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The Journal of Extension recently published a short paper called "Best Management Practices for Beginning Farmer Support," documenting strategies and recommendations shared by great CCE educators who have a long history of helping new farmers. You can view the article at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2010june/tt9.php

Greenhorn Neysa King keeps a blog about her transition to a career in organic farming, Dissertation to Dirt.  Recently, She sent us this new post about her first year working on farms as a farm intern. http://www.dissertationtodirt.com/2010/06/people-who-like-farming-are-crazy.html

MIT Global Challenge in many of these cases its real, developing world problems. but these are also problems faced in rural areas, in barns and agricultural outbuildings and in dealing with the various difficulties and limitations of a of diverse enterprise start-up farm. look, learn, adapt and adopt if you feel so inspired. the inventors […]

Many of you have been asking when our set of posters would be available again.  They're officially for sale now,  and we've added a fourth poster - "your trusty steed" - to the beautiful set designed for us by Brooke Budner. Chowhound is featuring these posters as part of their summer gift guide, and you […]

Good news on the doj hearings. Remember. it's not glamourous news. But at least it's not an unstoppable oilspill wafting out over the commons. By WILLIAM NEUMAN Published: June 18, 2010 The Obama administration proposed new rules on Friday seeking to increase competition and rein in potentially unfair practices by large meatpackers and poultry processors. […]

Maine Farmland Trust is hosting a premier of 8 short documentaries by filmmakers Cecily Pingree and Jason Mann, which tell the diverse stories of eight Maine farms: from Aroostook to York, from potatoes to dairy, from large commercial operations to small farms that sell directly to local people. To see the rundown of the evening, […]

By MATTHEW B. CRAWFORD Published NY Times: May 21, 2009 The television show “Deadliest Catch” depicts commercial crab fishermen in the Bering Sea. Another, “Dirty Jobs,” shows all kinds of grueling work; one episode featured a guy who inseminates turkeys for a living. The weird fascination of these shows must lie partly in the fact […]

A nice piece on the Transitions Incentive Program.  From conservation land to beginning farmer land! Program seeks retired farm land By Vershal Hogan (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat Published Monday, May 31, 2010 VIDALIA — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is hoping to infuse new blood into agriculture by reactivating some old farmland. Sign-up is […]

art monkey hackers. farm monkey hackers. are we changing attitudes and opening portals in contemporary streetscapes+ landscapes? is it working? [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0b90YppquE]

thanks to Donn for passing on this video and some commentary about Tiny Farm in Athens, GA!   Donn blogs at farmersouth.com.

another great happening in Detroit, MI - the Beehive Project The Beehive Project is a large-scale installation by an interdisciplinary community of artists and thinkers in Detroit. The group’s inaugural project, a human-sized beehive sculpture, will function as a gathering space for informal, critical conversation during the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (May 29-31, 2010). The […]

here's a trailer for a beautiful film by patrizia marani, and a longer clip as well.

we can't get enough of this. Here is part 3 of 4. More here. [vodpod id=Video.64628&w=425&h=350&fv=docId%3D-6111922724894802811%26playerMode%3Dsimple%26hl%3Den] more about "The Century of the Self 3 of 4", posted with vodpod

those of you who haven't yet read this amazing work, MALABAR FARM by Louis Bromfield.. get your hands on an old copy, there are new copies out as well. The farm is now a historic part of Ohio State Park, and you can visit! www.malabarfarm.org [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEBoAEb7Opw]

“A Pipe Dream Revolution” is a portrayal of a young person’s quest to be a sustainable farmer, to live off the land and with integrity. It’s representative of a surging movement of idealistic 20-somethings who are abandoning their urban lifestyles, sometimes forgoing college, to help spur agricultural change in the United States. With nothing but […]

