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Bringing Youth Back to the Farm in Rural America

Food Tank

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 family farms. The state lost nearly 90 percent of its hog farms from 1982 to 2017, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census data.

Ruralism 107
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Regenerative Food Certification: Gold Standard or Greenwashing?

Modern Farmer

Two organizations want to put an end to the wild west of claims and prove, through certification, that food labeled regenerative is genuinely the gold standard of sustainability and not just another marketing buzzword. Her family farm has been organic certified since 2006, but it only adopted the ROC standards in June 2022.

Food 94
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Family Farmer Finds a Connection to Eaters Through Livestock

Food Tank

Now that he raises pigs, he can apply nutrient-rich solid manure to the familys grain fields, helping to build soil health further and reduce the use of synthetic fertilizersa benefit for both the environment and his wallet. While grain farming has a distinct season, the pigs require daily tasks and maintenance year-round.

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Should Bioplastics Be Allowed in Organic Compost?

Civil Eats

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 family farm thriving. Ela knows first-hand how central compost is to his organic farm—and all organic agriculture.

Compost 138
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Opinion: European Farmers Are Standing Up to Free Trade—Will US Farmers?

Modern Farmer

Dumping manure in public spaces, hurling eggs at government buildings, blocking major roads —the European farmers who have taken to the streets to challenge free trade policies sure know how to raise a ruckus. Thus far, the protests offer some takeaways for American food and farm activists.

Manure 86
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Bringing Back Local Milk, Ice Cream, and Cheese

Civil Eats

The initiative aims to “uplift the dairy sector” and strengthen local markets, says Susan Pheasant, director of California State University Fresno’s Institute for Food and Agriculture (IFA), which hosts the Pacific Coast Coalition DBII. Run well, smaller-scaled systems have several advantages over confinement operations, Washburn says.

Pasture 140
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On the Ground with the Midwest Farmers Going All-In On Agroforestry

Modern Farmer

Today, new generations of innovative farmers see agroforestry as a solution to not just producing nutrient-dense food and specialty crops but to also mitigate the intensity of climate change-induced weather events. They farm on 130 acres of the land on which her father and grandfather had raised hogs. They were a rough crew of sheep!”

Acre 107