Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

The Miami Herald had this story today about the growth of niche vegetable farming. For 40 years, the Capote family has grown a Cuban sweet potato called boniato. They’re one of a growing number of family farms responding to the tastes of fast-growing immigrant populations around the country. It’s hard to immagine in my house,Continue reading “Ethnic Veggies in High Demand Across States”

For the third year, Progressive Farmer Magazine named its “Best Places to Live in Rural America,” selecting Barren County, Kentucky for the No. 1 slot. A promo about the top 10 talks about a growing interest in “new ruralism” in which over the past 20 years 71 percent of rural counties gained in population. EditorContinue reading “Did Your Rural County Make the Cut?”

Even before we’ve had to start paying the price at the grocery store for California’s devastating Big Freeze of 2007, a few altruistic local chefs have noticed the impact and are doing what they can to help. According to this story in the LA Times, chefs are holding a series of fund-raising dinners to aidContinue reading “Chefs Cook Up Some Family Farm Aid”

I’m always happy to see a story in one of my local papers about family farming, especially one like this one in this week’s Chicago Tribune that features farmers and a farmgirl connected to CSA projects. Check out the brief mention, but mention nonetheless, of Trader Joe’s employee/Farmgirl Gray Wiechern, who launched Mother Earth OrganicContinue reading “American Idol: Farm Edition”

From what I hear, Indiana is slow to embrace and support alternative farming. But I did see this audio file and press release in Inside Indiana Business about a series of workshops for women in farming. The seven workshops throughout the state – with programs on financial records management and keeping track of production –Continue reading “Annie's Project Schools Farmgirls in FarmBiz”

I stumbled across Scott Hutcheson’s Hungry Hoosier site recently and was pleased to see how closely he’s examined food from the source. In this post from December, Scott blogs about Joel Salatin protege Stan Skillington and then in August about the Phelps Family Farms in Ladoga, Ind. Then closer to home for me, he bloggedContinue reading “Hoosier Blogger's Family Farm Discoveries”

Bluegrass Farmgirl hero Adrienne Young is set to release a new album this spring, this one supporting sustainable agriculture. Fans will remember that in her Grammy-nominated first album, she bundled seed packets into the liner notes. This album – Room to Grow – will promote “responsible-farming awareness” according to this piece in Cybergrass. According toContinue reading “Folksinger Farmgirl to Release New Album”

I was reading this story on CattleNetwork.com about the death of Nebraska’s anti-corporate farming law and the threat to North Dakota’s legislation because of recent court rulings, when I came across a quote from someone who seemed suspiciously farmgirlish. Indeed, Jessica Shoemaker, a staff attorney with the Farmers Legal Action Group in St. Paul, Minn.,Continue reading “Farmgirl Heroes Alert”

Kansas Farmgirl Betty Bonjour and her daughter Jessica just won a grassland award for their brand of rotational farming at Double B Ranch. Betty operates a 150-head cow-calf herd and five registered quarter horses. Jessica tells the Marysville Advocate that farming has been her dream since she graduated from high school. And her Farmgirl motherContinue reading “Grassland Farmgirls Honored in Kansas”

I thought I was a true virtual farmgirl until I read this piece in RP Gamer about Natsume’s latest fantasy video games: Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon and Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon. For the past decade, the games have featured a city boy who heads to rural lands to try his handContinue reading “The True Virtual Farmers Are Gaming it Up”