How 4 farmers are making it work

These four farmers have big dreams, and they’re making those dreams come true. Their stories are all different, but they’re all inspiring. Having trouble viewing this email? [View this email on the web.]( [21st-Century Farmers]( The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been the farmer’s best friend for over two centuries, so we wanted to share some of our friends’ stories with you. Dear Farm Friends, Farming is some of the most necessary work on the planet. Every time we sit down for a meal, we have a farmer to thank. Generation upon generation of farmers have relied on the Sun, the Moon, the rains, and the soil to feed this country. Still, it is an industry in flux, both in technological advances and in the way that society is beginning to appreciate the literal fruits of farm labor. For this year’s Almanac, we had the chance to talk to some 21st-century farmers, and now we’re sharing their stories, starting in Junction City, Oregon, in 2016, when a decision had to be made about Harper Farms. Bryan Harper saw his chance: “There was nobody else to take over. If I didn’t do it, then we were going to sell out.” Born in Kenya, Harper moved to the United States as a child and grew up on the farm, hoeing and pulling weeds. Encouraged by his father to pursue a more profitable career, he went to aviation flight school and graduated from the University of Oregon—but he soon landed back at the farm. “I fell in love with living in the country and being my own boss,” says the now fifth-generation family farm manager. He converted the farm from diversified crops to a single one: hazelnuts. “It’s one of the more versatile tree nuts on the market, “ Harper notes, “because you can eat it raw, roast it, cream it, butter it. You can even put it in a confectionary product.” Gradually, he is replacing the orchard’s older, established trees with newer, ready-to-eat kernel varieties that don’t require cracking—“a superior nut to what we produced a few generations ago.” Still, Harper knows that his plan has inherent risks: “There’s always the threat of losing everything if the market were to fall out.” To increase his crop’s security, he is moving from raw production (with outsourced cleaning, dividing, processing, and packaging) to vertical integration and higher returns. “Farmers are typically price takers. I want to move to price making,” he adds. “I want to bring the farm into the 21st century.” HALF-PRICE Offer Now in Effect! Special Charter Membership Invitation for You: Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club! Get Your Special Pass— Access to the World's Most Beloved Almanac Be among the first to claim your Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership—become a Charter Member today! [Yes! sign me up now!]( The "Best Value Club" is really an incredible value! [Dayspring Dairy]( Across the country, in Gallant, Alabama, Ana and Greg Kelly were asking, “Cow milk, goat milk, or sheep milk?” After visiting a sheep dairy in Tennessee, they felt a calling to become cheese makers. “As we researched all of the different types of cheeses that we could make with sheep milk, we were more intrigued,” says Ana. In 2011, they purchased a 30-acre property in northeast Alabama and sold their home near Birmingham. Ana took cheese-making courses, and Greg attended animal husbandry and sheep-dairying classes. Maintaining off-farm income for the first few years and buying used equipment allowed them to expand incrementally. In 2013, Dayspring Dairy, with its 25 milking ewes, became Alabama’s first licensed sheep dairy. Today, the flock numbers about 160. The Kellys use the sheep’s nutritionally rich, sweet milk to make eight varieties of cheese, both fresh and aged and all by hand. New customers are sometimes surprised to learn that sheep can be milked. Ana asks them if they’ve ever had Roquefort or Romano or feta. “They’ve had it. They just didn’t realize that it was sheep cheese.” [Hmong American Farmers Association]( While the Kellys are relatively new to farming, Pakou Hang and her siblings grew up spending long hours working on their family’s farm. They did it to survive. Today, Hang and her parents farm 10 acres in Vermillion Township, Minnesota, growing more than 60 varieties of fruit, vegetables, and flowers. She loves the life. Farming taught Hang important skills: “It’s about not abandoning a job until it’s done. And planning. If you miss planting time, you have to wait a whole year.” Her personal success made her determined to improve life for local Hmong farmers who did not have access to affordable land. In 2013, she started a land cooperative. Today the Hmong American Farmers Associations (HAFA) farm consists of 155 acres, with 24 farmers sharing an irrigation system, a walk-in cooler, a wash station, storage, a packinghouse, and other resources. They practice sustainable agriculture, such as composting, succession planting, installing grass roadways, and laying erosion blankets. “I wanted farmers to have access to land,”she says. “But I never thought that I’d be seeing grandchildren look at