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 »
When Mike Reid started Paradise Springs Farm in 1999 in Teton Valley, Idaho, the land was suffering from years of neglect. Now the soil is healthy, the fields retain more water, and the vegetation is vibrant and diverse. As a dual-certified biodynamic and organic dairy, Paradise Springs Farm operates almost entirely as a closed system,… 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 »
“Turns out,” says Teresa Kurtak, “there’s really nothing else that comes close to being as satisfying as being a farmer.” Although much of her childhood was spent on her family’s cattle ranch in eastern Washington, Kurtak did not expect that she would find her own life’s work in farming. Having dedicated years to academic pursuits,… 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 »
For Kansas grain producer Oren Holle, the intention to farm was early and lasting. “When I was in high school, only one thing was clear in my mind about my future,” says Holle. “I would be a farmer.” A fifth-generation grower, Oren helped his father manage herds of dairy and beef cattle, grain crops, laying… 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 »
