Year: 2012
The sickle makes its way quickly and quietly through tall, healthy green foliage. The air smells pleasantly of ginger and earth. I hear the sound of roots giving way as Hugh Johnson and Dan Kelly pull hands of young ginger from the soil. Bright pink bud scales adorn the creamy white rhizomes of the freshly…
Welcome to our new photo essay feature! For 2012, we’ll be bringing you seasonal images from the Whole Systems Design Research Farm in the Mad River Valley region of Vermont. The farm is a demonstration site to test out regenerative food, fuel, and shelter systems that operate on current solar energy. Learn more about the…
Being born and raised on a farm has taught me many things. One of the most important is probably my work ethic. I hate to leave things unfinished, or not do my best at whatever I’m doing. I take my work ethic with me to school. My schedule is full and my classes give a…
In 2010, the US imported 164.4 million pounds of “fresh garlic” and garlic imports continue to rise. However, in 2012 there will be a hundred or so people in the Hudson Valley who will be getting fresh local garlic from Great Song Farm in Milan, NY. This fall, Great Song is completing its first growing…
The Whole Farm Nutrient Analysis Program (WFA) came along at the right time for Rob Howland of Candor, NY. Howland’s 74 cow dairy is one of eleven farms in the WFA project, an initiative of Cornell’s Nutrient Management Spear Program (NMSP). The WFA identifies opportunities for change in nutrient inputs or allocations that could benefit…
Growing up on a dairy farm and being in 4-H has given me some great opportunities. Doing chores on the farm has taught me about hard work. Through 4-H, I have been involved in the Dairy Bowl competition, representing my county at the regional contest for three years and last year at the State level…
Audubon Vermont is working with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) on two exciting programs, called the Forest Bird Initiative (FBI) and Champlain Valley Bird Initiative (CVBI). Both programs engage landowners in managing their land to protect a number of priority bird species in the region. Through these programs, forest, shrubland, and grass landowners are…
I just got back from San Diego, California. Now, let me tell you how I got there. I live on an organic dairy farm with my family in a small town in Northern New York. I have been in the 4-H horticulture program for 8 years now. The first year I did the horticulture ID…
Over the past decade, direct marketing has become very popular, and for good reason. Selling directly to the customer brings back a higher return and the satisfaction of a personal relationship, among many other advantages. But the time and talent to show up in person, peddling your products one by one, isn’t always the most…
Welcome to the Northeast SARE Spotlight! SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) offers grants to farmers, educators, universities and communities that are working to make agriculture more sustainable – economically, environmentally, and socially. Learn about whether a SARE grant would be a good fit for you. Erin Forbes of Overland Honey in Portland, Maine has…
