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
Just a Few AcresFarm in Lansing, NY has nearly 500,000 subscribers on YouTube, where seventh-generation farmer Pete Larson posts videos with titles like “The basics of cutting hay” and “Playing in the Dirt with Pregnant Pigs”. Photography courtesy of Pete Larson and Just a Few AcresFarms. Pete Larson on his tractor.
This was soon after the Zachmans founded Feathered Acres Learning Farm & Inn with substantial startup expenses. Trisha says niche markets like this are critical to keeping small familyfarms like theirs alive. “If Niman gives us the opportunity to just be a small familyfarm,” says Trisha. “We
Wild Kid Acres in Edgewater, Maryland is a farm dedicated to responsible livestock and land stewardship. The farm is becoming a hub for agricultural education, local farm products, and shared technological resources. Martinez hopes to inspire young people to take up farming in the future.
In the months before Patrick Brown was born in November 1982, his father, Arthur, lay down on a road near the familysfarm to prevent a caravan of yellow dump trucks from depositing toxic soil in his community. Patrick currently operates Brown FamilyFarms on the land that Byron worked as a sharecropper once he was freed.
In the following discussion, I would like to share some thoughts on how to add net profit into a grazing operation, as well as share my own experiences reducing hay inputs with the grass-finished beef herd that roams across our northern Michigan familyfarm. What class of livestock are they?
Payne operates a 300-acre regenerative farm in Concordia, Missouri, an hour outside of Kansas City, where he raises sheep and cattle. Rooted in preindustrial farming, the method involves intentionally incorporating trees on the same land used by grazing livestock, in a way that benefits both.
Iowa is the number-one pork producer in the United States, but it has relatively few hog farms. Large factory farm facilities have replaced smaller familyfarms. The state lost nearly 90 percent of its hog farms from 1982 to 2017, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census data.
In fact, from 2008-2016, croplands expanded at a rate of over one million acres per year, with the eastern half of the Dakotas leading the charge. In 1971, the soils on his familyfarm in Ohio contained 0.75% organic matter and a pH as low as 4.2 ton/acre/year. Unfortunately, 69.5% in some spots.
Monitor Livestock: Many ranches utilize livestock RFID tags to track their herd movements and easily scan and understand their health and wellness. The Precision Farmer Case Study One inspiring case is a midwestern farmer who adopted drone technology and IoT sensors across their 500-acre corn farm.
Rebecca was recently notified by the State Water Board that she may be prohibited from pumping water from a well on the three acres that she leases. Fines for violating the order are as high as $1,000 per day of violation and $2,500 for each acre-food of water diverted. She farms 1.5
Recognizing the vital role that four-legged friends often play on familyfarms and ranches, Farm Bureau launched the Farm Dog of the Year contest several years ago now a popular feature of the American Farm Bureau Federations Convention.
By his senior year, Williams was trying to figure out how to return home and take over the familyfarm. Williams, his wife Hannah, and their toddler Lyle now live on Williams FamilyFarms, sustainably and humanely raising pigs and farming about 400 acres of cropland.
Upon leaving her familyfarm to study agriculture at Stanford, she took up a work-study program investigating the economic viability of grass-fed beef. “It The same year that Carman returned to her familyfarm, a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, was detected in the US.
The certification, funded by the Rodale Institute, Patagonia and Dr Bronner’s, insists on five practices to improve soil health: integrating livestock, keeping the soil covered, minimizing soil disturbance, incorporating diversity and zero chemicals, as well as a soil test every three years. Photography courtesy of Cabriejo Ranch.
Kendra Altnow shares the history of the LangeTwins Family Winery & Vineyards. On December 5th, the Community Alliance with FamilyFarms (CAFF) held a field day at the LangeTwins Family Winery & Vineyard in Acampo, CA. We’re trialing grazing now which is awesome.
The ice cream shop is an extension of the Nicholson family’s sixth-generation, 120-acrefarm in nearby Ferndale. More Eyes Per Acre As one of California’s oldest cheesemakers, Rumiano Cheese has a storied presence in the North Coast’s dairy shed. But that hasn’t been the PCC’s focus, Pheasant says.
Outside of Charleston, South Carolina, in the picturesque marshes of the Kiawah River, sits more than 100 acres of working farmland. But unlike neighboring farms that focus on production for faraway markets or keep a single family afloat, the farm at Kiawah River is supporting 185 families who live in the surrounding homes.
Eric Boor took over his great-grandfather’s nine-acrefarm in southern Iowa four years ago. When they first started, many in their family and community doubted that they could successfully farm this way. Today, the Boors’ farm “looks completely different,” according to Mikala.
French farmers, for instance, managed to persuade their nation’s leaders to ban food imports treated with the insecticide thiacloprid, dedicate €150 million (US$163 million) annually to support livestock producers and provide European-wide definitions for what constitutes lab-grown meat. Matters are much the same in the US.
AKreGeneration is committed to restoring the land for generations to come, acre by AKre. Some of the different practices we use include: diverse crop rotation, cover crops, intercropping, low chemical use, biological fertilizer and seed treatment, soil amendments, and livestock incorporation. Why farming?
Between the years 2017 and 2022, America lost almost 20 million acres of farmland. Despite this rapid decline, the average farm size increased five percent to 463 acres. This ag census data highlights the trend toward farm consolidation as more and more familyfarm operations are feeling the pressure to go big or get out.
