Cincopa wp content plugins solution for your website. Use Cincopa MediaSend for file transfer.
cliff
Jul 142010
Jul 122010
Here is an article about a farm in North Carolina co-founded by an Army veteran to provide an ecologically sustainable place for aspiring farmers, including veterans.
Written by Sidney Cruze Photographed by Melissa McGaw
Jun 042010
Watch a video of the retreat.
FVC’s Veterans Organic Farming Educational Retreat took place Memorial Day weekend. Sixteen aspiring farmers with military service backgrounds attended and all day Saturday and Sunday they were informed by experts in organic farming, training and certification. FVC provided accommodations, food and transportation to the venues, all around Santa Cruz, CA. Here are most of the attendees and FVC staff, posing amidst the organic berry bushes of Swanton Berry Farm. Jim Cochran, the founder, is in the center rear:
![](http://www.farmvetco.org/"wp-content/uploads//2010/06/MG_34441.jpg "_MG_3444")
Photo by Susanna Frohman.
The University of California provides this online Agricultural Tourism Directory, which allows you to choose a county and find all of the farms, orchards and vineyards that invite the public for tours and tastings.
If you’ve never seen farming up close, this is a great way to meet farmers, ask questions and see how things operate. Just getting out into agricultural territory, like California’s Central Valley and wine-producing regions can be very educational. See where your food comes from and meet the people who grow and process it.
![](http://www.farmvetco.org/"wp-content/uploads//2010/05/agritourism-300x269.png "agritourism")
May 102010
Not that we’re an organic-only organization, but the magazine that helped (re)start organic horticultural practices has recognized the work of veterans who have returned from assignment to become dirt farmers.
This article, Veteran Soldiers Become Novice Farmers, will reach many thousands of readers who are loyal to the Rodale group, which has published OGM for over 50 years.
[Some farmers join the service and take their skills to people in war-torn locations]
From WKYT’s Web page:
Posted: 6:25 PM May 7, 2010Kentucky National Guard soldiers deploy for farming mission in Afghanistan
They’re prepared to fight for our country, but it’s a different type of mission they’re being sent on. Today at Keeneland more than 60 members of the Kentucky National Guard said farewell to friends and family as they leave on a mission to help Afghan farmers.
Reporter: Tamara Evans
Email Address: tamara.evans@wkyt.com
They’re prepared to fight for our country, but it’s a different type of mission they’re being sent on. Today at Keeneland more than 60 members of the Kentucky National Guard said farewell to friends and family as they leave on a mission to help Afghan farmers.
It was an emotional day for friends and family of the soldiers and airmen who make up Task Force Ironhorse as they now set to deploy to Afghanistan.
More than 60 members of the Kentucky National Guard’s Agribusiness Development Team II were honored during a ceremony at Keeneland Race Track. This is the second mission of this type for the Kentucky National Guard. Kentucky’s first team is currently in Afghanistan and soon expected to return.
The farewell ceremony was a first for some, and nothing new for others. However, it was hard on most of the friends and families of the soldier’s in attendance.
“I don’t even want to talk about it. I’m proud of him but at the same time I’m really afraid”, says Donna Cunningham, whose son is deploying.
“This is our second deployment, so this is gonna help me out a lot having her, so it will be easier I think but still hard”, says Tasha Chrisman, speaking about her 6-week-old daughter Brooklyn. Brooklyn’s father Shawn is deploying on this mission.
The mission is to help Afghan farmers become agriculturally self-sufficient and develop their agricultural marketplace.
“To be a little bit better farmers and a little more prosperous”, says Maj. Gen. Edward W. Tonini, the adjutant general for Kentucky.
It’s a difficult task to leave, but one they say they can do with support from friends and family.
“The youngest thinks I’m going on vacation to Afghanistan. He gave me a stuffed animal and told me not to lose it”, says Fred Bates.
“Words can’t explain how proud I am of my son. I’m so proud of everything he’s done”, says Terry Cunningham.
“She really holds our family together. Without support from families like this, deployments wouldn’t be able to keep going”, says Shawn Lombardo.
After the ceremony the soldiers and airmen of Task Force Ironhorse left for Camp Atterbury in Indiana. They will be there several weeks before deploying to Afghanistan.
On a fitting side note, today is Military Spouses Appreciation Day, which honors the husbands and wives of those who wear the uniform of the U.S. Armed Forces.
