Growing Connections

Fall 2024

Growing Connections

From the Executive Director

Dear Living Roots Readers,

As we share this fall 2024 issue of Living Roots, we would like to honor and thank all of you who grow our food and all those in our communities who work alongside them. It was a tough summer season for many with significant weather challenges. We hope you and your families are safe. Your resilience serves you well.

The stories in this issue feature some truly innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial farmers sharing their experiences and learnings with us and with each other.

Whether you are navigating the complexities of buying or holding on to land, seeking new ways to diversify your income, or looking for conservation or sustainable practices to enhance your farm’s productivity and marketability, we continue in our commitment to provide the support you need.

This magazine is more than just a collection of articles. Along with our website, it’s a resource designed to help you grow, innovate, and succeed. So when we ask for your ideas in our Reader Feedback Survey later this fall, please let us know what you would like to see covered in Living Roots. And how about sharing a farm story you think others would like to read about? Who knows, you could be on the next cover!

Thank you for being a vital part of our agricultural community.

Warm regards,

Edna Rodriguez

Executive Director

Hemp in field

Hemp Unraveled

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When chronic pain hit close to home, Ellis Monroe turned to an unexpected ally: hemp. Discover how Monroe and other farmers are reclaiming hemp’s healing potential, resisting corporate takeover, and rebuilding agriculture through care, science, and community.
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Growing Connections

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Three farmers, originally from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, and Myanmar, share their experiences growing culturally significant specialty crops for personal use and for the benefit of their communities.
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The Dirt on Soil Testing

by Mark Schonbeck
Soil testing can help you manage nutrients and amendments for optimum soil health, crop production, and pasture quality. Accurate and reliable test results depend on good sampling techniques. Get the most out of on-farm soil testing.
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Community Land for Community Benefit

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Using idle city lots, such as church property, can be an affordable way to access land for food production - but working to get multiple community entities to a shared understanding is often difficult. Two local leaders navigate and share their case studies for farming in community partnership in Mississippi.
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Agritourism Adventures

by Carol Kline, Taylor Bass, Lily Herbert, and Mackenzie Law
The essence of agritourism is providing an experience and telling your story. People will always enjoy good food, meeting new people, and learning new things. They also enjoy live music, having engaging entertainment for their children, and being surrounded by a peaceful setting for events. If you are considering incorporating agritourism into your operation, now is a perfect time to start planning.
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Notes from the Field

Toxic Harvest

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As evidence piles up that "forever chemicals" like PFAS are spread through current and historic sludge applications, what can we do to protect our crops and the people we feed?
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Farm Forward

Farming in 3D

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With a background in marine biology and 18 years of coding experience, Jonathan Watkins brings his own unique perspective to the farm – he has found many ways to apply 3D printing in their daily operations to save time, cost and hassle.
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