A Taste of the Past
LIVE 12 - 12:30pm EST
First Aired - 09/09/2010 02:00PM
Download MP3 (Full Episode)
Download MP3 (Full Episode)
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This week on Greenhorns Radio Sev spoke to Ann Larkin Hansen, author of "The Organic Farming Manual". Hansen was frustrated that there didn't seem to be a single "one-stop-shop" source of information for someone who wanted to grow food organically--so she wrote one. Listen to hear Ann's journey from a kid growing up in the suburbs to a full fledged livestock and vegetable farmer, and how the Wisconsin Women's Sustainable Farming Network was a vital friend during her journey. This episode was sponsored by Hearst Ranch: purveyors of fine grass-fed beef from the coast of CA.
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Greenhorn Radio: Ann Larkin Hansen (20:24)
Tags:
The Organic Farming Manual, Ann Larkin Hansen, there was not a one stop shop for someone who wants to start learning about organic farming, how did Anne make time to write a book while farming?, Ann grew up in the suburbs of MN, Ann wanted to raise what the land was capable of producing, the Wisconsin Women's Sustainable Farming Network, 250 acres but only 50 are farmable, its wonderful to have a buffer of non-farmed land with organic farms because it protects food from pesticides, land is good for root crops and alfalfa, Ann raised meat chickens and pigs and land cattle, there is a small orchard with apple and fruit trees, a vegetable garden, some donkeys, having a business that is profitable and personally sustaining, networking with other farmers is incredible important, Faye Johns, Midwestern Organic Educational Service, farming is really a regional enterprise, every farm is unique with different soils terrain weather and lifestyles, government resources help, networking is huge, you have got to have a good marketing plan, you can't just grow things and hope people will buy them, Ann worked for an agricultural newspaper for several years, the attitude among organic farmers is the more the merrier, Sev is surrounded by new and aspiring farmers, it seems like there is always a new pocket of farmers rearing to go, Southern Wisconson has the largest annual organic farming conference in the country, MOSES conference, fair trade, the driftless area, Kikapu Region, making sure the next generation of organic farmers are able to succeed, apprenticing with old hippies, how long should people apprentice for before going out on their own?, it depends very much on how fast you learn and how fast you can develope your own markets, elders are available to teach people about farming, stewards will be looking for young people to take their operation over, land is expensive and the number one barrier, Ann's recommendations for books on composting and organic farming and smalls scale sustainable farming, Storey Publications,To comment on this episode click here. There are currently Comments
