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Saturday, July 26, 2025

A Good Crop Variety for a You-Pick Farm


In this episode, farmer and author Megan Neubauer of Pure Land Organic Farm discusses the selection of crops that have worked on their you-pick farm. 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

Follow Modern Grower:  Instagram  Instagram

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:  Carrot Cashflow  Farm Small Farm Smart  Farm Small Farm Smart Daily  The Growing Microgreens Podcast  The Urban Farmer Podcast  The Rookie Farmer Podcast  In Search of Soil Podcast

Check out Diego's books:  Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon   Ready Farmer One on Amazon

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.



* This article was originally published here

Friday, July 25, 2025

An Objective Look of When to Pull the Plug


In this episode, educator and market gardener Rob Moores of Passion4Plants UK shares his insights on when it might be time to call it quits and throw in the towel on a business venture.  

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

Follow Modern Grower:  Instagram  Instagram

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:  Carrot Cashflow  Farm Small Farm Smart  Farm Small Farm Smart Daily  The Growing Microgreens Podcast  The Urban Farmer Podcast  The Rookie Farmer Podcast  In Search of Soil Podcast

Check out Diego's books:  Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon   Ready Farmer One on Amazon

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.



* This article was originally published here

Thursday, July 24, 2025

Lesser Known Seeds and Seed Companies


In this episode, veteran microgreens grower Chris Thoreau and podcast host Diego Footer talk about why it's worth looking into lesser-known seed varieties from lesser-known seed companies. 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

Follow Modern Grower:  Instagram  Instagram

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:  Carrot Cashflow  Farm Small Farm Smart  Farm Small Farm Smart Daily  The Growing Microgreens Podcast  The Urban Farmer Podcast  The Rookie Farmer Podcast  In Search of Soil Podcast

Check out Diego's books:  Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon   Ready Farmer One on Amazon

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.



* This article was originally published here

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Energy Costs Could Skyrocket With Latest Trump Admin Decisions

Washington, D.C. – On the same day that the Department of Energy cancelled a loan for a shovel-ready transmission project that would improve grid reliability and national security, the Trump Administration released its latest Executive Order on artificial intelligence that calls for improving the nation’s electric transmission system. The announcement also removes longstanding environmental safeguards for data center development, including the National Environmental Policy Act reviews and other environmental protections critical to public health for hundreds of millions of people and our shared environment.

The Sierra Club continues to review the extent of the announcement today.

Statement from Laurie Williams Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign: 

“The Trump administration is blatantly seizing on AI and data center load growth as an excuse to justify his expensive fossil bailout agenda. This gross mismanagement of our country’s energy needs will increase power bills for hundreds of millions of people while making the electricity grid less reliable. Trump is doing this in the name of tech companies with clean energy commitments, so now is the time for Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft to protect the average American family from the massive money grab happening by the administration and utilities on behalf of fossil fuel companies.”

Background on the dual announcements today:

The AI announcement states, regarding transmission:

Optimize existing grid resources as much as possible. This involves implementing strategies to enhance the efficiency and performance of the transmission system. The United States must explore solutions like advanced grid management technologies and upgrades to power lines that can increase the amount of electricity transmitted along existing routes.

Regarding the Grain Belt Express transmission project, the Missouri Public Service Commission noted in its approval that:

Need is also evident in that the Project is needed for reliability and resiliency of the grid and for national security. And by increasing the size of the transmission capacity and adding the Tiger Connector, including moving the converter station and AC line, the Project will bring the interconnectivity to multiple regions to improve the reliability and resiliency of the grid for Missourians and in the interest of national security. This will help guard against price spikes and outages such as those experienced by Winter Storm Uri and Elliot.

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.

Contact Edward Smith, edward.smtih@sierraclub.org


* This article was originally published here

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Realistic Expectations with Compost Tea


In this episode, compost specialist and owner of Living Roots Compost Tea Troy Hinke shares some reasonable results to expect from using compost tea. 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

Follow Modern Grower:  Instagram  Instagram

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:  Carrot Cashflow  Farm Small Farm Smart  Farm Small Farm Smart Daily  The Growing Microgreens Podcast  The Urban Farmer Podcast  The Rookie Farmer Podcast  In Search of Soil Podcast

Check out Diego's books:  Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon   Ready Farmer One on Amazon

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.



