Flora & Fauna: Considering Waygu cattle; bot swims like a fish; maple syrup debates

Mallie Shuster checks on his Wagyu cow-calf herd.
(Eleven Oaks Farm photo via Lancaster Farming)

Want a better steak or burger? Cattleman Mallie Shuster recommends filling your wallet with cash and choosing a restaurant with Waygu beef. "Shuster remembers how he got the idea to raise Wagyu cattle. He was out to dinner with friends and ordered a cut from this Japanese breed known for producing highly marbled, uniquely flavored beef," reports Dave Lefever for Lancaster Farming. "But it wasn't the flavor that got his attention." It was the price tag. Read how Shuster convinced his father to raise Waygu cattle to add to their company's bottom line.

The cinnamon in morning oatmeal, rolls and any number of baked treats is not true cinnamon. Instead, most cinnamon on U.S. grocery store shelves comes from a cheaper source -- the cassia tree. "Ceylon cinnamon is often called 'true' cinnamon and is native to Sri Lanka. Today, some 80% of Ceylon cinnamon is produced on the island," reports Olivia Peluso of Ambrook Research. "Cassia [cinnamon] is a ground, reddish-brown powder with a strong, spicy-sweet flavor. . . . While the Food and Drug Administration acknowledges them as distinct substances, it doesn't require they be packaged as such."

This clownfish bot looks and swims like a fish as it
collects water research. (Aquaai photo via CNN)

The world's water sources face so many stresses from climate change, multiple pollutants and urbanization that they can't rebalance their ecosystems. Water research offers a path to explore how humans can help these precious resources recover. The technology company Aquaai has developed a fishlike drone to "collect data from underwater environments," reports Amy Gunia of CNN. "Powered by batteries, they are designed to look and swim like fish, with a body and tail that swish from side-to-side as they cruise through the water. With their orange, white, and black neoprene skin, they resemble the clownfish star Nemo."

While Quebec dominates the global maple syrup market, determining which region makes the best-tasting syrup is a stickier dispute with Vermont. "Vermont is about 9,600 square miles and boasts more than six million sugar maple and red maple trees on tap. Quebec is a 595,000-square-mile province. . . hosts a maple syrup cartel. Its 50 million syrup-producing maple trees yield around 72% of the world's supply," reports Vipal Monga of The Wall Street Journal. "Without much argument, Quebec is known as the Saudi Arabia of maple syrup. Vermonter Pat Leclaire isn't particularly impressed. . ." 

As summer farmer's markets and local gardens start to produce luscious fruits and vegetables, consumers can rejoice in all the options but then wonder which ones are the best. Laureate professor in nutrition and dietetics Clare Collins shares in The Conversation her top four plant-based foods to eat.

Tomatoes and pumpkins are packed with nutrition.
(Adobe Stock photo)

Tomatoes: "A review of six trials asked people to consume tomato products equivalent to 1-1.5 large tomatoes or 1-1.5 cups of tomato juice daily for about six weeks. . . . Researchers found people who did this had reduced blood levels of triglycerides (a type of fat in your blood that increases heart disease risk), as well as lower total and 'bad' cholesterol levels. . . .These people also had increased levels of 'good cholesterol".

Pumpkin: "Pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene, which is also a carotenoid (plant pigment). It gets converted into vitamin A in the body and is used in the production of antibodies that fight infection. It's also needed to maintain the integrity of cells in eyes, skin, lungs and the gut."

Mushrooms and oats also top Collins's list. Click here to learn what benefits fungi and oats have to offer.

Farming booms in Alaska, Census of Agriculture shows

The Matanuska Valley, where most Alaska
farms are found, is known for big cabbages.

The number of American farms is declining, largely from consolidation, but a state not known for farming saw a 30 percent increase between 2012-17, Ryan McCrimmon reports for Politico's "Morning Agriculture" newsletter, citing a story by Liz Crampton on subscriber-only ProAg , based on the latest Census of Agriculture.

