New Farm

In an effort to overcome the economic downturn and scarcity of available jobs, many Americans are seeking opportunities in ecologically-minded businesses. The boom of regional composting facilities offers new potential for green job seekers, but the industry is not without its pitfalls.

Monsanto sets its sights on “honeybee health” acquiring a company manipulating gene expression. Maryam Henein, director of the documentary Vanishing of the Bees, says we should "bee" afraid. Bee very afraid.

The media buzz around colony collapse disorder (CCD) has quieted down, but winter deaths still hover around 30% and concerns about contaminated honey are on the rise. Get the latest from researchers on suspected causes and possible paths toward a healthier honeybee population.

With more than a half-million consumers already on board, a campaign petitioning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to label genetically engineered (GE) food launched the video “Labels Matter” by filmmaker Robert Kenner encouraging consumers to fight to know what is in their food.

This technical bulletin from Rodale Institute researchers provides the information and resources for implementing an organic no-till system; a system that allows organic farmers to capture the benefits of no-till and conventional farmers to decrease or eliminate the need for herbicides.

From soil tests that look beyond chemical composition to microscopic observation to good old farmer-to-farmer knowledge, techniques and resources presented at a Rodale Institute soil health workshop provide real-life solutions to common problems.

This “queen bee” is making micro-local the new local and healing our honeybee population in the process. We caught up with Meme to get a sneak peek at some of the things she’ll be covering during the upcoming beekeeping workshops at Rodale Institute, as well as how this queen bee found her passion.

Organic pioneer, farmer and author Gene Logsdon welcomes Susie Sutphin to his farm and talks about farming as art, 16” ears of corn, feeding the world, getting small and staying contrary. (Photo: Carol and Gene Logsdon)

Jeroen Koeman, co-founder of EcoTulips, talks about sourcing, growing and marketing organic tulips and why the industry and the public is just catching on.

The cut flower industry is infamous for drowning their product in pesticides, fungicides and other chemicals. Bulb production is just as toxic to environmental and human health. Jeroen and Keriann Koeman are working to change all that—awakening the American bulb-buyer to a new way of gardening. They started EcoTulips a few years ago and came out to the Institute earlier this fall to plant 25,000 organic bulbs.