* This article was originally published here

Monday, July 21, 2025

The Mistake of Buying Too Much


In this episode, host Diego and farmer Jodi talk about the common new farmer mistake of buying too much for the business before knowing what the business truly needs. 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

Follow Modern Grower:  Instagram  Instagram

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:  Carrot Cashflow  Farm Small Farm Smart  Farm Small Farm Smart Daily  The Growing Microgreens Podcast  The Urban Farmer Podcast  The Rookie Farmer Podcast  In Search of Soil Podcast

Check out Diego's books:  Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon   Ready Farmer One on Amazon

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.



* This article was originally published here

Saturday, July 19, 2025

Soil Tests That May or May Not Match Your System


In this episode, Dr. Gabriel Kenne of the University of South Carolina talks about different soil tests that yield different results for different systems. 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

Follow Modern Grower:  Instagram  Instagram

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:  Carrot Cashflow  Farm Small Farm Smart  Farm Small Farm Smart Daily  The Growing Microgreens Podcast  The Urban Farmer Podcast  The Rookie Farmer Podcast  In Search of Soil Podcast

Check out Diego's books:  Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon   Ready Farmer One on Amazon

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.



* This article was originally published here

Friday, July 18, 2025

Value Added Microgreen Products


In this episode, microgreens grower Lupe Smith of Barons Microgreens shares the work and logistics that go into creating and selling value added microgreens products. 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

Follow Modern Grower:  Instagram  Instagram

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:  Carrot Cashflow  Farm Small Farm Smart  Farm Small Farm Smart Daily  The Growing Microgreens Podcast  The Urban Farmer Podcast  The Rookie Farmer Podcast  In Search of Soil Podcast

Check out Diego's books:  Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon   Ready Farmer One on Amazon

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.



* This article was originally published here

Thursday, July 17, 2025

Selecting for Traits in Cucumbers


In this episode, seed farmer Jay Tracy of The Cucumber Shop talks about his method for selecting desirable traits in his cucumbers. 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

Follow Modern Grower:  Instagram  Instagram

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:  Carrot Cashflow  Farm Small Farm Smart  Farm Small Farm Smart Daily  The Growing Microgreens Podcast  The Urban Farmer Podcast  The Rookie Farmer Podcast  In Search of Soil Podcast

Check out Diego's books:  Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon   Ready Farmer One on Amazon

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.



* This article was originally published here

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Upcoming Webinar

Geothermal Networks: An Opportunity for States

Monday, August 11, 1–2 pm ET

REGISTER HERE

Ground-source heat pumps have long been used, but there has recently been growing interest in linking a series of heat pumps into neighborhood, utility-scale geothermal networks. Not only can geothermal networks save money for consumers when installed in appropriate locations, but they significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. An increasing number of utilities are exploring this concept, and initial projects are being implemented in Michigan, Texas, and elsewhere. This webinar will show how the technology works; describe a model project in Framingham, Massachusetts that is serving approximately 140 homes and businesses; and explain the value of having utilities and state energy agencies promote geothermal networks and support additional installations.

Zeyneb Magavi, Executive Director of HEET, the thermal energy innovation nonprofit that first proposed a transition from natural gas infrastructure to geothermal networks, will describe the technology, introduce the Framingham project, and identify the potential to scale up networked geothermal energy. Two Senior Program Directors at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, Sarah Cullinan and Peter McPhee, will explain why their organization has been helping Massachusetts communities explore the potential for networked geothermal and how they see it fitting into broader state decarbonization and energy system planning efforts. CESA Executive Director Warren Leon will moderate.

REGISTER NOW

This webinar will be recorded and posted online. If you are not able to attend this webinar but would still like to watch the recording, please register and you will receive an email with the webinar recording and slides 24-48 hours after the webinar ends.

