About_WWOOFUSA/NewsThu, 10 May 2012 17:50:27 GMTCopyright 2012. All rights reserved.Pyron Technologies SuiteFin CMSThu, 10 May 2012 17:50:27 GMTFood Informants: A Week In The Life Of Sustainable Pig Farmer Carrie Megginson Posted: 05/09/2012 9:01 am 24 73 0 5 40 GET FOOD ALERTS: SIGN UP FOLLOW: Carrie Megginson,Food Informants,Pig Farming,Photo Galleries,Food News Food Informantsis a week-in-the-life series profiling fascinating people in the food world. We hope it will give you a first-hand look at the many different corners of the food industry. Know someone who would make a greatFood Informant?Tell us why. January 2010 found Dan Earnest and Carrie Megginson moving in to their picturesque farmhouse in the beautiful South Central Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania. In the spring, they acquired their first Tamworth cross piglets and began dedicating their time to raising the happiest, pastured, heritage-breed pigs in the region. Their passion for great pork, ethically produced, has been an unbelievable learning experience -- as well as a source of pride and joy. And no, neither Carrie nor Dan had farmed before they chose to jump in at the deep end of sustainable agriculture. Read more to learn about how Carrie cares for her pigs and tries to grow her small business. Monday, April 23 4:38am:One of the cats wakes me. I let her in and settle into a doze on the sofa by the front door. In a few more minutes, another of the cats is asking to be let in. The deep front porch shelters me from the worst of the weather, but the wind is blowing and there's a wet, snowy sleet falling. 6:15am:All four cats receive a tiny serving of the raw milk we buy from our neighbors up the road atHidden Hills Dairy. Hidden Hills uses most of the milk from their Jersey cow herd to make artisanal raw milk cheeses. As a courtesy, they also provide milk to customers who sign waivers acknowledging their awareness of the dangers of drinking unpasteurized milk. Our farm has an arrangement to collect waste whey from Hidden Hills for our herd of pastured pigs. The whey adds protein and valuable amino acids to our Tamworth cross swine feeding plan. In addition, whey promotes the growth of beneficial intestinal flora in all omnivores -- pigs as well as people. 6:20am:I dash through the light morning snow--it was 70° and sunny only three days ago -- to put out feed for the chickens and open up the two chicken coops just east of the farmhouse. Chickens hate being "cooped up," and they come pouring out of the coops in twos and threes when I open their doors. They spend their days here wandering at will looking for bugs and tasty plants. 7:45am:As I finish tidying the kitchen, I find a couple containers of quinoa salad in the fridge. They showed up at the potluck Pig Roast we hosted on Saturday. By now everyone in the house who wanted leftovers has had their fill. The quinoa salads will make a nice addition to our sows', Ruby and Garnet, breakfast. I set the salads aside. 8:30am:Coffee and top milk from my non-homogenized milk bottle, and I'm standing in the kitchen buffing away dirt and other encrustations on a couple baskets of eggs from our hens. Under 2 oz and the egg is a "medium." Two oz to 2.25 oz and the egg is large, 2.3 oz or more and the egg is extra-large. 9:15am:I call up the stairs to let Dan know our farmhand,Sebastiaan Zijp, is waiting outside to run breakfast to the pigs in the pastures. While the men look after the big pigs, I have another cup of coffee and phone my mother to say hey. 10:30am:I've had phone calls from two of the folks with whom we're working closely to form a producers' co-op for marketing our best agricultural goods down in the premium markets of DC and Baltimore. Though we're located in Pennsylvania, we're 140 miles through the mountains to Pittsburgh, and more than 200 miles to Philadelphia. DC is fewer than 125 miles from our farm, and Baltimore is only five miles more. To continue reading, please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=109Mon, 07 May 2012 21:06:24 GMTFilling the Gap Taking time between high school and college has become increasingly common among Baltimore teens. By Jane Marion CREDIT: DAVID COLWELL DeMarco worked on a farm in the Andes. In the fall of 2011, as The Park School graduate Jamie DeMarco’s classmates packed their duffel bags for colleges across the country, a freshly immunized DeMarco (rabies, Yellow Fever, Typhoid) filled his R.E.I. backpack with six bottles of insect repellant, a hand-filter pump, and some mosquito netting and boarded a Miami flight bound for Quito, Ecuador. “I had been going to class my entire life,” says DeMarco, sitting in the living room of his family’s Lake Montebello home, fresh from his travels. “I was not looking forward to classes. I was burnt out from having to follow such a narrow path for so long, and I wanted to go out and live rather than waiting four more years to begin my life.” To get off the academic fast track and heed to his wanderlust, DeMarco, like many other high-school students in Baltimore and beyond, took a “gap year”—a self-exploratory sabbatical in which students defer college for community service, world travel, internships, and other activities away from the structure of school. For DeMarco, his gap year began on Wisdom Forest, a farm east of the Andes, which he found on the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) website. “I e-mailed the contact person at Wisdom Forest that I wanted to work there from this date to that date,” says DeMarco. “It was that simple.” While at Wisdom Forest ($10 a day for room and board), the high-school graduate did everything from weed to harvest to compost. Mornings began with a regimen of Bhakti yoga. DeMarco’s adventures did not end there. Before his sabbatical ended, he had worked as a cave tour guide and lived in a rainforest for three weeks subsisting on yucca, bananas, and leaves from local plants. “I would spend days fantasizing about pizza,” says DeMarco, “but by the end of the three weeks, I had learned to control those cravings. It was important to cut off those fantasies at the very beginning.” The experience, he says, changed his life. “I worked with people of all ages from all over the world,” says DeMarco. “Some mornings I’d wake up and think, ‘Wow, I could be in a college classroom right now,’ but I’m here.” To continue reading, please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=107Mon, 07 May 2012 21:09:42 GMT WWOOFing all over the world Features By: Charlie Parrish,Staff Writer May 3, 2012 With a big mission and a slightly odd acronym, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) provides opportunities for volunteers interested in learning about farming and sustainability. WWOOF is a network connecting people who wish to volunteer on organic farms with organic farmers who are willing to host them. It is a system based on an exchange. A volunteer will work for four to six hours a day on the farm in exchange for free room, board and a breadth