Besides the NOFA/Mass forums (below), there are many other excellent online resources for expert and peer-to-peer discussions.

The Cooperative Extension Service has a great website at http://www.extension.org/, with “how to” articles like “Synchronizing Heat in Beef Cattle” and “Tips for Selecting and Growing Tomatos.” By far the best part, though, is the “Ask an Expert” form where you can ask just about anything and get a response, as well as search through responses to previously asked questions. Hundreds of questions, ranging from “How can I treat pinkeye in my goats?” to “What is mulch and why should I use it?” have been answered by extension professionals from around the country on this site.

Similarly, The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service (ATTRA) has a great online resource where anyone can ask a question an their experts will respond with an answer. There’s an online form (http://www.attra.ncat.org/ask.php) for posting questions, and a way to search through the archives (http://www.attra.ncat.org/question/archives/) of past questions and answers.

Mother Earth News also has an “Ask An Expert” (http://www.motherearthnews.com/ask-our- … nding.aspx) type section.

For more of a peer-to-peer type discussion, Mother Earth News also has a forum (http://www.motherearthnews.com/forums/f … ardid=1202) with sections about farming and gardening.

For specific animals, there are great peer-to-peer forums about pigs (http://www.thepigsite.com/forums/), goats (http://thegoatspot.net/phpbb/index.php), chickens (http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/index.php), poultry (http://www.poultryconnection.com/phpBB2 … m.php?f=2/), cows (http://www.cattletoday.com/forum/index.php), more cows (http://familycow.proboards.com/index.cgi?), and still more cows (http://www.dairyforums.com/forums/index.php).

Homesteading Today has similar forums for many species of animals as well as gardening (http://homesteadingtoday.com/).

The Rodale Institute’s NewFarm Forums at http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/forums/ focus on crops, with topics including weeds, no-till methods and cover crops.