“Grass-fed cows make the best burgers, period.” This is Ridgeway Shinn’s mantra. Ridge is on a mission to change the beliefs of American beefeaters to prove that grass-fed cattle produce a more flavorful meat than their grain-finished relatives and in the process are a boon to the environment. In his arsenal is the herd of Devon cattle that he shipped from New Zealand on two 747’s in 2008 and the pure science that he uses to make his point. The Devon cattle are the gentle giants of the farm that Ridge runs and they are also the machine used to reinvigorate leased land that has been ruined by over-farming, herbicides, and other chemicals. The Devons eat grass whose roots have pulled carbon from the air; they then fertilize the land that they have been living on and within 2 to 3 years the land has been revived. This is the kind of perfect balance that sustainable farmers are always looking for. +Continue Reading
The long history of the Chesapeake Bay oyster was too strong a pull to keep cousins Ryan and Travis Croxton out of the business their great-great grandfather had started in 1899, when oyster “farming” was basically hunting and gathering the bivalves that were a natural part of the Bay. Oysters were a supplement to farming and were “free,” as land leases were yet to be implemented. The cousin’s fathers tried to discourage them from oyster farming as they watched their fleets of boats destroyed by multiple hurricanes and the Bay become “polluted” from over farming and lack of planning from local +Continue Reading
Writing fiction, consulting businesses and growing 3000 tomato plants in an apartment in Brooklyn seemed like a good idea at first, but then the tomatoes got really good and the rejection letters from journals kept on coming. +Continue Reading
Five old washing machines lined up outside a barn is a strange sight indeed. But when you look inside at the empty tub, you realize that these are really just oversized salad spinners for drying leafy greens just picked and washed in the field.. This is when you know you are on a different kind of farm.
Dave Cleverdon, owner of Kinnikinnick Farm, came to farming after years spent working in the rough and tumble world of Chicago politics getting outsiders elected in a machine run city. He also spent time working in the civil rights movement and did a stint on The Chicago Board of Trade. He calls himself and his workers “misfits with an incredible sense of agency” whenever he considers the kind of person who would take on the work of organic farming. +Continue Reading
