Potluck News: December 2008
POTLUCK NEWS: DECEMBER 2008
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Potluck News is the monthly e-newsletter of the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG)
What title best describes you: CSA farmer, farm-to-school advocate, farmland conservationist, local & regional eater, community gardener, ag. policy wonk, dairy farmer, something else? There's strength in numbers! Why not bring some people like yourself together using a virtual group on NEFOOD.org? A virtual group can be a group of people organized around a common issue or in a common geographic area and can allow for deeper discussion and interaction than a typical listserv or a Yahoo Group. Starting a virtual group is easy. All you need to do is go here: http://www.nefood.org/groups and click on "add a group." Please contact me (Roger Doiron) if I can be of assistance in getting your group started.
Do you have an event you want included in Potluck? Post it to the NEFOOD.org events calendar and we'll make sure to include it: http://www.nefood.org/events
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Beyond secretary of agriculture
NEWS:
Obama names agriculture transition team
In Maryland, focus on poultry industry pollution
Young farmers in Massachusetts planting the seeds of a renaissance
Maine Dairy: the good news, the bad news
Seeds of change in Baltimore's cafeterias
Federal conservationist gives Rhode Island top marks
EVENTS:
12/4: The Young Farmers Conference: Pocantico Hills, NY
12/4: Pennsylvania Certified Organic Annual Meeting, State College, PA
12/13: Landings workshop, Harlemville, NY
12/20: Holiday and Winter Farmers' Markets, Dover, NH
1/16: Connect Locally: Food, Farms and Community, Frederick, MD
1/17: Annual NOFA/Mass Winter Conference, Worcester, MA
2/4: PASA's 18th Annual Farming for the Future Conference, State College, PA
ACT NOW:
12/23: USDA "Access to Pasture" comment period deadline
OPPORTUNITIES:
Deputy Director, Center for Whole Communities, Fayston, VT
Farm Program Coordinator, Green Chimneys, Brewster, NY
Plant Education Coordinator, Food Bank For New York City, New York, NY
Multiple Job Openings, The Food Trust, Philadelphia, PA
Multiple Job Openings, Community Food Resource Center, New York, NY
Northeast SARE Farmer Grant
SARE Outreach Educational Sponsorship Program
New York State Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control Program
Grow New York's Enterprise Program
Pennsylvania GAP/GHP Cost Sharing Program
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
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Beyond secretary of agriculture
(Steph Larson blogging at Grist.org) - In a recent post, I discussed likely candidates for secretary of agriculture in the Obama administration and encouraged you to voice your support or dislike of the names being floated to Obama's transition team. You can have an impact: in large numbers, voices of the people are very powerful. Please continue to make your opinions known on the candidates for secretary of agriculture under consideration. (Note: Since the original post, Philip Brasher of the Des Moines Register reported yesterday that Tom Vilsack is no longer in the running; in addition to the candidates listed, Lancaster Farming has said that Dennis Wolff, Pennsylvania's Secretary of Agriculture, who waged a battle against milk labels, has been approached by Obama's transition team.) While the secretary of agriculture sets the tone of the entire department, it is the programs within USDA that can go far to push forward or inhibit sustainability. These programs are run by administrators, chiefs, regional directors, and deputy under secretaries, and they mostly answer to under secretaries. We need (and can get) awesome people in these positions. Many bloggers and email list-serv members have been suggesting sustainable agriculture leaders as possible secretaries of agriculture (see this wiki list or this post on La Vida Locavore), and those lists might be a good place to find candidates for one of the positions I outline below, as they have a better chance of being appointed to non-secretary posts. Full blog post here: http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/11/24/17849/316
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NEWS
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Obama names agriculture transition team
(Sustainable Agriculture Coalition) - Early this week the headquarters of President-elect Obama's Transition Team announced the members of the Agriculture Transition Team: Agriculture Transition Team Co-chairs: Carole Jett - most recently served as deputy chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) at USDA where she also served as the agency's Farm Bill Coordinator. Jett was the point person for implementation of the 2002 Farm Bill Conservation Title and was previously on staff for the House Agricultural Committee. Bart Chilton - formerly deputy chief of staff for Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman and staffer for Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. Most recently, Chilton was a commissioner for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in 2007. Agriculture Transition Team Members: Douglas Jake Caldwell - Director of Agriculture, Trade, and Energy at the Center for American Progress. Formerly Trade and Environment project manager for the National Wildlife Federation David Lazarus - former legislative assistant to Senator Richard Durbin (D-Illinois) Mary McNeil - Director of Native American Programs at USDA during the Clinton administration; member of Nebraska's Winnebago tribe. Karen Stuck - recently retired from her post as Assistant Administrator for International Affairs at USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). Michael Taylor - research professor of health policy at the George Washington University; former Deputy Commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration; former Acting Undersecretary for Food Safety at USDA and administrator at FSIS; and Vice President for Public Policy at Monsanto. Dallas Tonsager - member of the Farm Credit Administration Board, former Executive Director of the South Dakota Value-Added Agriculture Development Center; USDA State Rural Development Director in South Dakota and past president of the South Dakota Farmers Union. Christopher Wood - Chief Operating Officer at Trout Unlimited, Senior Policy and Communications Advisor to Forest Service Chief Michael Dombeck during the Clinton Administration.
