Spring is finally here and for many, this is a time of hope and renewal. As some head to the local hardware store to kickstart outdoor improvements, America’s agricultural producers are already putting their spring plans into action, planting the seeds that will feed, fuel, and clothe us later in the year.
As in years past, we’d like to showcase the planting season stories of farmers and ranchers across America. To share yours, make a post on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with photos or video and tag @FarmersGov. Be sure to include where you are and what you’re working on in your post. You can also direct message us through any of our @FarmersGov social media accounts.
Alternatively, email us at SM.FP.Social@usda.gov with your name or the name of your operation, your location (city/county and state), and information about what’s happening in your photos or videos.
Last season, the third-generation, family-owned Pense Nursery in Mountainburg, Arkansas, planted 500,000 blackberry plants in 15 varieties, along with strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, currants, gooseberry, elderberry, and others. According to Phillip Pense, “We propagate many of the University of Arkansas varieties that they continue to develop. We use very low spray insecticides and fungicides, [as well as] limited tillage and water.”
Meanwhile, the USDA People’s Garden initiative was in full swing last year. These gardens empower communities to participate in local food production, foster community collaboration, improve our environment, and demonstrate the benefits of sustainable, local agriculture. At Our Village Gardens in Portland, Oregon, a wide variety of fruits and vegetables were planted by neighbors in North Portland affordable housing communities. The garden’s produce also supplies a healthy corner grocery store in the New Columbia neighborhood.
Two thousand miles away in Freedom, Indiana, Steve Worland kicked off his planting season with cover crops, planting a diverse mix of radish, crimson clover, turnips, and cereal rye across 700 acres, then planted his crops green into them.
Need more ideas on what makes a great #Plant23 photo? Check out highlights from previous years:
Make sure to follow @FarmersGov on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and we look forward to sharing your story!
Jennifer Cole is the social media manager for FamersGov and Jennifer Strickland is the social media strategist for the USDA's Farm Production and Conservation Business Center in Washington
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