Urban Food Security – What are High Prices Telling Us?

Touch the Soil News #1859 (Feature Photo – Local Food Stand – Public Domain) If you are a political leader, history suggests that your power is anchored in whether your constituents can afford to eat and/or the grocery shelves are stocked. When the top agricultural agency in the world – The Food and Agriculture Organization…

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Ag Tech Companies in the Spotlight

Touch the Soil News #1858 (Feature Photo – First Cultured Meat Patty – CCA SA 2.0 Generic) Agritecture’s news portal highlights 5 companies that are changing the trajectory of agriculture technology and agriculture in general. One such company Soli Organic, has been able to get its indoor horticultural operations certified as organic by using soils,…

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USDA – Urban Agriculture Grants Now Being Offered

Touch the Soil News #1857 (Feature Photo – Urban Farming – CCA SA 2.0 Generic) The USDA, through its Office for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production, is offering up to $7.5 million in grants.  The window for application is now open and will close on March 27,2023. For those applying, it might be good to…

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Expanding Farm Intelligence – A Good Thing

Touch the Soil News #1856 (Feature Photo – Farmers Market – CCA SA 4.0 International) CHS, Inc., one of the nation’s largest coalitions of agricultural cooperatives, brings us the story of how high schools have added agriculture to their curriculums. In Minnesota alone, the Minnesota Department of Education said the number of agricultural programs grew…

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Millet for Market Gardens? 2023 is the Year of the Millet

Touch the Soil News #1855 (Feature Photo – Millet – CCA SA 4.0 International, Kaitha Poo Manam ) Epic Gardening brings us the story of growing and appreciating Millet. Millet is drought tolerant, high in health aspects and costs less to grow than quinoa. You can read the story here: https://www.epicgardening.com/millet-plant/

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What Comes First, the Chicken or the Egg?

The answer to a growing number of households is the chicken that lays the egg. High egg prices are rousing our desires to be farmers in our own little way. First Coast News brings the video and the story. https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/entertainment/television/programs/gmj/people-starting-backyard-chicken-coops-amid-high-egg-prices-farmer-says/77-67c09d7e-be49-4a45-9526-6edfd18a3b19

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The 5 Mistakes Vertical Farms Make

Touch the Soil News #1853 (Feature Photo – Hydroponics – CCA SA 4.0 International) Consulting and News firm AgriTecture, recently published a Blog worth reading, among many “worth reading” blogs. The story not only covers challenges, but major failures and why. This heads-up editorial, could save an enterprise a lot of problems and headaches. You…

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Little Wild Things – Making Urban Farming a Success

Touch the Soil News #1852 (Feature Photo – Indoor Microgreens – CCA SA 2.0 Generic) Urban farming pioneer Mary Ackley, started her urban farm in 2014. Now, almost 9 years later she employs 5 more people. Working on less than one-quarter acre, the operate out of an old parking garage in Washington D.C. You can…

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