One Tennessee farm is bringing lamb into the mainstream. Farmers Elaine and Howard Dustin are animal people. That much is clear immediately as we meet them at their farm, Belfair Farms in Lawrenceburg, 90 minutes south of Nashville. Along with their 138 sheep, they have 10 dogs, 50 chickens, and eight horses. Having grown up…
edible stories
By Sarah Hagaman and Jill Melton
Counting Sheep
Farmland for the Future: Preservation Programs Help Farmers Continue to Own and Access Viable Land
The U.S. is losing farmland at record rates. Agricultural conservation easements can ensure farmland is protected forever and accessible to the next generation for farming into the future. SPONSORED Amid a nationwide land run on rural, recreational property that’s inflated land values, sending many existing farmers packing and limiting the accessibility of farmland to the…
By Lisa Held
Agroforestry: Can Farming with Trees Save the Food System?
Unprecedented funding is flowing into a broad range of agroforestry practices, which can pull carbon out of the atmosphere and build farm resilience as the climate changes. This article was produced in partnership with Civil Eats. Fiddle Creek Dairy sits at the top of one of the endless rolling hills in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. On the…
By Lucas Dunn
Freedom Farms & Greenhouse
“Literally everyone on the planet eats. If you want to get to know your neighbor, grow some food with them.” That is the distilled version of Ann Fleener’s philosophy as the Director of Freedom Farms & Greenhouse, which is a branch of the local non-profit Restore OKC. “Restore OKC started about three years ago out…
We Are What We Eat — and We Must Make Food Decisions With the Climate Crisis in Mind
Because while the food system is being hit hard by the climate crisis, it also plays a sizable role in causing of the problem, accounting for one third of the world’s emissions. This story was produced in partnership with Civil Eats. If we had been told, a decade ago, that so many climate-fueled disasters would…
By Lisa Held
Biochar’s Potential to Combat Climate Change
Is farming with this soil amendment a climate silver bullet? Likely not. But experts and advocates say it’s time to address its limitations so that any potential as an agricultural climate solution can be realized. March 17, 2023 update: In the Senate and House of Representatives today, the Biochar Research Network Act was introduced by…