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Webinar Support

Zoom Webinars Attendee Guide

Check your system compatibility here.

This webinar is free, but registration is required.

Clean Energy States Alliance
www.cesa.org



* This article was originally published here

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Sitting Down to Schedule Social Media Posts


In this episode, John Reinwald of Farmstand Revival talks about scheduling social media posts with intention. 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

Follow Modern Grower:  Instagram  Instagram

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:  Carrot Cashflow  Farm Small Farm Smart  Farm Small Farm Smart Daily  The Growing Microgreens Podcast  The Urban Farmer Podcast  The Rookie Farmer Podcast  In Search of Soil Podcast

Check out Diego's books:  Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon   Ready Farmer One on Amazon

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.



* This article was originally published here

Monday, July 14, 2025

Different Strategies Growing in Different Seasons


In this episode, farmer and educator Jodi Roebuck talks about the importance of knowing when and how to change your growing strategies when farming in different seasons of the year. 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

Follow Modern Grower:  Instagram  Instagram

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:  Carrot Cashflow  Farm Small Farm Smart  Farm Small Farm Smart Daily  The Growing Microgreens Podcast  The Urban Farmer Podcast  The Rookie Farmer Podcast  In Search of Soil Podcast

Check out Diego's books:  Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon   Ready Farmer One on Amazon

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.



* This article was originally published here

Sunday, July 13, 2025

Prepping for a CNG Inspection


In this episode, Executive Director of Certified Naturally Grown Alice Varon shares what and how to prepare your farm for a CNG inspection. 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

Follow Modern Grower:  Instagram  Instagram

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:  Carrot Cashflow  Farm Small Farm Smart  Farm Small Farm Smart Daily  The Growing Microgreens Podcast  The Urban Farmer Podcast  The Rookie Farmer Podcast  In Search of Soil Podcast

Check out Diego's books:  Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon   Ready Farmer One on Amazon

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.



* This article was originally published here

Saturday, July 12, 2025

Organic Matter Turnover


In this episode, soil specialist and consultant Jim Hoorman of Hoorman Soil Health sheds light on whether or not there's an upper limit to putting organic matter into the ground. 

 Subscribe for more content on sustainable farming, market farming tips, and business insights! 

 Get market farming tools, seeds, and supplies at Modern Grower.

Follow Modern Grower:  Instagram  Instagram

Listen to other podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:  Carrot Cashflow  Farm Small Farm Smart  Farm Small Farm Smart Daily  The Growing Microgreens Podcast  The Urban Farmer Podcast  The Rookie Farmer Podcast  In Search of Soil Podcast

Check out Diego's books:  Sell Everything You Grow on Amazon   Ready Farmer One on Amazon

**** Modern Grower and Diego Footer participate in the Amazon Services LLC. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.



* This article was originally published here

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Keep the U.S. Postal Service Electric

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is in the process of electrifying its fleet of delivery vehicles. The first zero-emission mail truck hit the road last year, and now more than 7,200 electric delivery vehicles are bringing Americans their mail.1

But a proposal in the U.S. Senate would have forced the USPS to sell off its EVs and reinvest in fossil fuel-burning trucks. This supposedly money-saving move would actually cost the Postal Service upwards of $1.5 billion.2

Selling off trucks we already bought and letting charging infrastructure go to waste just doesn’t make any sense. Even though the proposal was pulled from current legislation, we expect it to be raised again soon — and we need to stop it before it can get started.

Take action to stop this wasteful proposal. Tell your representative: Keep the U.S. Postal Service’s electric vehicle fleet on the road.

The USPS fleet desperately needs replacing. Their existing mail trucks have been in use for decades. They’re so old that parts for basic repairs are no longer available.3 The overworked trucks sometimes even spontaneously combust.4

The old postal fleet was stuck in the past. Electric vehicles are the future.

That’s why PIRG and our national network rallied our supporters to send tens of thousands of messages to the USPS, urging the agency to electrify its fleet — and we won. The Postal Service committed to investing in electric trucks in 2022.5

But all the progress the agency has made is in danger of slipping away. If this proposal passes, the USPS’ brand-new EVs will go to waste.

