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Paul
Dettloff: ORGANIC DAIRY HERD HEALTH
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Nathan
McClintock: SUSTAINABLE IN SENEGAL
- July
13, 2006: Thriving with peppers, seeds and leaves in Koumpentoum,
Tambacounda region Training in organic agriculture helps
woman develop family enterprise that features income streams
from integrated and biodiverse micro-agroforestry kitchen
garden.
- June
8, 2006: Milk and yogurt production, Ourossogui, Matam region
Fulani women learn holistic cooperative development and
enterprise skills to generate value-added revenue, and to
inspire other small-scale farmers in the region—including
their daughters—with options for economic development.
- May
12, 2006: Livestock fattening,Thiawène, Diourbel
Village women’s group pioneers and teaches how “kept”
sheep and goats can improve soil, boost yields and provide
much-needed income in dry Diourbel region.
- March
9, 2006: Diabou Balde, rice farmer, Manthiankaning, Kolda
region
Intensive production pressure leaves little space for experiments,
but improvements from increased spacing win respect for
new method.
- February
16, 2006: El-Hadji Hane and Gora Ndiaye, regenerative ag
education and entrepreneurship along the Petite Côte
Through local farmer organizing, commercial promotion of
agroforestry and international connections, two college
friends are nurturing sustainable initiatives along the
tourist-impacted “Little Coast” of Senegal.
- January
12, 2006: Abderahmane Sow, agro-entrepreneur, Belel, Matam
region Starting from scratch with curiosity and a knack
for doing business, this new farmer wants to expand agricultural
opportunity to help the next generation thrive on the land
without leaving the region.
- December
8, 2005: Seydou Diémé, soil conservationist,
Thiès Women often provide the most hands when
rural communities construct stone erosion barriers to conserve
and restore adequate soil moisture for sustainable cropping.
- November
11, 2005: Madame Sall, juice and syrup entrepreneur, Dakar
Buying directly from farmers boosts quality and consumer
demand, but small-scale processor struggles to expand her
place in the market.
- October
13, 2005: Doudou Diallo, urban market gardener, Saint-Louis
Strong customer demand for his high-quality vegetables propels
this intensive urban gardener to pursue organics even without
a premium price.
- September
1, 2005: From dunghills to compost pits and back again –
only better How Senegalese farmers learned,
practiced then radically adapted composting to fit their
land, culture and settings.
- July
15, 2005: Soft and red, hard and black Getting
up close and personal with local soils in Senegal’s
Peanut Basin with farmers who are managing them sustainably
- June
16, 2005: A rich slice of sustainability in Senegal
A Peace Corps stint in Mali and an internship with The Rodale
Institute® showed this American ag student the critical
need for innovative soil saving practices in West Africa.
- June
16, 2005: Innovations in sustainability mark Rodale work
in Senegal Women’s farming groups, in
particular, benefit from training and micro-credit initiatives.
Building on our long history in Senegal, we've produced
a series of articles and profiles telling some of the story
of sustainable farming in the country.
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George
DeVault: TOOL TALK
Equipment and tool basics for the beginning
farmer
Various
farmers: FIELD NOTES
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Daryll
Ray: AG POLICY PERSPECTIVES
- January
12, 2007: Will alternate farm bill options retain agricultural
safety net? Replacing current subsidies with green payments
and insurance programs may placate farmers and non-farmers
alike, but won't change the reason subsidies were created
in the first place.
- December
14, 2006: Free market for corn kicks in: Tyson exec sounds
warning Corn producers who feared the end of subsidies
in global trade talks face charge of making consumers choose
“fuel or food.”
- November
10, 2006: Fitting the remedy to real rural economy problem
Systemic ills that discourage crop production limits make
farm income variability too much for farm program to handle.
- September
15, 2006: Farming the farm program Movin’ on up
from the sandlots to the big leagues.
- August
10, 2006: Agribusinesses, not farmers, benefit most from
payments Daryll Ray explains the real problem with direct
payments and LDPs.
- July
13, 2006: Do “death taxes” cause the death of
family farms? Daryll Ray challenges the assumption that
the estate tax is a burden on family farmers.
- June
8, 2006: Are you confused about WTO trade liberalization
numbers? Daryll Ray provides some insight into where
those numbers come from and how to sort through the hype.
- May
12, 2006: Economic viability of the farm sector Why
does it include a spouse’s paycheck?
- March
9, 2006: Primer on how to kill a market What ever happend
to the customer is always right? When the US refused to
allow private BSE testing, they officially lost one of our
biggest beef customers—Japan.
- February
16, 2006: US commodity delivery policy suppresses world
prices Changing loan deficiency payment mechanism would
send corn upward
- January
12, 2006: Freedom to Farm The root of current farm-related
problems
- October
13, 2005: Two issues may shape the 2007 Farm Bill
- September
15: Hurricane aftermath Policy analyst Daryll
Ray lays out the market certainties farmers will face now
that that the unpredictable Mother Nature has calmed
- September
1, 2005: Pursuing a new vision for agricultural policy
Policy analyst Daryll Ray introduces his 4-step plan for
remedying the commodity programs
- August
11, 2005: Counter cyclical payments steady prices but fail
to resolve agriculture's basic market problem
Part 3 in a 3 part series: Policy columnist Daryll Ray takes
a closer look at farm subsidies and what an America without
them would look like
- August
4, 2005: The case for eliminating LDPs Part
2 in a 3 part series: Policy columnist Daryll Ray takes
a closer look at farm subsidies and what an America without
them would look like
- July
15, 2005: Bush calls for elimination of agricultural subsidies
Part 1 in a 3 part series: Policy columnist Daryll Ray takes
at a closer look at direct payments and what an America
without them would look like
- June
16, 2005: Checkoff lawsuits: It ain’t over ’till
its over
- June
2, 2005: New high yielding wheat eases weight of China’s
food security burden In a country where famine
memories linger, the emphasis on its new ‘Super Wheat’
is not on the super but rather the wheat
- May
24, 2005: Being paid not to eat: the food pyramid meets
ag policy Corn and soy, the most subsidized
of agricultural products, are discouraged by the new USDA
pyramid while, heavily hyped fruits and vegetables grow
basically payment free, Ray evaluates this logic and argues
it does in fact make sense.
