Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

I’ve been trying to come up with an Oscars-related post, but the only one I can think of is that Farmgirl Marsha Mason, a nominee for her role in the 1977 film The Goodbye Girl, is now running an organic herb farm – Resting in the River – in beautiful arid Abiquiu, New Mexico. Then,Continue reading “Celebrating Celebrity Farmers on Oscar Sunday”

I read a couple of provocative stories this week. The first was in Salon.com, based on a new study by Manchester School of Business for the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, that challenged the notion that sustainable organic is indeed better for the environment. The second was in Capital Press, aContinue reading “Questioning the Sustainability Model”

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is celebrating Black History Month by promoting Carver’s Secret Garden, an agricultural program developed for inner-city urban youth. Created by Rick Sayles, a 4-H Urban Youth Development Educator with Penn State Cooperative Extension’s Capital Region, the program was named for the famed agricultural inventor George Washington Carver, who was knownContinue reading “Pa. Celebrates Urban Youth Farming”

Wal-Mart announced this week that it is partnering with North Dakota’s Tri Campbell Farms in an effort to show that it is working harder to buy produce from local growers. In the deal with Wal-Mart, the family-owned Tri-Campbell will provide homegrown potatoes to stores in the North Dakota region. In a release about the deal,Continue reading “Wal-Mart Sees Financial Benefits of Buying Local”

Here’s a photo Hoosier Outsider sent today near Eastbrook, just south of Indiana 18 in Grant County. This certainly shows there’s more than one way to report the news and get your message out. Clearly this barn owner is no fan of CAFOs for a number of environmental and health reasons. The “Barn News” refersContinue reading “Barncasting the Old Fashioned Way”

We got a belated Christmas letter from our friends in New Mexico this weekend and learned that there’s a fabulous new co-op in the area where I used to live near Ojo Sarco. The Dixon Market, in addition to providing food for locals, supports small farming and sustainable agricultural operations. Dixon Market hosts a weeklyContinue reading “Tripping Down a Land of Enchantment Memory Lane”

I’ve been busy with the kiddies this weekend, but I didn’t want another day go by without mentioning this piece about “Green Weddings” that I was forwarded last week from the New York Times. Some great organic, sustainable-oriented businesses are featured in the piece, including organicbouquet.com. Even more noteworthy, the story features couples such asContinue reading “Eco-Friendly Brides are Trading White for Green”

I’m getting closer to finally checking out my town’s ordinances on pets and whether I can get away with having backyard chickens. More on underground chicken movements here, though the site hasn’t been updated in a while. I wasn’t sold on the idea until I did more reading about the nutrients packed into fresh eggs.Continue reading “Considering Getting a Pet Chicken or Four”

For those of us (with enough space) considering backyard chickens or looking for a cheap easy way to build a coop, Small Farm Today published an article recently about how to build a straw bale chicken house. These are probably not for the urban farmer, but look pretty easy to set up. Article author RonContinue reading “You Can Huff and Puff But Won't Blow These Houses Down”

I have been waiting for Belk to come out with its line of home decor collection designed by Idaho Farmgirl guru MaryJane Butters. The MaryJanesFarm Home collection by Homestead was announced in October and was supposed to be available by this month. But so far, I can’t seem to find the products at Belk.com.