“Farmland is for Farming:” A Discussion with Anya Kamenskaya on the Gill Tract Occupation
Occupy the Tract activists. Photo courtesy of takebackthetract.com Since the National Young Farmers’ Coaltion first reported on the Gill Tract Occupation in April 2012, occupiers were removed from the property by a UCPD raid on May 14th, 2012. Despite being prohibited by the UC to maintain a physical presence on the Gill Tract, protestors remain active in their efforts to sustain the 13-acre acre parcel as community-supported and educational agricultural... Read More
Farm On!, NYFC’s Latest Affiliate, Debuts in Oregon
The past couple of months have been a whirlwind of activity in Oregon as the Friends of Family Farmers (FoFF), a grassroots organization dedicated to promoting socially responsible farming in Oregon, began FarmOn!, a project for beginning farmers. FarmOn!, an affiliate of NYFC, works to build links within the young and beginning farmer community by creating face-to-face connections to promote learning, friendship, and inspiration between farmers. ... Read More
Occupy the Farm Fights Back for Urban Agriculture in the East Bay
This Earth Day, April 22, a Bay-area coalition of local residents, farmers, students, researchers, and activists called Occupy The Farm began an action protesting the loss of farmland and agricultural education in the East Bay. The group planted over 10,000 seedlings at the Gill Tract, the last remaining 10 acres of Class I agricultural soil in the urbanized East Bay area. The Gill Tract is public land administered by the University of California,... Read More
FarmHack Projects: Paddlewheel-Powered Pump
A drawing of a Wirtz Pump from 1842 Here is a great video made by Jeremy Smith of a water pump built by Cappie of Pangea Farm in Spearfish, SD. The pump, which is a “Wirtz pump”, uses a coil of hose and a scoop which are turned by a waterwheel in an irrigation ditch, pumping water 30′ or more vertically into a holding tank, from where it can then gravity-feed into livestock tanks, drip irrigation, etc. This version pumps about... Read More
DIY industrial-scale tools: Open Source Ecology’s Global Village Construction Set
Global Village Construction Set in 2 Minutes from Open Source Ecology on Vimeo. For young farmers, especially those starting up operations from scratch, the challenge of acquiring the equipment needed to do the job can be daunting. The history of farming in the U.S. is full of lessons to be learned from farmers who have taken out loans to buy equipment, then been forced to scale up to pay off the loans, then needed to take out more loans to scale... Read More
Produce washing table at Full Plate Farm: farm built, ergonomic and under $30
Danny Percich runs Full Plate Farm, just across the Washington State border from Portland, OR. In this video he shows us his farm-built wash table, built of 2 x 4′s and wood lath. Total cost for brand new wood and fasteners: less than $30. Read More
FarmHack: Resourceful farming with found materials
Chris Seigel, from Wealth Underground Farm in Oregon, contributed the following post: When you are young you don’t want to borrow from a bank. What good is another loan, a debt that you probably won’t be able to pay back in the first year of farming, when you are still paying back a college loan? Borrowing money is also dangerous because you might lack the experience and skills to effectively use that money. Lack of funds, confidence,... Read More
Electric G tractor conversion
Electric G from 47th Avenue Farm in Oregon. Photo by Josh Volk. **Note** This project now has a Farm Hack Tools Wiki page, where you can add more information, resources and ideas of your own. Project is for: Farmers who want a cultivating tractor that is reliable, emissions-free, and quiet. Cost: The materials to convert an existing Allis G tractor (it can have a working or broken engine) are broken down into three components: the motor / controller... Read More
FarmHack Tools: Back-flushing irrigation water filter
*Haga clic aquí para leerlo en español* Project is for: Vegetable and fruit growers who need to filter irrigation water Range of cost: $325 – $450 Skills / tools needed: Pipe wrenches, ability to glue PVC fittings together Summary: When using drip irrigation, it’s important to have a good water filter system, especially if you are using surface water (from a pond or stream). At Hearty Roots Farm, we pump from irrigation ponds that... Read More
Precision Tine Cultivator
Project is for: Farmers who need a flexible, multi-purpose, cultivating tool– most likely vegetable farmers. Range of cost: $750 – $1500 Skills needed: Simple metalworking (welding steel, or finding someone who can); also available commercially with an Allis G belly mount from Roeter’s Farm Equipment, but their version may not be optimized for your application. Summary: Tine weeders, like those built by Lely or Kovar, are often... Read More
