In the Spotlight

The good work that we've been blessed to share here at Heartsong Farm gets an occasional burst of attention. We'll keep you posted about recent interviews and other goings-on that have touched our lives. What's most fun about these sorts of things is the serendipitous networking with other like-minded souls that inevitably follows.

The Holistic Orchard: Growing Tree Fruits and Berries the Biological Way

An Award Winner!

Each year, the American Horticultural Society recognizes outstanding gardening books published in North America with its annual Book Award. The Holistic Orchard is one of five books chosen for the 2012 Book Award. This comprehensive guide is "like spending a weekend with the guru of organic orcharding" according to Kathy LaLiberte of the award committee. Of course, it's the trees that are the true imparters of knowledge here . . . but how cool to tap into ecosystem wisdom, eh?

Totally Green Apples

Anne Raver, long-term garden writer at the New York Times, has discovered The Holistic Orchard. This is beaucoup publicity for getting the word out about healthy orcharding. You don't often read a newspaper feature that gets the biological facts correct!

Herbal Medicine for Guys

Michael has been having fun presenting on healing plants that the "everyday guy" can use. Plenty of humor comes with this turf! Equal Time Radio recently interviewed our guy about town for a taste of what can be done for and by guys seeking to improve their health. Check out this short but manly interview to hear more about three especially useful herbs for guys.

The Apple Grower Speaks

The Agricultural Innovations podcast ranges far and wide in offering interviews with cutting edge thinkers across the sustainable farming spectrum. Episode #95 finds Michael discussing the apple as the final frontier of organics, the use of neem oil and kaolin clay to control insect pests and diseases in the orchard, the role of observation in orcharding, and the community orchard as a new model for locally produced fruit.

Lost Nation Videos Have Arrived!

An orchard friend has generously lent his talents to a delightful visual presentation of our apple offerings. We invite you to have a peak at Michael's humble efforts at film presence. Marlon Brando in the orchard? We doubt it. . . but honestly? Our friend Chris did a fantastic job. These clips truly capture the essence of healthy orcharding. Please enjoy the show!

The Betsy Lydon Ark Award Goes To Michael Phillips, Organic Orchardist

Betsy Lydon devoted herself to sustaining small-scale food producers by encouraging local, seasonal eating and an appreciation for diversified farming. She helped found Mothers and Others for a Livable Planet, shortly after the 'Alar apple scare' of 1989, and served on the board of directors of the Organic Farming Research Foundation. In celebration of the life and work of this wonderful woman and mother, the first annual Betsy Lydon Ark Award was presented to Michael in recognition of his lifelong journey with the organic apple.

"The real question in all this," said Michael in accepting the 2005 award at a Slow Food USA ceremony in New York City, "is how community-based orchards can succeed everywhere. Betsy would be pleased to know that because of the consciousness she helped spark, the fruits of small growers using ecological methods are being sought out. Artisanal ciders and freshly-picked apples that reflect regional heritage have become niche local markets, and to that I can only lift up my cup high and give three cheers!"

Update: The Slow Food Ark Award pages now include a 2009 interview with Michael that delves into his vision to empower a community orcharding movement. Scroll down to the award write-ups to get to that interview.

Acres USA Interview

Barbara Berst Adams put together an in-depth interview with Michael and Nancy about the goings on at Heartsong Farm that was featured in the July 2004 issue of Acres USA. We've posted that article at Apples Meet Herbs on a New Hampshire Farm as a good way of sharing more of our philosophy.

Michael &Nancy on Public Radio!

New Hampshire Public Radio invites us on occasion onto their Front Porch show to talk about herbs and apples. Michael's recent interview with Shay Zeller about "The State of the Apple" can be downloaded direct at Apple Grower on NHPR. You can obtain a copy of an earlier intriguing conversation about herbal healing with both Nancy and Michael (on either CD or tape) by going to Village Herbalist on NHPR.