Chefs Cook Up Some Family Farm Aid

Even before we've had to start paying the price at the grocery store for California's devastating Big Freeze of 2007, a few altruistic local chefs have noticed the impact and are doing what they can to help. According to this story in the LA Times, chefs are holding a series of fund-raising dinners to aid family farms hurt by the unusually cold weather. Farms receiving aid include, Rutiz Family Farms, Coleman Family Farms (as seen in this blog full of beautiful farm photos) and Flora Bella Farm. Leading the "Chefs Helping Farmers" effort is Suzanne Goin, who owns Lucques and A.O.C., both of which are known to have close ties to family farms.

American Idol: Farm Edition

I'm always happy to see a story in one of my local papers about family farming, especially one like this one in this week's Chicago Tribune that features farmers and a farmgirl connected to CSA projects. Check out the brief mention, but mention nonetheless, of Trader Joe's employee/Farmgirl Gray Wiechern, who launched Mother Earth Organic Farm. Most of the focus, however, is on Steve Tiwald who founded Green Earth Institute in 2002. The story seems to be a continuation of this blog's first post about farmers as the new rock stars. The Tribune notes: "Just as celebrity chefs inspire confidence because their patrons know who is cooking their food, a movement is gaining traction to know who is growing the food we eat."

Annie's Project Schools Farmgirls in FarmBiz

From what I hear, Indiana is slow to embrace and support alternative farming. But I did see this audio file and press release in Inside Indiana Business about a series of workshops for women in farming. The seven workshops throughout the state - with programs on financial records management and keeping track of production - are held under the auspices of Annie's Project, which was inspired by a farmgirl who married into the farming business. More and more women are like Annie, who marry into the farming business, find themselves inheriting a family farm or are attracted to the rural life. A 2002 USDA census of agriculture found that more than a quarter of American farmers and ranchers are women, some 850,000 female farmers.

Hoosier Blogger's Family Farm Discoveries

I stumbled across Scott Hutcheson's Hungry Hoosier site recently and was pleased to see how closely he's examined food from the source. In this post from December, Scott blogs about Joel Salatin protege Stan Skillington and then in August about the Phelps Family Farms in Ladoga, Ind. Then closer to home for me, he blogged about Fair Oaks Farms, which is sort of a Disneyland version of agri-tourism.

Folksinger Farmgirl to Release New Album

Bluegrass Farmgirl hero Adrienne Young is set to release a new album this spring, this one supporting sustainable agriculture. Fans will remember that in her Grammy-nominated first album, she bundled seed packets into the liner notes. This album - Room to Grow - will promote "responsible-farming awareness" according to this piece in Cybergrass. According to a release about the album, Adrienne is working with Food Routes Network to form an alliance with the American Community Gardening Association to donate proceeds of record sales to local farming efforts. Room to Grow is due out in May.

Farmgirl Heroes Alert

I was reading this story on CattleNetwork.com about the death of Nebraska's anti-corporate farming law and the threat to North Dakota's legislation because of recent court rulings, when I came across a quote from someone who seemed suspiciously farmgirlish. Indeed, Jessica Shoemaker, a staff attorney with the Farmers Legal Action Group in St. Paul, Minn., grew up with family farming in Wisconsin and Iowa and has an affinity for the rural life. And it's probably no surprise that several of the attorneys working at FLAG have family farm roots or, like Farmgirl Jill Krueger, would like to.

Grassland Farmgirls Honored in Kansas

Kansas Farmgirl Betty Bonjour and her daughter Jessica just won a grassland award for their brand of rotational farming at Double B Ranch. Betty operates a 150-head cow-calf herd and five registered quarter horses. Jessica tells the Marysville Advocate that farming has been her dream since she graduated from high school. And her Farmgirl mother is thrilled to have her daughter by her side. "It gives me a lot of peace of mind and faith that my daughter is so devoted to the farm,” Betty says. The article notes that the farmgirls do all the farm work, including "fencing, cutting trees, calving, moving cattle from pasture to pasture, banding and vaccinations."

