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Paul Dettloff: ORGANIC DAIRY HERD HEALTH
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Nathan McClintock: SUSTAINABLE IN SENEGAL
- July 13, 2006: Thriving with peppers, seeds and leaves in Koumpentoum, Tambacounda region Training in organic agriculture helps woman develop family enterprise that features income streams from integrated and biodiverse micro-agroforestry kitchen garden.
- June 8, 2006: Milk and yogurt production, Ourossogui, Matam region Fulani women learn holistic cooperative development and enterprise skills to generate value-added revenue, and to inspire other small-scale farmers in the region—including their daughters—with options for economic development.
- May 12, 2006: Livestock fattening,Thiawène, Diourbel Village women’s group pioneers and teaches how “kept” sheep and goats can improve soil, boost yields and provide much-needed income in dry Diourbel region.
- March 9, 2006: Diabou Balde, rice farmer, Manthiankaning, Kolda region
Intensive production pressure leaves little space for experiments, but improvements from increased spacing win respect for new method.
- February 16, 2006: El-Hadji Hane and Gora Ndiaye, regenerative ag education and entrepreneurship along the Petite Côte Through local farmer organizing, commercial promotion of agroforestry and international connections, two college friends are nurturing sustainable initiatives along the tourist-impacted “Little Coast” of Senegal.
- January 12, 2006: Abderahmane Sow, agro-entrepreneur, Belel, Matam region Starting from scratch with curiosity and a knack for doing business, this new farmer wants to expand agricultural opportunity to help the next generation thrive on the land without leaving the region.
- December 8, 2005: Seydou Diémé, soil conservationist, Thiès Women often provide the most hands when rural communities construct stone erosion barriers to conserve and restore adequate soil moisture for sustainable cropping.
- November 11, 2005: Madame Sall, juice and syrup entrepreneur, Dakar Buying directly from farmers boosts quality and consumer demand, but small-scale processor struggles to expand her place in the market.
- October 13, 2005: Doudou Diallo, urban market gardener, Saint-Louis Strong customer demand for his high-quality vegetables propels this intensive urban gardener to pursue organics even without a premium price.
- September 1, 2005: From dunghills to compost pits and back again – only better How Senegalese farmers learned, practiced then radically adapted composting to fit their land, culture and settings.
- July 15, 2005: Soft and red, hard and black Getting up close and personal with local soils in Senegal’s Peanut Basin with farmers who are managing them sustainably
- June 16, 2005: A rich slice of sustainability in Senegal A Peace Corps stint in Mali and an internship with The Rodale Institute® showed this American ag student the critical need for innovative soil saving practices in West Africa.
- June 16, 2005: Innovations in sustainability mark Rodale work in Senegal Women’s farming groups, in particular, benefit from training and micro-credit initiatives. Building on our long history in Senegal, we've produced a series of articles and profiles telling some of the story of sustainable farming in the country.
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George DeVault: TOOL TALK
Equipment and tool basics for the beginning farmer
Various farmers: FIELD NOTES
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Daryll Ray: AG POLICY PERSPECTIVES
- January 12, 2007: Will alternate farm bill options retain agricultural safety net? Replacing current subsidies with green payments and insurance programs may placate farmers and non-farmers alike, but won't change the reason subsidies were created in the first place.
- December 14, 2006: Free market for corn kicks in: Tyson exec sounds warning Corn producers who feared the end of subsidies in global trade talks face charge of making consumers choose “fuel or food.”
- November 10, 2006: Fitting the remedy to real rural economy problem Systemic ills that discourage crop production limits make farm income variability too much for farm program to handle.
- September 15, 2006: Farming the farm program Movin’ on up from the sandlots to the big leagues.
- August 10, 2006: Agribusinesses, not farmers, benefit most from payments Daryll Ray explains the real problem with direct payments and LDPs.
- July 13, 2006: Do “death taxes” cause the death of family farms? Daryll Ray challenges the assumption that the estate tax is a burden on family farmers.
- June 8, 2006: Are you confused about WTO trade liberalization numbers? Daryll Ray provides some insight into where those numbers come from and how to sort through the hype.
- May 12, 2006: Economic viability of the farm sector Why does it include a spouse’s paycheck?
- March 9, 2006: Primer on how to kill a market What ever happend to the customer is always right? When the US refused to allow private BSE testing, they officially lost one of our biggest beef customers—Japan.
- February 16, 2006: US commodity delivery policy suppresses world prices Changing loan deficiency payment mechanism would send corn upward
- January 12, 2006: Freedom to Farm The root of current farm-related problems
- October 13, 2005: Two issues may shape the 2007 Farm Bill
- September 15: Hurricane aftermath Policy analyst Daryll Ray lays out the market certainties farmers will face now that that the unpredictable Mother Nature has calmed
- September 1, 2005: Pursuing a new vision for agricultural policy Policy analyst Daryll Ray introduces his 4-step plan for remedying the commodity programs
- August 11, 2005: Counter cyclical payments steady prices but fail to resolve agriculture's basic market problem Part 3 in a 3 part series: Policy columnist Daryll Ray takes a closer look at farm subsidies and what an America without them would look like
- August 4, 2005: The case for eliminating LDPs Part 2 in a 3 part series: Policy columnist Daryll Ray takes a closer look at farm subsidies and what an America without them would look like
- July 15, 2005: Bush calls for elimination of agricultural subsidies Part 1 in a 3 part series: Policy columnist Daryll Ray takes at a closer look at direct payments and what an America without them would look like
- June 16, 2005: Checkoff lawsuits: It ain’t over ’till its over
- June 2, 2005: New high yielding wheat eases weight of China’s food security burden In a country where famine memories linger, the emphasis on its new ‘Super Wheat’ is not on the super but rather the wheat
- May 24, 2005: Being paid not to eat: the food pyramid meets ag policy Corn and soy, the most subsidized of agricultural products, are discouraged by the new USDA pyramid while, heavily hyped fruits and vegetables grow basically payment free, Ray evaluates this logic and argues it does in fact make sense.
- May 10, 2005: Traditional farm interests aren’t the only ones with something to say about the 2007 farm bill Fast food companies, environmental organizations and New Deal-haters among those looking to eliminate farm subsidies
- April 21, 2005: Ag futures await oil outcome Will rising fuel prices drive a new revolution in American agriculture?
- April 14, 2005: Rising prices paint crude picture for oil-dependant farmers
- March 18, 2005: Coming soon to a billboard near you: "Get the US out of the WTO & NAFTA & CAFTA"
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NEW FARMER JOURNAL
Easy Growin' Farm, Buena Vista CO, Joshua Flowers
Essex Farm, Essex NY, Kristin Kimball
Fresh Harvest Farm, Moken IL, Patty McPhillips
- July 14, 2005: Tool time Rain has been scarce and some crops have less than thrived, but the right tools have helped these new farmers keep their heads above water (so to speak).
- June 16, 2005: The long list With growing season in full gear, farm projects continue to pile up.
- June 2, 2005: That which sustains us With CSA shares sold out, an inspiring and inspired intern, and lists and tasks well in order, one small farm in the Chicago suburbs is ready for summer.
- April 19, 2005: A process of inquiry This new farmer finds that every new lesson leads to a dozen more questions.
- March 17, 2005: New horizons As their second year begins, these ambitious farming partners are considering some major expansion plants.
- February 10, 2005: Trial and error Two friends new to farming learn many lessons growing veggies in the 'burbs.
Loon Organics, Eagan MN, Laura Frerichs
North Country School, Lake Placid NY, Laura Rickard
Sol-e-Terre Farm, Suffield CT, Daniel Duesing
Stoney Lonesome Farm, Gainesville VA, Pablo Elliott
Your Farm, Hilmar CA, Mele Anderson
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Courtney White: The New Ranch
- February 22, 2005: Getting into the game As second-career ranchers, Jim and Carol Thorpe had a lot to learn about managing rangeland and caring for cattle. But coming to ranching from a non-ag background enabled them to embrace the best of 'old' and 'new' ranch management thinking, from applied ecology to Internet livestock auctions. It also helps to have a philosophical outlook and boundless curiosity. Including The Getting Started Toolkit
- December 9, 2004: Hope on the range Eighteen years ago, Oregon rancher Connie Hatfield drove to the city and asked a health club owner what he thought about red meat. His answer helped shape Oregon Country Beef, now one of the most successful rancher-managed, certified natural beef labels in the country.
- September 28, 2004: All in the family Outside of Durango, Colorado, the James Ranch is using holistic management, direct marketing, and community involvement to build a sustainable livelihood for all the members of the clan.
- August 31, 2004: Conservation measures improve profits On the EC Bar Ranch in northeastern Arizona, Jim Crosswhite got radical—and started cooperating with government scientists to implement environmental restoration strategies on his land. Eight years later, he counts a wealth of economic as well as ecological benefits.
- August 3, 2004: Big things on a little place On Sandia Pueblo in north-central New Mexico, Sam Montoya revitalized a tired piece of land—and is now earning a comfortable retirement income.
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Yigal Deutscher: VINE AND FIG TREE
- July 15, 2005: Lessons learned, challenges remaining To care for Israel is to care for the land of Israel, Yigal concludes—its soil, its potential to sustain life and in turn its power to become a peaceable home for all its inhabitants
- June 3, 2005: Teaching farming as a balance of spirit, soil and a healthy culture Kibbutz Harduf is not just a biodynamic farm, it's a biodynamic community
- April 20, 2005: Rebels in a communal society With government ownership of land at 95 percent, most everything in Israel is done communally, especially farming. There is the agricultural sector with many different farms and a living sector, with many different homes, but for those who have a need to create a small family farm, self-sufficient and private; they have begun to squat.
- February 10, 2005: Israeli-Arab farmer builds future hope where politics permeates land and water Laithi combines donated fields, heirloom seeds, traditional wisdom and farmer networking throughout Israel to build an agriculture that fits the place and the time to come.
- January 7, 2005: Amidst political strife and a firing range on the West Bank, the Zimmermans farm, market and sanctify the land Combining biblical rituals with remarkable flexibility, the Zimmermans have thrived because of their faith ... and because of their ability to shift from export markets, to local markets, to value-added products in response to the pressures of war and politics
- November 23, 2004: Rising from nothing in the desert, idealists now work amid water, orchards, gardens and fish. At Kibbutz Neot Smader, amazing agriculture achievement is the byproduct of a community of transients dedicated to learning from the land and each other.
