Business of Agriculture: Programs and politics in the promotion of agricultural products
It’s an axiom of agriculture as old as the hills: 50 percent of farming is producing the commodity, the other 50 percent is marketing the product at a price that makes enough money to sustain the farm enterprise. While the issues of contemporary production agriculture tend to get most of the media and political attention — think water-quality regulations, animal welfare, pesticide hazards — there’s a vast parallel universe of...
Business of Agriculture: The threat of falling oil prices
Can fruit and vegetable farms in the Upper Valley survive the tumbling price of fuel? That’s a question I’ve been thinking about lately, with more than a little alarm, as both gas and diesel have fallen below the $2 per gallon mark. That’s less than half of what they were a few years ago. You might think that tumbling fuel prices would be good for local fruit and vegetable farmers, since we use gas in our trucks, diesel in our...
Business of Agriculture: The threat of falling oil prices
Can fruit and vegetable farms in the Upper Valley survive the tumbling price of fuel? That’s a question I’ve been thinking about lately, with more than a little alarm, as both gas and diesel have fallen below the $2 per gallon mark. That’s less than half of what they were a few years ago. You might think that tumbling fuel prices would be good for local fruit and vegetable farmers, since we use gas in our trucks, diesel in our...
Kenya Preps Valentine’s Day Flowers
Nyahururu, Kenya — This Valentine’s Day, there’s a good chance your flowers came from Kenya. “I know the flowers are for giving on Valentine’s Day,” said Phanice Cherop, a worker at a flower farm in Kenya. “They are very beautiful.” On a crisp February morning, Cherop squeezed through a row of shoulder-high white roses, cut a flower and methodically placed it in the bunch she carried. The Kenyan-grown flower likely was headed for a...
Cottage Industry: Pulling Herself Up By Her Own Boot Bracelets
Dawn Hancy, a Vershire resident and fan of all things local, ushered in the New Year with a glass of hard cider from a nearby farm. This year, Hancy plans to turn her longtime interest in fiber and sustainability into a business of her own. The product? Boot bracelets. Worn over anything from cowboy boots to Uggs, the accessories often are made of beads or metal chains. Hancy’s, however, are handwoven sheep’s wool and alpaca fiber,...
