From the Field Profiles

Showing 41-43 of 43 results

A man smiling in front of a copy of 'Tilling the Soil of Opportunity' with a pen in hand.

Rural Revitalization through Farm-Based Enterprise

The 10 U.S. counties with the greatest population losses between 2000 and 2003 are located in the western United States, and small towns are scrambling to save what is left of their communities. Like many other parts of the nation, western farmers are discovering that sustainably raised livestock and crops can help revitalize economies. And […]

Relinda Walker overcame weed and disease pressures to produce Georgia's first ever organic peanut crop in 2007.

Farmer/Researcher Team Makes Organic Peanut Breakthrough

In 2007, Georgia organic grower Relinda Walker produced a historic crop of peanuts. The bounty—6,000 pounds grown on two acres—was significant because it represented the first crop of certified organic peanuts raised in the Southeast. Even though the Southeast produces 79 percent of the country’s peanuts, more than 99 percent of organic varieties are raised […]

ASD director Anthony Flaccavento drives a tractor during a farm tour

Helping Appalachian Farmers Tap New Markets

Gary and Cindy Laws’ journey to successful organic farming started in the tobacco fields of western Virginia’s hill country. Both raised on tobacco farms, they saw the crop’s pitfalls firsthand: a declining market, health risks associated with smoking and, most importantly to the Laws, the myriad chemicals used in tobacco production. But, like hundreds of […]