- September 28, 2004: Seeking life in the desert, on the desert’s terms As the global climate becomes more harsh, Elaine Solowey is a botanical pioneer trying to develop ultra-low water crops before it’s too late.
- August 31, 2004: Farmers on the margins test lush agricultural notions against Israel’s dry climate, charged politics Young New Yorker encounters six communities who love the ancient soil of the Holy Land enough to care for it well. First in a series.
- August 31, 2004: Vine and fig tree: Restoring agriculture in the Holy Land Introducing a series of farmer profiles from Israel/Palestine that shows resiliency, determination and an agricultural vision greater than the seeming impossibility of sharing the land in peace.
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INTERN JOURNAL: Insights and experiences from organic farms
- December 13, 2007: Those cabin fever blues Dealing with coming indoors to a smaller space.
- November 16, 2007: Playing with your food One Rodale Institute research intern focuses on the process of cooking and eating in a way that honors the work that went into growing and harvesting her food.
- October 18, 2007: A matter of perspective Close call has international intern reflecting on the here and now.
- September 14, 2007: Staying connected OPX intern finds her passion for physical fitness, economics and sustainability all lead to the same bright future.
- August 9, 2007: Transitions Rodale Institute intern offers perspective on values, culture and priorities following Peace Corps stint in Mali.
- July 13, 2007: Reckoning with the natural, sustainable self Through years of change and many miles on more highways than I can number, I’ve finally found my way back home to a farm in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania.
- June 15, 2007: Sustainability in a wasteful world Rodale Institute research intern calls for major changes in policy and behavior; ones which, like good farming, mimic nature.
- May 11, 2007: The root of everything A returning South Korean intern reflects on the universal role of the farmer.
- April 12, 2007: Take cover Let’s not lose our grip on nature’s genetic tools to help heal the earth.
- February 16, 2007: Salatin keynote gets the wheels turning TRI research intern ponders the changing landscape of food production…and savors the possibilities.
- January 12, 2007: Let it snow (or freeze, at least) Dormant seeding requires a little gambling with nature.
- December 14, 2006: He’s gotta wear shades Departing intern looks toward his own future and the future of organics.
- November 10, 2006: Sustainability comes full circle TRI intern learns some valuable lessons from one of society’s most undervalued craftsmen: a farmer.
- October 12, 2006: Months of learning help to put together more pieces of farming puzzle Interns are like farmers, kind of: We learn best by seeing and doing.
- September 15, 2006: The world is your organic oyster These visiting interns from South Korea are ready to change the face of agriculture in their country and the world through the seeds of inspiration germinated at The Rodale Institute.
- August 10, 2006: Closing the gap between the "real world" and educational institutions The Rodale Institute's online intern discovers the value of including sustainable agriculture in the curriculum from elementary school through college.
- July 13, 2006: A full plate of field tests and fungi One of our interns explains why the research we do here at The Rodale Institute should matter to you.
- June 8, 2006: No farm is an island A Rodale Institute intern ponders organic agriculture’s lessons of cause and effect.
- May 12, 2006: Planting plastic jugs brings a smile Rodale Institute intern contemplates where she’s been and what she’s learning.
- March 17, 2005: ENTRY 15 Llamas in Lake Placid and a return to Ecuador One intern journalist gears up for spring while another says goodbye to California and prepares to take her new knowledge home.
- February 22, 2005: ENTRY 14 Post-harvest trauma Whether dealing with lettuce or chickens, our intern journalists discover many lessons in that critical step between growing the produce (or raising the bird) and delivering it to the dinner plate.
- February 10, 2005: ENTRY 13 Weather report Winter conditions have our interns experiencing vastly different challenges on opposite coasts.
- January 7, 2005: ENTRY 12 New Turf One intern packs her bags for graduate school while another makes the trek from an organic farm in Arkansas to a completely different operation in California.
- December 9, 2004: ENTRY 11 California dreamin' With one intern journalist on a spiritual sabbatical in the Andes, one finished for the season, and another too busy to write (they grow up so fast), our intern from the equator holds down the fort from her new vantage point on the Left Coast.
- November 23, 2004: ENTRY 10 Good-bye. Hello. One of our journaling interns lands in a new world of geometric sustainability (i.e., a greenhouse operation) while another says goodbye to Arkansas (and prepares for a new farming experience in California).
- November 9, 2004: ENTRY 9 Fall colors Public relations, mercury observations, and end-of-season ruminations keep our interns occupied.
- October 14, 2004: ENTRY 8 Reflections on service Bruised bodies and apples, a thorny predicament, motorcycle mayhem, and back-to-back highs and lows prove that there’s still much to learn and experience, even as the season winds down.
- September 28, 2004: ENTRY 7 Harvest parties, homespun handiwork and Hare Krisnas Our interns speak to the wide range of experiences available to organic farm apprentices.
- September 14, 2004: ENTRY 6 Apprentice in the Rye Our interns from near and far (and farming near and far) glad-handle grain and coffee beans, learn the language of plants and humans, and accommodate work schedules to the shifting seasons.
- August 31, 2004: ENTRY 5 To everything, turn, turn, turn Whether it’s compost or time, these interns find the summer just keeps chugging along.
- August 17, 2004: ENTRY 4 Mysteries solved, sort of Our interns learn building steps in Belize takes less paperwork but more legwork; that one hot, humid Saturday is not the same as the next; and there is most definitely a difference between research and production potatoes even if they look (and smell) identical.
- August 3, 2004: ENTRY 3 Discovery zone From finding hidden treasures inside a bed of weeds, to a real lesson in trust, to creating a fruit display by recycling boxes, our interns learn that observation, innovation and persistence are critical components of farming.
- July 20, 2004: ENTRY 2 Lessons in the field Our intern journalists each learn in his or her own way that it’s not what you know, but what you don’t know, that makes organic farming so interesting.
- July 2, 2004: ENTRY 1 The highs and lows of a job well done Our fearless interns tackle mud ovens in the Mexican heat, weeding an endless no-till pumpkin patch in Pennsylvania, cherry robbers in Nevada, and the demands of leading a double life in Minnesota.
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Don Lotter: Crossing the Americas
PAN-AMERICAN ADVENTURE
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News from Mariquita: A CSA Journal
- August 12, 205: Small farms can go mano a mano with food shows like The Iron Chef in reconnecting Americans with good food In fact, says Andy Griffin, lots of CSA customers want to be pushed into cooking again. That’s why he and his wife Julia supply members with lots of recipes and tips. They even feature recipes of members and employees in their weekly newsletter--including donkey ear zucchinis.
- July 14, 2005: Chile shooters What grows up to 15 feet tall, can produce through the winter in California and makes the perfect shot glass? Why, it's the Peron pepper and Andy's planning on introducing this fruteria regular to upscale San Fran.
- June 16, 2005: A farmer's guide to multi-tasking Andy is multi-task impaired, doomed to plod from one task to another. But, he manages his crops so THEY do the multi-tasking for him. In their younger phases, for example, weeds--and plants that need thinning--do double duty and become another product for adventurous eaters.
- June 2, 2005: The Complete Zucchini Management Guide Andy has a six point plan for making sure his CSA customers don't get overwhelmed by summer squash. If that doesn't work, he may have to get a pig. They're easy to please.
- May 12, 2005: Recipe for success America the melting pot? Probably not. America the soup pot? Maybe. What Andy's learned from his CSA is that pleasing 900 deliciously diverse individuals is a challenge but one that's not totally insurmountable.
- April 19, 2005: The "three legged stool" school of farming Andy sells his produce through a CSA, a restaurant delivery route and a farmers' market stall. These three legs of his marketing effort support each other--and him--in unexpected, synergistic ways, and keep him sitting pretty.
- March 31, 2005: Thinking out of the box As any CSA farmer will attest, waxed boxes can be a major expense. Andy and his crew have found a local solution that reduces their dependence on box makers who may have to toast their profits with slightly less expensive champagne.
- March 17, 2005: And the moral of the story is... Andy's telling his CSA members bedtime stories. No, the stress hasn't finally gotten to him, it's the first newsletter of the season and there is a moral to this story--keep the boxes neat, clean and folded; don't forget to tell us when you're away; and, last but not least, enjoy the connection between country and city.
- February 22, 2005: Spring flowers bring me down ... Andy's got the early season nerves. What if his overwintered carrots bolt before his CSA season starts in late March? Most of his neighbors start later, but he thinks it's worth the risk ... and the nerves.
- February 10, 2005: Just kidding around Andy's goats might look like an expensive hobby on paper, but they keep the poison oak under control, entertain the human CSA kids and prevent Andy from pummeling the occasional penny-pinching market customer.
- January 27, 2005: Blame it on the boyfriend Disappearing CSA boxes. Vanishing flowers. Missing strawberry containers. Can it all be laid at the feet of ignorant or irresponsible boyfriends and husbands, or are men just a convenient excuse? Andy ponders some of the profound mysteries of running a CSA.
- January 7, 2005: A very dairy New Year Life slows down at Mariquita and, as another year begins, Andy reminisces about the 42 hours of exhausted delirium on a fateful New Year's Eve that inspired him to farm vegetables.
- December 9, 2004: Addicted to learning the hard way Like most organic farmers, Andy Griffin is a pugnacious experimenter. He has taken radicchio to “radiculoso” extremes you wouldn’t believe—and he won’t give up on blanched celery either.
- November 23, 2004: The value--and the limits--of fantasy in any farming operation For Andy Griffin, every season begins with a magic carpet ride through those glossy agricultural fantasies called seed catalogues. Then, the fantasy meets the customer.
- November 9, 2004: Farm wife meets mother earth As Julia tours Italy and hobnobs with farmers from all over the world at the Terra Madres conference in Turin, Andy is left to the job of farm wife--a post he just can't seem to get a handle on. Julia's networking pays off, though, and now that she's back, Andy can breath a sigh of relief.
- October 14, 2004: A little bit of Mexico on Monterey Bay An “end-of-the-season” party brings some regional Mexican rivalry to Mariquita Farm. Workers from Michoacan and Oaxaca have a friendly argument over the best way to barbecue a goat.
- September 28, 2004: Giving a voice to small farmers … in 90 seconds or less Even public radio’s signature show, All Things Considered, doesn’t consider the farmer very often. So when Andy got a chance to spout off about farming on the local NPR station, he jumped.
