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Growing an Agrihood

11.20.2017 by Janie Hynson // 1 Comment

Have you heard about agrihoods? I've seen this term popping up more and more recently. Short for "agriculture neighborhood," essentially, an agrihood is an urban or suburban neighborhood built around farms. Here's a video about one of the largest agrihoods in the country located in Ashburn, Virginia and another agrihood in Detroit. There are thought to be more than 200 … [Read more...]

Categories // conferences, farming, green living, homesteading, sheep, urban homesteading

Gene Editing vs. Genetic Modification

01.09.2017 by Janie Hynson // 3 Comments

In recent years, consumers, food producers, policy makers, and other advocates have become more aware of the harms of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and calls for GMO labeling have become widespread. A technology which I believe is lesser known, but which also could have devastating consequences for food production, is “gene editing.” Though I had heard the term before, … [Read more...]

Categories // farming, food, health, mushrooms, vegetables

Book review: Soil Sisters

12.15.2016 by Janie Hynson // 4 Comments

The holidays are coming up and Soil Sisters by Lisa Kivirist would be a perfect gift for any aspiring or experienced female farmer. One of the greatest features of this book is valuable stories and tips from the author as well as over 50 women involved in different aspects of sustainable agriculture. As Kivirist says (of women in the food system) “some farm, some cook, some … [Read more...]

Categories // books, farming, reviews

Book review: The Year-Round Solar Greenhouse

12.01.2016 by Janie Hynson // 22 Comments

solar greenhouse

This time of year, many vegetable growers are still trying to extend their growing season and others are gearing up to continue growing straight through the winter. In planning for my own vegetable production, I wanted to learn more about season extension and year-round growing techniques. I discovered The Year-Round Solar Greenhouse by Lindsey Schiller and Mark Plinke and … [Read more...]

Categories // aquaponics, books, farming, green living, heating, reviews, vegetables, winter

Snapshot of Sustainable Agriculture Conference

11.17.2016 by Janie Hynson // Leave a Comment

I recently attended the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Sustainable Agriculture Conference in North Carolina. It was an outstanding three-day conference, which included workshops, delicious local food, farm and food policy discussions, a seed exchange, and tons of exhibitors. While the conference was focused primarily on sustainable agriculture in North and South … [Read more...]

Categories // conferences, farming, food, gardening

Book review: The Market Gardener

11.07.2016 by Janie Hynson // 5 Comments

The Market Gardener is such a thorough guide to commercial market gardening that at first I wondered why Jean-Martin Fortier would want to reveal all of his secrets to potential competitors. However, it becomes clear that Fortier simply wants this information to be as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. I think this reflects Fortier’s desire for small-scale … [Read more...]

Categories // books, farming, gardening, reviews, vegetables

Saving the family farm

10.27.2014 by thriftyhomesteader // 1 Comment

If you want to be entertained while learning about modern agriculture, Gaining Ground: A Story Of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, And Saving The Family Farm by Forrest Pritchard is the book! In a laugh-out-loud funny story, we learn about the problems facing modern conventional farmers and farm owners who find themselves stuck in a system where they never make money. Warned … [Read more...]

Categories // books, farming, reviews, Uncategorized

Review: Fields of Farmers

11.13.2013 by thriftyhomesteader // 1 Comment

Joel Salatin's latest book, Fields of Farmers: Interning, Mentoring, Partnering, Germinating, should be required reading for everyone who is interested in farming, even if they don't think they want to be a mentor or an intern. Many people have the mistaken idea that interns are merely free or cheap labor, which is a misconception that Joel repeatedly corrects throughout the … [Read more...]

Categories // apprentices, books, farming, homesteading, internships, reviews, Uncategorized

Dealing with drought

07.28.2012 by thriftyhomesteader // 1 Comment

Because more than half of the United States is currently in a drought, odds are good that the majority of people reading this are actually in that situation. I remember last year hearing about the people in Texas who were selling off their herds at rock bottom prices because they had no water, no pasture, no hay, and no grain. And my heart was really breaking as I watched … [Read more...]

Categories // farming, gardening, Uncategorized, water

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