Inside The Beltway --
August 2000 [8/2/2000] -- Ag policy update
from the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group.
Link to Alternative
Agriculture News -- August 2000
21st
Century Lives: Joel Salatin -- If you missed the pioneering
grazier, pastured poultry producer, and relationship marketer on ABC News, you
can read the text or view the video.
emarket
farm -- Resources for farmers markets and market farmers.
CropChoice.com
-- An alternative news source for American farmers about GMOs (genetically
modified organisms).
Organically
Speaking e-Newsletter -- Articles and information on environmental and
agricultural issues, organic waste management, farming, sustainability,
stewardship and ecological balance.
1,000 Ways
to Sustainable Farming -- SARE-funded project seeks farmers and
ranchers for profiles, case studies.
Gifts and Graces of
the Land -- Multimedia includes inspirational images and the wise words of sustainable
farmers.
Avery vs. Salatin Debate --
Sustainable farmer and
think-tank analyst square off on talk radio.
Northern
Plains sustainable Agriculture Society -- Includes direct marketing
directory, newsletter articles, position papers and more.
Greenbook '99 -- A decade of tools -- Excellent collection of reports
(mostly .pdf files) from the Minnesota Dept. of Ag. Sustainable Ag
program. Topics include alternative crops, soil fertility, fruits and
vegetables and livestock.
Market
Farming discussion group -- Production-oriented
mailing list for small-acreage farmers of small acreage
making a living providing food and fiber to consumer-direct
markets.
Hoop House Building
-- Step-by-step photo essay at the brand-spankin' new (12/99) Practical
Farmers of Iowa website.
Sustainable
pork production -- At Texas Tech University. Outdoor
pig topics, a tour and information about the sustainable
pork farm, and much more.
Barn
Owl Headquarters -- Help control rodents by attracting these
predators. Nest box designs, produccts and info attract raptors, bats
and other beneficial wildlife.
American
Livestock Breeds Conservancy -- A nonprofit membership
organization working to protect nearly 100 breeds of cattle, goats, horses,
asses, sheep, swine and poultry from extinction. Great profiles of rare
breeds.
 New
Farm Options -- A wealth of information on alternative
enterprises and value-added marketing opportunities from Univ. of Wis.
Extension. While there are still some information gaps that need to
filled, you won't find a site with more to offer. Be sure to check out
the Alternative Field Crops & Livestock
database, business
planning resources and discussion
group. Highly recommended.
Seed
Savers Unite -- Organic
farmers collaborating with USDA's National Plant Germplasm System to preserve
traditional plant varieties.
Rural
America -- A column in In
Motion edited by the Missouri Rural Crisis Center
features articles on family farm, livestock, GMO, environmental and other
issues.
On
the Prairie -- This educational resource is great for helping kids
understand and appreciate prairie ecology. Kids agree, the build
a prairie page is a way cool interactive feature. Next best thing to
a field trip.
How
to conduct research on your farm or ranch -- New guide from
USDA-SARE program, also available in print and .pdf formats.
10
Reasons why farmers should think twice before growing GE crops -- Well-documented
advice from agronomist Dr. Ann Clark, Univ. of Guelph.
New vegetable
production guide -- "Sustainable Vegetable Production from Start-Up to Market"
is a 280-page book for experienced vegetable growers, newbies and
educators. Penned by Vern Grubinger, vegetable and berry specialist and
director of the Univ. of Vermont's Center
for Sustainable Agriculture, the guide includes in-depth profiles of 32 vegetable producers,
sample budgets, and sections on financial planning, marketing, soils,
composting, rotations, cover crops, equipment, irrigation, pests, diseases,
weeds, season extension and more. Targeted for Northeast growers, but
also valuable in other regions.
Whole Earth Magazine -- Special
section in Summer '99 issue "Farms -- Globalocal Soy." Web versions
of two features, Donella Meadows'
Poor Monsanto
and Soybean of
Happiness.
Back
issues cover many other sustainable ag issues, including
soil,
Natural Systems
Agriculture by Wes Jackson,
Visions for Rural
Kentucky by Wendell Berry, and more.
Seedsaving and
Seedsavers'
Resources -- One-stop shop of links to seedsaving techniques, sources
of organic, heirloom, open-pollinated and non-GMO seed and plants,
seed-swapping, varietal information and more.
