Blog

It's a worldwide trend - young folks getting back to the land.  This time, in a government-sanctioned program. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/business/global/16farmer.html?emc=eta1 excerpt: YOKOSHIBAHIKARI, Japan - A motley group of unlikely farmers descended on the countryside here one recent Sunday, fresh towels around their necks, shiny boots on their feet. "This is harder than it looks," said Tatsunori […]

City Slicker Farms, a non-profit urban farming program in West Oakland, California is seeking qualified applicants for our Community Market Farm Coordinator position. The Coordinator will be running the opening and operations of a new Community Market Farm with the City of Oakland Parks and Recreation. This will include community outreach, building coordination, farming, volunteer/staff […]

NPR on Seed Balls... http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103129515 Neighborhood organizations across the U.S. that want to improve the environment are using a surprising weapon: seed balls. It's a technique for planting in abandoned places and often inhospitable land that was developed in Japan by Masanobu Fukuoka, a pioneer in "natural farming." The technique has worked its way to […]

Greenhorns, nominate yourselves or those you know who are doing important work! 2009 marks the 7th Glynwood Harvest Awards. To find out more about the Awards and Glynwood go to http://www.glynwood.org/Programs/HarvestAwards/ThisYearOverview.html Glynwood is doing something a little different this year recognizing farmers are VERY busy folks in the summer - when applications for the Awards […]

This is good follow-up on that controversial op-ed piece in the New York Times... http://food.theatlantic.com/the-food-channel/free-range-pork-really-riskier.php Curator's note: Like pretty much every advocate of sustainable agriculture, including our own Bill and Nicolette Hahn Niman, I took immediate and sharp notice of James McWilliams's New York Times op-ed suggesting that pigs raised in the very epitome of […]

Exploring the Small Farm Dream - May 13&14, 2009 Orientation & Train the Trainer Session The New England Small Farm Institute (NESFI) will offer a training session to introduce its course and workbook, Exploring the Small Farm Dream: Is Starting an Agricultural Business Right for You?, to potential course sponsors and instructors. The 1-1/2 day […]

Need a place to stay in Providence this summer? Here's the latest from Dirt Palace Some Dirt Palace News! First off - The Secret Restaurant of the Dirt Palace is BACK!! Sunday April 26th HAPPY EASTER! OK, maybe it's not really easter - however, We are going to have a very special "Peaster" day Brunch. […]

via East Bay Permaculture: I have found a "trailer" (2 bedrooms with a third huge room built on) that I want to live in and am looking for a roommate (couple considered). It's on an organic farm just outside of Woodland, California, about 67 miles from Berkeley (about 13 miles from downtown Davis). You'd need […]

Hi Friends! Underground Food Collective is back in New York City with a series of three multi-course dinners celebrating Spring Bounty and Foraged Foods, May 15, 17 and 18, 2009. After sold-out, highly praised Pre-Industrial Pig Dinners in January, Wisconsin's celebrated Underground Food Collective is returning to Brooklyn. This time we're joining up with local […]

California folks, here are some great fermenting events & celebrations... Ferment Change! On the Dance Floor! Brass Liberation Orchestra, Stratosphere 68, Clar Mooncalf, Sabrina followed by DJ One Chance & more... A benefit for Oakland's own: City Slicker Farms http://www.cityslickerfarms.org/ & Tristan Anderson http://justicefortristan.org/ At the Oakland Noodle Factory Union St & 26th St (entrance […]

Greenhorns. cowboys. young farmer icons -- we welcome submissions of 'graphic identity' totems. The American Farmer Needs A Cowboy Image by Gary Truit No image of America is more widespread and more enduring than that of the cowboy. Over a century after the heyday of the western cattleman, the image of the tough, independent, hardworking […]

Forage Oakland Anthology Call for Submissions Forage Oakland is a neighborhood backyard barter network by which anyone living in North Oakland or South Berkeley, California, USA can join the project and barter their surplus backyard bounty (of which there is much in this neighborhood). Inter-seasonal exchanges can be made, for example brown turkey figs in […]