"The growth can partly be attributed to the relative youth of the state's agriculture industry. It's experiencing the same trajectory that regions like the Midwest and the South did decades ago," McCrimmon writes. Amy Pettit, executive director of the Alaska Farmland Trust, told Crampton: "It's the wild, wild West up here, and if you have access to land, you can grow whatever you want."

"Alaska has the nation's highest percentage of beginning farmers, with 46 percent of its producers having fewer than 10 years experience," McCrimmon writes. "Many are selling at farmers' markets, which have surged since 2006. At that time, there were 13 in the state, while today there are more than 50."

While Alaska has a shorter growing season, it's enough for many fruits and vegetables, and they have a higher sugar content because of the longer daylight at high latitudes in spring and summer. "This makes the produce sweeter when harvested," McCrimmon notes.

Reporter rides along with food-bank delivery truck to examine one rural county's food insecurity

Food bank director Jeff England distributes food to residents. (Photo by Lisa Morehouse)

A great story from The Food & Environment Reporting Network zeroes in on tiny Trinity County in California to tell readers about why this rural area is struggling--and what one man is doing to help. Though more than 10 California counties have higher poverty rates, Trinity is still one of the state's most food insecure places. To find out why, reporter Lisa Morehouse rode along with Jeff England, the director of the Trinity County Food Bank as he began his monthly food distribution run around the mountainous northern California county.

She quickly discovered that the roads can be treacherous, and the nearest large grocery store is more than 100 miles away in Eureka or Redding. And Trinity County residents struggle with opioid addiction, as many places in rural America do (Trinity County, as we mentioned in a recent blog piece, has more opioid prescriptions than people). Some have criticized England's food bank, saying it only enables drug addicts. "We don’t judge people, and those druggies have kids. The kids might not get food normally," England told Morehouse. Besides, England says he struggled with addiction many years ago. "A lot of people don’t know what it is to be hungry,” he told Morehouse. "But if you’ve ever been hungry, it’s a horrible feeling. You’re weak. You can’t do anything. You don’t have any ambitions. I’m so happy to be able to turn the table and be able to help people that might have been in my shoes before."

Trinity County
(Wikipedia map)

Opioid addiction isn't the only cause of the food insecurity in Trinity County. At one food bank stop, Greg Raines told Morehouse he was frustrated because of the lack of senior housing, and that the influx of marijuana farmers have caused rents to increase. He worked in a now-closed sawmill in the town of Hayfork for 17 years until he broke his back; now he gets about $800 a month in social security.

Morehouse found that there are very few farmers in Trinity County. Sue Corrigan, the manager of the farmer's market in Weaverville, said only about 10 farmers sell produce there. Partly because the territory is so mountainous, but locals say the government flooded much of the county's arable land with a reservoir from the Trinity Dam. "We’ve had three different rushes: First the gold rush, second the timber rush, and now the marijuana rush which is called the green rush," Corrigan told Morehouse. "The focus has been on other industries and not a food sustainable industry."

"England says he and his team have more than doubled the amount of food they’re bringing into Trinity County in the last year. The Food Bank and Trinity County Food Assistance deliver one bag or box of food to 2,500 households each month. That’s 20 percent of the county. And they could do more, but their antiquated refrigerator and freezer are so small, sometimes they have to decline donations of perishable food," Morehouse reports.

Rural farmers' markets struggle to adapt to changing consumer needs, but can stay relevant

Farmers market in Bridgeport, W.Va. (Gazette-Mail photo)

Despite a boom in farmers' markets and a movement to buy local and healthier foods, rural merchants are struggling to constantly adapt to changing consumer habits to stay relevant, Max Garland reports for the Charleston Gazette-Mail in West Virginia. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Farmers Market Directory, there are 8,676 farmers' markets in the U.S., up from 1,755 in 1994. West Virginia has 90.

