FIELD WORKER
Leafcutter ants engage in monoculture practices just like we do but with much stricter public health and safety guidelines that would put our own National Organic Program standards to shame. What do these ants know that we don’t? I spoke to Mark Moffett, Research Associate in Entomology at the Smithsonian Institute and author of Adventures Among Ants: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions to find out.
Click here to read an excerpt from the book
All images are from Adventures among Ants by Mark W. Moffett, published in 2010 by the University of California Press
READ MORE OF MY POSTS ON CIVIL EATS...read on
What is Sustainable Agriculture?
Says SARE: This 12-page publication provides a sampler of best practices—from marketing and community vitality to cover crops and grazing—as well as eight profiles of producers, educators and researchers who have successfully implemented them.
For more thoughts on the nature, purpose and definition of sustainable agriculture, I highly recommend reading Fred Kirschenmann's column in the Leopold Letter. Distinguished Fellow of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, President of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, he is one of our pre-eminent farmer philosophers.
investigating the sustainability of sustainable agriculture
ARCHIVE
december 9, 2009
YOUNG FARMERS CONFERENCE 2009: REVIVING THE CULTURE OF AGRICULTURE at the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture
| yfc_brochure_2009.pdf |
YOUNG FARMERS on The Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC
GRIST report: Notes from Stone Barns’ ‘Young Farmer Conference’
11 Dec 2008 11:52 AM
by Chelsea DeWitt
There's a social movement cropping up in fields and markets across the country -- America's next generation of farmers are stepping up to the pitchfork. Young, excited and energized, they're facing many challenges, but also reaping many rewards.
monday, november 9, 2009
bumper crop: the next generation
Columbia Missourian
Young farmers share experiences at Small Farm Trade Show and Conference
By Margaret Menderski
November 6, 2009 | 7:46 p.m. CST
“The whole idea was to raise chickens in a way that would be simple enough that a 9-year-old could take care of them and raise them in a backyard,” AnnaLiese said.
weeds: trouble patches
Photograph by Frank B. Edwards
POLITICS OF THE PLATE
Let Them Eat Cow Manure
by Barry Estabrook
The daughter of a friend of mine died after eating hamburger contaminated with E. coli at a family cookout. Her death was horrendous. For two weeks, the once-bubbly two-year-old lay in hospital struggling to stay alive while toxins slowly ate away at her kidneys. Neither modern medicine nor her parents could do a thing, except watch in anguish.
That preventable death occurred more than two decades ago, yet food safety regulators and meatpackers have refused to take the simple steps that would stop the same tragedy from recurring. In the last week alone, 48 people (and counting) have been sickened in the Northeast by E. coli in ground beef. Two have died.
muckraker: bucking the status quo
The Shepherdstown Chronicle
Noted farmer speaks at ACFF
By Allan Balliett, For the Chronicle
Joel Salatin, a confident and charismatic third generation farmer who became known to many through Michael Pollan's admiration of his work and ideas in "The Omnivore's Delimma," describes himself as "a Christian Libertarian environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer." He is the recently retired farmer of Polyface "a family owned, multi-generational, pasture-based, beyond organic, local-market farm and informational outreach in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley." His son, Daniel, is now the farmer at Polyface.
more...
herd the news? the sustainability of livestock
Industry News - AM Prof debunks ‘green’ food myths
By Ann Bagel Storck on 11/9/2009
Pasture- or grass-fed meat is perceived to be more eco-friendly than conventionally produced beef, said Jude Capper, an assistant professor of dairy sciences at WashingtonStateUniversity and one of the paper's authors. However, the time needed to grow an animal to slaughter weight is nearly double that of animals fed corn, she noted, which means that energy use and greenhouse gas emissions per pound of beef are increased three-fold in grass-fed beef cattle. In total, finishing the current U.S. population of 9.8 million fed-cattle on pasture would require an extra 60 million acres of land.
sowing seeds: news of inspiration
Common plants can eliminate indoor air pollutants
5 super ornamentals identified for cleaner indoor air
The study concluded that simply introducing common ornamental plants into indoor spaces has the potential to significantly improve the quality of indoor air. In addition to the obvious health benefits for consumers, the increased use of indoor plants in both ''green'' and traditional buildings could have a tremendous positive impact on the ornamental plant industry by increasing customer demand and sales.
cropping up: announcements
wednesday, september 30, 2009
cropping up
Sixth Annual HARVEST FEST, Saturday Oct 3, 10am-3pm
Harvest Fest is a community celebration of the farm at its most fruitful! Festivities for the whole family will include live music, farm market, hayrides and games from 10:00am - 3:00pm at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, located just 45 minutes north of Manhattan..
quote of the week: "Today, Michael Pollan participated in a panel discussion at University of Wisconsin. The panel consisted of two farmers, a UW student who grew up on the farm, and Michael Pollan. The UW student had an enormous smile plastered on her face. Something told me that she wasn't there to talk about her family's organic farm. And you know what? If you're looking to put Michael Pollan in a difficult position, it was clever. It reminded me of the Palin/Biden Vice Presidential Debate.