- September 13, 2004: Pardon my Padróns … Andy is still working out the details of how to harvest his Spanish Padrón peppers before they get too hot. When he succeeds, the $20 per pound he fetches may finance a second honeymoon back in Spain … speaking of hot.
- August 31, 2004: Dangling crystals, bad poetry and political theater... The social challenges of running a farmers' market stall The protestors and cranks at an urban farmers' market thrust Andy inot delicate merchandizing dilemmas and make him eager to return to the sweet country life.
- August 17, 2004: You can keep your lemonade … Life gave me elderberries, not lemons, and that’s just fine with me, says Andy.
- August 3, 2004: Garlic Snakes Andy discovers how his first-ever planting of stiff-necked garlic got it's scientific name and stumbles upon another marketing gimmick--spicy serpents.
- July 20, 2004: Keep Rollin' While the rest of the world savors basil and tomatoes, Andy gets pumped up to plant parsnips. It's all part of the cycle.
- July 2, 2004: Keep Truckin' Stop! Put that plastic truck (or other piece of marketing swag) down and back away. Think smart promotion to keep your small farm in the public eye.
- June 2, 2004: Kinky Carrots It's astounding to what uses Andy Griffin's farmers' market customers will put his kinky, crooked carrot culls. Every carrot has a home.
- May 11, 2004: Ain't I smart? Carelessness, poor planning and neglect leads Mariquita's Andy Griffin to discover the true value of a strange old heirloom crop--black Spanish radish.
- April 20, 2004: Hats off to the many sombreros of a farmer Quack lawyer, truck driver, fake chef, and borderline carnival barker: all in a day’s work for a farmer like Andy Griffin … and once in a while he gets to contemplate nature.
- April 2, 2004: The watermelon radish: Conspiracy from the left or the right … or just a darned good heirloom daikon? Those were among the suspicions raised by this ancient veggie at a recent event in Santa Cruz designed to introduce consumers to local food producers.
- March 23, 2004: NOW is the time for shameless self-promotion He can't plant, cultivate or harvest--the fields are a swamp--but Mariquita's Andy Griffin can sell shares and hustle publicity.
- March 4, 2004: Guerilla garlic Battling the influx of cheap Chinese garlic—even in to Gilroy, the “Garlic Capital of the World”—Mariquita Farm grows green spring garlic, and banks its garlic dollars long before the garlic festival in July.
- February 13, 2004: New riders of the purple goosefoot In Watsonville, California, the founders of Mariquita CSA discover the value of this antique cousin to spinach.
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Susanna Meyer: Susanna's Costa Rican Sojourn
- October 14, 2004: Saying goodbye to the land of plenty Back in Pittsburgh, Susanna concedes that while not everything she has learned is applicable, some lessons travel well.
- September 14, 2004: Filling a niche Growing at 4200 feet, Home Farm specializes in mixed salad greens and specialty breads for the bustling San Isidro Farmers' Market
- August 31, 2004: Sustainable U Surrounded by primary rainforest and fronted by the Caribbean Sea in the southeastern corner of Costa Rica, U.S. high school students, local Ticos, and others learn about living off the land and in harmony with nature, as one teacher’s dream for community and outdoor education becomes a reality.
- August 3, 2004: A farm of one's own In the northeastern cloud forests, a decade-old cooperative project has helped landless Costa Ricans work toward economic independence and ecological sustainability
- April 23, 2004: Siete Estrellas de Jicotea Making organic coffee (farms) strong enough to last takes support, creativity and time
- March 5, 2004: Finca la Puebla Coffee co-op depends on compost, self-processing and premium organic quality to beat slumping market
SLIDESHOW: Hand roasted: The story of small-scale coffee production
- January 13, 2004: Finca Pura Suerte Searching for sustainability on a 30-acre mountain farm.
- December 1, 2003: San Isidro del General A small-scale forest farm bucks the local trend to level forests and monocrop for quicker cash.
- November 7, 2003: Part 1, Beginnings How strip mine spoils and organic soils shaped a young woman's resolve to farm in nature's image.
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Various Farmers: CSA Notebook
- November 9, 2004: Serving CSA members better As the CSA season draws to a close, the Harmony Valley team brainstorms about ways to boost member retention from year to year—and to encourage former CSA members to become faithful farmers' market customers.
- August 17, 2004: Finding the support in Community Supported Agriculture After 30 years of full-time farming, Richard DeWilde experienced a farmer's worst nightmare--he was laid up with severe back pain and unable to work. How the heck would the farm survive?
- August 3, 2004: UPDATE: A legal immigrant odyssey In the spring, Linda Halley wrote about their decision to go legal with their Mexican help. Now, in the thick of the season, she sends an update.
- April 19, 2004: The worth of good work: An H2-A odyssey Wisconsin vegetable growers Linda Halley and Richard de Wilde venture into new territory with the federal seasonal worker program. So far, so good.
- January 30, 2004: Reflections on the 2003 CSA season Giving thanks for a season with no disasters, good partners, a great new staff member, and—overall—more sanity.
- October 27, 2003: Community Comes to the Farm Even if your farm is nowhere near your customers, you can still cement the relationship and sense of shared community with a few low-key events each year on your farm.
- August 22, 2003: Over-Abundance: Mid-Summer at Harmony Valley CSA What you DON'T put in your box may be as important as what you do. And having other markets that can absorb overproduction are essential.
- June 24, 2003: Distribution – An important connection to your members Linda Halley describes the system of distributing share boxes each week that has worked well for them over the last 11 years . . . with some tweaking.
- May 6, 2003: Wanted: Consumers seek like-minded farmer looking for long term CSA relationship The Philadelphia area's newest organic farm started as a consumer dream.
- April 23, 2003: Collaborative CSA in N.E. Iowa successfully serves an all-rural market Ten farm families contribute to CSA, a buyers’ club, and a cooperative that markets produce to local institutions.
- April 8, 2003: From money pit to economic provider for a farm family and its employees ... in just 4 years! Julia Wiley of Mariquita Farm says that to run a CSA successfully, you have to grow well. That’s a given. But you also have to know how to nurture a whole human community. Here’s the story of how their CSA began.
- April 2, 2003: Two veteran CSA farmers share their insights Richard de Wilde and Linda Halley have been running a successful CSA for 11 years. This month: Introductions and some initial thoughts on retention.
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Jason Witmer: Jason's Global Organic Odyssey
- July 11, 2003: The Great Awakening High on a Himalayan Mountain top--a million miles from his Ohio home--Jason reflects on a trip whose mission was met but whose purpose was usurped by the magnitude of the people met along the way
- June 27, 2003: Spain: In Spain's wine country, One-time vineyard gets a make-over and Terragona province gets its first taste of organic almonds.
- May 30, 2003: The Himalayas: In the Himalayas, the Western world has invaded, but not yet conquered Many families still survive happily on crops and livestock tended
on steeply terraced plots at high elevations ... AND IT'S ALL ORGANIC, by default.
SLIDESHOW Extreme Steps: Terrace Farming in the Himalayas
- May 13, 2003: India: Mulchan Haria may not have followed the family into traditional medicine but his gentle touch and chemical-free remedies have nursed a parched, depleted earth back to full health and earned him the title "Doctor" among his peers.
- April 25, 2003: India: Indian farmer creates an organic oasis in a harsh land. On top of dust and floods, chemicals were killing Vijay Shah's soil ... and production was falling. He decided it was time, for a change, to farm WITH nature. On July 1, 1996, he stopped using chemicals all together.
- March 28, 2003: Reflections With their journey almost half over, Jason and Derek share a new perspective on organic farming, material possessions and foreign cab drivers
- March 21, 2003: Thailand Buddhist "Asok" movement builds organic farms, sustainable communities: In a farm economy devastated by reliance on chemicals, Buddhist monks teach thousands a new way to grow
- March 6, 2003: Laos Jason and Derek work with Thanongsi Solangkoun, whose silk-farm, organic restaurant and international learning center offer an alternative to chemically based agriculture
- February 28, 2003: Thailand Our intrepid world travelers make their way to eastern Thailand and Jon Jandai -- farmer, builder and man of leisure
- February 21, 2003: Beginnings How a young kid picking sweet corn on his Grandpa’s farm in Ohio ended up making an organic sojourn across two continents
- February 21, 2003: An Introduction Ohio traveler debuts “global grassroots” network of farmer-correspondents
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Mary-Howell & Klaas Martens: Letter from New York
- December 9, 2004: Confessions of a "foodie" In this world of economic disparity and cultural conveniences, malnutrition takes many forms, says this organic farmer.
- September 28, 2004: Smoothing the path to a profitable harvest home Dozens of harvest tips to ensure that your good grain isn't transformed into the bad and ugly by poorly maintained equipment, improper storage or rough handling.
- August 31, 2004: Farming is definitely shades of gray It all looks so clear-cut when you submit your organic crop plans in January. But by August you’ve had to make a dozen major decisions … some bad, some good, some impossible. Here are a few thoughts on making the best of those tough decisions.
- August 3, 2004: What can I use to boost my soil fertility? The real key to soil fertility involves complex and slow moving agronomic management. But you have a deficiency now. Klaas and Mary-Howell explain how to temporarily boost your soil fertility organically while you're waiting for those long-term practices to kick in.
- August 3, 2004: "Farms R Us?" Part 2 Exploring the successful management practices on one farm that could possibly be transferred to another.
- July 20, 2004: "Farms R Us?" Part 1 Fearless farmers bring a friend’s franchise farm fantasy to fruition
- April 2, 2004: Thinking upstream: Looking for root causes and real solutions Our conventional agricultural system is like chemotherapy for the soil … kill everything and hope it solves the problem. But what caused the cancer in the first place, and what can we do about it? That’s what thinking upstream is all about.
- March 5, 2004: Seed: The Achilles’ heel of organic The growing evidence in this country that much of our seed stock is GMO-contaminated raises tough questions about the future of organic—what it is, what it should be, and how we can reduce our vulnerability and preserve our integrity and vision as organic farmers.
- January 12, 2004: New Year's Reflection: How do you reduce risk and improve farm income in 2004 100 ideas for improving yield and income through crop diversity, weed control, equipment repair, input avoidance, financial planning and value-added processing.
- December 16, 2003: At What Cost? As rural communities, and entire farm states, collapse under the current farm, we must consider how we can make organic agriculture the norm...not just a niche option.