In Maryland, focus on poultry industry pollution
(New York Times) - Standing before a two-story-tall pile of chicken manure, Lee Richardson pondered how times had changed. "When I left school and started working the land, this stuff was seen as farmer's gold," said Mr. Richardson, 38, a fifth-generation chicken grower, explaining that the waste was an ideal fertilizer for the region's sandy soil. "Now, it's too much of a good thing." How to handle the 650 million pounds of chicken manure produced in the state each year has sparked a fierce debate between environmentalists and the state's powerful poultry industry. State officials hope to bring Maryland in line with most other states next month by enacting new rules for where, how and how long chicken farmers can spread the manure on their fields or store it in outdoor piles. "We don't let hog or dairy farms spread their waste unregulated, and we wouldn't let a town of 25,000 people dump human manure untreated on open lands," said Gerald W. Winegrad, a public policy professor at the University of Maryland who is a former state senator. "So why should we allow a farm with 150,000 chickens do it?" Full article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/us/29poultry.html
Young MASSACHUSETTS farmers planting the seeds of a renaissance
(Boston Globe) - If there are ghosts that walk the Raymond home - if they roam the rooms of this 18th-century farmhouse in Wrentham, or its barn and fields - perhaps they approve of the change that has come to its acres. In rows of earth, tucked back from the busy hum of South Street, the 29-year-old great-great-granddaughter of a Union soldier who purchased the land when he returned from the Civil War has revived a family legacy. Christy Raymond is turning the soil again. The Raymond land has seen asparagus and apple trees, gardens large and small, and horses over the course of five generations. But in the past year, starting with a quarter-acre vegetable field, Raymond has turned more than 3 acres of the property where her grandmother lives into an organic farm, renaming it White Barn. She is part of what Doug Petersen, the state's commissioner of agricultural resources, described as a resurgence of the young farmer and a revitalized relationship between growers and buyers. While his office does not keep statistics on the ages of farmers, Petersen said he sees young faces at farmers' association meetings in unprecedented numb1ers. "The average farmer on the larger farm is in their late 50s," he said. "I grew up in the 1960s with the ethic of getting back to the land. These kids look like some of my cohorts from back then." Eighty percent of the state's farmers, including Raymond, now sell directly to their customers at farmers markets and roadside stands, Petersen said, while a decade ago, it was 20 percent. "It feels to me like the beginning of an agricultural renaissance in Massachusetts." Full article here: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/11/27/young_farmers_planting_the_seeds_of_a_renaissance/
Dairy: the good news, the bad news
(Bangor Daily News) - The national dairy industry has been transformed over the past 20 years: Mega-dairies with tens of thousands of cows ship milk from California to Florida, while the processing side of the industry has consolidated and specialized, leaving farmers with fewer and fewer options. Here in Maine, however, experts say that small family farms remain the backbone of the industry. "Maine's dairy industry is well positioned to serve the consumers of Maine because we still have in-state manufacturing options: fluid plants and a great increase in specialty and artisan niche cheese, butter, ice cream and other dairy product processing," said Julie Marie Bickford, executive director of the Maine Dairy Industry Association. "Maine's dairy farms are diverse -- in size, in location, and in production style. Maine still produces almost the same amount of milk as Maine people consume in all dairy products, a unique equilibrium that is envied by other states and regions." But there are deep concerns among farmers and dairy leaders about the shrinking processing market -- one company now controls 40 percent of all U.S. milk -- and how that affects the prices Maine farmers receive. It is this consolidated control, dairy leaders say, that results in Maine farmers getting about $1.01 from each gallon of milk while consumers pay higher and higher prices. Full article here: http://www.bangornews.com/detail/94161.html
Seeds of change IN BALTIMORE's SCHOOL CAFETERIA
(Baltimore Sun) - Driving on U.S. 40, shoving along with the traffic past strip malls, gas stations and drive-through restaurants, there's no apparent reason to give Nuwood Road, landmarked by an auto supply store, a second glance. But if one did turn in and hang a quick right, he or she would see what could soon become the linchpin for bringing wholesome eating to Baltimore City schools. Tony Geraci, the system's new food service director, plans to turn the 33 surprisingly rural acres in Baltimore County into an organic farm where schoolchildren will learn about healthy food and sustainable living, by digging in the dirt, planting seeds and watching fruits and vegetables come to life. It's to be called Fresh Start Farm, because, as Geraci says, Baltimore, with its disheartening poverty and obesity rates, needs a fresh start. "If you walk through Baltimore and see the trash, that's [the remnants of] what our kids eat," the former chef says, speaking of the chip bags, soda bottles and fast food containers that litter city streets. "This is what these kids know. But they'll see this farm and see that they can have their own little plant on their stoop at home. And that even in some burned-out neighborhood in the city, they can have a garden that will support life." Full article here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-to.farm24nov24,0,1678647.story
