So what exactly is all this sustainability stuff about? Why does it matter?

If either of those questions have ever entered your mind, here's an over-simplified answer: Sustainable (or alternative) farming practices exist to ensure that we are producing food in such a way that won't hinder our ability to do so in the future. Or, you could say, a way that will allow sustained production while avoiding harm to the environment.

A more thorough and accurate definition can be found through the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA), as well as the USDA's Alternative Farming Systems Information Center.

You see, agriculture and the environment are close friends — wouldn't it be nice if the humans responsible for managing the two could get along? Sustainable farming represents a bridge for the divide.

Mother Earth News readers frequently contact our office to ask basic how-to questions regarding gardening, poultry and livestock. We usually refer them to our Web site, which contains over 8,000 articles from 36 years of Mother. But occasionally, the questions are of a more regional nature. People may have a specific weed problem, or might be looking for nearby feed stores or large animal veterinarians. In these cases, we refer them to their local county extension office, which can answer questions on those topics as well as many others related to sustainable living.

The Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, (CSREES) is a network of 3,000 county extension offices affiliated with over 100 state land-grant colleges and universities and overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. For instance, in Kansas, where I live, all 105 counties are served by a county extension office. To find the office closest to you, click on the link above.

In addition to programs you may already be familiar with, such as 4-H (a youth program focusing on leadership, citizenship and life skills), county fairs and the Master Gardener program, county extension offices offer information on food, nutrition and health; families and youth; community and economic development; natural resources and the environment; sustainable agriculture and more. The county extension offices have publications and resource specialists relevant to all of the programs they offer. It is definitely worth a trip to your local office to meet these dedicated professionals and peruse their library of resources.

Attention aspiring organic farmers: We know it's hard to get started in the business these days. According to USA Today, farmland prices are at a record high — USDA statistics show that farm real estate values more than doubled from 1996 to 2006 (increasing more than 40 percent from 2004 to 2006 alone).

Still, this is as good a time as any to take that first big step and start your own organic farming business. Demand for organic products is still soaring, and a good number of businesses, government programs and independent organizations are offering to help.

Click here for a long list of current funding opportunities from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA). And if you're an undergraduate or graduate student pursuing studies in sustainable agriculture, natural and organic food company Annie's Homegrown is offering $50,000 in scholarships. Visit their Web site for rules and application info.

The resources are out there — go get 'em!

Stop the presses! The House Agriculture Committee has passed the 2007 farm bill. In a press release issued this morning, the new bill was touted as 'groundbreaking' and 'historic.' According to the release, conservation, nutrition and renewable energy are all included, and farmers and ranchers will continue to receive assistance as well. But here's the big news: 'Substantial funding' is allocated to fruit and vegetable farmers!

Everyone's happy right? Everyone gets a slice of the pie, right? Certainly discussion will ensue as to the size of the slices, but I'll be optimistic.

Another notable aspect is the good news regarding country of origin labeling. The committee passed language to allow mandatory labeling of meat in three categories: one that indicates the meat was born, raised and slaughtered in the United States; one that indicates it was not exclusively born, raised and slaughtered in the United States; and one to identify products that are entirely from other countries.

A quick list of the bill's highlights is included in the release, but you can review the entire bill on the committee's Web site. Note that the House itself still must vote on the bill, but this vote is expected before the end of July.

I recently discovered a wonderful new book, The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese (Chelsea Green Publishing Co., 2007), by Jeffrey P. Roberts. Fresh-from-the-farm cheese is an epicurean's delight and Roberts' book provides a regional road map to local cheeses made in small batches. If you're lucky, you'll find sources of delicious, farm-fresh cheese just down the road from where you live.

In his foreward to the book, Carlo Petrini, president of Slow Food International, says that the new definition of food quality is that it should be 'good in terms of flavor, clean in terms of sustainability, and fair insofar as they gratify the people who make them.' He goes on to say that 'such three-faceted quality is actually the result of a single intention: the defense of seasonal, local, traditional artisan food products.' Artisan cheese is about a sense of place: the connection of food, land and people based on the farm's climate and geology, the choice of milk-giving animals and the culture of the cheese maker. It is also about the sustainability of the family farm and the value-added products that support it.

