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Guide To Starting a Fruit Orchard on Your Farm

Farmbrite

Starting a Fruit Orchard on Your Farm Growing fruit trees or nut trees on your farm is a great way to be more self-sufficient and a great way to add items to your CSA, use the unwanted fruit to supplement feed for your animals, sell at your local farmers market or for personal use. Fruit trees need lots of sun and space to grow properly.

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Guest Post: Is the Future of Organic Food at Risk? Research Funding Holds the Answer

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

This translates to healthier food and a healthier environment and reduces reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. OREI also prioritizes research that takes place on working farms, like this research project that investigated the pest management services a robust bird population can provide orchards.

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Whole-Orchard Nutrient Management & On-Farm Composting at Heartwood Farms

Caff

On April 10th, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) hosted a field day at Heartwood Farms in Linden, CA with farmers Franz Eilers and Emma Wade to discuss all things compost and pest management on their biologically-integrated walnut and cherry orchards. The compost created from ground-up walnut prunings and cover crop mowings.

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In Hawai‘i, American Farmers Believe They Do Cacao Better

Modern Farmer

Here, growers are making fresh kokoleka, or chocolate in lelo Hawaii (Hawaiian language), through mindful agricultural practices: creating their own soil and compost, contracting with locals, and using organic fertilizer. From seed to orchard, the cacao growing process can take up to two years. Photography by Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton.

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Now Available: “Understanding the Science Behind Climate Smart Agriculture in California: A comprehensive literature review”

Caff

In Understanding the Science Behind Climate Smart Agriculture in California , we review the key elements of soil health, explore what practices and strategies California farmers can utilize to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and cover research findings on an array of climate smart farming practices such as: Cover crops and their impacts on carbon (..)

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The Pawpaw, a Beloved Native Fruit, Could Seed a More Sustainable Future for Small Farms

Civil Eats

They had tasted the hit-or-miss wild varieties that grow in the fertile soil along the Susquehanna River, but got hooked during a visit to Deep Run, a Maryland orchard with a range of pawpaw cultivars among its 1,000 trees. Now, Horn Farm Center runs the show. The Allegheny’s yellow flesh brings a pop of citrus flavor.

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Hurricane Helene and Western North Carolina: New Year, New Challenges and Available Resources

ATTRA

This loss of fertile topsoil will pose long-term challenges for crop production and soil health. My orchards and nursery were in complete disarray due to wind damage, but even so, I was spared much of the grief many others are still battling. Farmers faced dire situations. Not to mention, my goats and their barn were standing strong!