Blog

  On this winter’s solstice, along with traditions of stoking the hearth and nestling fireside, we thought to drop a line on the past season. In 2016 our Greenhorns network surpassed 62,000 – a community within reach of our media projects, news and inspiration. We are continuously working to broaden and diversify our network of […]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3EoxRiy01I] This falls under the category: Things I Didn't Know About but Feel Like I Should Have Known About But Are All-the-same Absolutely Fascinating

[vimeo 173969073 w=640 h=360] Unbroken Ground from Patagonia Provisions on Vimeo. Film maker Chris Malloy asks, how can different aspects of agriculture and our food economy alter to change our relationships to our land and our oceans.

Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA George Monbiot has something of reputation for discussing the more dire circumstances we face today, but in his latest article for The Guardian he presents some reasons not to despair. In particular, Monbiot hones in on the commons, which (as you may know) is the theme of this years New Farmers Almanac.

La Via Campesino is a tenacious international "peasants" movement long admired by the Greenhorns. (We covered them in a 2011 blog post about their food sovereignty youth training program and a post earlier this year on their declaration against the powers that be.) They seek to unite peasants, landless agrarians, woman farmers, and rural youth to fight to […]

We are all rubbing the crusties out of our eyes, reengaging with democracy and the mess created while we were asleep. As the attached article reaffirms for US citizens, our underlying goal is a self-governing Republic. But how do we as individuals affirm that effort - how do elected officials maintain that form? Cyber attacks and the lack of transparency about them […]

With a Trump administration looming in 2017, the best course of action for progressives and left-leaning individuals in this country may be at the local level. Although Trump grabbed headlines with an anti-globalization platform, proponents of localism are understandably skeptical of his motives, especially considering his recent cabinet appointees. Enter Richard Heinberg's recent article at resilience.org. […]

Can produce grown in a soilless medium be called organic? Vermont-based "Keep the Soil in Organic" says HECK, NO. Growing rapidly, this grassroots movement is drawing attention to the degradation of organic certification by big money and corporate interest in hydroponics. Started with a petition by two small-scale organic farmers, Dave Chapman and David Miskell, […]

  This German farmer is backed by hundreds of years of small-farmer family history has a lot to unload to Bayer as they attempt to merge with Monsanto in coming days. Ecologically minded farmers can be powerful advocates for our four-legged heroes! This man made a genuine attempt to showcase some beautiful pigs in front of Bayer headquarters but was […]

If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area and food justice, food sovereignty, and veganism are your bag, check out the People's Harvest Forum. Tickets are still available to this four-day event in San Francisco's Mission District starting this Friday, December 9th. The conference is organized by Seed the Commons and includes a diverse group […]

"Bismarck qualified for the extra protections, Standing Rock did not, nor did the crossing at the Des Moines River" Ferocious protesters at the Des Moines River in Iowa watched as DAPL drilled under their source of drinking water. Federal laws that prioritize and protect larger population areas aren't extended to rural people who surprisingly also drink water! Drilling happened December […]

Update: The US Army has denied the permit allowing the NDAP to pass under the Missouri river and through Standing Rock land! In the face of an uncertain transition in Washington and the continued silence of the current administration, musician, activist, and all round great fellow, Niel Young issued a statement calling president Obama to […]

Journalist Chris Hedges weighs in on the "downward spiral of hating those who hate you," which seems especially relevant given the current political climate. Read an excerpt from his article here, and find a link to the full article on NationofChange below. The self-righteousness of the liberal class, which revels in imagined tolerance and enlightenment […]

Listen up, queer farmers! Jonah Mossberg, director of the Queer Farmer Film Project's documentary Out Here has been invited by the White House Rural Council to a meeting at the White House titled "Advancing LGBT Progress in Rural America." The meeting's agenda and exact purpose remains unclear, but Jonah is seeking feedback, input, advice, and commentary […]

Graison Gill will be on Greenhorns Radio, Heritage Radio Network tomorrow 4pm EST – listen in! And for more information on Bellegarde and their process, check out this video.

Ever late to the party, The New York Times is finally giving Standing Rock some much-deserved coverage. This gorgeous and inspiring video (and its accompanying article) gives sober context to Thanksgiving celebrations all over this country last week. Caitlyn Huss, 25, a manager of a vegan hostel in Los Angeles, was closing up late one night last month […]

From the Daily Kos: POLICE ESCALATION IN STANDING ROCK IS THREATENING LIVES Last night the Morton County Sheriff's office put Standing Rock water protectors in grave danger. Hundreds were injured, including an elder who went into cardiac arrest and several people treated for rubber bullet injuries to the face. They used projectiles that ripped through […]

Oh man, we just love this: Seven Lessons for Leaders in Systems Change. Great for educators, activists, community leaders, farmers, and-- generally-- everyone who gives a damn. Here's a taste, but please click-through to read the full piece at at the Center for Ecoliteracy. Lesson #1:  To promote systems change, foster community and cultivate networks. […]

We can do this .

