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Former young farmer now great E.D. on all our behalf.  Here's her latest from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition In this season of Thanksgiving, we at NSAC are exceedingly thankful for the diverse array of healthy food that sustainable and organic farmers and ranchers produce while being good stewards of the land - and we're […]

Join us for a Special Anniversary Event on Monday, November 23rd 2009 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM First Unitarian Universalist Church 1187 Franklin St (Geary @ Franklin), San Francisco TEN YEARS: FROM SEATTLE TO COPENHAGEN The WTO Shutdown and what it means for a UN Climate Deal in Copenhagen

Unexpectedly even if you go off to farm in the forest-- the pastards might find some minerals or valuable petrolea under your land.... A note from the Regional Farm & Food Project: Regional Farm & Food Project is partnering with NOFA NY in a call to action and to alert the public of the impending […]

the people at Worldbike think so. Worldbike designs and distributes low-cost bicycles for programs that increase economic opportunity, improve health outcomes and boost enrollment and gender equity in secondary school among the rural poor. Our bikes withstand large loads, rough terrain and inclement weather and are configured to be not only affordable, but also maintained […]

from PopTech... Author: Rachel Barenblat “This is one of the sessions I’ve been most looking forward to,” says Andrew Zolli, calling it a session of “incredible bounty.” (He adds that he is a “recovering hyperbolic,” given how often he calls things here ‘incredible’ and ‘wonderful’ — though it does seem to me that often as […]

we just received this note from an old friend, Anirvan.  There's some great stuff here. My wife and I are traveling in Japan (part of a year we're spending meeting green activists in Asia and Europe), and we discovered a bunch of really exciting work being done on the consumer side of food movements, in […]

Oakland CA: A new report from the Oakland Institute, The Great Land Grab: Rush for World's Farmland Threatens Food Security for the Poor, sounds the alarm on the threat that land grabbing poses to food security and livelihoods. Land grabs--the purchase of vast tracts of land from poor, developing countries by wealthier, food-insecure nations and […]

a greenhorns friend emailed us this tidbit from a blog: True enough. During WWII, Switzerland received very little imports (it did receive some coal from Germany), but the situation was quite different then in comparison with today. Switzerland had during WWII about half as many inhabitants (4 million people instead of 8), it had twice […]

Check out the family farmers. I just met them at Farmaid - had so many informative chats with farmers whose claws had been sharpend by years of fighting factory farming and injustice of trade rules, insider trading, and corporate maleficence. National Family Farm Coalition

Hudson Valley Greenhorns - this is for you! Hudson Valley Food Security Roundtable, Fall 2009 Sunday, October 11, 2:00-4:30 Main Meeting Room, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Poughkeepsie, NY 67 South Randolph Road, Poughkeepsie NY, 845-471-6580 The Hudson Valley Food Security Roundtable is a coalition of farmers, food activists, distributors and consumers working together to help […]

Tell USDA to Stop Delaying Implementation of the CRP Transition Option for Beginning and Minority Producers!

with fruit leather machetes quivers of jam rubbers and a strong set of canning tongs. the fruit is going to waste that is needed by a large + growing population of city people. City people need fruit! Can uncle sam not make a truck hotline linking those populations-- the growers and the eaters ? What […]

Farm Aid is collecting your signatures until Friday!  Here's a note from them: As a Farm Aid supporter, you know that nobody is more committed than we are to helping family farmers keep their land and their livelihood. While we encourage federal efforts to assist farmers, the fact is that not all government policies are […]

Deadline to Apply for Conservation Stewardship Program Approaching -- September 30, 2009 NRCS Simplifies Initial Application Process Farmers who are interested in applying for the 2009 Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) have just a few days left before the September 30 deadline to send in the basic 3 page contract program application to the USDA Natural […]

via United Farm Workers: We've been telling you about the outrageous behavior of Giumarra--the world's largest table grape company, whose labels include Nature's Partner. Giumarra harvests approximately 1 out of every 10 bunches of grapes picked in the US. Because the company is so huge, their behavior helps set the industry standard. Instead of being […]

here's a press release and note from our friends at high mowing organic seeds - one of the plaintiffs in the case we just blogged about. Hello friends of organic and local agriculture, I am thrilled to announce that yesterday the 9th Circuit Court in California ruled in our favor in the High Mowing Organic […]

