By Sherri Dugger This is the blog I wanted to write last week. March 8 was International Women’s Day, and I began the day thinking I would write a little something about women’s work on the farm. Then I got to doing all my other work and never found time to write. Today, I will … Read More
By Nate Brownlee, Nightfall Farm When you start a farm, there’s no definite starting point. Well before you ever have plants in the ground or animals to graze, you’re already deep into planning and dreaming. By the time we moved home from New England, we already knew (roughly) what we wanted to raise and where … Read More
By Sherri Dugger, Indiana Farmers Union’s Media and Outreach Director, Co-Owner and Operator of Dugger Family Farm I was an easy sell. When I first met Rob Davies, the marketing manager for Indiana Farmers Union, in late 2016 at a local coffee shop in Danville, Indiana, it took him about 15 minutes to sell me on … Read More
By Sherri Dugger I was an easy sell. When I first met Rob Davies, marketing manager for Indiana Farmers Union, in late 2016 at a local coffee shop in Danville, Indiana, it took him about 15 minutes to sell me on a union membership. The irony: I was there to sell him advertising for a … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Beginning farmers who grow grains know that the time between planting and emergence in the field can be perilous for their crops. Pathogens in the soil or on seeds can overtake or impair the growth of a seedling, damaging yields and – ultimately – profitability. … Read More
By Liz Brownlee, Co-Owner & Operator of Nightfall Farm My husband, Nate, knew one thing as a high schooler: he would never, ever work as a farmer. His high school summer job was on a grain farm near Franklin, Indiana, and while his bosses treated him well, the work was not, in his opinion, the … Read More
By Liz Brownlee Nightfall Farm My husband, Nate, knew one thing as a high schooler: he would never, ever work as a farmer. His high school summer job was on a grain farm near Franklin, Indiana, and while his bosses treated him well, the work was not, in his opinion, the most fun or rewarding. … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Every farm and every farm family is unique. Beginning intergenerational farmers generally do not learn everything they need to be successful in a uniform or linear way. On different farms, the established generation may or may not be willing to share fieldwork responsibility, or be … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy No volume restrictions, no need for brick and mortar investments, and the chance to learn about customers want directly. Participating in a farmers market is often the most immediate access to market available to beginning farmers. But for as quickly and easily as beginning farmers … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, Director of NFU Foundation and Conservation Policy Over the past few weeks, we have discussed the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) at length here on the Beginning Farmer Forum (BFF). CSP provides technical assistance and incentive payments to help beginning farmers establish installations or enhance practices that can reduce input costs or provide a … Read More