The True Virtual Farmers Are Gaming it Up

I thought I was a true virtual farmgirl until I read this piece in RP Gamer about Natsume's latest fantasy video games: Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon and Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon. For the past decade, the games have featured a city boy who heads to rural lands to try his hand at country living and "bring life back to the dilapidated family farm." RP Gamer gives positive reviews to the new games. In Rune Factory, in addition to tilling, the boy has to fight monsters and set them to work on the farm. Innocent Life is set in the distant future on an island where players farm while they discover mysteries about the past. Quoted here about an earlier version of Harvest Moon, creator Yoshifumi Hashimoto says the game is meant to allow players to perform acts that would be annoying in real life. Yoshifumi says: "It's not like the actual farm work -- the actual farm work would be tiring." Both games are for Super Nintendo and are supposed to be released in 2007.

Grass Farmer's Model a Continued Success

It's easy to become engrossed in the works of Shenandoah Valley alternative farmer Joel Salatin, who also happens to be a prolific author and innovator. Joel's a third-generation farmer and was most recently featured in this story in American Farm, though he's attracted and generated a lot of press over the years. The American Farm story features Joel's Polyface Farms, where he uses electric fencing to pen in the family's grass-fed animals. Joel talks about the various ways he is able to make money from his operation, including firewood sales.

Maple Syrup Farm Offers 'Sweet' Skiing this Winter

Check out these agricultural-themed, treasure hunt Nordic Quests in Vermont. This story in the Times Argus features the Morse Farm experience, with the quest about how farming has evolved over the centuries. I love how this farm figured a way to bring winter events, snow shoeing, cross country skiing and these farm history-themed treasure hunts, to this 7th generation maple sugar farm. Farmer Harry "Burr" Morse Jr., describes it as "The Sweetest Ski in Vermont." On his site, Burr says, "As a seventh generation Vermonter I can say winter is beautiful, invigorating and damned hard work, all at the same time. Last winter, I traded in my splitting hammer for a set of cross-country skis. Now I've added another word to my winter vocabulary...'fun'."

Pilot Project to Treat, Separate Dairy Cow Waste

Dealing with animal waste is a huge issue for farming operations, large and small. So I'll be curious to see how this pilot project near Canton, Ohio, plays out. The project, featured in the Canton Repository, marries sewage treatment experts, family farms, environmental groups and local businesses to separate dairy cow waste into liquid and solids. Still not as cool as "cow pots" but possibly more realistic for more farming families.

'Green Farming' Takes Root at Michigan Tree Farm

I'm not completely convinced of this Trim Pines Farm position that farmers were the "original environmentalists." I can believe that they have long appreciated nature and the land. And I do believe that farmers, including folks like Mike Yancho Sr. and his farmgirl daughter Christina, can and are turning things around. According to The Flint Journal, Mike's family farm became the first nursery in Michigan verified by the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program because of Trim Pines farm operations and crop management.

Farmgirls Rally to Oppose Factory Farms

I've discovered a few Hoosier Farmgirl Heroes mentioned in this Muncie Star Press piece about the CAFO counter movement. The article notes that "Organizers of local CAFO opponents are typically grandmothers and/or mothers who own farms that have been in their families for decades." My favorite of the bunch is Barbara Cox, a retired nurse, but tireless advocate for farming that won't poison the environment and destroy the quality of rural life. Barbara, who estimates she spends 35 hours a week on CAFO issues, says she could retire down South if she'd sell her "durned farm." But Florida sunshine isn't in her near future. "I'm committed that we will not totally ruin this state and leave a mess for the next generation," she says. Star Press photo is of Barbara at her farm in Lynn, Ind.

To Pasteurize or Not...Raw Milk Safety Debate Rages On

After last night's post mentioning raw milk, I looked at more posts on the Net (including posts here, here, here and this excellent story in the Oct. 1 Washington Post with a great anecdote featuring Farmgirl Kitty and her Hedgebrook Farm) and I could plainly see that there is no clear consensus about the safety of raw milk. While there are some "cow boarding" loopholes that allow families to more easily obtain raw milk from cows they don't have to keep in their backyards, sales are still illegal in most states and there are still many in the scientific community who point to risks, as noted by this FDA recall alert in New York.