- May
10, 2005: Traditional farm interests aren’t the only
ones with something to say about the 2007 farm bill
Fast food companies, environmental organizations and New
Deal-haters among those looking to eliminate farm subsidies
- April
21, 2005: Ag futures await oil outcome Will
rising fuel prices drive a new revolution in American agriculture?
- April
14, 2005: Rising prices paint crude picture for oil-dependant
farmers
- March
18, 2005: Coming soon to a billboard near you: "Get
the US out of the WTO & NAFTA & CAFTA"
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NEW
FARMER JOURNAL
Easy Growin' Farm, Buena Vista CO, Joshua Flowers
Essex Farm, Essex NY, Kristin Kimball
Fresh Harvest Farm, Moken IL, Patty McPhillips
- July
14, 2005: Tool time Rain has been scarce and some crops
have less than thrived, but the right tools have helped
these new farmers keep their heads above water (so to speak).
- June
16, 2005: The long list With growing season in full
gear, farm projects continue to pile up.
- June
2, 2005: That which sustains us With CSA shares sold
out, an inspiring and inspired intern, and lists and tasks
well in order, one small farm in the Chicago suburbs is
ready for summer.
- April
19, 2005: A process of inquiry This new farmer finds
that every new lesson leads to a dozen more questions.
- March
17, 2005: New horizons As their second year begins,
these ambitious farming partners are considering some major
expansion plants.
- February
10, 2005: Trial and error Two friends new to farming
learn many lessons growing veggies in the 'burbs.
Loon Organics, Eagan MN, Laura Frerichs
North Country School, Lake Placid NY, Laura Rickard
Sol-e-Terre Farm, Suffield CT, Daniel Duesing
Stoney Lonesome Farm, Gainesville VA, Pablo Elliott
Your Farm, Hilmar CA, Mele Anderson
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Courtney
White: The New Ranch
- February
22, 2005: Getting into the game As second-career ranchers,
Jim and Carol Thorpe had a lot to learn about managing rangeland
and caring for cattle. But coming to ranching from a non-ag
background enabled them to embrace the best of 'old' and
'new' ranch management thinking, from applied ecology to
Internet livestock auctions. It also helps to have a philosophical
outlook and boundless curiosity. Including
The
Getting Started Toolkit
- December
9, 2004: Hope on the range Eighteen years ago, Oregon
rancher Connie Hatfield drove to the city and asked a health
club owner what he thought about red meat. His answer helped
shape Oregon Country Beef, now one of the most successful
rancher-managed, certified natural beef labels in the country.
- September
28, 2004: All in the family Outside of Durango, Colorado,
the James Ranch is using holistic management, direct marketing,
and community involvement to build a sustainable livelihood
for all the members of the clan.
- August
31, 2004: Conservation measures improve profits On the
EC Bar Ranch in northeastern Arizona, Jim Crosswhite got
radical—and started cooperating with government scientists
to implement environmental restoration strategies on his
land. Eight years later, he counts a wealth of economic
as well as ecological benefits.
- August
3, 2004: Big things on a little place On Sandia Pueblo
in north-central New Mexico, Sam Montoya revitalized a tired
piece of land—and is now earning a comfortable retirement
income.
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Yigal
Deutscher: VINE AND FIG TREE
- July
15, 2005: Lessons learned, challenges remaining
To care for Israel is to care for the land of Israel, Yigal
concludes—its soil, its potential to sustain life
and in turn its power to become a peaceable home for all
its inhabitants
- June
3, 2005: Teaching farming as a balance of spirit, soil and
a healthy culture Kibbutz Harduf is not just
a biodynamic farm, it's a biodynamic community
- April
20, 2005: Rebels in a communal society With
government ownership of land at 95 percent, most everything
in Israel is done communally, especially farming. There
is the agricultural sector with many different farms and
a living sector, with many different homes, but for those
who have a need to create a small family farm, self-sufficient
and private; they have begun to squat.
- February
10, 2005: Israeli-Arab farmer builds future hope where politics
permeates land and water Laithi combines donated
fields, heirloom seeds, traditional wisdom and farmer networking
throughout Israel to build an agriculture that fits the
place and the time to come.
- January
7, 2005: Amidst political strife and a firing range on the
West Bank, the Zimmermans farm, market and sanctify the
land Combining biblical rituals with remarkable
flexibility, the Zimmermans have thrived because of their
faith ... and because of their ability to shift from export
markets, to local markets, to value-added products in response
to the pressures of war and politics
- November
23, 2004: Rising from nothing in the desert, idealists now
work amid water, orchards, gardens and fish.
At Kibbutz Neot Smader, amazing agriculture achievement
is the byproduct of a community of transients dedicated
to learning from the land and each other.
- September
28, 2004: Seeking life in the desert, on the desert’s
terms As the global climate becomes more harsh,
Elaine Solowey is a botanical pioneer trying to develop
ultra-low water crops before it’s too late.
- August
31, 2004: Farmers on the margins test lush agricultural
notions against Israel’s dry climate, charged politics
Young New Yorker encounters six communities
who love the ancient soil of the Holy Land enough to care
for it well. First in a series.
- August
31, 2004: Vine and fig tree: Restoring agriculture in the
Holy Land Introducing a series of farmer profiles
from Israel/Palestine that shows resiliency, determination
and an agricultural vision greater than the seeming impossibility
of sharing the land in peace.
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INTERN
JOURNAL: Insights and experiences from organic farms
- December
13, 2007: Those cabin fever blues Dealing with coming
indoors to a smaller space.
- November
16, 2007: Playing with your food One Rodale Institute
research intern focuses on the process of cooking and eating
in a way that honors the work that went into growing and
harvesting her food.
