A wild orchard hugs the driveway. The sleepy sugar shack awaits syrup season. And large round bales, set to sustain the herd of Guernsey cows until the growing season, stack high against the calf barn. Strafford Organic Creamery exudes a charm that is quintessentially Vermont. Second-generation dairy farmer Earl Ransom explains, “We strive to grow… Read more »
Don’t be surprised if you walk out of the on-farm shop at Seven Stars Farm with reverse sticker shock. Cindy Dunphy, who owns and manages the biodynamic, certified organic farm along with her two sons, Ryan and Zack, routinely gives newcomers two quarts of Seven Stars yogurt on the house. “It’s our way of paying… Read more »
The number of times a day your favorite dairy brand milks its cows speaks volumes about the integrity of its operation. Organic dairy cows are required to have access to pasture for the entire grazing season. The 5 cow dairies on The Cornucopia Institute’s Organic Dairy Scorecard ensure their animals graze well-tended pasture, focusing on… Read more »
You may have seen a label becoming more common on your dairy shelves: A2 milk. What is A2 milk, and why do some people claim that it solves gastrointestinal issues they otherwise get from dairy? A2 isn’t really new. In fact, it’s been around for as long as humans have been drinking milk. The difference… Read more »
If there’s a universally loved fruit, it just might be the blueberry. It’s as fun to eat as food gets—popping those purplish little orbs into your mouth by the handful is symbolic of summertime goodness. And where else in the organic world do we get to eat the color blue? Outside of the processed food… Read more »
Anaïs Beddard grew up at Lady Moon Farms playing in farm fields, working in the old oak grove packing shed, and cultivating genuine friendships with farm employees and their families. Each employee is part of the family at Lady Moon Farms. With a team of nearly 300 workers, the Beddard family can’t fit them all… Read more »
What is the meaning and purpose of work? Is it simply a means of making a profit and accumulating wealth? Can work build community and nurture the creation? Are we simply miners of the soil, taking all we can get, or are we caretakers so that future generations will also receive the blessing and benefit… Read more »
A warm spring morning finds Pennsylvania organic farmer Jim Crawford where any farmer might be this time of year…. on a bicycle trek in Germany? Over 4,000 miles from his fields, Jim is touring the historic streets of Berlin, while apprentices zealously plant and prepare soil for what hopes to be another productive year at… Read more »
For Amy Van Scoik and John Bitter, the quest for quality, affordable farmland began in 2010, as they researched properties and soil profiles throughout the forests of North Central Florida. It was a full year before Amy and John set their sights on a six-acre piece of land in foreclosure with “class 2 ag soil,”… Read more »
In 2005, Pam Schreiber moved her three young children to Westerlo, New York and set out to build her own diversified agricultural business. A former cardiorespiratory therapist and nutritionist who was overwhelmed and frustrated by the long-term impacts of smoking and poor diets on her patients, Schreiber turned her life’s work to disease prevention. Eight… Read more »
