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vintage grange pin
Spotted this weekend at the NOFA Mass Winter Conference! Thanks to conference presenter Martin Dagoberto of MA Right to Know and MA Pollen Action for coming over to share this sweet swag with us!
how do we feel about the vertical farm?
Illustration by Bruce McCall, published by The New Yorker 1/9/17 This is a genuine question for all future agriculturalists! Growing things without soil or sunlight: Are the farmers and gardeners who feel uncomfortable by this notion the future purists of agriculture? If, for the sunburned-purist with soil under their feet, this seems inappropriate; wouldn't it be interesting to get to the bottom of exactly why […]
aluna the movie
Aluna is a movie about the KOGI - A revered indigenous civilization living on a mountain in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Columbia. The Kogi have reached out to the world through film, collaborating with Alan Ereira in an attempt to change our fundamental understanding of reality. Ripples from their first collaboration over twenty years ago led to developments all over the world, bringing the […]
can you get a fiscal sponsorship for your activism?
If there is one thing that we'd like to spotlight these days, it's change makers and organizations that are doing really great and innovative work across the country. Enter: Ecologistics, a nonprofit organization based in the Central Coast of California whose mission is to "To create a resilient and healthy community for the residents of […]
nofa mass winter conference, jan 14, worcester, ma
Looking for a way to get off the farm, dig deep into the New England farming community, and start preparing for next season? It's not too late to take workshops in biochar, no-till farming, how to achieve fair wages for farmers and farm workers, and bee hive management. Registration is still open for the NOFA MA […]
great reasons (and three well- paid positions) to move to the Catskills (for)
Tianna Kennedy presents a compelling argument to lure agrarians to the Catskills. She also includes three great job postings.
another model for financing farm starts
Creatign farmer focused credit union in Maine.
dogfish: a shark for breakfast?
NPR's The Salt on why dogfish, a shark that is plentiful off the coast of New England, is primarily exported to Europe for consumption while Americans import 90% of the fish they consume.
magic molly, fedco's badass super farmer
Fighting corporate tyranny and planting the seeds of freedom, we're so grateful to Fedco for giving us this badass superhero on their 2017 seed catalogue cover.
is the world bank in with monsanto?
Influenced by agribusiness giants, the rating mechanisms of a World Bank index threaten the seed sovereignty of small farmers globally. Please help!
urban farm manager position in troy, ny
Capital Roots, a nonprofit in Troy, NY is seeking a farm manager for it's 2 acre urban farm.
music we love: alaska
We love this new song by Maggie Rogers, for dance halls and wide wild expansive spaces alike.
how the wolves saved yellowstone: a lesson in keystone species
A lesson in keystone species and biodiversity. When wolves are reintroduced to Yellowstone, incredible changes occur.
radio interview with draft-horse vegetable farmer
A brief but thought-provoking interview with David Fisher and Anna Maclay of Natural Roots Farm in Conway, MA.
our new favorite greeting cards
We love these female-farmer inspired greeting cards, and we love that a portion of proceeds go to support more women in agriculture.
contradance to stop the pipeline in western mass, jan 14, cummington, ma
CONTRADANCE to Protect Otis State Forest / Sandisfield from Kinder Morgan’s Connecticut Expansion Pipeline Saturday, January 14th, 7 p.m., West Cummington Parish House, 27 W. Main Street, West Cummington, MA Proceeds to support legal work of PLAN-NE. Music by Steve Howland, Calling by Sadie Stull, Food from Alice’s Kitchen! A little background: the Connecticut Expansion […]
big thoughts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvyD2o7w24g Small farmers movements and defending subsistence both depend on a new worldview. We can't think in a mechanical rational way and personally relate to nature. We also can't patriarchy and capitalism and simultaneously do something about today's sexual division of labor - or colonialism. Though the revolution is coming from the bottom up (and could only come that […]
forget the champagne this NYE: we found lost apple cider
[vimeo 147721444 w=640 h=360] Shacksbury Orchard out of Vergennes, VT is collecting lost apple varieties and creating remarkably distinctive hard ciders from them. In the best thing since Rodolph came to the Island of Misfit Toys, the orchardists have grafted a Lost Orchard, propagating 12 carefully selected wild and heirloom apple varieties to over 1000 trees. […]
hospital plus farm
This seems like a combo we could use more of: according to Ecowatch, "this hospital prescribes fresh food from its own organic farm." The reporting in the linked article accurately articulates a move we hope to see more of in Western Medicine: a holistic approach that recognizes patients as members of large societal systems in […]
poem for the dark holy days of winter
To Know the Dark By Wendell Berry To go in the dark with a light is to know the light. To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight, and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings, and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings. Merry Holidays, y'all! Happy Solstice and New Year!
