Blog

A request from the California Institute for Rural Studies Dear Greenhorns, Organic food isn't just found at your local co-op or farmer's market anymore- it seems to be everywhere these days, from hospital cafeterias to Wal-Mart. Demand for organic food is on the rise(although more slowly in recent months due to the economic situation). However, […]

Those SAFE kids are rockin' it out there on the West Coast! Meet Your Meat The Society for Agriculture and Food Ecology is proud to announce an upcoming series of tours, panels, and workshops on good, clean, and fair animal husbandry and meat production. The series, called Meet Your Meat, is a portrayal of the […]

well. the joyousness. and now. the jackhammers. may they ring out in the morning--depaving the land across america! jubuilant. VILSACK ESTABLISHES THE PEOPLE'S GARDEN PROJECT ON BICENTENNIAL OF LINCOLN'S BIRTH Announces goal of creating community gardens at each USDA facility worldwide WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2009 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today "broke pavement" on the […]

Heads up North Carolina Greenhorns! These Sustainable Farming Classes at Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) Pittsboro Are Starting Soon! Call 919-542-6495 ext. 223 to register. 1. Biointensive Gardening (Intro)- NEW! Using methods made popular by John Jeavons, students will gain a basic understanding of biointensive and biodynamic gardening principles and sustainable home gardening practices. The […]

Update: Cookies brown but not burned. All systems go! Bring your appetites, your snazzy selves, your good ideas. We'll see you tomorrow. WHEN: Monday February 16th, 2009... 11AM - 1PM WHAT: ORGANIC 2009 WINTER COLLECTION, Men's and Women's & GREENHORNS Bakesale Extravaganza (think walnut butter cookies!) WHERE: CHI, 128 West 37th Street, New York, NY […]

Recently, we received an inspiring note from "fledgling greenhorn" Stephanie Pierce.  In part, it read: Hello Severine (and other Fleetsters), I am an avid follower of the blog and Greenhorns, as I consider myself to be a fledgling greenhorn.  I am currently interning at the Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Vermont, and I think that some […]

Greenhorns Ally, & co-founder of growfood.org , Sarita Role Schaffer, just clued us in to this tidbit from the recently released 2007 farm census: "One of the most significant changes in the 2007 Census of Agriculture is the increase in female farm operators, both in terms of the absolute number and the percentage of all […]

This is good news. We welcome new Greenhorns, gardeners, food preservers! Seed merchants reap benefit of need to cut bills By Jonathan Birchall in New York Published: February 5 2009 02:00 | Last updated: February 5 2009 02:00 Americans are turning in increasing numbers to their back yards to save money, with leading US seed […]

What's not to love? Ok you NYC peoples, here's the haps... Greenhorns is organizing a Young Farmer Bake Sale-- at an Organic Fashion Show, during fashion week in New York City. Its cold here on the east coast, its slippy and slushy and drippy. But in the church basement we'll be doing a little educational […]

Greenhorns & Real Food Lovers - decorate your walls with Greenhorns stuff! We've got a new poster for sale on the Greenhorns' etsy site. This is an18 x 20 inch poster, eco-printed by unionized leftists in Berkeley, CA. Full color with an image from the prelinger archive (www.prelingerlibrary.org) And a mini essay by Severine at […]

Greenhorns is planning an installation this spring at California College of the Arts. It's a collaborative project already, but we'd like to make it even more so. Specifically-- we invite your contributions to the exhibit. You! Young Farmers of America! The Installation is called "Land. Sunshine. Stamina." We'd like to put up your silkscreens and […]

have you ever been really happy to smell something not that pleasant??' to me, the smell of burning trash as i walk down the rocky roads of agua buena brings back such good memories. it´s not a pleasant smell in and of itself, but for me, the context is golden. for it´s here that the […]

Solidarity between farmers, farm workers, farm families and farm neighbors. Please take a moment to send an email to Florida Governor Charlie Crist, asking him to take a stand against modern-day slavery in our food system: http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/Governor_Crist_stand_against_slavery Background Just this past December, farm labor supervisors were sentenced in federal court for enslaving tomato pickers, including […]

