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Farm Bill Reflects Shifting American Menu and a Senator’s Persistent Tilling By Jennifer Steinhauer, MARCH 8, 2014 WASHINGTON — The farm bill signed by President Obama last month was at first glance the usual boon for soybean growers, catfish farmers and their ilk. But closer examination reveals that the nation’s agriculture policy is increasingly more whole grain […]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzZzZ_qpZ4w&w=560&h=315] Ron Finley plants vegetable gardens in South Central LA -- in abandoned lots, traffic medians, along the curbs. Why? For fun, for defiance, for beauty and to offer some alternative to fast food in a community where "the drive-thrus are killing more people than the drive-bys."  

'Hot Sermon & Heated Talk' on the subject of the sinful silence of the Earth Movement HoneyBeeLujah! WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2014 - 6:00PM - 8:00PM 1) First, a fulminating Apocalypse by the Pastor of the Church of Stop Shopping 2) ...followed by an ever so incisive Q & A period led by Savitri D 3) …and general partying […]

This is not useful journalism. This is inflammatory gossip talk about a topic at the intersection of food sovereignty and corporate-paranoia. It jeopardizes important and difficult work farmers are doing on the ground, within the legal system, and on behalf of all of us who need freedom. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdXMcUpxQww?list=UUeZKFIZGJGeo0ijo5MLObtQ&w=560&h=315] Mark Baker's youtube channel can be […]

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 […]

A Survival Guide for the 21st Century For over two years, director Matt Anderson traveled 16,000 miles to document firsthand our modern industrial world and the environmental destruction in its wake. In the process, he discovered exciting strategies to help humanity transcend the coming ecological and psychological crisis. Some of today’s most progressive thinkers, from […]

The Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), a regional New England environmental advocacy organization, is launching a pro bono legal services network for farmers, food entrepreneurs, and food- Through the Legal Services Food Hub (tentative name), CLF will match eligible participants with skilled attorneys who are willing to provide their legal services for free. The program will […]

"After I Pick the Fruit follows the lives of five immigrant farmworker women over a ten-year period as they labor in the apple orchards and fields of rural western New York, migrate seasonally to Florida, raise their families, and try to hide from the Bush-era immigration raids that were conducted in response to 9/11. Filmed in […]

"Reviving Freedom Mill" premiers tonight (Thursday) on MPBN. 10:15 pm Settle in tonight for the premier of this wonderful film about the transformation of The Mill at Freedom Falls, and the ripple effect it has on the greater community. Watch the trailer HERE or visit MPBN.net for more information.

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.

 Build topsoil. Fix creeks. Eat meat from pasture-raised animals.  Right now, the only possibility of large-scale removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere is through plant photosynthesis and related land-based carbon sequestration activities. These include a range of already existing, low- tech, and proven practices: composting, no-till farming, climate-friendly livestock practices, conserving natural habitat, restoring […]

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 […]

  Friday March 7th, 7pm at the Healdsburg Shed PUNK YEOMAN: The Past and Future of the Grange Join Greenhorns founder Severine Von Tscharner Fleming and evangelist Jen Griffith for a lively evening of learning as we focus on modern farming in their presentation "Grange Future". Grange Future is a community history project undertaken by […]

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 […]

Community Grains.  Read on for information on their conference this weekend, and register HERE 2014 Conference on the Development of Our Local Whole-Grain Economy Community Grains Sunday, March 9, 2014 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (PDT), Oakland, CA A Progress Report & To-Do List Morning Intact Whole Grain–Why Is It Important? Presenters: Michael Pollan, Professor, […]

From the Food Craft Institute: ENROLL NOW! ~ BUSINESS OF BUTCHERY Three Week Intensive Master Course April 14th - May 2nd, 2014 FCI is proud to once again offer our Business of Butchery Master Course in partnership with The Butcher’s Guild. This 3-week intensive is designed for aspiring entrepreneurs seeking to own and run a […]

You guys continue to inspire us! We just heard from Deann Horak who had this to say: About 5 years ago I saw a picture of Severine in an in-flight magazine on Midwest Express. She was so happy holding a goose and eating an apple. The accompanying story was really inspiring and something about that […]