appetite for change
Appetite for Change (AFC) coming out of North Minneapolis brings a nutritional presence to social media with a music video and track both profound and entertaining. These kids - one of them 11 years old - have lyrical skill and presence like any household name all while carrying a radical message: Transform food systems and start […]
rad social justice and farmer training in the bay area
Applications are now open! The Bay Area Farmer Training Program provides the education, training and tools for a new generation of farmers in California's Bay Area to create socially-just, ecologically sustainable and economically viable urban and peri-urban farm businesses. Exceedingly high recidivism rates, increasing immigrant populations, a scarcity of living-wages for vulnerable citizens, and the rapidly aging farmer […]
last minute gift idea for the environmental troubadours in your life
Learn more and buy the book here!
voyagevert - flying no more!
The alternative we've been waiting for! Like Elon Musk meeting Ernest Hemingway, who wouldn't prefer an affordable high-speed catamaran across the Atlantic to a crowded jetliner? VoyageVert is currently crowdsourcing their funding to eliminate pollution from personal transportation which according to their website amounts to 23% of the world's CO2 pollution. Follow or share this amazing project […]
Greenhorns 2016 Impact Report
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 […]
farming on the frontier
Each farmer seems to have a different take on winter. Some see it as welcome reprieve and time to take a load off, others as an interruption. If you are part of the former group, that is to say you light up at the thought of cozying up to a fire with the latest copy […]
"land restoration economy"
[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
revolutions start from the bottom: film series on agricultural solutions to climate change
[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.
agricultural trailblazer dorn cox on GH radio tomorrow, dec. 20!
Where does Dorn Cox find the time to get so much done? Dorn is a founding member and board president of farm hack, is director of Greenstart, and-- as his bio on their webiste totes-- on his 250-acre family farm in Lee, NH, "has worked to select effective cover crops, grains and oilseeds for food and […]
new short film by les blank
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqRxBjEaaKk] In 1967 Les Blank and Skip Gerson were hired to work in Thailand on a documentary about the B52 Bomber. There were some problems getting access to the planes. Weeks went by with Les and Skip on payroll, but with nothing to shoot. So they began traveling around the country shooting whatever they […]
call to the commons
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.
via campesina calls for immediate cessation of murder of civilians in syria
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 […]
the future of pecans (and more) in southern Arizona
Water rights are a hot topic lately, especially in the arid Southwest. It's even harder for small farmers who often can't afford the increasing cost of water to irrigate their crops. Pair that with urban growth and developers with money to spend and it can be difficult to imagine an easy path forward for sustainable agriculture […]
read this: localism in the age of trump
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. […]
help stop bayer & monsanto from achieving global domination
Dear Friends, In just a few weeks Bayer and Monsanto are getting ready to file their merger with antitrust authorities in Europe and the U.S.. If they succeed, we are facing a nightmare scenario: more bee-killing neonics in our fields, more toxic glyphosate on our plates, and more corporate control over our food supply. Regulators can still stop […]
the germans are precise in their critique of merger between monsanto and bayer
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 […]
10 things to know about standing rock
Thanks be to High Country News for this latest piece that brings us back to a much-needed review of the ins-and-outs of our representative federal form of government as they relate to the latest events at Standing Rock. Have you found yourself wondering over the past few months, how did we get here, why can this happen […]
russian hackers and the presidential election
Concerned about the role of Russian hackers in the Presidential election? MoveOn.org has a petition up asking for further investigation before Elector College Electors cast their vote: We ask all Electoral College Electors to not vote on the presidency until CIA and other official investigations into the Russian government's hacking of our 2016 election on […]
greenhorns radio: farming the NH sea coast
Did you, in all of the chaos of the election, miss the 11/8 Greenhorn's Radio show with Becky Brand of Brandmoore Farm in NH? Don't worry; we've got your back. Brandmoore Farm is a diverse, organic farm with a focus on cow dairy and vegetables, and Beck speaks about diversified small-scale farming on the sea coast, farming on […]
news from the grange school
Attention, future and current food producers! The Grange School of Adaptive Agriculture has openings in their 2017 Practicum Program. Details below! How do you practice Adaptive Agriculture? You start by educating yourself on cutting edge practices, by questioning conventions, by equipping yourself with the skills to flex, adapt, adjust to changing conditions and contexts. At […]