- October
18, 2007: A matter of perspective Close call has international
intern reflecting on the here and now.
- September
14, 2007: Staying connected OPX intern finds her passion
for physical fitness, economics and sustainability all lead
to the same bright future.
- August
9, 2007: Transitions Rodale Institute intern offers
perspective on values, culture and priorities following
Peace Corps stint in Mali.
- July
13, 2007: Reckoning with the natural, sustainable self
Through years of change and many miles on more highways
than I can number, I’ve finally found my way back
home to a farm in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania.
- June
15, 2007: Sustainability in a wasteful world Rodale
Institute research intern calls for major changes in policy
and behavior; ones which, like good farming, mimic nature.
- May
11, 2007: The root of everything A returning South Korean
intern reflects on the universal role of the farmer.
- April
12, 2007: Take cover Let’s not lose our grip on
nature’s genetic tools to help heal the earth.
- February
16, 2007: Salatin keynote gets the wheels turning TRI
research intern ponders the changing landscape of food production…and
savors the possibilities.
- January
12, 2007: Let it snow (or freeze, at least) Dormant
seeding requires a little gambling with nature.
- December
14, 2006: He’s gotta wear shades Departing intern
looks toward his own future and the future of organics.
- November
10, 2006: Sustainability comes full circle TRI intern
learns some valuable lessons from one of society’s
most undervalued craftsmen: a farmer.
- October
12, 2006: Months of learning help to put together more pieces
of farming puzzle Interns are like farmers, kind of:
We learn best by seeing and doing.
- September
15, 2006: The world is your organic oyster These visiting
interns from South Korea are ready to change the face of
agriculture in their country and the world through the seeds
of inspiration germinated at The Rodale Institute.
- August
10, 2006: Closing the gap between the "real world"
and educational institutions The Rodale Institute's
online intern discovers the value of including sustainable
agriculture in the curriculum from elementary school through
college.
- July
13, 2006: A full plate of field tests and fungi One
of our interns explains why the research we do here at The
Rodale Institute should matter to you.
- June
8, 2006: No farm is an island A Rodale Institute intern
ponders organic agriculture’s lessons of cause and
effect.
- May
12, 2006: Planting plastic jugs brings a smile Rodale
Institute intern contemplates where she’s been and
what she’s learning.
- March
17, 2005: ENTRY 15 Llamas in Lake Placid and a return to
Ecuador One intern journalist gears up for spring while
another says goodbye to California and prepares to take
her new knowledge home.
- February
22, 2005: ENTRY 14 Post-harvest trauma Whether dealing
with lettuce or chickens, our intern journalists discover
many lessons in that critical step between growing the produce
(or raising the bird) and delivering it to the dinner plate.
- February
10, 2005: ENTRY 13 Weather report Winter conditions
have our interns experiencing vastly different challenges
on opposite coasts.
- January
7, 2005: ENTRY 12 New Turf One intern packs her bags
for graduate school while another makes the trek from an
organic farm in Arkansas to a completely different operation
in California.
- December
9, 2004: ENTRY 11 California dreamin' With one intern
journalist on a spiritual sabbatical in the Andes, one finished
for the season, and another too busy to write (they grow
up so fast), our intern from the equator holds down the
fort from her new vantage point on the Left Coast.
- November
23, 2004: ENTRY 10 Good-bye. Hello. One of our journaling
interns lands in a new world of geometric sustainability
(i.e., a greenhouse operation) while another says goodbye
to Arkansas (and prepares for a new farming experience in
California).
- November
9, 2004: ENTRY 9 Fall colors Public relations, mercury
observations, and end-of-season ruminations keep our interns
occupied.
- October
14, 2004: ENTRY 8 Reflections on service Bruised bodies
and apples, a thorny predicament, motorcycle mayhem, and
back-to-back highs and lows prove that there’s still
much to learn and experience, even as the season winds down.
- September
28, 2004: ENTRY 7 Harvest parties, homespun handiwork and
Hare Krisnas Our interns speak to the wide range of
experiences available to organic farm apprentices.
- September
14, 2004: ENTRY 6 Apprentice in the Rye Our interns
from near and far (and farming near and far) glad-handle
grain and coffee beans, learn the language of plants and
humans, and accommodate work schedules to the shifting seasons.
- August
31, 2004: ENTRY 5 To everything, turn, turn, turn Whether
it’s compost or time, these interns find the summer
just keeps chugging along.
- August
17, 2004: ENTRY 4 Mysteries solved, sort of Our interns
learn building steps in Belize takes less paperwork but
more legwork; that one hot, humid Saturday is not the same
as the next; and there is most definitely a difference between
research and production potatoes even if they look (and
smell) identical.
- August
3, 2004: ENTRY 3 Discovery zone From finding hidden
treasures inside a bed of weeds, to a real lesson in trust,
to creating a fruit display by recycling boxes, our interns
learn that observation, innovation and persistence are critical
components of farming.
- July
20, 2004: ENTRY 2 Lessons in the field Our intern journalists
each learn in his or her own way that it’s not what
you know, but what you don’t know, that makes organic
farming so interesting.
- July
2, 2004: ENTRY 1 The highs and lows of a job well done
Our fearless interns tackle mud ovens in the Mexican heat,
weeding an endless no-till pumpkin patch in Pennsylvania,
cherry robbers in Nevada, and the demands of leading a double
life in Minnesota.
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Don Lotter:
Crossing the Americas
PAN-AMERICAN
ADVENTURE
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News
from Mariquita: A CSA Journal
- August
12, 205: Small farms can go mano a mano with food
shows like The Iron Chef in reconnecting Americans with
good food In fact, says Andy Griffin, lots of CSA customers
want to be pushed into cooking again. That’s why he
and his wife Julia supply members with lots of recipes and
tips. They even feature recipes of members and employees
in their weekly newsletter--including donkey ear zucchinis.
