No Free Lunch in the Food System? Land, labor, and energy substitutions in agriculture

Posted by Guest Author  |  October 18, 2013

By Ben Dube

Ben Dube is a researcher and farmer at Cerridwen Farm at Green Mountain College. Learn more about Green Mountain College’s research on energy and agriculture.

Substitution trade-offs between land, labor, and energy

Substitution trade-offs between land, labor, and energy

In the last 100 years, energy use in the U.S. food system has increased dramatically. On the other hand, labor and land needs per unit of food output have declined precipitously. The increase in land efficiency has not only resulted in more food, but less land dedicated to crops. This illustrates how there is a certain level of substitutability between land, labor, and energy. Increase one, and you can decrease the others, resulting in different trade-offs. Continue reading →

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Cultivating Food, Farmers, and Knowledge: A tour of UVM’s Horticulture Farm

Posted by Alison Nihart  |  October 16, 2013

View from eastern field at the UVM Hort FarmOn a warm day in late September, I biked south from the UVM campus to pay a visit to one of UVM’s great agricultural assets: the UVM Horticulture Research Center. Known among the UVM community simply as the “Hort Farm,” this 97-acre property, nestled between South Burlington housing subdivisions to the east and busy Route 7 to the west, is a research facility, outdoor classroom, and home to UVM’s Farmer Training Program. Continue reading →

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Recipe: Beer Batter Fried Grouse

Posted by Elizabeth Berman  |  October 10, 2013

This blog post is part of a series highlighting recipes that interweave the culture and history of cooking in Vermont, and is related to the Vermont Foodways Digital Initiative.

Grouse huntingRuffled grouse season is on in Vermont! According to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, ruffled grouse – or partridge – is the most widely available upland game in Vermont, and can be found wherever brushy forest stands provide nesting cover, protection from predators, and berries and buds to eat. Continue reading →

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Cultivating Organic Heroes: An interview with Bob Scowcroft, part II

Posted by Alison Nihart  |  October 3, 2013

BobScowcroftI recently had a chance to speak with Bob Scowcroft, long-time leader in the organic movement and co-founder of the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF). During a delightfully meandering conversation, we talked about his early organizing experience, how far the organic industry has come, how far it still has to go, and cultivating the heroes who will get it there. This is part two of a two-part post. You can read my previous post here.

UVM: What barriers do you see for organic agriculture currently, and how might the next generation of food systems leaders address them?

Bob Scowcroft: I think a lot about that. I have to admit, I don’t have the quick “sound-bite” answer. One of the key barriers exists in the realm of the academic agricultural education. Continue reading →

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Cultivating Organic Heroes: An interview with Bob Scowcroft, part I

Posted by Alison Nihart  |  October 1, 2013

BobScowcroftI recently had a chance to speak with Bob Scowcroft, long-time leader in the organic movement and co-founder of the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF). During a delightfully meandering conversation, we talked about his early organizing experience, how far the organic industry has come, how far it still has to go, and cultivating the heroes who will get it there. This post is part one of two.

UVM: What shaped your early career? What events lead up to you co-founding the Organic Farming Research Foundation in 1990?

Bob Scowcroft: I graduated college in 1973 (I had majored in following the Allman Brothers Band) and spent the next 5 years adventuring, traveling, and doing carpentry. Continue reading →

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