New Addition To Our Farm

I know you are saying, "again". Well, this family love animals and we especially like animals that people don't want anymore. So I would like to introduce to you our Pure New Zealands (two white ones) and our Dutch and New Zealand mix rabbits. Yes, I typed it RABBITS. Now I know you would love this addition to your family as well. All soft and cuddly, the perfect pet. Our purpose for adding these beautiful rabbits are for our children visitors that don't like large animals such as sheep, goats, and dogs but prefer a smaller animal. The rabbit is the perfect match for that youngster.

What is Sustainable Agriculture?

Sustainable agriculture is a way of raising food that is healthy for consumers and animals, does not harm the environment, is humane for workers, respects animals, provides a fair wage to the farmer, and supports and enhances rural communities. Sustainable agriculture or alternative agriculture is an approach to agriculture that "deliberately integrates and takes advantage of naturally occurring beneficial interactions."

Sustainable agriculture is not a singular approach to production agriculture, but rather a range of practices--a system-- including:

• integrated pest management,
• organic farming,
• crop rotations,
• crop selection,
• planting practices that reduce soil erosion.

Sustainable agricultural practices are also applied to the production of livestock.

The term sustainability refers to economic development that takes full account of the environmental consequences of economic activity and is based on the use of resources that can be replaced or renewed and therefore are not depleted.

(Source: Michael Allaby, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Ecology [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994], 376.)

In 1999, Americans spent $618 billion for foods originating from the U.S. farms. Of that only 20 percent was paid to farmers, the rest covered expenses for transportation, processing and distribution.

Source: Farm Service Agency. www.fsa.usda.gov

There are many websites that explain and suggest techniques of sustainable agriculture or farming.

One company that I would like to reference is Growing Power, Inc. heading by the CEO Will Allen of Milwaukee, WI. This organization with the leadership of Mr. Allen is sustainable agriculture. He has implemented many of these techniques which is feeding the North side of Milwaukee and teaching worldwide these techniques for anyone to re-create anywhere.

Check it out:

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k39D2myzRFQ

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NutSMk2mpdM&feature=related

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kENge18wIqg&feature=related

Filmmaker Bonnie Bucqueroux and her dog Schmoopsie look at the sustainable agriculture movement, including a visit to Michigan State University's Student Organic Farm, where Dr. John Biernbaum discusses the options people have to grow their own food or to buy from local growers.

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqNBeSp1MRw

My youngest learning about a frogs life cycle

As you read on the earlier entry of our days journey of sustainable agriculture day. We also brought back a little friend for my youngest. Well of course he made it his friend. A tadpole from the swale at the community garden that he had to fill back up with water because of our 100 degree heat lately and for all of his hard work the garden manager caught a tadpole for him and put it in a cup. Now we are taking care of a tadpole at our farm as well. Here you will be able to see the first day of a frogs life cycle. Stay tune!

Celebrating Sustainable Agriculture

Today started off pretty early with a trip to our community garden, Tougaloo-Rainbow Sustainable Garden where my youngest son and I planted pumpkin seeds. We help to water the two garden plots and left with a treat cucumbers and tomatoes. Next, the journey led us to Belhaven Market where I was looking for my farmer friends from Sweet Magnolia Farm to get some squash and swiss chard but they were not there today. So we ended up making business connections with some old friends and again left with a treat tomatoes and butternut squash. Lastly, our journey led us to the High Street Farmers Market where again saw some old aquaintances and purchased some squash (finally) and peas and the treat from this stop was some beautiful art for my sons. So you see our day was most fulfilling now I am getting ready to cook a fabulous vegetarian meal for the day we are celebrating sustainable agriculture.