of knowledge about more sustainable living from their hosts. WWOOF began in England in 1971 in an effort to provide access to the countryside and a way to support the organic movement for those who wanted to take part but didn’t know how. The movement has since grown globally, and offers opportunities worldwide, as the name suggests. Author and WWOOFer Steffen Mirsky recently published a book titled “WWOOFing Adventures Down Under: Living and Working on 36 Organic Farms in Australia and New Zealand” about his experiences WWOOFing in Australia and New Zealand for a year and a half. He gave a presentation on the subject at Luther last Wednesday, April 25. “The essence of WWOOFing is really in the exchange,” Mirsky said. “It is not just a work exchange, but an exchange of education, culture and skills.” Mirsky, a graduate of the University of Washington, currently works at Seed Savers in Decorah, an organization he learned about in a few of his homestays while WWOOFing. Mirsky believes that WWOOFing can teach volunteers valuable skills. “The opportunities for WWOOFing are endless,” Mirsky said. “You can learn about all aspects of sustainability. Sustainability issues are incredibly important now and will only become more important in the future. Beyond that, you learn a lot of new skills and have a lot of fun.” To continue reading, please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=108Wed, 02 May 2012 18:50:25 GMT Growing Local: Sheerlark Farm - She’s Got Your Goat! Wednesday, May 02, 2012 - by Jen Jeffrey Bountiful Garden - photo by Jen Jeffrey Moving to Flat Rock, Ala., from Southern California, Sherry Johnson loves farm life. Though she was surrounded by the suburbs, she always tried to live away from that so she could have her land and her horses. Having a love for horses and the farm, Sherry has fond memories and wanted her children to have that same connection to land that she had. On 58 acres Sherry lives with her husband Larry, a retired electrician. When he and Sherry first attended the Chattanooga Market, he developed an interest in iron work. “He would always watch the blacksmiths that were there demonstrating and wanted to learn about blacksmithing. He soon tried it out himself, loved it and has been doing it for about four years. He makes forks, steak flippers, all kinds of hooks and will sell them at the Chattanooga Market. We have yarn, ironwork, eggs, produce and meat … we are probably the most diverse booth at the Market,” Sherry insists. Larry helps Sherry with jobs that may require the tractor or to get bales of hay, but pretty much, the farm business and the passion for it is hers. Sherry brings Chard, Kale Arugula, lettuce and snow peas to the market as well as several types of peppers (hot and sweet). “We also bring some tomatoes but so many people grow those, we try to have different things to offer. We sell garlic every year - and not a lot of people do that at the Chattanooga Market,” Sherry says. The main focus for Sheerlark is in their livestock, meat goats and dairy goats, though the dairy goats are for their personal enjoyment. She also raises sheep and lamb. Sherry sells lamb and wool products from the sheep. To continue reading, please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=106Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:15:35 GMT Getting down and dirty BY:CAROLE LANDER From:The Australian April 28, 201212:00AM Michael and Mari Egan take in guests on working holidays at their farm on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Picture: Carole LanderSource:The Australian LIKE many of my fellow baby boomers, I want to keep travelling but worry about the cost. One way to get around the world and meet interesting people is to go on a working holiday. Fruit picking may be something we did as students, but after talking to Kathy Ward I might just try it again. Ward is in her early 50s, lives and works in Melbourne and is a francophile who decided to visit France in 2009. She joined Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF), an international organisation providing opportunities for people of all ages to work for four to six hours a day on a farm in exchange for meals and accommodation. For anyone interested in learning about organic farming, bio-dynamics and permaculture, this is a dream-come-true style of holiday. Ward was also interested in practising her French and soaking up the culture. She and her teenage daughter stayed on two organic farms, in Normandy and in the Dordogne. To continue reading, please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=105Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:29:24 GMT 10 Most Valuable Alternative Booking Sites April 24, 2012 4:19 pm byCaroline Costello InThree Rental Sites to Help You Kick Your Hotel Habit, we introduced major vacation-rental booking sites that offer an interesting alternative to the run-of-the-mill hotel stay. But there's more than one way to ditch the hotel and unearth a unique—and more affordable—place to lay your suitcase. Try swapping your home for an oceanfront condo on St. Thomas, sleeping in a fellow traveler's spare room for free, or working on an organic farm in exchange for fresh meals and a room with a gorgeous country view. Here is your one-stop resource to alternative accommodations sites. We've divided the following into three categories: booking sites, hospitality networks (sites that connect travelers with free hosts), and home-exchange sites. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) While the abovementioned sites generally feature free stays in exchange for, well, nothing but good company and the chance to foster cross-cultural understanding, this one's different.WWOOFis a network that allows travelers to arrange free farm stays—but there's a catch. You have to be willing to roll up the sleeves of your packable travel shirt and help out around the farm: Trade volunteer work (you can arrange specific duties with your hosts before you arrive) for bucolic country accommodations and complimentary farm-fresh meals. To become a WWOOFer, it costs $30 toregister in the U.S.You can also register in other countries, each of which has its own registration fee and database of farms that accept WWOOF volunteers. To read the entire article, please click here.http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=103Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:29:48 GMT 10 Most Valuable Alternative Booking Sites April 24, 2012 4:19 pm byCaroline Costello InThree Rental Sites to Help You Kick Your Hotel Habit, we introduced major vacation-rental booking sites that offer an interesting alternative to the run-of-the-mill hotel stay. But there's more than one way to ditch the hotel and unearth a unique—and more affordable—place to lay your suitcase. Try swapping your home for an oceanfront condo on St. Thomas, sleeping in a fellow traveler's spare room for free, or working on an organic farm in exchange for fresh meals and a room with a gorgeous country view. Here is your one-stop resource to alternative accommodations sites. We've divided the following into three categories: booking sites, hospitality networks (sites that connect travelers with free hosts), and home-exchange sites. