farming

"Nogg" Makes Keeping Chickens Stylish

Filed under: Pets, Green, Architecture & Design

Thanks to the local food movement and that whopper salmonella scare earlier this year keeping chickens has become an increasingly popular alternative for people seeking healthy and safe ways to feed their family. But although backyard chicken coops are popping up in all kinds of traditionally non-farming neighborhoods it's been a tough and slow transition getting them into upscale areas. Traditional chicken coops just don't go with the decor.

Enter the "nogg," a giant egg-shaped designer chicken coop that makes domestic farming possible without ruining your beautiful backyard landscape. Designed to house a small group of just 2-4 chickens, the nogg is made of naturally bacteria-resistant cedar wood and features secure locks to keep the foxes out and a flap door for easy access to fresh eggs every morning. It's the brainchild of furniture designer and engineer Matthew Hayward and Creative Director Nadia Turan and sprung up out of frustration at what an eyesore traditional chicken coops are. Get more info or order a nogg for your backyard here.

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Tags: backyard, chickens, farming, outdoor living, urban farm, urban farmer, urban farmers, urban farming, urban farms, yard

Farm Aid Inc., Charity of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Charity of the Day

I live right smack in the middle of the Midwest in Iowa, and with the drastic weather this country has been experiencing (in this area it's excessive rain and flooding) crops are getting destroyed and many farmers are being threatened with the possibility of losing their farms, homes, and livelihoods. Farm Aid Inc. is working to help family farms across the country to stay alive, profitable, and on their land through a variety of efforts, including fund raising concerts from big names like Dave Matthews, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, and Counting Crows. Check to see if there's one your area!

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Tags: charity, charity of the day, CharityOfTheDay, disaster relief, DisasterRelief, farm, farm aid, farm aid inc, FarmAid, FarmAidInc, farmer, farmers, farming

Owning Farmland is the New Status Symbol?

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Although owning land has always been something of a status symbol, traditionally most of the very wealthy who own acreages don't use them as a permanent address but instead as a getaway spot. For many having money means living a fast-paced jet-setting lifestyle in the city, where spending money and enjoying luxurious amenities like spa treatments and VIP experiences is most convenient. But that trend is reversing, it seems, with many of today's wealthy leaning more and more towards a slower, more comfortable, "back the roots" kind of life. Many are still traveling the world and paying big bucks for daily extravagances, but they're basing their lives out of a calmer and more natural environment. They're buying acreages of farmland and building their homes there, and besides enjoying the serenity and quietness it brings many are actually growing some of their own food and working towards more sustainable and old-fashioned lifestyles. Believe it or not, farmland is becoming the new status symbol!

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Tags: farm, farm land, farming, FarmLand, lifestyle, lifestyles, locavore