their grandparents and say, ‘I want to be a farmer one day.’” [Delta Blues Rice]( Hang may not have expected grandchildren to look forward to working their grandparents’ farm, but that’s exactly what David Arant Jr. did. In the 1970s, his grandfather bought an antique rice mill machine. For many years, it was used to produce 5-gallon buckets of homegrown rice as holiday gifts for family members. Arant spent childhood summers working on his uncle’s farm in Ruleville, Mississippi. He loved the life but took a job as a civil engineer after college. “I thought that somehow, in some way, I’d end up back on the farm,” he says. Arant met many farmers through his role as an engineer. One once observed, “Farming is hard work, but it’s one of the best things that I’ve ever done.” This simple remark led Arant to return to the family’s 4,000-acre farm to work alongside his uncle and father, thus becoming the fourth generation in his family to do so. In 2014, the family rice gifts inspired the Arants to sell their Delta Blues rice directly to consumers. They purchased a bigger, more efficient mill and now sell the grain wholesale, too. “We are still growing the business,” says Arant. “It gives us a way to really show what the American farmer does.” If you want to meet more farmers, read their stories, and get much more useful information, wit, and wisdom, you can get it all and a bundle of BONUSES with an [Old Farmer’s Alm]([anac Best Value Club Charter Membership!]( HALF-PRICE Offer Now in Effect! Special Charter Membership Invitation for You: Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club! Get Your Special Pass— Access to the World's Most Beloved Almanac Be among the first to claim your Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership—become a Charter Member today! [Yes! sign me up now!]( The "Best Value Club" is really an incredible value! With an [Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership](, you’ll get the handsome hardcover 2019 edition of the Almanac, the full-color monthly EXTRA! digital magazine with articles about growing fruit and vegetables and other content not found in the print edition, plus a bundle of bonuses. With an [Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership](, you’ll learn more about: - How a run-down pecan orchard in rural Texas is coming back to life - The weather forecast for the entire year for your part of the country - How, and when, to start your own vegetable garden - Which flowers and herbs you can plant if you want to attract butterflies or hummingbirds - Rotating crops and which crops should rotate together HALF-PRICE Offer Now in Effect! Special Charter Membership Invitation for You: Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club! Get Your Special Pass— Access to the World's Most Beloved Almanac Be among the first to claim your Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership—become a Charter Member today! [Yes! sign me up now!]( The "Best Value Club" is really an incredible value! [Get full access to everything under the Sun, including the Moon, weather, vegetable and flower gardening, folklore, nature, home remedies, and more —with your Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership!]( Introducing [The Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership!](This new and exciting club is designed especially for you—and it’s packed with articles, advice, best days, facts, and fun that you cannot get anywhere else! Your [Charter Membership]( gives you all the elements of a true almanac—a “calendar of the heavens” and a “time capsule of the year” for 2019, plus some BONUSES when you join today. More about those bonuses in a minute. Since 1792—in fact, every day since!—The Old Farmer’s Almanac has been trusted and enjoyed by folks from all walks of life: people who grow their own food depend on the planting dates; home cooks, gardeners, and folks hungry for something quick and delicious love the recipes; just about everybody checks on the Moon phases and sunrise and set times … as well as the weather forecasts … to know what to expect on any given day, week, month, or season. With [The Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership](, you’ll have content that is both useful and humorous. You’ll discover quirky facts, timeless adages and advice, amusing quotes and profound proverbs, contests, Anecdotes and Pleasantries, Best Days to do things (from fishing to weaning from planting to setting eggs, for example), and so much more! Your [Charter Membership]( gives you everything that you’ve come to expect and depend on in an Almanac—valuable and accurate content and advice. In fact, fulfillment of readers’ expectations has made our Almanac the best-known and most sought-after Almanac for generations. Did you know? The Old Farmer’s Almanac is the oldest continuously published periodical in North America! We got started with this valuable content in 1792—when George Washington was president and the U.S. Post Office Department was first established . . . and we’ve been at it ever since then, for 227 years! HALF-PRICE Offer Now in Effect! Special Charter Membership Invitation for You: Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club! Get Your Special Pass— Access to the World's Most Beloved Almanac Be among the first to claim your Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership—become a Charter Member today! [Yes! sign me up now!]