If we lose our livestock, we lose our culture, our dignity, said Rabari. A fourth-generation small Midwestern farmer, Hemmes works more than 900 acres entirely on her own year in and year out. The conditions impacted crop yields, livestock, the transportation of goods, and the larger supply chain. Im very proud of that.
Each arrangement is different, based on the land, the infrastructure, the livestock and the labour input from each party, so it’s a flexible model that can be adapted to a multitude of situations. Share farming in the UK There are a small but growing number of share farming arrangements in operation in the UK.
As Brian Paddock walks through his 12-and-a-half acres of almond trees, he’s taking in everything. Treehouse Almonds sources nuts from roughly 50,000 acres in California’s Central Valley, and Gardiner’s familyfarm provides about 20,000 of them. The shells are used in cosmetics, as bedding for livestock and in biofuels.
Those include multi-generation familyfarms or beginning farmers that are adopting agroforestry or farmers transitioning from annual production to perennial production. Agroforestry is a sustainable land management approach that can be integrated into existing traditional crop and livestock systems.
MFA will once again be a primary sponsor of the popular show, which features the latest agricultural equipment and many other attractions for farmers, ranchers and their families. MFA Incorporated sponsors the low-stress livestock-handling demonstration, which will be held at 10:30 a.m. The demonstrations will be led by Ron Gill, Ph.D.,
While her family has been farming for at least four generations, there isn’t enough land for all of Alaina’s siblings to return to the familyfarm. And these days, few new farmers can afford to buy land, according to Alaina: In the Imhoffs’ area of Iowa, farmland can sell for as high as US$25,000 per acre.
But wanting to pass on her legacy, she worked with 3 of her mentees, assisting them in raising capital from the community that she helped build to purchase the farm, launching the first worker-owned cooperative CSA on the north coast. We look forward to watching that farm and his impact grow!
Further, they have added nearly five acres of prairie strips. Both practices reduce their climate risk while increasing the farm’s ability to absorb carbon. Rick Hartlieb, of Castanea Farms in Pennsylvania, has used local and state grant resources to help him plant acres of chestnuts and to shift his farm toward silvopasture.
Adrian Lipscombe, Chef and Founder of the 40 Acres Project, which preserves the legacy of Black farmers and foodways, says that, for her, “the farmer is a part of the restaurant.” ” And while storytelling is critically important, there will be no systems-wide change without policy.
Driven by supermarket price wars, retailers have been relentlessly pushing down the price that they offer to the farmers that supply them, who, when faced with this price pressure, have perceived the only option left to them is further intensification and enlargement of their farming operations and, in the case of livestock, animal numbers.
But the epic flooding this past March was simply unprecedented, says the owner of Lerda-Goni Farms. 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.
Background Land access is one of the biggest challenges for young and beginning farmers all across the country – whether small-scale dairy farmers in New England, livestock and grain producers in the Midwest, or specialty crop producers across the South.
According to official figures from the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies, the region lost 94,847 acres of forest in 2021 — almost 15,000 acres more than in 2020, the largest increase in the country. A typical farm in the foothills of the Amazon in southern Caquetá. Image by Antonio Paz.
He plants nitrogen-rich legumes and other perennial cover crops amongst his pear, apple, plum, peach, and cherry trees, but he buys a commercial compost product to keep his 100-acre, fourth-generation familyfarm thriving. Ela knows first-hand how central compost is to his organic farm—and all organic agriculture.
Nevada Cattlemen’s Association New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts New Mexico Farm & Livestock Bureau New Mexico Wine & Grape Growers Association New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association New York Farm Bureau New York Pork Producers Coop Inc New York State Division, IWLA Normex, Inc.
Finding adequate, affordable health insurance can be a huge challenge for people who run small, familyfarms or ranches, said Alana Knudson, director of the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis. Instead, they use antibiotics made for livestock they buy from a veterinarian or feed store. Family members share that risk.
Each of these three conservation activities represents a holistic approach to improving conservation across an entire operation, either by requiring producers to adopt multiple practice enhancements on the same acres or to pursue ambitious, measurable soil health goals, such as increasing organic matter (OM) over the life of their CSP contract.
“This is the moment for Congress to take action and ensure that the 2023 Farm Bill delivers material benefits for historically underserved farmers, ranchers, and forest owners striving to establish and grow their operations.”
Writing in 1985, Steele presents a clear-eyed view of the complex environmental, economic and social challenges that were facing farmers, many of which continue to be at the heart of today’s conversations about our food and farming system. The profitability of livestockfarming in the north is not high.
Manske runs conventional crop operations in Iowa and Minnesota, including managing a 1,000-acrefamilyfarm in northern Iowa, and primarily plants a rotation of corn and soybeans. Environmental Protection Agency, nitrogen fertilizer sales increased from 17 pounds per acre in 1960 to 83.6 pounds per acre in 2013.
Here are snapshots from those visits: Members toured Sister Gardens, one of three sites that are part of Frontline Farming, based in Denver, CO, Sister Gardens is a vegetable, herb, and flower garden on more than one acre of land within the Aria Denver development. A disused orchard that had been stewarded by the Sisters of St.
A core belief for Michael and Bean Hollow Grassfed Farm is having and encouraging a healthy ecosystem where farm and land management reinforce natural processes because a farm cannot be healthy if the land is sick. Sheep and cattle are their primary livestock, but they also have layers for eggs.
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. Decade of FamilyFarming, fostering policies and actions to enhance rural livelihoods and protect biodiversity.
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