Posts by Peas and Hoppiness
Sustainability in Agriculture
Farm to Table. Locally Grown. Sustainably Made. These buzzwords are becoming more than marketing phrases – they are becoming the demands of consumers. Consumers understand now more than ever that climate change isn’t a probability anymore; it’s a reality – and one that needs addressing right now. The wind turbine powers the irrigation system at…
Read MoreThe Next Generation of American Agriculture
My Dad was featured in the Wall Street Journal last month. That’s right, I’m basically the daughter of a celebrity. He and several other farmers in Central Kansas (like my high school classmate Mason!) were interviewed for the article: The Next American Farm Bust is Upon Us. Unfortunately, the tone of the article was less than…
Read MoreBut Where Does it All Go?
A few months ago I wrote about the volatility of the farming economy – the Invisible Hand of supply, demand, and incentive programs. Today, that picture is more evident than ever as you drive across the plains of Kansas: mounds of grains are piled high outside of elevators that have been at capacity for months. I mentioned…
Read MoreVolatility
Unpredictability is the name of the game when it comes to farming. Weather, pests, breakdowns, and (perhaps most frustrating), the marketplace. Things have been especially good this year: plenty of rain and sunshine at just the right time. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) it’s been good everywhere. The Former Soviet Union and Europe had record-breaking wheat harvests…
Read MoreRained Out: A Story of Mitigating Risk
For all of the technology in modern agriculture – the GPS device in the combine, the weather app on the phone, the wireless electronic truck scale – our food system is still in the hands of Mother Nature. It’s never more apparent how small we humans are in the universe until your game of Pegs…
Read MoreNitrogen Fertilizer, a Comparison
A few weeks ago I wrote about how nitrogren fertilizer is an essential part of farming because it is an essential part of protein, and thus nutrition for humans. Across farming philosophies – from conventional to progressive to organic to local – the fact that nitrogen is essential to life is an undisputed fact. Beyond…
Read MoreNitrogen: the Building Block of Building Blocks
Protein. I’ve ranted over its popularity in the American diet. I’ve warned that we’re getting way more protein than we need (although so far there’s no evidence that this is necessarily harmful). Yet still for most humans on the planet today, lack of protein remains a major source of malnutrition. Falafel – a great (and…
Read MoreKansas Wheat Harvest
My favorite childhood playground: the grain truck, followed closely by the time I spent in the kitchen with my mom helping her “make lunches” for the harvest crew. Most people think that Kansas is land-locked. They would be right — except for June, when seas of golden wheat stretch across the plains. Millions of stalks of…
Read MoreFarming when the Ground is White and the Temp is Low
I work an 8-to-5-ish job. I have weekends and holidays off, I accrue PTO, and if I’m deathly ill, I have (amazing) coworkers who will step up to cover for me. This does not describe the life of a small business owner, such as a farmer. The Old Red Barn A small business owner works the…
Read MoreCrop Rotation
In case you hadn’t noticed, winter is upon us. Snow has blanketed the fields, temperatures have dropped, and the days are short. Getting set for the family photo… it’s cold! So what happens on a farm when the ground is frozen? More than you’d think. Like all the other seasons, winter is a thread in…
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