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40 maps that explain food in America by Ezra Klein and Susannah Locke on June 9, 2014 The future of the nations will depend on the manner of how they feed themselves, wrote the French epicurean Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in 1826. Almost 200 years later, how nations feed themselves has gotten a lot more complicated. That’s […]

The Otter Hanky In the market for multiple bandana designs? Check out our "Get Dusty" Bandana featuring artwork by Brooke Budner.

Farm Hack North Dakota Sunday, June 22nd @ Bad Goat Forest Products, Missoula MN See examples of successful DIY tools and dream up your own in Montana's first ever Farm Hack! It's a new event that's sweeping the nation, bringing together farmers, builders, and tech folks to create on-farm solutions! This event will offer attendees the […]

A great resource for farm families! The Maine Family Farms: Life and Business in Balance series recognizes that the needs of farmers at each various life stage are unique, as choices about farming practices, child rearing, business growth, and succession planning enter into decision making. This series consists of five fact sheets plus an introductory fact sheet that […]

An interesting model in Vancouver.  They've raised 30% of their goal so far.  Check it out! And pitch in if you can. Soul Food has a plan to double Vancouver's local food production. If you would like to see more beautiful, delicious and healthy food grown right in your neighbourhood, help us set up two […]

Farmier is a web-based platform for farmers, producers, and individuals, built on open source technologies, with the goal of providing a whole set of data management tools under one roof.    

We focus our attention on:  http://magazine.ouishare.net http://www.shareable.net http://blog.peers.org/ http://www.reddit.com/search?q=sharing+economy&restrict_sr=off&sort=relevance&t=all http://ourgoods.org know of other resources for the sharing economy? email us! [email protected]

Study Sustainable Farming this Summer at the University of Vermont Learn sustainable farming at UVM’s Catamount Educational Farm this summer in beautiful Burlington, Vermont – a hot-spot for community-based food and agricultural systems. Be part of the vibrant learning environment of the farm that cultivates over 10 acres of vegetables and fruit for the UVM […]

“In real estate it’s location, location, location and for monarchs and other wildlife it’s habitat, habitat, habitat”, said Chip Taylor, Director of Monarch Watch. Monarch Watch (www.MonarchWatch.org) started in 1992 as an outreach program dedicated to engaging the public in studies of monarchs and is now concentrating its efforts on monarch conservation. “We have a […]

An excellent network & resource: Good Food Web The Good Food Web is a community-driven online platform to build a resilient, good food economy. We connect farmers, food entrepreneurs, investors, advocates and eaters to educational resources, best practices and expert advisors. Find the people and info you need to build your local food business. Earn […]

HERE. Reading materials on topics of agrarian interest, including the following: agricultural history, rural social movements land tenure across history and cultures rise of capitalism, colonialism, and international markets agricultural policy labor and solidarity economics social justice and movements for change subsistence and peasant studies

Let your future organic farmers know. The CCOF Foundation, in collaboration with partner organizations UNFI Foundation, Driscoll’s, Organic Valley, Bradmer Foods, and National Cooperative Grocers Association will be making grants in three educational categories in 2014. Categories and requirements are: Kindergarten through Eighth Grade: Grants for in-classroom organic projects in California $1,000 grants available for 10 […]

Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, has spawned a new generation of superweeds that are spreading rapidly across the United States. Since farmers planting Monsanto's genetically engineered Roundup Ready crops no longer need to worry about overdosing their crops with herbicide, they tend to spray more of it. And just as antibiotic overuse […]

Agrarian Trust has an upcoming negotiation training workshop in the Hudson Valley. The workshop will be held at the beautiful Carey Conference Center, located on an historic 100-acre estate overlooking Lake Myosotis in Rensselaerville, New York. Experts from NYS Agricultural Mediation Program and the New York State Dispute Resolution Association will provide the negotiation and business communication training. This […]

http://realranchers.com Usually the FB stuff is lame, but these ranchers have the right flavor saltlick. Check it out, communications majors.

2012 and 2013 were tough years for planting/growing anything in much of the US.  If it wasn't flooding, it was a drought.   Trees died.  The FSA office of USDA is here to help (with cash to recoup your losses). Even for losses you may have had two years ago! The Details The farm bill […]

For any young farmers with the ability to travel, this would be a great experience.  As part of its biennial conferences, IUFN is happy to invite you to a new international workshop, LAND FOR FOOD. It will address a central question : How can we reconcile land use policies with local food policies?  Held over two days in the […]

Anyone thinking about visiting a GMO free zone in Europe? These MAPS will lead the way.

