Doug McEvers

I am with Joao,

Watch for a year to see how this parcel handles the rainfall. When we started our organic farm transition here, my neighbor and custom farmer said the same. He said our farm would handle water differently than before due to our biological methods and minimum tillage. After 2 seasons we no longer have standing water in places where it used to stand and drown out the crop. We have had 2 very wet growing seasons but have not lost much due to poor drainage.

Start your soil building process first and the land will tell you what comes next. A moderate slope is quite beneficial in my opinion, you can manage soil moisture more easily.

Just came across this when searching "subtle energies in agriculture".  A lot of information here on regenerative agriculture and its history.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11625-022-01281-1

You need sunlight to grow a garden, does not need to be full sun all day but that is preferable. I have found that later maturing tomatoes get some partial shade from our farm grove that earlier plantings do not. Add this in with the shorter daylength and the ripening proceeds slowly.

This is the latest in livestock fencing and management, some are using and liking it in our area. Don't know if I would trust this in a high traffic area but in a more remote setting it may be just right. For temporary grazing of cover crops and the like this is a neat option to fencing providing it works well.

https://www.halterhq.com/en-us

Our well water here is good but has a lot of calcium even after filtration. It tends to leave a white ring on water glasses so white vinegar (5%) is my go-to for cleaning them up. You can scrub and scrub with water and soap with little effect, but the vinegar takes the film right off. Works good on cleaning stainless steel cookware as well. First used it for cleaning coffee makers but got tired of the short coffee maker lifespan and have gone to an antique hybrid drip coffee system.

The amazing thing about gardens and soil is how they can remain productive indefinitely with proper techniques. The soil provides 5% of the nutrients and the rest comes from the cosmos. Have been working on soil building in our garden that has been continuous for likely 70 years. I raise warm season native grass for seed and would work the straw from the cleaning into the garden. This made a big difference along with biological fertilizers. I soon saw very low insect pressure and much higher production and quality. Our soils are very fine textured and can use up soil organic matter quickly. Will be doing oats as a cover crop soon and will leave it grow except where the garden plants are. Also, I have a volunteer native border that is home to a host of beneficial critters (hopefully not pocket gophers).

I am with John, hire out the work. Payments, depreciation are alligators for most.

Try to find a seed (local) source for native vegetation for your area. You will not do better for soil building and eventual weed control. Visit a site that has native vegetation and a steep slope to see if this looks like a fit for you.

Jen,

What you have described is to be human. We all have our days, "just don't make things worse" is my personal message on those sideways days. Leave the tough tasks for when you are highly focused. I tell myself to do the worst first, that will make the rest of the day easier. Also make tomorrow easier today, makes room for some potential crisis management tomorrow.

John,

This is what is said about "corn sweat". It is thought that how we have changed the US landscape with monoculture contributes to severe weather.


AI Overview
"Corn sweat" is the rapid release of moisture (transpiration) by corn plants, releasing thousands of gallons of water per acre daily, which significantly increases humidity and elevates dew points in the Midwest. This localized atmospheric moisture intensifies heat waves, boosting the heat index, and provides fuel for severe, isolated thunderstorms.
OSU Extension