FARM BILL UPDATE

As outside temps cool, action in the Senate heats up

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Let the East bloom again

 

NEWS:

Economic factors pushing surge in food imports: FDA

Agriculture Secretary Johanns resigns to seek Senate seat

Diners across the U.S. head to the farm

NJ farms took in $57.5 million from tourism

Prep schools revive agriculture programs

A Maine course for students

 

EVENTS:

10/4: Value added product workshop, Starksboro, VT

10/6: Nose to tail pork processing workshop, Unity, ME

10/12-13: How to create successful public markets, New York, NY

10/20: Just Food fall wine and foliage tour, New York, NY

10/27: Grass finished natural and organic beef and lamb, South Dartmouth, MA

10/29-30: Water and new topsoil for every farm: the Keyline Plan in practice, St. Albans, VT

11/3: NOFA CT’s organic harvest celebration & annual meeting, New Haven, CT

11/12-14: Albrecht methods with Neal Kinsey, Lancaster, PA

12/1: “Good Food Now” summit  New York, NY

 

OPPORTUNITIES:

Marketing and Public Relations Director, Organic Trade Association, Greenfield, MA

Compost Project Instructor, Queens Botanical Garden, Flushing, NY

Multiple openings, Greater Boston Food Bank, Boston, MA

Multiple Job Openings, The Food Trust, Philadelphia, PA

Multiple Job Openings, Community Food Resource Center, New York, NY

Grow-Off Show-Off Contest

Vermont Barn Grants

New Hampshire Integrated Pest Management Grant

Connecticut Agriculture Viability Grant

Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

Maine Farms for the Future Program

Pennsylvania Agriculture and Rural Youth Grant Program

Northeast SARE Farmer Grant Program

Northeast SARE Partnership Grant Program

 

 

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FARM BILL UPDATE

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As outside temps cool, action in the Senate heats up

(Sustainable Agriculture Coalition) - As of late Friday evening, it was still unclear whether the Senate Agriculture Committee will begin markup of the Farm Bill this week. Members met all week last week to negotiate a general agreement before going into markup, but their decisions rely in part on the outcome of the Senate Finance Committee's "Farm Bill Tax Bill" which will determine the levels of additional Farm Bill funding available to the Agriculture committee above the baseline. The Senate Finance Committee continues to hint they might conduct their markup this Wednesday, October 3. With the weeklong Columbus Day recess beginning next Saturday, October 6, that means the Senate Agriculture Committee could try to begin and perhaps finish their markup on Thursday and Friday or wait until they return from break. In the meanwhile, residents of NY, MA, and ME are being urged to continue putting pressure on Senators Schumer, Kerry, and Snowe (who serve on the Finance Committee) to vote for a tax bill that provides at least $10 billion in Farm Bill funding over the next 5 years.

 

 

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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Let the East Bloom Again

(The New York Times) - The United States faces two major security challenges this century. Both involve water. The increasing demand for water in the Western United States in an era of diminishing supply has put America’s highly efficient agricultural system in jeopardy. At the same time, our nation’s energy demands have led President Bush and Congressional leaders from both parties to call for more domestic production of biofuels like corn ethanol. Some agricultural experts fear that the country does not have enough water and land to both replace the declining agricultural production in the arid West and expand the production of biofuels. There is, however, a sustainable solution: a return to using the land and water of the East, which dominated agriculture in the United States into the 20th century.  Until the middle of the 1900s, much of our country’s food and fiber was produced east of the Mississippi River. Maine led the nation in potato production in 1940, and New York wasn’t far behind. The South, including Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi, dominated cotton. Large amounts of corn were grown in almost every state for consumption by the local livestock and poultry. Regional vegetable markets, especially in the mid-Atlantic states, served the population centers of the East. Read the full op-ed here: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/22/opinion/22mcnider.html

 

 

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NEWS

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Economic factors pushing surge in food imports: FDA