For the love of all things good! Can we talk about something other than Donald Trump already? Thanks to Global Research for publishing this informative piece: "The first point is actually very simple: Native Americans standing up for themselves is not polarizing. In an age of institutionalized media divisiveness and hyper-partisanship, the story of Native Americans in North […]

http://www.democracynow.org/embed/story/2016/10/24/standing_rock_police_arrest_100_water The indigenous peoples and activists at Standing Rock are facing militarized police and a impenetrable silence in the mainstream media as they work to protect the indigenous rights granted by treaty and our collective water commons. The camp still needs supplies, donations, and volunteers. If you haven't donated yet, this is a good time. […]

Kiva and Greenhorns working together to help small farmers grow their businesses Katrina and Keely, Founders of Tinyfield Farm in Brooklyn, NY The Greenhorns and Kiva are working together to help farmers access the capital and customers they need to successfully grow their businesses. Over the next few months, The Greenhorns will host a series […]

OUR LAND 2! November 9-17th, in Albuquerque and Santa Fe New Mexico. ALL THE INFORMATION IS HERE: www.agrariantrust.org/2016symposium This will be the second Agrarian Trust OUR LAND symposium, and once again we’ve got speakers from around the country and around the region focusing our attention, analysis, activism and collective agency on issues relevant to your […]

Slow Money is hosting the world’s first Decelerator on October 21st, bringing together all who care about Colorado food systems and want to find new ways to invest in them! The day-long event will take place at beautiful Lone Hawk Farm, just north of Boulder. Learn more and register at www.decelerator.org.

OUR LAND 2: Tracing the Acequia Commons A Symposium about land transition, continuity, and commons. NOVEMBER 9-17th 2016 Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico Films. Talks. Exhibit. Acequia Walk. Can our regions shift towards food sovereignty? Can our agrarian systems become more harmonious with their wild habitat? Can we maintain our traditional commons? The complete […]

We can't more strongly encourage you to view and share George Steinmetz's New York Times Magazine's piece "Super Size: the Dizzying Grandeur of 21st Century Agriculture." It, in no small way, puts things in perspective.

Last week the Rodale Institute announced that it was launching the Organic Farmers' Association, headed up by Elizabeth Kucinich, Board Policy Chair for Rodale Institute. From the regional organic farmer associations to the Organic Trade Association to NYFC to your humble Greenhorns here, there sure are a lot of associations composed of or supposedly representing farmers. So maybe […]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuZcx2zEo4k&w=560&h=315] The activists currently protecting the water commons, their indigenous heritage, and our planet against institutionalized corporate greed. We stand with them. See Thursday's post for more background on the Dakota Access Pipeline and the protest again it and for ways you can help, and, at the very least, sign the petition here.

Man! We're always asking the same question! Seriously though, this is a great episode, both for those looking for a good primer on the subject and a fascinating case study for those who already know a lot about it. The podcast delves into the soya market in Argentina, global ag subsidies as a whole, and, as […]

Tickets available on a sliding scale: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/foundations-and-the-future-womens-leadership-in-the-food-movement-tickets-27100479263?aff=eac2 A day of education, celebration and dialogue, this one-day symposium intends to acknowledge, celebrate and lift up the leadership and voice of women in the food movement.  The day will focus on a transfer of knowledge and foundation-building through an intergenerational dialogue weaving together historical narrative and current efforts […]

NPR's The Salt, on why the USDA is purchasing $20,000 worth of cheese to help US dairy farmers-- and why it doesn't really make a difference to the big dairy industry. If this piece whets your appetite to understand globalization and milk production, we recommend you keep on down the rabbit hole with this Modern Farmer […]

The following message is from our friends at the Cornucopia Institute and references the recent GMO labeling law, so called the DARK (Deny Americans the Right to Know) Act, which purports to mandate GMO labeling while, in reality, does not give the FDA the ability to enforce the act, allows companies to opt for labeling […]

[vimeo 52870881 w=640 h=360] The Hand That Feeds trailer from Robin Blotnick, a film on reforming the food system by organizing from the ground up for fair wages, fair working conditions, and collective bargaining rights. This is a rare story in which workers, with tenacity beyond imagination, are actually able to defeat the giant. It is […]

The Mojave Project is really just kind of the bomb-diggety. But don't take our word for it: to learn more, we recommend this absolutely gorgeous video. The project is an "experimental transmedia documentary led by Kim Stringfellow exploring the physical, geological and cultural landscape of the Mojave Desert." Browse the current projects here. And while we're talking about the Mojave […]

In case you missed it, two weeks ago, our friends and allies at the Hawai'i Center for Food Safety took five cases through the 9th circuit appeals court focusing on the rights of local communities to regulate and legislate genetically engineered seed crops and pesticide use. The video embedded below has the live recording of court proceedings. […]

In a recent ECONOMIST article, the future of agriculture is controlled by computers, genetic manipulation, big data, and the assumption that we humans know what is going on with soil-plant relationships (*sarcasm*). This article reads scarily of science fiction. http://cdn.static-economist.com/sites/default/files/external/tq2016/images/tq2.jpg "Farms, then, are becoming more like factories: tightly controlled operations for turning out reliable products, […]

Have you been listening to Earth Matters?? This fabulous podcast series gives voice to indigenous activists, environmentalists, and people around the globe working for social justice. We cannot recommend it highly enough. Hailing from Australia's community radio station 3CR AM, Radical Radio, you can stream episodes online or download straight form iTunes. The link above will bring […]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAYCf2Gdycc] Because some weeks, and I think this is one of them, poetry is the thing that will carry us up.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWl-Rp7XjaY] Donate at the indigogo page here! In the creators' own words, "A Growing Culture (AGC) is a global coalition that connects farmers to each other and to the resources they need to create an ecologically sound food system and prosperous planet. We are building the world’s first digital, open-access platform powered by farmers, for farmers. The Library […]