- Special Edition: Can we match Europe's small grian yields? Klaas responds to questions about last month's column.
- November 21, 2003: Evaluating the 2003 season, and harvesting lessons for 2004 and beyond This year: Disastrous small grains, decent soybeans and corn, and a near miss with the cabbage crop. Into the future: Exploring how to get European small grain yields, often double those of the U.S.; figuring out what contributes to corn lodging, and what variables effect soybean yields from field to field.
- October 24, 2003: Why we certify. A must-read for anyone who cares about the future of organic. There's an emerging level of "sneaking non-compliance" with organic rules. There's resistance and frustration with niggling NOP rules. Lots of farmers are asking "Why bother with certification?" Mary-Howell Martens offers a passionate and thoughtful response to that tough question.
- September 30, 2003: Regarding the unseen life of sand and soil . . . On beach and bottom land, life and health depend on billions of unseen creatures weaving together in a complex dance. Mary-Howell Martens eloquently questions how we have managed to delude ourselves into thinking that we can disrupt this complex movement without consequence.
- August 22, 2003: DEFENSIVE farming 18 years ago, Mary-Howell Martens’ mother-in-law-to-be cautioned her suburban-raised daughter-in-law-to-be that “the weather is never going to be right.” How right she was! So what do you do to survive in the tough years – which include every one of the last four years here in the East? Mary-Howell says it’s a combination of attitude, diversification ... and calm, creative thinking instead of panic.
- June, 2003: ORGANIC precision farming For organic growers, "precision farming"; doesn't mean GPS and on-board computers. It means better observation, longer memory, and more care and attention to details. Organic farmers can't patch up their mistakes and carelessness with chemicals
- April, 2003: What is the true wealth of the organic movement? The people, of course. They come with different skills, backgrounds, motivations, ages and educational levels, yet all feel the joy and excitement of living at the heart of a burgeoning, world-changing movement.
- March, 2003: The Art of Crop Rotation Create a line-up that ensures healthy soil; deters erosion, pests and weeds; makes effective use of resources and earns a profit. Mary-Howell reviews the process that is part science, part agronomics, part economics, part field history and part farmer intuition.
- February, 2003: Providing for Ourselves. Being self-sufficient starts with the food on our table, but it doesn’t end there—it extends to farm practices that don’t rely on inputs for fertility and weed control; to communities that work together; and to the most basic need of all . . .healthy, viable seeds without help from Monsanto.
- January, 2003: Looking backward, looking forward. The Martens review the past and plan for the future while passing on recording-keeping tips, soil testing advice … and some thoughts on our responsibilities as regenerative farmers.
- December, 2002: The gift of community. The Martens reflect on the critical importance to organic farmers of a supportive community that counteracts the trend in rural America toward bitter competition and isolation. PLUS: 6 keys to successful weed management.
- November, 2002: Reflections at harvest time, with thanks. Mary-Howell Martens takes a moment to reflect on insuring quality at harvest, crop rotations, no-till vs. low-till . . . and the privilege of harvesting your own crops and seeing the tangible completion of a year.
- August, 2002: How Mary-Howell and Klaas Martens made the transition to organic. 8 lessons our future NewFarm.org columnists learned in the last ten years as they moved to organic field crop production on over 1300 acres
And, by popular demand, following are the links to the Martens' three part series "Look, Ma! No Weeds: Early Season Weed Control".
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Alan Guebert: The Final Word
- September 24, 2004: Who is Tom Hofeller?; Now quickly, the other news of the week
- September 17, 2004: Bush widens lead among rural, swing voters; Other news of the week; It's just a game
- September 10, 2004: That crazy federal deficit; Other news and views; Sept. 10, 2001: Trust your future
- September 3, 2004: Farmers, November and party platforms; And as the GOP convened in New York ...; Letter of the week
- August 27, 2004: “The President’s personal commitment to conservation ...”; Other news, views and clues; Again with the crowing rooster routine
- August 20, 2004: Need marketing advice? Call me in November; The week’s theater of the absurd
- August 13, 2004: August crop report about a 6; Rabo: Part II; Sugar meeting turns sour
- August 6, 2004: Sketchy WTO ag trade framework outlined; Omaha Farm Credit bank opens FCS to takeovers
- July 30, 2004: Doha,'conflicting trade' and wages; The wonderful world of unintended consequences
- July 23, 2004: USDA Inc.
- July 16, 2004: US-Aussie free trade deal a done deal; Mad cow mistakes spotlighted in joint House hearing; Some things are just a mystery
- July 9, 2004: Bush and the rural "Bubba" vote; Letter of the week: NCBA threatens R-CALF; Weekly news, views and reviews
- July 2, 2004: Of mad prices, mad cows and mad farmers; In their words: the week that was; Of fireworks, family and fish on the Fourth
- June 25, 2004: Hand-wringing over America's ag competition; What others are saying; Of soaring turkeys and USDA
- June 18, 2004: House Ag hearing blasts USDA conservation programs; Newest Bush target could be CRP; ACGA asks for CRP sign-up now; Another ADM chapter closes
- June 10, 2004: Who we are: 2002 Ag Census; The week in words; Cargill will DNA test cattle for taste, economics; Ag journ 101
- May 28, 2004: USDA reverses itself on organic rules; USDA budget cuts coming; Making sense of export numbers; Memorial Day, 1868
- May 21, 2004: Listen to what I say, not what I do; The week in words: One for the good guys: Sen. Paul Muegge
- May 14, 2004: EU-US WTO two-step, again; The week in words: All the ag news you'll ever need for $18,000 per year
- May 7, 2004: USDA's mad cow mess stumbles on; Letter of the week: Big Pork's big threat; Nebraska pork power totters into Chapter 11
- April 30, 2004: Brazil opens cotton's can of worms; debating subsidies with faulty math
- April 23, 2004: Far from the maddening cow; A long, hot summer ahead: No Bush Farm and Ranch Team for me
- April 16, 2004: It's a long day in India, Part 3: Rice, sugar awash in social faux pas – Alan makes sure to leave his mark before returning to the states.
- April 9, 2004: It's a long day in India, part 2: We meet India's future, several different options, to whose hands will it fall?
- April 2, 2004: It's a long day in India
- March 19, 2004: Only mad cows and Americans; News, views and all those blues; Letter of the week: Leaving the herd behind
- March 12, 2004: Cargill settles civil suit on HFCS price fixing; News and views; Meaty memo of the week: It's all about us
- March 5, 2004: The news from Lake Farmbegone; Looking for Wall Street? Try the Federal Courthouse; Letter of the week: Is special sauce a durable good?
- February 27, 2004: Milk's mustache wiped off; News, views and all those blues; A reader writes
- February 20, 2004: Cowboy justice clips meatpackers; Cowboys 1, Tyson 0; now what?; USDA mad cow miracle: Downer cows that walk
- February 13, 2004: Silence of the mules: the trade deal no one wanted
- February 6, 2004: USDA takes hit big in 2005 Bush budget; Behind the headlines
- January 30, 2004: Farming 101: The trouble with statistics; The trouble with political science; The trouble with ag economics
- January 26, 2004: On the road: Denver; On the road, again: Denver II; Just can't wait to get off the road
- January 20, 2004: Cowboys in the courtroom ; News, views and reviews; On the road: Iowa
- January 9, 2004: The USDA's busy week; So, if it's clearly Canadian; Of checkoffs and mad cow
- January 2, 2004: A maddening New Year; Other “mad” facts
- December 19, 2003: CAFTA is not a trade victory; A farm belt recovery?; Another black-and-white Christmas story
- December 12, 2003: Budget bummer busts ag; World Bank’s analysis of free ag trade: You’re dead; Sen. Paul Simon, 1928-2003
- December 8, 2003: The new pork powerhouse: Washington, D.C.; 2004's big issues
- December 1, 2003: Ethanol mandate, COOL sink in Senate; From the Farm and Food File archives: A 'right smart' Thanksgiving
- November 21, 2003: Energy Bill baggage threatens passage; Confusing week for US ag trade policy; Short takes on the news
- November 14, 2003: The pot-holed road to Miami and a FTAA; Steel vs. ag: 'illegal' tariffs to clip ag exports; Views and invective
- November 7, 2003: Ethanol compromise pushes Energy Bill forward; Ag budget bill, COOL, cattle import idea pass Senate; Bites of week's food news
- October 31, 2003: USDA burns COOL again; Cost study shows GM wheat a market killer; Headlines and deadlines
- October 24, 2003: Second pork checkoff defeat threatens all checkoffs; In the news; On the road: Montana
- October 10, 2003: Smithfield, Cargill line up bids for Farmland; Another COOL hearing, another COOL set-up; I don't know about you, but...
- October 3, 2003: Cooked books hide paltry farm income; Red hot beef market to remain warm into winter; Laugh-a-minute Limbaugh caught on TV
- September 26, 2003: Cancun reactions continue to ricochet through global ag trade; Scenes from this farm life; GM foods fail public polls again
- September 23: 2003: This issue has just one topic: what led to the collapse of WTO talks in Cancun and its consequences...
