Farm update: A blanket for the garlic
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The Jetta was covered with frost again this morning. Dave left it out by the gravel driveway overnight. My car, on the other hand, snoozed in the relatively warm garage. Continue Reading
Women who blog, women who farm
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Earlier this summer, I had a Deep Roots Radio chat with Elisa Camahort Page, a co-founder of BlogHer, an online community of women who blog. Although I’ve blogged for years – written and posted an online collection of farm stories and a growing archive of radio interviews – I had no idea there are millions of women doing the same thing on a wide range of issues and interests. In fact, reports Elisa, women who blog about food have made BlogHer one of the top three social media sites about the topic, along with Recipes.com and Food Network. Continue Reading
“Are your belted cows mean?”
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The question stopped my fork in mid-air. I just didn’t see it coming. Continue Reading
“Mom, do you KNOW all these people?”
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It was a Saturday afternoon, and Max and I were driving into town, into the small northcentral Wisconsin citadel of Amery, population of 2,906. Continue Reading
Then he asked, “Where are you from the belted cows?”
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Mike was coming out to help out with a cow and needed directions to our farm, Bull Brook Keep. My husband Dave was quick to respond with “We’re on the northwest corner of 50th Avenue and County Road F.” Now, although Mike is local, the coordinates just didn’t compute, so he asked “Where are you from the place with the belted cows?” Continue Reading
The cowgirl and her bone-breaking “Ferrari”
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Every jolt jerked my head and neck, and pulled at my shoulders. After the first 30 minutes, I began checking for cracked molars and loose fillings. Two hours into it, I could feel the tendons straining in my lower arms from pushing, pulling and twisting the skid steer controls. The high furrows and steep ditches of the alfalfa field alternately pitched me forward and bumped me back, keeping me to 4-5mph. (Yes, skid steers have seat belts.) I finally shut the engine and climbed out of the cab after 3-1/2 hours, my ears ringing, face dusty, hands grimy, and body thankful for my, ummm, sturdy vestments. Continue Reading
4:00AM, awake, anxious. Will heavy rains mean heavy losses?
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Friday, June 21, 2013
It’s 4:30 a.m. and I’m sitting up in bed, listening to the downpour and wondering what’ll mean for us. The approaching thunder woke me up an hour ago and I kept hoping that’s all we’d get – a light show. I tried to figure out if the rumbles were traveling west to east and staying south of us. No. The rain started coming down, hard, at about 4:00. Drat. Continue Reading
Erin Schneider visits Senegal women farmers
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Erin Schneider’s enthusiasm for learning is active and contagious. In this Deep Roots Radiointerview (earlier this month), Erin talks about her visit with Senegalese women farmers – how she got there and what she learned. Continue Reading
Farming, learning, traveling with Erin Schneider, Hilltop Community Farm
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After a long, long winter, the sun was finally showing its face again when Erin Schneider and I chatted during this Deep Roots Radio interview. Her attitude – about farming, on-farm research, and learning from peers in Africa – was as welcoming as the warming weather. And maybe it’s that quality that draws visitors to the farm she’s building with her husband, Rob McClure in LaValle, Wisconsin. Continue Reading
Women, Food and Agriculture Network: 3000+ women pushing for sustainable ag, real food
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The Women, Food & Agriculture Network– 3,000+ women from across the U.S. and several countries overseas. I think of them as the tip of the iceberg, the front edge of a powerful wave, the giant awakened. Continue Reading