Sometimes it takes a bit of an evangelist to remind us that praying at the altar of facts and figures can blind one to how they all connect in the bigger picture. In the case of production systems that build soil health, that preacher is Ray Archuleta. “The soil is naked, hungry, thirsty and running… Read More →
I’m not sure I would recommend this, but I recently read two books back-to-back that represent the “how” extremes of today’s food system. I started out with The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food, and, literally within minutes of finishing it, picked up Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food… Read More →
Nora is seeking a farm work experience. Nora has 10+ years working on organic farms through and by-proxy-of WWOOF-USA; specialized on several medicinal herb farms/apothecaries; and has experience with dairy goats, chickens, and ducks. Nora also has 6+ years of solo folk-herbalism study & practice. Nora is most interested in medicinal herbs; growing, harvesting, medicine… Read More →
Brenda is seeking an emerging farmer(s) to join her on her 48 acres (20 tillable and 20 pasture, 5 forest and small pond) outside of Faribault, MN (Rice County). The land can be certified organic as the land has been idle for five years and nothing sprayed for 20 years. There is a machine shed,… Read More →
On an overcast morning in June, more than a dozen livestock producers gathered in the on-farm cabinetmaking shop of Leslea and Brad Hodgson, situated in the scenic hills near southeastern Minnesota’s Root River. Soon after taking seats on folding chairs arranged in a wide circle, the farmers answered an opening question: “Why am I here?”… Read More →
Note: This is the 1st installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. On a sunny day in June, hundreds of ewes make their way through a narrow grazing paddock, flowing along the contours of a Driftless Area hill in southeastern Minnesota like a woolly river. Later in the growing season, a… Read More →
Note: This is the 5th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. Grazing livestock have been described as “combines that poop.” That’s an accurate, if somewhat graphic, depiction of how moving cattle and other animals through well-managed paddocks can rebuild soil that’s been decimated by tillage, chemical use, and compaction. Langdon… Read More →
Note: This is the 7th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. Here’s some troubling context in the land of plenty: in 2023, 18 million U.S. households were food insecure at some time during the year, according to the USDA. That figure is up from 17 million in 2022. Food insecurity… Read More →
Note: This is the 10th installment in the 12-part “A Sense of Where You Are” series. There’s nothing like getting diminishing returns on your investment in time, labor, and resources to put things in context. “I just got sick and tired of spending money on fertilizer, planting in the dry powder, and watching the soil blow… Read More →
Farm Dreams Class July 29 in Minneapolis ROCHESTER, Minn. — One of the most innovative farmer training initiatives in the country will be offering classes in Rochester, beginning this fall. The early bird discount deadline for applying to the Land Stewardship Project’s 2018-2019 Farm Beginnings course is Wednesday, Aug. 1. A one-day “Farm Dreams” class… Read More →