Here's another blog worth keeping up with: http://www.freshmanfarmer.com/ ... Witty, engaging and a great resource for Greenhorns out there.  Six new farmers, all posting about the trials & tribulations, successes & celebrations of farming. Six farms are starting from scratch They are turning the dirt and hoping to be successful enough to turn a profit, […]

NYCers, check this out on Saturday! Third Annual Food For Thought Film Festival April 11 & 18, 2009 Naniola Productions presents the annual Food For Thought Film Festival presenting films about our most important life sustaining resource; food. The purpose of the film festival is to educate the public on issues regarding our current food […]

This piece was written by Greenhorns ally Twilight Greenaway for Culinate.  Great work, Twilight! The Young and the Landless here's an excerpt: They're not wearing overalls or brandishing pitchforks, but the young farmers who appear in the trailer for the documentary film "The Greenhorns" are the real thing. Their faces are sun-worn, the dirt under […]

We just got wind of this organic farmland in Iowa via the Women, Food & Agriculture Network (a great resource, by the way)  It's calling out for a young farmer!  Dolf Ivener has 30 acres of certified organic farmland within the Sioux City city limits. He is looking for someone to lease that farm. If […]

Rodale Institute's Compost powers USDA's organic People's Garden (despite Chemical Ag's concerns) WASHINGTON, D.C. - About the time that Chemical Ag spokespeople were chiding Michelle Obama for promoting home-grown organic food with her White House garden, compost from the Rodale Institute farm was landing on a new organic garden right in front of U.S. Department […]

Here's another important event in New York City. Youth Forum & Expo: Food, Farming and Active Living April 16, 2009 | Hostos Community College | NYC This one-of-a-kind event is a full-day conference planned with and for NYC youth leaders, their mentors and allies who are engaged in health, wellness and sustainability. Gather with us […]

Any New York City Greenhorns out there?  This is a terrific project. http://foodstockings.wordpress.com/ We are a group of food justice and urban agriculture activists working to ensure that people of all walks of life have access to fresh, nutritious, and environmentally-sound food. as part of this mission, we run a CSA (community supported agriculture group) […]

If you're in the Hudson Valley, check out this great workshop, tomorrow! We should have something to offer at these workshops for beginners and experienced permies alike. And we have a lots of new projects to show off... When: Saturday, Apr 11, 2009 Where: At Regeneration CSA, 81 Clove Valley Rd, High Falls, NY Description: […]

This is important work from the Oakland Institute. Important for the future of sustainable farming in Africa and around the world. Oakland, CA: Concurrent with the release of a printed report, Voices From Africa: African Farmers & Environmentalists Speak Out Against Against a New Green Revolution in Africa, the Oakland Institute has launched Voices from […]

Rising to the Challenge: Entrepreneurs Building Living Economies Denver Colorado, May 21-23, 2009 The seventh annual BALLE conference is the premier venue to forge deep connections with entrepreneurs, social innovators, investors, policymakers, and BALLE network leaders. Together we are building a global network of local living economies. Highlights Network Showcase - Our member networks and […]

Greenhorn Erin Bullock of Mud Creek Farm just got a shiny new tractor!  It's that time of year.  You can read about it on her blog, http://www.farmererin.blogspot.com/ And in the meantime, here's a sneak preview.

Assistant Organic Farm Manager Position Description Open until filled. Review of applications begins 1 May 2009 Position Summary: This position provides support to the Organic Farm Manager; the Assistant is responsible for the land areas, gardens, livestock, produce and product sales and distribution for Shepherd's Corner. The individual will also provided general staff support in […]

FOOD SECURITY IN THE HUDSON VALLEY Lets get together! 10AM SATURDAY APRIL 11th @ TSL 434 Columbia Street in Hudson, NY This will be a gathering of farmers, gardeners, educators, and community members from around the Hudson Valley. At this meeting we hope to bring together two discussions that have already begun: 1)The meeting of […]