(Reuters) - U.S. consumers, eager to save a few dollars, are contributing to the surge in imported food products, a top official at the Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday. "There are economic factors that are pushing" this growth in food imports, David Acheson, FDA's food safety czar, said at a conference on food policy. "The expectation is, I don't want to pay $5 for a head of lettuce. How are you going to deal with that? You import the food," he said. Although food imports are growing at 15 percent a year, FDA inspected about 1 percent of the goods under its purview in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006. An estimated 15 percent of the U.S. food supply is imported. The FDA, which is in charge of 80 percent of the U.S. food supply, mostly fruits, vegetables and processed foods, has been criticized as being too passive in handling the growing surge of imports into the United States.  Read the full article here: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN2739028720070928

 

Agriculture Secretary Johanns Resigns to Seek Senate Seat

(Environment News Service) - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has resigned the Cabinet post he has held since January 2005 to return to his home state of Nebraska, where he is plans to seek a seat in the U.S. Senate. Deputy Agriculture Secretary Charles Conner will take over as acting secretary.  Johanns leaves as a major farm bill is working its way through Congress, which happens every five years. The bill was approved in the House earlier this year, and now will be debated in the Senate. The current farm bill expires at the end of this month. Read the full article here: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2007/2007-09-20-091.asp

 

Diners Across the U.S. Head to the Farm

(AP) — Forget the maitre d' and imported caviar. Sophisticated diners are now tromping across muddy fields and braving mosquito bites to eat gourmet food at its very source. Outdoor dinners at family farms, popular on the West Coast for several years, are making their way east as part of a local food movement fueled by concerns about tainted food and a desire to eat vegetables grown nearby rather than halfway around the world. "The cruel irony is that this is the way everyone used to eat," said chef and restaurant owner Jonathan Rapp, a co-founder of Connecticut's Dinners at the Farm series. "Now it is special, and hopefully we're going to get to a point where it becomes ordinary again, where eating wholesome, locally grown delicious food is every day." Read the full article here: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5izrj8anPoPFJKWGVG9FIQu3Dh5bgD8RUB6P80

 

NJ farms took in $57.5 million from tourism

(AP) - New Jersey farms don't just get money from acres of blueberries or cranberries. Indeed, in 2006, they pulled in $57.5 million from visitors who bought produce at farm stands, cut their own Christmas trees or went on haunted hay rides, according to a study released Monday by the state Department of Agriculture. Those activities and others are considered "agritourism," a tiny slice of New Jersey's $37 billion tourism industry, but one that officials have been trying to grow. Read the full article here: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--promotingagritour0917sep17,0,7176993.story

 

Prep Schools Revive Agriculture Programs

(AP) — At St. Andrew's School, where chestnut trees tower over the Tudor-style buildings and crisply manicured grounds filmed for "Dead Poets Society," it's a safe bet few of the future Ivy Leaguers plan to become farmers. Yet on the edge of exclusive boarding school's campus, just beyond the tennis courts and soccer fields, sprout rows of green peas, sunflowers, zucchini and squash in a 2-acre organic garden tended by students. Well-kept plots such as this have popped up across the country as dozens of upper-crust prep schools have revived agricultural programs, driven by the trends toward chemical-free and locally grown produce. Faculty at some schools that haven't focused on agriculture in decades, if ever, now count farmers in their ranks, and the title "sustainability coordinator" is becoming common at schools that scrapped Future Farmers of America clubs long ago, if they ever had them at all. Read the full article here: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hkxNwE-X8MtiVPpleNI7cF8kn3pA

 

