The Hop'n Blueberry Farm Annual Monarch Tag and Release Event Is GO!

I HAVE MONARCHS!!!!
After some question as to whether I would have monarchs available for our annual Tag and Release Event, the answer is YES.  I have netted around 15 for sure tagable butterflies and more are here at the farm today.  That means bring your kids, bring your parents, bring your cousins and uncles and, of course just bring yourself tomorrow, Oct. 7 at 1 pm. for a great time. 
I will offer a tour of the farm and explain what tagging is all about as well as give a educational breakdown of all you could possibly want to know about these magnificent insects.   We will then gather up volunteers to net monarchs that we will tag as well as tagging the 15 that I have already.
Come and join us to bid farewell to these hardy travelers bound for Mexico.  If you have a butterfly net bring it, I will supply 3 of them. The event is free and of course donations are welcome to help my farm further the study and conservation of the monarchs.

Monarch Tagging Update

Apparently, I posted the wrong date on my last blog. I have since corrected it to read that our Annual Monarch Tag and Release will be Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017-- 1pm.  It still depends on whether or not I have monarchs to tag and very well be weather dependent, so I am advising everyone to call Saturday morning Oct. 7 to get an update as to whether or not the event will indeed take place at 1pm..
Call 828-664-1166 .

Thanks, and here's hoping for a fun tagging day.  I will be giving tours of the farm and talking about the monarch migration and it's latest predictions.

Annual Monarch Tag and Release Report

Hey folks, just an update on our Annual Tag and Release event here on the farm this coming Saturday, Oct. 7, 2017. 

So far, it has been apparent that the monarchs have basically completed their migration through our area a few weeks early,  As of this post, I do not have any monarchs available for tagging, nor have I seen any on the farm, but, I found an abundance of newly hatched monarchs near the farm on a large zinnia patch near our farm last week.

It is my intention to go back to this spot on Friday to see if I can capture some for our tagging on Saturday,  If I don't get any, then the event will be canceled on that day at the scheduled time of 1 PM.  Your only option would be to call us Sat. morning before 12 noon at 828-664-1166 to see if the event is on or not.  Sorry I cannot be more specific than that.

Hops Have Downy Mildew

My hop crop has contracted Downy Mildew and are failing.  I don't want to spray chemicals on the crop, so I am letting it go.  It is a blessing and a curse.  Hops have played a very vital part of our farm from the beginning and I enjoyed being one of the first to grow hops in the South and contributing my farm to research, buy the time has come to find another crop to take it's place.

The blessing part is that now I have a lot more time to do other things on the farm because I am not bent over pulling weeds, stringing and pruning vines, and doing the multitude of other tasks that consumed 1/4 of my time on the farm.

I wont pull them out just yet, after all they are perennials, but trust me, they don't produce much if left to their own free will.  I will miss the fun that I created with them, such as the hop festival, providing local breweries with fresh hops, and giving tours and workshops, but I will not, repeat, will not miss working in the hop yard!

Goodbye bitter flower.

Blueberry Season Notice

Our season has started for blueberry picking.  If you are interested then call for an appointment as our supply is quite limited.  Generally we will be open from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. on Tuesday and Friday.  Again, it all depends on supply, so be sure to call and find out.

Farm Tours On Hold

Due to an overwhelming work load, there will be no general tours at the farm for the rest of 2017.  If you have already scheduled a tour there will be no change, it will happen as planned.  We will still hold tours for groups of 15 or more.  Contact me for more info.