Take action to keep the USPS electric.

We rely on the USPS every day. Postal workers deserve the tools they need to do their job — and they should be able to deliver us the mail without also delivering a deadly dose of tailpipe pollution.

Pollution from cars, trucks and other vehicles cuts short an estimated 58,000 American lives each year.6 To protect our health, we need to electrify every vehicle that we can.

Selling off the electric postal fleet won’t save money. It won’t give us healthier air. It’s ridiculous.

Send your message today to stop this wasteful proposal from passing.

Thank you,

Faye Park
President, U.S. PIRG

1. “U.S. Postal Service is going electric,” PIRG, December 20, 2022.
2. Tracy J. Wolf, “Republicans’ ‘big, beautiful bill’ would force Postal Service to sell its new EV mail trucks,” CBS News, June 24, 2025.
3. Jacob Bogage, “Trump and GOP’s tax bill would sell off USPS’s brand-new EVs,” The Washington Post, June 21, 2025.
4. Jacob Bogage, “Trump and GOP’s tax bill would sell off USPS’s brand-new EVs,” The Washington Post, June 21, 2025.
5. “Why Are So Many Mail Trucks Bursting Into Flames?,” Inside Edition, September 16, 2020.
6. “U.S. Postal Service is going electric,” PIRG, December 20, 2022.



* This article was originally published here

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Funding Cuts, Then Loss of Life in Texas

They were warned not to cut NOAA funding. They did it anyway. And many innocent lives were lost.

July 4 flood in Texas (USCG photo, public domain)

George Harvey

CBS published an article, dated May 5, under the title, “Former National Weather Service leaders warn about ‘loss of life’ from NOAA cuts.” You can find it HERE. (Or at least you could when this was written – I have seen links to articles like this mysteriously disappear.)

The opening paragraph of the article reads, “The five living former National Weather Service leaders wrote and released an open letter to the American people warning about the impact of staffing and program cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, saying their ‘worst nightmare’ is the cuts will lead to ‘needless loss of life.’”

Of the five living National Weather Service (NWS) leaders, all signed the letter, regardless of who appointed them. That should make anyone who cared about NOAA, the NWS, and weather disasters, even those out to cut funds for federal agencies, sit up and take notice. But it didn’t. (Green Energy Times posted the original letter HERE.)

According to the CBS article, the former NWS heads’ letter says, “Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life. We know that’s a nightmare shared by those on the forecasting front lines – and by the people who depend on their efforts.”

A disaster on the order they were worried about happened in Kerr County, Texas, just two months after that article appeared. The retired NWS heads all warned it could happen, and it did.

There is a matter of law called “depraved indifference.” It describes a situation of complete disregard for the lives of others. In a case where depraved indifference leads to a death, which could be regarded as second-degree murder. (Disclosure: I am not an attorney.)

When cuts were made to the NOAA budget, those who made them may have been acting without doing their due diligence. But this matter goes beyond that point, they were warned that lives would be lost, and lives were lost. The causes of the disaster should be investigated, and that includes determining what parts might have been played by loss of NWS staff.

There is more, however.

Part of the issue here is climate change. The amount of rain that fell was far more than anticipated.

However, there is an issue here that we should not overlook. NOAA and NWS funding were reduced, and staffing was reduced, despite the warning letter from experts. Climate change, however, will go on. There will be another disaster. And then, there will be another. And another. And they will just go on. And as they do some of them will set records as the worst we have ever seen. And many more lives will be lost.

Since the cuts to NOAA and NWS, were made, there have been a number of other unforeseen weather disasters. Tornadoes and wildfires have been abundant. Now hurrican season is upon us.

Sooner or later, cuts to NOAA and NWS funds and staffing will lead to a failure where the dots can be connected. And at that point, we will see cause and effect more clearly. And that could include the identites of anyone who should have done better.

The thought that little girls were woken up in a terrifying flood and died in fear, makes my blood boil.

CC BY-ND

 



* This article was originally published here