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10 Ways the Farming Community Is Coming Together Right Now

There are a lot of scary stories in the news right now, and it’s tempting to get lost in the negativity. But in trying times – perhaps especially in trying times – we also get the chance to see the best of humanity. It’s truly amazing to see how people come together and help their neighbors and community in creative ways.

We’ve heard inspiring stories of people leaving incredibly generous tips to help servers, celebrities streaming virtual concerts to boost morale and people taking to the web to offer free classes to students at home, to name a few. But these aren’t the only sectors with generosity and creativity shining through during this COVID-19 outbreak – the farming community is doing its part to help out. Here are some stellar examples.

1. North Carolina farmers create an emergency CSA

In Durham, North Carolina, farmer George O’Neal saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone: get fresh food to the people who want it and connect farmers with customers in their busiest selling season. Even before the city’s farmers market temporarily closed, O’Neal was springing into action. He reached out to other nearby farms to create an emergency CSA, with fresh food available for weekly pickup at a central location. The boxes contain a week’s worth of seasonal veggies for $25, and there are even subsidized options for families who can’t afford it.

See more: What is a CSA?

2. Dairy farmers are finally catching a break

For a commodity that’s been in decline due to health fads and the rise of alternative milks, the COVID-19 outbreak has a bit of a silver lining for dairy farmers: milk sales are up. Eggs and yogurt are also selling like wildfire, too. According to New Mexico dairy farmer Erica DeSmet, “Business has been busy, very busy. What I normally sell in a week, I’ve sold in about a day.” With restaurants closing and more people cooking and eating at home, milk is a staple that dairies across the nation are eager to provide.

3. Arizona farm offers free childcare and meals

Based in Gilbert, Arizona, Mother Nature’s Farm spans 47 acres, ten of which are designated for activities. They are opening their farm to children of families that have been affected by COVID-19 closures, offering space and room to run and play, with adult supervision. This is a godsend for parents who might have otherwise had to leave them at home alone or in more crowded spaces. A local Sonic committed to providing lunches for the children, while others throughout the community donated toys, cleaning supplies and more.

4. California farm delivers CSA boxes right to the door

On the west coast, Oceanside-based farmer Donal Yasukochi of Yasukochi Family Farms was already doing pretty well with his CSA boxes that he delivered to North County customers. Accounting for the increase in demand, Yasukochi started to accept orders from neighboring San Diego county, and the phones have been ringing off the hook – so much so that he had to limit the orders to 500 a day! His 15 employees are out delivering CSA boxes across the county every day, supplying residents of both counties with a healthy amount of fresh produce.

See more: How to Pick Out Fresh Produce at the Farmers Market

5. Farmers market uses social media to share ideas and resources

The Nashville Farmers Market took to Instagram with a query to all of its followers, asking for homeschool ideas and offering a few of their own. Examples included baking a pie, planting a garden and more. Once enough people have shared their own ideas, Nashville Farmers Market plans to share the best suggestions on its blog, which is sure to be a helpful resource for parents in Tennessee and beyond who are trying to keep their kids entertained – and educated – while they’re out of school.

See more: Get a Taste of Nashville at the Nashville Farmers Market

6. Florida’s drive-through grocery store chain is hopping

With 34 locations throughout Miami, Farm Stores didn’t have to change its business model when coronavirus hit – in fact, they were ahead of the curve. They’ve been a drive-through convenience store since 1957, and they sell their own brand of milk, eggs and ice cream, among other products. A drive-through grocery run is a safer option for the masses right now, so kudos to this business that is continuing to serve the community with this much-needed shopping method.

See more: Florida’s Agriculture Communities Thrive From North to South

7. Mississippi’s farmers are still farming

The Mississippi Farm Bureau posted a video of farmers across the state sharing their reasons why they’re still farming. It’s clear from watching these encouraging clips that these farmers are proud of what they do and recognize the great service and value they provide by feeding America. The Mississippi Farm Bureau‘s Instagram post encouraged farmers to send in their own short videos, which will be shared to spread hope and confidence in these uncertain times.

See more: Meet a Mississippi Poultry Farmer

8. College offers virtual tours to prospective ag students

Auburn University’s College of Agriculture recognizes that even though people are staying at home and self-quarantining, there are incoming and prospective students who have decisions to make about which school to attend. Under normal circumstances, these students would be able to take a physical tour of the campus and take a look at the facilities. Even though students can’t travel to campus, Auburn Ag is determined to bring the campus to students – via online virtual tours. Future students will be able to see specific research and teaching units, like the equine unit, to really get a sense of all that the college has to offer.

