Civil Eats

OCTOBER 2, 2023

Until a few years ago, Songbird Farm in Unity, Maine, grew wheat, rye, oats, and corn, as well as an array of vegetables in three high tunnel greenhouses, and supported a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program for over 100 customers. Some farms were able to stop production temporarily while they identified possible solutions.

Farming 145

Farming Farming Farmland Crop 145

Modern Farmer

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Siewicki started Vital Mission Farm with the hopes of helping to create a more sustainable food industry. But, starting the farm didn’t come easy at first. A second mortgage and $80k in debt Siewicki found there was a lot of information out there about how to farm. But how do new farms get the first initial sale?

Poultry 128

Poultry Farming Farming Processing 128

Civil Eats

MAY 1, 2024

When Jeff Broberg and his wife, Erica, moved to their 170-acre bean and grain farm in Winona, Minnesota in 1986, their well water measured at 8.6 Those tiles, which were first installed in the mid-1800s and have now largely been replaced with plastic pipes, ultimately allowed farmers to grow crops on land that was once too wet to farm.

Fertilizer 145

Fertilizer Farming Farming Acre 145

Civil Eats

JANUARY 8, 2024

For three years, Nathanael Gonzales-Siemens drove up California’s coast for 14 hours every month for a routine task: milling his grain into flour. “I We’ve got 150 acres of grain.” 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.

Grain 144

Grain Orchard Farming Farming 144

Civil Eats

SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

In response, the American Farm Bureau’s president, Zippy Duvall, attributed the shift to U.S. Concentrated feedlot cattle farming and fertilizer production are among the biggest drivers of emissions from agriculture. percent of total greenhouse gas emissions between 2021 and 2022—the sharpest drop of all sectors in 2022.

Agriculture 140

Agriculture Agriculture Fertilizer Cattle 140

Civil Eats

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

Yet the bucolic scene belies an environmental problem roiling beneath the surface: The groundwater in this part of Minnesota is so contaminated with nitrates running off farm fields that the U.S. Dialing up Diversity One standard approach to cleaning the water that runs off farms is planting cover crops.

Crop 140

Crop Farming Farming Acre 140

Food Tank

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Healthy soils, boosted by regenerative farming practices , can sequester more carbon from the atmosphere and more effectively store and drain water. We need the soil for our physical sustenance,” says the amazing Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm, “but I also very much believe we need the soil for our psycho-spiritual wellness.”

Food 129

Food Grain Ranching Crop Rotation 129

Civil Eats

MAY 15, 2024

As federal officials grapple with how to contain the highly contagious strain of avian flu that has infected chickens, turkeys, and dairy cattle on farms across the U.S., a number of scientists are pointing to one factor that could be driving the spread of its virus and its spillover from wild birds to farm animals.

Poultry 144

Poultry Cattle Agriculture Agriculture 144

Modern Farmer

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

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. Matters are much the same in the US.

Manure 108

Manure Farming Farming Production 108

UnderstandingAg

SEPTEMBER 24, 2023

Fibrous-rooted species such as annual ryegrass and cereal grain crops help break up compaction near the surface. Farms applying liquid livestock manure with tankers have a particularly challenging situation. Try to always apply manure to a living crop.

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Manure Cash Crop Crop Crop Rotation 98

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

MAY 10, 2024

On May 1, 2024 – after months of stalled farm bill negotiations on both sides of Capitol Hill – Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) released a detailed section-by-section summary of her farm bill proposal. Strengthening the Farm and Food System Workforce (Sec. 11205, 12201).

Ruralism 110

Ruralism Food Farming Farming 110

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 126

Acre Pasture Farming Farming 126

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

AUGUST 28, 2024

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth post in a multi-part blog series analyzing the Farm Food and National Security Act of 2024 (FFNSA), which was reported out of the House Agriculture Committee on Friday, May 24. Overall, FFNSA misses the mark and fails to sufficiently address the most fundamental threat to our food and farm system.

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Farming Farming Agriculture Agriculture 83

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. The vineyards are weeded only using hoes, never herbicides, and fertilized with manure. Spirits producers are also taking note.

