Potluck News: May 2009
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Don't Cluck, Don't Tell?
NEWS:
USDA plants model People's Garden on Mall
Farm groups seek stake in House climate bill
Philadelphia Food Bank Seeks Farmers for Gleaning Program
Maine Food Rescuers Get Creative To Feed The Hungry
Permits hinder West Virginia egg producers
Vermont committee says it's safe to let more 'raw' milk flow
Small Farms Run By Women Cropping Up Across Pennsylvania
EVENTS:
5/2: Brooklyn Food Conference, Brooklyn, NY
5/3: Nigerian Dwarf Goatkeeping Workshop, Ashburnham, MA
5/9: AMDCA Annual Meeting, Tunbridge, VT
5/9: Colonial Candle Making, Accokeek, MD
5/11: Family Farm Forum on Entrepreneurship Webinar, your computer
5/12: Rain Barrel Workshop, Accokeek, MD
5/15-16: Organic Beekeeping Workshop, Lincoln, VT
5/16: Organic Orcharding 101, Unity, ME
5/16: Colonial Foodways, Accokeek, MD
5/17-18: Northeast Farm to School Conference, Burlington, VT
5/19: Nature Nuts, Accokeek, MD
5/19-20: Enhancing Local and Regional Food Systems, Kerhonkson, NY
5/20: Composting and Soil Fertility, Accokeek, MD
5/20: Ecosystem Volunteer Day, Accokeek, MD
5/22: PASA's Summer Farm Start, Harrisburg, PA
5/22: Skill-Building Workshops for the Urban Farmer, Philadelphia, PA
5/30-6/26: Meat Processing and Food Safety Program, Cobbleskill, NY
6/17: Weed and Pest Management, Accokeek, MD
OPPORTUNITIES:
Farmers' Market Manager, North East Community Center, Dutchess County, NY
Agricultural / Greenhouse Engineer, BrightFarm Systems, New York,
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
New York Community Garden Organization Capacity Building Grant Program
Northeast SARE Agroecosystems Research Grant
Farmers Market Promotion Program
Path to Organic Program
Pennsylvania Healthy Farms, Healthy Schools Grant
Quaker Oats Community Hunger Grant
Pride of New York Specialty Crop Cooperative Advertising
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
DON'T CLUCK, DON'T TELL
(New York Times) - In the modest backyard of Rosemarie Morgan's 1890-era house, about a half-mile from Yale University, there is a small Buddha, azalea and forsythia, Japanese cherry and plum trees, and an Amish-made chicken coop with five residents -- four who lay eggs and Gloria, who is barren but one heck of a watchdog. The fowl are technically illegal under New Haven's zoning code, which prohibited raising hens and other livestock when it was updated during the 1950s. But these days, many dozens of backyard hens are generally tolerated under the city's informal enforcement program -- call it "don't cluck, don't tell" -- that mostly looks the other way. With urban fowl increasingly common, Alderman Roland Lemar has introduced legislation that would allow residents to raise up to six hens. Ms. Morgan, a Victorianist at Yale who specializes in Thomas Hardy and grew up with assorted animals in England and Scotland, may not be the face of modern agriculture. But she's a perfect representative of a tiny sliver of it -- the vogue for urban farming that has cities around the country updating and tweaking zoning codes. To Ms. Morgan -- whose other Rhode Island reds and hybrids are named Brunnhilde, Tosca, Carmen and Mimi -- the zoning fight is a little baffling. "It seems extraordinary to me that you could have a cat or a dog or a caged bird, but you can't have a chicken," she said the other day, sprinkling corn in the yard for her little brood. "Slightly barbaric really." Full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/30/nyregion/30towns.html
NEWS:
USDA PLANTS MODEL PEOPLE'S GARDEN ON MALL
(Philadelphia Inquirer) - In another sign that the Department of Agriculture is embracing sustainable food, the agency last week unveiled expanded plans for a People's Garden that will encompass the entire six-acre grounds of the Whitten Building, the department's neoclassic marble headquarters on the Mall. The plans, announced at the agency's Earth Day celebrations, include a 1,300-square-foot organic vegetable garden - slightly larger than the one at the White House - as well as ornamental flower gardens and bioswales, or mini-wetlands designed to reduce pollution and surface water runoff. The grounds now are landscaped with grass, flower borders, and trees planted to honor a person or mark an event. Full article here: http://tinyurl.com/d6jnph
FARM GROUPS SEEK STAKE IN HOUSE CLIMATE BILL
(New York Times) - As House Democrats work behind closed doors to shore up support on a major energy and climate bill, agriculture groups are pleading for major changes to make it more palatable in farm states. Representatives from two major farm groups told the House Small Business Committee yesterday that the bill should include a bigger role for the Agriculture Department and more offsets for farmers. Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) said she would work to convey the concerns of farmers and small businesses to Energy and Commerce Committee leaders drafting the sweeping measure. "Something is going to happen, and we have to make sure the concerns of the small business sector are discussed," said Velázquez, who plans to send the Energy Committee a list of recommendations in the coming weeks. Full article here:
PHILADELPHIA FOOD BANK SEEKS FARMERS FOR GLEANING PROGRAM
