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S.D. farmers raise 'heritage' turkeys to preserve ancient breeds and meet growing consumer demand

Mark Andersen

November 24, 2020 |

South Dakota News Watch |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, South Dakota

A band of farmers in South Dakota are reviving “heritage turkeys,” an ancient breed of turkeys that went nearly extinct in the 1990s. There can be a learning curve and upfront costs when working with heritage turkeys, but because of efforts nationwide, the breeding stock of these creatures went from 1,335 in 1997 to 14,000 by 2016. The farmers are breeding, raising, and selling these turkeys as part of the farm-to-table movement, but they’re also working to preserve the critically endangered breed.

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The Small Goat Breed That's a Star of Urban Farms

Chris Malloy

November 24, 2020 |

Atlas Obscura |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Nigerian Dwarf goats can be a viable livestock option for people who want to engage in urban farming. Cities across the United States — like Phoenix, Austin, Pittsburgh, and San Diego — are making it easier to keep goats, which can provide financial boons for urban farmers through cheesemaking and even enhance the farm’s ecosystem by using its manure as fertilizer.

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A Desert City Tries to Save Itself With Rain

Chris Malloy

November 23, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Tucson, Arizona

As Tucson works to combat the effects of climate change, the Arizona city has been implementing policies to conserve its limited water supply through initiatives like a city rebate program. By focusing efforts on water harvesting — both rainwater, which can be drinkable, and stormwater, which can be used for irrigation — the city can use that water to create more green spaces and lower water bills. The rebate program pays back residents as much as $2,000 for purchasing water harvesting systems. During one year, the program saved 52.1 million gallons of water, which is enough for 160 households.

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Worker-led programs like Milk with Dignity are key to protecting dairy farm workers

Aaron Mok

November 19, 2020 |

Prism |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Vermont

A first-of-its-kind worker-led program in Vermont is helping dairy migrant workers to "hold farmers, corporations, and suppliers in the dairy industry accountable for the rights of workers in their supply-chains through a legally-binding agreement." Although not all dairy farm operations have joined in the program as participants, it has been enacted on 64 farms and helped bolster wages and housing situations for migrant farmers.

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The Collective Farm Helping Oregon's Latinx Farmworkers Weather the Pandemic

Judy Bankman

November 19, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Hood River, Oregon

The Raíces Cooperative Farm in Hood River, Oregon provides Spanish-speaking community members "a place to grow food," learn from one another about farming practices and develop leadership skills. “Through Raíces, I began to learn better cultivation techniques. [We are shown] how to care for the soil, plants, and seeds, and the program provides economic support" one member explained. During the coronavirus pandemic, the cooperative has also been integral to supplying food for mobile markets.

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Seattle's urban farmers are reclaiming public space

Hannah Weinberger

November 17, 2020 |

Crosscut |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Seattle’s urban agriculture community saw a boom during the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests. BIPOC-led urban farms — like YES Farm and Black Star Farmers — had an increase in volunteers and people wanting to help provide food security, agricultural education, and land access to communities who don’t have their basic needs met. In the first half of 2020, the city of Seattle assigned plots of land to 439 new gardeners to pursue urban farming, with nearly half of them going to underrepresented populations.

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Why Las Vegas Is at the Heart of Western States' Water Conundrums

Frederick Clayton

November 15, 2020 |

Truthout |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Las Vegas, Nevada

After running out of water during a drought in 2002, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and Las Vegas Valley Water District took proactive steps to conserve the region’s water for future generations. Thanks to public service campaigns, outdoor water usage limits, and turf replacement programs, the region’s water usage per capita has dropped by 46 percent. However, many people still don’t fully comply with the city’s water regulations and the region continues to grow at an expanding rate. Yet, similar conservation efforts could be a model for other arid regions around the United States.

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Life on the farm: How one Washington school district is restoring in-person learning

Joy Resmovits

November 14, 2020 |

The Seattle Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Langley, Washington

Students in South Whidbey Island, off the west coast of Washington State, are getting to know first-hand the process of farm to table meals. During "farm school" kids get a break from e-learning and help tend to the local community garden, where they also get their meals from.

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A New Native Seed Cooperative Aims to Rebuild Indigenous Foodways

Ray Levy Uyeda

November 10, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne, United States, New York

The Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance organized a seed drive to distribute thousands of seeds to 270 different tribes. The indigenous seed exchange led to the creation of an intertribal cooperative to share traditional knowledge and practices as well. It has conducted a seed census in addition to creating a seed sovereignty assessment toolkit for communities.

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Addressing organic farming's climate-change problem

Jenny Splitter

November 10, 2020 |

Hothouse Solutions |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Paxton, Illinois

On his organic farm in Illinois, Will Glazik is experimenting with different types of agricultural methods to increase his crop yield while also avoiding the harmful impacts of industrial farming. He’s part of a growing movement called “sustainable intensification,” which combines both conventional and organic farming techniques. While there are challenges with this approach and what works in one place might not work in another, combining these types of farming could help feed a growing global population.

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