Farmers’ Almanac TV is on location, shooting video at the Farm Aid concert in New Jersey. Here is the third post from the event.

The 2006 Farm Aid Concert just kicked off. Willie Nelson took to the stage with American Indians in ceremonial dress. He and Pauline Reese sang the first song together. Pauline and her band are on stage now tearing it up.

The crowd went wild when Willie came to the stage. A brief rain didn’t affect the crowd. In fact, people are standing two-deep in line to get through the entrance gate.

The Farmers’ Almanac TV crew is in a press bunker, called the Liquid Lounge — the liquids being organic teas and juices supplied by local farmers. We were given a box lunch filled with fresh, organic food also supplied by local farmers.

Mickey Youmans and Mike Jarema are in the Farm Yard, with farmers who have traveled from all over the country to take part in the 21st Farm Aid. They will share their stories with Mickey and crew, and the video will appear in our show.

More to come.

By Renee Bishop, Executive Producer for the Farmers’ Almanac TV show.

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by Farmers Almanac Staff
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Farmers’ Almanac TV is on location, shooting video at the Farm Aid concert in New Jersey. Here is the second post from the event.

The excitement is unbelievable. There are farmers here from all over the country. It’s a sold-out concert. I can’t possibly describe what it’s like to be here and listen to the standing ovations, applause and the enthusiasm for the artists and their messages.

Here are some quotes from the press conference - and interviews.

Willie Nelson:

“We started out to save the family farm. Now it looks like the family farm will save us.”

Dave Mathews

“Family farms are the solution.”

John Mellencamp

“If you want a better world, it starts with you.”

Neil Young

“My daughter didn’t like her college food. She wouldn’t eat. So I went to the college and started Food for Thought. Farmers around the college started selling homegrown food to the school and the college started cooking it differently. They are now in their fourth year.”

“We need smart people to use their understanding of economics, capitalism, advertising to restore good food in this country.”

“Let’s enable children to learn to eat good food and put new blood into farming. Let them take the good healthy food that they learn how to plant at a young age and then become the future farmers.”

Carolyn Mugar
“Farm Aid is an activist charity. It’s an extraordinary feat that four artists have stayed together over 21 years for this cause.”

More to come.

By Renee Bishop, executive producer for Farmers’ Almanac TV show on public television.

Technorati tags: Farm Aid, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp

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Farmers’ Almanac TV is on location, shooting video at the Farm Aid concert in New Jersey. Here is the first post from the event.

The Farmers’ Almanac TV crew is backstage now… We just saw Steve Earle and Los Lonely Boys. Boy do they rock!

We are about to interview Larry Mitchell, chief executive of the American Corn Growers Association (ACGA).

More to come.

By Renee Bishop, executive producer of the Farmers’ Almanac TV show on public television

Technorati tags: Farm Aid, Los Lonely Boys, Steve Earle

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Colds - they happen every year. And, once they get started, they make the rounds through families and workplaces. As sure as winter is approaching, so is the COLD season. In the 1886 Farmers’ Almanac our medical advise was to “smell a dirty sock.” This effectively cleared one’s sinuses.

120 years later and there is no cure for the common cold. But we are a little smarter in how to prevent and control it. Colds last from 2 to 14 days. The average hangs around for a full week. Did you know that there are actually 250 different viruses that lead to colds. Because of the sheer number, it is hard to find a vaccination that works.

Here are the symptoms:

• Mucus build up in your nose
• Difficulty breathing through your nose
• Swelling of sinuses
• Sneezing
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Slight fever

Common Treatments:

• Rest
• Chicken Soup (yes it does wonders)
• Use petroleum jelly around the nose
• Spray saline in your nose
• Gargle with warm water
• drink plenty of clear decaffeinated fluids
• Increase your intake of vitamin C and zinc

Prevention:

• Wash your hands multiple times each day
• Avoid people with colds (no hugging them
• Keep surfaces shared by others clean - yes, carry a can of disinfectant with you.
• Cover your nose and mouth when sneezing.

There is now a technique that is preferred. It is called Coughing into your Sleeves. Check out a website that discusses and demonstrates the proper way to accomplish this. By way of this blog, we are going to make Coughing into your sleeve fashionable…. the preferred method to stop cold germs. Check out www.coughsafe.com. The title is “Why Don’t We Do It in Our Sleeves?. Good question. this video may not save your life but it might help stop the spread of the common cold.