Management Intensive Grazing School

  Cartography Portfolio   We enlisted the imaginations of artists to realize the aesthetic, visualize the psycho-geography and describe the terrain, landscape, characters and stories of The House of Fairy Tales. This portfolio is a collection of works that aim to describe the lay of the land. Much like the worlds encompassed in the great […]

Beekman 1802 Mortgage Lifter Sauces is a pasta sauce company which has pledged to donate 25% of their profits to help give individual small farms a "lift." On April 29th, 2014, Beekman 1802 will divide $13,264 between four small American farms (entries due by midnight, April 22nd). The amount will be divided into four "Mortgage […]

OURLAND  Episode 4: Access to Grazing Market demand continues to swell for ethically raised, pasture-based livestock, poultry, eggs and milk. These products fetch a major price premium over the conventional, confinement raised alternative, and present the possibility for small scale producers to make a livelihood. Young graziers are joining the fray to meet that market […]

The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development is a great resource in general, but you might want to take a look at this back issue from 2010, which has a focus on "Growing New Farmers".

596 Acres.org This map shows sites of potential community projects. We have taken several different sources of information about vacant publicly owned land, chosen the most accurate information from each and shared them here. This is our commons. We also add few private lots whose owners have volunteered their land for community use. Tools for […]

From Mid-Missouri Public Radio Unmanned aerial vehicles aren’t just for spies or for the battlefield. Farmers all over the country think drones can give them a leg up, too. Tech-savvy farmers have been waiting for years for the government to make up its mind about the commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Right now, anyone […]

http://an-atlas.com/ An Atlas of Radical Cartography is a collection of 10 maps and 10 essays about social issues from globalization to garbage; surveillance to extraordinary rendition; statelessness to visibility; deportation to migration. The map is inherently political-- and the contributions to this book wear their politics on their sleeves.

In today's press release, the USDA has announced new figures that show the organic industry continues to grow domestically and internationally. Certified organic farms and businesses in the United States have witnessed a 245% increase since 2002 while consumer demand continues to increase exponentially. To help producers further access these markets, the 2014 farm bill […]

    Here's an excerpt from a recent post in the Ranching for profit blog. The whole post can be found HERE "According to one cattle industry leader quoted in a prominent publication, Those who are not willing to take advantage of the new technology may not be able to survive. He isn’t alone in believing […]

They are 67% funded with 12 days to go.  Every little bit counts! Growing Innovation Online Library & Book Why does this project matter? Because stakes is high!  In case it's hard to see, this farmer's clever t-shirt says 'stakes is high' To make a more serious point, success in agriculture is hard to achieve […]

Have you ever wondered how the Non GMO Project Verified seal was developed? This article interviews Barry Deutsch of Deutsch Design Works to give perspective of how the logo process evolved to become the celebrated butterfly icon used today.

upcoming webinar from RAFI USA Farm Advocacy 101 Tuesday, March 11th, 3:00 – 3:45 pm ET >> Click here to register. Sitting across the table from a banker or a loan officer is often intimidating and scary, especially when the farm is on the line. Who can farmers depend on to sit on their side of […]

New Farmer Summit April 4-5, 2014 Primrose Valley Farm, Belleville, Wisconsin (near New Glarus & Madison) Two full days of workshops, networking, hands-on learning, organic food and fun! 24 workshops focused on issues on the minds of new farmers $75 (includes meals and entertainment) Scholarships available! Apply here. $35 Pre-Summit farm tours with lunch April 3rd Friday evening […]

Protecting Organic Seed Integrity  Why Protect Organic Seed? The organic seed industry is at the same time especially vulnerable to transgenic contamination and also a crucial link to reducing contamination. Organic seed, which by definition is free of genetically engineered (GE) contaminates, is the foundation of organic agriculture. Organic crops grown with contaminated seed will […]

An incredible resource for information about pesticides, particularly the ones you see the containers of laying in the field near your house… PAN Pesticides Database The Pesticide Product Search page allows you search for formulated pesticide products. Formulated pesticide products typically contain mixtures of active ingredients and other ingredients. Active ingredients are listed on the labels of all U.S. pesticide […]

Independent Grange Communications Network —an unofficial voice from and for the Grange grassroots— Download the full newsletter HERE Archived issues HERE. Subscribe HERE

For those of you out there  interested in permaculture and needing camaraderie in the young farmers growing perennials for a living realm, meet Grant Schultz of Versaland. He's transforming a 145 acre corn and soybean farm in Iowa into a broad acre perennial farm, capturing grants from the USDA,  implementing farm hack strategies (electric tractor), […]

Dreaming of starting a farm? Running a farm business? You don't need an MBA to start a farm venture, but this online entrepreneurship guide does help shine light on the basics of starting a successful business. Included are free web resources to help you get off the ground. It's worth a look.    

The 2012 Agriculture Census is out.  Download the PDF: 2012 Census. It's jam-packed with interesting statistics, so dig in!    DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES FOR THE PRINCIPAL OPERATOR SINCE 2007 • Fewer female operators • More minority operators • Average age of farm operators continues to increase • Fewer beginning operators • Fewer small farms • More reported farming […]

Fare Resources is a Bay Area-based food and farm business consultancy building strong communities through food business consulting, company fare, and education. In March we are launching a 10-class business planning series for start-up and new food business entrepreneurs. In this series we will guide you through the process of writing a business plan and making your […]