By Gemelle Brion
I’m interested in farming practices that use the ecology of the farm to correct resource and pest imbalances. Intercropping is a prime example of such a practice. Practices that rely on on-farm ecology can reduce pesticide use, allow farmers to better understand the interplay of organisms on their farm, and are often more cost effective to the farmer. Continue reading
Caitlin and Jason Rodriguez Elberson completed UVM’s Farmer Training program in October 2013. The married couple, who met in a Spanish literature class at Villanova University in 2007, share a love for farming and sustainable living. We interviewed Caitlin and Jason to learn more about their experience in the UVM Farmer Training program and their plans for the future as owners of Sobremesa and as apprentices at Stony Pond Farm.
By Rachel DiStefano
When I first told my family and friends that I was doing my master’s thesis on cheesemongers, I encountered mixed reactions. The cheese lovers in my life were excited—some even jealous—but others were confused. My favorite reaction came from my mother, who asked half-jokingly: “Cheesemonger? Like warmonger?” Actually, the word monger dates back centuries to indicate a dealer or trader in a specific commodity (think fishmonger). While their job title may sound a little archaic, cheesemongers are playing an important role in the artisan cheese renaissance happening around the country and especially in Vermont. Continue reading
I recently travelled in India and on the flights read Ten Billion by Stephen Emmott. In it he describes the crises we face because of population growth, climate change, environmental degradation, water and energy shortage, etc. Sadly, Emmott concludes that we will not have the political will to make the decisions, change our habitats, and share the resources necessary to address the problems. Certainly India brings home the inequalities of the world’s resource distribution and illustrates what living on a planet with 10 billion people may be like. Continue reading
By Abigail Carroll
Lately, the question of reviving home economics in schools has been surfacing in newspapers and on radio broadcasts. Should middle and high school students take time away from math, literature, and art to study cooking, budgeting, shopping, and sewing? While I have reservations about the ways in which home economics has been taught in the past, I believe that such a revival could yield great benefit, if done well, because of the much needed emphasis on food literacy in public education. Continue reading