I know it will take awhile for me to cough into my sleeve instead of the socially acceptable hands. But, I will learn and teach others. And, if you are wearing a strapless gown or swimsuit, be sure to have a smell sock close at hand. It still does the trick.

For our full story about Colds, check pages 78 - 79 of the 2007 Farmers’ Almanac.

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by pgeiger
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September 18th has special meaning for me. My father, Ray Geiger, was born September 18, 1910. He joked that he came in as Mark Twain was heading out and that they touched along the way. Ray was the 6th editor and the reason we have a Farmers’ Almanac today. In honor of his 96th birthday, here is the Ray Geiger story:

• Born in Newark, NJ, he was a born salesman. As a child he regularly sold lemonade at street corners in Irving, N.J. His family owned land that Barnum & Bailey Circus used. When the event was over, he’d collect manure and sell it to farmers. He left nothing to waste, not even waste.

• Graduated second from the bottom of St. Benedict High School. Went to Notre Dame where he graduated #13 in his class.

• In 1932, he entered the family business - Geiger Bros.

• That year he met William Jardine (editor #5) and agreed to work with him on the almanac.

• Became editor # 6 when Mr. Jardine passed away at age 91. Started editor duties with the 1935 edition and set a record with 60 consecutive issues. Circulation went from 86,000 to 6,500,000 copies all given away by businesses. During WW II he continued to publish the almanac with help form his stateside sister, Loretta.

• 1964 - 1990 also edited the American Farm & Home Almanac - a separate retail product.

• He participated in over 30,000 interviews and speeches. Appeared on virtually every interview program in America including Truth or Consequences, Today Show, Art Linkletter, Mike Douglas, David Letterman and thousands of local shows. He traveled 180 days per year to accomplish the growth of the Farmers’ Almanac.

• He was married to Ann Heuber, had 5 children and moved to Maine in 1955.

• He was an outstanding showman. He celebrated his 15th Anniversary with a billboard between hometowns of Lewiston/ Auburn (first person to do this). He thought bigger for the 25th when he borrowed the Goodyear Blimp. Hung a sign that read “Thank Your Ann for 25 Good Years.” This photo was picked up in papers around the world.

• He was dubbed the “most interviewed man in America” by Linkletter. He said he was “Corny, not Porny.” And, passed away on April 1, 1994.

• In 1990 he held a “Predeceased Adventure” at his tombstone (located near the office). Forty business friends attended and heard his poem which read:

Friends I am delighted and really quite excited
That you came to this unusual grave event,
For I’d rather have you gather as I write it
Than to have you come to see me when I am dead

He concluded “Yes, you can’t enjoy a tombstone when you’re dead.”

Had young Ray Geiger not met William Jardine and fallen in love with the publication, chances are it might have ended it’s run after 116 issues. Instead the Farmers’ Almanac is a well-respected part of America and today we celebrate what would have been Ray Geiger’s 96th birthday….. and yes, he would have wanted a party.

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AP

Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila is an All-Pro defensive end for the Green Bay Packers. But the man known as “KGB” is known for more than planting quarterbacks in the ground–Gbaja-Biamila is also an organic gardener.

As a high school student in Los Angeles, Gbaja-Biamila (whose name translates to ‘Big Man Come and Save Me’ in Nigerian), was involved in an effort called “Food From the Hood,” the first ever student-run natural food company that provided South Central Los Angeles with high-quality organic produce. He’s still involved in organic foods as an investor at “Naked Foods” in Howard, Wisconsin.

More about KGB from his bio on packers.com: http://www.packers.com/team/players/gbaja-biamila_kabeer/

Technorati tags: Green Bay Packers, NFL, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Packers, Organic, Urban

by Farmers Almanac Staff
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Over the years we have built a small but varied collection of almanacs. In the 1700s & 1800s almanacs came in all sizes and shapes. Much like magazines, each almanac had a purpose. In reading through copies of our Farmers’ Almanac one item caught my attention.

Periodically, the editor would offer comments about life. In 1928, William Jardine said “Don’t allow the old fashioned neighborliness be forgotten in these days of telephones, automobiles, trolleys and daily mail. The good custom of visiting is too rapidly disappearing in many communities. The newcomer is apt to be neglected and not made to feel welcomed.”

Wow - daily mail and the automobile allowed people to reach out at the expense of those who lived close by. Fast-forward almost 80 years and we look at a world that is ever shrinking. The definition of a “neighbor” expanded. Thomas Friedman makes a compelling argument that the “World Is Flat.” And that it is being driven by technology. We may or may not know our neighbors, but we can develop friendships and connections with new neighbors from around the world.

