Resources for Farmers
Websites:
Future Harvest CASA - A Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture promotes profitable, environmentally sound and socially acceptable food and farming systems that work to sustain farming communities within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Virginia FAIRS - The Virginia Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation and Rural Sustainability offers assistance in rural areas of Virginia to promote cooperative and business development.
Agriculture Education Requirements - Education Requirements.org lists all of the requirements for a career in agriculture, in addition to the requirements for careers in horticulture, dairy farming, landscaping, etc. Gives the reader some idea of what skill sets are necessary for success in farming.
Virginia Tech - The other Land Grant school in Virginia. Has multiple agricultural programs.
USDA Agricultural Marketing Services - AMS administers programs that facilitate the efficient, fair marketing of U.S. agricultural products, including food, fiber and specialty crops.
Virginia Water and Soil Conservation
District – Delivers educational programs, provides technical assistance and
promotes demonstration projects relating to conservation. Can provide financial assistance towards
conservation efforts to farmers.
Natural Conservation Resource Service - Works with landowners through conservation planning and assistance designed to benefit the soil, air, water, plants and animals that result in productive lands and healthy ecosystems.
ACRES USA - A Voice for Eco-Agriculture. Monthly magazine, books, tapes, videos, event listings.
Local Harvest - Use this website to find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies
Rodale Store - Home to Organic Gardening Magazine, Prevention and other Health & Fitness Books.
Richmond Good Life - Lots of other essential websites, including farmers markets and grocery stores in the Central Virginia area can be found on this site.
Kitchen Thyme - Rent by the hour consumer and professional kitchens.
Good Food Jobs - Satisfy your hunger for meaningful work.
Virginia FAIRS - Assists rural Virginians in
developing and advancing their agricultural, economic, and social interests to
enhance their quality of life.
- Works
with other governmental and private organizations to help establish local
purchase of development rights (PDR) programs by creating model policies
and practices, establishing criteria to certify programs as eligible to
receive funds from public sources, and determining methods and sources of
funding for localities to purchase agricultural conservation easements
- Creates
programs to educate the public about the importance of farmland
preservation
- Helps
farmers with farmland preservation efforts
- Assist
local governments in developing additional farmland preservation policies
and programs
- Aministers
the Virginia Farm Link program
Books & Seed Catalogs:
How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons
A classic in the field of sustainable gardening, HOW TO GROW MORE VEGETABLES shows how to produce a beautiful organic garden with minimal watering and care, whether it's just a few tomatoes in a tiny backyard or enough food to feed a family of four on less than half an acre. Updated with the latest biointensive tips and techniques, this is an essential reference for gardeners of all skill levels seeking to grow some or all of their own food.
Sustainable Vegetable Garden by John Jeavons
From the author of our best-selling and widely beloved HOW TO GROW MORE VEGETABLES comes this "quick and dirty" introduction to biointensive gardening that shows it is not only possible but easy to grow astonishing crops of healthful organic vegetables and fruits, while conserving resources and actually helping the soil. A revolutionary approach to feeding ourselves and nurturing the land, this book includes: Step-by-step illustrations and instructions that make these techniques simple for even the novice gardener. Everything you need to know about planning crops, composting, harvesting, and more. Complete resources for seeds, tools, and other garden supplies.Feed a family of four on the bounty of your backyard, or just get more out of your garden with less effort with this wonderful resource.
Contrary to popular belief, a good living can be made on an
organic farm. What's required is farming smarter, not harder.In The Organic
Farmer's Business Handbook, Richard Wiswall shares advice on how to make your
vegetable production more efficient, better manage your employees and finances,
and turn a profit. From his twenty-seven years of experience at Cate Farm in
Vermont, Wiswall knows firsthand the joys of starting and operating an organic
farm-as well as the challenges of making a living from one. Farming offers
fundamental satisfaction from producing food, working outdoors, being one's own
boss, and working intimately with nature. But, unfortunately, many farmers
avoid learning about the business end of farming; because of this, they often
work harder than they need to, or quit farming altogether because of
frustrating-and often avoidable-losses.In this comprehensive business kit,
Wiswall covers: Step-by-step procedures to make your crop production more
efficient Advice on managing employees, farm operations, and office systems
Novel marketing strategies What to do with your profits: business spending,
investing, and planning for retirement A companion CD offers valuable business
tools, including easy-to-use spreadsheets for projecting cash flow, a payroll
calculator, comprehensive crop budgets for twenty-four different crops, and tax
planners.
In this newly revised and expanded edition, master grower Eliot Coleman continues to present the simplest and most sustainable ways of growing top-quality organic vegetables. Coleman updates practical information on marketing the harvest, on small-scale equipment, and on farming and gardening for the long-term health of the soil. Written for the serious gardener or small market farmer, The New Organic Grower proves that, in terms of both efficiency and profitability, smaller can be better.
Eliot Coleman is one of America's leading practitioners of organic gardening and farming. He has pioneered a "plantpositive" approach to horticulture that surpasses chemical-dependent agriculture in every way producing vegetables that are exceptionally nutritious, delicious, and healthy.
The All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
This 2006 “All New” Square Foot Gardening Book adds 10 major improvements to the original 25-year-old SFG method resulting in NO WORK, NO WEEDS, NO DIGGING AND NO TOOLS NEEDED. A square foot grid allows a mixture of flowers, vegetables and herbs creating a unique, easy to maintain, beautiful garden that takes less than 10 minutes a day to maintain. Grow twice as much in half the space using Mel's special organic soil mix.
Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening
Provides a comprehensive, readable, and practical book on non-chemical gardening and farming. It inspires responsible stewardship of the land.
Wood Prairie (organic potatoes)
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Labels: education, farmer-resources
