Yearly Archives: 2007

Pennsylvanians celebrated Women’s History Month today with a lunch in Harrisburg featuring Farmgirl Hero Jane Alexander, the first woman in the country to become a state deputy secretary of agriculture. That was way back in 1972. Alexander, aka the “Gavel Girl,” is a lawyer and heads the progressive J&J Agri-Products & Services, a consulting agencyContinue reading “Farmgirl, Lawyer, Pioneer, 'Girlie' Ag Secretary”

I was checking out the American Agriculturalist this morning and a piece headlined “Women Will ‘Rule’ Farming” definitely caught my attention. The article notes that during the next 20 years, 400 million acres of U.S. farmland will change hands and that women will inherit 75 percent. The numbers are even higher in the New EnglandContinue reading “Farmgirls Will 'Rule'”

This day in history, circa some 7,000 years ago, our early relatives couldn’t digest milk. At least so says new research by University College London scientists who claim that human ancestors lacked the gene required to produce the enzymes most of us have now to process cow’s milk. The working theory, according to the KhaleejContinue reading “Farmgirl History Lesson: Dairy Farming Emerged As Ancestors Developed Taste for Cow's Milk”

My mother-in-law died very early this morning and for some reason, I can’t get this image of her as a young woman driving a tractor out of my mind. I’ve heard stories about her family farming background for years and despite declining health in the last few months, I will remember her strong and vibrant,Continue reading “Celebrating a Farmgirl”

NASCAR has yet to make the switch, but beginning this racing season, cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be fueled 100 percent by ethanol. It’s a move Speedway President Tony George says was prompted by a desire by the IRL to be “socially responsible and innovative at the same time,” according to this pieceContinue reading “Farms Fueling 500, Indy Cars Racing on 100% Ethanol this May”

Doing a little surfing tonight, I found myself engrossed in food photographer Nika Boyce’s mouth-watering site Nika’s Culinaria. I don’t come across too many sites in full color, so to see so many tastefully chosen images and full-color galleries of food prep is especially exciting. So what does this have to do about farming? Well,Continue reading “Food, Photos and New England Artisan Farms”

Thanks to this piece in Connect Savannah entitled “Eight is Enough,” I learned about the Celtic musical sensation of “Leahy.” The group is comprised of eight brothers and sisters – children of a fiddle champion and step-dancing champion – were raised along with three other siblings on an Ontario farm. In the interview two ofContinue reading “Celtic/Canadian Farmkids to Headline Savannah Music Festival”

Here’s a nifty little way to find sustainable – fresh, local – food to eat: The Eat Well Guide. Just plug in your zip code and find local farms and markets where you can go for fresh meat, veggies and dairy. The site turned me on to this cute nearby farm near Valparaiso, Creme deContinue reading “Farmgirl Finds: Eat Well Guide & Growing Organic Farm in NW Indiana”

A special Virtual Farmgirl thanks to The Nation, which a few days ago alerted me with this beautifully written headline, “Nancy Pelosi: Farm Girl,” that the glass ceiling busting House speaker was speaking to the National Farmer’s Union in Florida. Farmgirl Nancy earned “wild applause” when she announced that an Iraq War spending bill wouldContinue reading “'Farm Girl' Pelosi Pledges Disaster Aid to Farmers”

For every five plus stories like this one in the North County Times about an avocado farmer throwing in the towel after four years of losses from his 31-acre farm, there is one like this Patriot News story about a longtime Pennsylvania farmer who recently bought up 270 acres of neighboring farmland to expand hisContinue reading “One Farmer Calls it Quits, Another Buys Up Land”