A beautiful new business model... this was circulated on a local listserve. I own a local, award-winning remodeling and historical Restoration company, Community Building and Restoration. We've been working to adapt to economic changes (are we nearing the end of the era of the 1000 square foot master-bath suite? I hope so, but that does […]

The Geography of Hope Conference celebrates "Writing on Farming and Rural Life", and Greenhorns - they want YOU! From the organizers: The conference is gearing up to be an exciting three days. You can find the latest information at: www.ptreyesbooks.com/geohope.html We've finalized the roster of conference presenters, but we'd like to encourage younger folks to […]

The Rodale Institute wrote up a great review of our new Greenhorns Guide for Beginning Farmers. Check out http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/20090206/nf2 or read on for the full text! E-guidebook forming online for emerging agriculturists: farmer-to-farmer wisdom-in-the-making meets Web 2.0 By Greg Bowman Emblematic of the wonderfully tangible but somewhat invisible youth farming movement in the United States […]

We've had the 'letters from a young farmer' series going on for a while now, but a recent greenhorns ally has emerged with the willingness to write up short young farmer profiles to help inspire and shape our collective understanding of the movement with specific examples of lives lived. Think of it them case studies […]

Many key appointments have yet to be made at the U.S.D.A.  We have a voice, let's use it!  Here is one suggestion.  Time to get out that pen again... Dear friends, I am writing to urge your support for Enrique E. Figueroa Ph.D. as Deputy Secretary of the U.S.D.A. Enrique offers the best hope for […]

Future Farmers of America Organic Valley's young voices enthrall a packed house, twice. By Alison Grantham By noon on Friday of the three-day National Future Farmers of America (FFA) conference we had shook hands with and delivered our elevator speeches to thousands of FFA students, advisors and chaperones, and traffic was finally slowing down. Across […]

Young Farmers! The Greenhorns will be going to the MOSES conference in Lacrosse, WI February 26-28....will any of YOU be there? Please introduce yourself to Severine - she'll be wearing greenhorns stickers . For more information on the conference check out http://www.mosesorganic.org/ You can register online until February 18th. In the meantime, check out this […]

A lovely re-post from the Saxelby Cheese blog - visit them at Essex Market in NYC, and check out their great website for cheese news, farm highlights, etc. This Week at Saxelby Cheesemongers Farming for Freedom... the counterintuitive version. Yesterday I went traipsing around the city in search of a CD that I had heard […]

Beekeeping for Greenhorns! EcoVersity: Topbar Beekeeping Monthly, March 28 - September 12 at EcoVersity, Santa Fe with Talon Van Howten EcoVersity is once again offering very affordable Topbar Beekeeping Classes for its 5th season! An alternative to conventional beekeeping, Topbar Beekeeping is a low-impact, natural method that offers bees maximum freedom to build honeycombs organically, […]

From Zoe Bradbury of Groundswell Farm Hi farmer friends, I'm curious how - or if - the economic slump is affecting you as farmers. I'm trying to collect a little informal data to see if our theories about local/regional food systems are indeed holding up right now. Are they truly more resilient & stable? Able […]

Check out their amazing pesticide free, farm-inspired tunes at: http://www.myspace.com/greenstringfarmband What is Green String Farming? Green String is the act of farming sustainably and naturally so that we provide a healthy future for generations to enjoy. Green String Farm makes every effort to reduce soil erosion, pesticide dependency, loss of biodiversity, resistance to natural predators, […]

"A documentary film tour of California's emerging sustainable food system." Find out more at http://insearchofgoodfood.blogspot.com/ In Search of Good Food is holding a benefit dinner on February 7th - check if out if you're in California! The Second Benefit Dinner for In Search of Good Food Saturday, February 7th, 2009 7-10 pm Million Fishes Art […]

Nominations for the 2009 Leopold Conservation Awards are open. In his influential book, A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage. The development of a land ethic was, he wrote, "an evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity." A land ethic is alive and […]

