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 […]
farming
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…
Society Starts in the Dirt
January 8, 2010 A reminder from Change.org the importance of the soil’s health – for without it we won’t have food to eat or clothing to wear (cotton, wool, and other materials created from plant fibers). “Soils around the world are becoming so depleted of nutrients that some experts are starting to fret over the […]
A Diversified Crop and Livestock Farmer: My Introduction
Part I: I am a diversified livestock and vegetable farmer with six acres of land, where I now run a full time farm business called The Little Homestead. While I’ll be covering various aspects of food and farming in future articles on CUpS, I figured that first off, an introduction would be in order. This […]
Added Value: Direct Marketing for Farmers and Ranchers (Video)
The Imperial Stock Ranch, which began in 1871, faces a new and serious challenge to its very survival: how to create new markets for its products to compensate for longstanding existing markets that have declined or shifted overseas. Some bold steps were needed to rethink what to do with the wool from the sheep they raise on their 30,000 acre ranch in Eastern Oregon. Their solution? Direct, value-added marketing to yarn retailers and apparel designers.
Green Green Beans (video)
We travel from the field to the factory, to see how the freshest green beans are picked, processed, and canned at a “Food Alliance” certified plant.
Fred Kirschenmann: The Future of Agriculture— Intro
Fred Kirschenmann points out that much of modern industrial agriculture was possible because of mild and stable climate conditions, and cheap oil. Those advantages are over.
Fred Kirschenmann: The Future of Agriculture-Part 1
Fred Kirschenmann warns us, conventional agriculture, and its heavy dependence upon fossil fuels and water is not the future of agriculture.