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) While the abovementioned sites generally feature free stays in exchange for, well, nothing but good company and the chance to foster cross-cultural understanding, this one's different.WWOOFis a network that allows travelers to arrange free farm stays—but there's a catch. You have to be willing to roll up the sleeves of your packable travel shirt and help out around the farm: Trade volunteer work (you can arrange specific duties with your hosts before you arrive) for bucolic country accommodations and complimentary farm-fresh meals. To become a WWOOFer, it costs $30 toregister in the U.S.You can also register in other countries, each of which has its own registration fee and database of farms that accept WWOOF volunteers. To read the entire article, please click here.http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=104Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:37:12 GMT Off the grid a Aiki Farms; living life rooted in the natural world Published: Saturday, April 21, 2012 0digg 0 MORE PHOTOS Click thumbnails to enlarge By Reece Alvarez, Special to the Register Click to enlarge I’ve always harbored a romanticized vision of the “other side,” a place with no highways, a slower pace of life, and work rooted in the natural world. I got a taste of that life through the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms organization, a network that connects volunteers interested in learning and working on organic farms with hosts. I stumbled upon Aiki Farms in Ledyard, looking for an alternative to a culture of success and happiness based on wealth and entertainment. Through WWOOF, I met Bob Burns, owner, farmer and sensei at Aiki Farms, an organic farm and martial arts dojo. “A person who comes and stays on my farm has to participate in the entire program: Zazen, Aikido, Iaido and farming,” said Burns. My room was in the dojo; I slept on a futon cushion on the floor and loved it. Jason Jorge, a 31-year-old world traveler fresh from hiking in Nepal and India and a bike trip from Miami to Washington, D.C., was my bunkmate. He had been studying Aikido at the farm for four months. “To be a backpacker, sometimes you need to drop everything in life,” he said. That was exactly part of why I had come to the farm. A day at the farm started at 5 a.m. with Zazen mediation and Aikido training. Zazen meditation involves Buddhist philosophies and clearing the mind through silent meditation and focused breathing; this was followed by Aikido and Iaido. Aikido, said Burns, is a martial art that teaches one to “defend with harmony.” Iaido is another Japanese martial art based on sword use. He teaches a number of students, from children to adults, with some becoming resident students. To continue reading please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=101Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:55:24 GMTWWOOFing Adventures Down Under: Living and Working on 36 Organic Farms in Australia and New Zealand By Steffen W. Mirsky Published 2011 146 pages, with more than 70 full-color photographs and maps $19.99 - available on Amazon or contact steffenmirsky@gmail.com WWOOFing Adventures Down Under describes Steffen Mirsky’s 36 WWOOFing experiences on his life-changing journey across Australia and New Zealand over one and a half years. This wonderfully written and informative book will appeal to prospective WWOOFers and those seeking engaging travel writing alike. Accompany Steffen as he travels to a tropical fruit winery, outback cattle station, flower farm, permaculture community, artisan bakery, blacksmith’s forge, sheep and deer farm, fly-fishing lodge, and more. Meet a wide range of hosts, including permaculture’s co-founder, and learn how they live off the land. Find out about their attempts at sustainable living through organic farming, renewable energy generation, natural building, traditional craftsmanship and water conservation. Discover the extraordinary world of WWOOF and be inspired to embark upon your own journey of adventure and enlightenment. The Author Steffen W. Mirsky graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle with a bachelor’s degree in biology and subsequently traveled to Coffs Harbour, Australia for a marine biology internship. During his stay in a youth hostel, he learned about the WWOOF program, which became his mode of exploration through Australia and New Zealand for nearly the next two years. Steffen is now working as an intern at Seed Savers Exchange, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom seeds, in Decorah, Iowa. To purchase this book, please click here.http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=102Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:46:11 GMTFarming: What to Do If You Think You're Not Good at Anything APR 18 2012, 12:05 PM ET Sometimes people ask me why I farm. I tell them different things. To some I say that, biologically, we are meant to be farmers. "We've been farming for thousands of years. Why stop now?" I say. To others (seeing an opportunity to shorten or end the conversation as quickly as possible), I say that I farm because I like good food. "Can't argue with that," they say, thankfully. To a third group of people, usually those most interested in farming, I explain that when I was younger I made a list of jobs I could imagine myself enjoying. I tell them the list included "small-scale organic vegetable farmer" and that I somehow fell into it. I add some esoteric, overly idiosyncratic items to my fictional list of self-actualizing professions in order to make them laugh or to distract them. I say that besides farmer, on my list were rapper, astronaut, lonely graduate student, writer, playwright, lonely history professor, and lonely Civil War reenactor. I explain this maniacally, with eyes wide, until whoever asked the question starts talking about himself or loses interest. To the fourth group -- those with whom I'm most honest -- I shrug and sadly mumble something about not knowing what else to do. "I could probably be a good janitor, maybe," I say, almost inaudibly, "but I don't know what else I'd be doing. I'm not really good at anything." I grew up in somewhat urban New Jersey, about 20 miles outside of Manhattan, and didn't have a lot of interaction with nature. My dad kept a small vegetable garden in my aunt's backyard until I was nine or 10 and then he stopped. I remember helping him in the garden a few times and liking it. I ate a lot of processed food. I liked Toaster Strudels and Pop-Tarts. I liked bread. I put ketchup on most things. Most of the time I felt really awful. I wondered why my stomach hurt so much. In high school I went to a digestive specialist, who gave me a cup of high-fructose corn syrup to drink. I