Great video, great farm, great tractor.
In this round up of new forms of grocery distribution.
A New Wave of Grocery Distribution Models Takes on FreshDirect
As New Yorkers grow ever more interested in where their food comes from, a new wave of distribution models has emerged to take on FreshDirect, community-supported agriculture, and the farmers’ market by combining elements of all of them. These alternatives use modern technology to connect consumer to producer, utilizing social media and appetizing web design to emphasize a food item’s backstory as much as its flavor. In a massive agricultural system like ours, says Vermont farmer Erik Andrus, “to be invisible is to be dead.” Here, an introduction to three fledgling start-ups aiming to liberate you from the supermarket aisle.
continue reading here
Check out these gals in New Mexico, they gather seed stories from people –> cultural memorybanking.
http://seedbroadcast.blogspot.com/
Family bequeaths farm to PFI
By Jean Caspers-Simmet, Published 3/05/2013
AMES, Iowa —Tom and Irene Frantzen’s desire to preserve their New Hampton land for generations to come led them to bequeath the 300-acre certified organic farm to Practical Farmers of Iowa.
They announced the transition plan at the recent PFI conference in Ames.
Their voices choking with emotion, the couple offered the details of their bequest.
Tom shared how he was moved by Pope John Paul’s words “the land is yours to be preserved generation upon generation,” when the pontiff visited Des Moines in 1979. As “a busy young farmer,” Tom declined his mother’s invitation to see the pope. He stayed home to paint the barn but listened on the radio.
“I was dumbstruck,” Tom said. “In the years that followed on the farm, we walked by faith and not by sight. We had a direction of stewardship but each step brought uncertainty.” Continue Reading →
The Berkshire Food Guild is a community of local food crafters with a mission to support and celebrate the regional foodshed. We partner with area farms to host seasonal feasts and workshops that explore food in the context of the field, the kitchen, and the table. Continue Reading →
TED is a non-profit devoted to “ideas worth spreading” and you can find literally thousands of free–inspiring and awesome–talks from experts and innovators around the world. We’ve decided to highlight 24 TED talks specifically around food issues that we found compelling and worth sharing.
Please check out and watch as many of these as you can. And, most importantly, forward this email to 24 friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers who might be open to watching a few of these insightful talks–and learning more about the food system. Also, we’ve posted this list on the Food Tank website and invite you to share it with friends via the web and social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN, or Pinterest. Continue Reading →
For all of the apprentices in their system and other aspiring farmers. Such a great model.
Here’s what they’re up to this week:
Greenhouse Management.
Wednesday, May 29, 5pm at Peacemeal Farm, Dixmont
Thursday, May 30, 5pm at Broadturn Farm, Scarborough
The greenhouse is a key part of any organic farm. As “the place where it all starts,” but also the place where a whole lot can go wrong in a hurry, learning proper greenhouse management is essential. Come see how Mark Guzzi & Marcia Ferry of Peacemeal Farm use their greenhouses for both starting the season and post-harvest handling as well as how they manage fertility, water, pests and diseases inside.
Join us for a second workshop in Southern Maine which will feature greenhouse tours of three farms. We’ll start at Broadturn Farm, then head to Snell Family Farm, followed by Frith Farm. A potluck will follow, held at Frith Farm.
Who are the Young Agrarians?
Young Agrarians is a grassroots initiative made up of agriculturalists and media conspirators intent on growing food sustainably. Inspired by The Greenhorns to build a network Canada-side to celebrate, connect and recruit young farmers – the Young Agrarians are the movers and shakers of a new agrarians movement: young agriculturalists, farmers, urban farmers, market and community gardeners, community groups and academics, organizations and the public who want to ecologically rebuild, promote and inspire the agriculture of our country. We are using the power of media and the internet, and bringing people together in real time- to build community and grow ‘good, clean, and fair’ food.
the BBC collects these each year. Listen to their selection of 2012′s big food ideas HERE.
from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Check it out HERE
Congress Should Prioritize Modern, “Healthy Farm” Practices When Farm Bill Debate Re-Starts This Month
Industrial Model of Agriculture Is a Dead End, Scientists Say
WASHINGTON (May 9, 2013) — U.S. agriculture is at a crossroads: continue the polluting, soil-depleting industrialized farming methods of the past, or invest in modern practices of the future. A policy brief and interactive web feature released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) shows how several key practices can produce the food we need today while protecting precious natural resources for the long term—benefiting American farmers, consumers and the environment.
“Industrial agriculture sounded good in the 1950s, but it’s not serving us well in the twenty-first century,” said Doug Gurian-Sherman, senior scientist with UCS’s Food and Environment Program and co-author of the policy brief. “To meet the environmental, resource, and production challenges of the future, scientists, policy makers and farmers must work together to invest in a more sustainable kind of agriculture.” Continue Reading →
making it happen! Check out their kickstarter campaign
Chicago ‘Cooperation Operation’ to Transform South Side Lot into Creative Farm-scape
by Whitney Richardson
The Cooperation Operation (Coop Op) is a diverse group of young social & food justice activists working to create a cooperatively run urban community garden in Chicago’s South Side Pullman neighborhood. A quarter of the homes in Pullman lay vacant. The abandonment is a result of riots in the 1960s and the spoils of an industrialized neighborhood. Additional indicators of neglect include disparate access to food, high rates of substance abuse and obesity and racial divide. The Coop Op, like many young farmers across America, woke up with the hope of urban agriculture, igniting change in pursuit of a better present and future, to restore the land and make peace. Continue Reading →
Great concept, similar to the way our friends at the Hudson Valley Seed Library got started.
How to Start a Seed Library at Your Public Library:
http://newdream.s3.amazonaws.com/19/20/3/3063/webinar_slides_seed_library.pdf
http://www.gekgasifier.com/
personal scale power