Jersey Farm Couple Sees Raw Milk as Missing Piece of Biodynamic Operation

They have 25 milk goats, 100 roasting chickens, 250 laying hens, six pigs and three shepherding donkeys on 15 acres...all part of Farmgirl Dana and her husband Ray's progressive "commonsensical" farmstead, according to this piece in American Farm. The all-natural DanaRay Farm the article says, is complete with vegetables, fruit tress and herb gardens... all part of a "balanced system" where as much waste or oversupply is reused as possible. The couple takes excess harvest to an off-site kitchen for canning. Their trouble is trying to figure out how to grow without overburdening their two-person CSA farming operation. Being able to sell raw milk would help make the venture more profitable, at least to enable them to bring a commercial kitchen onto the farm. But raw milk isn't legal in New Jersey.

A Look at How Local Markets Invigorate Communities

A Virtual Farmgirl thanks to Mexico New for pointing me to this article in Yes Magazine about multi-cultural markets and pinpointing how local food systems "builds health and community wealth." The story's author, Gary Nabhan, looks at how much cutting the middleman farmer out of the picture costs a community. It doesn't have to be that way though, he explains, noting that in northern Arizona between 2001 and 2005, annual purchases of locally and regionally produced foods grew from $20k to $250k in Flagstaff and from $85k to $500k in the surrounding region. Local merchants benefit as well with the increase in foot traffic at local markets. Nabhan, who is director of the NAU Center for Sustainable Environments, observes, "There’s value beyond mere calories in fresh, local food. Building a local food supply system makes for healthier food, fosters more economically viable farms and ranches, and provides a forum for community members to collectively imagine a more sustainable future for the region."

Inspiring Farmgirl Speaks at First Ever 'Celebrating Ag's Women Entrepreneurs Conference'

Check your feelings of inadequacy at the door before reading more in the Intelligencer Journal about Farmgirl Cheryl Rogowski, who not only farms organic vegetables but won the 2004 MacArthur Foundation “genius grant,” which comes with a cool $500,000. While the award usually goes to artists and scientists, Cheryl won because she created a low-income Community Supported Agriculture farm in New York state. Cheryl also has taken to the airwaves with an ag show: 'Agriculture — It’s Not Just Farming.'” Much more about Cheryl and The W. Rogowski Farm here. The Intelligencer coverage came from a Celebrating Agriculture's Women Entrepreneurs Conference that Cheryl keynoted. It was a first for the conference at the Pennsylvania Farm Show and a clear sign that the farmgirl community is growing. According to the article, while Pennsylvania lost 2,000 male-owned farms between 1997 and 2002, it has gained 1,000 women-owned farms.

Monastery-Fresh Lamb from Popular Oklahoma Co-Op

A unique co-op that both offers fresh foods and supports small farming is thriving in the Show Me State, according to this article in The News and Courier in Alabama. A $50 fee to the Oklahoma Food Cooperative allows you to buy in and sell your produce, locally-raised meat, products or wares, including tie-died clothing and wool products. Vendors, the article says, include Clear Creek Monastery "The monks offer lamb from the flocks they tend on their rich pastures." The sheep in this photo are from the Clear Creek flock. The co-op model, which now boasts 105 member-producers is catching on in Texas and Nebraska.

'Dirty Jobs' Show to Feature Family Farm

Farmgirl Theresa Freund and her family know what it is to be dirty, having found a niche market in repurposing the cow waste on their family farm for hundreds of nurseries and growers. So there's is no doubt an ideal location for the Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs." According to this post in the Litchfield County Times, the Freund family will be on TV this coming Tuesday at 9 p.m. The show will show how the Freunds have figured out how to compost cow manure to make Cow Pots for seed starting. The family now has orders from 1,300 garden centers, the paper report. But ick, this is no job for the meek and involves navigating manure lagoons. This cow is identified here as the production manager at Freund's Farm.

Tribute to Oshie

Sad update about Oshie, who was first discussed in this post. Turns out, despite living long past the time set by her vets, Oshie passed away last summer, the victim of a neighborhood raccoon. Her adventurous spirit and advice to "Greet each day with passion and joy for its simple pleasures," will continue to live on.