got sick almost immediately. He told me I had an HFCS allergy and "probably irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn's disease" or something. It seemed that most of the food I was encouraged to eat was poison to my body. I was frustrated by my stomach and, though I didn't realize it then, by the food system I was trapped in. Being sick showed me that there's a lot wrong with the way things are set up and maybe, I thought, if we do things differently, there's a chance we could get it right. I discovered subculture. I learned that there are alternative ways to eat, which, it turns out, is how most people in history have eaten. Sometimes I wished I'd been born 100 years earlier. After college, I left New Jersey to become a farmer. Through WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms), I discovered a farm about six hours northwest in the Finger Lakes region of New York. The farm, where I still live and work, is called East Hill Farm. It's a project of the Rochester Folk Art Guild, an intentional community of craftspeople and farmers who have lived together in Middlesex, New York, since 1967. So, I made the odd, difficult transition from a life rooted in urban culture in New Jersey to a rural, agricultural lifestyle in an established intentional community. It's a transition that I'm still trying to figure out. I've learned more practical skills than I ever thought I would: bread baking, logging, vegetable and fruit production, woodworking, operating a tractor, canning and food preservation, beekeeping, raising and slaughtering pigs, raising and slaughtering chickens. I've learned how to live by myself in a one-room, "off-the-grid" shed through the winter. I've experienced love and heartbreak and made great friends. I've been more confused than ever before. I've discovered that I have much to learn about human interaction and relationships. To continue reading, please click here.http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=100Tue, 17 Apr 2012 17:21:51 GMTThriving in Community ByColleen O’Connor Toberman, Hindsight Community Fellow,April 13, 2012 at 7:30 am I must have a weird idea of “vacation,” because I just spent mine slopping through manure and digging garden beds in the cold rain. For eleven days I volunteered atShambala Farm and Nurseryon Camano Island, WA through aWorldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms(WWOOF) work exchange. Each WWOOF host farm provides room, board, and untold learning opportunities and adventures for a city-dweller like me. In exchange, I just have to pitch in on the daily work. This was my third WWOOF excursion; each farm has offered unique perspectives and experiences. What impressed and moved me most at Shambala was the level to which the owners have cultivated a very intentional community of family, neighbors, volunteers, interns, and fellow farmers. Their interdependence is expressed in many forms. There are the weekly family dinners, the monthly “barn-raising” work parties with neighbors, the constant stream of visitors. During my short visit we goat-sat, planted a fellow islander's garden, had long dinner-table conversations, collected free compost, borrowed a neighbor's greenhouse space, and sought others' advice... just to name a few ways we connected with those around us. At first all of this community can seem a distraction from the “real work” of getting plants in the ground. Just when you're getting into a project a guest arrives or you have to leave your task to go help someone else. The community, however, is precisely what makes it possible for those plants to get in the ground: many people are needed to build the beds, till the soil, lend tools, give advice, and purchase the vegetables that result. Everything we gave to the community came back to make our own work possible. I've long been interested in intentional community in its various forms but until my travels I hadn't really applied that thinking to my work life. Now that I think about it, my nonprofit peers are a form of community. I call on them for advice, share my excess resources with them, and take part in big projects that I couldn't complete on my own. A business incubator or chamber of commerce are intentional communities. I've always thought of it as “networking” but it turns out it's more fundamental than that: it's interdependence. To read the rest of the article, please click here.http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=99Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:27:21 GMT If I could do it all over CAREERS AND EDUCATION: Bay Area professors sound off on changing majors 04.10.12 - 5:33 pm|Caitlin Donohue| (2) Print Share8 "Not just because my parents or society said it was the thing to do." Professor Melinda Stone would do some things differently. If had to re-start your academic career today, what would you study? In this era of budget cuts to education and general economic miasma, some Bay Area academics would be reconsidering their options, some would stay their course — and some have important advice for today's budding scholars. MELINDA STONE, UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR FILM STUDIES I would first take some time off from school, jump into the world, and try it out for a year or two. I would WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) around the country and around the world. Once I had some out of school experience, I would be ready and willing to pursue a higher education — not just because my parents or society said it was the thing to do, but because I was excited and eager to learn more. I would study urban agriculture — funnily enough, my colleagues and I just created an urban agriculture program at USF. We need to be thinking and engaging critically and creatively to shape our urban spheres into sustainable systems. Programs like urban agriculture are doing just that. To continue reading, please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=98Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:27:55 GMTThe organisation W.W.O.O.F. ( World Wild Opportunities Organic Farming) was born in the 70′s in England, with the aim to spread and share information and resources on sustainable living. I’ve been a member of W.W.O.O.F. for almost 7 years: with more and more people travelling all over the world, I believe it’s more important than ever to spread the word about W.W.O.O.F. and give people an opportunity to learn about sustainable living which in todays society is becoming an ever increasing concern, as explained on myblog W.W.O.O.F. offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in a rural lifestyle in the countryside, living on a farm, sharing every aspect of the daily life with the local people. The farmers will offer food and accommodation in exchange you will work on the farm helping with agriculture work, and of course learning on the job. It is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who wants to live and be in touch with nature. The work often