Women and Business: Women-Powered Farms
Women have been farmers for as long as there have been farms. But data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show the percentage of farms operated principally by women nearly tripled — to 14 percent from 5 percent — between 1978, when the USDA’s Census of Agriculture began recording the gender of principal farm operators, and 2007. The percentage of farms with women as the principal operators is highest in the West and in New...
Organic Farming More Profitable, Analysis Finds
Minneapolis — Organic farming is more profitable than conventional farming, according to a new report that analyzes dozens of studies. The analysis, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that the premium organic farmers can charge for their products makes their operations financially sustainable. “We found that, in spite of lower yields, organic agriculture was significantly more profitable than...
Study: Organic Can Make Money With Right Price
Seattle — Researchers have long studied the sustainability and health benefits of organically grown food versus conventional agriculture. Now a study by two Washington State University professors shows organic agriculture can be much more profitable than conventional — as long as price premiums on the crops are high enough. The research of David Crowder and John Reganold was released last week in Proceedings of the National Academy of...
A Bumper Crop
If it seems as though you can’t reach for a head of lettuce or pint of strawberries these days without running into a new farmer, well, you’re right. The number of farms, the number of farmers, and the acreage devoted to farming are all increasing in the Upper Valley, reversing a centurylong trend that began before the Great Depression. In Vermont, the number of farms rose to 7,338 in 2012, according to the USDA’s Census of...
