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The variety showcase: bringing farmers, seed breeders and chefs together One of the most important learning tools in my toolbox over the years has beenfarmer gatherings, places where farmers are able to get together and share notes. Actual farm tours and field days are often the best, but also important to me have been farm […]

A new farm store model is growing in France Imagine a farm shop that is not only yours, but also belongs to 28 other farmers. Here customers find everything that can be produced locally: eggs, vegetables, fruits, cheeses (very important if you are French!), flour, meat, and more. More than 80 farmers offer products. Don’t

“Do you have cilantro?” is probably the reason I launched my farm six years ago. It still is the most frequent question I get. Then, I would say, “I only grow herbs.” I realized this might sound like a regret. It is not. So now I say I’m a specialty crop farmer. Since 2018, I

Part 1 of 2: Why and how to organize We’re in our fifth year running a flower CSA at Moonshot Farm in East Windsor, New Jersey. Our subscription program has morphed, changing in length and price, with adjustments made as we implement lessons learned. We’ve grown it from 25 memberships the first season to nearly

Up-front costs offset by incentives and cheaper operation Here at Moonshot Farm in Central New Jersey, we produce cut flowers year-round for retail markets, including during the cold winter months from December through March. Winter production has a lot of upsides, including a less competitive market and selling flowers during peak floral holidays. Yet, a

At the height of the growing season, when the fields are planted and we’re busy harvesting vegetables and flipping beds for fall crops, how we package our produce may seem like an afterthought. But packaging is one of the first things the customer sees and it impacts shelf-life. In addition to marketing and product quality,

Compost mulch in tarped no-till did the best; research is ongoing In recent years, many small-scale organic vegetable farmers have adopted reduced or no tillage approaches. However, few university research trials have been conducted or published on these promising practices. Cornell University researchers Ryan Maher, Anu Rangarajan, and Brian Caldwell, along with many students, conducted

Two Wisconsin cheeseheads visit veg farms part two You’re back again for part two of our tale of Japanese vegetables! Seeing as how it’s the ragged end of the growing season, I’ve got to imagine your patience is wearing thin — so I’ll jump right in.  Paul and I left the Osaka area headed by