A Maine course for students

(Morning Sentinel) - Holly Raye could not put her finger on it, but she knew something was different in her school lunch. The Nokomis High School junior had no idea that Wednesday's hot lunch was almost entirely locally produced, but Raye could see the difference in the potatoes, chicken and corn on her tray."It looks real," she said with a laugh. "We haven't eaten this kind of stuff before," added junior Hailey Peterson. Providing students with food they have not eaten before was precisely the idea behind Wednesday's Maine Harvest Lunch. Promoted by the Department of Education's Child Nutrition Services and local farm-to-school groups, public schools in the state were encouraged to offer as many Maine products as possible to their students for lunch. "It's a way for us to buy from local farmers as much as possible," said David Leighton, food service director for School Administrative District 48, which includes Nokomis High School. "It's a great program." Read the full article here: http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/4318436.html

 

 

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EVENTS

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10/4

Value Added Product Workshop, Starksboro, VT

NOFA Vermont offers this opportunity to tour Rockville Market Farm, a 108 acre organic vegetable farm where Eric and Keenann Rozendaal grow 15 acres of organic butternut squash. Come tour Eric and Keenann’s storage and processing room and talk with Dave Girard from the FSA to see how you might diversify your operation with value added technology. For more info, see: http://www.nofavt.org/event.php?e_id=965 

 

10/6

Nose to Tail Pork Processing Workshop, Unity, ME

This workshop offered by Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association will cover all the basic techniques of humane slaughter, carcass preparation, breakdown of the major components, and demonstrations of sanitary fresh and preservative processing using the entire animal. For more info, see: http://www.mofga.org/Programs/Events/NosetoTail/tabid/773/Default.aspx 

 

10/12-13

How to Create Successful Public Markets, New York, NY

Project for Public Spaces presents its acclaimed workshop on the four elements that make markets successful: the right mix of vendors and products; a strong sense of place; solid economic and operational underpinnings; and a firm commitment to the surrounding community. The course includes workshops and on-site tours of markets. For more info, see: http://www.pps.org/training/info/markets_training_course

 

10/20

Just Food Fall Wine and Foliage Tour, New York, NY

This tour, celebrating local vintners and benefiting the programs of Just Food, will give participants the opportunity to learn more about the amazing depth of flavor and abundant variety of local wines, meet the talented farmers who grow the grapes and stretch their commitments to buying local. For more info, see: http://www.justfood.org/events/winetour_07.htm 

 

10/27

Grass finished Natural and Organic Beef and Lamb, South Dartmouth, MA

Come to Woolly Mammoth Farm (1:30-4:30) and learn many of the vital aspects to finishing high quality lamb and beef in natural and organic systems. We will also go in depth in areas of preference for participants. Learn about production (feed, breed, water, fencing, and shelter), processing (how, where, value-added), and marketing. Matt Rulevich has been raising grass-finished lamb as Woolly Mammoth Farm since 1998 and now finishes beef and lamb on a 300 acre coastal farm in South Dartmouth.

 

10/29-30

Water and New Topsoil for Every Farm: The Keyline Plan in Practice, St. Albans, VT

This two day workshop with will cover the basics of Keyline farm design and Keyline topsoil formation. The Keyline Plan enables fast flood irrigation of flat and hilly land. Keyline topsoil formation involves using a subsoiler plow on pasture land in combination with planned grazing and irrigation or rainfall to rapidly convert subsoil to topsoil. The workshop will be led by Darren Doherty, an accomplished Keyline designer from Australia. For more info, see: http://www.nofavt.org/event.php?e_id=1068 

 

11/3

NOFA CT, Organic Harvest Celebration & Annual Meeting, New Haven, CT

Events include an Organic farmers market and displays, Potluck meal, Annual meeting, a food for thought talk by Billie Best, and presentation of the NOFA CT Member of the Year award.  For more info, see: http://www.ctnofa.org/events/annual%20meeting/2007%20annual%20meeting.html

 

11/12-14

Albrecht Methods with Neal Kinsey, Lancaster, PA

PASA is pleased to present this 3-day intensive learning program that will give you the opportunity to deepen your understanding of your farm's most precious resource: soil. From the basics of using and interpreting a soil test to learning to identify the effects of depleted or excessive nutrients in your soil, the lessons you learn here could change the way you farm. For more info, see: http://www.pasafarming.org/programs/2007-albrecht-methods.html

