Articles: Farm

So What Exactly IS a Croft?

If you’re an American, you may have never heard of a “croft.” Before we published Our Wild Farming Life, a number of our employees didn’t know what a croft…

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NYC Composting Project

The Phases of Composting

Although the stages of composting are very closely intertwined, each separate one has its own value and needs to be nurtured accordingly. The materials used go through…

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A tray of bees

Biodynamic Beekeeping 101

Spring is here and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get started on all of the projects I mapped out during the cold…

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Growing Year-Round: Profitability & Tips

The growing season can feel much too short this time of year; it seems like spring just got here, but we’re already preparing to harvest the fruits…

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chickens, goats, and a young farmer feeding the animals

Homesteading: Highlighting Our Need For Each Other

Homesteading isn’t meant to be a solitary adventure, done in isolation. Building and living on your land takes at least one partner, if not several. That’s why…

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home garden

Resiliency: Becoming an Adaptive Human

They say history is bound to repeat itself if we don’t take the time to learn from the past. Our decision-making skills and resiliency are essential for…

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white rabbits in a pen

Why Rabbit is the New Chicken

Not convinced that a pasture-based rabbit production could amount to a sustainable business enterprise for the beginner to market-scale farmer? Nichki Carangelo, a third-generation Italian American, second-generation…

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A Small Farm Future COVID-19 Special: For Whom The Bell Tolls

By Chris Smaje, author of the forthcoming book, A Small Farm Future, to be published Fall 2020. This article originally appeared on Chris Smaje’s website Small Farm Future. …

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sheep looking out on farm

Becoming Resilient in an Ever-Changing World

There are times in life when we wake up and realize we no longer recognize the world around us. When life throws us such curveballs, being resilient…

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mushrooms

The Secret Life of Fungi

Fungi have intricate lives, behaviors, and uses most people are unaware of. Mychorrizal fungi form symbiotic relationships with the root systems of other plants. The crucial, symbiotic role…

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worm

Vermicomposting: Why Venture Into It?

If you’re at all in tune to the agricultural news of late, you’re well aware that soil health is in decline all over the world –  an…

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farmers talking

A Search for Rural Justice

Charles D. Thompson, Jr., is the Professor of the Practice of Cultural Anthropology and Documentary Studies at Duke University. His numerous books and documentaries have helped bring…

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Farm with sunset

Back-to-the-Land Dreams

These days, becoming a farmer isn’t considered a “typical” career path. But for some folks, the allure of cultivating your food and owning your land seems too…

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emmett working in a field

Lessons From An Unusual Christmas Tree Farm: Resourcefulness and Craft

Emmet Van Driesche and his wife, Cecilia, operate the Pieropan Christmas Tree Farm in Western Massachusetts. When he’s not working on the tree farm or editing scientific…

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swale

How to Design Swales for Optimum Water Flow

Swales are small earthen embankments used to irrigate trees, plants, and pastures. They also capture runoff to help protect soil and plants from excessive rainfall that might…

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trimming a thicket of multiflora rose

Site Repair: Using the Land’s History

Buying a new property is exciting. You might have hundreds of ideas running through your head about where you want to put buildings or clear away trees…

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irrigation system and farmland

Minerals in Your Farm’s Water

Minerals from soil and outside water sources find themselves in irrigation systems. When you water your land, these minerals infiltrate the soil and change its composition. Your…

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brown and white speckled piglets

Getting Started Raising Pigs: Raising Piglets and Piglet Management

Groups of piglets running around a farm or homestead seems like a dream come true. When it comes to making sure each one is healthy and growing…

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The line of hazels behind Philip are all half sibs from one female parent.

Hybrid Hazelnuts – A New Resilient Crop for a Changing Climate

In the face of global threats like climate instability, food insecurity, and water pollution, scientists are looking to how we use our agricultural land for solutions. One such…

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This avian pest control expert deserves a rest after a long day of helping in my gardens.

Plants & Pests: Will Bonsall’s Advice on “Wee Beasties”

  In his book, Bonsall maintains that to achieve real wealth we first need to understand the economy of the land, to realize that things that might…

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polar bear on ice in water

Depressed about Climate Change? Here’s How to Take Action

The facts about climate change are settled. Mostly. In fact, the news seems to get worse, and more urgent, every day. Yet, the more the facts stack…

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droplets on spiderweb and plant

The Miracle of Farming: Toward a Bio-Abundant Future

Farmers have a close relationship with nature, seeing life cycles happen right in front of their eyes marvel in what the earth can produce. We wouldn’t survive…

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Leah Penniman ( left ) and Amani Olugbala ( right ) tend the beans during konbit at Soul Fire Farm

African Farming Traditions: Learning the Power of Tradition

Far before the release of her book Farming While Black, Leah Penniman had been helping countless Black and Brown farmers reclaim their right to the land. For years,…

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Farmer standing in front of a tractor in a field

Starting Farming: How to Find Success as a New Farmer

As the average age of America’s farmers continues to rise, we face serious questions about what farming will look like in the near future, and who will…

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Illustration of grassy hills and farmland

Sustain Your Land: Subsistence Strategies for the Long Haul

Peasants, indigenous agriculturalists, and old-time American farming families farmed first and foremost to feed their own families and those in need in their communities—only secondarily, if at…

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