Farm Update 01.05.2014 - Coffee, Tea at the Farm and planning ahead

• A number of small items were purchased for the farm. The main theme was to setup a small kitchen for the 4 workers to have coffee/tea as and when they want. I told Subbu to  buy a brass pump stove.
  
  When I was a bachelor, I had used kerosene pump stove very effectively. Even today all over the country the road side restaurants are using them.
• Matching utensils, cloth, rope, drum for preparing additional panjakavya, hoe, farm tools were brought for a total of around Rs. 10,000/-.
• The new female workers are getting their first salary. Interviewed them over the phone.  Both were shy, but talked fluently. One is married and having 5 year old child going to UKG. The other is having two sons of age 8 and 9.  The husbands are not working properly. Assured them of stable career and growth if they put matching hard work in improving the farm. I hope we have made right choice of candidates.
• Supervising workers is going to be additional work. Initially I thought they will follow the system and process. But I heard they come late, donot turn-up at appointed hour etc. We need them by 9 AM and they can leave any time before evening. But they come at 10 when Sun is hot and there is nothing much that can be done. Presently I am just observing. I will prepare a work schedule and implement the same with some governance.
• Next 2 months are going to be very hot. Much hotter than it is now. Water has become major hurdle to expand the farm.
• We also need to prepare ourselves for July monsoon from now ON.  The farm B which is square plot, some 300 meters from the current farm  is without any fence and no activity. There was a theft of mud from there which was prevented by Subbu through night inspection.  During the course, need to have a cheap fence and plant live trees as fence as soon as we get showers.
• I need to plan for Lamp posts for the farm as it becomes dark immediately after 6 PM.  I need to find some suppliers who can provide Solar panel, battery, street light and lamp post with reasonable rate and having artistic design.

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