- September 12, 2003: Heat's on farmers in Cancun; US, EU sweating; GAO shows USDA how to move ahead on COOL; Payment Commission to Congress: It's your mess, fix it
- September 5, 2003: Fixing U.S. ag policy; Willie v. Annie; Canadian beef and bass
- August 29, 2003: By the time you read this... Reprise: Oh say, can you see... Manitoba
- August 22, 2003: Court again declares South Dakota's anti-corporate farming law illegal; Stop the presses: China bigger ag exporter
- August 15, 2003: US-EU ag trade proposal little more than Cancun window dressing; Still crazy after all these years; The view from the rooftop
- August 11, 2003: AFBF: No WTO deal better than bad deal; Silly season
- August 5, 2003: Stop the presses: USDA talks beef with Japan without NCBA; International farm leaders offer own agenda for WTO-Cancun; Energy bill again passes Senate
- August 1, 2003: Smithfield eats Farmland Foods; In their own words: the real Smithfield; COOL funding killed in House; survives in Senate; News, views and some blues
- July 25, 2003: Cancun could clobber US farmers and ranchers; 'We're being fed to the fishes over and over and over again'; A lovely evening for crop reportin'
- July 11, 2003: US blasts GM food and feed labeling; Academic wars: The battle to replace Neil Harl; Beef checkoff goes down for the second time
- July 7, 2003: Europe votes for GM labeling of food, feed; More Europe: CAP reform; How to kill a farm group
- June 27, 2003: When old Doc Greenspan talks, we should listen; Passing time with the great American pastime
- June 23, 2003: Special interests gut COOL funding; Follow the money--or Henry Bonilla; Go ahead, hit me—but I say, 'keep the estate tax'
- June 17, 2003: Wheat's newest battleground is free--and GMO-free--Iraq; Government program payments 'expected to total $21.4 billion in 2003'; News, views and more ag journalism blues
- June 9, 2003: Ethanol gets victory in Senate; G-8: BINGO! — Bush wins again; Dairy’s naïve backroom political offer
- May 30, 2003: Canada's ill wind shows America's leaky biosecurity blanket; Views of the news; From the Ag journalist's mouth to the banker's ear
- May 23, 3003: Mad cow madness; The Jungle: More bad meat and bad news for meat; Bye-bye dollar
- May 16, 2003: How to win GMO friends and influence customers; Ms. Veneman has been doing a lot of crowing but what does she have to show; Graduation Day, 2003
- May 12, 2003: It's been a COOL week—ACGA poll confirms concerns over GM corn, support for COOL; Finally, a COOL study on labeling benefits; Quote of the week
- May 2, 2003: Our man in Baghdad part II; Just COOL it; Ag journalist, watchdog or a businessman's best friend?
- April 25, 2003: Our man in Baghdad; News you may have missed; 'I weep for my profession' - Part 2
- April 11, 2003: Trying to spin the plain truth on COOL; 'I weep for my profession’ - Part 1
- April 4, 2003: March 31 plantings report not 'suprising'; Budget billions, budget baloney; On the road to Baghdad
- March 28, 2003: GMO: Genetically modified oratory; The lighter side of COOL; Two voices— do you know which one is speaking the truth?
- March 21, 2003: The farm homefront; David Heath Swanson, Federal Convict; Quotes of the week
- March 14, 2003: The genes of biotech journalism; Appellate courts hear beef, pork check-off cases
- March 7, 2003: ‘Smelly' Starlink settlement; Suited up for checkoff challenges; Hi, I’m Ann and I'll be your saleslady today'
February 28, 2003: Court ruling may challenge ag integrators; Busy week for news and views; Letter from America: Dancing Ann; Note from Norway
- February 21, 2003: Congress cripples organic standards; Traveling Bobby's $435 billion tab; Europe bashing
February 14, 2003: Disaster aid charade; Stop the presses! NPPC claims COOL too costly; World trade talkers
- February 7, 2003: For the main course, 2004 White House, USDA Budget Baloney and to finish, Short takes on the rest of the week. Bon Appétit!
- January 31, 2003: Agriculture is surprisingly absent from the State of the Union address and other news that will shock you
- January 24, 2003: Senate approves $3.1 billion in disaster aid; Court puts out Iowa welcome mat for pork integrators; What a day - homeland security is offical, Veneman is near failing, CountryMark's CEO is under arrest, again - and it's not even noon yet!
- January 17, 2003: Chicago fire burns commodity prices; Grain reserve offers insurance against future flames; New Congress, new assistance ideas; You'll be missed, Elmer Brown
- January 10, 2003: January report bearish but hope for '04; Not a nickel for farm aid, $674 billion for tax cuts; Bush Stimulus Plan: Fat Plums to Fat Cats; Some things never change – beef, pork, and a non-stimulating “stimulus” package
- January 3, 2003: New Year could bring stronger ag markets; Oh where, Oh where are CCPs?; Here's to a new USDA, some much needed moments of silence, a few wins for the Chicago Cubs and a great 2003
- December 20, 2002: Europe to America: “Our Food, Our Rules;” bring me the head of Hedrick Verfaillie; Trent Lott inspires “quote of the week;” a special Christmas story, retold because it bears retelling.
- December 2, 2002: The benefits of country of origin labels; free trade for Aussie beef means more grief for U.S. cattlemen; with lack of competition, food multinationals all set to gouge us at the plate.
- November 22, 2002: Maybe the U.S trade rep should check with U.S. farmers before promising their support of a free trade agreement with the Aussies. And maybe the last two years in Congress weren't a total loss for agriculture
- November 15, 2002: New house ag committee chair to be named; pork checkoff--the true cost to farmers; and GM contamination--just a matter of time before experimental crops end up on our dinner plates.
- November 8, 2002: Thad Cochran to take farm policy reins – how far will he go? Farmers make Londoners smile – in the rain!
- November 1, 2002: Chicken slaves, and honest talk from Swiss ag leaders
- October 25, 2002: GMO labelling and the European Union
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George Devault: Real Tales of High Value Farming
- November 9, 2004: Blueberry Blues Part 2: After chuckling all the way to the bank through the summer, this farmer is now singing the blueberry blues. High-value can quickly turn into big-loss if you're not careful. Time to protect your assets!
- August 31, 2004: Farming under cover -- BIG TIME! Haygrove Tunnels boost yields and fight disease, by the acre -- or the hectare.
- August 17, 2004: Blueberry Bonanza! Part 1: Hand-picked blueberries overcome the objections of penny-pinching customers and inspire a dedicated following like nothing else simply by being tasty. At $4 a pint, these little powerhouses pack true high value.
- June 27, 2003: Dump dept and diversify! Growing less corn is not a bad idea, either.
- June 3, 2003: His farm isn’t quite an acre . . . but this ‘small farmer’ makes it work After investing a whole lot of elbow grease and making his fair share of mistakes, Scott Kuntzer does more with less and makes a decent living.
- March 21, 2003: Lettuce Get Growing! Greens that is. Planting lettuces and greens for steady production from early Spring through Fall.
- March 12, 2003: George DeVault's 14 Myths About Modern Farming
- March 5, 2003: Affording Essential Equipment There are a lot of good buys out there. Just go slow, and pay as you go.
- January 17, 2003: What To Grow?There is no mystery to it, as long as you understand quality -- and what sells.
- December 2, 2002: Why diversify? Simple. It can help pay the bills when traditional crops don’t earn their keep. And it’s not nearly as difficult and expensive as you might think.
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Jeff Moyer: One Farm to Another
- December 13, 2007: He's making his list and checking....the price of grain? Jeff takes a look at the state of the market and explains why now is a great time to go organic.
- November 16, 2007: Fall drought demands invoking Plan D—or creating it, if the impact will come next spring Disruption of crops with critical roles to play in your rotation means act now to make the best of a dry situation.
- September 14, 2007: Seize pre-harvest gaps to plan on-farm research Identify options you can test yourself to guide better management.
- July 13, 2007: Welcoming interns to the farm brings potential benefits, responsibility to teach Young people ready to work and learn bring energy, new questions and a mix of expectations.
- June 15, 2007: Make time to leave home for farmer-to-farmer learning Choose well and plan carefully to get the most out of summer field days.
- May 11, 2007: Scrambling to find Plan B after a nasty winter for vetch In my mind, I saw deep vetch and timely no-tillage. In my fields, I’ve got dead vetch, bare ground and problems.
- April 12, 2007: Legumes buffer organic farms from this year’s high N costs Ethanol-fueled high corn prices create ripple effect that touches organic grain outlook.
- March 15, 2007: Spring gleanings as winter melts into spring Ruminations on the busy season, challenges in the organic sector and our cutting-edge research.
- February 16, 2007: On our farm or yours, face-to-face or online, people and their questions make my work a delight Sharing a quest—or just a question—creates a bond that helps build sustainable community.
- January 12, 2007: First year on the NOSB: Hard work, tough issues, good energy It’s a privilege—and a world of intense problem management—to be a farmer rep on this organic sector advisory board to the USDA organic program.
- December 14, 2006: Twinkling lights, well-loved carols and really nice wrenches Jeff reflects on gifts that are better than things… but there’s the things, too.
- November 10, 2006: Let’s get real, and all commit to using organic seed Narrow variety focus that makes it impossible to “find” the seed organically is not a way to strengthen the organic seed sector, which is a vital part the future of organics.
- October 12, 2006: Organic grain market requires—and rewards—quality control Treatment of grain from field to bin to destination takes a new level of management that non-organic markets don’t demand.
- September 15, 2006: Oil price spike creates incentive for real change Why tinker with fuel and fertilizer efficiencies when innovative organic synergies offer a way to change the whole system?
- August 10, 2006: Organic choice can impact relationships with family, friends, neighbors Change that feels good to you may feel like rejection to others; to build bridges, stay in touch while you openly share the joys and struggles of your journey.
- July 13, 2006: Cutworms challenge organic no-till in wet field Timing and moisture conditions conspire to give cutworms the edge.
- June 8, 2006: Cultivating your cultivation techniques Keeping your weeds in check means keeping your tools honed, your eye on the fields and some new tricks up your sleeve.
- May 12, 2006: First taste of the NOSB: organics is alive and well Determination to testify showed strong farmer commitment to keeping organics organic.
- April 13, 2006: Springtime at The Rodale Institute® New research, responsibilities and projects keep our farm manager busy.
- March 9, 2006: Before all your mornings turn to mud... ...get out early to frost seed covers, hay.
- February 16, 2006: When your compost ingredients come from somewhere else, know what’s in the truck Garbage in, garbage out – no matter how well you manage it.
- December 8, 2005: Poring over catalogs, making wish lists Decisions about next year's seed orders can make a big difference for your farm--and for the organic community as a whole.
- November 11, 2005: Before you plant that first seed… Season's end is a good time to think about alternative marketing strategies, Jeff says.
- October 13, 2005: Taking the REALLY long view As fall approaches, Jeff reflects on the past and future of farming on our own little patch of North America--and considers the ecological and economic value of adding perennial grain crops to the mix.
- September 1, 2005: Good farming values good neighbors Cultivating community is just as important as cultivating crops.>
- July 14, 2005: While the sun shines Jeff reflects on the sweaty work of putting up hay.
- June 16, 2005: The more the merrier By rotating crops, cover crops and tillage practices, says Jeff, you can improve your soils, improve your yields and keep the weeds and the pests guessing.
- May 12, 2005: Green on green Counting the virtues of small grains, from the soil to the balance sheet.
- April 19, 2005: Mirror, mirror on the wall, what'll be the best variety...come fall? When it comes to choosing crop varieties, Jeff says you can rely on the advice of others—or you can see for yourself by conducting your own on-farm variety trials.
