stories worth telling
When I interviewed with the Idaho Soil and Water Conservation Commission last month, someone on the panel equated the conservation partnership in the recent past between local, state, and federal agencies to a three-legged stool: each leg of the stool is equally important to anyone planning on sitting down. If you know anything about me, […]
Read MoreNot only does forest thinning provide economic benefits to rural communities and reduce the amount of vegetative fuels for fires on public and private lands, but it yields another important benefit, as well: more water. This article was previously published by California Farm Bureau Federation in Ag Alert on April 13, 2011. Thanks, Farm Bureau! As the […]
Read MoreHeadquarters, UC Hopland Field Station When I was a young I loved lambing season: I got to be with my Dad at his day job as a scientist for the University of California. Though I doubt he meant to, being around Dad during lambing taught me responsibility, compassion, and about life and death through a shepherd’s eyes. […]
Read MoreThanks to Siskiyou County Supervisor Marcia Armstrong for forwarding this video. Incredible herdsmanship! httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2FX9rviEhw
Read MoreSince we’re on the topic of looking at agriculture through different glasses and balancing the interests of the natural and human environments (you didn’t think we were just talking about sheep, did you?), below is a video of an excellent speech given by Dirty Job’s Mike Rowe in 2008. Rowe’s experience castrating lambs changed his point […]
Read MoreYes, Virginia, lamb chops also come from feed lots. Or should I say, they come through feed lots? It’s true that many lamb chops start out on the hoof in bucolic pastures and forage on mountain ranges. It’s also true that some ranchers like the ones we met from Meeker sell lamb directly to local markets […]
Read MoreFarms and ranches are where wool products get their start. Most of you know this, but just in case you don’t, the video below shows how wool is removed from the animal (to be processed and woven into cloth). My point? There’s a whole lot more to making that wool suit you wear than buying fabric, […]
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