organic certification
California Aquaponic Operation Seeks to Play Role in Evolution of Farming
August 12, 2013 | Jenny Smiechowski
Photo Credit: Ouroboros Farms
In June 2011, Ken Armstrong watched a YouTube video that would change the course of his life. The video was created by urban farmer Will Allen, founder of the sustainable agriculture nonprofit Growing Power, Inc. and avid proponent of aquaponic farming. A year later, in June 2012, Armstrong would break ground on his own aquaponic operation, Ouroboros Farms.
Armstrong and his business partner Kenji Snow started Ouroboros with a strong desire to join the future of farming. “We wanted to be innovators and a model for a new integrated, living ecosystem methodology of farming that partners with nature, rather than trying to overcome it,” said Armstrong. Read More
Awareness of Environmental Impact, Embrace of Sustainability, Defines 4th Generation Deardorff Family Farms
August 5, 2013 | Noelle Swan
Photo credit: Deardorff Family Farms
The Deardorff family has been in the produce business since 1937, helping local farmers in Venice, Hollywood, and Los Angeles distribute their produce. As the city of Los Angeles swelled in the early 1960’s, the Deardorffs followed many of their growers north to Ventura County and began to work the land themselves on their own 50-acre ranch. Since then Deardorff Family Farms has passed through four generations and grown immensely. Today, cousins Scott Deardorff, and Tom Deardorff II farm 2,000 acres of sustainably grown celery, tomatoes, greens, and mixed vegetables throughout Ventura County. They market their produce through wholesale distributors, at local markets, and directly to consumers. Read More
Organic Farm Thrives Amidst Illinois Monoculture
July 30, 2013 | Zavi Engles
Visiting Blue Moon Farm is a visual delight—an oasis of diverse organic vegetable production in a sprawling landscape otherwise filled with fields of conventionally grown corn and soybean. Long rows of kale, bok choy, and other greens dot the landscape while greenhouses filled with tomatoes and melons stand in stark contrast to the surrounding monoculture.
Jon Cherniss has been tending this land since 1997, finding ways of increasing profitability and longevity while maintaining a commitment to organic farming methods, which are often eschewed in favor of short-term gains in Central Illinois. Read More
Farm Kid Turned Anthropologist Returns to a Life in Sustainable Agriculture
July 29, 2013 | Missy Smith
Photo Credit: Everblossom Farm.
As a fourth generation farmer, Elaine Lemmon has a fond relationship with dirt. But growing up, she didn’t plan on becoming a farmer later in her life. When the real world called, she answered, studying anthropology and archeology at Penn State University. But, her studies would later steer her back to farming. “I soon got disenchanted with how science-for-profit really wasn’t good science,” says Lemmon. “The part of archeology I really loved was working outside and working in the soil.”
Fifth-Generation Oregon Family Farmer Revives Sustainable Efforts of Her Ancestors
June 27, 2013 | Hana Lurie
Greenhouse starts at Love Farm Organics. Photo Credits: Love Farm Organics.
Amy Love is an educated and well-seasoned fifth-generation farmer, as well as a mother of two. She and her husband run Love Farm Organics, a CSA operation located in the Willamette Valley just outside of Portland, Oregon. This land has been farmed by the Love family for over 100 years. Love is passionate about genetic diversity, the well-being of the land and delivering quality food to her community on a modest scale.
I recently spoke with Amy about how her interest in farming developed, the sustainable methods she employs, and the future goals for Love Farm Organics. Read More
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