Harvesting Change
This Flatland reporting series highlights producers in the Kansas City region who are working to support local food chains, and their impact on sustainability.
The End of the Pesticide Arms Race?
To spray or not to spray, that’s the question for farmers. Pests can be the make-or-break factor for a season’s harvest. Between 20% to 40% of global crop production is lost to pests annually, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Conventional chemical pesticides have traditionally addressed this challenge, but their…
Rural communities rely on this USDA agency. Trump’s cuts threaten that
USDA Rural Development is Washington’s chief tool to promote economic growth in rural counties — providing funding for everything from renovating old hospitals to providing faster internet service. Sometimes the agency sweeps in to clean up an urgent mess. For instance, last year in Dunklin County, in Missouri’s Bootheel, a sewer system failure sent raw…
Harvesting Change | Localizing Our Food System
As part of the Flatland series “Harvesting Change,” Flatland in Focus looks at the people and policies that influence the transition away from industrial agriculture to a more localized food system that protects and regenerates the environment.
Harvesting Change | Making Local Food Connections in the Heartland
Meet the people who are making Kansas City’s increasingly interconnected local food system more sustainable on multiple fronts.
Harvesting Change | Growing Roots in the KC Food System
The New Roots farmer training program is a four-year apprenticeship with Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and Cultivate KC.
Harvesting Change | A Perennial Future
The Land Institute is playing the long game to develop perennial grain crops that reduce farmer inputs and promote healthy soils.
Harvesting Change | Advocating for Family Farms
Patchwork Family Farms provides vital links in the local food chain, relieving farmers from the stress of processing, packaging and marketing to customers.
What’s the Deal with Grass-Fed Food?
Grass-fed evokes livestock on an open pasture and a farmer who is improving the sustainability of their land. But is that what’s behind most of the labeling?
Harvesting Change | Making a Local Meat Market
Cattle rancher Mike Callicrate is rethinking the food chain. He embraces a sustainable approach to raising, processing and selling meat directly to consumers.