Civil Eats

Inspired by his new book, Wisdom of the Last Farmer, David Mas Masumoto—renowned third-generation California farmer and award-winning author of Epitaph for a Peach—recently moderated a panel discussion at the 92YTribeca in New York City about multi-generational farming life and legacy. (Civil Eats wrote about Masumoto’s new book, and the young farmers who won a copy are here.) Sharing their insights on the connections between families and farming were long-time Greenmarket farmers Cheryl Rogowski of W. Rogowski Farm in Pine Island, New York; Fred Wilklow of Wilklow Orchards in Highland, New York; and Ron Binaghi, Sr. and Ron Binaghi, Jr. III of Stokes Farm in Old Tappan, New Jersey. Read More

Civil Eats is proud to announce the winners of our young farmer’s contest who will receive Mas Masumoto’s new book, Wisdom of the Last Farmer. We hope that this book will inspire you in your work!

We asked our contestants to tell us where they farmed and what kept them going. Check out what they had to say below. Read More

In farmer David “Mas” Masumoto’s latest book, Wisdom of the Last Farmer, he looks back on his agrarian life so far. In it, Masumoto focuses primarily on the things he has learned from his father — the things he wishes he’d paid more attention to (like welding) and the things he chose to do differently once he’d taken over his 80 acre peach, nectarine and grape farm near Fresno, California (like transitioning to organic, and making the tough decision to rip out some very old grape vines in order to preserve and nurture others). Meditating on farm legacies seems to have more meaning just now, when his 23 year old daughter, Nikiko, has decided that she too will continue farming Masumoto peaches.

Wisdom of the Last Farmer contains within it a wealth of experience, which make great lessons for young and beginning farmers. It made sense, then, that Mas and Nikiko Masumoto led a workshop together for young farmers last weekend at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Tarrytown, NY. The workshop gave beginners the opportunity to ask questions of the experienced farmers present, including Stone Barns’ own livestock manager Craig Haney and four-season vegetable grower Jack Algiere. It was also a chance for local apprentice farmers to get to know each other, fostering a sense of farmer community — something Stone Barns hopes to continue building upon. Read More