"Even with the growing number of markets, profit and success isn’t guaranteed, especially in rural areas of West Virginia where resources are limited," Garland writes, citing Parween Mascari, executive director of the West Virginia Farmers Market Association. Mascari told him, “The trend is definitely there, but in rural communities, there are some struggles. It takes some dedication and creative methods to keep them going on a weekly basis.”

Roane County, West Virginia, has found some success in reviving its farmers' market this year, largely because the county does not have a local grocery store, Garland notes. But continued expansion by Kroger, coupled with its recent move to add online ordering, might hurt rural areas, said Faye Looney, an organizer of the market and treasurer of Walton Community Building in Roane County. “I think the trend (of rural farmers markets) is dying,” she told Garland. “But if we don’t do it, what else is there to help the community? Right now it’s still really about trying to get the word out.”

Other rural farmers' markets have added entertainment options to draw customers, Garland reports. For example, the market in Bridgeport, W.Va., has added live music and "the market’s POP (power of produce) Club, which has children interact with vendors and learn about their produce." But the selling point is still fresh food from 50 vendors. Debbie Workman, a member of the market’s board of directors, told Garland, "The goal is to promote healthy food, but in order to do that, we have to bring more people in."

Walmart closed 154 stores, mainly rural; how one poor Appalachian county is dealing with the loss

Washington Post map: Stores that closed
in low-income, low-density areas

What happens to a rural community when its Walmart closes? Earlier this year the nations largest grocer and retailer, with more than 4,000 locations, announced it was closing 154 U.S. stores. Of those stores 96 are in low-income, low-density and predominately rural areas, mostly in the Southeast.

McDowell County, West Virginia, which is one of the nation's poorest counties and has one of the highest death rates from prescription-pill overdoses, saw its Walmart close, adding to the woes in a once thriving coal community.

McDowell County, West Virginia

The result was that 140 people were laid off and the county lost its main grocery store, Jessica Lilly and Roxy Todd report for West Virginia Public Broadcasting. The Walmart closing also affected the local food pantry, which relied on donations from the store to help feed 11,000 people.

Local residents have responded to the closing by creating a pair of farmers' markets, Lilly and Todd write. The problem is that "growing and selling local foods in the coalfields can be tough. For one thing, there aren’t a lot of customers willing to make the trek out to the farmer’s market."

Appalachian Regional Commission releases 2016 version of 'Bon Appétit Appalachia!'

More than 830 farms, restaurants, bakeries, breweries, wineries and festivals in the 13 Appalachian states are highlighted in the Appalachian Regional Commission's 2016 "Bon Appétit Appalachia!" published today. The organization describes the map as "the largest searchable online map of local food businesses and entrepreneurs operating in Appalachia."

This year's version has 72 percent more locations than in the inaugural edition released in 2014, ARC says. A printed map also is available through state tourism agencies in the 13 Appalachian states. The map also is being published in Edible Communities magazines. Edible Communities has a monthly podcast, "Backroad Journeys," that profiles businesses on "Bon Appétit Appalachia!" (Read more)

Large commercial food producers trying to pass off farmers' markets items as locally grown

The growth of farmers' markets has led to widespread allegations of fraud, with mass-produced items being marketed as locally grown, Amy Mathews Amos reports for Civil Eats. "Collectively, farmers’ markets are now big business, growing from 1,744 markets in 1994 to 8,268 in 2014 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And with that growth has come incentive for fraud; in particular, vendors passing off produce as locally grown, when in fact those tomatoes, heads of lettuce, or peaches grew far from the vendors’ fields."

"It’s unclear how widespread vendor misrepresentation is nationally, but anecdotal information from market managers and farmers around the country, suggest that it’s common—and often goes undetected," Amos writes. "Usually, misrepresentation involves supplementing farmer-grown crops while slipping in others grown elsewhere and hoping no one will notice, such as selling mass-produced cucumbers among local heirloom tomatoes. Mass-produced goods from a wholesaler generally are cheaper than those just-picked by a small, local producer. Yet produce at farmers’ markets can fetch a premium price from customers who value freshness and want to support local agriculture. Supplementation allows vendors to increase their profit margins by passing off cheaper goods they didn’t produce as their own, and pocketing the premium."

