FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Shrimp two ways

NEWS:
Maine dairy farmers priced out of the barn
National Family Farm Coalition says dairy needs more oversight
In Rhode Island, locavores thrive year-round
Maryland chicken growers face EPA crackdown
Delaware's anti-sprawl efforts cut by $14 million
Vermont's maple syrup-makers strike gold

EVENTS:
4/3-4: Farm to Table conference, Pittsburgh, PA
4/5: Down to Earth-Slow Burn, Restaurant Alba, Malvern, PA
4/6: Farm to Market Conference, SUNY- Delhi, Delhi, NY
4/11: IGI's All Things Poultry Day, West Tisbury, MA
4/18: Garden Preparation, Accokeek, MD
4/18: NOFA/Mass Spring Organic Gardening Workshops, various locations in MA
4/18-19: Boston Skillshare 2009, Cambridge, MA
5/2: Brooklyn Food Conference, Brooklyn, NY
5/3: Nigerian Dwarf Goatkeeping Workshop, Ashburnham, MA
5/9: AMDCA Annual Meeting, Tunbridge, VT

OPPORTUNITIES:
Organizational Coordinator, Gaining Ground, Concord, MA
Director of Development, The Horticultural Society of New York, New York, NY
Membership Coordinator, FARM (Farm Animal Rights Movement), Bethesda, MD
Multiple Job Openings, The Food Trust, Philadelphia, PA
Multiple Job Openings, Community Food Resource Center, New York, NY
Pride of New York Specialty Crop Cooperative Advertising
New York Community Garden Organization Capacity Building Grant Program
Connecticut Farm Reinvestment Grant Program
Northeast SARE Agroecosystems Research Grant
Pennsylvania Dairy Business Budgeting Grant
Farmers Market Promotion Program



FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

SHRIMP TWO WAYS

(Boston Globe) - On the first Saturday afternoon in March, warmer than any other afternoon in recent memory, Elizabeth Cuccinello pulls up to the Good Tern co-op. In the bed of her truck is a big turquoise cooler. Soon people begin to arrive, greeting Cuccinello with hugs and small talk. She opens the cooler and pulls out bag after bag of freshly caught Maine shrimp. They are a bright carmine in their shells, feelers bristling and black eyes bright, many with bluish eggs attached. On the tongue, these shrimp are particularly sweet and tender. People receive the bags into their arms, a gift from the sea. "I'm like the shrimp fairy," Cuccinello says. Full article here: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2009/03/18/economy_of_scales/ 

(Orion Magazine) - The green dumpster behind Red Lobster was nearly empty when I lifted the lid. Through the effluvium of yesterday's supper, way down, sat a couple of pretty blue boxes. I hitched myself over the rim, leaned in, and took one. I am not a regular dumpster diver. I was driven by a hunger for knowledge. Inside the restaurant, where the décor, ambience, soundtrack--all but the smell--reeked of the sea, I asked the server who laid before me the first plate of Red Lobster's "endless shrimp" where they came from. "Farms," she said. "Where are these farms?" I asked. "Different places." She gave a shrug. "Do you want another beer?" I ate only eight grilled shrimp from Red Lobster's "endless" supply. Something was stuck in my craw. An hour before, I had been in a community hall in Brownsville, Texas, with forty-three angry, tearful American shrimpers. In a country awash in shrimp, they were going bankrupt. They had gathered to hear more bad news: severe new rules limiting what they could catch. Full article here:
http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/4395/ 




NEWS:

MAINE DAIRY FARMERS PRICED OUT OF THE BARN
(Portland Press Herald) - Dairy farming has never been easy, but in the past year, it has grown a lot harder at Highland Farms on Towles Hill Road.First, energy prices spiked, pushing up the costs of production, fertilizer and feed. Then, just when those costs began to moderate, wholesale milk prices collapsed.Now, the sixth-generation owners of the 1,200-acre dairy farm are wondering how long they will be able to survive with their milk income down 35 percent from a year ago."We are at a break-even point. I don't know how long that can go on," said Libby Bleakney, who operates the farm with her brother and two cousins.The global economic recession and subsequent drop in demand has caused a milk glut - and wholesale milk prices have fallen as a result. A state subsidy program has prevented Maine's dairy farmers from feeling the worst of the price collapse, but the program's budget faces cuts. Cuts could force more Maine dairy farms to close, leaving farmland vulnerable to development and drying up the state's source of locally produced milk, farmers say. Full article here: http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=247669&ac=PHnws 

