Blog

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 […]

Winter Greetings Folks, The Northeast Real Food Summit is drawing near--workshops are coming together, the menu is being set, and registration has begun! Join your peers, and REGISTER NOW for the Northeast Real Food Summit! February 21-22, 2009 at University of Massachusetts-Amherst. http://realfoodchallenge.org/northeast/summit09

Re-Post from The Ethicurean http://www.ethicurean.com/2009/01/06/health-care/ For healthy food and soil, we need affordable health care for farmers By Steph Larsen When we talk about local food, it means more than just proximity to a farm. We associate supporting "local food" with supporting specific values - such as family ownership, local control, small scale, environmental stewardship, […]

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 […]

JOB ANNOUNCENT Staff Farmer Georgia Organics, a nonprofit organization working on sustainable food and farm issues, is seeking a full-time Staff Farmer to work from its Atlanta office. This position provides important outreach and support for farmers and gardeners to increase production of organic and sustainably-produced foods in the state.The deadline for applications is February […]

This is a fantastic resource! The Hudson Valley Seed Library is a homestead-based farm and business devoted to developing a seed production network in our region. Using hand tools and low-tech processes, we cultivate dozens of varieties of agronomic plants on our own farm. We also collaborate with certified organic, certified naturally grown, and other […]

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 […]

Or wherever you are. Inaugural Eating Starts on the Road to D.C. With the Obamas' much-discussed habit of healthy eating, this week foodies from all over the nation will travel to D.C. to munch up sustainable goodies at two green inaugural balls and revel in the election of our svelte, tech-savvy, 44th president.

Here's a reminder of why we need to be more conscious of what "green" fuels really mean - Here, it means deforestation, wildlife habitat loss, and the destruction of local livelihoods. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.  The video discusses palm oil in Indonesia. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3i7VAjx9p0 More info at http://www.paneco.ch/aktuelles-n111-sD.html (you […]

Sweet opportunity for potential Greenhorns! North American Biodynamic Apprenticeship Program The Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association is pleased to announce a new two-year biodynamic certification program for apprentices, sponsored in part by the Association, for individuals seeking to learn more about the knowledge and practices of biodynamic agriculture. This new Program consists of an on-farm […]

Check this out! http://www.earthworkmusic.com/ "The Earthwork Music collective believes in the intrinsic and historical power of music to raise both community and self-awareness and serves to facilitate and encourage original music in the state of Michigan and beyond." For some fabulous chicken imitations, listen to Darlene - "Chicken in the Red Dress", andbut there's much […]

Some people own land. Some people farm land. Some lucky folks own the land that they farm, but with real estate pressures and subsidies, and now with shrinking credit, its difficult for many young farmers to conceive of affording a farm. Thankfully, there is an emergent subset of non-farming landowners are keen to partner with […]

Everyone's talking about how to "green the white house", and those in sustainable agriculture circles are eyeing the lawn first.  We've posted about it before.  Now tere's a chance to vote for the idea on change.org. Just click "vote now" in the upper left hand corner of the page. Ideas for Change in America is […]

This could be great for a greenhorn! SEEKING COMMUNITY- AND ECOLOGICALLY-MINDED INDIVIDUAL OR COUPLE TO RENT: Solar powered 300 sq.ft. dome with clawfoot bathtub, woodstove, sleeping loft, & small auxiliary kitchen featuring poured adobe floor, natural plaster walls, solar hot water system & outdoor shower. 20 min from Laytonville. 4WD recommended. Excellent references a must. […]

Great young farmer article!  A thrilling vindication of what we've always known, families and farms thrive together. My own (tall, strong, handsome) brother will be working with me on my farm this summer, and I think we'll all be the better for it. - Severine Seeds of Success, By Jimmy LaRoue Published: January 10, 2009 […]

Here's a chance to nominate a deserving someone who's doing the good work - tilling the soil, feeding people, educating...whatever you deem "extraordinary".  And a nice photo of a hen to make you smile. NRDC Announces First Annual Growing Green Awards to Honor Extraordinary Contributions in Sustainable Food Nominations are due by February 6, 2009. […]

Here's a great opportunity for teachers who want to bring all things green and delicious to their students!  The School Garden Teacher Training  & Support Program at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center   School Garden Teacher Training and Support Program 2009 APPLICATION NOW AVAILABLE ! HOW TO APPLY: Please note that acceptance to the […]

Every-time I"m in New York City I see these tall, strong, ambitious young men striding forcefully around. Arrogant, intelligent, handsome and deliciously focused. Every-time I get upset, almost to tears, that these men are wasted on the financial sector when we so badly need their ambition in Agriculture. Yes, we have a strong young farmers […]

This is worth a re-post! http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/opinion/05berry.html?_r=2 OP-ED CONTRIBUTORS A 50-Year Farm Bill By WES JACKSON and WENDELL BERRY Published: January 4, 2009 THE extraordinary rainstorms last June caused catastrophic soil erosion in the grain lands of Iowa, where there were gullies 200 feet wide. But even worse damage is done over the long term under […]

Full-Time Position available: WJFF Radio Catskill is a rural non-commercial radio station located in Sullivan County NY, in the village of Jeffersonville. WJFF is volunteer run and is the only hydro-powered public radio station in the country! We air programs such as Democracy NOW, Alternative Radio, and This American Life plus locally produced music and […]

We've already shared a post from the blog Civil Eats, but now the site has officially launched!  Congrats to all involved - a great resource for foodies, greenhorns, and sustainably-minded folk in general. Below is the press release about the launch for the site, but click here for  an exciting series of posts about Young […]

As you may know, The Greenhorns were in West Virginia recently, filming and hanging out with fabulous young farmers. Here's a great mention in the West Virginia Farmers' Market Association December Newsletter, by one of the farmers we filmed, Joel Wolpert. Quite evocative... The Greenhorns: Documentary Films Barbour County Farmers submitted by Joel Wolpert My […]

This is a great opportunity for young farmers, particularly those who might want to farm in urban areas.  And there is still time to sign up for the January training! Growing Power's founder and CEO, Will Allen, was recently awarded a MacArthur fellowship. "From the Ground Up" Growing Power Training "Growing Your Community Food System" […]

There's so much information on the web, so many webpages and widgets to distract or engage us...Here's something that we think is worth your time - The Oakland Institute. The Greenhorns heartily recommends their site for food politics news and briefings, and much more. Right now, there's a great policy brief on the Food Crisis […]

Here she is singing The Little Red Hen... Click Here May your New Year's Eve be filled with good food, friends, & music!

Great opportunity for wannabe greenhorns... The Poughkeepsie Farm Project seeks farm and program interns for spring of 2009! Do you want to be a farmer, sustainable agriculture educator, or community food advocate? Poughkeepsie Farm Project's Farming for the City program provides interns with weekly workshop style trainings and field trips, hands on experience growing food […]

This is a great opportunity - submit proposals for The Second Annual Rural Heritage Institute at Sterling College... Food, Farms, and Community: Rural America's Local Food Renaissance June 16-18, 2009 Sterling College Craftsbury Common, VT Panel, workshop, presentation, and roundtable proposals are solicited for The Second Annual Rural Heritage Institute at Sterling College, a three-day […]

Introducing the 2nd edition of the Greenhorns Guidebook for Beginning Farmers, available in an easily downloadable 40 page pdf! A book for the fierce protagonists of soil fertility, the rosy cheeked muscle of the new American countryside. Enjoy, weigh in, spread far and wide. The Greenhorns Guide for Beginning Farmers: greenhorns-guidebook