Catching offenders is difficult, Amos writes. "State laws vary and many states leave producer requirements up to individual markets. But farmers and markets across the country that want to participate in the federal Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program, do have to meet certain basic requirements for locally produced food. FMNP is designed to provide low-income consumers, such as those receiving federal aid under the Women, Infants, and Children supplemental nutrition program or low-income seniors, access to fresh local produce."

"State agencies administer the program, but federal rules define 'locally grown' to mean produce grown in-state (or in some cases, adjacent states), and require states to conduct annual on-site monitoring of at least 10 percent of participating farmers and markets," Amos writes. "The rules provide little guidance on what that monitoring should entail."

How one rural community revitalized its struggling Main Street with local food, local businesses

A town of 7,300 in southeastern Kentucky has revitalized its downtown through a local-food renaissance. Corbin's main street, once filled with vacant buildings and few businesses, is now thriving, adding 20 new businesses since 2012 while reducing a 40 percent vacancy rate to nearly zero, writes Patty Cantrell, of the Missouri-based consulting firm Regional Food Solutions, for Good Food On Every Table. (Best places map: Corbin, Ky.)

"Corbin is among a growing number of towns discovering and capitalizing on the power of local food to provide that new economy stimulus," Cantrell writes. Mayor Willard McBurney told her, "Bringing people back downtown to live, work, and play is key. To do that you need places to eat, places to shop.” Communities are getting help from federal agencies, such as Local Foods, Local Places, which provides grants "to boost economic opportunities for local farmers and businesses, improve access to healthy local food, and promote childhood wellness," says the Environmental Protection Agency, one of the sponsors of the program.

Big changes began in Corbin "when Main Street manager Andy Salmons partnered with the successful Whitley County Farmers Market," Cantrell writes. "Two years ago, they brought vendors and live music to downtown’s Vibroc Park on Tuesday evenings through the growing season. The event does two important things. It gets people used to coming downtown. It also serves as a business incubator and networking service for vendors."

Kristin Smith, who returned to Corbin a few years ago to co-open a local brewery and work on her family farm, told Cantrell, “We have a massive void here in places to eat outside of chain restaurants. When someone you’ve known your whole life opens up a new restaurant, you’re rooting for them; you make a commitment to go there, to support them and their local suppliers. A large majority of our community is rooting for us, and a large majority doesn’t even drink.”

Now that properties are occupied and downtown activity is strong, "the city of Corbin is expanding it work to attract residents to Main Street and surrounding neighborhoods," Cantrell writes. "The resources Corbin needs to do it are also growing with its success. [Andy] Salmons started his part-time Main Street manager job four years ago with an annual budget of $15,000. Today it’s up to $280,000 from the city’s general fund." He told Cantrell, "We formulated a strong sense of what we were going for. We wanted to restore that sense that it’s a viable thing to live, work, and play downtown.” (Read more)

Pumpkin mystery solved: County-level map shows where pumpkins are produced

Fall means pumpkins are beginning to pop up at grocery stores, farmer's markets, pumpkin patches and the front porches of houses. Pumpkins are a fairly common sight in fall, especially when Halloween rolls around. But where do pumpkins come from? They don't come from the South and some portions of the Southwest and Midwest, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Census, Christopher Ingraham reports for The Washington Post.

"Pumpkins are grown commercially in just about every county in the Northeastern states," Ingraham writes. "There are plenty of pumpkins grown along the west coast and throughout the mountain west as well. But interestingly, there's an arc of relatively pumpkin-free counties running from eastern Montana all the way down through the middle of the country and across to Florida."

