This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Collectively, they cultivate seven different varieties, including the organizations signatures: Black Joy, Creole Country Red,” Black Belt Sticky, and Jubilee Justice Jasmine. Over two centuries, hundreds of thousands of acres were cleared to establish rice plantations, shaping the Southern economy and landscape. .
For more than four decades, the executive director of the Schumacher Center for a New Economics (which she co-founded with Robert Swann in 1980) has been tending to a land-use movement in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, driven by innovative ideas for cultivating affordable access to farmland. HVS: Let’s start with the basics.
As news of weed killer resistant plants hits the headlines, Patrick Holden reflects on discussions at the latest Oxford Real Farming Conference, highlighting why the plough may not be the worst option when it comes to nature-friendly cultivation. The theme was how ploughing and cultivation can be good for soil health.
Patrick Brown, who was named North Carolinas Small Farmer of the Year by North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University this year, grows almost 200 acres of industrial hemp for both oil and fiber, and 11 acres and several greenhouses of vegetablesbeets, kale, radishes, peppers, okra, and bok choy.
Acres of Ancestry Initiative/Black Agrarian Fund The Acres of Ancestry Initiative/Black Agrarian Fund is a multidisciplinary, cooperative nonprofit ecosystem that aims to regenerate custodial land ownership, ecological stewardship, and food and fiber economies in the American South. Become a member today by clicking here.
Since 2012, Gail Taylor has built healthy soil, provided hundreds of local families with fresh tomatoes and turnips, and fostered community on less than an acre at Three Part Harmony Farm in northeast Washington, D.C. Gail Taylor and D’Real Graham at Three Part Harmony Farm, their one-acre farm in Washington, D.C.
The Census reports 880 million acres of privately held farmland in the U.S., This is a loss of 20 million acres or nearly 7% of total farmland. At the same time that we are losing farmland, the remaining farms are continuing to consolidate and get larger.” down from 900 million in 2017. Or is there a better way?”
While it is true that much of the equipment that field farmers use on a daily basis is petroleum based and produces carbon dioxide in the neighborhood of 22 lbs of CO2 per gallon of fuel burned, it must be considered that this equipment is often serving hundreds, if not thousands, of cultivationacres. of the American Farmland Trust.
When farms are continually consolidated—when there is one 5,000-acre farm in a community, for example, instead of 50 100-acre farms—fewer people remain in rural areas. Recognizing the value of farmland and the fact that, as a popular phrase goes, “they’re not making any more land,” investors are buying up agricultural acreage.
Perhaps that image is informed by articles on “cheap” and abundant farmland in the far north or articles on how climate change opens opportunities by increasing the number of Alaska’s growing days. In 2021, the USDA listed the average value for an acre of farmland in California at $13,860. The 2017 U.S. In Florida, it’s $7,300.
A range of issues plague the current system, including corporate consolidation , farmland concentration in the hands of non-farmers and foreign buyers , pollution and animal welfare issues , as well as soil erosion and the poor treatment of migrant workers.
Songbird Farm (Photo credit: Jenny McNulty) Maine had been spreading what is called sludge on its farmland and fields since the 1980s. Testing, however, is only the first step towards regaining use of PFAS contaminated farmland. The spreading of sludge as fertilizer remains legal in all U.S.
Peppered throughout some 500 acres of charred pastureland, he found sizable patches of grass left unscathed by the blaze. The fire burned right around them,” says the 73-year old rancher and owner of Diamond B Ranch, noting the intact areas—some as big as a quarter acre. That’s the fight I’m in,” Balthazar adds.
Not all farmland is created equal,” says Jesse Womack, a conservation policy specialist with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). In return, they are paid a yearly rental rate per acre of land enrolled in CRP programs. In 2023, he USDA Farm Service Agency made more than $1.77
The increased profit of corn has meant more corn is grown which has resulted in a 5% increase in erosion and nutrient leaking into public waters as acres are converted from perennial management or kept in row crops. about 300,000 acres from 2002 to 2014. In the US we are cultivating fewer and fewer acres each and every year.
Increase Productivity One major reason to adopt tractor farming is that it makes it possible to cultivate larger areas in less time, with less hired help, and less backbreaking work. Mechanizing tasks like bed shaping, planting, and cultivation is game-changing. Proper tilling and cultivation help with pest management.
In addition, over the last decade, farmland prices have doubled nationwide and risen far higher in areas with pressure due to real estate development or commodity prices. Every piece of land purchased as a result of this project will be ushered through a three-pronged approach to increase farmland ownership by underserved farmers.
Photo credit: Oisakhose Aghomo Forging Pathways to Land Access for BIPOC Farmers in Georgia Emerging tools are helping young and beginning BIPOC farmers find farmland and navigate the confusing legal process needed to acquire and manage it. acre Growing Home farm grew fresh produce for restaurants and surrounding communities.
million acres of corn and 10 million acres of soybeans, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Information. And in the Midwest, 127 million acres of land overall are dedicated to ag, said the USDA. Of the Midwest’s overall acres, 75 percent are covered by corn and soybeans. Wendy Johnson.
A few days later, Valley Center bean farmer Mike Reeske, who donated half an acre of his small farm for this crop, was already betting on which seeds would be the winners in the slow and steady race to find a heritage wheat that will grow—with rainwater only—in San Diego County. Total citrus sales were $146 million. in March 2022.
percent, from 434 acres to 463 acres. FARMacy also cultivates learning and gathering around food, Nazeer says. From 2012 to 2022, the number of farms in the U.S. decreased by almost 10 percent, according to the USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture , while the average farm size increased 6.7 In 2023, the store made $6.5
My idea of heaven is the 100 hectares of cultivated ground that provide a livelihood for the 50 plus families who work the land in Miras and who produce more than enough food to feed the entire community of 600 families. The reallocation of collective farms meant that thousands of families were given land to cultivate themselves.