Federal conservationist gives Rhode Island top marks
(Providence Journal) - Raised on a 5,000-acre ranch in the Blackfeet Nation in Montana and spending much of her career in the West, conservationist Roylene Rides at the Door was concerned when the Department of Agriculture assigned her to lead its 30-person office in Rhode Island three years ago. She expected to find a state covered in blacktop and she feared losing her connection to the land. Now, as she prepares to move on to another post, as conservationist in Washington state, Rides at the Door, 39, says she has been pleasantly surprised by Rhode Island and its people. She says Rhode Island is a national leader in land conservation and in supporting local farming. She was amazed to see 450 people at a Save the Bay meeting. Back in Montana, she said, an environmental group would be lucky to attract 30 people. Last summer at the dedication of a new fish ladder at the Rising Sun Mill in Providence, which her federal agency helped pay for, more than 100 people, including much of the state's congressional delegation, were in attendance. She says she has not seen such political and popular support for conservation in many other states. Full article here: http://www.projo.com/news/content/Roylene_rides_at_the_door_12-01-08_RPCD52M_v12.34bd199.html
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EVENTS
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12/4
Pennsylvania Certified Organic Annual Meeting, State College, PA
Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO) is a USDA-accredited organic certifying agency that educates and certifies growers, processors and handlers of organic crops, wild crops, livestock and livestock products in Pennsylvania and adjoining states. For more info, see: http://www.paorganic.org/event.htm
12/4-5
The Young Farmers Conference: Reviving the Culture of Agriculture, Pocantico Hills, NY
Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture presents a program especially for young and new farmers. The Young Farmers Conference will be a space to network with peers and learn from leaders in the field, helping to ensure that the next generation of farmers is equipped for the work ahead. Workshops during the conference will cover topics on four tracks: Getting Started; General Skills; Policy, the Farm Bill, and Global Agricultural Issues; The Farmer-Chef Relationship. Keynote speakers and other activities are also scheduled. For more info, see: http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/sb_calendar/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=2013
12/13
Landings workshop, Harlemville, NY
This workshop is geared towards non-farming agricultural landowners and farmers looking for land.The goal of the workshop is to help build an understanding between these two groups. Both need to be clear about their perspectives, needs, and goals in order to build successful land tenure relationships. The workshop will cover concrete steps and present models for how to build sustainable relationships as well as offer advice from landowners and farmers who have successfully forged long-term relationships. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/2044592:Event:5938
12/20
Holiday and Winter Farmers' Markets, Dover, NH
Set Your Table with Local Food. Join us for the second annual Holiday Farmers' Markets on Saturday, November 22nd and Saturday, December 20th from 9am - 2pm at the Atlantic Culinary Academy in Dover, NH. Buy local foods directly from area farmers & food producers, stock up on local foods for the winter, purchase locally grown and locally made gift foods, and shop for your holiday table. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/holiday-and-winter-farmers-1
1/16
Connect Locally: Food, Farms and Community, Frederick, MD
Future Harvest - A Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture is holding its 10th Annual Conference in Frederick, MD on January 16th and 17th, 2009. Keynote speaker Nina Planck, author of Real Food, will talk about the cultural and nutritional significance of traditional foods. Pre-conference sessions and workshops will cover agritourism, soil fertility, farm to institution programs, healthy food, sustainable grass-based systems, farm profitability, sustainable fruit and vegetable production and affordable grain production. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/2044592:Event:5982
1/17
Annual NOFA/Mass Winter Conference, Worcester, MA
Keynote Speech and all day workshop by Eliot Coleman. Over 35 other workshops on crops, gardening, livestock, farm management, organic land care, sustainable life-styles, homesteading and more! For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/22nd-annual-nofamass-winter
2/4
PASA's 18th Annual Farming for the Future Conference, State College, PA
PASA's FFF Conference brings together farmers, consumers, business people, experts, beginners and others involved in the sustainable agriculture community. With 13 Pre-Conference Tracks and over 80 Friday and Saturday workshops, you don't want to miss this educational and enjoyable opportunity. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/2044592:Event:5993
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ACT NOW
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12/23
USDA "Access to Pasture" comment period deadline
On Thursday, October 24, 2008, USDA produced its long-awaited Proposed "Access to Pasture" Rule. This proposed Rule has a 60-day comment period - comments must be received by December 23, 2008. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/2044592:Event:6144
