The Natural Farmer

Spring 2023
Water & Agriculture

Working with Water at Wellspring Forest Farm

by Steve Gabriel From the moment we stepped onto the land that became our farm and livelihood, water was a central element. We found...

Water and Earthworks

By Ben Falk A resilient homesteader and designer must be a water process facilitator. Through an awareness of how water affects living...

I Love my Drip Irrigation. My Plants do Too.

By Richard Robinson There are three major reasons I love to use drip irrigation in the garden: It puts water where it does the most good,...

Farming with Less Clean Water

By Dan Pavich 20+ years in the agriculture industry and mostly in the regenerative ag sector, you see some stories and are occasionally...

How to Minimize Irrigation Even in the Hottest of Summers

By Christine R. Nelson Photo credit: Many Hands Organic Farm The height of the 2022 growing season will be remembered for the undesirable...

Water Management For Every Permaculture Farm

By William Horvath When I was a kid, my brother and I used to enjoy the winter weather at my grandparent’s farm in the mountains. In a...

A Land Back Moment for the Onondaga Nation

The Onondaga Nation, in Unprecedented Land Back Moment, Regains 1023 Acres of the Land Stolen by New York State The Onondaga Nation will...

Where Has All the Water Gone

By Stephen Leslie 2022 was a hot dry summer across the region, and in fact, across the Northern Hemisphere. Concerns about water...

Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World

A book excerpt from Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World: How Regenerative Grazing Can Restore Soils and Stabilize the Climate By...

Vermont's Universal Recycling Law & Growing Plastic Pollution

Growing plastic pollution and profits for multinational corporations was not the intention of Vermont's Universal Recycling Law By Grace...

Positive Vibrations and Love Aided in Healing Trees

By Obiora Embry Obiora Embry and his siblings were born to Afrocentric, artistic/creative, intelligent, forward-thinking, family- and...

Policy: NFFC Fly-in 2023

By Stephen Leslie I recently had the honor and privilege to represent Nofa-Vt at the National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) DC Fly-in that...

Policy: To Civic Engagement in Life-Affirming Agricultural Policy

Report on the Recent NFFC Fly-in from Sarah Gilliatt Having just participated in the (NFFC) 2023 Fly-in to Washington, DC between...

Policy: The End of Organics

By Jim Riddle The fundamental concepts of organic farming have always been, “Feed the Soil, not the Plant,” and “Healthy Soil leads to...

Opinion: Water and Farming: A Crucial Connection

By Adjoa Kittoe Water and farming are inextricably linked, and access to a reliable supply of water is essential for food production and...

Farmer Wellness Matters

By Devin Cornia By now, many of us have likely seen or heard the phrase “No Farms, No Food." It’s simple, true, and in just four words,...

Ten Years of Research on Garlic: Part One

By Crystal Stewart Courtens Here we are, our garlic crop is all tucked into the ground while we rest for the winter and eagerly await...

Simple Gifts Farm

By Rema Boscov Spring planting time. Four people wait to take their seats on the newly adapted water-wheel transplanter. In their...

Spring 2023 - Letter from the Editor

By Elizabeth Gabriel It’s been a balmy winter in upstate New York and worries about the sap season (not to mention the general longevity...