- July
14, 2005: Chile shooters What grows up to 15 feet tall,
can produce through the winter in California and makes the
perfect shot glass? Why, it's the Peron pepper and Andy's
planning on introducing this fruteria regular to upscale
San Fran.
- June
16, 2005: A farmer's guide to multi-tasking Andy is
multi-task impaired, doomed to plod from one task to another.
But, he manages his crops so THEY do the multi-tasking for
him. In their younger phases, for example, weeds--and plants
that need thinning--do double duty and become another product
for adventurous eaters.
- June
2, 2005: The Complete Zucchini Management Guide Andy
has a six point plan for making sure his CSA customers don't
get overwhelmed by summer squash. If that doesn't work,
he may have to get a pig. They're easy to please.
- May
12, 2005: Recipe for success America the melting pot?
Probably not. America the soup pot? Maybe. What Andy's learned
from his CSA is that pleasing 900 deliciously diverse individuals
is a challenge but one that's not totally insurmountable.
- April
19, 2005: The "three legged stool" school of farming
Andy sells his produce through a CSA, a restaurant delivery
route and a farmers' market stall. These three legs of his
marketing effort support each other--and him--in unexpected,
synergistic ways, and keep him sitting pretty.
- March
31, 2005: Thinking out of the box As any CSA farmer
will attest, waxed boxes can be a major expense. Andy and
his crew have found a local solution that reduces their
dependence on box makers who may have to toast their profits
with slightly less expensive champagne.
- March
17, 2005: And the moral of the story is... Andy's telling
his CSA members bedtime stories. No, the stress hasn't finally
gotten to him, it's the first newsletter of the season and
there is a moral to this story--keep the boxes neat, clean
and folded; don't forget to tell us when you're away; and,
last but not least, enjoy the connection between country
and city.
- February
22, 2005: Spring flowers bring me down ... Andy's got
the early season nerves. What if his overwintered carrots
bolt before his CSA season starts in late March? Most of
his neighbors start later, but he thinks it's worth the
risk ... and the nerves.
- February
10, 2005: Just kidding around Andy's goats might look
like an expensive hobby on paper, but they keep the poison
oak under control, entertain the human CSA kids and prevent
Andy from pummeling the occasional penny-pinching market
customer.
- January
27, 2005: Blame it on the boyfriend Disappearing CSA
boxes. Vanishing flowers. Missing strawberry containers.
Can it all be laid at the feet of ignorant or irresponsible
boyfriends and husbands, or are men just a convenient excuse?
Andy ponders some of the profound mysteries of running a
CSA.
- January
7, 2005: A very dairy New Year Life slows down at Mariquita
and, as another year begins, Andy reminisces about the 42
hours of exhausted delirium on a fateful New Year's Eve
that inspired him to farm vegetables.
- December
9, 2004: Addicted to learning the hard way Like most
organic farmers, Andy Griffin is a pugnacious experimenter.
He has taken radicchio to “radiculoso” extremes
you wouldn’t believe—and he won’t give
up on blanched celery either.
- November
23, 2004: The value--and the limits--of fantasy in any farming
operation For Andy Griffin, every season begins with
a magic carpet ride through those glossy agricultural fantasies
called seed catalogues. Then, the fantasy meets the customer.
- November
9, 2004: Farm wife meets mother earth As Julia tours
Italy and hobnobs with farmers from all over the world at
the Terra Madres conference in Turin, Andy is left to the
job of farm wife--a post he just can't seem to get a handle
on. Julia's networking pays off, though, and now that she's
back, Andy can breath a sigh of relief.
- October
14, 2004: A little bit of Mexico on Monterey Bay An
“end-of-the-season” party brings some regional
Mexican rivalry to Mariquita Farm. Workers from Michoacan
and Oaxaca have a friendly argument over the best way to
barbecue a goat.
- September
28, 2004: Giving a voice to small farmers … in 90
seconds or less Even public radio’s signature
show, All Things Considered, doesn’t consider the
farmer very often. So when Andy got a chance to spout off
about farming on the local NPR station, he jumped.
- September
13, 2004: Pardon my Padróns … Andy is still
working out the details of how to harvest his Spanish Padrón
peppers before they get too hot. When he succeeds, the $20
per pound he fetches may finance a second honeymoon back
in Spain … speaking of hot.
- August
31, 2004: Dangling crystals, bad poetry and political theater...
The social challenges of running a farmers' market stall
The protestors and cranks at an urban farmers' market thrust
Andy inot delicate merchandizing dilemmas and make him eager
to return to the sweet country life.
- August
17, 2004: You can keep your lemonade … Life gave
me elderberries, not lemons, and that’s just fine
with me, says Andy.
- August
3, 2004: Garlic Snakes Andy discovers how his first-ever
planting of stiff-necked garlic got it's scientific name
and stumbles upon another marketing gimmick--spicy serpents.
- July
20, 2004: Keep Rollin' While the rest of the world savors
basil and tomatoes, Andy gets pumped up to plant parsnips.
It's all part of the cycle.
- July
2, 2004: Keep Truckin' Stop! Put that plastic truck
(or other piece of marketing swag) down and back away. Think
smart promotion to keep your small farm in the public eye.
- June
2, 2004: Kinky Carrots It's astounding to what uses
Andy Griffin's farmers' market customers will put his kinky,
crooked carrot culls. Every carrot has a home.
- May
11, 2004: Ain't I smart? Carelessness, poor planning
and neglect leads Mariquita's Andy Griffin to discover the
true value of a strange old heirloom crop--black Spanish
radish.
-
April 20, 2004: Hats off to the many sombreros of a farmer
Quack lawyer, truck driver, fake chef, and borderline carnival
barker: all in a day’s work for a farmer like Andy
Griffin … and once in a while he gets to contemplate
nature.
- April
2, 2004: The watermelon radish: Conspiracy from the left
or the right … or just a darned good heirloom daikon?
Those were among the suspicions raised by this ancient veggie
at a recent event in Santa Cruz designed to introduce consumers
to local food producers.