(Lancaster Farming) - The people at Philabundance, the Philadelphia region's largest food bank, didn't know what to expect when they were asked to pick up discarded peaches at a New Jersey peach packing house last summer.Conventional thinking might tell you that fruit or vegetables that drop off the tree or vine probably aren't much use. Right? Well, don't tell that to the thousands of people who benefited from the more than 200,000 pounds of peaches the organization managed to scrounge up from the packing house last August. Now, the food relief organization wants to take it a step further. They want farmers to open up their fields for a new gleaning program they are launching this summer. Full article here: http://www.lancasterfarming.com/node/1915
MAINE FOOD RESCUERS GET CREATIVE TO FEED THE HUNGRY
(Maine Public Broadcasting) - It's no secret that soup kitchens, food pantries and other programs that help feed people in need are seeing a surge in demand for food. In Cumberland County, the director of the Wayside Soup Kitchen, says requests for food assistance are up about 50 percent just since December. At the same time, food allotments from the federal government have been dramatically scaled back. And that means using creative and aggressive ways of getting food donations is more important than ever before. Whether it's a tractor trailer load of cabbages that has overturned on the Maine Turnpike or some delectable crab cakes that have not been sold at a gourmet food show, time is of the essence. And Timothy Morse of the Wayside Soup Kitchen is on the case. "Whether it's non-perishable or perishable, we get calls and we run out and capture it. It could be spur of the moment. I get a call: 'Tim, can you come out? We got 20 cases of ham. Can you come pick those up? Sure enough.' We like to have our response time within 45 minutes." They call what Tim Morse and his cadre of volunteers does "food rescue." They recover food, freeze or re-package it and get it out the door and onto someone's dinner table within 72 hours. That means they have to be on call 24-7 and ready to roll with their freezer truck. Full article here: http://tinyurl.com/crtxpa
PERMITS HINDER WEST VIRGINIA EGG PRODUCERS
(The Journal) - Andrea Minicozzi of A Rare Breed Farm in Back Creek Valley will no longer sell her eggs at a farmers market in Morgan County because she would have to get a retail permit from the county's health department. In addition to being cost prohibitive, Minicozzi said in a previous interview that her profit margin on a dozen eggs is 26 cents. She feels that if she buys the permit, the regulations imposed on her small-scale egg production operation would be onerous. Minicozzi said she will pull her product from West Virginia and sell eggs at the farmers market in Winchester, because Virginia exempts small farming operations from permit fees. Full article here:
http://www.journal-news.net/page/content.detail/id/518531.html?nav=5006
VERMONT COMMITTEE SAYS IT'S SAFE TO LET MORE 'RAW' MILK FLOW
(Times-Argus) - Despite lingering concerns over the safety of unpasteurized dairy products, House lawmakers have moved ahead with a raw-milk bill that drafters say could bolster profits in an embattled agriculture industry. The proposed legislation would allow farmers to sell up to 40 gallons of raw milk daily, about three times as much as they can legally vend right now. Rep. Carolyn Partridge, whose House Committee on Agriculture approved the measure on a vote of 8-3 on Tuesday, says the state's dairy farmers could use the ancillary income that raw milk provides. "Milk prices for conventional dairy farmers have dropped precipitously ... and farmers are going out of business at an alarming rate," said Partridge, D-Windham. "This was an opportunity to give farmers an added boost to their income, as well as give potential new farmers a path to get in the industry." With hundredweight prices for conventional milk near $11, farmers are getting less than a dollar per gallon, well below the cost of production. Raw milk, meanwhile, sells for between $5 and $12 per gallon, depending on the farmer's location, the breed of cow and what it's fed. Amy Shollenberger heads Rural Vermont, a farmer advocacy group largely responsible for bringing the issue to the fore in the Statehouse. Last year, the organization succeeded in doubling allowable daily sales to 50 quarts. Though this year's 40-gallon compromise is still short of the unlimited sales Rural Vermont initially sought, Shollenberger says the new threshold will allow farmers to increase revenue and test market capacity. "We know of communities where demand is well above supply. We know of waiting lists of people looking to buy raw milk," Shollenberger said. "We believe there's a good market out there for raw milk, but we really have no idea what the potential market is because people have never been allowed to figure it out." Full article here:http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090430/NEWS02/904300361/1003/NEWS02
SMALL FARMS RUN BY WOMEN CROPPING UP ACROSS PENNSYLVANIA
