- By Dov Hirsch

The people at Sur La Table have taken notice of this phenomenon. The cookware retail giant recently released its’ own Farm To Table Cookbook, entitled, Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America’s Farmers. Today we get out of the studio and into the field, on one of the farms featured in this cookbook.

Breaking ground on a new farm requires much more than a good shovel. Before the seeds are in the ground, before the early morning trips to markets, a life of farming begins with months of planning and work on unfamiliar land. The farmers of Langwater Farm are in just such a position—they are transforming a historical piece of property in suburban Massachusetts from bare to brimming. And in their initial year of production, every task is the first of its kind. This story will follow the Langwater farmers as they maneuver through starting a farm in hard economic times, in a year after severe agricultural blight in the region, and in a town that has not seen a farm in decades.

Aubrey works as both storyteller and farm worker, helping the Langwater Farms in their start up year, and recording the challenges to share their story

-By Aubrey White

Episode One (June): When all you have is land

Stepping on to empty land, Langwater farmers Alida Cantor, Kevin, Kate, and Rory O’Dwyer are first tasked with how to make something out of nothing, and how to sustain it for the next thirty or more years. For the former, they have to improvise; for the latter, they have to envision.

Episode Two (July): Planting Trees on Leased Land

Planting Trees on Leased Land: July 5th, 2010

For young agricultural entrepreneurs, often the biggest inhibitor to starting a farm is finding affordable land close to viable markets. Fortunately, farmers can lease land. But planting on leased land means maintaining strong relations with the landowners, and accepting somewhat limited control over farm property. Aubrey White shows us that farming relies on relationships, as much as communities rely on farms.

Episode Three (August): In The Trenches

We continue From The Ground Up, our exploration of the new american farmer. We’ve been following the O’Dwyers at Langwater Farm in Easton, Massachussets as they learn what it truly takes to run a farm. And as Aubrey White reports, even if you can grow the best crops, selling them is a whole other story.

Episode Four (September): Suburbia’s Transformation

Many may not see a professional future in farming. But for those that stick with it, the first thing needed need is land. Aubrey White explores tomato season. We continue From The Ground Up, our exploration of the new american farmer.

New Hampshire farms are less productive and profitable than those in Maine or Vermont but do a good job selling directly to an affluent, engaged population, according to a new report.

With interest in local food rising, the state Department of Agriculture had researchers at the University of New Hampshire analyze the economic impact of the New Hampshire food system, which includes about 81,000 people in farming, manufacturing, distribution or retail jobs.

Those four sectors of the food system account for 15 percent of the state’s nongovernment workers and together contribute 5.7 percent of the state’s economy, the report found.

The report cites several strengths and opportunities, including a wealthy population with a strong interest in the “buy local” movement. Residents generally are interested in preserving open space, and institutions such as hospitals and hotels show strong interest in supporting local food, researchers said.

New Hampshire farmers also are much more likely than farmers elsewhere to sell food directly to consumers at farm stands, farmers markets or “pick your own” operations. That direct marketing accounts for 12 percent of New Hampshire’s farm food sales, compared to just half a percent nationally, 3 percent in Maine and 4 percent in Vermont.

The flip side to those statistics, however, is that New Hampshire farms are less likely to have contracts with stores or restaurants that would bring in more money.

Read more at Canadian Business