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OPPORTUNITIES
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Deputy Director, Center for Whole Communities, Fayston, VT
Center for Whole Communities (Whole Communities) is a vibrant and rapidly growing organization transcending the environmental and social change arenas. Our alumni are from 44 states and more than 400 different communities and organizations. We support and encourage these leaders in their efforts to innovate and build deep collaborations across the divides of politics, specialization, race, class and privilege. We are seeking a highly motivated individual to serve as our Deputy Director, responsible for supervising our staff, managing day to day operations and overseeing our programs. This is a new position. Our Deputy Director will work closely with the Executive Director to provide leadership, creative vision and focus in implementing our theories of change and unique programs. Last day to apply: January 4, 2009 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/320129-55
Farm Program Coordinator, Green Chimneys, Brewster, NY
Responsible for successful trips to various destinations with animals and our children. Responsible for the farm related public programs, i.e. farm tours, visits from large and small groups, volunteers, international guests etc. Professional or personal experience working with children, preferably in public setting. Last day to apply: January 17, 2009 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/319016-308
Plant Education Coordinator, Food Bank for New York City, New York, NY
The purpose of this position is to oversee the daily operation of and development of a gardening based nutrition education program including recruitment, training and formalization of the gardening/farming lessons. Working within a fast-paced environment, this position requires an individual with strong interest in nutrition and food poverty issues, the experience and willingness to work with diverse audiences and the ability to collaborate with partner schools and community based organizations. Last day to apply: January 20, 2009 For more info, see http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/319576-0
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/aboutUs/CurrentOpenings.cfm
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
Northeast SARE Farmer Grant
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. Due date: December 16, 2008 For more info, see: http://www.uvm.edu/~nesare/FGinfo.html
SARE Outreach Educational Sponsorship Program
SARE Educational Sponsorships provide financial support for educational events that advance SARE grantees or project results to beginning, minority, underserved and/or commodity producers and/or the extension and educational professionals that serve them. Sponsorships are available in the amount of $500-$5000. Sponsorships are available to organizations or individuals providing educational services to farmers, ranchers, or agricultural professionals. Rolling applications are accepted on a quarterly schedule with the following deadlines: December 15, April 15, July 15, October 15. For more info, see: http://www.sare.org/events/support.html
New York State Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control Program
The New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee invites Soil and Water Conservation Districts or groups of Districts acting jointly to submit proposals for funding under the Agricultural Nonpoint Source Abatement and Control Program. Program funds are available for nonpoint source abatement and control projects that plan (AEM Tier III) or implement (AEM Tier IV) Agricultural Best Management Practices on New York State farms.
Due date: January 5, 2009 For more info, see: http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/RFPS.html
Grow New York's Enterprise Program
The Grow NY Enterprise Program is a joint Governor's initiative of the Governor's Office for Small Cities (GOSC), Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) and the Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM), which dedicates $3 million annually to increasing the demand for and expanding the use of New York's agriculture and forest products. Under the Grow NY Enterprise Program, funds are provided to eligible communities for the following purposes: To make loans for production agriculture and agribusiness development and expansion for an identified eligible activity which will result in the creation of permanent private sector job opportunities, principally for low-and moderate-income persons; or To construct publicly owned facilities or infrastructure which are necessary to accommodate production agriculture and agribusiness development and expansion that will result in the creation of permanent private sector job opportunities, principally for low-and moderate-income persons. For more info, see: http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/GNYRFP.html
Pennsylvania GAP/GHP Cost Sharing Program
Any business or individual located in Pennsylvania that successfully completes one initial USDA Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) or one initial USDA Good Handling Practices (GHP) audit is eligible to apply. Qualified applicants may receive up to a maximum of $400 per year to cover the costs of one successful initial USDA GAP or GHP audit. Due date: January 15, 2009 For more info, see: http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=143713
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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]