Next week begins the first of seven public hearings regarding a proposed National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement [see Federal Register Notice], that would lay out food safety rules for the growing and marketing of leafy greens. See below for more information about the process and SIGN THE PETITION from NOC member, FOOD & WATER WATCH […]

this is from the USDA! (and click on the map to buy our poster...) Mapping and Modeling Eastern U.S. Food Production By Ann Perry September 2, 2009 Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are mapping an array of county-level data from Maine to Virginia on weather, soil, land use, water availability and other elements. Then they'll […]

Greenhorns - comments are due Sept 28th! This is an alert from the National Sustainable Ag Coalition. Since the 1930s we've been paying farmers to produce corn, wheat, rice, and cotton. What if instead we paid farmers for producing healthier soil, cleaner water, climate change mitigation and greater bio-diversity? That's the "Big Idea" behind the […]

this is worthwhile - from the national organic coalition. They need folks to sign on today! URGENT ACTION ALERT from NOC and RAFI-USA TELL USDA TO FUND PUBLIC PLANT & ANIMAL BREEDING FOR SUSTAINABLE AND ORGANIC FARMERS SIGN ON BY September 11; COMMENTS DUE BY September 14 SIGN ON to Comments on AFRI -- the […]

U.S. WORKING GROUP ON THE FOOD CRISIS CRITICIZES CLINTON/VILSACK TOUR OF KENYAN PRO-BIOTECH INSTITUTE USAID-Monsanto-KARI Spent $6 Million on Failed GM Sweet Potato Project (Washington D.C., Boston, MA, San Francisco, CA) - On the eve of an upcoming visit to the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Agriculture […]

the Northeast Food Security Roundtable is busy these days, with some great events coming up.  Click here for more on the project, and on the upcoming  Community Food Sovereignty Benefit Concert, “The Food Justice Revival!” on August 28th. Below, is a description of the Food Security Roundtable's Urban/Rural Exchange and a request to farmers and […]

Almost all towns have a few extra acres of land around their transportation department, police department, water department headquarters. They currently just mow that land. Why not follow the model of the USDA's offices and plant gardens, or even better--provide grant money, a competitive design process, and some city support to young farmers who use […]

thanks to greehorns ally Paige Churchman for alerting us to this and sending this note. Sign the petition at the end of the post! Bed-Stuy Farm (started by Brooklyn Rescue Mission, which was one of the Brooklyn Food Conference sponsors) is at risk of losing half its land. For five years the Jacksons have tried […]

which, you'll recall was released this Spring. this is worth a read just for the lively discussion at the end of the piece.  We welcome healthy, engaging dialogue like this! The Progressive Farmer on Young Farmers and you can read what greenhorn Paula Manalo had to say about the census here

If you're in NYC... there is an amazing benefit planned for reverend billy's campaign for mayor - tonight!!  Here's a letter from Savitri, and details on the bash.  Joan Baez, The Life After Shopping Gospel Choir, etc.  Just $15! Hi. Now and then I send everyone I know an email. As most of you know […]

is it time for civil disobedience?  the folks behind this website think so: Beyond Talk.net Tired of hearing about climate change? Then do something. Now. December 7-18, 2009, the world's leaders will meet in Copenhagen to decide what to do about climate change. If this meeting were held today, it would produce an agreement - […]

here's the latest from Reverend Billy and his campaign! My Heroic Friends, House Parties are springing up like sunflowers throughout the Fabulous Neighborhoods of NYC and Savitri and I are basking in the wonderful visions, hope and dreams of the people we meet there. And money's being raised!

