Ferguson Fruit Orchard—As sweet cherry trees begin to produce fruit in late May and June, farmers across Utah are crossing their fingers that the sporadic spring frosts are finished for the year. This is also the time of year when Bill James, owner of the 100-acre Ferguson Fruit Orchard in Santaquin for 44 years, takes stock of his own, slightly different crop: Tart … [Read more...]
Krishna Food Forest & Farm—what is the permaculture concept?
Mimicking natural ecosystems The Krishna Food Forest & Farm , located behind the Sri Sri Radha Krishna temple in Millcreek, is a wonderfully accessible place for anyone in the area to learn about ecological food production while engaging with the Millcreek Permaculture Guild, a friendly community and leadership team. It is run by the Millcreek Permaculture Guild, which … [Read more...]
Solar farms present opportunity for sheep ranchers in Utah
It's not unusual to see sprawling solar farms now-a-days but, what the heck are those sheep doing? Tradition thrives along with new technology Hearing someone refer to themselves as an entrepreneur usually conjures up a certain stereotype: the young, hoodie-wearing, manic visionary pushing the latest techno breakthrough, or everyday types in their best suits … [Read more...]
Bangerter Farms update: “I can guarantee the land will never be anything but a farm.”
Legal change keeps the Bangerter's farmland productive A year after Farmington granted agricultural protection for the Bangerter family farm, a 22-acre plot of farmland, and ended any effort to put soccer fields on the site, the city’s economic development director still receives pleas to leave the property alone. Brigham Mellor says he gets about one email a week from people … [Read more...]
Paizlee’s Grass-Fed Beef
I can remember the moment that I first tasted a real hamburger. I was staying with family in rural Utah. Dinner featured homemade hamburgers prepared with beef from a locally raised, grass-fed cow. I remember the complexity of flavor being so unique that I had asked how the meat had been seasoned. “It wasn’t,” was the answer. “It’s just the beef.” I was amazed. Until that … [Read more...]
Three Young Farmers You’ll Find at SLC’s Rio Grande Winter Market
Grand Prismatic Seed James Young and Guy Banner started Grand Prismatic Seed in 2016 after they returned to Salt Lake City from Oregon, where they learned to grow and save seeds. Their backgrounds are in ethnobotany, habitat restoration, and native-seed production. Grand Prismatic Seed is committed to using organic growing practices and selling primarily … [Read more...]
Snuck Farm: Ethics and Agriculture Transcend Generations
Page Westover started Snuck Farm in Pleasant Grove in 2015 on land that her grandparents inherited from their grandparents. From the beginning she wanted it to be something different. She says, “I’ve always had a love of nature and good food. I went to Utah State University and majored in nutrition with an emphasis in dietetics.” After working in her field for more than 10 … [Read more...]
Putting the Aggie in Agriculture: Student-run Garden Provides Fresh Produce and Experience
As spring brightens and days lengthen, students in Utah State University’s Student Organic Farm class are diligently monitoring the temperatures in their hoop houses and the soil moisture in their fields. It’s already planting time, and they’re helping ensure the first baskets of fresh veggies are ready for their Community Supported Agriculture customers on the third week of … [Read more...]
Woodyatt’s Montmorency Cherry Orchard: Tart Cherries Make a Sweet Business
Delicious and Healthy Chock-full of antioxidants and a natural source of melatonin, the benefits of tart cherries juice have been making health headlines in recent years. “People love it,” says second-generation cherry farmer Dan Woodyatt, who ships the orchard’s distinctively tart Montmorency cherry juice concentrate to customers coast-to-coast. Although he’s hesitant to … [Read more...]
Tripp Family Farm: Where Cattle Enjoy a Home on the Range
Situated on 700 acres in Richmond, Utah, Tripp Family Farm has taken a distinctive approach to cattle farming. Managed by Mark and Adam Tripp, the farm that has been in Adam’s family since the 1860s has evolved into a place where sick animals are nursed back to health and healthy animals that have lived long, happy lives, are treated and harvested in the most humane ways … [Read more...]