farm

Carl Sandburg bought a 245-acre North Carolina estate for his wife’s goat farm; it became the first National Park Service site dedicated to an American poet

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Carl Sandburg bought a 245-acre North Carolina estate for his wife’s goat farm; it became the first National Park Service site dedicated to an American poet

In 1945, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Carl Sandburg and his wife, Lilian “Paula” Sandburg, left Michigan for a 245-acre estate near Flat Rock, North Carolina. The move was driven in large part by Paula’s expanding dairy-goat operation, which needed more pasture and suitable farm buildings. Carl also wanted a warmer climate and a quieter place to … Read more

A farmer turned 70 acres of his Oregon barley farm into a wetland; now it hosts 140 bird species and endangered fish

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A farmer turned 70 acres of his Oregon barley farm into a wetland; now it hosts 140 bird species and endangered fish

A farmer in southern Oregon transformed 70 acres of his 400-acre barley farm into a wetland in 2021, creating an unexpected refuge for wildlife while helping address agricultural water pollution. Karl Wenner, a co-owner of Lakeside Farms near Klamath Falls, worked with conservation agencies and other partners to convert flood-prone farmland into a managed wetland. … Read more

Colorado farmer Marc Arnusch turned down solar leases on 2,700 acres; instead he chose a conservation easement to protect the family farm, then faced an IRS audit

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Colorado farmer Marc Arnusch turned down solar leases on 2,700 acres; instead he chose a conservation easement to protect the family farm, then faced an IRS audit

Colorado farmer Marc Arnusch had a straightforward choice: accept millions of dollars from solar companies seeking to lease 2,700 acres of his family’s farmland, or keep the property in agriculture for the next generation. He chose the farm. Now, after spending nearly $1 million documenting a conservation easement, he is facing an IRS audit over … Read more

In 2024, a 192,560 sq ft industrial project won approval on 22 acres beside New Jersey’s Monmouth battlefield; two years later the state paid $15 million to preserve the former strawberry farm as part of the park

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In 2024, a 192,560 sq ft industrial project won approval on 22 acres beside New Jersey’s Monmouth battlefield; two years later the state paid $15 million to preserve the former strawberry farm as part of the park

In 2024, Monmouth County officials approved a massive 192,560-square-foot industrial development on 22 acres of farmland directly adjacent to Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan, New Jersey. The site, once a strawberry farm, sat along Route 33 just steps from one of the most significant Revolutionary War battlefields in the nation. But in August 2026, … Read more

Thieves stole 400,000 juvenile oysters worth about $350,000 from an Australian farm; the grower says a third of his stock is gone and the theft has set him back two to three years

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Thieves stole 400,000 juvenile oysters worth about $350,000 from an Australian farm; the grower says a third of his stock is gone and the theft has set him back two to three years

Thieves stole 400,000 juvenile oysters worth about $350,000 Waterborne thieves have raided an oyster farm on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, stealing 400,000 young oysters worth about $350,000 AUD (£177,000). The theft has wiped out around a third of the grower’s total stock. The large-scale theft is being investigated by the New South … Read more

Humans stepped back from this UK dairy farm in 2023; three years later, wildlife returns as 27 more bird species appear and butterfly numbers more than double

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Humans stepped back from this UK dairy farm in 2023; three years later, wildlife returns as 27 more bird species appear and butterfly numbers more than double

Image: The Guardian/Jenny Vickers A former dairy farm in the UK has undergone a striking transformation after humans stepped back and allowed natural processes to reshape the land. At Heal Somerset, a 460-acre site in Somerset acquired by the rewilding charity Heal in December 2022, the first three years of nature recovery have brought a … Read more

In 1926, a 10-foot rocket rose just 41 feet from a Massachusetts farm; 35 years later, NASA put its creator’s name in space

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In 1926, a 10-foot rocket rose just 41 feet from a Massachusetts farm; 35 years later, NASA put its creator’s name in space

A replica of the world’s first liquid propellant rocket, PC: Wikimedia Commons On March 16, 1926, on a snowy farm in Auburn, Massachusetts, physicist Robert H. Goddard set up a slim, 10-foot rocket he had nicknamed Nell on a launch frame in an open field. Fueled by gasoline and liquid oxygen, the rocket climbed just … Read more

In 1988, a California couple began restoring their 136-acre family farm; decades later, it has become a thriving habitat for birds, quail and even cougars

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In 1988, a California couple began restoring their 136-acre family farm; decades later, it has become a thriving habitat for birds, quail and even cougars

Peter Hunter kneels beside a clump of young willows clinging to the edge of Dry Creek. The slender shoots are leafless but supple, a faint tinge of red promising spring growth. On the bank above him, Hunter eyes hundreds of seedlings, cottonwoods, redbud, and other shrubs pushing up through protective plastic tubes into the pale … Read more

In 1966, a 71-year-old woman donated nearly 100 acres of her Virginia farm and money for an amphitheatre; the land became America’s only national park dedicated to the performing arts

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In 1966, a 71-year-old woman donated nearly 100 acres of her Virginia farm and money for an amphitheatre; the land became America's only national park dedicated to the performing arts

Wolf Trap remains the only national park in the United States devoted to the performing arts, advancing the concept Shouse first put forth more than six decades ago Before it became a stage beneath the stars, Wolf Trap was simply a Virginia farm. But in the 1960s, one woman had a very different dream for … Read more

In 1944, a Vermont woman used money meant for a fur coat to buy a 150-acre farm; 20 years later she gave it to Audubon for wildlife conservation

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In 1944, a Vermont woman used money meant for a fur coat to buy a 150-acre farm; 20 years later she gave it to Audubon for wildlife conservation

Representative Image of a 150-acre Vermont landscape where a historic dairy farm has become a thriving nature preserve (AI-generated image) In 1944, Christine Hires, a member of the family behind Hires Root Beer, was vacationing in Vermont when she fell in love with the landscape and decided to buy a 150-acre dairy farm in what … Read more