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Beverage Ecology Compost Cultivation 124

Civil Eats

JANUARY 23, 2024

In addition to learning about regenerative farming practices, the diverse group had gathered to understand how state-level agricultural legislation can bring about climate resilience, food security, and social equity. Historically, that space has been dominated by state level farm bureaus and the larger federal, Kimbirauskas says.

Agriculture 140

Agriculture Agriculture Ranching Food 140

Modern Farmer

OCTOBER 13, 2023

From 2014 to 2021, Minnesota farmer James Wolf raised organic soybeans, corn and wheat, selling the grains to farmers across the midwest, both for seed and animal feed. Selling organic grain allowed Wolf to make more money than selling conventional grain—a lot more money. Photo: Shutterstock What is organic, anyway?

Food 101

Food Supply Chain Farming Farming 101

The Lunatic Farmer

FEBRUARY 20, 2023

I’ve visited 10 farms, most of them several hundred sheep on more than 1,000 acres. Nobody puts down carbon for bedding, so all the sheep are on solid manure packs that stink and are filthy. On most farms, lambs go to a nursery and receive artificial milk (formula) immediately after birth. I should be home Monday afternoon.

Grain 52

Grain Manure Pasture Acre 52

UnderstandingAg

SEPTEMBER 24, 2023

Single axle grain carts and large combines are the worst offenders, but manure tankers and larger tractors also easily exceed 10 tons/axle. Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) takes advantage of this to mitigate the damage from heavy-axle loads. Grain carts run in the previous track made by the combine.

Grain 95

Grain Yield Manure Pasture 95

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

Civil Eats

AUGUST 16, 2023

When you approach the poultry paddocks at Salvatierra Farms outside Northfield, Minnesota, you might not notice how many chickens are hiding among the tall grasses and young hazelnut trees at first. And that’s by design. Photo courtesy of Wil Crombe/Organic Compound.) Regenerative is a complex term with many interpretations.

Poultry 98

Poultry Processing Acre Farming 98

Agwired

AUGUST 5, 2024

Farm4Profit podcast host and Iowa farmer Tanner Winterhof moderated the panel, which included his co-host and 4th generation farmer Corey Hillebo; Scott Henry, partner in LongView Farms in Nevada, IA; “Iowa Farm Mama” Rachel Fishback, People of Ag ; and Brad McDonald, McDonald Farm and Continuum Ag. How do we do it?

Technology 45

Technology Grain Manure Farming 45

Caff

APRIL 22, 2021

“The ARA adopts many strategies pioneered in California” said CAFF Policy Director, Dave Runsten, “such as the Healthy Soils Program, the diversion of organic matter from landfills, and the Alternative Manure Management Program. It’s a hopeful sign that our advocacy is moving from the state level to the national stage.”

Agriculture 52

Agriculture Agriculture Manure Compost 52

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

JULY 14, 2023

A reference to diversification is fundamentally a reference to restoring the ecosystem function of farmland by allowing living organisms to reclaim roles that beginning in the mid-20th century have been assigned largely to synthetic chemicals or machines in conventional farming. However, NSAC covers the land access issue elsewhere.

Agriculture 87

Agriculture Agriculture Crop Rotation Pasture 87

Wisconsin Farmers Union

APRIL 10, 2023

With 43 councils funded across the state in 2023, it’s likely that there is a network of farmers near you who are looking to promote stewardship and efficiency on farms. Most groups have finalized their 2023 programs and may have monetary and educational opportunities for you and your farm. What does a farmer-led council do?

Manure 52

Manure Crop Grain Farming 52

Modern Farmer

JANUARY 9, 2024

Anyone who’s spent time in Mexico can report firsthand on the country’s deep reverence for corn, that infinitely versatile and nutritive grain that forms the base of the country’s daily bread, the tortilla, as well as a multitude of other traditional foods. And the other is that the young people just don’t want to keep farming.