- March 17, 2005: These are exciting times! Those were the sentiments of a group of researchers and farmers who met during the first week of March at The Rodale Institute’s farm in southeastern Pennsylvania to initiate plans for further research into Organic No-Till.
- January 7, 2005: Where does the time go? Sure, it's more of the same this year. The weather. Our on-farm research. Meetings and conferences. But with a little planning, it does keep getting better and better ... and more and more interesting.
- December 9, 2004: Re-evaluation time As the year draws to a close, Jeff's making lists again.
- October 26, 2004: Harvesting more than just crops It's been a good season for apples, pumpkins, corn and soybeans here at The Rodale Institute, but it's our cover crop roller that's bearing fruit other farmers can use.
- August 31, 2004: The calendar says summer, but buyers are saying fall Half of our apples are damaged, but prices are good. The pumpkins are prolific. And the corn is 10 feet tall. Life is good—not great, but pretty darned good.
- August 17, 2004: Keeping blight at bay Despite a really wet year, our wheat has resisted fusarium head blight. Don’t ask about our apples, though. Ask about our straw, instead.
- July 20, 2004: Great weather. Good yields? We’ve got our fingers crossed. Jeff gives an update on equipment purchases, crop progress, farm building maintenance, new approaches to no-till … and the fire of 2004.
- June 2, 2004: The crops are poppin' this spring Can the weeds be far behind? Jeff talks about cultivation, no-till organic, apple production...and an opportunity to run a CSA here at The Rodale Institute®.
- May 11, 2004: What’s that? Researchers and universities have discovered organic? Seems to be the case, folks. Grant dollars are being earmarked for organic projects … and they need the input and involvement of farmers. Is this a dream, or what?
- April 2, 2004: Spring has sprung The oats are still in the bag, but the apple orchards are looking good and some tweaks to a modified planter are well on their way. As the wheat greens up, the bedding plants are just about ready to move from greenhouse to cold frame for hardening off. Yep. It's spring.
- March 5, 2004: Hungry for spring Most of the repairs are done, the re-certification paperwork is almost finished and the vetch and rye covers are pushing through the stubble. If only the mud would go away.
- January 13, 2004: Planning for success on your farm Jeff knows one farmer whose planning is so refined that his workers can print out detailed work schedules each morning throughout the season. Most of us don’t need that kind of planning with a capital P, but we all need some … and winter is the time to do it.
- December 17, 2003: Jeff's making his lists and checking them twice... mostly because he can't believe how much has to get done this winter to be ready for next season.
- November 21, 2003: Capital purchases: An opportunity to think more deeply about where your farm is heading It makes no sense to invest new dollars into equipment designed for old systems, says Jeff. He also offers a few thoughts on mixing nurse crops with your cover crops.
- October 24, 2003: On to STEP 2: Proving that organic produce is nutritionally superior It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that organic is better, hands down, for the soil and the environment. But is it GOOD for you?
- September 5, 2003: A long love affair with cover crops In the midst of the current season’s tribulations, planting cover crops lets you think about and prepare for a whole new growing season, with all its unspoiled promise.
- August 22, 2003: All my trials, Lord... The wheat's pretty much of a loss, the oats lodged, the weeds are having a field day and the leaf hoppers worked over the alfalfa and potatoes. But on the bright side....
- July 11, 2003: Small grain harvest coming soon, and things are looking good... but disease resistant pumpkins were a bust. Plus, mid-summer field days and new fungi research that promises to boost yields.
- June 10, 2003: Jeff adds two new tools to his weed-eating arsenal and starts work on a better toilet What does a trip to Japan have to do with battling weeds here at home? And how can a toilet help protect farm land? Jeff covers how two great ideas came from unexpected places.
- May 12, 2003: A late spring has Jeff chomping at the bit He's ready to try out the retooled planter for planting no-till through vetch with minimum disturbance. And the new pole barn will let him store more hay and straw, which sold like hot cakes last year.
- March 3, 2003: Eighteen inches of frozen ground. Guess I’ll get the paperwork done. Jeff reflects on our new research focus on the human impact of farm chemicals, and wonders why we allowed ourselves to get so dependent on government handouts.
- February 4, 2003: Two degrees below zero . . . and I’ve got to think about crop rotations and weed pressure!
- January 7, 2003: Who says organic no-till can't be done? Jeff describes his no-till corn experience in 2002, and its significance for the future
- December 3, 2002: Making hay this year . . . Sometimes you just can't predict what will sell
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Brenda Cochran: Dispatches from Dairyland
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Melanie Devault: Specialty Cut Flower Corner
- July 14, 2005: Weddings: Think before you say "I do" The honymoon's over. Melanie's got cold feet when it comes to doing flowers for weddings, but with good reason. If you have your heart set on netting nuptial gigs, there are some things you should know.
- May 12, 2005: Flower diseases Don't worry, be observant.
- March 31, 2005: Flowers and insects: A manageable combination, Part 2 Aphids, thrips, spidermites, leafhoppers, beetles and caterpillars--knowing your enemies, and how to handle them.
- March 17, 2005: Flowers and insects: a manageable combination, Part 1 Sure, insects cause flower growers some noticeable heartaches, but they can be controlled organically—with beneficials, diversity, selecting the right flowers for your region, and even with guinea hens.
- February 22, 2005: Questions, more questions... On hoophouses--and more; Regarding Lisianthus; One pinch, two pinch
- January 27, 2005: Terminology 101 Our cut flower guru answers the question, “What do you mean when you say…?”
- January 7, 2005: Living the high life High value flowers have high standards and absolutely thrive in high tunnels. So, Mel and George are adding another gothic arch to their property and populating it entirely with the best-selling blooms.
- November 23, 2004: Tools of the trade Practical ideas for the holidays.
- November 9, 2004: Good Karma--"Karma" dahlias, that is The sponteneous purchase of Karma Dahlias turned out to be one of the best decisions of the season for Melanie and flower partner Linda.
- August 31, 2004: Secrets of selling to florists Flower shops can be a boost to your bottom line if you cultivate relationships carefully, deliver quality and pay attention to what they need.
- August 3, 2004: Summer madness, and mistakes Fresh from the Mid-Atlantic meeting of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Mel and ASCFG president Bob Wollam share mistakes they made this summer and Mel details what it takes to have a continuous flower supply for a 25-week farmers' market season.
- June 2, 2004: Five time savers for flower growers Weed management help, watering aids, smart tool use and more.
- June 2, 2004: A flowering of questions How to price, Preserving organic flowers, Help...do I need a permit to sell?
- April 19, 2004: Fall Harvest: More than just mums Spring has arrived in Pennsylvania and so has the fourth and final in Mel's four-season flower mini-series. If you haven't noticed, it's all about thinking ahead. Plan your fall line-up now and offer gorgeous autumn bouquets when everyone is tired of the same-old mums.
- March 4, 2004: Your problems, possible solutions Mel shares some questions from a recent conference and her answers
- March 4, 2004: Summer Harvest: Thinking warm while it's still cold means better variety There’s plenty of time to think about sunflowers and zinnias, the summer garden workhorses, but they only go so far. Some of the best summer sellers need to be started NOW!
- January 30, 2004: Spring Harvest: Planning now for next year's early bloomers Most northern growers are chomping at the bit to get back out in the dirt (yes, we are all certifiably nuts). But if you take this lull in the schedule to do some planning for next spring, you can satisfy everyone's cabin fever with extra early bouquets and baskets.
- December 17, 2003: Winter Harvest: Making up for a rough summer Turning the “off-season” chill into a ringing till. Tips for winter long sales from a variety of cut flower gurus.
- November 7, 2003: Planning for next season Looking back, looking ahead … and PLUG-ging along.
- October 20, 2003: Lilies Make Everyone Smile Pennsylvania grower Paul Shumaker finds a fragrant niche in cut lilies.
- August 1, 2003: Getting through summer The summer sweat is on and if you're seriously considering putting the weeds up for sale which are looking better than your flowers, don't stress. Mel tells you how to handle burnt-out blooms, disheveled beds and the "oh no, I'm running out of flowers" moments.
- June 27, 2003: Farmers' Market--ing 13 tips for selling flowers at your local farmers' market.
- May 23, 2003: After the bloom is ON Thinking ahead to summer--it won't be long--some general and specific advice for cutting, handling, storing and transporting flowers.
- April 24, 2003: Planting . . . Gotta go, gotta go -- ah, relax; there’s still time Overcoming her anxiety about an overly long winter, Melanie dispenses timely early-season wisdom about planting, transplanting and growing flowers.
- March 17, 2003: Seeding . . . Where to start Set those complicated computer programs and expensive gadgets aside and start simple.
- February 21, 2003: Good Beginnings Melanie's suggestions for starting off on the right foot with annuals.
- January 17, 2003: Becoming a “flower lady” (or gent) First in an ongoing series: Melanie Devault talks about the ins and outs of starting and building a cut flower business ... without going into debt.
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George, Melanie & Don Devault
Nuts & Bolts & Dreams: A beginner's guide to farming
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August 17, 2004: Greenhouse 101: Summer No "forcing" summer lettuce this year Circumstances beyond our control have forced us to go a little easier on ourselves, for a change. Thank heavens.
- January 12, 2004: Greenhouse 101: Winter Survival Guide Once you know when to fold ‘em and when to hold ‘em, you, too, may say “let It snow!”
- November 6, 2003: The season’s over, or nearly so: Here’s what paid, what didn’t The wisdom four Pennsylvania farm families salvaged from another tough season.
- August 21, 2003: Veggie Farmers’ Marketing 101 Be clean. Price fairly. Don’t discount. And use every opportunity to educate, educate, educate.
- July 11, 2003: Putting your face on Getting ready for market means "hair, make-up and wardrobe" for your goodies. No matter how sweet your carrots or crisp your lettuce, if they're spattered with grit they won't get a second glance.
- June 5, 2003: The A to Z Greenhouse Growing Guide, Part II How to grow tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in your hoophouse without them going to riot and rot.
- May 23, 2003: The A to Z Greenhouse Growing Guide, Part I Everything you need to know--except the experience--about planting, cultivating and harvesting salad and cooking greens year round.
- April 23, 2003: From big city to small farm -- couple successfully follows their dream Jeffrey Frank and Kristin Illick started farming four years ago as novice apprentices. Now they supply a farmer’s market and 10 restaurants with greens, heirloom tomatoes, baby veggies and herbs.