NATIONAL FAMILY FARM COALITION SAYS DAIRY NEEDS MORE OVERSIGHT
(Ag Weekly) - A grassroots group, the National Family Farm Coalition, is calling attention to the rapid drop in farm milk prices. Leaders of the group held a press conference on March 4 to discuss factors they believe led to milk prices below $10 per cwt in February. They commissioned John Bunting, a researcher, member of the National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) Dairy subcommittee, and dairy farmer from New York, to write a report entitled "Dairy Farm Crisis 2009. A look beyond conventional analysis." The report says the dairy crisis is connected with the world financial meltdown. The Ohio Farmers Union, Ashta-bula/Lake/Geauga Counties Farmers Union, the NFFC and the American Raw Milk Producers Pricing Association supported the report. "A significant problem leading up to, and perhaps a lead cause of the world financial crisis, is that we mistakenly equated free markets with unregulated markets," Bunting said.Bunting said that a few elite players, with little or no governmental oversight, are running the dairy markets. Full article here: http://www.agweekly.com/articles/2009/03/31/commodities/dairy/dairy02.txt 

IN R.I., LOCAVORES THRIVE YEAR-ROUND
(Boston Globe) - Local produce from Rhode Island and Massachusetts farms has been on sale every Saturday here all through the winter. And even though little is growing, there is plenty to buy. This is good news for the locavores who didn't pay upfront for one of the few winter CSAs. Now in its second year, the Wintertime Farmers' Market shares space with a group of artists, booksellers, and photographers in a restored red brick mill, appropriately renamed Hope Artiste Village. Walking indoors is entering paradise. Colorful food stalls line both sides of the spacious and bright hallway. Well-stored apples, turnips, carrots, butternut squashes, onions, leeks, and glorious sweet potatoes greet the buyer along with cage-free eggs and artisan cheeses. There are samples galore. Full article here: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/family/articles/2009/04/01/in_ri_locavores_thrive_year_round/ 

MARYLAND CHICKEN GROWERS FACE EPA CRACKDOWN
(Baltimore Sun) -The Environmental Protection Agency has told Maryland's poultry farmers it intends to enforce for the first time federal pollution rules governing chicken manure - a crackdown that has surprised and angered growers while pleasing environmentalists who've long complained about agricultural runoff fouling Chesapeake Bay. At meetings recently on the Eastern Shore, EPA officials told several hundred farmers that they must get federal pollution-discharge permits if any manure from their flocks is washing off their land into drainage ditches and streams. More than half of the state's 800 poultry farmers have filed notices to get the permits, state officials say. Full article here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-md.poultry15mar15,0,2413706.story 

DELAWARE'S ANTI-SPRAWL EFFORTS CUT BY $14 MILLION
(The Daily Times) - Hard times will close down much of Delaware's effort to protect open space and farmland next year under Gov. Jack Markell's plan to solve a roughly $750 million budget shortfall. Markell's new blueprint would cut $7 million from the Farmland Preservation Program and another $7 million from open space protection programs managed by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Both would be left with just enough money to match anticipated federal grants for the coming year. "We of course anticipated in this economic environment that there would be a slowdown," said Michael McGrath, state farmland preservation program manager. "This is, of course, an unfortunate time. Real estate prices have been dropping, so we'll have to pay less this year than we have over the last three or four years."Each of Delaware's last three governors has emphasized land purchases and easements as an important way to counter suburban sprawl and losses of farmland and natural habitats. Full article here: http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20090325/DW01/903250344/-1/DW
 