includes; seeding, picking, reaping, preparing bread, wine, oil, marmalade, but most of all becoming part of an agricultural lifestyle, learning from the inside, the peculiarities and the rhythm of life. How it works: An organic farm, called ahosting farmor simplyhost, first needs to become a member of W.W.O.O.F. paying a memberships annual fee. Then they write a brief description explaining a little bit about the farm and the types of jobs available, the season and the accommodation, so the potential volunteers have basic understanding of whats on offer. The volunteer, called awoofer,subscribes paying the annual membership fee and they are able to access the list of the farms and contacts. The choice of farm is varied, for example in Europe there are farm that produce: cheese, honey, fruit, soap, herbs, wine… The volunteer can base link their choice of farm to their own passion or interests, then personally contact the farms, introducing themselves and make the arrangements for working a season. On the websiteWWOOFit details the regulations, core principles of the association and how to subscribe. In the international website of WWOOF World there are links of every country in the World that participates in W.W.O.O.F. Organisation, and believe me,the list is long! To continue reading, or to visit Thinking Nomads, please click here.http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=97Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:37:39 GMT Wes Students WWOOF Around the World ByClaire Bradach, Assistant Features Editor Thursday, March 29, 2012 While many students opt to spend their long, lazy breaks in front of the T.V., allowing every intelligent thought to ooze from their brains, others choose to live and work on organic farms and get their handsdirty. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, commonly referred to by its acronymWWOOF, is an organization that connects owners and operators of organic farms in need of volunteers with people who are looking to get experience working on a farm. Host farms register on the website, listing what kind of experience and work they are looking for. Volunteers from all over the world respond to posts that interest them, and work for lengths of time ranging from a few days to an entire season or longer. Most work between four and six hours per day, five and a half days perweek. WWOOFing is not for the faint ofheart. “WWOOFers (volunteers) need a genuine interest in learning about organic growing, country living or ecologically sound lifestyle,” according to the organization’swebsite. WWOOFers are not paid for their work, but are provided with room and board. They often live with a host family, but sometimes live in tents with other volunteers. Volunteers say that the variety of living situations can be one of the more interesting parts of WWOOFing, and often a major reason forvolunteering. “I spent the time living with a 44 year-old Catalan man in a one-room cabin halfway up a mountain, about an hour and a half from town,” said Nate Dolton-Thornton ’15, speaking about his three-week long experience working on a farm in Olot,Spain. He has also worked for a month each on two farms in California. As Dolton-Thornton learned first-hand, not all WWOOFing experiences areequal. “The second farm, outside of North Fork, California, was very much the opposite of David's cabin, but almost equally life-altering,” he said. “I lived in a village of four trailers (affectionately called ‘WWOOFville’) with 12 other WWOOFers from all over the world: New York, Puerto Rico, Quebec, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, central Canada, andSweden.” The tasks performed by WWOOFers also vary greatly from farm to farm, and even vary significantly from day to day on any given farm. The variety of work to which WWOOFers get exposed is seen as one of the greatest advantages of theorganization. “We learned how to make cheese and were in charge of the hen house," said Rob Roth ’14, who worked on a dairy farm in Craftsbury, Vermont for two weeks. “My other two friends learned how to set up trails for sheep grazing. We also did a lot of babysitting for their kids, which was a lot offun.” To continue reading, please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=96Mon, 02 Apr 2012 23:14:54 GMTEarth Notes: Working, Worldwide, on Organic Farms Share Tweet E-mail 0 Comments Print Enlarge image ByROSE HOUK Listen 1:46/2:00 In spring farmers and gardeners feel that irresistible pull to get their hands in the dirt. If you share that urge, a program exists to satisfy it almost anywhere you go. It’s calledWorldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or “WWOOF”for short, and it links willing hands with farms that host volunteer workers. In the Four Corners states, the list includes everything from small gardens and orchards to large farms and even bigger ranches. Hubbell Trading Post in northern Arizona offers an opportunity to work on a historic farm; in Castle Valley, Utah, a creamery and cheese producer is on the list; in western Colorado, an herb grower needs help. For a nominal membership fee, volunteers have access to a directory of participating farms. They make direct contact to see if it’s a good match.Most host farms provide housing: it might be a tent, a yurt, a hogan, or a bunkhouse.They also furnish all the fresh organic food a person can eat. Volunteers agree to work a set number of hours a day for a specified number of weeks. And it’s a fact: this is plain old manual labor—working outdoors in all weathers weeding, planting, harvesting, building fences, or tending livestock. Organizers advise that the program isn’t intended as a cheap way to see the world. Only those who are ready to work hard should apply. For them, as one WWOOFER blogged, it’s a way to “get out there and touch some soil, turn some compost, pick a tomato from the vine.” To listen to the broadcast, please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=95Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:16:02 GMTWWOOF-USA is looking for WWOOFers and Hosts alike who are willing to speak on behalf of our organization at public events. We would ask that you share a little background on the organization before sharing your own personal WWOOF-related experiences. We have opportunities available in the following areas: Providence, Rhode Island Mendocino County, California If you are interested in speaking on behalf of WWOOF-USA, please contact us at info@wwoofusa.org or call (949) 715-9500. Detailed information will be provided. Thank you!http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=94Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:23:04 GMT EXPERIENCELIFE.COM|FIT BODY |LIFE WISDOM “Down-to-Earth” Farm Vacations Ever dream about “getting back to the land”? Many organic farms around the world are happy to host visitors in exchange for a little hands-on help. ByLaurel Kallenbach/April 2012 Easing the garden fork into the soil a few inches from the yellowing leaves, I gingerly pry