Five of the top six pumpkin-producing counties are in Illinois, led by Tazewell County, which has 4,669 acres of pumpkins, Ingraham writes. Next is San Joaquin County, California, 3,441 acres; Mason County, Illinois, 2,627 acres; Wayne County, Illinois, 1,547 acres; Peoria County, Illinois, 1,323 acres; Stark County, Illinois, 1,068 acres; Yoakum County, Texas, 1,014 acres; Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1,004 acres; Carroll County, Virginia, 703 acres; and Suffolk County, New York, 641 acres. (Post map)

Community Supported Agriculture operators are young, idealistic and have high turnover rates

In recent years, interest in locally grown foods has allowed smaller farms, mostly operated by younger farmers, to find a niche in local and regional markets, while also providing specialty foods available through the Internet, Timothy Collins, assistant director for research, policy, outreach and sustainability at the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University, reports for the Daily Yonder. "Some communities seeking to enhance local food production have relied on more traditional direct marketing, where a farmer grows the produce, prepares it for market and then sells to consumers at a roadside stand or farm market."

A recent report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture said there were 8,476 farmers’ markets in 2014, up from 2,863 in 2000, and 1,755 in 1994, Collins writes. "They tend to be concentrated in populated areas of the Northeast, Midwest and West Coast. Other farmers might market to restaurants, schools or other food outlets. In both cases, the farmer assumes all of the risk."

An Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs survey from the summer of 2014 found that about 45 percent of Community Supported Agriculture farms are operated by farmers ages 41 to 60 and 28 percent by those ages 26 to 40, writes Collins, who was one of the researchers that conducted the survey. More than 60 percent are operated by women. Also, 82 percent of CSA farmers had a college or postgraduate degree. (Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs graphic)

The survey found that "most CSA operators tended to be committed to environmentally friendly farming strategies," Collins writes. "CSA operators appeared to be less motivated by profit than they were by other more idealistic considerations," more than 75 percent did not grow ip on a farm and most used the business as supplemental income for farm families.

On the downside, many of these businesses don't last, Collins writes. "The study found that more than a third of the addresses in the original sample of about 1,000 farms were bad. In addition, a quarter of the final response of 154 operators reported having gone out of business." (Read more)

Coal-county farmers' market at last finds success

After being ranked as one of the least healthy counties in one of the least healthy states, and after five failed attempts at a farmers' market, Letcher County, Kentucky (Wikipedia map) has found success. Started last summer, the market has completed its pilot project and "is the first farmers market in Kentucky to be a USDA Summer Feeding Program site – simultaneously feeding Kentucky children, improving community health and providing new economic opportunities through Kentucky Agriculture," says a press release from Kentucky's Community Farm Alliance.

The farmers' market was created as part of Shaping our Appalachian Region, which searches for ways to improve and diversify the economy of Appalachian Kentucky. Kentucky "currently ranks 45th for Summer Feeding Program participation – meaning that many Kentucky children are going hungry in the summer, at the height of Kentucky’s growing season," says the press release. (Read more)

Ore. food-stamp recipients get paid to eat healthy; tokens buy fruits and veggies at farmers' markets

The five-year Farm Bill included a $100 million program that will give farmers' markets up to $20 million a year to help Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan (food stamp) recipients buy more fruits and vegetables. The idea is already paying off for low-income families in Oregon, where about 20 percent of residents receive food stamps, with more than 792,000 in the program, Yuxing Zheng reports for The Oregonian in Portland.

At a farmers' market, a food-stamp recipient gets five tokens, each worth $1 to use towards buying fruits and vegetables. "The program is part of a relatively new approach to answer a question: Does it work to pay poor people extra so they can afford to eat healthier? The data seem to indicate that it does," Zheng writes. "And it probably won't be long before matching programs spread nationwide." (Zheng photo: Exchanging tokens for vegetables in Forest Grove, Ore.)

SNAP recipient Delona Thies, who receives $348 a month in food stamps for her and her 16-year-old son, told  Zheng, "I believe it makes a difference, even if it is just $5. An extra $5 a week is $20 a month. I never have enough to last until the end, so everything helps."

