Editorial
Seed an essential part of family.
Seeds are the essence of life. Without seeds, there would be no plants and the cycle of life wouldn’t continue.
To farmers, seeds are the beginning of the cycle – part of a ritual that starts in the spring with planting and ends in the fall with harvest. From seeding greenhouses to planting grain crops in the field to planting fruit tree saplings and tobacco plants, farmers know this is a new beginning.
For some farmers, seed is their business. These farmers raise the seed needed to plant the many acres in Norfolk County. For everyone, it is a necessary start to their business year.
In this issue of Farms, we celebrate seed, saplings and those who produce it in a special feature in addition to the regular stories telling the stories of the county’s farmers. Purchasing seed for a farmer isn’t as simple as the weekend gardener purchasing a packet in the store. Many factors come into play when choosing varieties, such as which variety is best suited for a soil type, disease resistance and the number of growing days. The decision made will have far-reaching impacts, including the year’s profit. Apple growers, for instance, are making a gamble of which variety will be popular with consumers years down the road.
Seed isn’t at the top of farmer’s minds right now with harvest of grain crops, fruit crops and vegetables in full swing. Yet, the end of one harvest brings with it time to start planning for the next and a part of this is ordering seed.
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