VERMONT'S MAPLE SYRUP-MAKERS STRIKE GOLD
(USA Today) - The spring sun is shining and billows of steam are rising from the chimneys at Tom and Cecile Branon's sugarhouse, set on a rise above acres of maple trees. The scent of maple syrup is strong enough to make your mouth water. The price is high enough to bring tears to your eyes. Sugaring season in Vermont is going full blast, and the price of the amber syrup that turns pancakes from batter to best is at a record high because of limited supplies. That has put Vermont's 2,000 or so sugar-makers on the right side of the supply-and-demand equation. Full article here:http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/environment/2009-03-30-maple-syrup_N.htm 




EVENTS:

4/3-4
FARM TO TABLE CONFERENCE, PITTSBURGH, PA
This event, "Farm to Table: Keep it Real, Keep it Local," will include a farmers' market, health expo, cooking demonstrations, presentations, speakers and exhibits about eating local, and a local food tasting event. For more info, see: http://www.pathwayswellnessprogram.com/farm_to_table_conference.html 

4/5
DOWN TO EARTH-SLOW BURN, RESTAURANT ALBA, MALVERN, PA
Cocktail hour and dinner featuring wood-fired pottery paired with wood-roasted food. Slow Burn provides guests with a unique opporutnity to experience a dinner that is influenced by fire, from preparation to presentation. For more info, see http://www.nefood.org/events/down-to-earthslow-burn 

4/6
FARM TO MARKET CONFERENCE, SUNY- DELHI, DELHI, NY
A regional gathering for farmers, retailers and event organizers. The conference includes workshops, a local lunch and tradeshow/business-to-business networking session. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/farm-to-market-conference 

4/11
IGI'S ALL THINGS POULTRY DAY, WEST TISBURY, MA
Discussions and presentations about coops, feed, composting, mentors, resources, predator protection, humane slaughter and processing, differences between commodity v. local meat, including: Getting more out of your chicken in the kitchen by Chef Robert Lionette For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/igis-all-things-poultry-day

4/18
GARDEN PREPARATION, ACCOKEEK, MD
This class will teach you how to prepare your garden site, create successful planting beds, and put those seeds and plants in the ground. You will also learn how to set up your garden to accommodate the plants as they grow throughout the season. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/garden-preparation 

4/18
NOFA/MASS SPRING ORGANIC GARDENING WORKSHOPS, VARIOUS LOCATIONS IN MA
NOFA/Mass presents our second annual Statewide Spring Organic Gardening Day. On April 18, there will be organic gardening workshops in every region of the state (see map and full details here). Growing our own food is an excellent way to save money, lessen our carbon footprint, improve our health, and connect with neighbors and nature. Isn't now a good time to learn skills that will help you plant a garden and make it productive throughout the year? For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/nofamass-statewide-spring 

4/18-19
BOSTON SKILLSHARE 2009, CAMBRIDGE, MA
Spoon carving, bike repair, massage techniques, bread baking, seed saving... Come find your newest and most impressive hobby yet at Boston Skillshare 2009! For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/boston-skillshare-2009 

5/2
BROOKLYN FOOD CONFERENCE, BROOKLYN, NY
The Brooklyn Food Conference will bring together a uniquely broad and diverse community of activists and citizens to discuss and learn more about the critical food issues of our time and what role we as neighbors can play to address them. We will create a Brooklyn base for the food movement, advocating for Food Democracy in our neighborhoods and everywhere in the world. Food Democracy is here defined as a just, sustainable, healthy and delicious food system. for more info, see: http://brooklynfoodconference.org/
 
5/3
NIGERIAN DWARF GOATKEEPING WORKSHOP, ASHBURNHAM, MA
Hames & Axle Farm is offering a goatkeeping workshop for all those interested in dairy goats, especially on the small side. Dwarf goats are extremely efficient animals with milk that is exceptional for cheesemaking. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/goatkeeping-workshop-nigerian 

5/9
AMDCA ANNUAL MEETING, TUNBRIDGE, VT
The Annual Meeting of the American Milking Devon Cattle Association will be on Saturday, May 9, 2009. It will be held at the Town Hall in Tunbridge, Vermont. Members/breeders of Milking Devons and people interested in the breed and/or supporting the Association are invited to attend. For more info, see; http://www.nefood.org/events/amdca-annual-meeting 



OPPORTUNITIES:

ORGANIZATIONAL COORDINATOR, GAINING GROUND, CONCORD, MA
Organizational Coordinator needed to run our non-profit office, manage finances and fundraising, and help our community. Gaining Ground grows and distributes organic for hunger relief with the help of volunteers of all ages and abilities who work and learn in our gardens. Last day to apply: April 15, 2009 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/327997-209/c 

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, NY
The Horticultural Society of New York, a dynamic 106 year-old organization dedicated to expanding New Yorkers' understanding and appreciation of the aesthetic, scientific and practical aspects of urban horticulture, seeks a Director of Development. This person will be a member of senior management reporting to the Executive Director, will work closely with the Board of Trustees, and oversees the Membership Coordinator and Development Interns. Last day to apply: May 1, 2009 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/330865-204/c 

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 

PRIDE OF NEW YORK SPECIALTY CROP COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING
Pride of New York is offering its members an expanded cooperative advertising program for specialty crops, to now include television and radio as well as cooperative funding for print, point of purchase and promotional items. Cooperative funding will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Reimbursements of up to $5,000 per member are offered for qualifying advertising. For more info, see: http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/RFPS.html 

NY COMMUNITY GARDEN ORGANIZATION CAPACITY BUILDING GRANT PROGRAM
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets invites applications for financial assistance to strengthen existing community garden organizations and support local garden coalitions. Each applicant may apply for and receive up to $5,000. These small, flexible grants can be used for capacity building efforts such as leadership development and organizational planning, membership recruitment activities, and strengthening a community garden's role within its neighborhood. There is a total of $50,000 available state-wide for the program. Due date: May 4, 2009 For more info, see: http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/RFPS.html 

CONNECTICUT FARM REINVESTMENT GRANT PROGRAM
The purpose of the Department of Agriculture's Farm Reinvestment Grant Program Program (FRG) is to insure the viability of agriculture in Connecticut. By providing money for capital enhancement to farms, it is the department's hope to help preserve Connecticut's agricultural base and improve farm production. These competitive matching grants will be awarded on the basis of the quality of the business plan that is a part of the application. The farmer applicant must match or exceed the amount of the grant being requested. These funds must be used for projects that are defined as capital fixed assets and have a life expectancy of 10 years or more. The funds may be used for the expansion of existing agricultural facilities, or diversification-expansion into new production areas and site improvements related to such expansion or diversification. Due date: April 30, 2009 For more info, see: http://www.ct.gov/doag/cwp/view.asp?a=3260&q=398988

NORTHEAST SARE AGROECOSYSTEMS RESEARCH GRANT
The Agroecosystems Research Grant program funds long-term research that explores the ecological interactions that are the basis of sustainable agriculture. The emphasis is on projects that improve understanding of these interactions and to promote new models of farming that future farmers can adopt. Preproposals are due May 31, 2009.
Due date: May 31, 2009 For more info, see: http://nesare.org/get/agroecosystems/ 

PENNSYLVANIA DAIRY BUSINESS BUDGETING GRANT
To assist dairy farms struggling to manage cash flow in a cash-negative milk sales environment, the Center for Dairy Excellence is offering forty $1,500 "Cash Projection and Business Budgeting" grants. The grants were made available as an initiative of the Pennsylvania Dairy Task Force's Business Management Committee. Any Pennsylvania dairy farm that is not already doing comprehensive cash projection and business budgeting can apply to receive the grants. Due date: May 1, 2009 For more info, see:
http://www.centerfordairyexcellence.org/index.php/business-budgeting-grants.html 

FARMERS MARKET PROMOTION PROGRAM
The Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grants are targeted to help improve and expand domestic farmers markets, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture programs, agri-tourism activities, and other direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities. Approximately $5 million is allocated for FMPP for Fiscal Years 2009, and the maximum amount awarded for any one proposal cannot exceed $75,000. Entities eligible to apply include agricultural cooperatives, producer networks, producer associations, local governments, nonprofit corporations, public health corporations, economic development corporations, regional farmers market authorities and Tribal governments. Due date: April 27, 2009 For more info, see: http://tinyurl.com/6c59of