2013 — Issue 3 (June/July)
Today’s Farming Frontier
Resilient Growers Adapt to Contemporary Challenges By Molly Moore A summer drive along nearly any Appalachian road reveals scenes of agrarian beauty – cows grazing in the morning mist, hills striped with rows of Christmas trees, and a mix of colorful and weathered barns. Twenty years ago, the drive would have toured fields and sloping…
Read MoreThe Mysterious World of Moss
Story and photos by Molly Moore As part of the first plant family to colonize Earth, the soft beds of mosses that now grace mountain streams and woodlands may have shaped our planet’s history. Primitive mosses, similar to the hundreds of moss species found in Appalachia, might have triggered two cool periods around 455 million…
Read MoreTips for Hiking with Kids
• Hiking is a great way to tap into children’s instinctive curiosity, as long as you’re prepared to slow your pace and stop to explore whatever catches their attention. • Let kids carry their own small packs. Having their own water bottle, snack and camera gets them engaged. • Prepare everyone for the fact that…
Read MoreHitting the Trail with Kids at Hungry Mother
Story and photos by Paige Campbell Becoming a parent is no reason to turn in your hiking boots. Children are naturals on the trail, in fact, and as long as you adjust your expectations, there are plenty of trails that are completely doable for hikers of all sizes, and very much worth doing. A favorite…
Read MoreCourt Rulings Favor Clean Water
By Brian Sewell Two consecutive court rulings in April affirmed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to veto mountaintop removal valley fill permits and called for increased scrutiny of the practice’s environmental impacts during the permitting process. On April 22, the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals revoked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ use of…
Read MoreAgritourism Grows in Appalachia
By Brian Sewell Think of it as an extended growing season, where the opportunities arising from a region’s agricultural wisdom and the influx of tourists and conscious consumers are ripe for the picking. By marketing experience and education, not just products, Appalachian farms of every kind are going beyond the friendly transactions at the farmers…
Read MoreBills on the Hill
A Look at Environmental Happenings in Congress The Good Mine and Workplace Safety and Health Act ( S. 805 / H.R. 1373): Introduced for the fourth time by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) since 29 miners were killed in the 2010 Upper Big Branch disaster, the Coal Mine Safety Act addresses a long list of safety…
Read MoreBee Deaths Linked to Pesticides
By Davis Wax More than 30 percent of managed bee colonies in the United States perished this past winter, and beekeepers are looking for answers. While parasites, viruses and malnutrition can be factors in entire hives dying, evidence is building that pesticides are one of the major culprits. Danny Jaynes, president of the N.C. State…
Read MoreToxic Legacy
Yesterday’s Pesticides, Today’s Problem By Davis Wax Since the dawn of agriculture, pests have been the bane of growers across the globe. Early evidence shows sulfur was used against molds more than 2,000 years ago in China. But it wasn’t until the rise of more concentrated and commercialized products such as DDT in the past…
Read MoreA Matter of Self-Preservation
New Farmers and the Hard Path To Land By Matt Grimley The Pratt family in Atkins, Va., like many, both own and rent land on their 1200-acre cattle farm. Besides small plantings of corn and other crops, Echo Ridge Farm is an angus cow operation, selling off its breeding cattle through seasonal and regional auctions.…
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