The catastrophic fire that just ravaged more than 2,000 acres and at least 2,000 homes on Maui, and claimed 114 lives and counting is inextricably linked to the island’s agricultural history. Maui’s last sugar mill, the 36,000-acre Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar, Co. (HC&S), Where do those water diversions stand today?
Pre-cultivation, the region owed the healthy pH of its soils to the lucky coincidence of sitting atop a volcanic bed. ” Former professional football player turned farmer Jason Brown also tried basalt powder last spring on First Fruits Farm, his 1,000-acre farmstead in Louisburg, North Carolina.
An estimated 500,000 to 900,000 acres of irrigated farmland will likely be taken out of production to satisfy state-level groundwater laws by 2040. The worry is that fallowed farmland, especially in the eastern Central Valley where it is turning to desert, could generate more dust leading to more PM2.5 in the air. tons of PM2.5
Brooks Lamb is a writer, and the land protection and access specialist at American Farmland Trust. Even by just raising three or four acres of tobacco, families could make a respectable return that helped their farm’s economic viability. DY: How do you cultivate your connection to the land you live on now, in urban Memphis?
Its 2,800 acres—the first protected habitat for the wild relatives of crops in the United States—now shelter not just a single pepper but at least 45 different species. Up to 40 percent of farmland has been fallowed in some parts of Arizona,” he wrote in an email.
LAND ACCESS The Census reports 880 million acres of privately held farmland in the U.S., This is a loss of 20 million acres or nearly 2.2% of total farmland. This represents the largest loss of farmland, both percentage and acreage-wise, that we have seen between Census reports in the past twenty-five years.
It was founded in 2013 in the Champaign-Urbana area by a group of researchers, students and farmers that were interested in exploring how perennial agriculture and agroforestry could benefit Midwestern farmlands. The organization focuses on Illinois and Wisconsin but also does support work in Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana.
Both durable and efficient, with no need for farmland or vast amounts of water, it threatened to leave natural fibers like cotton in the dust. percent of the world’s farmland but uses 4.7 Those fibers can be plant-derived, mycelium, cultivated animal cells, microbe-derived, recycled materials and blends.
At her 6-acre Sakari Farms outside Bend, Oregon, Schreiner employs traditional ecological knowledge to cultivate regional first foods —foods consumed before European colonialization—and passes that expertise down to Native American youth.
After a winter of record snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, a sudden warm spell melted the lower reaches, unleashing nearly 40,000 acre-feet of water —a volume equal to more than a tenth of Las Vegas’ annual supply—in 48 hours. His 580-acre farm grows enough forage to supply the herd, so “I’m good with where I’m at,” he adds.
They must be gently cultivated where the low-lying bushes grow naturally, and the small, sweet berries are sold in the local area, too delicate to easily transport far. He hopes that a new “crop” growing in tandem with berries could help boost the local industry and preserve farmland.
This reached its most extreme level in the 1970s, when tens of thousands of acres of straw were burned in the fields every summer in the UK, sometimes setting fire to hedgerows as well. How significant those increases are compared with, for example, the higher levels of root colonisation on organic farms (see below), is not clear.
By Trina Moyles Glen and Kelly Hall have been managing Timber Ridge Ranch, a 480-acrefarmland situated an hour south of Calgary near Stavely, Alberta, for over 40 years. Over the last four decades, they have seeded an impressive 5,000 acres, aiming to enhance biodiversity both above and below the soil.
We’ve spent a couple of generations exiting historically normal tasks and behavior, from integrating livestock and crops, growing gardens, buying locally and cultivating domestic culinary arts. That’s farmland, equipment, and buildings. We have millions of acres locked up. The difference is profound. I’m not suggesting the U.S.
40 Acres & A Mule Project , United States 40 Acres & A Mule seeks to acquire Black-owned farmland to be used to celebrate and preserve the history, food, and stories of Black culture in food and farming. As we enter a new quarter century, here are 125 organizations to follow and support in 2025. agricultural policy.
Small-scale farmers and ranchers have a crucial role to play in protecting our natural resources, conserving water, and improving soil health to cultivate thriving agricultural futures. The Small Farm Conservation Act (S.2180)
Small-scale farmers and ranchers have a crucial role to play in protecting our natural resources, conserving water, and improving soil health to cultivate thriving agricultural futures. The Small Farm Conservation Act (S.2180)
Darcy Maulsby, a fifth-generation Calhoun County, Iowa farmer, has been speaking with farmers in her area for years to get a policy around foreign ownership of farmland in the books. There is no policy concerning foreign ownership of farmland in the Iowa policy book, according to Maulsby. million in revenue and $31.7
Just a few miles from California’s state capital, owner Nelson Hawkins has turned an abandoned half-acre lot into a hub of food production for the community. Together, BIPOC growers own less than 2 percent of all farmland in the country. growers and owned more than 16 million acres of land. Today, they make up just 1.3
The obstacles are particularly acute for Black farmers, who own far fewer acres of farmland today than they did a century ago. They knew the federal government was promising 160 acres each to prospective settlers such as themselves, to improve land in the West. My own family has lost thousands of acres of our original homestead.
The owners say leasing land for the “community solar” garden removes several acres from crop production but provides extra revenue. Every year, goaded by billions worth of federal commodity payments and subsidized crop insurance, farmers plant around 90 million acres of corn—a combined landmass roughly the size of California.
To make way for those industrial fields of palm trees, some 30,000 acres of rainforest were cut down, a swath of destruction that one Indigenous leader called an act of “eco-genocide.” He marveled at the efficiency of the African oil palm, which can produce five times as much edible oil per acre as corn or soy.
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 5,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
Let's personalize your content