Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

Farmgirl Theresa Freund and her family know what it is to be dirty, having found a niche market in repurposing the cow waste on their family farm for hundreds of nurseries and growers. So there’s is no doubt an ideal location for the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs.” According to this post in the Litchfield CountyContinue reading “'Dirty Jobs' Show to Feature Family Farm”

Sad update about Oshie, who was first discussed in this post. Turns out, despite living long past the time set by her vets, Oshie passed away last summer, the victim of a neighborhood raccoon. Her adventurous spirit and advice to “Greet each day with passion and joy for its simple pleasures,” will continue to liveContinue reading “Tribute to Oshie”

Check out the “Eat Industry” film project started by a food curious family, who took a five-month, 16,000-mile trek across the country to find out the source of their food. The young family’s adventures are chronicled in this story from New York-based Currier Life publication and even more details about their trip can be foundContinue reading “Right to the Source”

I have a friend in New Haven no less who is an absolute devotee of backyard chickens. Year before last her chicken Oshie “The Miracle Chicken” was featured on her Christmas card. After several nudges from her for me to check this out, I started poking around on the Net. Sure enough, there are manyContinue reading “Yard-Fresh Eggs Every Morning”

There’s an absolutely charming series of Geek.Farm.Life podcasts near expertly produced by Farmgirl Misty and her husband Andrew, who own Three Elms Farm in north-central Indiana. Their latest podcast from Jan. 7 covers everything from how to cook a goose (both commercial and small farm bred) to their up and down experiences with rehydration and,Continue reading “Geeky Podcasting On and About the "Simple" Life”

After watching Rachael Ray $40 her way through Slow Food restaurants, I picked up on this piece in the Molokai Island Times about the importance of the Slow Food Movement in Hawaii. While most food travels 1,500 miles from producer to plate, in Hawaii the distance increases to 2,300 miles. Hawaii is making a concertedContinue reading “Slow Food Meets Sustainability”

The Oakland Press insists that a thin metal frame whirling atop the Long Family Farm & Orchard in Michigan is of this world. But the local farmer is hopeful the addition of this new high-tech weather station will make it easier to farm with fewer pesticides, a concept still alien to many. The “enviro-weather” stationContinue reading “Enviro-Weather Station Lands to Help Save Crops from Pesticides”

Buried in this story from the Williamsport Sun-Gazette about the 91st Pennsylvania Farm Show is a lucrative bit of trivia. Who knew that with a bit of agricultural knowhow and fine craftsmanship, these squat squash can bring in from $8 to $10,000 and $30,000 in cash? That’s at least according to a rep quoted inContinue reading “Good Gourd!”

Fourth-generation Farmgirl Bonnie Dehn and her husband Bob have secured a commerical farming niche, offering fresh herbs throughout the year to local markets and restaurants, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Faced with competition from year-round farmers in warmer climates, the Dehns took on higher heating and infrastructure costs to make their garden business aContinue reading “Herbs Yr-Rd from Calif., I Mean Minnesota”

Farmgirl/teacher/soon-to-be mom Nicki Jones is bringing agriculture to her high school classroom, melding experience from her life growing up on a farm and managing one now with the applied sciences behind farming operations. Jones tells the Cinci Enquirer that one of the challenges she faces is that people think agriculture is only about farming. ButContinue reading “Farmgirl Preps Future Farmers”