( The "Best Value Club" is really an incredible value! People always ask how and why our Almanac has lasted—and continues to be a best seller. The answer is simple: We stay true to the original mission of founder Robert B. Thomas, who declared in an early edition, “Our main endeavor is to be useful, with a pleasant degree of humor.” We believe that, especially in today’s trying times, finding humor and enjoyment in daily life is important and can be uplifting, and we hope you like our light-hearted fun and find the joy in chuckling at our witty and inspiring words. This will make you smile, too: Every edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac is fresh, new, and designed to make the year one of the best ever. How do we do that? With entertaining and informative articles. For example: Want to know about the most fun and fascinating trends for 2019? Here’s a hint: We’ll be exercising in the grocery stores, we’ll be drinking banana milk, shopping in stores with “quiet hours,” and decorating with “scratch-and-sniff” wallpaper. Are you a vegetable gardener or want to be one? Many gardeners consider the Almanac their most valuable tool, so this year, for all of you trying to grow food we’ve got foolproof advice that promises a harvest the first year and every one thereafter. Perhaps you grow flowers—or want to: In the 2019 Almanac, you’ll learn which flowers are edible, when to pick them, and how to use them (e.g., pick apple blossoms in late spring and sprinkle them onto a Waldorf salad, all summer use impatiens as a garnish). But that’s just the beginning! Here’s just some of what else you’ll discover in the 2019 Almanac: - The Faces of Farming: ambitious folks from across the country tell about how they got started, the hurdles they faced, and the rewards of working the land - Timetables and advice for spotting meteor showers, bright stars, conjunctions, and other fascinating astronomical events - Best days for planting, pruning, weeding, grafting, and controlling pests, plus the easiest-ever soil test (all you need is a pair of men’s clean, white, 100% cotton underwear and a small shovel) - Daily weather forecasts for all regions of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii - Fresh new ways to savor the asparagus, beet, corn, and cucumber harvests, with “The ABCs of Pickling” - Easy, delicious, and Almanac prize-winning recipes using oranges - "Adventures in the Zodiac Zone"—what’s behind the Sun and Moon? - A look back at "The Day the Sun Exploded"—and a look forward to how it could happen again - The “full” explanation of if and why more strange things happen during a full Moon than at other times. - Facts, folklore, and traditions in “Telling the Bees”—Did you know that beekeepers often invite their bees to weddings? - Thinking of getting a pig, a cow, a goat, or maybe chickens? Or know someone who is? You do not want to miss “The Pros and Cons of Backyard Livestock.” - Why a Dog May be Your Best Medicine—and your child’s, too! - The Story of Baseball’s Most Amazin' Season, with the “Miracle Mets” - "How to Make Sausage at Home"- It’s easier than you think, especially if you make patties instead of links - All this and too much more to mention for 288 pages of riveting content! Plus, the Almanac’s easy-to-follow charts, maps, and photos bring it all to life for you—making it all easy to understand and use. HALF-PRICE Offer Now in Effect! Special Charter Membership Invitation for You: Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club! Get Your Special Pass— Access to the World's Most Beloved Almanac Be among the first to claim your Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership—become a Charter Member today! [Yes! sign me up now!]( The "Best Value Club" is really an incredible value! [An Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership will deliver exciting rewards for you—and for a special introductory rate, HALF-OFF right now, to all new Charter Members.]( When you join today, you’ll ensure that you get the latest details about Almanac events and forecasts—and you’ll enjoy all these benefits: - Your best garden ever—Almanac gardening advice, planting dates, time-saving tips, and detailed guidance from experts will get you growing like never before. - You’ll know in advance about every important astronomical event in 2019—when they’re happening, where in the sky, and the details and delights of each one. - You’ll have access to the world’s best source of Almanac content—from astronomy and weather to anniversaries and milestone dates; from important (and little known) holidays and religious events to traditional days in calendar folklore. - You’ll save time and money when you follow all the practical advice and tips that we deliver to you about everything from gardening to food preparation and cooking. - You’ll be a weather expert in your family and circle of friends—no one else you know will have the detailed knowledge about forecasting and weather that you’ll have . . . and for every region of the country! How can you not consider becoming an [Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Member?]