an onion from the earth of Bruffhof Farm in Switzerland. I’m self-conscious: a non-German-speaking American getting her hands in the dirt. “Onion?” I ask, holding up my treasure. Farmer Franz Schwarz smiles and says, “Zwiebel!” Helping out on a farm, it turns out, is a cultural exchange that unites people who love both the land and its bounty. After washing myzwiebel, I set it out to dry with the others we dug, then admire the garden and rolling pastureland. Bruffhof Farm is part of the “Swiss Sleep in Straw” network in which visitors pay to bed down in the barn — not with the animals, but sometimes in an adjacent area. Guests can assist with farm chores if they want: At Bruffhof in mid-September, there are squash and apples to pick, goats to milk, eggs to collect. And the fee we pay to participate in the program helps farmers make ends meet. Dinner that night includesrösti, a fried potato-and-onion dish with an earthy flavor redolent of the vegetables we just harvested. After the farmhouse feast, it’s time to bunk down. Bruffhof’s hayloft is above a shed full of tractors, not cows, so my friends and I are spared the manure smell — except when we trek past the barn to the bathroom. We spread our sleeping bags in the hay. The straw tangles hair, gets inside pajamas, and rustles every time someone rolls over, suggesting the presence of smaller, scurrying life forms. It takes pattering raindrops on the roof to lull me to sleep. Too early, a rooster announces sunrise. My straw nest has lost its fluff. But then I hear goat bells and the soft lowing of cows, and I have a Heidi moment. This is my childhood dream: to be on a farm, breathe mountain air, eat fresh Swiss cheese and, yes, sleep in the hay. Dig In Bedding down in a barn is not everyone’s idea of a vacation, but for city and suburb dwellers who are itching to give farm life a try, there are a number of options. Organizations like the Swiss Sleep in Straw network provide added income to farmers and allow visitors the opportunity to participate in chores — or just observe a farm in action. And for budget travelers unafraid of getting a little dirt under their fingernails, there are organizations like World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), which connects would-be farmers with farm-stay opportunities all over the world. Volunteer helpers, called WWOOFers, travel to organic or pesticide-free farms in 50 countries, exchanging their labor for free room and board. Generally, volunteers work four to six hours a day and receive training in organic agriculture or livestock care. During free time, they explore the surrounding area. (WWOOFers are responsible for their own travel and personal expenses and for accident/health insurance in the country they’re visiting.) “WWOOFers in the United States have tripled since 2008,” says Sarah Potenza, executive director of WWOOF–USA, which has a network of 1,400 organic farms in 49 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. That surge in interest is due to increased awareness of organic, seasonal food; the desire to grow our own food; and the quest for more meaningful vacations, Potenza says. And it’s not just diehard gardeners who become WWOOF volunteers. Anyone in reasonably good health who enjoys working outdoors is a fine candidate. WWOOF farm opportunities are widely varied: Volunteers herd cattle in Wyoming, pick mangoes in Belize, tap maple trees in Vermont, harvest coffee in Costa Rica, bee-keep in Iowa, nurture vineyards in France, and raise alpacas in Alaska. Avid gardeners can tend orchids in Australia, weed medicinal herbs in Oregon or cut dahlia blooms in California. WWOOFing experiences can last from a weekend to a couple of months. And your helping hands are much appreciated. In fact, Larkin Stentz depends entirely on WWOOFers and interns to help him farm certified-organic vegetables at Green Angel Garden & Sustainability Center in Long Beach, Wash. Volunteers on his farm spend six hours a day, five days a week, doing physically demanding work such as shoveling compost or weeding on hands and knees. “I call farming ‘garden yoga’ because it’s a practice that teaches us to live in harmony with the earth,” Stentz says. He teaches his helpers biointensive farming, compost making, graywater catchment, and how to harness solar and wind power. “Previous farm experience is unimportant,” Stentz says. “All I ask is that volunteers come with a passion for growing the food that nourishes us and the planet.” Here’s what three WWOOF volunteers have to say about why they decided to spend their vacations digging in the dirt, and what they found there. To read the rest of the article, please click here.http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=93Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:58:27 GMTTravel Smarter 2012: New hotel alternatives byJessica Festa(RSS feed)on Mar 18th 2012 at 9:00AM While booking a hotel was once the standard when traveling, there are now a range of unique alternatives for every budget and preference. In 2012, it's now possible to stay in anything from an eco-friendly tree house to a tent with more amenities than a 5-star hotel. Here are some modern takes on the classic accommodation based on traveler personality: Luxury travelers who want to get in touch with nature Camping no longer means you need to sleep in a vinyl bag and use the nearest tree as your personal toilet. Glamping, which takes the camping philosophy of being immersed in nature but makes it more luxurious, allows even the most high-maintenance travelers to "rough it" for a bit. For example, you can stay in anextravagant yet eco-friendly safari tentinAlgarve,Portugal, that is surrounded by countryside and mountains and includes amenities like hot water, electricity, a pool, an onsite spa, a wellness center, and a garden where guests can pick and enjoy their own fresh vegetables. To view other glamping properties, you canclick herefor a roundup fromAustralia,Argentina, andIndia, or visitGoGlamping.net. Outdoorsy traveler who doesn't want to get too wild On the other hand, there may be some travelers who want to experience nature, but in a setting not too far out in the wild. For them there isgarden camping, which offers the experience of camping in someone's backyard. For example, for about $9, travelers can stay inDriftshane's backyard inCornwall,England. Amenities include sea views and a neatly terraced ambiance, farm-to-table meals, and the use of the shower for an additional charge. There are also many points of interest nearby, including sailing, rowing, and beaches at Helford River, Seal Sanctuary, Glendurgan Gardens, Trebah Gardens, and Bosvathick Riding Stables. There are also ample opportunities to visit great restaurants and bars. By staying in someone's garden, you're still immersing yourself in the beauty of nature while also keeping yourself close to civilization. You can view more garden camping properties byclicking here. Travelers who want a modern take on vacation rentals and