I worried about all the farmers who were not getting the rain, and the extra rain that we were getting. Ugandan farmers pray for rain as crops fail Failure to improve access to water in Karamoja in Uganda is likely cause widespread hunger and lead to mass migration, Oxfam International warns [vodpod id=Groupvideo.2942793&w=425&h=350&fv=playerID%3D26396137001%26%40videoPlayer%3D28607908001%26domain%3Dembed%26adServerURL%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fads.guardian.co.uk%252Fhtml.ng%252Fspacedesc%253Dvideo%2526system%253Dvideo%2526title%253D28607908001%2526site%253DEnvironment%2526url%253D%2525252Fenvironment%2525252Fvideo%2525252F2009%2525252Fjul%2525252F06%2525252Fclimate-change-uganda%2526comfolder%253DFoodandDrink%2526keywords%253DClimate%25252Bchange%25252B%252528Environment%252529%25252CEnvironment%25252CWorld%25252Bnews%25252CDrought%25252B%252528Environment%252529%25252CWater%25252B%252528Environment%252529%25252CUganda%25252B%252528News%252529%2526bandwidth%253Dbroadband%2526tile%253D0438194] more about […]

if you're concerned about monsanto, check out this site. and the logos.

plus 2 of our newest stickers! The FarmLASTS Project The FarmLASTS project addresses one of the most pressing issues facing U.S. agriculture. The future of our agriculture depends on the ability of new generations to establish successful farms and ranches. One of the biggest challenges to entry is gaining access to affordable and secure agricultural […]

4H just got a nice facelift on their website. I noticed. and then this PSA http://4-h.org/b/Pages/Layouts/GroupPage2889.html?SiteId=2323&PersistentTheme=4H about 1 million new scientists. and the companies who are supporting 4H to make it happen.  including Monsanto, who recently donating $1.5 million. 4H isn't about making technology. Its about raising animals.

Some news on Slow Food's Time for Lunch campaign... Remember this date: September 7, 2009. We’ll look back on that day as the moment when people across America took a stand about the food our children eat at school. As you know, children who grow up enjoying food that is both delicious and good for […]

Reverend Billy is our spiritual advisor. and the only candidate for mayor that specifically targets 'young farmers' as protagonists of place, nutrition and economic retrofit. check out his stop shopping hour of power here: http://www.revbilly.com/participate/hour-of-power

Cargill, Bunge Win Most Export Aid Since 1992 as Credit Slows By Alan Bjerga May 27 (Bloomberg) -- Cargill Inc., Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Bunge Ltd. are benefiting from the most government support for farm exports since 1992 as the U.S. steps up loan guarantees for foreign buyers unable to get credit. About $4.35 […]

Join California Food and Justice Coalition and local experts for “It’s Your City. Is it Your Policy? A workshop on using local-level policy to rebuild local food systems” on June 20th. Contact [email protected] with any questions or to register. Location: City Heights Wellness Center, 4440 Wightman Street, Suite 200, San Diego 10:30 am-4:30 pm. $30 […]

you'll recall that the usda recently released a report on young ("beginning") farmers in america.  we mentioned it a couple of weeks ago here.  Greenhorn Paula Manalo of Mendocino Organics had some feedback. I finally got around to reading this report. Along with "beginning farmer," they use a couple terms that have very specific definitions […]

Start this video at Minute 8. Why is farming relevant? Why must we raise the social status of farmers? Why must we transform the political structures of agricuture both domestically and abroad? [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R0Uy15HUfI] Does anyone out in blog landia know how we can become members of via campesina?

Milk-drinkers probably remember The Cornucopia Institute's report and scorecard on organic milk  (and if not, you should check it out) - - for many of us, it has become an invaluable tool in determining which organic dairy farms (and companies) should be trusted and supported. This time the Institute takes on Soy in "Behind the […]

This report on "Beginning Farmers and Ranchers" was released just last week... USDA defines beginning farmers and ranchers as those who have operated a farm or ranch for 10 years or less either as a sole operator or with others who have operated a farm or ranch for 10 years or less. Beginning farmers tend […]