Farmer Field Report: September 19, 2026

Hi friends! Corinna here this week!

Normally Farmer Kurt writes these Field Reports, but if you’ve seen him lately, you probably understand why I’m taking over. September is always intense on the farm, and this particular week seemed to have about three weeks’ worth of activity packed into it.

So I’m giving him a pass and filling you in myself.

We Started With a Farm Affair

Last Saturday night, we hosted our Farm Affair field-to-table dinner with Chef Joseph and the team from Cork & Knife Provisions. This year we tried something completely new—a traveling “passport” dinner where guests moved around the farm in small groups, eating different courses at different stations.

THANK YOU to everyone who came and rolled with us while we experimented with a new format. And a huge thanks to Cork & Knife—the food was absolutely delicious.

And Then… Our Internet Disappeared

This was probably the biggest curveball of the week.

Right around noon Monday, our internet just stopped working.

At first, we assumed it was an outage. But we eventually learned that our internet provider, Amplex, had been broadcasting our signal from equipment located on top of the Elmore water tower. That water tower is no longer being used and is actually going to be taken down, so Amplex had to move its equipment to another location.

They made the switch, and unfortunately… our farm couldn’t see the new tower.

A technician came out and tried moving our dish around to find the new signal. Finally he basically told us, “I’m sorry. You’re just not going to be able to see the new tower. We can’t be your internet provider anymore.”

Just like that. No internet.

And let me tell you, you discover VERY quickly how dependent a modern farm business is on the internet when you suddenly don’t have it. Our orders come in online. Our emails go out online. We answer customers through email. We communicate through social media. I run Farm Marketing School online. Even basic office work suddenly becomes complicated.

Thankfully, our local library came to the rescue with a hotspot, which has been getting us by. It’s slower and a little clunky, but we are VERY grateful to have it. Meanwhile, we’ve joined the Starlink family and are patiently waiting for all the equipment to arrive and get installed.

It’s funny. You think about a farm needing rain, soil, tractors and sunshine.

Add Wi-Fi to the list.

PENTA students help clean the onions with the onion topper.

Penta Culinary Came to the Farm

On Wednesday, we hosted the seniors from Penta Career Center’s Culinary Arts program for their annual farm visit.

They toured the fields, tasted and picked tomatoes, sorted cured onions, and helped pack Fruit and Cheese Shares. We also talked about the business side of food—customers, revenue, and what they may need to think about if they someday run restaurants of their own.

And then they fed our crew an enormous buffet lunch. I’d say we got the better end of that deal. 🙂

Mostly, Though… We Harvested.

At this point in the season, we’re not planting much anymore. We’re harvesting. All. The. Time.

We’re picking for CSA, the online store, Toledo Farmers Market and Farmer’s Bag Toledo. This week we also had a large wholesale order of peppers and cabbage layered on top of everything else. The crew is hanging in there, but it’s made for some very long days -0 especially for Kurt, who has been trucking vegetables around late into the evenings trying to hit all of our deadlines.

Pick vegetables. Pack vegetables. Deliver vegetables. Repeat.

That’s September.

Remember That Giant Truck Full of Watermelons?

Here’s the final chapter of MELON TRUCK 2026.

When all those melons came on at once, we rented a refrigerated reefer unit just to hold them. And I’m happy to report that we made it through about 75% of them! At this point, though, we’ve decided to call it quits on the remaining melons. They’re coming out of the reefer this weekend and will be composted. Then we get to powerwash the entire inside of that giant truck and return it by the middle of next week.

It always hurts to compost food, but considering the mountain of watermelons we started with, I’m pretty proud that we found homes for three-quarters of them. And I think we’re ALL ready to see that reefer leave the driveway. 🙂

About Those Canning Tomatoes…

We’re also harvesting tomatoes as fast as we possibly can. We have a LONG list of customers waiting for bulk canning tomatoes, and we’ve now closed the order form because we’ve reached what we think the plants can realistically give us.

If you’re already on the list, please hang tight. We haven’t forgotten you! We’re steadily working our way through it and will contact you when your tomatoes are ready.

And Farmer Kurt Turns 50!

And because apparently this week didn’t have enough going on… Farmer Kurt turns 50 years old on Saturday, September 19!

FIFTY!

September is a TERRIBLE time for a farmer to have a milestone birthday. 🙂

We’re having a small celebration with our immediate family this weekend at The Underground at Toledo Spirits—dinner, pinball, games and some much-needed time together.

But don’t worry. We are NOT letting 50 go by with only a family dinner. We’re planning a much bigger party once the season is over and we—and most of our farmer friends—can actually leave our farms long enough to celebrate properly.

In the meantime, if you see Kurt at CSA pickup this week, PLEASE make a big deal about the fact that he’s 50. Wish him a happy birthday. Give him a hard time.

And if you feel compelled to show up with beer or gift certificates to Toledo Spirits or Home Slice, I’m certainly not going to stop you. 🙂

Weather Report:

Finally, we’re watching the forecast. Our fields are dry enough that we could really use some rain.

Of course, too much makes harvesting considerably harder, so we’re requesting the nice, gentle, perfectly timed variety. I’m sure Mother Nature will take our specifications under advisement. 🙂

Then we’ll head right back out there—harvesting, packing, delivering, working through tomatoes, cleaning out the melon truck, waiting for Starlink…and doing all of it with a newly minted 50-year-old Farmer Kurt.

Happy birthday, Farmer Kurt.

Now get back to work. 🙂