apartment sublets While checking apartment and home rental listings used to mean browsing plain text to look for a basic room or house,Airbnbbrings a modern twist to the idea. First of all, owners can list their properties for free, including vibrant photos, a wealth of information, and contact data. Moreover, travelers can browse through listings while being able to search by location, price, amenities, neighborhoods, or accommodation style. They may also read reviews, look at maps, and take virtual tours. The site also has asocial connectionsfeature, which allows travelers to see which of their Facebook friends uses the site. What I personally love about Airbnb is the range of unique accommodation options, from a private room in aLondon lighthouseto ahouseboat under the Eiffel TowerinParis. For Earth-concerned eco-travelers Ecotourism is a hot topic in the travel world, and accommodations are catching on to the trend. First, there isWorld Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms(WWOOF), which allows travelers to exchange working on an organic farm for room and board. Some possible experiences include harvesting grapes on a vineyard inMendozato beekeeping inItalyor ranch work inPoland. Moreover, hotels andhostelsare also jumping on board, implementing green practices to try to help the environment while also keeping guests comfortable. For example, backpackers can enjoy theGyreum EcolodgeinSligo,Ireland, a partially underground hostel and Installation Incubator where travelers can come together to brainstorm new ideas. Green amenities like water heated by solar panels, a toilet linked to outside compost, and the use of a wind turbine to power geothermal heating are included, as well as comfortable beds, thick comforters, and hearty breakfasts. For travelers who want a local experience With travel becoming more and more social, doing ahomestayis now easier than ever. One way to participate in one is to sign up to volunteer abroad with an organization likeInternational Volunteer Headquartersor by using a forum likeSE7EN. Moreover, social websites likeCouchsurfingandTrippingallow users to offer their couches to travelers. What's great about these options is that participants can read reviews on hosts and guests, and even interact before their trips begin to see if they feel comfortable staying with the person. [flickr image vialeft-hand] Filed under:North America,United States,Hotels and Accommodations To read the entire article online, please click here.http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=92Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:30:39 GMT Down the Garden Path: 6 Best Tips for Choosing the Right WWOOF farm by:Catherine Ellingson and Matthew Johnson in:Sidebars Font Size Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing Services WWOOF Farm Checklist WWOOFing is a wonderful way to meet people and see the world, but asking the right questions is key to knowing which farm is right for you. To ensure that your trip lives up to your expectations, we’ve compiled a checklist of questions to ask potential host farms: What are the daily work hours? What time commitment is expected? Ask your potential hosts more about the type of work you may be engaging in, as well as the time generally spent on each task. What skills will I learn? Be sure to communicate if there is anything specific that you would like to learn, and ask about how much time will be dedicated to training sessions. If cultural or language immersion is a high priority, determine whether you’ll be living with the family or other WWOOFers—this may affect your learning curve. ?What will the living conditions be like? Don’t forget about the very basics. Be sure to ask where you’ll sleep and whether a bed is provided. What will food be like? Will you be required to cook or are meals prepared? If meals are prepared, do they come at an additional cost? If meals are provided, indicate to hosts if you have any dietary restrictions and determine whether they’ll be able to accommodate these. What is the size and location of the farm? Is it in a rural or urban area? Will there be access to transportation? Find out how close the farm is to other activities, in case you want to explore the rest of the region. Do you have references for previous WWOOFers that you’ve hosted? Tagged under budget travel volunteer abroad To check out the article online, please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=91Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:24:53 GMTMarch 06, 2012 Green Your Future: Organic Farming Opportunities What's in your future? Whether youdecide to spend the summertraveling,learning green job skills, orcultivating sustainable habits,thechoices you maketoday could change the course of your life. This week, we've got tips to help you pave a path to a greener future. Tip # 2: Go WWOOFing Want to cultivate more than memories when you travel? TheWorld Wide Opportunities on Organic Farmsprogram (WWOOF) has outposts in more than 50 regions, from the Caribbean islands to Malaysia.Whether you decide to participate for two weeks or two months, "WWOOFing" is a great way to learn about organic farming and meet interesting people. Other than a small fee to join the organization, no money is exchanged in the WWOOFing world: Volunteers work on farms in exchange for meals and lodging provided by host families. Check outWWOOF Internationalfor opportunities abroad orWWOOFing-USAfor U.S. farm stays. To learn more about what to expect and how to prepare, readadvice from a former WWOOFer. --photo by iStockphoto/bjones To view the article online, please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=90Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:30:45 GMTBrian Bender, an experienced WWOOFer and author of Farming Around the Country: An Organic Odyssey, has written a great article for Travel with a Challenge. His article, WWOOFing Across the U.S.A., is filled with great advice for new WWOOFers, personal stories, and pictures. If you are considering WWOOFing, this is an article you do not want to miss! To view the entire article, or topurchaseFarming Around the Country: An Organic Odyssey,please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=89Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:53:54 GMTMarket Watch: An urban farmer's passion blooms again Comments 1 Share170 Tara Kolla(David Karp/February26, 2012) Related photos » By David KarpSpecial to the Los Angeles Times March 2, 2012,3:04 p.m. When Tara Kolla ofSilver Lake Farmsreturned to the Hollywood farmers market last Sunday for the first time in three years, her flower stand was a riot of color, with sweet peas, ranunculus and snapdragons, and her customers were rapturous, but her eyes were rimmed with tears. "I've come a long way, and it cost me much in the journey," she said. Kolla started with a dream — a flower farm based in her Silver Lake backyard — then was forced by city authorities to close down, due to a quirk in the municipal code. But