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Re-post of an article recently published in The Root. An Earth Day Solution For Urban Food Deserts With their ''guerrilla'' tactics, black organic farmers are taking Malcolm X's mandate of ''by any means necessary'' and turning it green. It is time, they say, to change an unhealthy paradigm. By: Frank McCoy | April 22, 2010 […]

by Fred Bahnson; April 20, 2010 published in Faith & Leadership John Jeavons expects that 20 years from now most of the world’s people will be struggling to eat. Jeavons, a developer of sustainable agriculture methods, delivered this dire message at a three-day workshop I recently attended. Although his vision might seem to approach the […]

By Sarah Murray, FT.com. April 24, 2010. Until a few weeks ago Callum Saunders’ tiny east London balcony was packed with planters – but not only ones containing flowers or herbs. In an experiment to see just what edible produce he could grow at his small flat in Hackney he filled small containers with rocket […]

by Ewen MacAskill. guardian.co.uk, Thursday 22 April 2010 Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, donated $30m (£19.5m) to a new fund to help poor farmers today in an effort to push wealthy countries into fulfilling promises to stump up billions in aid. The Gates Foundation has focused primarily on health issues but sees aid for […]

an essay by Tom Philpott, actually the full-length version of what he wrote in the NYTimes piece we just referenced. To enter a farmers' market in a U.S. city in the summer is to experience firsthand the recent revival of small-scale farming. Stand after stand offers a dazzling variety of chemical-free produce, pasture-raised meat and […]

A nice little piece in the NYtimes by Benjamin Shute - greenhorn + one of the co-founders of our new National Young Farmers Coalition!  His piece is part of a lengthier commentary on "Making It Easier to Eat Local Food".  Several great writers are featured. Small Grants Can Help Us Benjamin Shute is the co-owner […]

The Art of Eating has gathered all bread issues into a new collection - The 12 issues cover pizza, croissants, baguettes, pain au levain, and more. 12 issues, $87 no. 22 “Pizza in Naples” — Pizza in the city where pizza originated and remains better than anywhere else — the history and origins, what defines […]

Here's a little note on some press for our friends at Urban Patchwork. Dear Severine (and all the rest of you wonderful greenhorns) If you wanted to know, the lovely Paige Hill and I (of Urban Patchwork) have been featured in today's issue of the Austin Statesman. (click here for more) Keith McDorman -- Urban […]

Community voices  and togetherness matter. Ahee makes it clear in this essay on the meeting of food justice and urban ag in Detroit, in the form of the Hantz project. In Honor of Self-Determination, by Will Ahee.             John Hantz envisions farming 10,000 acres in Detroit using the most modern, mechanized methods of farming available.  […]

Here is a bit of an essay from greenhorn Derrick Mead, of Mead Orchards, who has graciously hosted events on his farm, donated apples and veggies to our 2009 pigs, and much more. Tight Pink; Agricultural Relational Aesthetics April 14, 2010 Apple blossoms in Northern Dutchess County are largely in the tight pink stage. This is […]

this comes to us from greenhorn Eric Budzynski, who has this to say: Howdy Fellow Greenhorns! This is a great article on GMO regulation coming from a major news outlet. Not only is this a good intro to the issues for those who have not heard much about it, but it also raises some pretty […]

Alex Smith, who recently interviewed Severine on his show Radio Ecoshock, shared these thoughts with us.  You can listen to that interview HERE The Radio Ecoshock interview went very well.  It took me back to old times. When I went to the Algonquin Park area of Ontario (Canada), there were about 400 people, many of […]

We'll start posting more about new zealand milk politics as well.  Much to be learned by example. Modern Milk by Jonathan Shaw published in Harvard Magazine The milk we drink today may not be nature’s perfect food,” says Ganmaa Davaasambuu, a Mongolian physician who is a fellow this year at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced […]

A super visual essay! With a solid written component as well.  Looking at lessons from Japan's ancient tradition of sustainability. By Azby Brown Sometimes a simple investigation can lead us along an unexpected path. This spring I will have lived in Japan for 25 years, as a student, artist, designer and teacher. My interests here […]

By Katherine Gustafson | Tuesday, February 23, TONIC When the recent “snowpocalypse” blizzard swept through central Virginia, Mark Lilly was ready to grab the opportunity. While others were huddled inside with movies and mugs of cocoa, Lilly ventured out into the storm to provide the people of Richmond what he knew they’d want: fresh food […]

on change.org. which I 've just learned about from a nice lady named katie G. A Month Without Monsanto by Jason Mark April 02, 2010 April Dávila bit off a little more than she could chew. When the thirty-something aspiring novelist and new mother came across a story on The Huffington Post about how Monsanto’s […]

remember greenhorns, there are more and more jobs managing historic farms + orchards.  we will keep posting them. Heirloom Apple Crops Increase By Florence Fabricant Spring does not bring to mind apples, but with the start of the growing season a nonprofit group called Renewing America’s Food Traditions (RAFT), which works with Slow Food, has […]

We just received this nice note from "budding greenhorn" Jana Smart: Hi there! I have been following the Greenhorns the last year after moving from Brooklyn and love the blog! I'm now doing my first apprenticeship at Blooming Glen Farm in Bucks County, PA and have started a blog to chronicle my journey with insights […]

Our 2nd circular is out!  If you're on our mailing list, you already know this. The Spring Circular features Farm to School Politics, Bread + Bicycles, Farmer Janes, Rustbelt Revivals, Retrofits, Grange Halls. Click HERE to download the PDF.

