Lessons in farming, in the city in Pennsylvania
We don’t cover urban agriculture much here, but if we want to spread ag’s message about its ability to feed the world, urban farms are a great place to start.
By Chris Torres
Farm Progress
Nov 3, 2022
Excerpt:
Being the editor of American Agriculturist is a fun job. It offers me a lot of chances to visit farms and talk to producers about what’s working for them, what’s not working for them and how they are feeling.
But I make time for other things ag-related, too. I’m a board member of Pennsylvania Farm Link, a nonprofit organization that works to “Link Farmers to the Future.” I could spend hours talking about the great work Farm Link does, but one of its main goals, and what it’s probably best known for, is its online land-linking database that links producers who have land with beginning farmers in search of land. If you ever need this service, go to pafarmlink.org.
The organization also puts on workshops and events focused on farmland transition, women in agriculture and other topics. As a journalist, being on this board is rewarding on many levels. For one thing, I get lots of story ideas, which is always good. But I also get opportunities to visit places I normally wouldn’t visit as the editor of this magazine.
For example, I went with the board recently on a visit to Braddock Farms in Braddock, Pa. If the name of the town sounds familiar, it was the place where John Fetterman, current lieutenant governor and 2022 Senate candidate, was once mayor. In fact, according to Nick Lubecki, farm manager, it was Fetterman who asked Grow Pittsburgh, the organization that runs Braddock Farms, to start an urban farm on a piece of property that had become run down with dilapidated houses.
