(Part II of II) Have you ever tried to sit on a three-legged stool that had one leg shorter than the other two, or was missing a leg? It’s a balancing act that’s not very easy and you can’t do it for very long. So it is with working toward sustainable agriculture. You can’t focus [...]
(Part I of II) What does it really mean to farm sustainably? To be committed to agricultural sustainability? Ask 10 people and you’ll get 10 answers — some of them vigorously in opposition to other answers. There is, however, agreement that sustainability in agriculture is essential for the planet’s health and future — to our [...]
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — That old saying about necessity being the mother of all invention? It’s true, you know. Just ask Kenny Kuhns. The Trumbull County, Ohio, farmer was frustrated with the labor-intensive process of making small square bales of hay. He had a good market for the smaller bales, selling to local horse owners, but [...]
Just spent the day in Louisville, Ky., at the National Farm Machinery Show. Here are some of the photos from our trip to the show. Check back for more photos, as well as news.
An amazing thing happened last week while you were busy milking, feeding, repairing, resting or doing whatever other chores keep farmers busy in bleak midwinter. An army of “agvocates” — farm advocates — were on their computers creating a ruckus on your behalf. And it was an online vocal maelstrom that spread like wildlife, finding [...]
Farmers often harbor insecurities when plopped in a room with bankers or small business owners or lawyers. Too often, farmers feel like they don’t belong in that crowd, like their chosen profession is somehow less important or worthy than the others’. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Does your state (county, borough, village, township, fill in the blank) like its farms? Does it realize the economic impact of agriculture? Is there a welcome mat out for new farms? Do the powers that be understand the value of green space, of a “viewshed,” that a farm contributes? Or is agriculture snubbed and ignored [...]
Now is the time for agriculture to communicate its advantages, as well as re-evaluate its traditions.
Top food trends of 2010: The last time I checked, farming had something to do with food, so I wanted to know what was tapped to be “hot” this year, and whether or not farmers could benefit.
(Note: This column first appeared in Farm and Dairy 16 years ago. I offer it here again this year, because its message never dims. Merry Christmas to all.) If you walked by Edith Troyer’s third grade class at Walnut Creek Elementary School during December, it wasn’t unusual to hear voices of the young students singing [...]
When Thomas Paine wrote those famous words, he inspired Americans to continue their battle for independence from England. The late 1700s were certainly a different time than today, but the quote speaks to many of us in agriculture right now. These are the times that try men’s souls. Farming in 2009 has been enough to [...]
We’re often challenged to explain why agriculture deserves special treatment, and those are always good questions. But it’s very simple: Farming is the only sector that is wholly irreplaceable.
This year’s Ohio Farm Bureau Distinguished Service Award winners are Sarah James of Butler County, Esther Welch of Ashland County, and Jim Buchy of Darke County. The awards and other honors were presented Dec. 2-4 in Cincinnati.
Ohio Farm Bureau members are digging in for more livestock care battles. “Do not underestimate what you have accomplished,” OFBF Exec. Vice President Jack Fisher told the members during the Dec. 2-4 annual meeting, “but, likewise, do not underestimate the job ahead.”
It will be several years before farm incomes return to 2007 or 2008 levels.
Earlier this fall, Baltimore City Public Schools initiated its “Meatless Monday” menu that includes a cheese sandwich or cheese lasagna or a bowl of vegetables, but no meat options. None. “We hope Baltimore will become a national model for each school system in the nation to follow,” said Robert Lawrence, director of the Johns Hopkins [...]
I’m not a Scrooge, really, I’m not. So I can’t blame it on the upcoming holiday season. Maybe it’s just because I’m getting old(er). Or maybe I just need more chocolate. But for whatever the reason, I seem to be getting less tolerant of some of the news that crosses my desk. For example, there [...]
We need to get ready for the coming HSUS battle. Their war chest is deep and their p.r. machine is slick. Issue 2 was a cake walk compared to what’s coming.
Our most basic need is food — we can’t alive without it — and we want to spend less money to buy it.
When it comes to farming, why don’t we see more sentences with the words “sustainable” and “productivity” in them? They are the only things that will keep food on all our tables.
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