Blessed are the tools of the trade
Kennebec Journal - 9/11/2009.By Denis Thoet – The tools of the trade at Long Meadow Farm are those that are operated by humans using their own muscle power. Last spring, we traded our only gasoline-driven farm tool – an aging Agway rotary tiller – to a friend for two gallons of maple syrup. |
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Farmer Gene Logsdon on the promise of a home ‘pancake patch’
Grist - 9/11/2009.Gene Logsdon is one of the clearest and most original voices of rural America. He’s a farmer in Ohio not far from his boyhood home, and is a writer to boot; he’s published more than two dozen books; some of which include Living at Nature’s Pace: Farming and the American Dream and The Contrary Farmer. Wendell Berry calls Logsdon “the best agricultural writer we have,” and his farm a slice of Eden. But most importantly, Logsdon loves farming. |
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USDA to unveil “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative
Grist - 9/11/2009. By Ken Meter – As I prepare for five days of announcements next week, when USDA plans to unveil its new “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative, the buzz across my desk is about the potential for urban agriculture. … I think the potential is enormous, especially in formerly industrial cities, where the big factories are not going to come back, but there are large tracts of vacant land that already have water mains (think irrigation) running under them. Each of these cities spends billions of dollars for food, and can generate significant local income by building the farms and distribution channels needed to cycle that food within city borders. |
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Officials say fair will be safe, but advise caution
Kennebec Journal - 9/10/2009.By Scott Monroe – UNITY: Enjoy the fair, but be extra cautious to protect yourself from mosquito bites, especially if you're around at dawn or dusk. For those attending or exhibiting at the 2009 Common Ground Country Fair, that's the message fair organizers and state health officials offered on Wednesday. The fair, presented by the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association, will be held Sept. 25-27. Last year, the fair attracted about 60,000 people during the three days, according to organizers. |
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