The Agrarian's Alcove

The recent turn of events in our world has frightened many people. The economy is plummeting. The rate of unemployment increases daily, and along with these employment concerns, many have been concerned at some point about the supply in our American grocery stores. Our world has been tested time and time again with pandemics causing major pandemonium. Agriculture has withstood the trials of these viruses, and will continue to do so this time around. Farmers will continue to work and provide for the world. So just how does agriculture function during the time of pandemic? We will take a look at this in a series called Ag in the Time of Pandemic. This is the first post of the series- Cutting our Losses. One of the most frustrating things that we have heard about in the agriculture industry throughout this time is the amount of waste that has occurred. Of course, we’ve always been conscious that America produces some of the largest amounts of food waste in the world. You can read about th...

*this is not a sponsored post. all content is original* If you follow The Agrarian’s Alcove on Facebook you know that we recently visited New Orleans! Let me assure you: coming from Texas, you can just tell when you cross the state line. It’s an amazing change. The entire atmosphere is different. If you’ve ever been to Louisiana you probably know that New Orleans is known for the mansions in the Garden District, the amazing above ground cemeteries, and the old plantations. We didn’t get to take a tour of the plantations this time since the tours were between 5 and 8 hours long, and our short trip just didn’t allow for that. But we did have a lot of fun and learned tons!! When we first got into Louisiana we saw lots of fields with standing water. Sticking out above the water were these little orange things, and several blades of stuff that looks like grass. In doing further research, these fields were rice fields. Not just any rice fields, though. The orange things sticking out...

Good morning Agrarians!! Happy Earth Day ! Hopefully you are out celebrating with fun Earth Day crafts and free activities! I always loved Earth Day activities as a kid. So when I started hearing about the activities this year, I wondered how this all got started. It’s a huge event that happens each year, and is celebrated in more than 190 countries! More than one billion people celebrate Earth Day. If we go back to the very first Earth Day, in April 1970 we see lots of protesters with their signs held high. The 70’s were a time of great protests. If you look at pictures of the first earth day, you will see children wearing shirts that say “Let me grow up!”, large handmade signs with snappy slogans, and people doing generally weird things...like walking around in gas masks. So obviously this was a classic grassroots protest. If you think our world is dirty now, you should have seen it before Earth Day. Rivers were LITERALLY catching fire when someone tossed a cigarette into them...

The Agrarian’s Alcove HOW TO GET INVOLVED WITH SMALL AG: PERMACULTURE WHAT IS SMALL AG Small ag is agriculture on a smaller, non-commercial scale. Today, many people are trying to incorporate backyard farming. A lot of people have chickens and sell farm-fresh eggs. There are a lot of small goat farms where they sell meat goats and goat-milk, and utilize the goat-milk to make cool products. Many farmer’s markets sell small locally farmed produce and canned products. All of this can be considered small ag. Some people consider doing small ag for a hobby, and others think that small ag is better for our environment than big ag or commercial farms. While there can be pros and cons to small ag as opposed to conventional ag, there are some ways you can implement small ag in your own backyard-even if you live in the suburbs! Permaculture is a great way to start. WHAT IS PERMACULTURE Permaculture is a coined term which comes from the words “permanent agriculture.” Permaculture...

It’s that time of year: Christmas trees, candy canes, bright lights. Christmas tree farmers work hard all year long to produce the most beautiful trees. It’s an unusual kind of agriculture compared to what we see on a daily basis. For instance, you can’t find Christmas tree farms all over the world. It is a very western tradition. Let’s look at some fun facts involving this special type of ag! You can find Christmas tree farms in North America, the UK, and Australia Christmas trees are often exported to China, Japan, the Phillipines, and Mexico Live Christmas trees have been sold in the U.S. since the 1850’s! There is a National Christmas Tree Association that, along with the USDA keeps records of Christmas tree sales, production, and recycling President Theodore Roosevelt banned the Christmas tree from the White House for environmental reasons Speaking of environment...are Christmas trees really bad for the environment? For those of you who are concerned (an...

Monday, August 14, 2017 6:58 PM Lately, I have been really kicking myself for the amount of food I have let go bad. I know there ways to avoid it; I know the impact it has on our environment. I also know that we are really blessed in America to have access to and availability of all this food, and yet I am taking it for granted.  I'm sure you have all heard that you can freeze almost anything, so that it doesn't go to waste. This usually is the first thing I see when I read about "how to make food last longer", or "how to save money on groceries." Today I'm going to discuss 5 ways to prevent food waste, that aren't just about using your freezer.     "Repurpose" bread, and other food We all think about upcycling and reusing material items, but how often do you think about using your food that is about to go bad in a different way than normal? When I was a kid, we would wait until we had a couple of heels of bread, or any...

Alright, let’s face it. It’s a new year. And if you’re in college in the US, then most of you are going back to school this week. But whether you’re a mom, a college kid, or a single adult, we ALL have to grocery shop. With the New Year I know many people have resolutions to eat healthier, cleaner, or maybe to just cut back on spending so much money on food! In 2013 people spent over $717 million on food **at home (no restaurants)** in the US alone. I imagine that with the trends in organic and natural foods rising, we will surpass $730 million mark if we haven’t already (find the charts here ). So, welcome to my second post in the series of The Savvy Shopper’s Guide series. You can read the first post here . Let me start by clearing up some confusion. I think people get confused by the labels “natural,” “naturally raised,” and “organic.” Some people I have spoken to, thought they were all very similar or meant the same thing. They are not the same thing. To be organic, produce...

Hey everyone! I am going to begin a 4 post series called the Savvy Shoppers Guide. It will include facts on organic, locally grown, all natural, and free range products that you buy. This way you will be able to make savvy shopping decisions when you purchase groceries! You will also be able to understand why we have conventional agriculture and why we need to continue with conventional ag even if you choose to opt for non-conventional. Today we will be covering organic food items. So first I would like to say that I do not believe that there are any food safety advantages that come from producing organic foods. In fact, in 2002 Alex Avery, research director for the Center of Global Food Issues stated that natural and organic foods are eight times more likely to be recalled than conventionally produced foods 1 . The USDA has found that drug residues in ALL beef, not just organic, to be virtually zero 2 . Of course all foods from animals naturally have hormones. While organicall...

Hey everyone! This is a follow up to my previous blog Temple Grandin’s Insight: Animal Welfare . Today I’m going to be sharing what she thought about current issues. These are really important topics and most were brought up during the time that she left at the end of her talks for questions and discussion. Beta-Agonists                                  T   Problems with beta-agonists are generally dosage related                                  T   Beta-agonists should not be used in the heat. o    She doesn’t know why but she says that something funny happens in the heat. More lame cattle come in to packers. Animals start walking on their toes and shifting their weight back and forth from one foot to the other “as if the ground was hot lava.” More dead cattle come in to packers. Before b...