The Rodale Institute, founded by organic farming visionary J.I. Rodale, is one of the nation’s leading organic-farming research and advocacy organizations. Today, Rodale sits on a 333-acre farm near Kutztown, Penn., home to the longest-running U.S. field trials study to compare organic and conventional farming practices.
Read MoreAre you familiar with our classic Tahoe Foodshed Map? The drawing is definitely Richard Scarry inspired. In fact, some of the buildings are actual structures found in the books. Like many, Richard Scarry drawings captured my attention for hours as a kid teaching me about how the world works and interacts. And when looking for the best…
Read MoreIn the 80’s, there were these hideous sunglasses called Blu Blockers made famous by an infomericial featuring a catchy, rap jingle. When I heard of soil blockers, that was the first thing that came to mind. Haha! Soil blockers and Blu Blockers, however, do have one thing in common…the sun! Soil blockers are an alternative way of…
Read MoreEver heard of a noble lie? This regal term dates back to Socrates and Plato’s time. By definition, it’s a myth told by the elite to keep social harmony. As an example, Plato was criticized for calling religion a noble lie…
Read MoreWhat soil biology tells us is…conventional agriculture kills soil. If we need soil to grow plants, then eventually conventional agriculture is going to farm itself out of business and unable to“feed the world.” If we want to feed the world, we need to farm using biology…
Read MoreIf you want to get a party going in your soil, make a compost tea and serve it up! It’s a process by which you steep compost and spread the solution on your garden, crops or grass. Nothing like a libation of compost juice to fuel the food-web living in and around your soil.
Read MoreBack before I started the Tahoe Food Hub, I headed to Kutztown, PA to take a 3-day soil class at “the” Rodale Institute. I’ve always revered Rodale for their contributions to the advancement of ecological growing techniques. This trip felt more like a pilgrimage to a world heritage site. While the farm’s idyllic landscape could…
Read MoreTo the naked eye, vegetable and fruit scraps may look like garbage but really they are just undecomposed soil. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “most people don’t realize how much food they throw away every day — from uneaten leftovers to spoiled produce. About 94 percent of the food we throw away ends up…
Read MoreOver coffee the other day, my friend posed the question, “How do we create more farmers?” It was like throwing me a ball of catnip. First, let’s define what having more farmers will provide the United Sates…a low unemployment rate and smaller farms. Because the more people we have farming, the more farms there will be….
Read MoreChange in the food system can come from consumers voting with their fork or government passing progressive policy. Neither is moving very fast. What if the change came from farmers? After all, they grow the food! Without them, we would have no food. From that perspective, they hold a lot of power.
Read MoreLast week we published a blog post which outlined a pretty far-fetched, but thoughtful, plan to reform US agriculture. The premise placed the ball in the hands of conventional farmers. Ultimately, it is the farmers who control our food. They grow it. If they were given a strong enough incentive to stop farming with chemicals then…
Read MoreAs consumers we don’t often find ourselves peeling the husk back from an ear of corn with trepidation. We’ve been trained that the corn we buy will be fresh and healthy. For small, organic farms it may feel a little like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory moment – unwrapping to find the golden ticket. Will…
Read MoreThe debate between organic and conventional agriculture is not nearly as polarized as the news would have you think. There is a large gray area in the middle where conventional farmers are transitioning to more sustainable practices but not necessarily organic, at least yet. I’ve often thought that real change in the way we grow…
Read MoreOne of the most inspiring programs we’ve uncovered in the sustainable agriculture field is ALBA! Their mission is to create economic opportunity for aspiring, limited-resource farmers through land-based organic agriculture education. The ALBA growing and education center is in the fertile valley of Salinas, CA. Bottom line, we need more of these centers all over…
Read MoreCarol and Gene Logsdon In 1974, a book of poems came across Gene Logsdon’s desk while working for the Farm Journal in Philadelphia. He read four poems and closed the book. He got up from his desk and marched straight into his editor’s office and said, “I’m going on a trip.” “Where?” replied his editor.“ “To interview Wendell Berry!” The two…
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