she dug in her heels, fought City Hall and won, thereby providing a clear legal foundation for other growers in residential areas in the city of Los Angeles. Her case stemmed specifically from a neighbor who objected to her business, but urban farming is a hot trend, and there are plenty of others who could have faced similar difficulties had she not succeeded in changing the law. To continue reading, please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=88Wed, 29 Feb 2012 23:04:25 GMT Homegirl Homesteading Friday, February 24, 2012 7:02 PM By Amanda Wunderlich Tags:Homesteading,WWOOF,Organic Gardening,Amanda Wunderlich If you would have told me ten years ago that I would be living on a farm in Arkansas and making my living that way, I would have told you you were crazy. Growing up in California, I had no idea where Arkansas was. True story, before looking at a map, I thought it was further east of Tennessee. My partner Paul volunteered on a CSA farm in Northern California, and always dreamed of doing that one day. With land prices in California so high, it was more of a pipe dream than anything else. We went to Arkansas with our infant son Oliver in 2005-ish to visit some of Paul's family. Little did we know then that within the next six to seven months we'd be selling everything we couldn't pack into suitcases and moving to the Natural State. At our first rental house, we dug two rows for planting food. We over planted it, but did it ever produce. That was all it took, Paul and I were hooked. Our second rental was five acres outside of town. From there we expanded from two rows to over 2500 sq. ft. of garden space. We sold items such as lettuce mix and basil to local restaurants, and tomatoes and okra to our neighbors from a table in our driveway. Now at a different farm again, we really dug in and are taking our farming exploits to a whole new level, starting with our lifestyle change. Our house is less than 600 sq. ft. It has no running water, and solar electricity. Now, it's not to say we are without modern conveniences, there is a shower with hot water next door in an out building that was just built, but our toilet is a composting toilet, which is a nice way of saying outhouse. When we were first moving here I was nervous about it all, but I have to say that being "Off the Grid" and living on the edge of the city limits has been a very freeing experience. Farming has made me appreciate the simple things, like fresh air, and seeing a hawk fly by. Amazing things that too many of us dismiss because we're too busy. Hopefully the pictures I share will make you hop the first plane out to come and volunteer with us, and learn to enjoy the simple things too. To continue reading and to see many more wonderful pictures of a WWOOF host farm in action, please click here. http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=87Tue, 28 Feb 2012 21:59:37 GMTWWOOF-USA was featured in Organic Gardening Magazine's October/November 2011 issue! To check out this great article, which includes a special "Before You WWOOF" advice column, please click here.http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=86Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:12:50 GMTTwo of WWOOF-USA's very own WWOOFers decided to take a year off from work and travel across the county. Follow their journey as they travel from farm to farm. To read their blog, onesixtyk, please click here. To read their blog post about a Georgia WWOOF farm, please click here. To read their blog post about a Texas WWOOF farm, please click here.http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=83Fri, 16 Dec 2011 21:59:18 GMT Farming isn't easy, but it could be free byChris Mattox ,Atlanta Sustainable Agriculture Examiner The future of sustainable farming relies on a growing crop of organic farmers. In the southeast, the movement has struggled to pull together. As the sustainable farming movement finally starts to get real traction here, so grows the resources available to farms and potential farmers. In speaking with two local WWOOFers (World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms) and one farming intern, there were some striking revelations. Two of the three were male, two were recent college graduates, two were heterosexual, one had served in the military, and all of them voted. In speaking to them at length, they were all very articulate, outgoing and optimistic. They all appear to be hardworking and two of them were downright hilarious. This bodes well for the future of American agriculture. The arrangements between them were also exceedingly different. The intern I spoke to was quite literally working for free. There was an agreement between the farm and the university giving the intern college credit for their internship. The only cost to the farm was room and board for one intern. The farm got a young farmer already well acquainted with current trends in organic vegetable production. In turn, they worked for five months and the farm certifies all their paperwork for the participating university. This type of "farming for credits" is also a great way for potential farmers to ensure that this is what they want to do. The arrangement with the WWOOFers was even simpler. Farms who wish to participate can create an account at WWOOF USA (see link below). They enter basic information about their farm and the type of person they're looking for. From there, interested candidates contact the farm. Some WWOOFers receive a small stipend, but in almost all cases room and board is provided. Some WWOOFers work for as little as $100 per week. There is no age limit on WWOOFing and you needn't be a college student. These types of strategic partnerships serve two essential functions. First, they allow new farmers to gain invaluable experience under the supervision of a more experienced farmer. They get the opportunity to see the inner workings of the farm up close. This also provides a primer in sales, customer service and marketing targeted to the industry that may not get formally covered in any other arena. The second and potentially more important function is that these partnerships help to keep small organic farms competitive and viable. Most of these farms can't afford to have a fulltime staff all year long. In this way, they can have an affordable staff year round, or simply during the peak season if they choose. For those who are wondering as to wheter or not this is taking advatage of eager youth, fear not. WWOOF has a rating system in place to help farms and WWOOFers alike and universities are increasingly more protective of their students. Future farms are going to need future farmers. More and more sites are popping up just to connect those who want to farm. New farmers markets are still being set up. The network of local farms and farmers is finally starting to grow together. For all of us, there is still hope on the horizon. Maybe it's even free. Click here for the link to the article.http://www.wwoofusa.org/About_WWOOFUSA/News?id=77