9. University publishes extensive guide to help farmers navigate COVID-19

These are unprecedented times, and every industry is scrambling to make adjustments. Luckily, Indiana‘s Purdue University put together a very thorough guide for farmers who are facing challenges like the closing of farmers markets, restaurant closures and other market demands. The guide provides ideas and resources to help farmers change their business models as needed, reach their customer base while staying safe and healthy, and continue to generate income. In times like these, it’s wonderful to see the sharing of resources and encouragement. No one is alone, and there are people and organizations that want to help.

See more: Do You Know When Indiana Produce Is Truly In Season?

10. Students learn about agriculture in a virtual classroom

Virginia Agriculture in the Classroom is posting lessons on its Facebook page, educating the students who are at home and unable to learn in an actual physical classroom. These free, engaging videos bring energy and enthusiasm to the students who watch them. They’re great for balancing fun and education, keeping students grounded and their minds active.

Park Your Plow: 5 Tips for the No-Till-Courious

Posted by Elizabeth Creech, Natural Resources Conservation Service in Farming Conservation Nov 05, 2018

Reduced erosion. Saved time and fuel. Improved nutrient cycling, soil moisture, and resiliency in the face of drought. You likely already know the potential benefits of no-till.No-till farmers grow crops with minimal disturbance to their fields and the organisms that call them home. This builds healthier soils while reducing money spent on fuel and labor – a win-win.With harvest season winding down, you’re no doubt making an important decision for your working land. Will you hook up the plow, or is this the year you’ll park it for good? If you’d like to try no-till, we wrote this for you.

No-till minimizes soil disturbance while leaving valuable cover and reducing erosion. Photo Credit: Jason Johnson, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service

Use these 5 tips to go from no-till-curious to no-till farmer.

Spread your residue during fall harvest.

Plowing isn’t the only way to prepare a field for next spring’s planting.Evenly distribute residue that will be left in the field while harvesting your cash crop to manage against erosion and allow for a uniform breakdown of nutrients and organic matter. Residue can provide a valuable base of cover for your ground over winter.

Prepare for a successful spring planting with an even distribution of residue left over from your fall harvest. Photo Credit: Jason Johnson, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service

Don’t forget about cover crops.

Farmers traditionally till to break up soil and prepare seedbeds. Over time, tillage can degrade structure and create highly compacted soils that seemingly “need” to be tilled before spring planting.Plant cool-season cover crops to reduce compaction, build organic matter, and hold your soil in place. Make sure to pick a cover crop species or mix that compliments your cash crop.If you’re starting with a highly-compacted field, use cover crop species that are meant to break up compaction. Daikon radish is often one great option.

Daikon radish – commonly called tillage radish – can break up plow pans while adding organic matter. Photo Credit: USDA

Choose equipment with your end-goal in mind.

Simple but critical: Plan before you buy.Will you plant next year’s cash crop into green cover, terminated cover, or fall residue? Will you drill or broadcast your seeds? Your operation may change over time, but establishing working goals now will keep you from buying equipment you don’t ultimately want.Some USDA service centers have no-till drills and other equipment you can rent for minimal fees to get started. All offices are staffed with experts who’d be happy to talk through your specific management goals.

Think about how you’ll terminate your cover and plant your cash crop next spring. Using a roller crimper with a no-till drill is just one option. Photo Credit: Jason Johnson, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service

Treat no-till adoption as a marathon, not a sprint. Track results along the way.

Building healthy, resilient soil takes time. Some farmers report yield increases after their first year of no-till, but that shouldn’t be your main goal. You can quantify several economic benefits of switching to no-till: fuel savings, time savings, eventual fertilizer reductions. By tracking these measures along with changes in yield, you’ll gain a truer sense of the impact of no-till across your operation.Have your soil tested at least once every four years and conduct your own informal assessments regularly.

Take note of the life inside of your soil, and how it changes over time. Healthy soils are generally full of earthworms and other organisms. Photo Credit: Colette Kessler, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service

Give us a visit. We’re here to help.

Stop by your local service center to learn more about integrating no-till and other conservation practices into your management plan. We’re here to help you reach conservation goals that support your farm’s production needs.

Visit your local USDA service center today to get started with a conservation plan for your working land. Photo Credit: Jason Johnson, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service

Farmers across the country have reduced erosion, held valuable nutrients in-field, saved money on fuel, and increased their soil’s resiliency by minimizing tillage.

Is this the year you’ll try no-till? If so, having a strong plan in place will help you leave your plow parked for good.

