2023 OEFFA Farm Bill
Abbe covers one of the five priorities of OEFFA's 2023 Farm Bill Platform: invest in organic and sustainable research. Our members expressed a need for long-term, agroecological research on cover crops, organic no-till, and natural sources of fertility. Farmers that use holistic, synergistic suites of agroecological practices should see a fair share of federal research dollars directed toward their practices, and research that helps them farm in the most responsible manner and illustrates the benefits of this approach. They want farm policy based on science showing the relationships between food and disease, as well as the benefits of nutrient-dense foods. Furthermore, the results of these studies need to be widely disseminated in a way that is accessible to farmers. Learn more about OEFFA and the 2023 Farm Bill at action.oeffa.org/farm-bill.
Press Release
Down on the Farm: Where Female Empowerment & Entrepreneurship Meet
Abbe Turner just wrote the book she wished she could have read before she set out on her farm-based entrepreneurial path 17 years ago. Co-written with her daughter, Madeline, this inspirational collection of stories, insights, and tools is perfect for anyone who loves food – entrepreneurs, eaters, and farmers alike. The Land of Milk & Money spotlights a community of strong women who are here to help.
When Abbe established Lucky Penny Farm in Portage County, Ohio back in 2002, she was a young mother, wife and professional fundraiser who was driven by a dream. She wanted to live off the land of her family’s century farmstead, raise goats, make cheese, and feed her family from the bounty of the land and the sweat of her brow. That overflow of goodness has since been shared with an ever-widening audience of devotees who, since catching her vision of cultivating a more sustainable food and agricultural system that we all can live with, share in that vision’s power.
The Land of Milk and Money is unique in its framing of the setbacks that entrepreneurs face: in Abbe and her family’s journey, among them was a national economic recession that kept her from accessing the bank loans she had hoped would fund the renovation of her old barn into a state-of-the-art goat dairy. That was just the first in a series of setbacks that gave Abbe pause and prompted pivot points and redirections paired with ingenuity, grit and resilience to keep the entrepreneurial dream alive.
While The Land of Milk and Money revolves around Abbe’s story, it is richly complemented by firsthand accounts from female dairy entrepreneurs throughout Ohio who have withstood their own challenges and setbacks, plus their resulting adjustments and victories. The 15 women profiled tell inspiring stories about making ends meet, building business, attending to matters of the home and heart, and finding balance among overlapping demands.
Though she is only just entering her twenties, Madeline Turner provides a compelling outlook on the value of a contemporary farm-based childhood; the urgency of building a sustainable, wholesome food network based on local food ecosystems; and the ways her generation is turning the tide against the big business of agriculture and industrial production.
Ultimately, The Land of Milk and Money celebrates the masterful mentors, mothers and motivators within the Ohio dairy sisterhood. Together, Abbe and Madeline Turner promote the empowerment of beginning female farmers, encouraging sustainable agriculture, education and activism for a shared better future. The Land of Milk and Money, therefore, is both a compass and a map for how to dream and do a small food or farm business.
SUPPORTING AGENCIES:
The Land of Milk and Money was written in support of the Rural Action Sustainable Agriculture Program. It is made possible with support from USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) and ACEnet.
MEDIA CONTACTS for interviews, book signings and speaking engagements:
Abbe Turner aturner@kent.edu (330) 715-4140
Abbe Turner is a serial entrepreneur, cheese maker, goat farmer and agricultural project manager. She is happiest wearing muck boots and drinking coffee. Madeline Turner is a student of anthropology and ecology interested in the intersections between food, culture and storytelling. She is happiest with her hands in the soil and sharing food with friends. As a mother-daughter team, they work to create change for a sustainable and just food system for all, in support of fellow women in agriculture and for the greater good.