Organic Valley / CROPP Cooperative
-- The largest producer of certified organic dairy in the United States, a
farmer owned and operated marketing cooperative, CROPP distributes dairy, eggs
and vegetables from more than 160 small to mid sized family farms in 10 states.
Their Organic Trader
lists organic feed grains, forages, livestock and more for sale.
Biological Control: A
Guide to Natural Enemies in North America -- Photographs and
descriptions for approximately 100 natural enemies of of insect, disease, and
weed pests in North America.
Avery vs. Salatin Debate --
Sustainable farmer Joel Salatin and think-tank analyst Dennis Avery -- who both
reside in tiny Swoope, Va. -- square off on talk radio (82K).
smallfarms.com -- Hawaii small farmer
Glenn Oshiro started this database-driven site to connect consumers and farmers
directly, eliminating the middleman. Officially opens Sept. 1, but you can sign
up now. Listings start at $29/year.
Corporate Pigs
-- Simple text and photo essay shows how "factory farms hog-tie rural
communities." Nothing gory, unless manure spills make you squeemish.
While you're at the Corporate Watch
website, check out the
Greenwash Award
they presented to Monsanto a few years back. Those aren't Monarch
butterflies in the Monsanto graphic, are they?
Gifts and Graces of
the Land -- Photojournalist Cynthia Vagnetti's images and the wisdom of
sustainable farmers captured on RealAudio make an inspirational multimedia
presentation.
Farming for Profit,
Stewardship & Community -- These 10 tip sheets from the
USDA SARE program list publications and links especially for small-scale
farmers and ranchers. (Large-scale operators will find them
helpful, too.) Topics include:
soil quality,
marketing,
pests,
organic production,
livestock,
weeds,
planning,
networking,
diversification, and
agroforestry. Highly
recommended.
Whole Farm Planning
-- Tools for managing complex farming systems profitably. Includes back issues
of the Whole Farm
Planner newsletter and local contacts for the Great Lakes Whole Farm
Planning Network.
A Guide to USDA and Other Federal Resources
for Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry Enterprises -- Your tax dollars
at work. A great online listing of federal programs that foster innovation
1,000 Ways to Sustainable Farming
-- SARE-funded project seeks farmers and ranchers for profiles, case studies.
prairiefare.com -- Five western
Minnesota farmers, working with the Land Stewardship Project, use this new
website to sell beef, pork, poultry, apples and other products. They also share
information about their goals and farming practices. For more examples, see
'Net Marketing.
Organic Farming Research Foundation --
Offers modest grants for research
projects to help foster the improvement and widespread adoption of organic
farming practices. Features online
newsletter and summaries of
their National Organic Farmers'
Survey.
Educational and
Training Opportunities in Sustainable Agriculture -- Lists hundreds of
institutions, organizations and farms across the U.S. and around the world that
offer education and training. Compiled by the USDA's
Alternative Farming Systems
Information Center (AFSIC).
Growing 'International Markets'
-- A humorous look at an exciting new "crop."
Fertile Ground Books -- New home of
the agAcess book catalog. Lots of sustainable ag titles, farming reference books
and much, much more.
Tool box measures success from the ground up
-- New resource helps farmers track soil quality, wildlife, water, and quality
of life as well as finances.
Missouri
Alternatives Center Link List -- Extensive list of mostly university
publications on everything from "Asparagus to Watermelons, and Aquaculture
to Worms!"
Mobile Calf-Grazing Module -- Keeps
calves healthy while helping them reap the benefits of pasture at an early age.
Pigs on Pasture --
Take a virtual tour of the Gunthorp farm at American Farmland Trust's
grassfarmer.com site. While you're there,
stop by and see Tools for Graziers,
innovative solutions including a windscreen, shade trailer, and more.
Online Cover Crop Video -- See
innovator Steve Groff kill cover crops with a stalk chopper and no-till
transplant tomatoes into thick residue (.avi or .wav). Read about his pioneering
No-Till Transplanting into Cover Crops
system.
Low-Stress Livestock Handling --
Herding methods and facilities that put less stress on you and your stock.
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas
-- ATTRA's online versions of the program's most-asked-for publications --
farmscaping for biocontrol, livestock, fruit, herbs, mushrooms, organic
certification and more.
Hot Links -- Sites worth surfing. In fact,
they used to be on this page.
What's New -- Comprehensive chronological
listing of additions to this site. |