Elizabeth Creech is a public affairs specialist serving USDA's Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Risk Management Agency. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Tennessee Agriculture 2020

Tennesee Agriculture 2020

In partnership with Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Tennessee’s agriculture industry sustains the life of the state, providing food, fuel and fiber for its citizens along with the rest of the world. The state is home to 68,050 farms encompassing 10.8 million acres, with average farm size ringing in at 160 acres.

The state’s top commodities include cattle and calves, broilers, cotton, hay, tobacco, wheat, fresh tomatoes, meat goats and many more. Those contributions may be apparent, but agriculture is also responsible for many more that aren’t as easily seen. For example, Tennessee agriculture and forestry provide more than 363,500 jobs for Tennesseans, boosting the economy with an annual impact of $71.4 billion. That’s 10.3% of the state’s workforce. Along with crops and commodities, the state’s agribusiness sector is booming, with brands such as Jack Daniel’s, Bush’s Beans and MoonPies calling Tennessee home. Tennessee agriculture also encompasses education, agritourism, technology, research, conservation practices and much, much more.

.How High-Tech Agriculture Increases Efficiency

Posted on July 19, 2018August 21, 2020 by Keri Ann Beazell

In partnership with: Tennessee Department of Agriculture

From drones to GPS mapping to robotic milking to solar panels, Tennessee farms are a source of innovation. By embracing advanced technologies, farmers have benefitted from a boost to their bottom line while reducing waste, producing energy and protecting the environment.

Here are some of the newest technologies making a difference down on the farm.

Precision Ag: Rapid, Responsive and Accurate Data

A veteran-owned company in Alamo, Tenn., Farmspace Systems LLC is leading the 3-D agricultural production movement, following advancements in mechanization and biotechnology.

“The world needs a ‘third wave’ of increased agricultural productivity to feed and clothe two billion more people by 2050. This third wave will be based on precision agriculture,” says Lt. Gen. John Castellaw USMC (retired), president and CEO, Farmspace Systems.

With the advent of commercially available global positioning systems (GPS) in the 1990s to precisely guide farm equipment, today’s GPS- enabled unmanned aerial systems (UAS) can now determine the “what, when, where and how much” for a variety of inputs including seed, nutrients and pesticides.

“This brings the management level down from farm-wide to zones no larger than 2 to 5 acres with the promise of drilling down to much smaller areas,” Castellaw says. However, he estimates that only around 30 percent of those that could benefit are currently using drones in their farming operations.

Farmspace has partnered with Middle Tennessee State University’s Aviation Department on UAS research and development, as well as establishment of an FAA-approved R&D range in West Tennessee near Alamo.

Looking to the future, Castellaw anticipates that sales will increase as people become more familiar and comfortable with drone operations, similar to the trend in smartphone usage.

“A recent study projected that 80 percent of all UAS operations will eventually be in agriculture. This will be a significant amount of economic activity when the forecast total value of UAS operations is $82 billion by 2025,” he says.

Similarly, GeoAir, one of the 13 finalists in Launch Tennessee’s 36|86: Student Edition Pitch Competition and finalist in the American Farm Bureau’s Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge, is helping farmers with drone technology to identify mold in fields. Founded by recent MBA graduate Alex Adams from Bristol, Tenn., GeoAir takes airborne samples from the fields and then uses that data to create a heat map that illustrates mold hot spots.

Thanks to drone technology, farmers can now precisely treat the problem areas, instead of the entire crop, effectively saving time and money.

Dairy Robotics: Milking Down to a Science

Sweetwater Valley Farm, home of award-winning cheese and named the 2012 Innovative Dairy Farm of the Year by the International Dairy Foods Association, is a must-visit for consumers curious about dairy farming technology.

As early as the 1990s, John Harrison was using technology to collect daily activity and milk weights. This system made it possible to better sort cows and aggregate accurate data for daily management and historical analysis. Sweetwater Valley also began using a feed tracker system, which allowed more effective measurement and distribution of feed ingredients.

But the benefits of technology aren’t limited to just livestock. On the employee-management side, the farm has integrated an evaluation plan that scores each employee in various areas, which is then used for compensation and tracking personal growth.

“Farms are also on the edge of being able to produce amazing amounts of energy,” Harrison adds. “We have always found ways of using byproducts, but now we are starting to direct it to the energy grid.” Through the use of anaerobic manure “digesters” (also called methane digesters), manure is being converted into methane for on- or off-farm use such as gas and electricity.

Overall, Harrison finds that the innovations that have most transformed the dairy industry today are robotics, GPS, apps and social media.

Of course, simply the ability to collect, store and disseminate massive amounts of data has been paramount to agriculture, and will likely continue to push the industry to new heights.