Oregon Farmland Lost After Years of Battle
by Katherine Driessen from oregonlive.com The VanderZanden name carries both the wounds and potential bounty of years of land-use battles. Some members of the deeply rooted Washington County farm family will turn a substantial profit when they, inevitably, sell their tulip farm and hundreds of rural acres running along Northwest Jackson School Road near […]
Solutions Farms Teaches Homeless to Grow
This story is from the U-T San Diego website. It was written by Teri Figueroa. A small Vista aquaponics farm run by a nonprofit that works with homeless families is about to, well, grow. If all goes to plan, the agricultural enterprise called Solutions Farms will cultivate more produce for its biggest client: the Vista […]
A Young Agrarian Land Covenant
A Young Agrarian Land Covenant: Food for Thought, For Becoming at Home in Our Place, For Thoughtfulness in Producing Food Gary Nabhan With future generations in mind, may my family and friends never leave the land we steward poorer, nor its water scarcer than conditions were before we acquired responsibility for their care. May we […]
163-Acre Farm Preserved in Natural Gas Drilling Zone
Natural Lands Trust Preserves 163-Acre ConaMoore Farm In Chester County from northcentralpa.com Natural Lands Trust announced recently the conservation of ConaMoore Farm, a 163-acre property in East Nantmeal Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The shady woodlands, rolling pastures, and picturesque buildings of ConaMoore Farm, located along Route 401, serve as the gateway to East Nantmeal Township. […]
The Cuban Agroecological Experiment
Small farms thrive under Cuba’s unique blend of agrarian reforms, farmer autonomy and state support By Christina Bronsing-Lazalde, Food First Cuba Tour Coordinator and leader of upcoming Cuba delegation. The son of two pioneers of the Cuban agroecology movement, Fernando Funes-Monzote has been steeped in sustainable farming his entire life. Two years ago, he decided […]
Farm Tenancy in Kansas 1917-Now
by fourth generation Kansas farmer Tom Giessel The Twentieth Biennial Report of the Kansas State Board of Agriculture was published in 1917. The very first chapter was dedicated to the topic of Rural Welfare and began with an article by George E. Putnam, Associate Professor of Economics in Lawrence, Kansas. He devoted the first twenty […]
Wall Street Banks Eye American Farmland
From the Oakland Institute: 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, […]
News in Farm Justice from Agrarian Trust Advisor Elizabeth Henderson
Farmworker Organizations Give Strong Support to the Agricultural Justice Project By Elizabeth Henderson Unique among domestic fair trade claims, farmworkers and farmers negotiated directly with one another to hammer out the standards of the Agricultural Justice Project (AJP). The goal of these standards, which are the basis of AJP’s Food Justice Certified label, is to […]
Considering Land Access — Nationally
Syndicated NPR show All Things Considered featured the creativity of young farmers earlier this week. Highlighting Maple Avenue Market Farm in Virginia and talked to Lindsay Lusher Shute of Hearty Roots Farm in New York. Listen, see pictures and read the story by Dan Charles at the NPR website.
Iowa Public Radio Examines Organic Corn Shortage
The demand for organic food is growing, but in the Midwest, organic is far from king. A report from Iowa Public Radio examines the demand and need for supply of organic corn. The article follows farmer Tom Frantzen (see Farm Profile) who has made the transition to organic, and examines a changing food chain. […]