 

12/1

Good Food Now!  New York, NY

Please mark your calendars for Just Food's Regional Summit on Food, Farmers and Community Health at The New School.  This event will be organized in conjunction with NESAWG’s Annual Meeting and Resource Harvest.  Stay tuned to NEFOOD for more info on these exciting events. For more info, see: http://www.justfood.org/summit/index.html

 

 

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OPPORTUNITIES

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Marketing and Public Relations Director, Organic Trade Association, Greenfield, MA

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) seeks to fill the position of Marketing and Public Relations Director. The Director will manage a team of in-house and contracted public relations, communications, advertising, and marketing professionals. OTA promotes and educates consumers and opinion leaders about organic products throughout the United States and Canada, and also seeks to promote the benefits and programs of OTA to its members and potential members. Last day to apply: November 24, 2007 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/en/job/243342-332

 

Compost Project Instructor, Queens Botanical Garden, Flushing, NY

Queens Compost Project is an exciting and creative outreach program for Queens residents intended to encourage organic waste reduction through composting and an understanding of nature’s way of recycling. Under the management of QBG’s education department and part of a city-wide initiative funded by the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSny), this program’s goals include community outreach, on-site workshops and demonstrations, teacher training, master composter certification, special pilot projects, and special promotions.Last day to apply: November 16, 2007  For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/en/job/241984-315

 

Multiple openings, Greater Boston Food Bank, Boston, MA

The Greater Boston Food Bank is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England, and one of the largest food banks in the country, distributing more than 25 million pounds of food annually to a network of more than 600 member hunger-relief agencies. For more info, see: http://www.gbfb.org/content/main.cfm?sca_id=27&cu_id=12

 

MULTIPLE JOB OPENINGS, THE FOOD TRUST, PHILADELPHIA, PA

The Food Trust is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization improving the supply of affordable food and good nutrition in the mid-Atlantic region. The mission of The Food Trust is to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, nutritious food. For more info, see: http://www.thefoodtrust.org/php/about/jobs.php  

 

MULTIPLE JOB OPENINGS, FOODCHANGE, NEW YORK, NY

FoodChange (formerly known as the Community Food Resource Center) is dedicated to helping low-income New Yorkers gain and maintain access to nutritious food, income support and decent housing. For more info, see: http://www.foodchange.org/employment/employment.html  

 

Grow-Off Show-Off Contest

Contests. Contests. They’re everywhere. Athletes have the Olympics. Singers have American Idol. Survivors have, well, Survivor. Heck, even bakers have the Pillsbury Bake-Off. But what about people who grow some of their own food? We have talents too (aside from compost pile turning and pesto-making, that is) and it’s time we celebrated them. The Grow-Off Show-Off is a light-hearted, no-holds-barred talent contest for gardeners who cook, cooks who garden, and other garden-variety foodies. We’re looking for fresh, creative entries that communicate the multiple benefits – health, environmental, culinary, and community - of home-grown, home-made foods. The Grow-Off Show-Off is a project of Kitchen Gardeners International and is co-sponsored by Mother Earth News.  There are many prizes available including a $500 grand prize. Due date: November 1, 2007 For more info, see: www.growoffshowoff.org

 

Vermont Barn Grants

The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation has a 50/50 matching grants program to assist owners of historic agricultural buildings (barns, corn cribs, sheds, grist mills, etc.) Up to $10,000 can be awarded to assist the restoration and repair of these endangered buildings. This program encourages the continued use of farm buildings for agricultural use. Due date: October 2, 2007 For more info, see:http://www.historicvermont.org/financial/barn.html

 

NEW HAMPSHIRE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT GRANT

This program awards grants, up to $5,000, to the best project proposals submitted to the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food. The purpose of this program is to "bring about the broadest possible application of the principles of IPM to agriculture, landscape and building maintenance, horticulture, arborculture, and any other areas in which economic poisons are employed". Due date: November 1, 2007 For more info, see: http://agriculture.nh.gov/programs/index.htm  