- April 9, 2003: Hoophouse dreams -- building a beginning, PART 2 From baseboards to plastic sheeting, your greenhouse gets finished. Relax and celebrate this flying leap into your dream. There won’t be much time, later.
- March 21, 2003: Hoophouse dreams -- building a beginning Hoophouse how-to, part 1: Anchoring your farming dreams in the bedrock of your own soil
- March 7, 2003: DON'T take your day job and shove it A few practical thoughts on preparing to take the plunge.
- March 5, 2003: How Much Land? Probably not as much as you might think,especially if you’re growing the right crops. Here's what history teaches us.
- February 14, 2003: So You Want to Be a Farmer? Twenty-five-year-old Don Devault talks about how farming crept up on him, about the mentors he was lucky to meet . . . and about the doses of reality and hard work he got along the way.
- January 17, 2003: Finding the right information Knowing what to do and who to believe means the difference between success and failure.
- January 17, 2003: New farm dreams DO come true Maybe not the way you thought they would. But with planning, persistence and a little luck it is possible to get started in farming today. New Farm® columnists Melanie and George Devault tell their own story.
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Paul Beingessner: Letter from Saskatchewan
- October 18, 2007: FAO issues report calling for new thinking on avian flu poultry risks World body says it’s not clear that big confinement operations are safer.
- March 15, 2007: It’s official: ag income in most provinces will decrease in 2007, with Saskatchewan bucking the trend Higher grain prices will buoy one province, but hurt returns on hog farms all the way to the Atlantic Coast.
- February 17, 2005: Disengaged farmers have created a land where a few packers rule
- January 11, 2005: Rural areas lacking critical mass to recover As financial security forces rural residents to flee for the cities along with them goes any incentive to return
- December 17, 2004: Farmers beware: Canadian government getting out of the plant breeding business
- December 1, 2004: Public seed variety research critical for farmers to thrive
- October 24, 2004: U.S. duty hits hog farmers where it hurts
- September 23, 2004: Seed legislation could spell end to farmers keeping seed
- August 24, 2004: Alberta cattlemen mount risky NAFTA challenge against US in desperate bid borne of desperate times
- August 17, 2004: Canadian farmers left wondering about impact of WTO subsidy cuts
- July 28, 2004: Trade talks will never be the same after Cancun
- July 2, 2004: Canadian farmers need a strategy as "leaders" dither over BSE/beef
- June 28, 2004: Factory farm controls need to balance regional benefits with local impacts
- June 21, 2004: Conservatives, liberals favor cheap food; fail to campaign for meaningful ag future
- June 2, 2004: Who do subsidies really benefit?
- May 26, 2004: Schmeiser loss leaves Monsanto empty handed
- May 20, 2004: Factory farm controls need to balance regional benefits with local impacts
- May 6, 2004: Farmers' right to GMO-free cropping trumps biotech's desire to dominate
- April 23, 2004: Farmers need market power, not higher tech solutions
- April 8, 2004: Over-expansion of patent law fails "public good" test patents used to serve
- March 29, 2004: Canadian cattle producers demand packers buy more from open market
- March 12, 2004: Cooperation produced great wheat variety; will plant patents do as well?
- March 4, 2004: The war about drugs: Coming to a corn patch near you
- March 1, 2004: Would a Schmeiser win hurt plant breeding?
- January 21, 2004: Let's talk sheep, madam secretary
- January 14, 2004: Mad cow troubles resurface with a vengeance
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December 30, 2003: Saying it does not make it so
- December 15, 2003: Canada's western farmers bid joyous adieu to ousted ag head
- December 8, 2003: Keep supply management, despite the detractors
- December 1, 2003: Farmer efficiency benefits everyone but the farmer
- November 24, 2003: Problems of supply management may be a welcome improvement
- November 11, 2003: US cotton: subsidy farmers get billions to produce, market crop
- October 28, 2003: Canadian sheep producers suffering from BSE-blockade
- October 13, 2003: Are GM Crops the New Colonialism?
- October 2, 2003: Without sustainable alternatives, ending subsidies only shifts misery
- September 25, 2003: Free trade and the case of the missing profits
- September 15, 2003: Truth suffers, traders win in US ruling against Canadian wheat board
- August 8, 2003: Unparalleled opportunity to regain wealth
- July 27, 2003: Fate of Canadian Agriculture Rests on Cattle Herd
- July 19, 2003: Mad Cows Are Not COOL
- July 14, 2003: Monsanto suits gobble up farmers, target milk bottler. Is Maine next?
- June 22, 2003: U.S. posturing on Canada's one mad cow shows weak trade policy
- June 8, 2003: Protocol upholds genetic integrity; on collision course with WTO and GMOs
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Various Writers: Letter from Ontario
- August 9, 2007: Replacing imports with local food Quiet leadership with solid proposals lead to real impact
- June 15, 2007: Shouldn’t the market serve us, instead of the other way around? Why can’t society chose fairness and food access over speculation?
- May 11, 2007: Ontario farm innovation awards hit the mark Organic value-added meat and farmer training, manure to electricity, mortality composting and biosecure hog loading systems honored.
- April 12, 2007: Everyone has an opinion on farm size Group’s discussion guide considers factors that create community resistance.
- March 15, 2007: How can farming be so challenging, yet so stimulating and fun? Called to a role that always has more to discover, and to enjoy.
- March 9, 2006: Ontario farmers to tackle some dramatic proposals on the future of Canadian agriculture
- September 6, 2005: The distraction of trade talks
- August 15, 2005: Giving up the bird in the hand for the bird in the bush Elbert van Donkersgoed advises on trade negotiations
- July 26, 2005: Farmland vs. Wetland Striking a balance between environmental responsibility and economic viability
- July 7, 2005: Pay the man Society, not farm families, must make the decision to preserve the farmland
- June 20, 2005: Test, test and retest America's newly confirmed mad cow raises more trade question no matter which side of the US/Canadian border you lie
- May 20, 2005: Butter mountains and wine lakes Technology and subsidies have led to a land of plenty and yet still not enough—Donkersgoed reviews the ideas of Edgar Pisani
- April 29, 2005: The GMO controversy continues Prince Edward Island is among the latest to join a growing list of regions around the world fighting to become GMO-free zones
- April 7, 2005: Who's paying for environmental responsibility? Everyone wants clean air, water and flurishing natural habitats so maybe its time everyone starts paying for them
- March 23, 2005: Sometimes it's not so different Ontario farmers fight Michael Jackson and Martha Stewart for the ear of the people
- March 10, 2005: The food is secondary Farmers in Ontario will meet this week to fight for their share of the retail dollar before technology, globalization and society’s taste for all things processed pushes them out of the food chain all together
- February 16, 2005: Leveling the international playing field for some Canadians Letter from Ontario reviews Minister of Ag Andy Mitchell's paper on changes in world trade
- January 19, 2005: Living the rural life Today it takes 100 acres just to make a “contribution to family income”
- January 11, 2005: Worth watching in 2005 While not necessarily the top headlines of 2004, these stories are likely to keep us guessing well into the New Year
- December 16, 2004: A green too far Preserving farmland continues to be a goal of rural communities but who must sacrifice a comfortable retirement for the betterment of the whole? Elbert dissects Ontario's approach.
- December 1, 2004: In the low-budget world of agriculture research—what comes first the research or the change?
- November 18, 2004: Keeping farmland, farmland—a mission in grays
- November 9, 2004: Stand up to the shrug
- October 27, 2004: We eat and drink our environment
- October 1, 2004: As if cities can do It all by themselves
- September 3, 2004: Of the color of peach fuzz and places to grow
- August 24, 2004: Restructuring Canada's electricity: going beyond good intentions
- August 17, 2004: The farmland preservation toolkit
- August 5, 2004: MBM-Free Pork, a point of differentiation, a cut above the competition--at the expense of the farmer
- July 28, 2004: I don't have to worry - I'll be out of farming before I have to do all that
- July 23, 2004: A wave of government intrusion
- July 2, 2004: Are they serious about farming in the park?
- June 28, 2004: Portrait of an ideal candidate.
- June 21, 2004: Stewards of the status quo no more
- June 7, 2004: On the way to becoming socially reprehensible
- May 27, 2004: Time to deconstruct our plant patent law to reasonably limit scope
- May 18, 2004: When it comes to food trade, consumers trump sound science
- May 6, 2004: Our cities are what we eat
- April 23, 2004: Water policy carries a price whose bill is being sent to Ontario's farmers
- April 8, 2004: Recognizing the new normal
- March 25, 2004: The concept I like, it's the reality that's got me worried--Ontario's Nutrient Management Act in this edition of the Letter
- March 19, 2004: To test or not to test- that is the BSE question
- March 9, 2004: Grown locally by family farmers - a powerful marketing message
- March 2, 2004: Contracts under captive
- February 23, 2004: CAIS is a good program - plan to participate
- February 17, 2004: Out of an abundance of caution
- February 13, 2004: The Purpose of Research: Understanding or Winning?
- January 30, 2004: One sick cow is a food story
- January 26, 2004: Loopholes the size of houses and subdivisions
- January 20, 2004: What a difference one cow makes.
- January 14, 2004: Resolutions to remember in the new year
- December 31, 2003: 2003: A Year of Big Changes for Farming
- December 23, 2003: In the shadow of a new deal for cities
- December 19, 2003: Consumer reports indicate time is right to move beyond cheap food
- December 8, 2003: Canadian farm income withered in 2002
- December 1, 2003: The Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization program: A better way
- November 24, 2003: Linking farmers, retailers and consumers is organization priority
- November 14, 2003: We need to market uniqueness not a level playing field
- November 7, 2003: Distinctive local communities
- October 31, 2003: A small charge, big benefits
- October 24, 2003: Farmers are applauded for doing it cheap
- September 22, 2003: The capital of the countryside
- September 15, 2003: World needs more common sense in mad cow guidelines
- September 11, 2003: Trade libbers have us taking medicine for a disease we don't have
- August 27, 2003: Innovation and the return to farming
- August 18, 2003: A Trade Deal without Consumer Benefits? The bottom line of GM crops
- August 12, 2003: If I could make just one change in this program...
- August 8, 2003: Who is Protecting Our Best Farmland?
- August 1, 2003: Food Trade is Not Widget Trade
- July 28, 2003: Farm subsides and fairness
- July 24, 2003: Save the planet--Go ahead, what's stopping you?
