The Power of Purple

Impressed by the beauty and versatility of lavender, my family has been checking out how to grow the stuff in Indiana. Turns out it can be done, and with farmgirl style.

Dad turned my attention to these farms -- Willowfield Lavender Farm and Carolee's Herb Farm, one just south of Indianapolis, the other (the state's largest retail herb farm) near Hartford City.

Both farms, under the heavy influence of Farmgirls Libbe and Carolee, are destinations.

Carolee's is complete with display gardens and accommodations for groups (lunch included in the ticket price). And on June 16 Willowfield -- apparently at peak lavender bloom -- will play host to a an all-day Lavender Festival, that includes tours, you-pick, music and lunch. Sounds like a must-attend event.

Organic Willowfield was featured on the cover of the March issue of Indy's South magazine.

Special Delivery: Bee Colonies

I had no idea that to get started as a beekeeping hobbyist, you can get just about everything you need via mail order. Indeed, according to the Newburyport Daily News, postal workers throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire began delivering 3-pound packages, each containing: one queen bee and 12,000 drones and worker bees.

The story covers portable bee hives from the start, beginning in the 1850s with the invention of the first transportable beehive. And it goes on to talk about the vanishing bees, the history of the decline in populations and the recent Colony Collapse Disorder crisis.

Commercial beekeepers in 26 states report they have lost between 30 and 90 percent of their colonies between November and February. The story goes on to make the argument that hobbyist keepers are making a difference.

[Photo from John's Beekeeping Notebook, which also has loads of beekeeping info and history.]

Raising Alpacas a 'Shear Delight'

No sleep for me tonight, so while surfing, I was happy to discover this charming article full of Farmgirl anecdotes about raising and shearing the uber soft alpaca. Virginia's Daily Press covered a shearing open house that, in addition to a big round of haircuts for the alpacas, featured weaving and spinning demonstrations. The open house was sponsored by three Virginia alpaca farms -- Cornerstone Farm Alpacas, Woodland Trail Farm and Alpacas of Courthouse Pastures -- home to more than 40 of the llama and alpaca cousins.

Students Grown 'Green Billboard' for Local Veggies

Students at Montana State University have partnered with a local food bank to grow fresh vegetables and educate a community about the value of growing food locally. The students -- Friends of Local Foods -- in the ag department have taken over two acres, first thinking they'd provide food for the school. But then they partnered with Townes Harvest CSA to feed the community...and have a veggie cart on campus.

The idea is to showcase this "giant green billboard" to show to develop a small "intensively managed farm." Says Farmgirl Kaly Hess, who is FLF's president, "This will be a classroom where people can learn how to grow their own food and take some control over what they eat and their health."

She adds, "Agricultural systems have gotten so large -- and distant -- that most people no longer know where their food comes from or how it was raised. We've lost that community connection so integral to food, health and an awareness of the land. Anyone who buys from us will be welcome to come to the farm anytime -- we encourage that."

Iraqi War Vet Finds Peace in Farming

Inspired by European grass-based dairies while serving in the military, Iraqi War veteran Michael Diehn is trying his hand at farming in Minnesota, according to the Rochester Post-Bulletin.

Diehn, who after being wounded in a land mine explosion served a second tour of duty in Iraq, is drawing on his farm roots while he works as an intern on a family farm operation in Canton, Minn.

The story notes that Diehn will work on the farm and enroll in a Land Stewardship Project Farm Beginnings Program, a farming mentoring program, to start his own farm.

Skyscraper Farming in New York City?

Urban farming visionary Dr. Dickson Despommier made the pages of this week's New York magazine, which published this story about the microbiologist's dreams of converting skyscrapers into vertical farms.

Despommier believes, as recounted in NY mag, that "only by allowing significant portions of the Earth’s farmland to return to forest do we have a real chance of stabilizing climate and weather patterns."

Global warming fears along with population explosions across the planet have put Despommier's ideas front and center, especially with deep pocket investors in places like Dubai.

A Virtual Farmgirl thanks to Inhabitat for the tip about the latest on skyscraper farming.

Lavender Fields Forever

One of my urban-dwelling friends turned my attention to this piece today in the Chicago Tribune about "city slickers" being drawn in to hobby farming.

"Lifestyle" farms apparently make up half of the 2.1 million American farms, according to the USDA, and are increasing at a 2 percent pace per year. The Trib notes that many of these farmers are Boomers and Gen-Xers looking to get their hands dirty. [A more detailed version of the story appeared in the LA Times in March.]

Indeed, meet San Diego County Farmgirl Ellen Sullivan, who along with her husband grow lavender and extract oils for sale in various products they market under their Lavender Fields label. Also featured is Glendora, Calif., Farmgirl Nanci Sutton, who raises llamas to support her organic weaving business.

As much as I love a good alpaca cousin llama story, the lavender farming kept me surfing, checking out farms all over the country. What a beautiful, aromatic crop.

Farm Oasis Shrinking as Suburbia Grows

I was looking for some good news to post on this glorious Easter day and homed in on this story in the Kansas City Star. At first I thought it would be about a working farm, surviving as suburbia surrounds it. But it's really about a farm being completely eaten up by suburbia, one acre sold to luxury condo developers at a time. Not that I completely blame the family for looking out for their financial interests. But not the optimistic, sustainable farm story I like to see.

Floating Sustainability in NYC

After a short hiatus - Virtual Farmgirl is getting ready to physically move her family and home - I'm back with word about this exciting urban or should I say waterways farming project in New York City.

If you picture sustainable farming in a rural setting, somewhere far from the hustle and bustle of city life, check out the New York Sun Works Science Barge. Used mainly as a mobile classroom, this floating farm uses sun, wind and design to use fewer natural resources to grow tomatoes, lettuce and peppers on a barge off the West Side Highway, according to WNYC.

On the project's time line page, I learned that construction started in 2006 and that we may be hearing more about the barge as its public projects begin this May.