  

CONNECTICUT AGRICULTURE VIABILITY GRANT

The Agriculture Viability Grants Program (AVGP) encompasses two separate grants. The first grant is called the Farm Transition Grant. Producers, non-profits, and agriculture cooperatives may apply for this grant and may receive up to $50,000 matching. Non-profits who apply may use in-kind services as their match. The second grant is called the Farm Viability Grant and may only be used by municipalities, regional planning agencies, and association of municipalities. Due date: November 16, 2007 For more info, see: http://www.ct.gov/doag/cwp/view.asp?a=1368&q=317242  

 

Specialty Crop Block Grant Program

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announces the availability of approximately $7 million in block grant funds to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. State departments of agriculture interested in obtaining grant program funds are invited to submit applications to USDA. The SCBGP assists State departments of agriculture in enhancing the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, and nursery crops (including floriculture). Examples of enhancing the competitiveness of specialty crops include, but are not limited to: Research, promotion, marketing, nutrition, trade enhancement, food safety, food security, plant health programs, education, "buy local" programs, increased consumption, increased innovation, improved efficiency and reduced costs of distribution systems, environmental concerns and conservation, product development, and developing cooperatives. Due date: October 11, 2007 For more info, see: http://www.ams.usda.gov/fv/scbgp.html

 

Maine Farms for the Future Program

Maine's Farm for the Future (FFF) program is a two-phase business assistance program that helps Maine farmers plan for the future of their agricultural enterprise. If selected for the program, the farmer will develop a business plan, with a team of professionals, for an idea that will increase the long-term economic viability of their farm. Once the business plan is completed the farmer is then eligible to apply for grant funds to complete the project. Due date: October 25, 2007 Full article here: http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/mpd/business/fff/index.html

 

Pennsylvania Agriculture and Rural Youth Grant Program

The purpose of the Agriculture and Rural Youth Grant Program is to fund projects, which will increase the knowledge and awareness of agricultural and rural issues in Pennsylvania, in particular among the youth of Pennsylvania. The Program awards direct grants up to $2,500 and matching grants up to $10,000. Eligible youth organizations are those which are primarily comprised of persons eighteen years of age or younger, and are organized within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to promote development in the areas of agriculture, rural community leadership, vocational training or peer fellowship. Due date: October 31, 2007 Full article here: http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/pagrows/cwp/view.asp?a=438&q=140654

 

Northeast SARE Farmer Grant Program

The goal of the Farmer grant program is to develop, refine, and demonstrate new sustainable techniques and to explore innovative ideas developed by farmers across the region. To apply, you must be a farmer in the Northeast SARE region, made up of Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Grants average about $5,200, and are capped at $10,000. Due date: December 18, 2007 http://www.uvm.edu/~nesare/FGinfo.html

 

Northeast SARE Partnership Grant Program

The Partnership Grant is for agricultural professionals who work directly with farmers—specifically Cooperative Extension, NRCS personnel, non-governmental organizations, and others operating in the farm community—who are interested in developing on-farm demonstration, research, or marketing projects related to sustainable agriculture. Proposals should be relevant to farming and sustainability issues in the northeast region, and should offer both research and outreach components so that results will be available to the wider farm community. Due date: December 4, 2007 http://www.uvm.edu/~nesare/PARTinfo.html

 

 

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Potluck is a monthly e-newsletter sponsored by the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG) and is supported in part by the Lawson Valentine Foundation and the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation.  It is distributed via NEFOOD-L, the listserv for sustainable food systems in the Northeast generously hosted by Tufts University.  In case you know of someone who you think would be interested in receiving Potluck, please invite them to subscribe to NEFOOD-L by going here: https://elist.tufts.edu/wws/info/nefood  

 

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Roger Doiron, NEFOOD Listserve administrator, [email protected]