- July 7, 2003: Value chains versus supply chains
- June 30, 2003: Ontario farmers reflect on the gifts they have been given
- June 19, 2003: Recipe for unrest
- June 9, 2003: The cheap food fight
- June 3, 2003: Sharing the land
- May 28, 2003: Peer pressure supply management
- May 12, 2003: GMO in food: The story we are not telling
- May 9, 2003: Walkerton Inquiry Review: Public policy success equals clean drinking water
- May 5, 2003: Ethics of biotechnology: Conference discussion goes beyond higher yields
- April 25, 2003: Conference players agree: Quality, consistency will give edge to local food
- April 18, 2003: Complex land decisions must be based on values, not data
- April 9, 2003: The emerging managed food chain
- April 3, 2003: Farmers' name top nominees for the Rural Red Tape Reduction Project
- March 28, 2003: Farm size matters
- March 21, 2003: Myths about hunger
- March 14, 2003: Europe gets innovative about farm subsidies
- February 21, 2003: Seven ideas for strong rural communities
- February 7, 2003: An action plan for a fresh vision for agriculture
- January 3, 2003: 2002 ag policy changes to have big impact in 2003
- December 13, 2002: Farmers know ag’s benefits, but wonder how to make them profitable
- November 15, 2002: Six essential characteristics of a better future for agriculture
- November 5, 2002: Intervening in farm markets for the public good
- October 25, 2002: Standing up to commodity agriculture
- September, 2002: Wishes and dreams for Ontario agriculture
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Jim Riddle: Inspector's Notebook
Inspector's notebook
- October 13, 2005: Don’t bug me Jim’s three-tiered approach to pest management should keep insects at bay
- August 12, 2005: Stay away from CCA For fence posts, trellises, or any other application coming in contact with soil or livestock, Jim says, stick with naturally rot-resistant woods like cedar, hedge or black locust
- June 16, 2005: Good buffer zones make good neighbors Unless you can show that adjacent fields are managed without the use of prohibited materials, Jim reminds readers, buffer zones are required
- May 12, 2005: Stopping the landslide Jim Riddle shares his secrets for dealing with erosion problems
- March 31, 2005: To plant or not to plant Answers to all your questions on organic seeds—what they are, where to find them and which will get your fields DQed for three years
- February 22, 2005: Taking the fear out of farm maps With the early bird deadline—it’s March 1—rapidly approaching it is time to finish up this year’s Organic Farm Plan and that means completing those dreaded field maps
- February 10, 2005: Planning the perfect rotation: Three part series on creating crop rotations Part 3: Nine simple steps to your own rather complicated looking, field specific map of future planting
- January 27, 2005: Planning the perfect rotation: Three part series on creating crop rotations Part 2: A good transition provides the ground work for fields that are nutrient stable, disease free and haven’t washed into the local river. These ten easy rules will give you a head start then keep you running ahead of the pests.
- January 7, 2005: Planning the perfect rotation: Three part series on creating crop rotations Part 1: NOP requirements and the ten things you must consider before buying the season's first bag of seeds.
- December 9, 2004: Wash & Glow: The inspector's guide to post-harvest handling
Showcasing quality and guarding against contamination rank among the top priorities at this stage of certification.
- November 19, 2004: Get paid for getting certified Cost-share programs offset certification expenses up to $500 but act quickly deadlines loom near
- November 9, 2004: Complying with noncompliances Take time now to understand and correct outstanding issues on your certification contract
- October 14, 2004: The exit interview made easy Jim shares his tips for getting the inspector off your property as quickly as possible.
- September 28, 2004; Because there's a lot riding on your numbers Keep your lot numbers simple and consistent to have one less worry come harvest time.
- August 17, 2004: Protecting the integrity of organic grains during harvest Develop strict cleaning protocol for harvesting and handling equipment.
- August 3, 2004: Expecting the inspector? 9 tips to shorten your inspection time
Various: Organics in the news
- July 15, 2005: Seniors’ market program in jeopardy New rules may cost many in need access to farm fresh produce
- April 29, 2005: A meeting with Secretary Johanns NOSB representatives and the recently appointed USDA chief
- April 21, 2005: Missouri’s organic certification program nixed Despite huge growth in the state’s organic sector, governor’s office drops organic program and sustainable agriculture demonstration project citing budget cuts.
- March 31, 2005: There’s a synthetic in my organic chicken It has been three years since the exception was made to allow synthetic methionine in organic poultry production. As the deadline on usage nears, it seems little has changed in the world of organic poultry. This has led some to question whether it ever will, others to ask if it even should, and just about everyone to throw up their hands in frustration
- March 31, 2005: Harvey v. Veneman’s spectre of unintended consequences roils organic water Successful legal challenge to parts of the USDA Organic Rule could have a big impact on producers and the marketplace.
- March 31, 2005: Finally, a conservation program for those that are conserving Conservation Security Program announces 2005 watershed eligibility list and sign-up period
- February 10, 2005: The crucial question: What is pasture? National Organic Standards Board will debate pasture guidance at its upcoming meeting in Washington, D.C.
- January 27, 2005: “Organic” fertilizer may be organic, or it might be a residual surprise
Organic farming groups request state fertilizer control officials to bring their use of the term into line with the USDA National Organic Standard – before the loose language causes more trouble.
- January 24, 2005: Reason to hope? New USDA head expresses support for organics
In response to questions from Senator Patrick Leahy, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns promises to uphold and strengthen implementation of the Organic Foods Production Act
- January 7, 2005: A vision for organic growth – and a welcome to incoming USDA Secretary Mike Johanns In his open letter to Ag Secretary Johanns, who was confirmed on January 6, National Organic Standards Board member Jim Riddle outlines the Organic Program priorities Johanns needs to put at the top of his list.
- November 23: Researchers responding to discovery of soybean rust in the U.S. Conventional management strategies for the new disease introduction are being rapidly mobilized; organic strategies should be close behind
- October 29: Heat wave leads to climate change at NOP Jim reveals the progress made and the new commitment to cooperation seen inside the NOSB October meeting
- October 14, 2004: Conventional excellence tromped by even standard organic While critics of organic agriculture like to question the safety of manure, the truth is organic producers are held to a much stricter standard on everything from traceability to manure usagethan non-organic producers.
- September 28, 2004: Too many good ideas Grant review process for the USDA Integrated Organic Program demonstrates urgent need for additional federal support for organic farming research, extension and education
- April 20, 2004: Organic livestock rules reduce risky feeding, but tighter restrictions would improve safety.
- April 6, 2004: With BSE at issue, why eat organic beef? Regs keep risky feed out of the system
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Paul Hepperly: Research Perspectives
- December 13, 2007: Fabricated food has become a profitable, debilitating problem Insects know how to tap into a sustainable eco-niche—why can’t humans eat, and farm, that way, too?
- November 16, 2007: Measuring soil carbon changes would allow farms to offset excess emissions of other enterprises Cap-and-trade approach, used wisely, could drive carbon-sequestering activities on-farm and beyond.
- June 15, 2007: Indiana study shows correlation between ag chemicals and birth impacts, from pre-term births to school performance Non-organic corn booms in 2007, and so may its human health consequences.
- April 12, 2007; “Old” Asian Soybean Rust research from many places holds valuable natural defense clues South Asian experience and classical plant pathology findings hold promise for non-chemical ASR protection.
- February 16, 2007: Organic challenges conventional for yield potential in current Rodale tests Decades of soil improvements produce better soil quality and allow organic corn production to move beyond yield parity, while providing better resilience in drought and wet years.
- January 12,2007: Year 2006 is breakthrough for organic no-till corn yield; tops standard organic for first time at Rodale Institute Roller system creates moisture-saving mulch from cover crop to suppress weeds and build soil as it slashes fuel and labor inputs.
- October 12, 2006: Healthy soils resist typical N and P losses during wet seasons Chemical fertilizer is lost from conventional fields in moist years, while compost-amended organic soil mitigates leaching and air-borne denitrification.
- September 15, 2006: Unseen Treasure Part 2: "Lost research” shows organics benefit root growth Rodale Institute and Cornell site results also validate damage done by fertilizer and herbcides.
- August 10, 2006: Unseen treasure Part 1: Giving due respect to the robust role of roots A closer look shows synergies under the soil.
- July 13, 2006: New hope for organic management of Asian rust in soybeans ASR confined so far to Deep South where its kudzu host gives winter lodging.
- June 8, 2006: The world has changed A look at nitrogen and corn economics.
- May 12, 2006: Through choices private and public, our children’s future is in our hands Ag chemicals in food and water are having profound, generational impacts through subtle effects.
- February 16, 2006: SANREM: Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management A new dawn for longer-term thinking.
- January 12, 2006: Soil erosion, energy scarcity, excess greenhouse gas all answered through regenerative carbon management Compost is great, but new bio-based process yields hydrogen and super-stable carbon as charcoal soil booster.>
- December 8, 2005: New reasons to perfect organic no-till USDA study finds conventional no-till is no panacea when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions.
- November 11, 2005: Feed the soil, not the plant Organic farming challenges centuries of scientific thinking with regard to plant nutrition—but the proof is in the results.
- August 11, 2005: The sacred art and science of composting In the second of three essays on teaching organic farming methods in Ghana, Paul reflects on the scientific method, calcium deficiencies, and the far-reaching benefits of soil organic matter
- August 11, 2005: Twelve reasons to make and use compost
- June 16, 2005: "Show me the numbers" A guide to research publications based on work done at The Rodale Institute
- April 20, 2005: Carbon is the key Research in the Amazon region suggests that ancient farmers dramatically improved poor soils through the addition of charcoal-based carbon
- March 11, 2005: Using composts for disease suppression Two recent studies document specific effects for limiting plant diseases in strawberries and cucumbers, while a third finds that composting can kill E. coli
- February 7, 2005: Transitioning to organic farming The biological keys to success
- December 23, 2004: Vitamins, organic food and your health Researchers are uncovering more reasons to get your daily allowances—and they say organic foods may be the best sources
- December 9, 2004: From fat to fit Research on the benefits of conjugated linoleic acid is stacking up
- November 19, 2004: Organic farming systems build organic matter, soil fertility over the long haul
- November 9: Water, antibiotics and Animal Farm A U.S. ban on sub-therapeutic antibiotic use in livestock production is long overdue
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