My one piece of advice to aspiring farmers
By John Wepking | Get to know the older farmers in your community, and start channeling your inner sponge. What we need first is not our own patch of dirt, but an ability to learn the trade from an experienced operator.
Heart and Grain: Meet John and Halee
By John Wepking | In late January, a surprise calf was born on our farm. We had been looking forward to our first calving, but we weren’t expecting any births until late April, when the weather would be warmer and the cows would all be on good green grass.
BOOTSTRAP @ WILD RIDGE FARM – FARMER TRAINING
By Alissa of Wild Ridge Farm It was clear from the beginning of my farming internship at Chubby Bunny Farm that my boss, Dan Hayhurst, loved the work of growing vegetables. Most mornings I would be lying in bed, just waking up around 6:30 am, and I’d hear his truck roll up to the barn. I’d […]
BOOTSTRAP @ WILD RIDGE FARM – MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES ON FARM EQUIPMENT
By Joseph Dittman of Wild Ridge Farm If the farmer paused briefly from his ceaseless toil, taking up pen and paper to list the various equipment he relies on continually in his daily labor, an afternoon would surely be lost and the farmer would retire to bed with cramps in his writing hand. Roller tables, […]
BOOTSTRAP @ NIGHTFALL FARM – BUILDING A FARM FROM SCRATCH
By Nate Brownlee of Nightfall Farm The differences between working on an established farm and starting your own were evident this month. Rather than learning the ropes and falling into developed routines, we’re recreating some systems that have worked on other farms. We’re solving problems unique to our farm. We’re spending a lot of time […]
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 […]
BOOTSTRAP @ WILD RIDGE FARM – WHY I'M A FARMER
By Alissa of Wild Ridge Farm I am a farmer because of the way it makes me feel at the end of the day. The physical exhaustion that my muscles carry into sleep, the weary contentment of finished labor lulling my brain to stillness. Some days I farm solely for the satisfaction that weeding can […]
Upcoming Community Initiatives in Sustainable Agriculture Conference
The Community Initiatives in Sustainable Agriculture Conference (CISA) will take place April 5-7, 2013 at Lawrence University and Riverview Gardens in Appleton, WI. The mission is to provide the necessary community, resources, and experience to establish and support new farmers. The conference will be a venue for young people to engage in conversations and educational […]
Hang Out with the Young Farmers at the MOSES Conference
Headed to the MOSES (Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service) Conference this February? Connect with other young farmers there at the NYFC-led workshop “Organizing for Our Collective Success: Beginning Farmer Resources & Coalition Building!“ NYFC’s Sophie Ackoff will be discussing how to organize with other beginning farmers and ranchers in your area to help each […]
With BFRDP, Grassworks Resists Corporate Dairying by Training Young Ranchers
In Wisconsin, as in most of the country, the path to becoming a teacher or a lawyer is well defined. But suppose you want to become a dairy farmer without a farm to inherit: That career path is less certain. And, with an aging population of farmers, it’s more important than ever to educate the […]