-- Jill Richardson on La VidaLocavore
sowing seeds: news of inspiration
FEDERAL PLAN: Goal is to get Northeast to supply more of its own produce
By MARC HELLER
WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES -- WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2009
WASHINGTON — New York may be the nation's second leading producer of apples, and Maine is near the top in potatoes — but the vast majority of the fruit and vegetables eaten in the Northeast come from other parts of the country.
A federal study aims to change that, by figuring out what could be grown more in the Northeast to satisfy big-city markets.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said this week it is pouring an additional $230,000 into the food security effort, which will examine soil types, climate and economic issues that could shed light on the region's potential to produce more of its own food. Doing so could dull the effect of high fuel prices and other transportation-related woes than can drive prices up in grocery stores.
[photo courtesy of NESAWG]
Attend the The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference: It Takes A Region, November 13-14 2009
sept 7, 2009
philosopher's garden: moral and ethical issues of our food supply
Greg Bowman, Communications Manager at The Rodale Institute, advises on the ways of older farmers:
Question:
I'm trying to convince an old farmer stuck in his ways not to spray the entire field next year with these copper fungicides and Sevin, but he seems to need some more hard facts convincing. Does anyone know of any studies done on the dangers of using these types of pesti/fungicides? Any information sent my way would be extremely appreciated!
Thanks
Abby
Answer:
Abby,
If I were him, I’d have to be convinced that there is an alternative to the best practices I know, however nasty you can show him they are.
Insect pressure varies widely by crop, year, microclimate and field history, but conversion to organic or biologically based pest management is always a possibility, once a person decides to make it work.
Your local, regional or state organic and sustainable farming associations would be the first place I would check, to find a farmer with the situation most similar to his who is willing to talk to him.
In most cases by now, you can find someone in the Extension service (locally or at your landgrant) who specializes in organic or sustainable pest management.
And, if the wants to begin in as totally risk-free environment, he can consult Rodale Institute’s free, online Organic Transition Course. He should start at the beginning with Healthy Soil, but if he’s impatient, he can go right to Crops at http://www.tritrainingcenter.org/course/M3/
One more thing about approaching old farmers: When a colleague was in a similar situation, I suggested she start by baking him a pie.
Related note: I often find that bringing a cut-flower bouquet from my garden or whole vegetables to a board meeting somehow puts people at ease.
Greg Bowman, Communications Manager at The Rodale Institute
pioneer: urban agriculture
An Urban Victory Garden (2.0)
Gastronomalies
By Ali Savino
Vermicomposting - it sounds very serious and very scientific, but what it really means is keeping a bunch of worms around to turn your food and plant scraps into really good dirt.
I visited a neighbor’s goodbye party this weekend, and he gave me a tour of the house’s food production efforts. The house sits on a double lot and is one of the few detached homes in the area, which is made up primarily of townhouses (think Chelsea or denser areas of Brooklyn in NYC). Needless to say, I was seriously jealous of all their yard space. Their plants were amazing, but what really caught my eye was a little plastic container hidden under the deck. My host proudly showed off this canister as one of his great achievements.
more...
pioneers: urban agrarians at work
Growing Gardners In New Haven
by Melissa Waldron Lehner
Summer 2009, Edible Nutmeg
When not on the computer, these kids are getting their hands dirty in the classroom learning about gardening from the ground up via a deceptively simple looking patented planter known as the EarthBox. Created over a decade ago by Blake Whisenant, an organic tomato farmer from Florida, the EarthBox, in partnership with the Growing
Connection, has changed the way communities are growing food the world over.
read Edible Nutmeg article here
monday, july 20 2009
The Buziness of Bees
the art of bee wrangling
Bees have been seein' red these days. Well, actually they can't see the color red, Ted Jones explains, they only see black. But they have been getting ornery from all the rain here in Connecticut. While picking up some eggs, I had the pleasure of running into Ted, expert bee-wrangler, owner of Jones’ Apiaries in Farmington, Connecticut, and president of Connecticut Beekeepers who was at Hard Rain Farm in Burlington with his son to smoke out some bees. Hard Rain Farm rents 10 of his hives to pollinate the myriad of apples, kale, eggplant, herbs and other vegetables and fruits that grow on the 4 acres of well managed farmland.