May 072010
In this interview, Jim Dunlop and his wife Rebecca Thistlethwaite talk about their life raising hogs and chickens in Central California and the lessons they’ve learned. It’s not all fun and glory – it’s hard work and you need not apply for an internship with them unless you’re willing to work at least as hard as the owners. With over 5 years under his belt as a professional farmer, Jim has made plenty of mistakes and learned many lessons. This is part one of a two part interview.
May 052010
Following on its announcement that it has secured a new piece of land for growing its berries, the Veterans’ Farm founded by Adam Burke is now inviting volunteers to help clean up that property in advance of setting up its farming operation.
![](http://www.farmvetco.org/"wp-content/uploads//2010/05/130_0159.jpg "130_0159")
Contact:
Phone: 352-217-1662
Email: veteransfarm@yahoo.com
Where:
5571 Long Branch RD
Jacksonville, FL 32234
When:
Sat May 22nd at 8:00am
Directions:
From jacksonville, FL take I-10 west to 295North to Hwy 228 (Normandy Blvd) heading toward 301. Take a left on McClelland Rd go all the way down until you hit a 4-way dirt road. Take a right onto Long Branch Rd. It’s the 3rd drive on the left – 5571.
Activities:
We will be cleaning up garbage and debris from the old farm house and around the farm. Work gloves recommended, and weedeaters welcomed.
We need to get all of the trash removed from the farm in order for us to start prepping the land for planting.
Bonus byproducts:
This will be a great networking opportunity and give us an opportunity to introduce the different organizations that are supporting us to one another.
Who else will be there:
We will have supporters from Work Vessels for Veterans, Farmer-Veteran Coalition, GreenCare For troops, Truly Nolan, The Mission Continues, and the American Legion.
We hope to have the Patriot Guard Riders participate as well as others.
From the website of the Ecological Farming Association:
Poppy Davis to be Executive Director of EcoFarmThe Board of Directors of the Ecological Farming Association (EcoFarm) in Watsonville, California is pleased to announce that Poppy Davis will join the organization as the Executive Director in May. Poppy is a California native, returning home after three years at the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. where she worked on Secretary Vilsack’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative, Women and Working Lands, and with Native American farmers and ranchers. No stranger to the EcoFarm Conference, she has counseled financial sustainability to conference attendees for fifteen years.The Ecological Farming Association was founded in 1981 to bring people together for education and advocacy in support of ecologically based farms, food systems and communities. Through educational conferences, training programs, on-farm events and communications initiatives, EcoFarm provides practical tools for building food systems that encourage diverse ecosystems and healthy rural communities.Prior to working in Washington, Poppy worked for three years in the Davis Regional Office of the USDA Risk Management Agency. Her career prior to that was as a Certified Public Accountant working in small accounting firms with a practice emphasis in family scale farms and ranches and related estates, business and not-for-profits. She is a past fellow of the California Agricultural Leadership Program, and has a bachelor’s in Agricultural and Managerial Economics from the University of California at Davis.She says that the best part about being with the USDA was getting to know people from all over the country and working with South East Asian, Latino and Native American farmers and ranchers. She hopes to continue to work with diverse populations in her new position.Poppy is on the board of directors of The Carrot Project and Red Tomato, both in Massachusetts, and the Farmer-Veteran Coalition, in California. Previously she served on the board of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers in California.Poppy Davis to be Executive Director of EcoFarm
Jeremy Lopez, a Marine veteran, worked in American embassies around the world. His specific task was opening and closing the embassies each day, always being mindful of security issues in some countries.
Joe Judge, a member of Sonoma County Farm Bureau and a leader in the county’s wine industry, said because Lopez had shouldered that level of responsibility he had no qualms about putting him in charge of frost protection when he and his wife had to travel to visit an ailing family member. Lopez stayed in the family home, sleeping next to the frost alarm and moving into action when temperatures dipped below freezing.
“It was the first time in nine years that we were able to leave the vineyard during frost season. And it was because of the diligence of ex-soldier Jeremy Lopez,” said Judge.
This season, Jeremy is back, helping Joe with his frost protection preparation. He was originally attracted to working on Joe’s vinyard by his friend, Matt Mcclure, a fellow Marine veteran who served in combat in Iraq. Matt now runs his own farm – Shooting Star – with his partner, Lily Schneider.
