Colorado Farm Gives Away Excess Produce

Last weekend nearly 40,000 people showed up to Joe and Chris Miller's farm near Platteville, CO. Why? To gather unharvested leeks, potatoes and carrots. According to the Farm Manager, nearly 600,000 pounds of produce was collected.

You can read about it here at the New York Times.

Goats on the Rise!

According to the US Department of Agriculture, the number of goats being raised for meat in the United States is increasing. Goats may be an ideal grazing animal for small farmers or those with poor grazing land. They are relatively small and can survive on grazing land that cannot support grazing cattle or hogs.

According to the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, the US imports nearly $1.5 (USD) million dollars worth of goat meat every week. The USDA says the increased demand in goat meat is likely because of an increase in ethnic populations who use it in traditional cooking.

So, if you only have a little plot of land, or maybe access to some fair to poor grazing land, you may want to consider raising a few goats.

Dairy 0 -|- Flowers 1

I stumbled across this story about an old-time dairy farming couple who converted their dairy into a hog operation and then into a flower growing operation. Keen to sustainable farming practices, the couple and their 33 year old son do what they can to be environmentally friendly and sustainable.

And, they are profitable.
From USA Today...
Ed and Joyce Kreidermacher, now 63, bought the farm when they married in 1967. Over the years, they shifted from cows to hogs to growing flowers. Their son Eric, 33, is using environmentally friendly techniques and making the farm less dependent on oil.

Biomass boilers heat the greenhouses. Ash from the boilers fertilizes fields. Watering systems were designed for conservation, the soil mix used to grow plants includes coconut fiber and rice hulls instead of peat moss from environmentally sensitive bogs, and plants are grown and sold in biodegradable pots.

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I feel good seeing articles like this in well known national newspapers like USA Today. Browse here to read the entire article.

Straw House Anyone?

The 'Big Bad Wolf' likely never thought of these sorts of straw houses! Properly built straw houses are energy efficient, easy to construct, strong and inexpensive. They are the epitome of green building. Straw, a byproduct of growing wheat, oats, rye and other grains is easy to come by and typically requires little transportation to get to the construction site.

They are also getting more popular press coverage. Here is a little news spot, here on the Weather Channel website.

Farmer's Markets Everywhere!!!

While on my little motorcycle road trip I was quite happy to see a plethora of farmer's market signs. Everything from road-side stands to county farmers markets scattered through the countryside. Signs ranged in size from those little temporary plywood signs to official brown or blue "highway attraction" steel and aluminum signs, announcing "Local Food Here!"

It is an indication of where this country is going. The public is indeed becoming aware of this food alternative nearly everywhere. This is especially true of Tennessee. I rode nearly the entire width of that great state on highway 64. There must have been hundreds of roadside stands and small markets.

Lowering our dependence on foreign oil is one thing. Lowering our dependence on food from large international monolithic food producers is another. It is good!!!

Fantastic Photographic Talent

I, for one am in awe of anyone who can take beautiful pictures, especially country, farm and nature photos. If you enjoy nature photography, check out April's Art Gallery. She has a wonderful talent. Please take a moment, have a look and leave her a comment. Her photos, like her, are beautiful.

New Farmer Links for the Day

Well, this morning I thought I would post a few web links to places that offer resources to new farmers. Some may seem geographically oriented but in many cases, ideas and resources can be used elsewhere.

• Growing New Farmers - This is the internet presence of the New England Small Farm Institute. From their website: "Use this site to connect with programs, services, and resources for new farmers throughout the 12 Northeast states. Get help finding answers to many common farming questions, and ask us your own. Join in discussions with other farmers and with service providers, and connect with organizations and businesses that care about supporting new farmers."
• Beginning Farm Resource Center - Operated by Cornell University, this site has a lot of great information for anyone wanting to farm. Their FAQ section is exceptionally good.
  
• Small Farm New Farm Internet Resource - Operated by Ohio State University, this is a no-frills website with good resources.
• ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service - If you want sustainable farming information, this should be your first stop. They have tens of thousands of pages, covering all aspects of starting a farm, marketing, organic production and certification, planning, social aspects of farming, budgeting, funding... I could go on. Please check them out.