Right to the Source

Check out the "Eat Industry" film project started by a food curious family, who took a five-month, 16,000-mile trek across the country to find out the source of their food. The young family's adventures are chronicled in this story from New York-based Currier Life publication and even more details about their trip can be found at their website, www.transformationfilms.com. Can't wait to see the film if they are able to get enough funding to produce it. You can check back here to find out if there are film-related events coming to your area.

Yard-Fresh Eggs Every Morning

I have a friend in New Haven no less who is an absolute devotee of backyard chickens. Year before last her chicken Oshie "The Miracle Chicken" was featured on her Christmas card. After several nudges from her for me to check this out, I started poking around on the Net. Sure enough, there are many people into this poultry fad. One great place to start is Jane's Backyard Chickens. I'm still not ready to put a coop in my suburban backyard. But when I pass the chicken wire at Home Depot, I pause.

Geeky Podcasting On and About the "Simple" Life

There's an absolutely charming series of Geek.Farm.Life podcasts near expertly produced by Farmgirl Misty and her husband Andrew, who own Three Elms Farm in north-central Indiana. Their latest podcast from Jan. 7 covers everything from how to cook a goose (both commercial and small farm bred) to their up and down experiences with rehydration and, here's the geeky part, the latest tech gadget purchase by Andrew. The photo of one of their goats is from Andrew's picture of the day gallery. Great listening for a long car commute into Chicago or, with MP3 player pocketed, while doing daily chores.

Slow Food Meets Sustainability

After watching Rachael Ray $40 her way through Slow Food restaurants, I picked up on this piece in the Molokai Island Times about the importance of the Slow Food Movement in Hawaii. While most food travels 1,500 miles from producer to plate, in Hawaii the distance increases to 2,300 miles. Hawaii is making a concerted effort to reduce reliance on importing food. Columnist Nancy Redfeather encourages readers to commit to growing something they can eat in 2007. "Take charge of your health in 2007," she says. "Buy local fresh foods, and begin growing your own. Good health is impossible to buy, at any price."

Enviro-Weather Station Lands to Help Save Crops from Pesticides

The Oakland Press insists that a thin metal frame whirling atop the Long Family Farm & Orchard in Michigan is of this world. But the local farmer is hopeful the addition of this new high-tech weather station will make it easier to farm with fewer pesticides, a concept still alien to many. The "enviro-weather" station - part of Michigan State University's Agricultural Weather Office - measures air temperature, relative humidity, soil temperature, leaf wetness status, wind direction and speed, solar radiation and rainfall. "What it means to me is that we can predict when insects and diseases can possibly infect our crops," farmer Robert Long told the paper. "We'll be able to use less spray by using the computer models to predict crop conditions. Because of that, we'll be better able to protect the environment."

Good Gourd!

Buried in this story from the Williamsport Sun-Gazette about the 91st Pennsylvania Farm Show is a lucrative bit of trivia. Who knew that with a bit of agricultural knowhow and fine craftsmanship, these squat squash can bring in from $8 to $10,000 and $30,000 in cash? That's at least according to a rep quoted in the story from the Pennsylvania Gourd Society. This photo of a crafted gourd is from the Society's gallery and is credited as the work of Cookie Smith.

Herbs Yr-Rd from Calif., I Mean Minnesota

Fourth-generation Farmgirl Bonnie Dehn and her husband Bob have secured a commerical farming niche, offering fresh herbs throughout the year to local markets and restaurants, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Faced with competition from year-round farmers in warmer climates, the Dehns took on higher heating and infrastructure costs to make their garden business a success. The couple has been toiling in herbs since the '70s, well before they were in fashion. Indeed, the paper credits the Dehns with helping to shape cooking trends that have made fresh basil, sage, marjoram, etc., must haves at the dinner table. In addition to advising the curious at farmers markets, Bonnie has taught cooking classe, promoted recipes and authored cookbooks. The couple's two grown daughters are being groomed to take over the family business, which has grown to 30 greenhouses and $1.5 million in sales last year, the paper reports. Photo from DIY story about the Dehns.

