independent farmer

  • Tanya Svec | Protecting Land and Resources for the Future of South Dakota

    Tanya Svec | Protecting Land and Resources for the Future of South Dakota

    Tanya Svec moved back to South Dakota to embrace the rural and farm lifestyle with her husband and four kids. In 2021, East Dakota Beef proposed to put in a processing plant just 1/2 mile from Tanya’s home. This video goes in depth on her perspective on the development and the role of farmers…

  • Patchwork Family Farms | Feeding Farm Aid

    Patchwork Family Farms | Feeding Farm Aid

    Farm Aid, an organization that supports and advocates for family farms year-round and holds an annual fundraising concert, celebrated 36 years this September. The lineup included Farm Aid’s founders, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp, and Dave Matthews, Tyler Childers and many more. The music brought people from all over the country to gather in…

  • Jenna Vanhorne | The Future of North Dakota from Farming to State Senate

    Jenna Vanhorne | The Future of North Dakota from Farming to State Senate

    Jenna Vanhorne is a North Dakota dairy farmer, a mother, and was one of the first women of color to run for state senate in North Dakota. She operates the homestead with her mother, motivated by the lifestyle of having her kids free roaming in the backyard and the feeling of work outside, at…

  • The Edible Prairie Project | Local Solutions for Communities Facing Food Insecurity

    The Edible Prairie Project | Local Solutions for Communities Facing Food Insecurity

    On a warm spring afternoon in Gillette, WY, patrons line up outside the boys and girls club to receive a basket full of fresh, locally grown produce, containing a variety of food including lettuce, radishes and local honey. These baskets are offered to the community at tiered pricing to fit each individual’s budget and…

  • Online Farmers Market Keeps Community Connected to Local Produce amidst the COVID Pandemic

    Online Farmers Market Keeps Community Connected to Local Produce amidst the COVID Pandemic

    Driving through Sheridan, Wyoming, in early November, most of the roadside fields seem to be retired for the year. Winter looms around the corner and Wyoming has already seen it’s first snow, browning the remaining crops and closing the growing season. Despite this natural cycle in the outdoor growing season, on the weekends, Sheridan…

  • Aquaponics and Access: Swanky Roots

    Aquaponics and Access: Swanky Roots

    Above: Image courtesy of @nathansatranphoto and Swanky Roots. Montana isn’t known for its’ year-round local produce. The harsh winters and short summers can greatly impact growing seasons and deter farmers from planting certain crops. That didn’t stop Billings locals Ronna Klamert and Veronnaka Evenson from pursuing their passion. In the last decade, a significant…

  • Holding on to the Ranch: Don Lumbardy

    Holding on to the Ranch: Don Lumbardy

    Don Lumbardy was born in 1948 in Mesa County, just 20 miles west of the ranch he stands on today. Lumbardy Ranch is nestled north of the Gunnison River, several miles north of the 209,610-acre Dominguez Escalante National Conservation Area, and at the western foot of the Grand Mesa National Forest. Looking out across…

  • Growing in Tandem:Diamond G Poultry

    Growing in Tandem:Diamond G Poultry

    Above: Ben (left) and Jacob (right) at Gray Acres Farm. Jacob Gray and Ben Gillespie are not only business partners, they’re friends who share the same values for healthy food systems.  Ben and Jacob met six years ago when Jacob was in an internship program with Ben’s family farm, The Living Farm in Delta…

  • The Importance of Community Supported Agriculture: The Produce Peddler

    The Importance of Community Supported Agriculture: The Produce Peddler

    Zay & Leah López are first-generation farmers. Together, they own and operate The Produce Peddler. On 26 acres at the west end of the Grand Valley, they grow a large variety of vegetables, melons, and raise chickens and sheep for eggs and meat. Zay and Leah believe that healthy food begins with healthy soil.…

  • The Handshake Diet: Green Junction Farmstead

    The Handshake Diet: Green Junction Farmstead

    Above: Dawn Trujillo and Brian Adams run Green Junction Farmstead in Clifton, Colorado. On just one acre of land, Dawn Trujillo and Brian Adams can feed 500 to 700 people per week. Dawn and Brian’s farmstead, Green Junction Farmstead in Clifton, Colorado, is a beacon for all things fresh, local, and delicious. Brian and…