(Fulton County News) -From the time she was a little girl, helping her father in the family's backyard garden in Easton, Teena Bailey was attracted to farming. But she could never afford to buy the expanse of land needed to turn the outdoor hobby into a financially viable job. Three years ago, capitalizing on a rising demand for locally grown produce, Bailey, 63, launched a small vegetable farm on her 1.5-acre property in Germansville, about 15 miles northwest of Allentown. Bailey is part of a growing community of women farmers in the state, across the nation and in the Lehigh Valley. The number of women as principal operators of a farm increased 41 percent in Pennsylvania, and 29 percent nationally between 2002 and 2007, according to data released in February by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. There are now 8,550 women farmers in Pennsylvania, including 150 in the Lehigh Valley. Full article here: http://www.fultoncountynews.com/news/2009/0416/local_state/023.html
EVENTS:
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
5/9
COLONIAL CANDLE MAKING, ACCOKEEK, MD
Join us for this hands-on workshop to learn the art of candle-making. You will learn about wicks, waxes, uses of candles in the 1700s, and safety instruction. We will also discuss recipes and ideas for making your own candles at home. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/colonial-candlemaking
5/11
FAMILY FARM FORUM ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP WEBINAR, YOUR COMPUTER
This webinar will cover issues and programs related to entrepreneurship. Specific topics that may be discussed include managing money in tough times, broadband internet use for farm operators, farm clusters and innovation. For more info, see: http://www.localharvest.org/forum/thread.jsp?thread=1901&forum=28
5/12
RAIN BARREL WORKSHOP, ACCOKEEK, MD
Here's your chance to save money and help the environment! Collecting and reusing rainwater will save money on your water bill, and decrease the impact of runoff on our waterways. Did you know? Every inch of rain that falls on 1,000 square feet yields 623 gallons of water. That's water you can use for free! The workshop will cover installation, maintenance, and landscaping. You may register for the workshop even if you decide not to purchase a barrel. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/rain-barrel-workshop
5/15-16
ORGANIC BEEKEEPING WORKSHOP, LINCOLN, VT
This workshop covers topics suitable for commercial and hobby beekeepers, with a primary focus on intermediate and advanced methods. For beginners, a special Friday afternoon session that covers hive construction and layout, the basics of bee biology, and handling bees is strongly recommended. The rest of the workshop, Friday afternoon/evening and all day Saturday, presents a balanced view of natural and organic beekeeping topics and practices not ordinarily covered in lectures and articles. For more info, see: http://www.extension.org/events/1015
5/16
ORGANIC ORCHARDING 101, UNITY, ME
Join Michael Phillips, author of The Apple Grower, for a comprehensive exploration of organic disease and insect strategies, including lectures, discussions, question and answer periods inside and out. Learn what to expect in your orchard and how to manage it. For more info, see: http://www.mofga.org/Programs/Events/OrganicOrchardingClasses/tabid/300/Default.aspx
5/16
COLONIAL FOODWAYS, ACCOKEEK, MD
Love food? Ever wonder how people cooked before microwaves or what people ate before fast food? Join us the 3rd Saturday monthly as costumed interpreters demonstrate preparation of fashionable foods favored by the tobacco-growing gentry in Prince George's County, Maryland on the eve of the American Revolution. Demonstrations vary monthly, and involve seasonally available foods, colonial implements and methods. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/colonial-foodways
5/17-18
NORTHEAST FARM TO SCHOOL CONFERENCE, BURLINGTON, VT
Join Vermont FEED, the National Farm to School Network, and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture for a celebration of Farm to School. From May 17th to the 18th learn new ways to expand your Farm to School Program through network building, fundraising, innovative techniques and so much more. Meet some of the Northeast leaders in this movement, hear their stories, and share your own experiences. For more info, see:
http://www.vtfeed.org/what_you_can_do/events
5/19
NATURE NUTS, ACCOKEEK, MD
This fun-filled hour of exploration at the National Colonial Farm's Museum Garden is the perfect setting to learn about the wonders of nature. Designed for children ages 3-5, the children will hear a story, create a craft project, and go on an outdoor adventure. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/nature-nuts
May 19-20
ENHANCING LOCAL AND REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEMS, KERHONKSON, NY
Enhancing Local Food Systems: Exploring the Research, What Works, and What We Need to Learn will bring together researchers, Extension educators, and others to explore the scientific research base relating to local food systems. For more info, see: http://nercrd.psu.edu/LocalFoods/Conference.html
5/20
COMPOSTING AND SOIL FERTILITY, ACCOKEEK, MD
Good soil fertility is crucial to the success of a garden. In this class you will learn how to feed the plants you are growing by building and improving your soil. You will learn how to make a successful compost pile, and choose which methods work best for you. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/composting-and-soil-fertility
ECOSYSTEM VOLUNTEER DAY, ACCOKEEK, MD