Farmgirl Preps Future Farmers

Farmgirl/teacher/soon-to-be mom Nicki Jones is bringing agriculture to her high school classroom, melding experience from her life growing up on a farm and managing one now with the applied sciences behind farming operations. Jones tells the Cinci Enquirer that one of the challenges she faces is that people think agriculture is only about farming. But she says she focuses her instruction on the science and agriculture applications to the students. The paper reports that she and her husband run a horse farm, in all her spare time.

Strawberries On The 25th Floor, Potatoes On 2

A blogger posting on a Seattle Post Intelligencer site makes an argument for urban farming, vertical sky-rise farming methods as one solution for easing food shortages, particularly in large urban areas. The blogger, Danielle Johnson, works for GreenWorks Realty, a real estate firm in the Puget Sound area that specializes in "healthy green homes, community-focused developments and innovative properties." Danielle urges readers to check out the musings of Columbia University microbiologist Dickson Despommier, who "envisions 30-story buildings that each take up a city block and grow enough food for 50,000 per year." Much more info at VerticalFarm, where the rendering is from.

From Mom & Pop to Daughters

Identifying the transition between one generation to the next as the most vulnerable time for family farms, Michigan State has begun a program "Farm it Forward" with the goal of smoothing that transition and preserving the family farm. A short story detailing the program appears in the Grand Rapids Press this week. Farmgirl Amy Laper plans to take upcoming courses so that she and her husband and sister can more easily take over operations from her parents who own Anderson & Girls Orchard in Stanton, Mich. The paper reports that the average Michigan farmer is near 60, so transition issues are critical for the some 9,000 farms throughout western Michigan.

Organic Security

The story of the Dairy State's Krusenbaums is detailed this week in a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which says that while Wisconsin is "home to 659 certified organic operations and one-third of the nation's organic milk cows" that makes up only 2 percent of the state's totals. Still, the piece argues that organic milk is growing in demand, with the Whole Foods and Wal-Marts of the world increasingly eager to offer organic to customers. This may mean some family farm security for Sue Krusenbaum, a third-generation farmgirl whose organic dairy and beef farm draws the curious from far flung India and China and academics from the University of Wisc.-Madison.

Alpacas in Fashion

Software analyst turned alpaca farmgirl Maggie Wright recently tells the AP about "falling in love" with the puffy animals with cashmere-like fleece and why she ditched the corporate treadmill for life in a niche market that is turning out to be a fashionable trend. The story details the economic incentives in alpaca farming - $1,000 hand knitted sweaters and a whopping $250,000 for a top quality herdsire. But farmgirls say it's the gentle nature of the alpacas and their newfound lifestyle that's particularly attractive. "Alpacas' relatively small size, lack of upper teeth and generally docile temperament make them easier to handle than many farm animals. And the fact that breeders can turn a profit without killing them for meat makes alpacas an attractive option for those who are not so comfortable with the less cute and cuddly side of farm life," the story says. Another farmgirl mentioned in the piece, Lynne Johnson from Wisconsin, sees alpaca breeding as her "retirement plan." Photo from Cinco C's Alpacas.

Where Are the Farmgirls?

No-till guru Steve Groff and veteran herb farmer Art Tucker are among the featured speakers at this year's Indiana Hort Congress later this month in Indy. Am still trying to figure out if this is a good place to get ideas about what I can do with my land. So far I'm intrigued by the topics: 2007 Winery Story - Alto Vineyards (which includes a wine tasting!); Establishing a Basement Winery - What You Need to Know and Where to Get It; If Popeye Could Eat Spinach, Why Couldn't We? (Umm. Aren't we all already eating spinach?); And in the fruit realm - Planning - What to Consider Before Planting Your First Tree (just the basics I'm looking for). I'd send in my registration today if I saw more women farmers in the mix.

Farmers. The Next Rock Stars?

Absolutely. So says the Chicago Tribune today with its predictions for the "The Next Big Thing(s)" in 2007. In an item titled "Fame on the Farm," the paper notes that while chefs were the stars in the '80s and '90s, farmers are taking center stage. "Even rock-star chefs are saluting farmers on their restaurant menus," the Trib says, before imploring readers to "get to know the farmers who feed you."