In my lifetime, most families in America have lost their connection with the land, even those of us who live on a farm. Farms have gone from highly diversified to highly specialized–producing only a few crops. Most U.S. families no longer freeze or can food. We...
Last month, the newly formed START Farmers’ Network leadership decided it was time to visit farms. Surveys have shown that a large percentage of new and beginning farmers (both part-time and full-time) are interested in growing livestock. So our first trip was...
Those who have read Joel Salatin’s books, especially Everything I Want to Do is Illegal, are well aware that he has a strong aversion to government regulation of food production. However, in his most recent tome, Folks, This Ain’t Normal he reluctantly acknowledged...
When I was growing up on our family farm, I marveled at how my father knew when the land was too wet to till, when the crop was ready to be harvested, and what to do when the tractor would not start. “Experience is the best teacher” is a phrase we often hear. We can...
Written by Susan McQuilkin In May 2012, at a meeting of the Southern Maryland Meats (SMM) livestock producers, Dr. Tom Hartsock, retired Associate Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland, spoke to the attentive audience of producers who had gathered to discuss...
By Mark Dattilio Six a.m., the alarm goes off. It’s still dark. I left the windows open last night and the loft is filled with a cool breeze and the sounds of waking birds and beasts. I turn on NPR, the only news channel that comes in on the radio, and start brewing a...