( [What you’ll get with an Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership.]( When you claim your Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership today, your Charter membership will include: - The Old Farmer’s 2019 Almanac—Hot off the press, the hard-copy version will be shipped to you right away with everything you’ve come to expect from the world’s premier almanac. - Bonus #1: The Old Farmer’s Almanac 1819 edition— A printed version will be shipped to you with your order. Take a trip down memory lane and see what one of our early Almanacs looked like! It’s a time capsule of life 200 years ago! - Bonus #2: The Old Farmer’s Almanac 1919 edition—A printed version will be shipped to you with your order. Another classic Almanac, this takes you back a century: Compare the content then and now! - Bonus #3: The Old Farmer’s Almanac 2019 Gardening Wall Calendar. Lovely to look at, fun to use! Each month features a beautiful full-color original illustration of seasonal plant or animal life, as well as timeless gardening secrets and advice, folklore, fun facts, and holidays—plus Moon phases to help you use the “Planting by the Moon” chart and have your best garden ever! - Bonus #4: The Old Farmer’s Almanac EXTRA! —A treasure trove of digital updates and Almanac content not found in the printed edition, including audio and video multimedia content. EXTRA! is far more interactive and fun than plain printed pages! And all of this is available to you—right now—when you claim your [Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership.]( What are you waiting for? Half-off this Charter Membership offer is in effect for you right now! No other Almanac has so many fun and fascinating facts, timely and accurate events and predictions, and topical and useful articles all in one place for your easy access and use—and covering more regions of North America than any other almanac or resource! HALF-PRICE Offer Now in Effect! Special Charter Membership Invitation for You: Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club! Get Your Special Pass— Access to the World's Most Beloved Almanac Be among the first to claim your Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership—become a Charter Member today! [Yes! sign me up now!]( The "Best Value Club" is really an incredible value! [Why not join right now?]( Gardeners, weather and sky watchers, and nature lovers everywhere have been enjoying The Old Farmer’s Almanac for generations, and now it’s easier than ever for YOU to experience it all with an [Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership.]( When we created this new club for folks like you, we wanted to make it easy to use, easy to order, and packed with content and value—that’s why we named it the “Best Value Club”! The Almanac is the ultimate resource for gardening, astronomy, folklore, nature, and more, and now it can be all yours with your [Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership.]( HALF-PRICE Introductory Offer is Now in Effect! Special limited-time Charter Membership offer for you right now! When you respond today, you’ll be among a select group of Almanac friends to take advantage of this special Charter Membership offer. Activate your Charter Membership in The Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club today, and you’ll get access to unique almanac content that you can’t find anywhere else—plus three bonuses! Join other weather and astronomy watchers, gardeners, nature and food lovers, and trivia fans—for half-off when you respond today! This is a [limited-time offer that you should take advantage of right now.]( Why not be among the first—gardeners in your neighborhood; weather and astronomy watchers under the Sun; cooks in your community; trivia fans in your circle; nature-lovers in your area—to join us today and benefit from all the valuable Almanac information that you simply cannot get anywhere else? Become an [Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club Charter Member]( today—while this special HALF-PRICE offer lasts! Sincerely, Janice Stillman Editor, The Old Farmer’s Almanac P.S. You should act today to claim your Charter Membership in [The Old Farmer’s Almanac Best Value Club—](while 2019 copies of the Almanac are still fresh . . . and to get your bonuses, too! HALF-PRICE Offer Now in Effect! Special Charter Membership Invitation for You: Introducing The Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club! Get Your Special Pass— Access to the World's Most Beloved Almanac Be among the first to claim your Old Farmer's Almanac Best Value Club Charter Membership—become a Charter Member today! [Yes! sign me up now!]( The "Best Value Club" is really an incredible value! 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