Today we traveled to Clagett Farm in Upper Marlboro, MD, a farm owned by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation run by a man named Rob and his family. Some special features of the farm are grass-fed cattle, rather than cattle raised on grains, and acreage devoted to trees. A main attraction for us volunteers were the two dogs that strolled around the farm, Buddy and Maggie (you may see quite a few pictures of them in the other posts).
Our first task of the day was to pot trees. The process of tree potting involved our group breaking up to each take on an individual task in an assembly-line manner around a giant wagon filled with different dirt mixtures. We started with baby trees, though they were hardly mature enough to be considered twigs, that were seeded a year before. These trees were transferred to new pots that were filled to the top with a special mixture of potting soil. We then added a layer of organic fertilizer and topped them off with mulch. At the end of the morning we managed to pot approximately 500 trees.
After lunch Rob gave us a tour of the land. We visited some of the livestock, including the cows and sheep. Unfortunately, our presence was not appreciated by either as the animals drifted as far away from us intruders as they possibly could, leaving an intricate pattern of three separately populated corners of cows, sheep, and people.
Despite our disappointment with not being able to interact with the animals, we were eager for our next task - transplanting strawberry plants. Rob's wife took us out into the field and we transplanted strawberries in rows while also staring into the cloudy skies and hoping the clouds would take mercy on us (only in the end did we face a mild rain so it worked out for us for most of the day).
Our day concluded with going back to the Phillip Merrill Environmental Center where we enjoyed a hearty breakfast for dinner and a heated game of Cards Against Humanity. After a long day's work, we cleaned ourselves up and settled down with reflection.
It was a good day on the farm and we are excited to return there later this week!
-Paula and Joe
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