We got this nice note from Greenhorns ally Michelle Rehme: Today was the official groundbreaking for UVA's community garden - and quite possibly the happiest day of my life. Under a perfect blue sky we had students, teachers, kids, and Charlottesville familes all being rock stars and frolicking around barefoot in the mud building raised […]

We love the Hudson Valley Seed Library. Here's the latest event list from Ken Greene: Art Opening Saturday, April 11th, 4-6pm Kaaterskill Fine Arts Gallery at the Catskill Mountain Foundation. I'll be giving a talk at 5pm. The show will be up throughout April. Market Saturday, April 18th We'll be selling our seeds outside the […]

If you want to work for a foundation, this is a pretty darn good one. Winrock International is accepting applications for Program Associate 1 for the Wallace Center. The position description is attached but can also be found on InSite. Applicants should submit resume and statement of interest to Human Resources by the closing date […]

There's not an awful lot to be gleaning right now, at least in the northeast, but we'll be in the thick of things soon.  Gleaning is a process, dating to biblical times, in which leftover crops are collected or harvested after the farmer has  commercially harvested a field or orchard. And Wikipedia notes that "In […]

This just in from Greenhorns friend Ethan Roland: Howdy All! In just a few weeks I will be starting a Permaculture Design Course in the Hudson River Valley -- it's incredibly well-priced, and adds some innovative new twists to the standard 72-hour Permaculture Design Certification. If you're interested, get in touch with Sarai ([email protected]) QUICKLY […]

Registration is now online for the 3rd National Conference on Facilitating Sustainable Agriculture Education, July 15-17, 2009 The Sustainable Agriculture Education Association (SAEA) is proud to announce our 3rd National Conference held at Iowa State University. Come join us in the heartland to learn about key issues of the sustainable agriculture education research and practice […]

Carpinteria High School, in Carpinteria, CA, is seeking an Agricultural Fellow. For the full description, click here: Ag Fellow Announcement. Read on for a summary! Great opportunity for a Greenhorn. * * * Carpinteria High School (CHS) has established an Agricultural Science and Technology Academy (ASTA) that provides students with training for a viable career […]

This will be a great talk, great conversation.  If you're near Point Reyes Station, CA, check it out. Dance Palace Community Center.

If you're in Brooklyn, check out Here We Go Magic, next Tuesday, April 7.   With Greenhorns friend Peter Hale!  Here's his message: This is Peter Hale (alternately Texas Pete, Peter from Trick and the Heartstrings, Peter from Diner). I hope this finds you well! It's probably been a long time since we've talked (maybe we […]

We'd like to remind you, in these early days of Spring, of an amazing resource for young farmers in New York, and anywhere, really.  Another of Cornell's great projects. http://www.nybeginningfarmers.org/ New Farmers can join the site, find out how to write a farm plan, find folks to help you, connect with other farmers, The site […]

Two hip young ladies, Zoe Fisher & Audrey Snyder, have been working on a sustainable fashion show to benefit the San Francisco Victory Gardens project.  If you're in the area, check it out, support something good, and talk these two into becoming farmers. When: Sunday, April 26 Where: Temple San Francisco More Details: http://www.beentheredonethatbenefit.blogspot.com/ The […]

If you're on the mailing list, you already know this, but... Goat tshirts are in! Here are the nitty gritty details: - Organic bespoke cotton tee shirts in a short boxy cut that my stylish friends say is "very good". - Printed on the front is this beautiful image of a purple goat.  On the […]

Farm Loans especially for Young Farmers! https://www.firstpioneer.com/en/Products/FarmStart.aspxFarmStart Are you a new farmer or farm cooperative who is confident that you'll be successful, but have a minimal track record and limited financial resources? Have you written a business plan and done your homework on your proposed venture? Can you demonstrate responsibility, good work ethic and follow-through?

May Fly is a duet of sweet harmony vocals and folk instrumentals influenced by southern appalachian old-time, and new england blues, ballads and soul music. Check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/mayflygirls

Or anybody humor, really.  This came through ComFood A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced toward him out of a cloud of dust. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie, leaned out […]