The Farmer Veteran Coalition Partnership and the Farm Bureau have teamed up to encourage veterans to become farmers or seek employment in the agriculture industry. The groups released a guide for veterans interested in transitioning into agriculture, and plan to help them find farms they can buy or work for and offer assistance in purchasing farm equipment. 44% of people in the military come from rural areas, even though only 17% of Americans live in rural areas. The FVCP is hoping to return some of that talent to its rural roots.
Tag: Farming
Growing Red Cranberries the Green Way
Twenty percent of the nation’s cranberry crop was enjoyed on Thanksgiving, and this year some cranberry farmers in Cape Cod have a new high-tech, water-saving growing system to be thankful for. Growing cranberries takes a lot of water. Farmers spray their cranberry bogs when temperatures dip because the water generates heat as it freezes, protecting the berries. The U.S. Department of Agriculture gave a conservation innovation grant to cranberry growers in Cape Cod so they could update their irrigation systems to include sensors that automatically detect when it’s time to turn on the water and when it’s time to turn it off instead of using old-fashioned manual watering. Switching to automated water delivery can save 280,000 gallons of water a season.
New “Mobsters” Are Feeding the Hungry and Cutting Food Waste
Successful farmers must have as much business sense as any corporate executive. As with any business, profits are crucial, but an agricultural surplus isn’t the same as an economic surplus. Instead, when farmers have produce that doesn’t sell, it quickly turns to waste. Nick Papadopoulos, a farmer whose resume includes professional work in conflict resolution, turned that food waste problem into a food access solution. He went online and, like many grocery stores might, advertised his extra items at reduced rates. Gleaners in Sonoma County who seek out food for food pantries and low-income housing residents, responded positively, and a non-profit called CropMobster was born. Papadopoulos put his conflict-resolution spin on the model, seeing his work as resolving the competition between the premium prices that farmers need to charge and the minimal budgets available for solving hunger problems.
Farmers’ Markets Around the Country Have Found Bitcoin’s Secret Good Side
At farmers’ markets, credit cards make transactions more convenient for customers who may not have cash on hand. But they’re not ideal for vendors, who have to forfeit a 3% transaction fee. Some farmers are therefore turning to the new digital currency, Bitcoin, which most people associate with online drug and weapon sales. Clinton Felsted from Provo, Utah, started using Bitcoin at his market and has enjoyed pocketing the 3% of each transaction he was previously losing. It might seem like a small fee, but for a “high-volume, low-profit” business like a farmers’ market, it accrues harshly. Bitcoin could make a significant difference in business, and aid the country’s growing local agriculture movement. Small businesses may especially benefit from Bitcoin: they’re young and nimble enough to take the risk of using a new currency.
Lessons in Local Shopping: Can You Go From Farm to … Grocery Cart?
One of the biggest challenges for people who want to shop local is that the prices at farmers’ markets and other local stores are often higher than those at large supermarkets. In North Carolina, two new stores are trying to make it easier and cheaper to shop locally. It’s a new spin on farm-to-table: a store that seems to connect farms and shopping carts. Designed by a veteran combat engineer Ben Greene, the Farmery is a “living building” that will start out in downtown Durham and Clayton, N.C. With hydroponic vertical growing systems right on site, as well as local foods from other nearby producers, the store has a business model geared toward lower prices and an educational model that will help food buyers learn about the process and benefits of locally sourced foods.
[Image: Farmery]