Touch the Soil News #1962 (Photo – UK Allotment Garden – CCA SA 2.0 Generic, Johnathan Wilkins) Earlier this year, news stations in Europe were abuzz over the shortages of fresh fruits and vegetables in supermarket in the United Kingdom. From weather issues to energy issues at greenhouses growing vegetables, supplies are short and prices…
Touch the Soil News #1961 (Photo – Irrigated Wheat – USDA, Public Domain) Every year, the USDA publishes a report called “Farms and Land in Farms.” With statistics going back to 1950, you can see how much land has been taken out of farming and how farm numbers have decreased. The peak farmland year was…
Touch the Soil News #1960 (Photo – FAO Headquarters in Rome – (CCA SA 3.0 Unported, Scopritore) The Food and Agriculture Organization, a division of the United Nations, keeps track of global food prices by following five major food categories. Those categories include meat, dairy, cereals (grains), vegetable oils and sugar. The Food Price Index…
Touch the Soil News #1959 (Photo – WFP Logo – Public Domain) The Word Food Program (WFP) is a division of the United Nations. They are the boots on the ground, bringing emergency food to nations in trouble. You’ve all seen the pictures of helicopters making food drops, trucks arriving full of food commodities and…
Touch the Soil News #1958 (Photo – Weekly CSA Offering – Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic, Clagett Farm CSA Week 11, Thebittenword.com) In the modern world, a lot of focus goes into what can the dollar to for me in terms of investment. This focus, while understandable, has a certain disconnect from the more basic economic…
Touch the Soil News #1956 (Photo – Farm Vegetables – Public Domain, USDA) Making news recently is the April Joy Farm, which recently received the “Organic Farmer of the Year” award for 2022. Presenting this honor was the Organic Trade Association. Quoting from the Organic Trade Association announcement, this is a snapshot of the April…
Touch the Soil News #1957 (Photo – Urban Garden – Public Domain, USDA) Good Housekeeping news portal came out with a stellar article headline: “Scientists Say Gardening Could Be the Secret to a Healthy Heart.” Since heart disease is the number one health problem, this headline says a lot. The article even explores if exercisers…
Touch the Soil News #1955 (Photo – Lettuce – Public Domain, USDA) Plenty Vertical Farming Company just opened a new facility in Compton, California. The company boasts the facility is capable of growing 4.6 million pounds of greens a year on a single city block. The city of Compton is in Los Angeles County, with…
Touch the Soil News #1954 (Photo – Indoor Tomato Plants – Public Domain, Jolly Janner) Almanac News brings details about container vegetable gardening. This is a good place to start, before you get serious about starting a market garden or a large outdoor garden. These skills also apply when growing indoors in the city. You…
Touch the Soil News #1953 (Photo – Garden Matching Program – Courtesy of Food 4 Thought) Food 4 Thought in Vancouver, British Columbia is pairing up gardeners from apartment dwellings who want to garden with homeowners willing to share some of their yard. While there are many community gardens in Vancouver, the problem is they…