Farm Camps for kids abound, here's one that was established in 1952. Plantation Farm Camp Plantation is a gorgeous 500 acre working farm nestled in the heart of the Sonoma County redwoods. We have been a livestock ranch and farm for over fifty-five years, and we lovingly care for our animals throughout the year in […]

The High Fructose Corn Syrup crowd's latest slogan is "You're in for a Sweet Surprise".  Indeed. A study released this week contends that High Fructose Corn Syrup, found in everything from pepsi to cereals and lots in between, contains Mercury. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601831.html For a dose of hilarity, visit our friends at King Corn and then watch […]

News from The Carrot Project: OUR FIRST FINANCING PROGRAM! Strolling of the Heifers Microloan Fund for New England Farmers Finding an operating loan has proven to be extremely difficult - any suggestions? - Laurie and Randall, Vermont, January 2008 The Carrot Project is responding to Laurie's and Randall's question with a resounding "Yes!" The Carrot […]

This is an amazing resource, for everyone. Click here for the latest Policy Update It's best read on their website, but full text is below. Farm Bill Implementation, FY09 Funding, Conferences and More! January 2009 Happy New Year from the OFRF Policy Team! Today, we hope you'll join us in welcoming a new administration based […]

A Note from Rural Route Films... be sure to see the link at the bottom to purchase the tour DVD! I'm on a German cruise ship, showing films that the penguins tip-tap for, the seals clap for, and the whales belly-flap for. I´m a last-minute stowaway, didn´t have a ticket when I showed up in […]

We Greenhorns welcome these new refugees to farming & soil. Business World Refugees in the Nonprofit Sector by Nathaniel Whittemore. Published January 15, 2009 @ 08:11AM PST Nothing like hiring freezes at Fortune 500 companies to send MBAs running the way of the nonprofit sector, or so it seems according to two recent articles that […]

The 16th Annual Lancaster County Graziers Conference will be February 9th & 10th in Quarryville, PA at the Solanco Fairgrounds on Route 472 South (about 40 miles from Kimberton). It's an excellent opportunity to learn from well-seasoned farmers about grazing and growing dairy quality forages in lean times. This year there'll be more discussion about […]

From the folks at Diner Journal Diner Journal Will Always Ask You to Do It Yourself It's never a good idea for a magician to give away her secrets. Or is it? As more and more Americans turn to their home kitchens for nourishment the winds of change can feel as cold, stark and tragically […]

via fellow greenhorns at Bouwerie We are pleased to invite writers, thinkers and artists to contribute works of unpredictable lengths and a wide variety of subject matter for our forthcoming preview issue of Food + Sex-a new independent quarterly that explores the history, nature and culture of food and sex. With the goal to expand and elevate […]

The Greenhorns & Young Farmers are featured on  Good Magazine's Blog Picking up the Ploughshare Posted by: Ben Jervey on January 21, 2009 at 8:30 am How young farmers can save America's food supply There are, right now, more Americans behind bars than there are working our nation's farms and fields. Farming-once the backbone of […]

Reject consumerism & celebrate art! http://add-art.org/

A beautiful piece of writing from a Virginian greenhorn. UVA Garden Initiative Introduction "Agriculture is a science of the first order...It counts among its handmaids the most respected sciences, such as Chemistry, Natural History, Botany. In every College and University, a professorship of agriculture, and the class of its students, might be honored as first." […]

There's something special about a good solid barn.  When you drive past one, nestled amongst fields and rolling hills, you just feel...good, and solid, like a barn. They're especially neat in the snow.  Here are some shots from Minnesota.

Live in San Francisco? Have or want a garden? This is for you: Hello Fellow Gardeners + Residents of San Francisco! Victory Gardens 2009+ has just launched the Garden Registry! Please contribute a photo and information about your surrounding garden space (used or unused): http://www.gardenregistry.org/ The San Francisco Victory Garden Garden Registry is an online […]