Tell us: What have you always wanted to ask a farmer?

Our final installment is up today, find out what it's like to spend a day on a dairy farm: https://food52.com/blog/14760-a-day-on-a-dairy-farm Thank you all for your participation!

You won't want to miss part 3, up this weekend, you'll meet a farmer who grows organic, conventional, and GMO crops: https://food52.com/blog/14699-a-day-on-a-produce-farm

Check out the second installment today, here: https://food52.com/blog/14698-a-day-on-a-cattle-ranch Our Partnerships Editor Samantha Weiss-Hills visited Bear Valley Ranch in California to find out a little more about what it's really like to be a cattle rancher.

What vegetables would you only consume in organic form?

You asked, and now the answers are here from our trips to farms with the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance. The first of four installments is up today! https://food52.com/blog/14697-a-day-on-a-pig-farm

What do you feel are some of the biggest misconceptions in the minds of Americans about agriculture today?

For a small kitchen garden, is there a technique to planting crops such that the produce can be harvested in sequence to cover a menu over the entire season just picking what you need on a daily basis. (instead of having to harvest in bulk and having to freeze and store).

How does someone start getting involved in the farming community while living in a city like New York? Besides shopping at the market...

I was raised in a farming family and always wanted people to say thank you for the dedication you represent, especially up against BigAg. After the thank you, questions and a dialogue is always welcome.

Do you think it is ethical to sell at a higher price what you produce and thereby let local consumers need to buy products from further away? Will you use genetically engineered/gene spliced seeds/clones/animals and will you feed them to your own family?

We know you are up early, what do you have for breakfast?

What laws should be passed to help farmers in the U.S. and what are the best strategies for farmers with climate change becoming a problem? Are journalists and activists getting the farmer story correct? How should cities and farms connect? What's your feelings toward corn usage for cows?

What is the average consumer's biggest blind spot? What are we not asking/caring enough about? And alternatively, what are we focusing on too much?

Are you satisfied with the selection of organically acceptable agricultural chemicals?
Do you use non-chemical methods like Integrated Pest Management (IPM) at your farm?
Do you feel your organic farming practices have resulted in better quality and safer produce?
Overall, do you feel that the extra resources necessary for organic certification (more labor, chemical costs, paperwork) have been a worthwhile improvement to your farm as a business?
Do you feel that the manufacturing side of the food industry is making enough contributions to the production and distribution of healthier, better tasting and/or safer food?

Why can't I buy more local produce in my supermarket? I don't always have time to make it to the farmers market and need more choice and flexibility than a CSA offers.

From organic to grass fed to heirloom and back again, the sheer volume (and occasional misuse) of marketing buzzwords can make it hard for a consumer to pick the "best" product for their bodies and the planet. In your mind, what are the three most important things for folks can do to be good stewards in the kitchen?

For CA farmers: How have your practices changed since the drought?

For non-CA farmers: Have you felt a ripple effect from the CA drought?

If you had 2 acres of good land and wanted to feed your family what would you do? (Family are omnivores and love pork. :D )

What sustainability initiatives does your farm employ? What's been the most useful/effective one? The least?

Besides shopping locally and eating seasonally, what can we, as consumers (especially NYC consumers), be doing to support local farms?

What percentage of the food you eat comes from your farm, other farms in the area, and other local sources? What produce do you get elsewhere?

Do you sell to Whole Foods?

I've heard that crops like broccoli are very difficult to grow organically but celery is actually easier to grow organically in spite of issues with aphids with contemporary farming—is this true, and are there other crops that are nearly impossible to grow organic?

Are there any fruits/vegetables you wouldn't buy non-organic because of the pesticides?

How has the juicing craze affected farmers? Is there a much higher demand for vegetables now (since one glass of juice uses up so many), are you able to keep up with the demand?

I want to buy the most cruelty-free eggs possible when I go to the grocery store. What's the difference between just plain organic, cage-free, and free range?

When's the best time to spray apples and are there any sprays that are considered organic?

Do you name your animals? What sorts of relationships do you have with them?

What kind of fruit sprays can you use, while still remaining organic?