We love hearing from folks who are inspired get their fingers in the dirt.  Here is a note from one such young woman, about to set out on the path.  And a photo she took of some beautiful snap peas.  Send us an update when you're on a farm, Brooke! Dear Greenhorns,  I just want […]

and her book! By Julia Moskin March 30, 2010, The New York Times IN 1968 — when Alice Waters had just graduated from Berkeley, when Paula Wolfert was studying couscous in Tangier, when Diana Kennedy was writing recipes after years of research in Mexico — another young woman, this one from the Irish Midlands, went […]

March 4, 2010 Lawfirm Seeger Weiss brought home another victory against giant agro-business Premium Standard Farms, when a Missouri jury awarded $11.05 million to the 15 neighboring owners of small farms today. Co-founder Stephen A. Weiss has led the charge against these giant factory farms, whose careless and illegal disposal of waste products degrades the […]

the spunky savy folks of hardwick, VT talk shop with Dan Rather-- check out the video!

look at the solidarity and celebration of the gathering of the herders+ nomads Jonathan Watts, from the guardian.co.uk. Thursday 25 February 2010. The United Nations has launched a $4m dollar carcass-clearing appeal for Mongolia as millions of camels, goats, yaks and horses perish across the steppe from a climate double whammy of summer drought and winter […]

Open Forum: Invest in the next generation of farmers By Rebecca King As a fledgling 30-something female sheep farmer, I rack up more than my share of Little Bo Peep jokes. In reality, I haven't lost my sheep.I know exactly where to find them because they're the key to my successful cheese-making start-up enterprise and […]

asap!   Here is an article from the Washington Post  on the Drake Forum, which we attended with Benjamin Shute and Lindsey Lusher. For New Farmers, Challenges Remain by Jane Black The number of farms in America has begun to grow again, according to the most recent agricultural census. New small farms helped the overall number […]

Lynn Miller, one of the champions. If you don't already take the Small Farm Journal, this would be the moment to change that. Saving Farmland for What? by Lynn Miller, Copyright 2009 The city of Los Angeles was built upon some of the most fertile and productive farmland on the entire planet. There were historical […]

A low-fat vegetarian diet is very efficient in terms of how much land is needed to support it. But adding some dairy products and a limited amount of meat may actually increase this efficiency, Cornell researchers suggest. By Susan Lang, Cornell Chronicle Online. This deduction stems from the findings of their new study, which concludes […]

By Jeff Caldwell. (Agriculture.com) MARCH 19, 2010: It's no secret that the average farmer is getting up in years. As the farming population ages, the issue of farm succession is becoming a bigger concern for the younger generation making its mark on the agriculture industry, a recent poll finds. The latest Farm and Rural Life […]

this week, Severine & the greenhorns graced the front page of Grist-- check out whole fabulous interview and learn more about the recent Drake Forum on Beginning Farmers, the newly formed Young Farmers' Coalition, and the hustle bustling new agrarian movement. By Erik Hoffner. Q. What is Greenhorns all about? A. It's about the community of young farmers in this country. We are […]

they're young, they're broke, and they pay for organic salmon with government subsidies. got a problem with that? By Jennifer Bleyer Pinched is an ongoing series about life during a recession. In the John Waters-esque sector of northwest Baltimore -- equal parts kitschy, sketchy, artsy and weird -- Gerry Mak and Sarah Magida sauntered through […]

a re-post from the L.A. Times. Farmers say consolidation in the industry means they're forced to buy more costly seeds. But Monsanto, the world's largest seed firm, says competition 'is alive and flourishing.' By P.J. Huffstutter, March 11, 2010 For 40 years, farmer Todd Leake and his family have battled bitter cold, hungry pests and […]

thanks to our friend and ally Kevin Skvorak of Regeneration CSA for sending us this link!  Is it time for concerned NYC people to build an effective foodshed protection movement? Posted by sarah williford & kevin skvorak on March 15, 2010 There are deep and unavoidable connections between a healthy secure local food supply, NYC […]

via the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition We are thrilled to feature this blog post written by Kristina Hubbard, board member of NSAC member group, the Alternative Energy Resources Organization (AERO).  Kiki attended the first in a series of hearings sponsored by the USDA and Department of Justice about concentration in the agriculture industry.  Kiki is […]

We received this note from an aspiring Georgia agrarian, and then asked him to tell us a little more about himself.  We met Jared Pickard on our Southern Trip.  Check out his blog! Hey Severine, I just wanted to say thanks for the time we spent together at Riverview Farms.  Meeting you opened my eyes […]

 By Megan Krigbau, Food and Wine. Sonoma's Scribe makes wines using wild yeasts. Fittingly, its young winemaker, Andrew Mariani, throws wild parties at the estate's old hacienda, complete with amazing food and great wine served right from the barrel. The Scribe Winery tale begins with a charming young entrepreneur named Andrew Mariani and a storied […]

Greenhorn and Greenhorns' friend Jenna Woginrich wrote quite a nice little piece about our Hoggett event, and her thoughts about it, on her blog.  She's a terrific young farmer and writer.  Thanks, Jenna!  Check out her projects and read that post at http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/

This was written by our friend Elizabeth Manus: Rotational Grazing on Common Land A creative farmer shows how turning her sheep into nomads yields more than just organic grass-fed lamb. read the full article HERE

or, as the New York Times dubs it, "Hip Hop Cuisine" By KIM SEVERSON Published: March 2, 2010 RABBITS are supposed to be easy to kill. The French dispatch them with a sharp knife to the throat. A farmer in upstate New York swears that a swift smack with the side of the hand works. […]

raw milk advocates speak out! read about recent raw milk hearings in Wisconsin in this article by rick barret of the journal sentinel Eau Claire — Hundreds of raw milk advocates packed a legislative hearing Wednesday, demanding the right to buy and sell unpasteurized dairy products that some claim have powerful health benefits but that […]