Today, father and son were out to collect the honey. A thunderstorm had just come through and the sky was bluish-black. Tom eyed the sky and held out his hand for rain, not a welcome thing for bees. “Bees don’t like the rain too much, it’s best to stay away from them.” That’s why Ted was sending in his son to check on the hives. His son, dutifully suited up for what looked like a trip to the moon, had a long-nosed smoker by his side. The smoke apparently sedates the bees and reduces the chance of being stung. Ted explained that a bee’s behavior is triggered by pheremones, or rather, chemical signals which then elicit a response from the bee, a response like stinging for example. “Another thing is, you don’t ever want to go near a beehive with a banana, you know,” says Ted dryly, as if there was a punch line coming. The only punch line is for the poor sucker who peels one back while standing in front of a hive - even one lone bee can wreak havoc. Bananas have an aroma which set off the alarm response and can cause quite a stir of stingers directed at said banana holder. “It could be ugly,” he grimaced.
Only 10% of honeybees remain in the wild. Tom says his business has really picked up nowadays and he has hardly had a day off. “It used to be that you just dropped off the hives at the beginning of the season and then you come to pick them up at the end. But no more.” Now Ted needs to visit the hives every two to three weeks to make sure all is well. “Some get wiped out when farmers spray their crops with all those pesticides, others have been wiped out by disease.”
Colony Collapse Disorder, a mysterious syndrome with unknown origins, has wiped out most of the bee population around the country and the globe. Ted, who has been a beekeeper since 1972, says that there are several possible explanations, and cell phones, a longtime rumored agent held responsible for the bees’ demise, are not one of them. “I have a cell phone right here on my side and I still have my bees.” Ted, like most beekeepers, suspects that the bees’ demise stems from the intense use of herbicide, fungicides and pesticides that are currently used on most conventionally grown crops in this country. “I see some honeys that are being sold as ‘organic’. Now that is just not possible,” Ted claims. Bees travel at circumferences of half miles, which is 4500 acres. “Can you tell me that in Connecticut, you have 4500 acres anywhere without chemical spraying? I don’t think so.”
Some experts say that the bee collapse has been caused by regular old fashioned Varroa mites and insect diseases. But no matter the cause, Ted reassured me that the future of the bees is looking up. “They are holding their own this year. I wouldn’t say they have recovered but they are looking better than they did.”
Right now Ted is busy getting next year’s colonies re-populated by splitting his colonies in half and getting a Queen bee imported from California or possibly using one of his own. You gotta start early to catch that honey.
better bee-haviour
Better Bee-haviour: from Bees, the USDA and Yes, the EPA
by Melissa Waldron Lehner
Civil Eats, July 16 09
Bees have been dying off in record numbers over the past few years — some American beekeepers have lost anywhere from 30 to 90% of their bees. The situation, termed Colony Collapse Disorder [CCD], has wreaked havoc on American agriculture and the $15 billion worth of crops pollinated by honeybees every year.
read more...
buzz on bees
To order The Pollination Equation poster, click here
Here is the latest information on the health of bees and what you can do to help:
National Pollinator Week
The third annual National Pollinator Week was held from June 22 - 28 09. See what your state is doing to help the honeybees.
The Great Sunflower Project
By watching and recording the bees at sunflowers in your garden, you can help us understand the challenges that bees are facing. While we are no longer sending out annual Lemon Queen sunflower seeds for 2009, you can participate by getting seeds at your local store or through one of these seed sellers. The instructions are here. Do join us!
Pollinator Partnership
Declines in the health and population of pollinators in North America and globally pose what could be a significant threat to the integrity of biodiversity, to global food webs, and to human health. A number of pollinator species are at risk.
Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network
contact us
past issues of fertile ground usa....
wednesday, september 3, 2008
special edition: slow food nation '08
Slow Food Nation '08 reports that: "Over 60,000 people participated in Slow Food Nation last weekend and celebrated the birth of a broad and inclusive food movement to build an American food system that is sustainable, just, and delicious."
According to Anya Fernald, executive director of Slow Food Nation, a subsidiary of Slow Food U.S.A., 98 percent of the events sold out, and 20 percent of attendees were from outside of California.[NY TImes]
A Field Report From Slow Food Nation by Shepherd Bliss, Counterpunch
Yet while the throngs were reaping the rewards of the farm in San Fran, Sara Franklin writes in her Breaking Ground column why it's the end of the "sane farming season."
sowing seeds: news of inspiration
As Food Becomes a Cause, Meeting Puts Issues on the Table
By Jane Black
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 30, 2008; Page A01
This is how far some people will go these days to get locally grown food: In California, more than 40 residents volunteered their back yards to an aspiring young farmer who couldn't afford to buy land of his own. In exchange for a weekly supply of produce, they would let him till their all-American lawns into rows of lettuce, broccoli, squash and peas...