Even before the bill passed, Oregon was already addressing the need to find better ways for food stamps recipients to eat healthy, through programs run by non-profits that rely heavily on local donations, Zheng writes. "In recent years, farmers markets across Oregon have teamed up with businesses and nonprofits to start matching programs for food stamps recipients. The benefits, supporters say, are twofold: Poor people eat healthier while supporting local farmers." (Read more)

Feds create small program to promote local food

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack introduced a new federal assistance program this week called "Local Foods, Local Places." The Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Transportation, the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Delta Regional Authority are investing a total of $650,000 to help local communities "create more livable places by promoting local foods," according to a White House release.

The goal is to "boost economic opportunities for local farmers and businesses and foster entrepreneurship," improve access to healthy local food, "revitalize downtowns, main street districts and traditional neighborhoods by supporting farmers’ markets, food hubs, community gardens, community kitchens and other kinds of local food enterprises and by providing people with affordable choices for accessing those amenities, such as walking, biking or taking transit," the release says.

Vilsack said in a USDA release, "Buying locally is one of the best things a community can do to grow its economy. Partnerships like Local Food, Local Places help rural leaders develop strategies for promoting farm products grown by people right in their own communities. The demand for local food is growing rapidly nationwide, creating more opportunities for American farmers and ranchers and growing the entire country's rural economy." (Read more)

All communities are eligible to apply, but those given particular attention include areas served by the Appalachian and Delta agencies, as well as federal Promise Zones and USDA StrikeForce counties. Application letters are due by July 15. (Read more)

Agriculture secretary announces new measures to help small and mid-sized farmers and ranchers

In an effort to help more small and mid-sized farmers and ranchers build their businesses, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Monday at the National Farmers Union convention "a series of initiatives that include more local and regional market information, new learning guides, improved access to capital, more cost-effective risk management and other tools," Sara Wyant reports for Agri-Pulse, a Washington newsletter. Vilsack said resources will be listed on the USDA website.

Tom Vilsack

"Efforts include improved access to USDA resources, revised risk management tools that better fit the needs of smaller producers, additional support for hoop houses, and expanded collection of valuable market news information," Vilsack said. "USDA is also introducing a series of education tools focusing on opportunities for farmers engaged in local and regional food systems. In addition, USDA field staff will be boosting their outreach efforts to small and mid-sized farmers and ranchers."

USDA notes that its proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 includes "$2.5 million to provide food safety training to owners and operators of small farms, small food processors, and small fruit and vegetable vendors affected by Food Safety Modernization Act," and "$3 million for Small, Socially Disadvantaged Producers Grants Program to ensure historically underprivileged rural Americans have opportunities for cooperative development." The recently signed Farm Bill also includes $100 million over five years to the Beginner Farmer and Rancher Development Program, $63 million over five years to the Value-Added Producer Grant Program and $30 million annually to the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program. (Read more)

Farm Bill includes new program to help food stamp recipients eat healthier at farmers' markets

Even though the Farm Bill cuts an estimated $800 million a year from food stamps, officially the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, it includes an initiative to help low-income families eat healthier while doubling their food stamp benefits through farmers' markets, Tim Carman reports for The Washington Post. While final details for the Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive program are incomplete, proponents say the $100 million program "could help hungry families and also address the country’s obesity crisis" by "matching funds to farmers markets, up to $20 million annually for five years, to incentivize SNAP recipients to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables with their benefits."

“This program helps families buy healthy food from their local farmers markets, which also helps family farmers and boosts the economy,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), the Senate's chief writer of the bill as Agriculture Committee chair.

Similar local and state programs are already in place, and are credited with helping low-income families eat healthier, Carman reports. "Many of the state and local programs work the same: Foundations and other organizations raise money to supplement SNAP purchases at a farmers market or similar venue where local fruits and vegetables are sold. The participating market then will double the SNAP benefits up to a certain dollar amount, usually $10 or $20."

