Support LOCAL Agriculture

Corinne Ray — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:49:44 GMT

Local farmers need your help! Since the 50's the number of U.S. farms has plunged from around 5.5 million to just over 2 million. This is very much thanks to legislation dating back to the depression that supports large scale agriculture. The owners of the largest 20% of farms in the nation received 90% of the $165 billion in taxpayer money over the last decade. These are farmers producing mostly corn, soy, cotton, wheat and rice. The push for factory farms has created a mass overabundance of these certain crops and as a result has created a market for them (notice how much processed foods contains corn and soy products). These large scale farms, producing mainly one crop, seriously threaten biodiversity which is a key factor in a healthy thriving environment.

Buying organic at the grocery store is a great start but even more important than buying organic is buying locally grown foods. Check out www.localharvest.org to find local farmers markets and co-ops. When you buy produce at the supermarket be aware that apples in the summertime are probably coming from Chile. Instead buy some local peaches or cherries. Look for the fruits and veggies that have travelled the shortest distance to get to you saving valuable gas mileage.

On the note of biodiversity, farmers that only intend to move their produce within 100 miles have no limit to what diversity they can grow. There are endless varieties of vegetables that you've never even seen in stores because their shelf life is too short. Local farmers are the only ones that support this diversity and again the earth really likes diversity.

Joining a community supported agriculture (csa) program would be major points in support of sustainable agriculture. While each farm will have their own system it is basically like subscribing to a share and picking up a certain amount of vegetables (with different choices through the season) for a set price each week. It gives the farmer a steady, reliable income to keep growing delicious varieties and keeps you supplied with a steady flow of great food.

So stop by your local farmer's market and buy some delicious nutritious seasonal foods!

The Power of Weeds

Corinne Ray — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 22:43:02 GMT

Upon my first inspection of my home for the summer organic farm I felt... a little clausterphobic. With seemingly endless space all around I thought how could they have possibly done such a good job of making things feel so crowded? The fact is this tiny little farm, where only three acres are in production produces enough vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers to feed thirty families each week!

What I've come to learn is that despite how gruelling it can be pulling enormous weeds for six hours straight, weeds serve a purpose. Some keep those nasty bugs that eat our fruit out of the garden, some stand just to protect the ground from the enormously powerful sun, and some are grown to bring soil nutrients deep in the earth to the top to be recirculated. So despite the mininal roaming area, the integrity and richness of the soil is well preserved by keeping the garden busting with life at all times. And soon the weeds will be replaced by all the wonderful summer crops!

Sustainable Agriculture

Support LOCAL Agriculture

The Power of Weeds