Feds pledge "future farmers'" summit June 1, 2010 from country-guide.ca The federal government plans to convene a meeting this fall of young and beginning farmers with representatives from the ag industry and Ottawa, toward what's expected to be a "redesign" of policy tools meant for renewal in the ag sector. Jean-Pierre Blackburn, the federal minister […]

have been helping us find ovens for our CHERRY PIE MIXER (more about that next week) [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ3Xc7-HxfU&feature=player_embedded]

on September 19, they'll be at NOFA Taste ARTFARM, a Middletown, Connecticut based non-profit organization which creates high quality theater with a commitment to environmental sustainability and social justice, has launched a unique and exciting touring circus. Imagine a circus in which actors juggle bottled water, polar bears dance on melting ice floes, the props […]

just today in the nytimes -- major food brands (sugar pap mostly) are advertising between 15- 82% more than usual. What does this mean and how are they doing it? Insight from The Century of Self, a BBC 4 Documentary

Thanks to Kelly Latimore for passing on this video about The Good Earth Farm in Athens, OH. [vodpod id=Video.3785045&w=425&h=350&fv=] more about "Religiously Sustainable ", posted with vodpod

next week in new york, a movie about a fabulously ancient french madame who specialized in herbs and afghan hounds.

steven's recent book" the call of the land" has a little passage about greenhorns in it. This is the Holy Land…I Am a Human Being May 22, 2010 – “I’m always a little surprised when I hear people say that they are getting on a plane and heading off to the Holy Land,” Winona LaDuke […]

Jennifer Washburn passed on this NYtimes article that references her forthcoming report, Big Oil Goes to College, which is being published by the Center for American Progress http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/us/politics/26energy.html Hopefully, this NYT "mention" will draw some much-needed media attention to the actual contents of my own report, which examines university-industry alliances to finance energy research on […]

Our friend Bennett, who traveled the world on a Watson Fellowship to learn work songs, was just featured in the NYtimes: City Slickers Take to the Crops, With Song Check out the Sylvester Manor website for more on the songs he sings, including some amazing lyrics to learn and sing in your own fields!

At Pollinaria.org download the pollinaria tour pdf which is full of more beautiful photos. Pollinaria is a concept of regeneration for the agrarian environment, a radical and composite organism designed to distill the essence of a new rural archetype. Concentric fields of study and action shape a constantly evolving system through art, science, agriculture and […]

she's discovered Marlow & Sons. Watch her video HERE

A Data Center Power Supply that Moos By ASHLEE VANCE. May 18, 2010. Hey diddle diddle. Guess what the cow has done this time? America’s dairy farmers could soon find themselves in the computer business, with the manure from their cows possibly powering the vast data centers of companies like Google and Microsoft. While not […]

The Food Movement, Rising by Michael Pollan, New York Review of Books. June 10 2010. Food Made Visible It might sound odd to say this about something people deal with at least three times a day, but food in America has been more or less invisible, politically speaking, until very recently. At least until the […]

May 21, 2010. By Allie Brown, CNN West Milford, New Jersey (CNN) -- For Gary Oppenheimer, 2007 was a year of plenty. His backyard garden produced a bountiful harvest with a surplus of spaghetti squash, melons, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers for his family. At the end of the season, Oppenheimer had 40 pounds of […]

A new approach to school lunches. [vodpod id=Video.3716775&w=425&h=350&fv=clip_id%3D11905296%26amp%3Bserver%3Dvimeo.com%26amp%3Bautoplay%3D0%26amp%3Bfullscreen%3D1%26amp%3Bmd5%3D0%26amp%3Bshow_portrait%3D0%26amp%3Bshow_title%3D0%26amp%3Bshow_byline%3D0%26amp%3Bcontext%3Duser%3A3850006%26amp%3Bcontext_id%3D%26amp%3Bforce_embed%3D0%26amp%3Bmultimoog%3D%26amp%3Bcolor%3D00ADEF%26amp%3Bforce_info%3Dundefined] more about "Riverway: one school's approach to re...", posted with vodpod