The Robert Ware Straus Ecosystem Farm is the Accokeek Foundation's USDA-certified organic vegetable farm. Located on an eight-acre field along the Potomac River in Accokeek Maryland, the farm is a model for farming for the future. Volunteers are encouraged to arrive early as a brief, dedicated tour will be given promptly at 1 p.m. Volunteers will help by tending to the fields, weeding, planting, and harvesting the farm's produce. This is an excellent opportunity for individuals or groups with an interest in sustainable agriculture, organic farming, or environmental stewardship. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/ecosystem-farm-volunteer-day
5/22
PASA'S SUMMER FARM START, HARRISBURG, PA
PA Preferred Best Chef James Woltman of Stock's on Second in Harrisburg will prepare a fantastic menu of the finest regional farm fresh foods available. Join us for this festive evening, and stroll the grounds of the Milestone Inn along the Susquehanna River while the food is prepared right before your eyes! For more info, see:http://www.pasafarming.org/resources/featured-pasa-events/summer-start
SKILL-BUILDING WORKSHOPS FOR THE URBAN FARMER, PHILADELPHIA, PA
This full day program is packed with skill-building hands-on workshops for the regional farming community. Expert practitioners will lead the sessions. For more info, see: http://sustainabledelco.org/2009/03/20/growing-the-grange-skill-building-workshops-for-the-urban-farmer/
5/30-6/26
MEAT PROCESSING AND FOOD SAFETY PROGRAM, COBBLESKILL, NY
The meat lab at the State University of New York, Cobleskill will offers its Meat Processing and Food Safety Certificate program this summer. The certificate program is four weeks long. Students in the course will study four units: Safety and sanitation; Species harvesting and slaughtering; Primal fabrication, retail cutting and wrapping; and Customer relations. For more info, see: http://tinyurl.com/dap2d8
6/17
WEED AND PEST MANAGEMENT, ACCOKEEK, MD
Every garden will have weeds and pests, and in this class, you will learn how to identify them, and choose a sound method for dealing with them. The class will emphasize strategies that work to control weeds and pests using biological and mechanical controls. For more info, see: http://www.nefood.org/events/weed-and-pest-management
OPPORTUNITIES:
FARMERS' MARKET MANAGER, DUTCHESS COUNTY, NY
This job has two components: being the on-site manager and coordinator of the Millerton Farmers' market, and supervising a team of high school students who work at the market doing setup, sales and cleanup, and during the week on farm-related project including growing produce on a community garden plot, processing the produce into a salable product such as salsa or jam, and marketing and selling it at the Farmers' Market. Under the Manager's supervision, the students will also visit and volunteer on the farms that participate in the market. Last day to apply: June 1, 2009 For more info, see:
http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/334880-211/c
AGRICULTURAL / GREENHOUSE ENGINEER, BRIGHTFARM SYSTEMS, NEW YORK, NY
BrightFarm Systems is a specialist greenhouse design consultancy, focused exclusively on the design of hydroponic rooftop greenhouses for use in urban areas. We present a unique expertise in environmental engineering, horticultural sciences, and ecology. Our core value is ecological sustainability. Last day to apply: May 23, 2009 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/if/i/en/av/Job/331843-231/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
NY COMMUNITY GARDEN 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
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/
PATH TO ORGANIC PROGRAM
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is pleased to bring the Path to Organic Program to our farming community. Part of the $500,000 appropriation will provide technical assistance to farmers in transition to organic agriculture and the rest of the funding will be provided to participating farmers. Assistance will be available to producers who are currently in the three-year transition process as well, as those who have not yet begun the process, which is required by the USDA National Organic Program. Due date: July 31, 2009 For more info, see: http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=152673
PENNSYLVANIA HEALTHY FARMS, HEALTHY SCHOOLS GRANT
The Healthy Farms and Healthy Schools Program was established to educate kindergartners and their families about the importance of choosing healthy, locally produced foods while increasing awareness of Pennsylvania agriculture. Any Pennsylvania school district, charter school or private school with a kindergarten program is eligible to apply for the Healthy Farms and Healthy Schools funds. Due date: May 13, 2009 For more info, see: http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/agriculture/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=144973
QUAKER OATS COMMUNITY HUNGER GRANT
Quaker Oats is offering grants for projects that will help combat hunger in your community. The Quaker Go Grant program will select twenty winners each month from April through August 2009. Winners will each receive a $500 cash grant to fund their projects. Application deadlines for the monthly awards are March 31, 2009, April 30, 2009, May 31, 2009 and June 30, 2009 and July 31, 2009. Due date: July 31, 2009 For more info, see: http://quakeroats.promotions.com/gogrants/splash.do
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.htm
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. To contact the editor, please contact Roger Doiron, here: [email protected]