Photo Journal: January in ten photos

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Photo Journal: January in ten photos

If January is a seed containing the full articulation of the year, the forthcoming story has been frozen solid around here. Blanketed in a perma-snow since December, we’ve scant seen the earth all month. Temperatures colder than we’ve known in years have tempered our progress on planned forestry work and infrastructure projects, and so we’ve been banging about the interior quite a bit. In the farm office, in the barns, in the house, in the recesses of our subconscious; the idea of a year has been taking shape. All we can plan for, all we can imagine, in the shape of a frozen seed.

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Working With What Is: Site Specific Plant Selection, Landrace Breeding, and Creating a Resilient Future

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Working With What Is: Site Specific Plant Selection, Landrace Breeding, and Creating a Resilient Future

Some time ago, I was dispensing some free advice regarding a proposed meadow conversion with a prospective client. The terrain in question was a former hay field with hospitable soil in a rural corner of eastern Pennsylvania.

She was nervous and unsure about her vision for the site, and in an effort to lighten the load, I offered, “There are many ways to create a meadow depending on your available resources, but at the very least, rest assured there are already meadow plants out there, just waiting.”

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From the Field: Spring in the forest garden

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From the Field: Spring in the forest garden

Photos and reflections of the farm in spring; * Our “From the Field” Series features projects, production, and reflections derived from our work at home on our two farm sites in near Frenchtown, New Jersey.* Earth day arrives just as I’m beginning to feel love drunk on a new spring. A few days ago, standing under an old pear tree, alive and buzzing, radiant in sun gold full bloom, I abandoned my farm chores…

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Beyond the Field: Cooks Venture Project

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Beyond the Field: Cooks Venture Project

One of the larger projects we've been working on beyond our fields this spring is taking shape across 17 partner farms in the midwest. Cooks Venture, a meat wholesaler based in Arkansas approached our sister organization, Restoration Agriculture Development (RAD), to design and implement an agroforestry iniative across existing farms in their network to enhance biological diversity, poultry health and wellbeing, and environmental integrity.

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Beyond the Field: Water Farming / Managing Agricultural Lands for Clean & Safe Water recently published by Pasa

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Beyond the Field: Water Farming / Managing Agricultural Lands for Clean & Safe Water recently published by Pasa

“Can agriculture transition from a major source of water pollution to a major force for improving water quality and, in turn, for protecting human and environmental health?”

That question was the subject of a white paper titled, Water Farming: Managing Agricultural Lands for Clean & Safe Water, recently published by Pasa Sustainable Agriculture late last year. The downloadable booklet features key approaches and perspectives on specific farming practices to protect and enrich watersheds.

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Water For Any Farm

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Water For Any Farm

Great time traveling to the midwest last week! First stop was the Savannah Institute Perennial Farm Gathering and then onto the ACRES Eco-Ag Trade Show in Minneapolis, Minnesota to meet up with our sister organization, Restoration Agriculture Development. Many exciting initiatives are afoot in the regenerative ag community! One of which being Mark Shepard’s forthcoming book, Water For Any Farm - officially available now!…

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