A Taste of the Future?
August 31, 2008, 2:16 pm
By Christine Muhlke
On Friday I was wondering whether Slow Food Nation, the four-day San Francisco event that aims to encourage Americans to come to the table, would turn out to be the Woodstock or the Lollapalooza of food. Today, I’m convinced that it’s the Davos (minus Bono).
muckraker: grass farmer joel salatin does slow food nation
Joel Salatin Grass Farmer-Author, Polyface Farm, Swope, Virginia -- Salatin’s “farm of many faces” is richly profiled in Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma as “one of the most productive and influential alternative farms in America.” Acclaimed author and pastoralist, Salatin’s passion for humanity’s ancient engagement with grass argues its current relevance to your health and our species’ continued success on the planet.
Michael Pollan once wrote:"I might never have found my way to Polyface Farm if Joel Salatin hadn't refused to FedEx me one of his chickens."
Watch Joel Salatin on YouTube
Magic Bus: The WHOFarm Project Bus [photo by Jill Richardson]
Across the plaza, Casey Gustowarow sat in a big yellow school bus that's known as TheWhoFarm: The White House Organic Farm Project. TheWhoFarm is gathering petition signatures to urge the next president to plant an organic farm on the grounds of the White House...."There's 17 acres at the White House," Gustowarow said. "At least some of that land could be turned into productive use. Food is an important issue, and we need to support supporting local agriculture in a big way." [AP by J.M. Hirsch]
Slow Food Soapbox: Daniel Bowman Simon of the WHO Project
Sign the petition to the 44th President of the United States!
More Photos of the WHOFarm Project Bus and other Slow Food Nation '08 activities by Jill Richardson
action alert: endorse "Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture"
On Thursday, they released their "Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture," a 12-point plan they hope can be used as a blueprint for remaking the federal farm bill, the $300 billion measure that influences virtually every aspect of the American food system...."The farm bill is making very, very few people successful. The vast majority are hurting," Michael Dimock, president of Roots of Change, said of small farmers. "The big commodity regions of the country are becoming poorer and poorer. We have to reverse that." [AP by J.M. Hirsch]
sidenote: The USDA Economic Research Service recently released a useful tool -- the 2008 Farm Bill Side-by-Side
http://www.ers.usda.gov/FarmBill/2008/video/FarmBillVideo.htmv
Slow Food Nation: Revolutionary diet
Slow foodies unveil declaration of sustainability
Posted by Russ Walker at 12:20 PM on 29 Aug 2008
First Issue of Fertile Ground USA
april 2008
in this issue: the launch of Fertile Ground USA! & SARE's 20th Anniversary!
Photo taken by Heidi Rader, West-Grand Prize Winner [Communities and Markets] of SARE's 2008 Photo Competition.)
What better way to launch a zine about sustainable farming than to devote the first issue to the folks at SARE, the Sustainable Agriculture Reseach and Education non-profit in Washington DC that has been helping advance environmentally sound, community-oriented and profitable farming systems nationwide. I had the pleasure of attending their 20th anniversary New American Farm Conference in Kansas City, Missouri recently and was greatly inspired. This issue represents a small fraction of the stories that I would like to tell. Small in number perhaps, but big in heart. I hope they inspire you too. Enjoy.
melissa waldron
editor & publisher, fertile ground usa
muckraker
challenging the status quo
Meet the movers and shakers at this 20th anniversary SARE conference. "We must create sustainable envy," says Karl Kupers of Shepherd's Grain in Reardon, Washington. These guys are doing it.
immigrant nation
people from far away lands, here to do it for themselves
"I'm the laziest farmer you will ever meet," says Pov Huns of Huns Garden in Kansas City, Kansas. And I believe him.
a philosopher's garden
moral and ethical questions on how and why we grow our food
The Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture: no cheating allowed.
herd the news?
sustainable livestock = profit
It's a sheer thing, say Jeanne and Dan Carver of Imperial Stock in Maupin, Oregon.
pioneer
Our inner cities are the new frontier
Troostwood Youth Garden, Kansas City, Missouri: the little engine that could, did and is.
MOO-ney
hitting the jackpot in sustainable ag
You just can’t bring a good Haemonchus contortus worm down. Unless you have really good weed.