Young Farmers Rely on the Organic Cost Share Program to Afford Organic Cred
The National Organic Certification Cost Share Program (NOCCSP) is a nationwide rebate program that, as its name suggests, helps farmers cover the cost of becoming USDA Certified Organic. Juan Raygoza of Terra Preta Farm in Weslaco, TX describes the necessity of the NOCCSP for his operation: “In very simple words, if we were not […]
Why I’m not giving up, despite a harvest from hell
By Andrew Barsness | As profit margins shrink, farmers need to farm more acres in order to remain profitable. But like many other young farmers, I’m pursuing a different route, focusing on diversification, value-added products, and specialty crops.
Ready, set, harvest: fixing equipment & finding markets
By Andrew Barsness | It’s critical to get the crop off of the field and transported to a buyer or a storage facility when it’s in that Goldilocks moisture range.
An Ever-Changing Puzzle
By Andrew Barsness | The crops are thirsty. My farm is on the outer edge of the area affected by the severe drought in the Dakotas, and it’s been over a month without any significant rain.
Organic farming is freedom
By John Wepking | This spring has been marked by extremes: long periods of frequent rain and then weeks without a drop. Without cover cropping and crop rotation we’d certainly be losing this battle.
ADVISORY: NATIONAL YOUNG FARMERS COALITION FEATURES UP-AND-COMING WOMEN DAIRY FARMERS IN A VIDEO SERIES LAUNCHING TODAY
“Bootstrap Blogger” Series Brings to Life the Experience of Today’s Young Farmers As They “Get Up To Speed” and Reveals That Farmers Are the Original Entrepreneurs
HUDSON, NY, February 25, 2015 – Starting today, the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) will release a video shorts mini-series documenting three different young female first-career dairy farmers, chronicling their experience “getting up to speed” and revealing why these women have chosen to start a seemingly impossible career. While the looming farmer crisis in the U.S. is gaining critical attention, what is likely lesser-known is that dairy farming has been fading from among communities where it was most prominent for generations – like New England. The video series is an extension of the Coalition’s “Bootstrap Blogger” series, a partnership between NYFC and Stonyfield Farms.
BOOTSTRAP @ WILD RIDGE FARM – A PERSPECTIVE ON SEEDS
By Joseph Dittman of Wild Ridge Farm Our farming livelihood rests on the success of seeds. But how strange to hold something so small in the palm of my hand and realize I’m investing a lion’s share of days, dollars, and ideas in a speck of organic matter that appears so lifeless. And yet, time […]
USDA 2012 Census of Agriculture Full Report Now Available
On May 2, USDA released the full 2012 Census of Agriculture data report. Performed every five years, the census takes an in-depth look at all aspects of US agriculture, and informs law and policymakers for years to come. In my last post, I reviewed USDA’s preliminary census report, which found that in general, the number […]
BOOTSTRAP @ LEMONADE SPRINGS FARM – WELCOME TO OUR 2014 SEASON
By Seth Douglas of Lemonade Springs Farm Lemonade Springs Farm is run by myself, Seth, and my partner, Kathleen. We are in our second full season. The farm is located in Watsonville, California, about a mile inland in the heart of the central coast’s commercial strawberry growing country. We are reclaiming five acres of old […]
NYFC March 2014 Newsletter
We’ve kicked off the spring with an exciting win at the USDA! Thanks to feedback from our coalition, the Farm Service Agency is making key changes to its facilities loan program that will increase access to diversified farmers. Want to be involved in NYFC’s next policy win? Now’s your chance – we’re calling for applications […]