February 2017 Issue PDF

The Acres U.S.A. February 2017 issue; Vol. 47, No. 2; contains the following:

FEATURES

Growing Community
by Tamara Scully
Since its inception 25 years ago, Honey Brook Organic Farm has, and continues to, lead the way and pave a path for sustainable farmers and its nearly 4,000 CSA members speak to the farm’s success.

Maintaining the Mat
by Robert L. Kinkead, D.V.M., retired
Keep your pastures healthy year-round by fostering and maintaining a vegetative mat that inhibits erosion, increases water absorption and provides a blanket to insulate soil organisms from winter cold and summer heat.

Financing Your Farm
by Andrew French
Unlike a conventional homebuyer, a farmer’s property is both home and business. Wisconsin farmer Andrew French shares keys to purchasing farmland. 

Growing Under Glass
by Lynsey Grosfield
Find out how one Danish grower has stayed afloat by growing organic specialty herbs in clay pots.

Autum Olive, Friend or Foe?
by Greg Judy
Missouri grazier Greg Judy challenges farmers to consider managing invasives instead of killing them to reap various ecological and monetary benefits.

Soil Amendments in Focus
by Maria Dimengo        
Beneficial uses of on-traditional agricultural inputs flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum and uncontaminated dredged material are being investigated.

The Art & Science of Modern Eco-Ag
Staff Report
Attendees from across the United States and around the globe converged at the 2016 Acres U.S.A. Conference in Omaha, Nebraska, for an invaluable learning and networking opportunity.

Measuring Crop Health
by William R. Jackson, Ph.D., Sc.D.
The refractometer can be used for fertilizer selection, large- or small-scale food evaluation (even milk), food processing and a variety of other uses.

Value-Added Processing
by Barbara Berst Adams
There are many pros and cons, but for some, freeze-drying may be worth investigating, or at least keeping an eye on, as it evolves and improves over the years.

Interview: Jonathan Latham
Researcher and farmer Jonathan Latham discusses the future of the food movement.

DEPARTMENTS

View from the Country
Monthly musings from Acres U.S.A.’s publisher. 

Letters to the Editor
Readers share their thoughts on past articles and words of encouragement.

Opinion
Land Accessibility: Young farmers face daunting land prices that are continually driven up by development pressure close to their markets or pressure from conventional production agriculture farther out. 

Eco-Update
News in brief from around the world on developments in eco-farming technology, organic food and farming, human health and vital environmental issues.

Science on Your Side
Acres U.S.A. highlights recent research and what it means for you.

The Harvest Table
The Roselle Zinger: Roselle is a remarkably ornamental plant that produces an obscure yet desirable international commodity plus a wide array of useful products including seed meal, cooking oil, coffee alternative, fruity beverage, natural food coloring agent, organic pectin, medicinal herbage and strong hemp-like fibers.

Stock & Flock
Breed Stewardship: Each and every livestock breed has their own particular strengths and certain points in which they might be considered lacking or vulnerable. Focus on your production, go with your strengths, study your markets and produce what is most valued by those markets.

Small-Scale Success
Cultivating Health: The father of integrative medicine, Dr. Andrew Weil, spends winters in sunny Tucson, Arizona, and summers in cooler Cortes Island, British Columbia, maintaining organic vegetable gardens in both locations.

Reviews & Recommendations
From in-depth book reviews to innovative websites and beyond, here’s what’s on our radar.

Marketplace

Classifieds

Eco-Meetings
We let you know when and where exciting eco-farming events are happening.

Meet an Eco-Farmer
Get to know fellow innovative farmers putting ecologically correct production principles to work, resulting in profitable, sustainable operations.