- March
23, 2004: NOW is the time for shameless self-promotion
He can't plant, cultivate or harvest--the fields are a swamp--but
Mariquita's Andy Griffin can sell shares and hustle publicity.
- March
4, 2004: Guerilla garlic Battling the influx of cheap
Chinese garlic—even in to Gilroy, the “Garlic
Capital of the World”—Mariquita Farm grows green
spring garlic, and banks its garlic dollars long before
the garlic festival in July.
- February
13, 2004: New riders of the purple goosefoot In Watsonville,
California, the founders of Mariquita CSA discover the value
of this antique cousin to spinach.
Back to top >
Susanna
Meyer: Susanna's Costa Rican Sojourn
- October
14, 2004: Saying goodbye to the land of plenty
Back in Pittsburgh, Susanna concedes that while not everything
she has learned is applicable, some lessons travel well.
- September
14, 2004: Filling a niche Growing at 4200 feet,
Home Farm specializes in mixed salad greens and specialty
breads for the bustling San Isidro Farmers' Market
- August
31, 2004: Sustainable U Surrounded by primary
rainforest and fronted by the Caribbean Sea in the southeastern
corner of Costa Rica, U.S. high school students, local Ticos,
and others learn about living off the land and in harmony
with nature, as one teacher’s dream for community
and outdoor education becomes a reality.
- August
3, 2004: A farm of one's own In the northeastern
cloud forests, a decade-old cooperative project has helped
landless Costa Ricans work toward economic independence
and ecological sustainability
- April
23, 2004: Siete Estrellas de Jicotea Making
organic coffee (farms) strong enough to last takes support,
creativity and time
- March
5, 2004: Finca la Puebla Coffee co-op depends
on compost, self-processing and premium organic quality
to beat slumping market
SLIDESHOW: Hand
roasted: The story of small-scale coffee production
- January
13, 2004: Finca Pura Suerte Searching for sustainability
on a 30-acre mountain farm.
- December
1, 2003: San Isidro del General A small-scale
forest farm bucks the local trend to level forests and monocrop
for quicker cash.
- November
7, 2003: Part 1, Beginnings How strip mine
spoils and organic soils shaped a young woman's resolve
to farm in nature's image.
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Various Farmers: CSA Notebook
- November
9, 2004: Serving CSA members better As the CSA season
draws to a close, the Harmony Valley team brainstorms about
ways to boost member retention from year to year—and
to encourage former CSA members to become faithful farmers'
market customers.
- August
17, 2004: Finding the support in Community Supported Agriculture
After 30 years of full-time farming, Richard DeWilde experienced
a farmer's worst nightmare--he was laid up with severe back
pain and unable to work. How the heck would the farm survive?
- August
3, 2004: UPDATE: A legal immigrant odyssey In the spring,
Linda Halley wrote about their decision to go legal with
their Mexican help. Now, in the thick of the season, she
sends an update.
- April
19, 2004: The worth of good work: An H2-A odyssey Wisconsin
vegetable growers Linda Halley and Richard de Wilde venture
into new territory with the federal seasonal worker program.
So far, so good.
- January
30, 2004: Reflections on the 2003 CSA season Giving
thanks for a season with no disasters, good partners, a
great new staff member, and—overall—more sanity.
- October
27, 2003: Community Comes to the Farm Even if your farm
is nowhere near your customers, you can still cement the
relationship and sense of shared community with a few low-key
events each year on your farm.
- August
22, 2003: Over-Abundance: Mid-Summer at Harmony Valley CSA
What you DON'T put in your box may be as important as what
you do. And having other markets that can absorb overproduction
are essential.
- June
24, 2003: Distribution – An important connection to
your members Linda Halley describes the system of distributing
share boxes each week that has worked well for them over
the last 11 years . . . with some tweaking.
- May
6, 2003: Wanted: Consumers seek like-minded farmer looking
for long term CSA relationship The Philadelphia area's
newest organic farm started as a consumer dream.
- April
23, 2003: Collaborative CSA in N.E. Iowa successfully serves
an all-rural market Ten farm families contribute to
CSA, a buyers’ club, and a cooperative that markets
produce to local institutions.
- April
8, 2003: From money pit to economic provider for a farm
family and its employees ... in just 4 years! Julia
Wiley of Mariquita Farm says that to run a CSA successfully,
you have to grow well. That’s a given. But you also
have to know how to nurture a whole human community. Here’s
the story of how their CSA began.
- April
2, 2003: Two veteran CSA farmers share their insights
Richard de Wilde and Linda Halley have been running a successful
CSA for 11 years. This month: Introductions and some initial
thoughts on retention.
Back to top >
Jason
Witmer: Jason's Global Organic Odyssey
- July
11, 2003: The Great Awakening High on a Himalayan
Mountain top--a million miles from his Ohio home--Jason
reflects on a trip whose mission was met but whose purpose
was usurped by the magnitude of the people met along the
way
- June
27, 2003: Spain: In Spain's wine country, One-time
vineyard gets a make-over and Terragona province gets its
first taste of organic almonds.
- May
30, 2003: The Himalayas: In the Himalayas,
the Western world has invaded, but not yet conquered Many
families still survive happily on crops and livestock tended
on steeply terraced plots at high elevations ... AND IT'S
ALL ORGANIC, by default.
SLIDESHOW
Extreme Steps: Terrace Farming in the Himalayas
- May
13, 2003: India: Mulchan Haria may not have
followed the family into traditional medicine but his gentle
touch and chemical-free remedies have nursed a parched,
depleted earth back to full health and earned him the title
"Doctor" among his peers.
- April
25, 2003: India: Indian farmer creates an organic
oasis in a harsh land. On top of dust and floods, chemicals
were killing Vijay Shah's soil ... and production was falling.
He decided it was time, for a change, to farm WITH nature.
On July 1, 1996, he stopped using chemicals all together.
