New Farm

When Verena Seufert, Navin Ramankutty and Jonathan A. Foley published their research evaluating yield differences between organic and conventional agricultural systems, they expected to get some attention. What they didn't expect was how their results were "translated" for the general public.

While row covers are an indispensable aid in organic vegetable production, they can be notoriously difficult to handle. CSA farmers John and Aimee Good talk about how they tame their row covers providing techniques for efficiently laying, removing and storing the huge sheets of white cloth.

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.

Rodale Institute added another feature to the Water Purification Eco-Center this winter: SunPower solar panels installed by Heat Shed. Now the Institute can create clean, renewable energy for the farm to use, continuing our environmentally friendly practices while putting money back into research and development where it counts.

Centuries ago, forty women sitting in a room talking about teas, tinctures and thyme would have been suspected of witchcraft. But this was just the scene at the Young Farmers Conference at the Stone Barn Center in Pocantico Hills, NY this winter where farmers gathered to learn how to start growing herbs on their land.

The beautiful pink and cream colored rhizomes of baby ginger, too tender to be shipped overseas, are stunning, easy to grow and super simple to eat. With a little pre-season education, your customers could be clamoring for this crop.

Without soil biology and nutrient cycling, humans would have no food to eat – no grains, no dairy, no eggs, no meat. This was the network of interactions 60 Reading High School 10th grade biology students learned when they came to the Rodale Institute farm late last fall for hands-on soil biology experience.

One of the greatest challenges of running a CSA is producing a steady flow of an endlessly changing variety of vegetables for an entire season. Dealing with the unique needs of dozens of crops and hundreds of different varieties, and planning multiple successions can be overwhelming. The key to dealing with these challenges is developing a good growing plan before the season.

Livestock farmer and former doctor Ken Jaffe says when it comes to antibiotics, there is one message for the medical community and a very different message for the agricultural community. And this puts everyone at risk.

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.