Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

A blogger posting on a Seattle Post Intelligencer site makes an argument for urban farming, vertical sky-rise farming methods as one solution for easing food shortages, particularly in large urban areas. The blogger, Danielle Johnson, works for GreenWorks Realty, a real estate firm in the Puget Sound area that specializes in “healthy green homes, community-focusedContinue reading “Strawberries On The 25th Floor, Potatoes On 2”

Identifying the transition between one generation to the next as the most vulnerable time for family farms, Michigan State has begun a program “Farm it Forward” with the goal of smoothing that transition and preserving the family farm. A short story detailing the program appears in the Grand Rapids Press this week. Farmgirl Amy LaperContinue reading “From Mom & Pop to Daughters”

The story of the Dairy State’s Krusenbaums is detailed this week in a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which says that while Wisconsin is “home to 659 certified organic operations and one-third of the nation’s organic milk cows” that makes up only 2 percent of the state’s totals. Still, the piece argues that organicContinue reading “Organic Security”

Software analyst turned alpaca farmgirl Maggie Wright recently tells the AP about “falling in love” with the puffy animals with cashmere-like fleece and why she ditched the corporate treadmill for life in a niche market that is turning out to be a fashionable trend. The story details the economic incentives in alpaca farming – $1,000Continue reading “Alpacas in Fashion”

No-till guru Steve Groff and veteran herb farmer Art Tucker are among the featured speakers at this year’s Indiana Hort Congress later this month in Indy. Am still trying to figure out if this is a good place to get ideas about what I can do with my land. So far I’m intrigued by theContinue reading “Where Are the Farmgirls?”

Absolutely. So says the Chicago Tribune today with its predictions for the “The Next Big Thing(s)” in 2007. In an item titled “Fame on the Farm,” the paper notes that while chefs were the stars in the ’80s and ’90s, farmers are taking center stage. “Even rock-star chefs are saluting farmers on their restaurant menus,”Continue reading “Farmers. The Next Rock Stars?”