- March
28, 2003: Reflections With
their journey almost half over, Jason and Derek share a
new perspective on organic farming, material possessions
and foreign cab drivers
- March
21, 2003: Thailand Buddhist
"Asok" movement builds organic farms, sustainable
communities: In a farm economy devastated by reliance on
chemicals, Buddhist monks teach thousands a new way to grow
- March
6, 2003: Laos Jason and Derek work with Thanongsi
Solangkoun, whose silk-farm, organic restaurant and international
learning center offer an alternative to chemically based
agriculture
- February
28, 2003: Thailand Our intrepid world travelers
make their way to eastern Thailand and Jon Jandai -- farmer,
builder and man of leisure
- February
21, 2003: Beginnings How
a young kid picking sweet corn on his Grandpa’s farm
in Ohio ended up making an organic sojourn across two continents
- February
21, 2003: An Introduction Ohio
traveler debuts “global grassroots” network
of farmer-correspondents
Back to top >
Mary-Howell
& Klaas Martens: Letter from New York
- December
9, 2004: Confessions of a "foodie" In this
world of economic disparity and cultural conveniences, malnutrition
takes many forms, says this organic farmer.
- September
28, 2004: Smoothing the path to a profitable harvest home
Dozens of harvest tips to ensure that your good grain isn't
transformed into the bad and ugly by poorly maintained equipment,
improper storage or rough handling.
- August
31, 2004: Farming is definitely shades of gray It all
looks so clear-cut when you submit your organic crop plans
in January. But by August you’ve had to make a dozen
major decisions … some bad, some good, some impossible.
Here are a few thoughts on making the best of those tough
decisions.
- August
3, 2004: What can I use to boost my soil fertility?
The real key to soil fertility involves complex and slow
moving agronomic management. But you have a deficiency now.
Klaas and Mary-Howell explain how to temporarily boost your
soil fertility organically while you're waiting for those
long-term practices to kick in.
- August
3, 2004: "Farms R Us?" Part 2 Exploring the
successful management practices on one farm that could possibly
be transferred to another.
- July
20, 2004: "Farms R Us?" Part 1 Fearless farmers
bring a friend’s franchise farm fantasy to fruition
- April
2, 2004: Thinking upstream: Looking for root causes and
real solutions Our conventional agricultural system
is like chemotherapy for the soil … kill everything
and hope it solves the problem. But what caused the cancer
in the first place, and what can we do about it? That’s
what thinking upstream is all about.
- March
5, 2004: Seed: The Achilles’ heel of organic The
growing evidence in this country that much of our seed stock
is GMO-contaminated raises tough questions about the future
of organic—what it is, what it should be, and how
we can reduce our vulnerability and preserve our integrity
and vision as organic farmers.
- January
12, 2004: New Year's Reflection: How do you reduce risk
and improve farm income in 2004 100 ideas for improving
yield and income through crop diversity, weed control, equipment
repair, input avoidance, financial planning and value-added
processing.
- December
16, 2003: At What Cost? As rural communities, and entire
farm states, collapse under the current farm, we must consider
how we can make organic agriculture the norm...not just
a niche option.
- Special
Edition: Can we match Europe's small grian yields?
Klaas responds to questions about last month's column.
- November
21, 2003: Evaluating the 2003 season, and harvesting lessons
for 2004 and beyond This year: Disastrous small grains,
decent soybeans and corn, and a near miss with the cabbage
crop. Into the future: Exploring how to get European small
grain yields, often double those of the U.S.; figuring out
what contributes to corn lodging, and what variables effect
soybean yields from field to field.
- October
24, 2003: Why we certify. A must-read for anyone who cares
about the future of organic. There's an emerging level
of "sneaking non-compliance" with organic rules.
There's resistance and frustration with niggling NOP rules.
Lots of farmers are asking "Why bother with certification?"
Mary-Howell Martens offers a passionate and thoughtful response
to that tough question.
- September
30, 2003: Regarding the unseen life of sand and soil . .
. On beach and bottom land, life and health depend on
billions of unseen creatures weaving together in a complex
dance. Mary-Howell Martens eloquently questions how we have
managed to delude ourselves into thinking that we can disrupt
this complex movement without consequence.
- August
22, 2003: DEFENSIVE farming 18 years ago, Mary-Howell
Martens’ mother-in-law-to-be cautioned her suburban-raised
daughter-in-law-to-be that “the weather is never going
to be right.” How right she was! So what do you do
to survive in the tough years – which include every
one of the last four years here in the East? Mary-Howell
says it’s a combination of attitude, diversification
... and calm, creative thinking instead of panic.
- June,
2003: ORGANIC precision farming For organic
growers, "precision farming"; doesn't mean GPS
and on-board computers. It means better observation, longer
memory, and more care and attention to details. Organic
farmers can't patch up their mistakes and carelessness with
chemicals
- April,
2003: What is the true wealth of the organic movement?
The people, of course. They come
with different skills, backgrounds, motivations, ages and
educational levels, yet all feel the joy and excitement
of living at the heart of a burgeoning, world-changing movement.
- March,
2003: The Art of Crop Rotation Create a line-up
that ensures healthy soil; deters erosion, pests and weeds;
makes effective use of resources and earns a profit. Mary-Howell
reviews the process that is part science, part agronomics,
part economics, part field history and part farmer intuition.
- February,
2003: Providing for Ourselves.
Being self-sufficient starts with the food on our table,
but it doesn’t end there—it extends to farm
practices that don’t rely on inputs for fertility
and weed control; to communities that work together; and
to the most basic need of all . . .healthy, viable seeds
without help from Monsanto.
- January,
2003: Looking
backward, looking forward.
The Martens review the past and plan for
the future while passing on recording-keeping tips, soil
testing advice … and some thoughts on our responsibilities
as regenerative farmers.
- December,
2002: The gift of community.
The Martens reflect
on the critical importance to organic farmers of a supportive
community that counteracts the trend in rural America toward
bitter competition and isolation. PLUS:
6 keys to successful weed management.
- November,
2002: Reflections at harvest time,
with thanks.
