Caff

APRIL 15, 2024

Photo Credit Bonnie Veblen As part of CAFF’s Ecological Farming Program , we collaborate with farmers to implement and better understand ecologically-based farming practices, which include climate smart farming and soil health practices.

Science 110

Science Agriculture Agriculture Ecology 110

Civil Eats

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024

As the sun beats down from a cloudless morning sky across Horn Farm in York, Pennsylvania, Dick Bono ambles among his pawpaw trees, admiring their pale green fruits like a proud parent. When they planted their orchard 11 years ago, the gatherings turned into a festival, which soon outgrew anything they could manage themselves.

Seeding 119

Seeding Farming Farming Orchard 119

Caff

MAY 18, 2023

Photo: Ansel Klein In this episode, we learn about integrated crop livestock management from two Northern California Farms. First, we hear from Lorraine Walker of Eatwell Farm in Dixon, CA, where they incorporate laying hens into their diversified vegetable production, and also touch on soil health and fertility management.

Pasture 52

Pasture Farming Farming Ecology 52

Caff

SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

The first Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) event on “Impacts of Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) in Walnuts” was held in Linden at the Anderson-Barngrover Ranch on Friday August 27th. Around 30 people joined in on celebrating and learning from the past, and sharing emerging solutions and challenges.

Orchard 52

Orchard Ranching Ecology Production 52

Caff

JULY 25, 2022

In continuing to promote the Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) project, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) held its third field day event hosted at Unruh Farms located in Princeton, CA., Daniel Unruh is a 2006 transplant from South Dakota and has been farming the land surrounding his home since 2010.

Orchard 52

Orchard Farming Farming Ecology 52

Caff

FEBRUARY 26, 2021

Want to find out more about the benefits and tradeoffs of integrating sheep into orchard systems? Check out our newest case study on Sierra Orchards of Winters, CA. The post Integrating Sheep into Walnuts: a case study on Sierra Orchards appeared first on Community Alliance with Family Farmers. Learn more here.

Orchard 52

Orchard Crop Ecology Livestock 52

Caff

AUGUST 5, 2022

The Community Alliance with Family Farms (CAFF) hosted our fourth Biologically Integrated Orchard System (BIOS) field day, titled “Effective IPM Strategies for Major Walnut Pests,” at Blossom Farms on July 12th. Randy also owns his own seed drillers, and plants cover crops on other farms in the area.

Farming 52

Farming Farming Orchard Soil Compaction 52

Caff

DECEMBER 10, 2021

The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) hosted our second Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) field day at River Garden Farms on November 30th, 2021 titled “Cover Cropping, Sanitation and Mating Disruption in Walnuts.” At this farm, cover crops increased spider mite predators near the end of August.

Orchard 52

Orchard Farming Farming Crop 52

Caff

JANUARY 26, 2022

Introducing… the 2022 Farm Champion awardees! To make it as a small farm and to affect real, lasting change in our food system, it requires unwavering determination, hard work, ingenuity, and a deeply rooted sense of purpose with a view extending a thousand growing seasons. We look forward to watching this farm grow!

Farming 52

Farming Farming Orchard Food 52

Caff

DECEMBER 9, 2022

Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) hosted a Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) field day on November 30th in Clements, CA. Farmer Alicia Lewis-Rikkonen arranged a demonstration of a novel weed control technology, called FoamStream, in her olive orchard and vineyard.

Orchard 52

Orchard Ecology Technology Pesticide 52

Caff

MAY 31, 2023

Photo by Nolan Kirby) The Community Alliance with Family Farms (CAFF) held a Biologically Integrated Orchard System (BIOS) field day at Locke Ranch on May 23rd. Attendees were treated to a walk through the orchard with Chris and Christy Locke, who were participants in the original BIOS project over twenty years ago.

Ranching 52

Ranching Orchard Crop Ecology 52

Daily Yonder

APRIL 3, 2024

And with support from a local farm – River Ridge Farm – GLC introduced the LandFair Competition where local high schoolers can win up to $1,000 to launch projects aligned with agriculture, environment, and small business innovation. Permaculture means that gardeners work with existing ecological conditions in a specific place.