If you love cheese — from cheddar to chevre — if you enjoy road trips, and especially if you are thinking of becoming a cheese maker yourself, then let this book be your guide. Each regional entry tells where the milk comes from — whether cows, goats, sheep or water buffalo — the kind of cheese produced and where you can purchase the cheese (and find free samples).

Welcome to the Livestock and Sustainable Farming Blog!

You might ask, 'Why would anyone be interested in a blog about cows and no-till?' The answer is simple: Agriculture's influence is far-reaching, and its policies affect each and every one of us in many aspects of our daily lives, some of which you may be unaware.

The most obvious of these is the quality of the food we put on our tables, but let's take a step back and survey the big picture: Advances in the science of agriculture and the formation of federal legislation that truly benefits the rural economy are vital not only to the production of safe and nutritious food, but also to the future of our health care system.

Ag has a hand in everything from the shoes on your feet to, as some may argue, the security of our country. Did you know that our agricultural fields might have the ability to slow global warming? The list goes on — pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and more come from our nation's farms.

Agriculturally speaking, these are fascinating times. Debates are heated, as theories and opinions abound. Even as we anxiously await the fate of the 2007 farm bill (perhaps the single most important piece of legislation concerning the health of America's citizens, soils and wildlife), new developments are popping up in the farming world regularly. My aim is to bring you the latest and greatest once a week.

We frequently use the term 'homestead' and 'homesteading' in articles in Mother Earth News. The term 'homesteading' may be familiar, but its usage can cause some confusion as its meaning has changed over the decades. For years the word referred to a free government land program and the skills necessary for pioneer living. Today the word homesteading is more apt to refer to a lifestyle that promotes greater self sufficiency. To better understand all things homesteading, here is a very brief timeline of the common use of the term.

The Homestead Act

In the middle 1800s, the word homesteading was synonymous with The Homesteading Act of 1862, which provided public land grants of 160 acres to any adult citizen who paid a small registration fee and agreed to live on the land continuously for 5 years, after which they would be granted a deed to the land. The program formally ended in 1976 under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. But its unofficial end was in 1935 when President Franklin Roosevelt withdrew the public domain lands in order to institute a nationwide land conservation program. During the life of the Homestead Act, 783,000 men and women 'proved up' their claim and were granted title to the land.

The Back to the Land Movement

In the 1970s, the word homesteading evolved to mean a lifestyle as tens of thousands of young adults and other adventurous souls threw off the cultural mantle of urban and suburban living and returned to their ancestral rural roots. These 'back-to-the-landers' were the core readers of Mother Earth News and the impetus for its creation, beginning in January of 1970. Over the next three decades, the character of the term homesteading has emerged to include self-sufficient living in urban and suburban settings as well as on rural acreage.

21st Century Homesteading

These days at Mother Earth News, we're using the phrase 21st century homesteading, which is all about self sufficiency — wherever you live. It's about using less energy, eating wholesome local food, involving your family in the life of the community and making wiser choices that will improve the quality of life for your family, your community and the environment around you. With today's advanced technology, living off the grid doesn't mean going without electricity, but producing your own with photovoltaics (PV), hydropower or wind turbines. In addition, home businesses are no longer limited to farm produce stands and craft sales, but can include marketing a home business or telecommuting via the Internet.

Mother Earth News has covered homesteading in depth for 36 years. In this blog we'll talk about homesteading in all its urban, suburban and rural forms, from large projects such as building a house, planting a garden, producing your own energy and starting a home business to small beginning steps such as hanging laundry on the line, canning produce, splitting firewood or using a bicycle for transportation. We'll give you ideas, inspiration and a starting point in your quest for wiser living on your 21st century homestead. We look forward to continuing to cover all things homesteading as the topic continues to evolve.