"Dreams are the seeds of change. Nothing ever grows without a seed, and nothing ever changes without a dream." ~ Debby Boone Based in New Caney, Texas, Charley Fisher is a writer, avid gardener, seed saver, and founder of The Urban Garden Project, which led her to do something special for the gardening and farming communities across Houston, Texas. What began as a hobby for Charley, during the COVID-19 pandemic grew into a community groundswell to help solve food insecurity. She helped others grow food in their homes, front yards, local gardens, and schools, making a differe ..read more

"Seed libraries require an investment of time and energy, they create buy-in." - Ursula Ramsey, Assistant Professor of Business Law, University of North Carolina Wilmington In 2018, Ursula Ramsey, now Assistant Professor of Business Law at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, authored The Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy Volume XXV, Number 2, titled Seed Libraries and Food Justice: Cultivating an Effective Legal and Policy Environment.  The Seed Law Landscape The article covered seed libraries, the legal landscape of the seed industry, healthy food policy, and reco ..read more

"A seed that is good, people will like. But, a seed that has a history that people will love that evokes a time and a place that is really special, and people will get so excited." - Ira Wallace Radiators & Tomatoes Ira Wallace tells this story about a man named MC Biles, he ran a radiator shop at the bottom of a hill, near a field of which he owned. His side hustle was to grow and breed heirloom tomato seeds. Every season, he took his seeds and grew starters, selling them to his community for $1 per plant, ultimately paying off his $6000 mortgage in a few years; way back in the 1930s ..read more

“Plants give us oxygen for the lungs and for the soul.” – Linda Solegato Background The New York City Metro area is home to over 15 vertical farms and roughly 10 distributors of hydroponic systems and supplies in the market.  In 2013, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) published a white paper on the possibilities of building a network of urban growers to feed New York City locals, using vacant buildings and land to advance agricultural technologies, while proving scale.  The research team from the Urban Design Lab at the Earth Institute at Colu ..read more

Welcome to Foraging and Farming! We are excited to launch our second EBook, Heirlooms - The Seed Savers. This book is designed to be a resource for anyone exploring the basics of heirloom seeds, harvesting, seed saving, seed banks, and community-driven heirloom projects.  Available on Amazon KDP in May, 2024. About Foraging and Farming Food is a common thread that touches all aspects of our lives. Our mission is to produce informative and engaging content about people doing extraordinary things for our food system. To that end, our vision is to be a resource for everyone in ..read more

“Food is everything we are. It’s an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It’s inseparable from those from the get-go.” - Anthony Bourdain Food is transformational, and if we are going to transform ourselves by making good decisions around healthy food, look to Norfolk, Virginia, for passion and commitment.  Bev Sell is a 3rd generation Virginian based in the city of Norfolk—a compassionate spitfire with a mission always to make things better for everyone in the community. A relentless fighter for hu ..read more

“Growing vertical saves an immense amount of space when compared to traditional soil-based methods.” David Hillock,, Oklahoma State University  When I think about Texas, I think of beef cattle and the 12M head of steer foraging off the expanse of the land. Texas holds 14% of the overall beef market, and according to ,The Texas Department of Agriculture, the state generates almost $16B in this category. Coming in 2nd are poultry and eggs at $5.5B and dairy cattle at $3.5B. The Texas cow and cattle market totals almost $20B in market capitalization.  Texas’s number six on the list of ..read more

"Just as powerful as they are pretty. Like you, my sweet girl.”― Karma Brown A package of heirloom seeds showed up in the mailbox this week. It was a small 4x6 brown envelope with ink stamps sharing a uniquely handmade series of heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, and basil. Inside the envelope was an invoice, embossed with a wax thank you note and a touch of class. I look forward to tasting ,South Georgia Seed Company’s “Ketchup and Mustard” tomatoes and Basil Genovese.  Heirloom Seed Libraries As I search the United States for heirlooms to grow and learn more about the stories embedded i ..read more

“Investing in early childhood nutrition is a surefire strategy. The returns are incredibly high". - Anne M. Mulcahy When Freida Baker, CEO of ,The C,hild Welfare Policy and Practice Group, (CWG) of Montgomery, Alabama, met with me, our thoughts for an editorial opportunity began with a discussion around the continued importance of child nutrition and education. We decided to explore the topic of school garden projects and recipe planning to teach nutrition, as well as the aspects of reinforcing collaborative community development, reaching beyond the box to establish or revive school gar ..read more

Lincoln County, out in the Great Plains of Colorado, was founded in 1889. Hugo is a special place for agriculture and ranching. Once home to a thriving ranch-lands community, the first Agricultural Training Service was founded for World War I Veterans. ,Hugo is not only famous for its sweeping landscapes but is also known for beef and buffalo processing. In 2002, The American Native Beef Council announced a $25M investment in expanding Buffalo and Angus beef harvesting operations.  Grains From The Plains  In the 1930s, Kevin Poss’s great-grandfather headed west from Ranson, Kan ..read more