-
My Bookend Internships
·
The summer of 2013 brought me to two farms on completely opposite ends of the dairy farm spectrum. By William Mathew Cain Growing up on a Connecticut angus farm seemed wonderful until I joined 4H and saw all the excitement of my new dairy farm buddies. I wanted what they had. My first show heifer…
-
Watch Out Diesel: There’s a New Fuel in Town
·
Dave Dolan of Flying Rabbit Farm creates syngas out of locally produced grass pellets. “VRRRRRRRMMM….” As the engine on Dave Dolan’s tractor sputtered to life, I stood by, watching Dolan scurry around the machine, turning knobs and flicking switches. Puffs of smoke emerged from the complex fueling system handcrafted for this tractor, which isn’t powered…
-
Fruition Seeds: A Model for Collaborative, Regional Seed Development
·
With over thirty years of combined agricultural experience, Matthew Goldfarb and Petra Page-Mann co-founded Fruition Seeds in 2012 to improve and develop our regional genetic resources. Currently growing over sixty seed crops on three acres in the heart of the Finger Lakes of New York, they are dedicated to organic, open-pollinated and regionally adapted…
-
Learning and Traveling by “WWOOFing”
·
Road trip meets agricultural education I had the privilege, after college, to spend a few months doing what many have colloquially called “wwoofing.” WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or in some countries, Willing Workers on Organic Farms, and originally, Working Weekends on Organic Farms. The organization began with a small group…
-
Wetland Restoration: "What Do You Want to Do That For?"
·
Enhancing wetland areas on your farm can bring a whole new community of wildlife to your land. The title in layman’s terms is really pronounced, “Whatta ya wanna do that for”, driving my spellcheck into utter meltdown. It’s a common phrase used by folks who don’t understand a decision, idea or action. It’s exactly what farmers (and…
-
Quinoa Curiosity
·
Farmers David McClelland and Mei-ling Hom used SARE funding to trial the increasingly popular grain quinoa on their rural New York farm. Nestled on the eastern edge of rural Allegany County, New York, diverse Maplebank Farm is owned by David McClelland and Mei-ling Hom. Both formally trained artists, McClelland and Hom each bring a creative eye…
-
Sunflowers: From Field to Fuel
·
Drawing the connection between diversified agriculture, renewable energy, and food production in Vermont Farmers across New England want to diversify operations, lower fuel and feed costs, and be more self-sufficient. Momentum is gaining for raising oilseed crops like sunflowers, canola, and soybeans to make biodiesel for fuel and oilseed meal for livestock feed, in addition…
-
Pigging Out
·
At Phoenix Farm, a small, family-run homestead, we had the opportunity to get a breeding pair of American Guinea Hogs through a pass-on program in the fall of 2010. Over the last three years, our experience with American Guinea Hog (AGH) pigs has convinced us that they are well suited to small, homestead-style farms like…
-
Electric Nettings for Sheep: Useful Tips
·
Note to Reader I wrote a previous article which appeared in the Fall 2007 issue of Small Farm Quarterly which covered basic information about electric nettings – what they are, what variations there are, what to use them for. I will not address these details in this article in order to focus on a…
October 7, 2013
Receive news and resources as they are released by joining our newsletter.
Join the Small Farms Newsletter
To start your subscription and start receiving content, you will need to complete our full sign-up form on the following page.