Crop 114

Crop Plantation Seeding Agriculture 114

UnderstandingAg

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

Our family farm in Northeast Iowa with 3% SOM in the top six inches has about 67,000 lbs. Another portion of carbon is removed when the grain is harvested. We typically add very little carbon to our fields unless we are adding a lot of manure or compost. The box represents the carbon stored in your soil.

Compost 91

Compost Acre Processing Crop 91

UnderstandingAg

SEPTEMBER 24, 2023

Research conducted by a science team headed up by Dr. Stephan Van Vliet had a goal of performing deep metabolic and nutritional profiling of grass-fed beef samples submitted by farms in various regions of the U.S. The data is benchmarked against the average values for typical feedlot grain-fed beef samples.

Grain 52

Grain Manure Processing Production 52

Wisconsin Farmers Union

AUGUST 30, 2022

Some have joined groups to learn about innovative farming practices such as cover crops, minimum tillage or low-disturbance manure application. Program funding to help farmers implement conservation practices on their farms has continued to increase, with $1 million distributed this year to 36 watershed groups across the state.

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Manure Farming Farming Distribution 52

The Lunatic Farmer

NOVEMBER 16, 2022

Blessings, joel HILLSDALE COLLEGE PARALLEL ECONOMIES—AGRICULTURE Joel Salatin This spring when Russia invaded Ukraine, fertilizer prices increased in some cases 400 percent and global grain shipments sputtered, our farm didn’t feel anything because we don’t buy fertilizer and we don’t buy foreign grain.

Agriculture 52

Agriculture Agriculture Fertilizer Manure 52

CalCAN

APRIL 6, 2023

From losing seed crops as wildfires rage for weeks, to losing entire crops as a result of erratic freezes, to losing farms as drought dries up available water, farmers’ risks are rising. Farming is also an important contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Farmers across the country are experiencing climate impacts as a crisis.

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Agriculture Agriculture Greenhouse Food 52

Modern Farmer

JULY 12, 2024

Here in Wauchula, a small farming town in Central Florida, cattle ranching is king. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, the same farmers struggling with the effects of climate change, like drought, are revolting against stricter regulations on pollution from livestock manure. Before him sat a small crowd dotted with cowboy hats.

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Cultivation Cattle Science Ranching 67

Cropaia

OCTOBER 31, 2023

Deep-rooted crops, such as certain grains or brassicas, can help retrieve nutrients from deeper soil layers, making them available for subsequent crops. They serve as green manure and contribute organic matter to the soil upon decomposition. This added organic matter enhances soil structure and microbial activity.

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Crop Rotation Crop Crop Yield Yield 53

The Equation

AUGUST 10, 2023

Although it is generically called the “farm” bill, it is really a food and farm bill that funds programs covering crop insurance, financial credit, and export subsidies for farmers, as well as nutrition-assistance support for low-income households. The trillion dollar question: Is Congress paying any attention?

Food 98

Food Farming Farming Agriculture 98

RR2CS

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

The Perry family prioritizes environmental stewardship through their approach to soil management and a number of exciting renewable energy projects that they’re implementing on the farm. Harold grew up on the farm, and after graduating from high school, went on to pursue a degree in Agriculture at the University of Lethbridge.

Farming 52

Farming Farming Crop Manure 52

Food Tank

DECEMBER 24, 2024

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. promoting environmentally sound farming practices, and keeping farmers on their land.

Food 139

Food Agriculture Agriculture Ruralism 139

Food Tank

DECEMBER 27, 2023

When record levels of precipitation triggered extreme floods that devastated agricultural communities, ALAS was among the first organizations to respond and help the region’s farm workers and their families. Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) , United States FLOC empowers farm workers to have a voice in decisions that impact them.

Food 145

Food Agriculture Agriculture Seeding 145

Civil Eats

JANUARY 31, 2024

Although all of the companies mentioned above want to shift more beef production toward systems that employ regenerative grazing, eliminate the need for commodity grain as feed, and produce healthier meat, they have very different ideas about how to create success in the industry. it’s smaller than the Matador,” he said.

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Ranching Cattle Production Food 143