Ruralism 72

Ruralism Textiles Orchard Food 72

Caff

JULY 18, 2024

Increasing biodiversity can often lead to success in battling pests on small farms. On June 3rd, CAFF’s Ecological Pest Management team co-hosted a field day at Il Fiorello Olive Oil Co in Fairfield, CA. The day started off with Ann sharing a bit about the farm, which has 3,000 olive trees on 17 acres. It’s one strategy.

Ecology 52

Ecology Farming Farming Pesticide 52

Civil Eats

JANUARY 8, 2024

He found this disconcerting, not only for himself but the future of small-scale grain farming in California, once known for its golden hills of grain. This specialized, often professionally operated equipment—and all farm equipment , for that matter—can be prohibitively challenging for many farmers to buy and maintain.

Grain 113

Grain Farming Farming Orchard 113

Food Tank

OCTOBER 11, 2023

The brand’s Star Hill Farm is the first distillery farm to receive certification from Regenified for its commitment to soil, water, and ecosystem longevity. Boochcraft partners with The Ecology Center for the advancement of regenerative agriculture. Spirits producers are also taking note.

Beverage 121

Beverage Ecology Compost Cultivation 121

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

NOVEMBER 19, 2024

Photo credit: Matt Ryan/Sandra Wayman Editor’s Note: This blog post is a guest post authored by Gordon Merrick, Senior Policy and Programs Manager at the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and Mark Schonbeck, Research Associate, also at OFRF, which is an NSAC member.

Food 111

Food Seeding Poultry Production 111

NASDA

JUNE 22, 2023

As Congress comes together to negotiate the next Farm Bill and USDA begins to implement its 2023-2026 Science and Research Strategy to meet ambitious targets, the timing for the America Grows Act could not be better. food and agricultural sector which threaten our affordable, safe food supply, farmers’ livelihoods and national security.

Science 130

Science Agriculture Agriculture Food 130

The Lunatic Farmer

SEPTEMBER 9, 2023

Ecological farmers may not agree on everything, but one thing we all agree on these days are these 5 essential elements: 1. The devastation among Florida’s orange groves and the diseases attacking coffee trees are symptomatic of one thing: violating all of the above ecological pillars. Let’s go to the heart of the matter.

Poultry 66

Poultry Livestock Pasture Ecology 66

Food Tank

APRIL 2, 2024

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.

Cultivation 90

Cultivation Food Marketing Distribution 90

RR2CS

MARCH 8, 2022

When they discovered that the farm is set on a prehistoric lake bed, a natural water reservoir for the community, they felt an additional responsibility to plant native trees and shrubs to steward the water resource. But due to climate change, Jenna and Thomas’s journey into farming has been anything but straight forward.

Farming 52

Farming Farming Forage Seeding 52

Modern Farmer

AUGUST 24, 2023

Since the resurgence of regenerative agriculture, farming has never been sexier. The star-studded film Kiss the Ground , featuring celebrities Woody Harrelson and Tom Brady, put the movement on the map in 2020, claiming that regenerative farming could be the solution to, not the cause of, climate change, biodiversity loss and soil erosion.

Food 92

Food Ranching Ecology Fertilizer 92

Modern Farmer

FEBRUARY 13, 2024

Agroforestry—the integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems—has been used since ancient times to produce fruits, nuts, coffee, cocoa and medicinal herbs. Wendy Johnson’s ‘natural savannah’ Wendy Johnson and her husband, Johnny Rafkin, own Jóia Food & Fiber Farm, in Charles City, Iowa. Johnson laughs.

Acre 104

Acre Farming Farming Pasture 104

Modern Farmer

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Sprouting deep within the verdant pleats of Oʻahu’s Koʻolau Mountains, Heʻeia stream winds through Kakoʻo ʻOʻiwi , a non-profit organization centered on a six-acre taro farm, before emptying into the wide mouth of Kane‘ohe Bay. The past eight years have brought “more rain bombs,” says Shultz.

