March 07, 2010 Exposed to her parents interest in horticulture as a young child, Joya Parsons grew to embrace her green thumb. “By the time I reached my early twenties, I was bitten by the horticulture bug.” Her interest in growing things was played out on the land her parents went on to buy in […]
farming
An Iowa Farmer on the Meaning of Sustainability
February 20, 2010 Denise O’Brien has begun a new series on the Blog for Iowa website about sustainable agriculture. O’Brien (co-founder of Women, Food & Agriculture Network) and her husband Larry Harris have been growing organic produce for over 30 years and sell through their Rolling Acres CSA. She will be discussing the different issues […]
Farmers, conservation groups join to preserve farmland near Portland’s suburbs
January 27, 2010 As the time for public comments draw to a close, a look at a local hazelnut orchard and tree farm in Clackamas County – one of the counties in the Portland metro area deciding where to place urban and rural Reserves for future populations and possible development. Peter McDonald is concerned farms […]
For Cave Women, Farmers Had Extra Sex Appeal
January 27, 2010 It wasn’t just the big stone axes they were wielding, it was the ability to cultivate food themselves that was attractive to hunter-gathering women 10k+ years ago. Apparently the farming tools were not just practical and handy, but “revolutionary”. “It was the foundation of modern civilization and so there’s a big scientific […]
How Cows (Grass-Fed Only) Could Save the Planet
January 22, 2010 Raising grass-fed cattle to save the planet – Eliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch are building a barn and plan on adding livestock to their Four Season Farm…because they care. “Once he[Coleman] and Damrosch have brought in their livestock, they’ll “be able to use the manure to feed the plants, and the plant […]
Coalition of Farming, Conservation Groups Provide Alternative Vision for Region’s Growth
January 12, 2010 At a press conference held yesterday in Portland, OR, several conservation and farming organizations came together and provided a map (PDF) reflecting what they thought would be a acceptable outcome for the urban and rural reserves, which is currently under review and being determined by Metro and Washington, Clackamas, and Multnomah counties. […]
Getting local foods to local tables: Part III, a farmer’s perspective
January 11, 2010 After all the planning, planting, and harvesting, how does a farmer get all that food distributed locally? “Even with bizarre weather patterns and climate change, even with the seemingly random challenges every natural system throws in one’s way, connecting the food they produce with the people who want to eat that food […]
Rising Food Prices
January 11, 2010 Navdanya, Vandana Shiva’s website, reports even the simplest, most common foods, are rapidly climbing beyond the reach of many. “In 2007 the food price index calculated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) rose by nearly 40 percent, compared with 9 percent the year before, and in the […]
A 21st Century Social Contract Between Agriculture & the Public
January 8, 2010 A Farm Foundation Roundtable discussion took place today. Michael Dimock, of Roots of Change (ROC) was present, offering “ten basic building blocks” for a new social contract. Dimock goes on to say, ” I am a realist who looks at the past and says we can, we will, and we must change […]
States ban practices that support CAFOs
January 8, 2010 “Several states recently banned specific practices that are common in CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations), taking small steps to level the playing field for more sustainable farms.” h/t @OrganicConsumer Go to Original Source…
