Category Archives: Features

FSA Employees Go Pink For Breast Cancer Awareness

Posted on October 22, 2010 by tanya brown

 Pictured from left to right are Jean Johnson, Deb Dehmer, Laurel Light and Mary Spangler (photo by MN Star News). Employees of the Elk River USDA Service Center in Minnesota dressed in pink — and even turned their hair pink … Continue reading →

Posted in Features | Comments Off on FSA Employees Go Pink For Breast Cancer Awareness

Dairy Farmers Prepares to Pass Farm to Next Generation

Posted on October 21, 2010 by tanya brown

A dairy farm just outside Sturgeon Bay, Wis., is growing its operation in order to prepare it for the next generation. Cycle Farm is named for the changing business cycles and seasons that are evident in all farming operations. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Features | Comments Off on Dairy Farmers Prepares to Pass Farm to Next Generation

Q&A: Iowa FSA Travels Miles to Aid Amish Community

Posted on October 20, 2010 by tanya brown

 The Cerro Gordo County Farm Service Agency in Iowa services two Amish communities that are 30 miles apart and nearly 50 miles from the FSA county office. Like all Amish communities, modern amenities are non-existent. There is no electricity or phones, … Continue reading →

Posted in Features | Comments Off on Q&A: Iowa FSA Travels Miles to Aid Amish Community

Farmer Co-ops: Taking a Seat at Our Table

Posted on October 20, 2010 by tanya brown

For more than 100 years, farmer-owned cooperatives have provided individual farmers with a stake in the marketplace. Farmer co-ops are made up of thousands of individual farmers that work together to succeed in a global marketplace. Whether a farmer has 40 … Continue reading →

Posted in Features | Comments Off on Farmer Co-ops: Taking a Seat at Our Table

FSA Committee Member Touts Farms, Ending Child Hunger on ‘Today Show’

Posted on October 19, 2010 by tanya brown

Adrienne Kravitz, a second generation cranberry grower and member of the Massachusetts Farm Service Agency Committee, joined Al Roker on Rockefeller Plaza this morning during the “Today Show” to promote an Ocean Spray campaign to eradicate childhood hunger by 2015. … Continue reading →

Posted in Features | Comments Off on FSA Committee Member Touts Farms, Ending Child Hunger on ‘Today Show’

Suburbanites Cluck Over Backyard Chicken Rental Program

Posted on October 13, 2010 by tanya brown

Land’s Sake Farm is offering suburbanites an opportunity to become backyard chicken farmers. For $100, the Massachusetts farm allows residents to rent two chickens, a portable coop and organic feed for two weeks. Help is just a phone call away … Continue reading →

Posted in Features | Comments Off on Suburbanites Cluck Over Backyard Chicken Rental Program

Restaurants Celebrate Inaugural National Dine Out for Farms Week

Posted on October 12, 2010 by tanya brown

In an effort to create a better understanding between consumers and producers, the American Farmland Trust has launched the first ever National Dine Out for Farms Week. The event — which runs Oct. 10-16 — features 40 restaurants in 17 … Continue reading →

Posted in Features | Comments Off on Restaurants Celebrate Inaugural National Dine Out for Farms Week

Young Vegetable Grower Flourishing in Organic Hotbed

Posted on October 8, 2010 by tanya brown

 Glen Elsbernd, sitting in between potato rows, began growing vegetables in high school while working at Ladybug Landscapes in Decorah, Iowa.  Twenty-three year-old Glen Elsbernd is utilizing the USDA’s Organic Initiative and higher payment rates on conservation practices as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Regional Posts | Comments Off on Young Vegetable Grower Flourishing in Organic Hotbed

Raising Cattle With Old Fashioned Values

Posted on October 8, 2010 by tanya brown

Michael Lenagar believes in running his farm with old fashioned values. “I know I’m doing it just like the old folks did. They figured it out and I’m not changing it.” The Neola Farms owner has become a popular fixture … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Regional Posts | Comments Off on Raising Cattle With Old Fashioned Values

Commentary: American Agriculture at its Best in New Jersey

Posted on October 6, 2010 by tanya brown

 Art Brown (left) and Morris Gbolo of World Foods at B&B Farms in New Jersey. In many parts of the country, harvest time is well underway. As summer comes to an end and many of America’s farmers and ranchers are busy … Continue reading →

Posted in Features, Regional Posts | Comments Off on Commentary: American Agriculture at its Best in New Jersey