Acre 116

Acre Plantation Cultivation Crop 116

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

OCTOBER 6, 2023

One of the key questions lingering over the 2023 farm bill reauthorization is whether Congress will approve a farm bill that builds climate resilience for the countless farmers whose livelihoods depend on it. A test plot of crimson clover at USDA NRCS Plant Material Center. Through the IRA, CSP received a total of $3.25

Crop Rotation 105

Crop Rotation Forage Pasture Crop 105

Modern Farmer

NOVEMBER 14, 2023

When it comes to North American farming, by contrast, people might picture wooden fences, wire fencing or terracing between one type of crop and another. Shortly after the Revolutionary War, though, hedgerows were poised to be as much a part of US agriculture as they had been integral to UK farming. A hedgerow on a California farm.

Farmland 96

Farmland Cultivation Farming Farming 96

Caff

DECEMBER 15, 2023

On December 5th, the Community Alliance with Family Farms (CAFF) held a field day at the LangeTwins Family Winery & Vineyard in Acampo, CA. Kendra shared the history of her family’s farm and how they started out growing watermelons and shifted to wine grapes in the 1930’s.

Livestock 52

Livestock Crop Farming Farming 52

ATTRA

JANUARY 30, 2024

had — with my permission granted over cell phone — left for the two-hour drive back to our motel in Keene where we were giving a week-long Armed to Farm workshop to military veterans scheduled to start the next day. So, it’s ecological or cybernetic or complexly interrelated, but it is not magic. It was a Sunday night around 11 p.m.

Farming 40

Farming Farming Ecology Rural Development 40

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

AUGUST 11, 2023

More than 100 members and NSAC staff from across the country gathered at the foothills of the Rockies to re-energize and strategize ahead of the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization. On Tuesday evening, Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO-2) joined us at dinner at Ollin Farms (more on the farm tours below). As a pediatrician, Rep.

Water Rights 52

Water Rights Food Farming Farming 52

Modern Farmer

DECEMBER 6, 2023

Mustin’s summer home is on Vashon, and my partner and I have a small farm here. Later, his focus shifted to urban ecology. When the study of invasive plants took off in the ’80s and ’90s, scientists focused on the fast-growing, sun-loving species that overrun grasslands, farms and disturbed or logged forests.

Ecology 114

Ecology Seeding Acre Processing 114

Modern Farmer

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

One partner rejuvenated the old apple orchard, planted another 120 heritage-variety trees and started a cider business. “A A couple of the other partners’ interests were land conservation and low impact residential sites integrated into the agricultural and natural ecology of the ranch,” he said. The XK Bar is not a cow/calf outfit.

Ranching 86

Ranching Livestock Acre Ecology 86

ATTRA

OCTOBER 3, 2023

What are the skillsets, knowledge, experiences, and resources that the community could contribute to a forest garden or community orchard? What about forest gardens gets people excited? Developing relationships and ensuring community buy-in is the most important thing when starting any community project.

Food 111

Food Distribution Rural Development Forestry 111

Caff

MARCH 23, 2022

Do you need any equipment from the grower when you come to our orchards? Kevin: The Mobile Irrigation Lab is pretty self contained; I have the tools I need and my truck is small enough to typically fit down the orchard rows or I can walk. Would the loan of an ATV help?

Manufacturing 52

Manufacturing Orchard Ecology Acre 52

Civil Eats

JULY 17, 2023

Date palm plantations and orchards cover the eastern Coachella Valley to the north. Since then, the sea has served as the dumping ground for decades of pollution from farming as well as legacy bomb-testing material. It’s associated with air quality, ecology, and biologicals in the lake. 1 commodity for the last 64 years.

Pesticide 93

Pesticide Acre Agriculture Agriculture 93

Civil Eats

DECEMBER 5, 2023

But it wasn’t until he became the beverage director at Farm and Fisherman Tavern in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, that he fully combined his passions for ethnobotany and mixology. Even monarch butterflies have lost habitat due to the prevalence of monocrop avocado orchards, along the once lush, biodiverse hillsides of Michoacán in Mexico.

Food 131

Food Farming Farming Seeding 131

Food Environment and Reporting Network

MAY 16, 2024

Renamed the Owens Valley by white settlers, the valley was a snow-capped patchwork of pear farms and cattle ranches. Diversions for agriculture were considered “beneficial,” but many California Native peoples did not farm. We tend to underestimate the ingenuity and the ecological knowledge of people before us.

Water Rights 132

Water Rights Ranching Cattle Ecology 132