Oran Hesterman, president and chief executive officer of Fair Food Network, a Michigan nonprofit, told Carman that because of that state's program, 95 percent of food stamp users say they increased the amount of fruits and vegetables in their diet, and 90 percent said they decreased the amount of junk food the purchase. "Hesterman said that while the current allocation is only $100 million, the number could increase with the next farm bill in five years, if the program proves successful," Carman writes. "If it increased to 1 percent of the SNAP budget, for example, it would be about $800 million to spend annually on an incentive program at farmers markets, he said." Hesterman told him, “That would be a game changer." (Read more)

Rural Canadian food co-op, close to N.D., opens a year-round store with local farmers' goods

Our friends north of the border have developed an interesting version of a rural food cooperative. Rural Roots, which opened Oct. 26 in Boissevain, less than an hour from North Dakota, is Manitoba's "first grocery store that features only locally-grown produce and product," Bill Redekop reports for the Winnipeg Free Press. The co-op "is an extension of the farmers market concept -- but indoors and open year-round." The store, which is about the size of a master bedroom, is run by volunteers. It opened without any government support, using sponsors to buy all the necessary equipment. (Rural Roots Facebook photo)

"The goal is to promote local production and 'to make food personal and transparent,' board member Casey Guenther said, Redekop writes. "So, if you're looking for a steak for supper, you can go to Rural Roots' freezer and buy 'local beef from Vicky Neufeld,' as it says on one side of the freezer. If you want fresh bread, you might pick out the flax loaf 'baked by Christine Fehr.' There are photos and bios of all its small-scale farmer-suppliers." Other items include hot sauce, rice, cheese, oils, milk and dairy products, flour, lamb, and fruits and vegetables. (Read more)

Modern Farmer aims for newer agriculturalists

A spread from the fall issue (click for larger version)

A new magazine is trying to appeal to new types of farmers. Modern Farmer, which published its first edition in April, "is trying to benefit from the first signs of growth in the total number of farms since World War II and the farm-to-table food trend that has fueled growth for farmers’ markets and community-supported agriculture," Christine Haughney reports for The New York Times. For example, the magazine "offers advice on building a corn maze and articles on the effect of climate change on lettuce and oysters . . . It edges into the food-magazine sphere with luminous photography of vegetables, while articles report on straight agricultural topics."

The magazine, which has been sold in countries such as Britain, Germany and Australia, is attracting a wide variety of readers "who include an Amish farmer and vegetable supplier to Whole Foods, Brooklyn rooftop farmers harvesting kale and broccoli and myriad young farmers going back to the land," Haughney writes. Sean O’Brien, global director of footwear for the Original Muck Boot Company, told Haughney, “It’s really targeted almost a new consumer group for us. We sell a lot of boots to farmers and workers and outdoorsmen. You can look at a Modern Farmer as almost a hobby farmer. This a perfect vehicle to target that key consumer group.”

Founder and Editor-in-Chief Ann Marie Gardner, a former writer for the Times and Tatler magazine, "conceived the idea for a magazine in 2011 after she noticed that sources she interviewed for Monocle magazine seemed preoccupied by agricultural issues," Haughney writes. In spring 2012 she pitched the idea to investors, and by November had enough money to start a website and a print product. Traffic on the site "grew to 99,000 unique visitors in the United States in July, according to comScore. The first print issue sold 35,000 copies on newsstands and 13,000 by subscription." (Read more)

African Americans with Southern farming heritage bring farmers' market to Chicago's South Side

The south side of Chicago has become a magnet for African American farmers in Northern Illinois to sell fresh fruits and vegetables at an affordable price to mostly black residents. But the back story of how the markets came to be is a fascinating one, rich in tradition, Samuel Freedman reports for The New York Times. (NYT photo by Nathan Weber: T. C. Barker, 73, and his grandson, C. J. Dodd, 14)

Many of the sellers were born in the rural South, some into families that owned or worked farms, before circumstances (such as one family losing its land after the patriarch died with no will) forced them to move to Chicago as part of the great Northern Migration of black Southerners. After retiring from years working in the city, a handful decided to return to the country, buying property 60 miles south of Chicago in the Pembroke Township, which had been settled by freed slaves and is now home to a host of black farmers, Freedman writes. On Saturday mornings in the summer a small group sells their goods at the market, which is sponsored by one of Chicago’s most formidable black churches, Trinity United Church of Christ, which has 8,500 members, and once counted President Obama as a member.