Diary of an Urban Farmer: Braving the Storm by Annie Novak Two weeks ago, three stories up in the air, I knelt on the rocky, shallow soil of the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm to plant row after row of eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes. The air off the East River was strong from the south, the […]

regardless of the answer, you'll appreciate this article by Shannon Hayes. The Work Ahead Growing renewed relationships with our food, homes, and communities requires hard work. It's time we embrace dirty hands. May hits us like an ice water dousing on a drowsy morning. It is simultaneously shocking and deeply refreshing. Winter’s leisurely breakfasts are […]

Check out this art from Green Patriot Posters

French farmers turn Champs-Elysees into huge Farm [vodpod id=Video.3705658&w=425&h=350&fv=embedReferer%3D%26amp%3BembedPageUrl%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F2%2Fhi%2Feurope%2F10143393.stm%26amp%3Bconfig_settings_language%3Ddefault%26amp%3BcompanionSize%3D300x60%26amp%3BcompanionType%3Dadi%26amp%3Bpreroll%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fpfadx%2Fbbccom.live.site.news%2Fnews_europe_content%3Bsectn%3Dnews%3Bctype%3Dcontent%3Bnews%3Deurope%3Badsense_middle%3Dadsense_middle%3Badsense_mpu%3Dadsense_mpu%3Breferrer%3Dnonbbc%3Breferrer_domain%3D%3Brsi%3D%3Bheadline%3Dchamps-elyseesturnedintofarm%3Bslot%3Dcompanion%3Bsz%3D512x288%3Btile%3D6%26amp%3Bconfig%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2Fplayer%2Femp%2Fconfig%2Fdefault.xml%3F2_24_18269_19261_20100525142522%26amp%3BdomId%3Demp-10143858%26amp%3Bplaylist%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Femp%2F10140000%2F10143800%2F10143858.xml%26amp%3Bholding%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbcimg.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2F47901000%2Fjpg%2F_47901882_jex_701454_de27-1.jpg%26amp%3Bconfig_settings_autoPlay%3Dfalse%26amp%3Bconfig_settings_showPopoutButton%3Dfalse%26amp%3Bconfig_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_pageType%3Deav2%26amp%3Bconfig_plugin_fmtjLiveStats_edition%3DInternational%26amp%3BfmtjDocURI%3D%2F2%2Fhi%2Feurope%2F10143393.stm%26amp%3BcompanionId%3Dbbccom_companion_10143858%26amp%3Bconfig_settings_showShareButton%3Dtrue%26amp%3Bconfig_settings_showUpdatedInFooter%3Dtrue] more about "Great News!", posted with vodpod

Thanks to Paula for telling us about this article from the telegraph.co.uk . MAY 23, 2010: The Champs-Elysees was transformed into a giant strip of farmland, as French farmers attempted to generate public enthusiasm about a sector they say faces an uncertain future. The two-day event, timed to coincide with a holiday weekend, attracted huge […]

our wonderful mechanic out here, pat kinney says that this year he's had 4 requests to apprentice at his shop from kids who'd dropped out of school and wanted to learn a trade. He says he hasn't been asked for an apprenticeship in 15 years. Unemployed? Learn to do something useful.

All these crazy re- inventors! Thanks to Helen for pointing us to amadeplace.com, a swanky site which "addresses traditional and developing relationships between the arts and farming, with a specific interest in supporting educators looking to incorporate the arts into their farm or garden-based teaching."

Haitian Farmers Commit to Burning Monsanto Hybrid Seeds Tuesday 18 May 2010, by Beverly Bell "A new earthquake" is what peasant farmer leader Chavannes Jean-Baptiste of the Peasant Movement of Papay (MPP) called the news that Monsanto will be donating 60,000 seed sacks (475 tons) of hybrid corn seeds and vegetable seeds, some of them […]

A new film by Josh Fox, looking at the issue of fracking. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZe1AeH0Qz8]

Here is a delightful new book from Chelsea Green, which we're digging into right now.   Up Tunket Road , the Education of a Modern Homesteader Ever since Thoreau’s Walden, the image of the American homesteader has been of someone getting away from civilization, of forging an independent life in the country. Yet if this […]