Miniature farms are popping up at

old industrial sites in big cities across the nation,

including Chicago. Urban gardens are nothing new,

but they seem to be gaining momentum with help from

Uncle Sam.

A newly-discovered microscopic

bacteria and fungi are increasing crop yields as much

as 10 percent, based on results from research conducted

across 170,000 field trial plots in 70 locations

throughout the United States.

Casey Simpson, 16, began caring for goats when she was only eight, and it became her job to milk the family’s dairy goat. Then, when her older brother, now in college, took to raising Boer goats she started bringing the babies into the house to bottle-feed.