"It helps support the precarious livelihood of the farmers, and it addresses the congregation’s need for fresh produce in an expanse of the South Side considered a 'food desert' for its paucity of supermarkets and greengrocers," Freedman writes. The market was created by the Rev. Otis Moss III and his wife Monica, "a mother of two with a fervent interest in health and wellness. She pointed out the difficulty that Trinity members and other neighborhood residents had finding fresh fruits and vegetables close by at affordable prices. On a typical summer Saturday, about 150 customers patronize the farmers, who make as much as $150 for a five-hour stint." (Read more)

Coal county takes yet another stab at farmers' market to promote healthier living

After a study labeled Letcher County in southeastern Kentucky as one of the least healthy counties in one of the least healthy states, residents decided they needed to make changes. After five failed attempts to keep a farmers' market going, there are signs that the sixth time will be the charm, with the goal of this version "to create access to local, healthy food by promoting traditional foodways," Kelli Haywood reports for the Daily Yonder. (Haywood photo)

"Organizers want it to be a small boost to their community’s declining economy," suffering with the region's coal industry, Haywood writes. Local disc jockey Ben West hopes it will encourage residents to resume planting gardens and vegetable patches.  “I drive by large fields that I remember being covered in corn when I was younger.  But now they are just grown up with grass and weeds,” he told Haywood.

Haywood reports that the market is a success, but getting it started wasn't easy, especially after the previous failed attempts. West told her that this time around, organizers "compelled growers to think like a farmer that is going to have some income from their efforts. Another key element not included in the past was the marketing. This time, people were much more aware of it.”

Valerie Horn, coordinator of Letcher County’s branch of Grow Appalachia, a program of Berea College that teaches Appalachian people to grow their own food to feed themselves, told Haywood that tough economic times have played a key role in the markets' success. She said, “Perhaps our community realizes that we are the change that needs to happen for both our health and our quality of life. And the farmers' market enhances each of these. There seems to be almost an underlying desperation in our efforts to be successful, to provide not only healthy food choices for the community but economic opportunity as well.” (Read more)

Poll shows public backs subsidies to support crop prices, and help for direct sales to consumers

The Congressional Connection Poll on federal issues has "found strong support for either increasing or keeping spending about the same for subsidies to farmers and agribusinesses to help guarantee that prices for their crops don’t fall too low," National Journal's Matthew Cooper reports. "Thirty-nine percent of the public wanted the amount spent on such subsidies to go up, while 37 percent wanted it to stay the same. Only 19 percent wanted to see cuts, a significantly lower percentage than the 32 percent who wanted to see food stamps cut." Food stamps are part of the proposed new Farm Bill, now on the Senate floor.

"The public showed enthusiasm for increasing the amount spent to promote local farmers’ markets, roadside stands, and other direct sales from producers to consumers," Cooper writes. "A near majority, 48 percent, wanted more money spent on this, while only 15 percent wanted such funding cut. Thirty-two percent wanted it kept about the same. The bill that was voted out of the Senate Agriculture Committee included expanded funding to help farmers sell directly to consumers."

Here's a look at the breakdown by political affiliation (National Journal chart; click on image for larger version):

The poll was sponsored by the National Journal, a magazine noted for its nonpartisanship. Cooper notes that a poll taken recently by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Mich., "found that 80 percent of the public says Washington should do more to increase access to locally produced food. Although the question was worded somewhat differently than the one posed in the Congressional Connection Poll, the results suggest that these programs may have a political constituency waiting to be tapped." (Read more; tip of the hat to the Daily Yonder)