Mary-Howell Martens takes a moment to reflect on insuring
quality at harvest, crop rotations, no-till vs. low-till
. . . and the privilege of harvesting your own crops and
seeing the tangible completion of a year.
- August,
2002: How Mary-Howell and Klaas Martens made the transition
to organic. 8 lessons our future NewFarm.org
columnists learned in the last ten years as they moved to
organic field crop production on over 1300 acres
And, by popular demand, following are the links to the Martens'
three part series "Look, Ma! No Weeds: Early Season Weed
Control".
Back to top >
Alan
Guebert: The Final Word
- September
24, 2004: Who is Tom Hofeller?; Now quickly,
the other news of the week
- September
17, 2004: Bush widens lead among rural, swing
voters; Other news of the week; It's just a game
- September
10, 2004: That crazy federal
deficit; Other news and views; Sept. 10, 2001: Trust your
future
- September
3, 2004: Farmers, November and party platforms;
And as the GOP convened in New York ...; Letter of the week
- August
27, 2004: “The President’s personal
commitment to conservation ...”; Other news, views
and clues; Again with the crowing rooster routine
- August
20, 2004: Need marketing advice? Call me in
November; The week’s theater of the absurd
- August
13, 2004: August crop report about a 6; Rabo: Part II;
Sugar meeting turns sour
- August
6, 2004: Sketchy WTO ag trade framework outlined;
Omaha Farm Credit bank opens FCS to takeovers
- July
30, 2004: Doha,'conflicting trade' and wages;
The wonderful world of unintended consequences
- July
23, 2004: USDA Inc.
- July
16, 2004: US-Aussie free trade deal a done
deal; Mad cow mistakes spotlighted in joint House hearing;
Some things are just a mystery
- July
9, 2004: Bush and the rural "Bubba"
vote; Letter of the week: NCBA threatens R-CALF; Weekly
news, views and reviews
- July
2, 2004: Of mad prices, mad cows and mad farmers;
In their words: the week that was; Of fireworks, family
and fish on the Fourth
- June
25, 2004: Hand-wringing over America's ag competition;
What others are saying; Of soaring turkeys and USDA
- June
18, 2004: House Ag hearing blasts USDA conservation
programs; Newest Bush target could be CRP; ACGA asks for
CRP sign-up now; Another ADM chapter closes
- June
10, 2004: Who we are: 2002 Ag Census; The week
in words; Cargill will DNA test cattle for taste, economics;
Ag journ 101
- May
28, 2004: USDA reverses itself on organic rules;
USDA budget cuts coming; Making sense of export numbers;
Memorial Day, 1868
- May
21, 2004: Listen to what I say, not what I
do; The week in words: One for the good guys: Sen. Paul
Muegge
- May
14, 2004: EU-US WTO two-step, again; The week
in words: All the ag news you'll ever need for $18,000 per
year
- May
7, 2004: USDA's mad cow mess stumbles on; Letter
of the week: Big Pork's big threat; Nebraska pork power
totters into Chapter 11
- April
30, 2004: Brazil opens cotton's can of worms;
debating subsidies with faulty math
- April
23, 2004: Far from the maddening cow; A long,
hot summer ahead: No Bush Farm and Ranch Team for me
- April
16, 2004: It's a long day in India, Part 3:
Rice, sugar awash in social faux pas – Alan makes
sure to leave his mark before returning to the states.
- April
9, 2004: It's a long day in India, part 2:
We meet India's future, several different options, to whose
hands will it fall?
- April
2, 2004: It's a long day in India
- March
19, 2004: Only mad cows and Americans; News,
views and all those blues; Letter of the week: Leaving the
herd behind
- March
12, 2004: Cargill settles civil suit on HFCS
price fixing; News and views; Meaty memo of the week: It's
all about us
- March
5, 2004: The news from Lake Farmbegone; Looking
for Wall Street? Try the Federal Courthouse; Letter of the
week: Is special sauce a durable good?
- February
27, 2004: Milk's mustache wiped off; News,
views and all those blues; A reader writes
- February
20, 2004: Cowboy justice clips meatpackers;
Cowboys 1, Tyson 0; now what?; USDA mad cow miracle: Downer
cows that walk
- February
13, 2004: Silence of the mules: the trade deal
no one wanted
- February
6, 2004: USDA takes hit big in 2005 Bush budget;
Behind the headlines
- January
30, 2004: Farming 101: The trouble with statistics;
The trouble with political science; The trouble with ag
economics
- January
26, 2004: On the road: Denver; On the road,
again: Denver II; Just can't wait to get off the road
- January
20, 2004: Cowboys in the courtroom ; News,
views and reviews; On the road: Iowa
- January
9, 2004: The USDA's busy week; So, if it's
clearly Canadian; Of checkoffs and mad cow
- January
2, 2004: A maddening New Year; Other “mad”
facts
- December
19, 2003: CAFTA is not a trade victory; A farm
belt recovery?; Another black-and-white Christmas story
- December
12, 2003: Budget bummer
busts ag; World Bank’s analysis of free ag trade:
You’re dead; Sen. Paul Simon, 1928-2003
- December
8, 2003: The new pork powerhouse: Washington,
D.C.; 2004's big issues
- December
1, 2003: Ethanol mandate, COOL sink in Senate;
From the Farm and Food File archives: A 'right smart' Thanksgiving
- November
21, 2003: Energy Bill baggage threatens passage;
Confusing week for US ag trade policy; Short takes on the
news
- November
14, 2003: The pot-holed road to Miami and a
FTAA; Steel vs. ag: 'illegal' tariffs to clip ag exports;
Views and invective
- November
7, 2003: Ethanol compromise pushes Energy Bill
forward; Ag budget bill, COOL, cattle import idea pass Senate;
Bites of week's food news
- October
31, 2003: USDA burns COOL again; Cost study
shows GM wheat a market killer; Headlines and deadlines
- October
24, 2003: Second pork checkoff defeat threatens
all checkoffs; In the news; On the road: Montana
-
October 10, 2003: Smithfield, Cargill line
up bids for Farmland; Another COOL hearing, another COOL
set-up; I don't know about you, but...
