Positive Future News #939 (Feature Photo – Goji Berries – Public Domain) One can never put too much thought into making a business profitable. Small Business Trends news portal brings an updated story on 20 profitable crops for small farms. Interestingly, many of the crops are specialty crops with health benefits. You can read the…
$13,070 Electric Car – Something Has to Give With Inflation
$13,070 Electric Car – Something Has to Give With Inflation Positive Future News #938 (Feature Photo – Qiantu K20 – courtesy of Qiantu) Chinese automaker Qiantu, is coming to the market with its K20 electric car at an affordable price. With food prices and agricultural inputs soaring, something has to give. Unfortunately, electric cars at…
Farmland – A Hedge against Inflation
Touch the Soil News #1828 (Feature Photo – Almond Orchard – CCA 2.5 Generic, Nissan Lev-Ran Pikiwiki Israel) One of the companies we like to follow is Gladstone Land. Gladstone is a Wall Street company that buys and owns farmland on behalf of its investors. The company presently owns 164 farms in 15 states valued…
Should Cities Ensure Food Security, Instead of Federal Governments?
Touch the Soil News #1827 (Feature Photo – Rosario, Argentina – CCA SA 4.0 International) Few citizens are aware the U.S. government has no strategic food reserves. No one has ever demanded that there should be strategic food reserves. Today, the holding and ownership of food reserves is couched with the private sector and households.…
Finding Land for Market Gardening
Touch the Soil News #1826 (Feature Photo – Market Garden Farm – CCA SA 4.0 International) Urban Farmer, Cam Terry, explains the challenges and victories of finding land in urban areas for his market garden business. Starting with farming people’s backyards, Cam ultimately found a workable lease of a larger parcel of land. There are…
Re-Fill Shops – An Interesting Food Business Model
Touch the Soil News #1825 (Feature Photo – Refill Shop – Courtesy of Positive News) Positive News brings us the story of Refill Shops. A refill shop is a store where all food products are in bulk and you simply re-fill your own containers. Many refill shops offer organic foods. Part of the vision is…
Grocery Prices Rise 11.9% Past Year
Touch the Soil News #1824 (Feature Photo – Fresh Produce – CCA SA 4.0 International) Successful Farming magazine brings the latest on food inflation – grocery prices up 11.9% from a year ago. It is true that there have been dramatic food-price spikes in the past, but prices always seem to find a way to…
AllotMe – The Airbnb for Food Gardens
Touch the Soil News #1823 (Feature Photo Allotment Garden – public domain) The Hearld brings the story of a new business start-up called AllotMe. It’s a portal where folks who want to garden but can’t find a space, hookup with folks who have a backyard or other land they want to lease to a gardener.…
Necessity is the Mother of Invention
Touch the Soil News #1822 (Feature Photo – Manguinhos Neighborhood (Rio de Jainero) Where Urban Farming is Taking Hold – CCA 2.0 Brazil, Marino Azevedo) Positive News, brings the story of people who are on the economic edge and struggling to eat. Poor populations in Rio de Janeiro – a city of 12 million people…
Another Urban Farming Business Model
Touch the Soil News #1821 (Feature Photo – Greenhouse Tomatoes – CCA SA 3.0 Unported, Mouh2jijel) Urban Ag News, brings the story of growing greenhouse vegetables for high-end clienteles. There is a trend for upscale resorts, restaurants and individuals that want to upgrade their food choices and quality. You can read the full story here: …