Greening the Ghetto [vimeo http://vimeo.com/40644123] With 7 billion people on earth and the rapid urbanization of our societies, any piece of land becomes strategic in the race to feed the world. Nina Berman, a photographer from photo agency NOOR, started to document the movement of urban gardening in the Bronx, New York in 2010. In […]

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 […]

A nice video of Abe Collins. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDblZnMFArk]

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

...would be incentives for other regions  to begin and expand vegetable production. Indeed here they are, stepping high! Imagine the job creation potential...OH WAIT, you don't have to: Leopold Center did an Iowa jobs report. The Seeds of a New Generation by Michael Moss for the New York Times John D. Jackson lives in the […]

The wolves of Wall Street are eyeing millions of acres of U.S. farmland that will soon come up for sale, much of which has been in the hands of family farmers for generations, according to Down on the Farm, a new study from the Oakland Institute. "Institutional investors"--including hedge funds, private equity, pension funds, and university […]

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/70793446] The recently published book, Greenhorns: 50 Dispatches from the New Farmer Movement, includes nine “dispatches” from Oregon farmers and ranchers. These authors represent the growing youth movement in Oregon agriculture. The keynote session features four of the Oregon authors and greenhorn farmers representing different regions of the state: Sarahlee Lawrence, Rainshadow Organics, Terrebonne; […]

Here is a new venue for discussing policies and programs that do not exist within the current farm bill -- or even the farm bill debate. As an organizer I deeply appreciate this new forum for visioning and proto-wonkery. - Severine http://beyondthefarmbill.org/profile/severine-von-tscharner-fleming  

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 Greenhorns are in the top 10 and voting ends Sunday! To read more about the top 10 and the contest in general, check out this article in the Bay Area Bites blog. 

      Four locations throughout New York State (see below) Cornell Cooperative Extension will present pre-season farmers’ market training to help North Country growers develop their salesmanship, labor management, social media skills and compliance with food safety regulations. Sessions from 10am to 2pm with Cornell Cooperative Extension educators will help growers create a compelling personal story […]

Go to the Agrarian Trust website for Farm Job/ Land Opportunities like these: Small Farm for Lease, Forbes, MO (2/26/2014) Tanglefoot Ranch, Southern IL (2/26/2014) Farm Ownership Opportunity, Ludington, MI (2/15/2014) 4.5 Acres for Lease Forbes, MO (1/15/2014) Farm Partnership Opportunity Pope County, IL (1/15/2014) Owen Family Farm for Sale Grafton, IL (1/15/2014) 25 Acre Catskills Farm for Sale Schoharie, NY […]

Wheeler Hall, UC Berkley at the Agrarian Trust April 26th, 2014 Gayle McLaughlin, the mayor of Richmond, California, is using the powers of eminent domain to bail out homeowners who owe more money on their houses than their house is worth. She'll be speaking at the  "Our Land Symposium" about this innovative foreclosure solution. More […]

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 […]

Arann Harris and the Farm Band Hillstomp  

Check this out from Robin Grey: The Ballad of Hawkwood. One of our new favorites. Hawkwood Nursery is the main site of Organiclea, a workers' cooperative growing food on London's edge in the Lea Valley.  www.organiclea.org.uk  The melody comes from an old english murder ballad called 'The Two Sisters' which I first heard performed by […]

We need this library!  Please pitch in.  All contents of the library will also be contributed to the Farm Hack website. Here's the scoop: Growing Innovation Online Library & Book We will build an online library of agricultural innovations developed by farmers and create a book celebrating their ingenuity. The Growing Innovation project was inspired […]

via The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.  And visit Beyond the Farm Bill.org Register for the National Network meeting and help build food and ag policies that work. March 24–25, 2014 The Marquette Hotel, Minneapolis www.btfb.org Next month, innovative experts and organizations will come together for a two day, collaborative meeting to build the […]

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 […]

A great model, courtesy of Planting Justice. Together, we can create a space that allows for incarcerated youth to experience the same healing power of gardening as men involved in the Insight Garden Program in San Quentin do. We've already seen the transformative power of a garden for adults while incarcerated: reduced recidivism rates, job […]

“It’s clear that we face common challenges.  It’s also clear that by working together, we get more than just a solution to a problem: we get solidarity.”  The Greenhorns presents Cooperative Farming, an in-depth resource for forming collaborative businesses.  Compiled from a 42 interviews with collaborating farmers and allies, this is a how-to handbook on structuring and […]