Essays and Opinions

10 days and counting… On September 18th, we will have had our heritage chickens for 15 weeks and 3 days and they’ll be off to the butcher. For us, it will be the end of a very meaningful project and the beginning of hopefully a long and fulfilling career as farmers. This year was our

Article by Courtney White, originally published by A Carbon Pilgrim  | AUG 27, 2014 and adapted from Grass, Soil, Hope: a Journey through Carbon Country. “The agrarian population among us is growing, and by no means is it made up merely of some farmers and some country people. It includes urban gardeners, urban consumers who are buying food from local

On July 26, YA and Willow Springs Organic Farm co-hosted a (stellar) farm tour and potluck. I first meet farmer Willy Fuder about a year ago, working on a small-scale agriculture education project.  After hearing about the project, Willy reaches out.  He wants in on helping to equip and support new farmers.  Five years into

“If there is a fight of our times it is a struggle over land.” – Anuradha Mittal This quote comes from the opening talk by Anuradha Mittal at OUR LAND: A Symposium on Farmland Access in the 21st Century. I had the opportunity to attend this two day symposium which brought scholars and community organizers

Blake Hall is herdsman for Prairie Gold Pastured Meats and runs a unique herdshare program which direct markets grass-finished beef and pastured pork into Red Deer and Calgary, AB. Blake recently attended the National Farm Union‘s Youth Retreat in Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island (BC) where he rocked out with us at the Young Agrarians Vancouver

Maarten Dankers is a BC-based freelance writer and young agrarian. Last year he founded Vanley Fresh Foods market garden and CSA in Langley. He’s currently winding up a three-month-long internship at Villas Mastatal in Costa Rica and is looking for landsharing opportunities for the upcoming growing season in BC. Rice and beans, aka Gallo Pinto,

This episode features part one of my conversation with veggie grower Chris Bodnar of Close to Home Organics in Abbotsford, BC. In this segment, Chris tells me about his background, his partnership with another farmer when he first started out, and about the cooperatively-owned farm on which he works and lives.

In which veggie grower Jordan Marr shows you his tips. And a farming essay he wrote.

This post: young farmer Jordan Marr explains why he thinks organic farmers should be certified as such.

I grew up in cities.  Thoroughly.  Living in cities,  visiting cities, moving through, and traveling among them.  From the first, I honed urban sensibilities and sensitivities.  My ears were tuned to the loud closeness of city sounds.  My eyes learned to scan skyscapes trimmed by buildings – surroundings dominated by human creatures.  My body is