Farm & Field
Food pantries help patrons grow their own produce
In the U.S., one in six people struggle with hunger. Food pantries across the country pass out food to help these people put meals on the table. But what if they could help teach the pantry visitors how to grow their own food, too? Grow Well Missouri, a program that travels to food pantries around…
The Field of Dreams and Wine
The Berggren family just wanted a new home for their pumpkin patch. Logistics Park Kansas City and the BSNF intermodal were set to come online in Edgerton, Kansas, two years ago and the KC Pumpkin Patch was going to lose its lease in neighboring Gardner. “My folks have always wanted to run the pumpkin patch,”…
Without stable policy, low-carbon fuels struggle to find footing
The federal government’s complex set of rules meant to spur a renewable fuels industry has fallen behind one of its main goals: cut greenhouse emissions from gasoline. Nearly a decade after the rules were drafted, low-carbon fuels have yet to arrive. The Environmental Protection Agency says it will propose tweaks to the nation’s ethanol policy…
Why ‘Going Local’ is a challenge for chefs and farmers
It’s no longer enough for a restaurant to offer roasted chicken or braised beef shank on their menu. They need to be able to tell customers exactly where that chicken came from and how the cow was raised. If they can remember the pedigree of the produce? All the better. But serving locally-sourced food is a challenge for chefs, and the farmer-foodie connections aren’t always easy to come by.
CSA farms get creative to stand out from the crowd
The local food scene has exploded in recent years, which means there’s a lot more local produce on dinner tables. It also means that during the spring season as small farms start ramping back up, they have to work a bit harder to attract new customers.