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…

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Agritourism 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…

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A 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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