What the paper copy of the Farmers’ Almanac has not done, the internet has allowed. We hear from people world- wide who enjoy the Farmers’ Almanac. It is not an everyday thing but we know we have fans around the world and the internet expands our reach.

In 2002 we held a National Dessert Election. Apple Pie was selected and we published the winning recipes. A gentleman from St. Petersburg, Russia, asked what “shortening” was. We offered a substitute and he made a pie for his wife. He next tried brownies. So, we are a source for recipes no matter where you cook.

In 2004, I had a gentleman writ to me in Portuguese, asking if he could link my website to his in Brazil.

My English text is proudly displayed on his website.

This week, I heard from Fernando in Brazil and Alex in Australia looking to purchase a copy of the 2007 edition. I would love to sell almanacs internationally. We only offer weather for the United States and Canada, but there are so many great articles, and oh yes, recipes, that make the Almanac a must-have book. If you live outside of North America and wish to get a copy of the 2007 Farmers’ Almanac, let me know and we will make it happen.

For 12 years I had a writing prompt for elementary students. We published the best of the best. A friend in England sent the challenge out to students in American schools throughout the world. You guessed it; we had hundreds of entries for Germany, Poland, and Japan. It is gratifying to know that what we do in America can be fun for people everywhere.

I do get requests for weather from Europeans traveling to the US and Canada as they plan their vacations months in advance. I do my best!

I have been asked about producing the almanac in other languages. At this point it has not been economically viable but it is something that Sandi Duncan and I consider from time to time.

Have a wonderful weekend. Check your trees for color and enjoy the beginnings of the fall season.

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by pgeiger
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Over the years the Farmers’ Almanac has championed a number of “Campaigns.” It started in 1995 when my dad realized the US Post Office eliminated the city and state on a letter being canceled and replaced it with part of the zip code. Apparently, people collected postmarks much as they do stamps.

Two years later and hundreds of thousands of letters, postmarks were returned.

We have avoided “political issues.” In fact the last time we made a political statement was in 1828 when we said “Congress spoke too much and spent too much” and have not made an utterance since. But, we have done a few things that we think are fun and speak to what “really bugs folks.” I won’t discuss all of them, but a few that were great to discuss and get feedback include:

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Fly the American Flag Today!

On this fifth anniversary of our country’s horrific tragedy, let us show our patriotism and fly the American flag or wear a flag pin.

Patriot Day was established as a way to commemorate those who lost their lives on 9/11, and to show compassion to their families, friends and loved ones who continue to endure the pain, and our earnest support and respect to those who today are fighting at home and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

One flag, one land
One heart, one hand
One nation evermore!
~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life for his friends.
~John 15:13 KJV Holy Bible

There are those, I know, who will say that the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is nothing but a dream. They are right. It is. It is the American dream.
~Archibald MacLeish

May our great nation and all the divine principals, which our government was founded upon, remain more than a memory but a fixed reality that we liberally enjoy, uphold, cherish, defend and protect.
~Deborah S. Tukua

by Farmers Almanac Staff
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Prego’s saying is “It’s in there.” If you want fresh ingredients in your spaghetti sauce “It’s in there.” This is also true of the Farmers’ Almanac. A good friend John Hoyle had a potluck dinner last night with several friends. He says “Our topic was the FA. I talked about hush puppies and waffles (waffres). I was a hero!!!!!!!!!” What did John learn from the almanac?

Hush Puppies - While Florida hunters sat around their camp fish fries, their hunting dogs would whine for the good smelling food. The men tossed leftover corn patties to their dogs while calling out “Hush puppies!” Satisfied with their treat, the dogs hushed.

Waffles - waffles date back to the thirteenth century and were discovered quite by accident. A crusader wearing armor accidentally sat on his wife’s freshly baked oatcakes. The flattened cakes bore the imprint of the steel links in the armor, however, the crusader spread butter on the cakes and ate them anyway. His wife, delighted with the manner in which the butter stayed in the indented portions, insisted that her husband sit on the cakes weekly. This invention was first called waffres, meaning flat honey-comb like cakes. Waffres came to America when the Dutch brought their irons to America.

As you can see, there’s many kernels of knowledge found in the Farmers’ Almanac. Like John, you can be a hero at your next party because “It’s in there.”

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by pgeiger
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