Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

I love fall. It’s been a wonderful, cool, sunny week. And I’ve enjoyed almost every bit, especially the farmer’s market this weekend. Even though we were too late to taste any donuts, we picked up the best multicolored corn I can remember. It went perfect with organic BBQ chicken (4-H winning recipe) on the backyardContinue reading “Celebrating Fall”

Having just taken my first vacation in ages, I know how necessary they are. But have you ever wondered whether farmers get vacations? I can see heading to greener pastures or sandy beaches after harvest. But when there are animals to tend, someone’s got to feed and water them. And since there aren’t boarding housesContinue reading “Need a Sitter for Your Cows?”

Great little story in the Forest City Summit about an Iowa farm family who had the foresight to invest in wind turbines more than a decade ago. Now instead of paying an electric bill each month, they get a check. Some nifty enviro tidbits in the piece, including: *A 1.5-megawatt turbine displaces 2,700 tons ofContinue reading “Family Farm Turns Tables, er Windmills on Utility Company”

Those who buy raw milk for their pets in North Carolina may soon see a change in their milk color if a new Ag rule is implemented. The rule would require dairy farmers to dye raw milk charcoal gray and label it “not for human consumption.” This is apparently to protect wayward children who mightContinue reading “Milk's New Color is Discouraging”

I found this press release irresistible…both for its concept and approach. Modern conceptual artist Jonathan Keats is experimenting with entertainment for non-humans. He’s developed dance for bees and is now targeting plants…with porn. Or so the release says. He really is projecting video for the plants at a theater/gallery in Chico, Calif. But the filmContinue reading “Porn for Plants?”

I don’t always like to link to international AG news. I have to draw the line somewhere. But I liked this story in the York Press about a free range operation in the UK that started out with six hens and now produces a million free range eggs a week. Yes, a week. That’s aContinue reading “Goal to Feed a Family Hatches a Farm: A Lesson in Starting Out Small”

When you have a few minutes, check out this piece by Adam Gopnik in the New Yorker partly about a Just Food program to proliferate community gardens with egg-layers. Adam is trying to only eat food grown locally, including chickens raises in NYC. It’s illegal, so that adds a little extra drama to the article.Continue reading “New Yorker Reporter Tries to 'Eat Local' in NYC”

Not that I’m counting or obsessively checking site statistics…but I was happy to see that Virtual Farmgirl has reached a milestone with more than 5,000 visits. No telling how many of those were me from different computers. It’s a nice number nonetheless. Not exactly Wall Street Journal dot com numbers, but for a blog IContinue reading “Traffic Milestone…”

After cleaning up three floors of flooding thanks to my bathroom obsessed child, I found inspiration in the story of this cancer-surviving Alabama farmgirl: Melissa Boutwell. Having trouble finding quality red meat to boost her red blood cells and wanting her family to eat healthier, she delved into organics…moving her family to a farm nearContinue reading “Farmgirl Hero/Survivor Embraces Grass-Fed Methods”

Have you wondered where all the honey bees have gone? Well…about 100,000 of them were in an abandoned house in South Bend. According to Fox South Bend, the city had to hire a bee keeper to smoke out the bees. No worries though, the bee keeper intends to give the Italian-Russian bees a new homeContinue reading “100K Honey Bees Shacked Up in Indiana Home”