- October
3, 2003: Cooked books hide paltry farm income;
Red hot beef market to remain warm into winter; Laugh-a-minute
Limbaugh caught on TV
- September
26, 2003: Cancun reactions continue to ricochet
through global ag trade; Scenes from this farm life; GM
foods fail public polls again
- September
23: 2003: This issue has just one topic: what
led to the collapse of WTO talks in Cancun and its consequences...
- September
12, 2003: Heat's on farmers in Cancun; US,
EU sweating; GAO shows USDA how to move ahead on COOL; Payment
Commission to Congress: It's your mess, fix it
- September
5, 2003: Fixing U.S. ag policy; Willie v. Annie;
Canadian beef and bass
- August
29, 2003: By the time you read this... Reprise:
Oh say, can you see... Manitoba
- August
22, 2003: Court again declares South Dakota's
anti-corporate farming law illegal; Stop the presses: China
bigger ag exporter
- August
15, 2003: US-EU ag trade proposal little more
than Cancun window dressing; Still crazy after all these
years; The view from the rooftop
- August
11, 2003: AFBF: No WTO deal better than bad
deal; Silly season
- August
5, 2003: Stop the presses: USDA talks beef
with Japan without NCBA; International farm leaders offer
own agenda for WTO-Cancun; Energy bill again passes Senate
- August
1, 2003: Smithfield eats Farmland Foods; In
their own words: the real Smithfield; COOL funding killed
in House; survives in Senate; News, views and some blues
- July
25, 2003: Cancun could clobber US farmers and
ranchers; 'We're being fed to the fishes over and over and
over again'; A lovely evening for crop reportin'
- July
11, 2003: US blasts GM food and feed labeling;
Academic wars: The battle to replace Neil Harl; Beef checkoff
goes down for the second time
- July
7, 2003: Europe votes for GM labeling of food,
feed; More Europe: CAP reform; How to kill a farm group
- June
27, 2003: When old Doc Greenspan talks, we
should listen; Passing time with the great American pastime
- June
23, 2003: Special interests gut COOL funding;
Follow the money--or Henry Bonilla; Go ahead, hit me—but
I say, 'keep the estate tax'
- June
17, 2003: Wheat's newest battleground is free--and
GMO-free--Iraq; Government program payments 'expected to
total $21.4 billion in 2003'; News, views and more ag journalism
blues
- June
9, 2003: Ethanol gets victory in Senate; G-8:
BINGO! — Bush wins again; Dairy’s naïve
backroom political offer
- May
30, 2003: Canada's ill wind shows America's
leaky biosecurity blanket; Views of the news; From the Ag
journalist's mouth to the banker's ear
- May
23, 3003: Mad cow madness; The Jungle: More bad meat
and bad news for meat; Bye-bye dollar
- May
16, 2003: How to win GMO friends and influence
customers; Ms. Veneman has been doing a lot of crowing but
what does she have to show; Graduation Day, 2003
- May
12, 2003: It's
been a COOL week—ACGA poll confirms
concerns over GM corn, support for COOL; Finally,
a COOL study on labeling benefits;
Quote of the week
- May
2, 2003: Our
man in Baghdad part II; Just COOL it;
Ag journalist, watchdog or a businessman's best friend?
- April
25, 2003: Our
man in Baghdad; News you may have missed; 'I weep for my
profession' - Part 2
- April
11, 2003: Trying
to spin the plain truth on COOL; 'I weep for
my profession’
- Part 1
- April
4, 2003:
March
31 plantings report not 'suprising'; Budget
billions, budget baloney; On the road to Baghdad
- March
28, 2003: GMO:
Genetically modified oratory; The lighter
side of COOL; Two voices— do you know which one is
speaking the truth?
- March
21, 2003: The
farm homefront; David Heath Swanson, Federal
Convict; Quotes of the week
- March
14, 2003: The genes of biotech journalism;
Appellate courts hear beef, pork check-off cases
- March
7, 2003: ‘Smelly'
Starlink settlement; Suited up for checkoff challenges;
Hi, I’m Ann and I'll be your saleslady today'
February
28, 2003: Court
ruling may challenge ag integrators; Busy week for news
and views; Letter from America: Dancing Ann; Note from Norway
- February
21, 2003: Congress
cripples organic standards; Traveling Bobby's
$435 billion tab; Europe bashing
February 14, 2003: Disaster aid charade; Stop
the presses! NPPC claims COOL too costly; World trade talkers
- February
7, 2003: For the main
course, 2004 White House, USDA Budget Baloney and to finish,
Short takes on the rest of the week. Bon Appétit!
- January
31, 2003: Agriculture is surprisingly absent
from the State of the Union address and other news that
will shock you
- January
24, 2003: Senate approves
$3.1 billion in disaster aid; Court puts out Iowa welcome
mat for pork integrators; What a day - homeland security
is offical, Veneman is near failing, CountryMark's CEO is
under arrest, again - and it's not even noon yet!
- January
17, 2003: Chicago fire
burns commodity prices; Grain reserve offers insurance against
future flames; New Congress, new assistance ideas; You'll
be missed, Elmer Brown
- January
10, 2003: January report
bearish but hope for '04; Not a nickel for farm aid, $674
billion for tax cuts; Bush Stimulus Plan: Fat Plums to Fat
Cats; Some things never change – beef, pork, and a
non-stimulating “stimulus” package
- January
3, 2003: New Year could
bring stronger ag markets; Oh where, Oh where are CCPs?;
Here's to a new USDA, some much needed moments of silence,
a few wins for the Chicago Cubs and a great 2003
- December
20, 2002: Europe to
America: “Our Food, Our Rules;” bring me the
head of Hedrick Verfaillie; Trent Lott inspires “quote
of the week;” a special Christmas story, retold
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