem: Lilli expertly separated the parts and began to slide the nucleus frames into the hive.

Not a single bee sting to boot—even for the photographer, standing nearby. Here's the finished product:

Lilli left the nuc box and lid next to the hive in order to allow the honey bees to find their way into their new home. Here's an action shot of the bees doing their thing:

If you'd like to come see all the buzz in person, email us at info@betterfarm.org. We will be checking on the bees and growing their hive every two weeks.