FARM BILL UPDATE:
Farm Bill passed with veto-proof majority
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
The end of the horn of plenty?
NEWS:
Northeast food and farms go “social”
Young Maine families desire simple farming way of life
Niche markets could fill Mid-Atlantic farmers' pockets
New York farms and wineries feel effects of a labor shortage
UConn raises bees to supply dining halls' honey
Vermont's Governor won't veto new hemp law
EVENTS:
6/1-3: Agriculture and the Environment: Achieving Balance, Harrisburg, PA
6/4: Small Ruminant Management, Sterling, MA
6/5: Hardy Har Harvest Comedy Show, Arlington, MA
6/6: Small Ruminant Production Tour, Bedford County, PA
6/7: The Role of the Horse in the Farm Organism, Chestnut Ridge, NY
6/7: 7th Annual RI Sustainable Living Festival & Clean Energy Expo, Coventry, RI
6/14: Raising Layers: Small-Scale Egg Production, Shelburne, VT
6/8-8/15: Vermont Sustainable Agriculture Semester, Craftsbury Common, VT
6/9: Construction of Portable Animal Shelters for Small Ruminants, Cumberland County, PA
6/10-14: International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, Burlington, VT
6/21: Transitioning to Organic Dairy, Hardwick, MA
6/22: Connecticut NOFA Organic Farms Tour, Fairfield County, CT
7/10: Organic Dairy Transition Pasture Walk, Colrain, MA
7/18: Rodale Field Day, Kutztown, PA
7/24: Raising and Marketing Grass-Fed Meat, Shelburne, MA
8/24: International Kitchen Garden Day, your garden, your community
9/19-21: Common Ground Fair, Unity, ME
9/19-21: PA Renewable Energy & Sustainable Living Festival, Kempton, PA
10/5: Mother Earth Harvest Fair, Glenrock, PA
OPPORTUNITIES:
Food Justice Coordinator, Just Food, New York City, NY
Executive Director, Intervale Center, Burlington, VT
Outreach Manager, Campaigns, The Humane Society of The United States, Gaithersburg, MD
Call for Nominations, Glynwood Center’s 6th Annual Harvest Awards
Food and Society Policy Fellowship call for applications
Marketing and Communications Manager, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Pocantico Hills, NY
Director of Development, Glynwood Center, Cold Spring, NY
Multiple Job Openings, The Food Trust, Philadelphia, PA
Multiple Job Openings, Community Food Resource Center, New York, NY
NRI: Agricultural Prosperity for Small & Medium Sized Farms
Organic Research and Education Grants
New York Agriculture Innovation Center Grant
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FARM BILL UPDATE
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Farm Bill PASSED WITH VETO-PROOF MAJORITY
For those of you who may have missed it, the Farm Bill was voted into law last month with a veto-proof majority. Since then, there have been varying opinions on the merits of the bill ranging from enthusiastic praise to harsh condemnation. What people think of the bill largely depends on who you ask, where they’re from, and what their issues and criteria for success are. Below are some editorials and op-eds expressing some of these differing views. For a closer look at what made it into the final bill, check out this Farm Bill snapshot produced by the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: http://www.sustainableagriculturecoalition.org/ActionCenter/Revised_SAC_Farm_Bill_Snapshot5_08.pdf
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
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THE END OF THE HORN OF PLENTY?
(Toronto Star) - "On nearly every level, we are reaching the end of what may one day be called the `golden age' of food," Paul Roberts writes in his latest book. There is growing evidence that he's right. The most immediate manifestations: the soaring cost of corn, wheat, rice and other basic grains, the fruit of record-high oil prices, panic hoarding, greedy speculation, climate change, soil degradation, water shortages, natural disasters, and the heavily subsidized rush to convert edible grains into biofuel. The results: malnutrition, mass protests, and disease. It's not that the world is running short of plants and animals to fill nearly 7 billion bellies. Not yet, anyway. But the system for distributing the calories required to keep us going is completely out of whack. At one extreme, it provides North Americans with a diet that fattens and malnourishes them all at once. At the other, it denies even a pitifully adequate supply to at least a billion people. What Roberts writes about, though, is something even bigger. It is, as he calls his information-packed, 322-page work, The End of Food. Today's mess, he warns, is simply one station along the track to an unhappy destination. Not only does Earth's population continue to grow, but people in some developing countries are demanding, and beginning to copy, our gluttonous lifestyle. Cracks are appearing in what appeared to be our bottomless ability to increase production. Without dramatic changes in how we grow food and what we eat, we will experience shortages. Full article here: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/Books/article/434830
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NEWS
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NorthEAST FOOd AND FARMS GO “Social”
Food and farms have always been good ways of bringing people together, but - thanks to a new online social network – they’re helping to bring people and organizations from across the region together in new ways. The Northeast Food and Farms Network (http://www.nefood.org ) opened its virtual doors two weeks ago, offering a space where sustainable food and farm advocates from the 12-state Northeast region can connect and exchange information. Participants are using the new site for different things including posting job and event announcements, blogging, uploading photos & videos, and creating virtual groups. Since opening for business, the site has seen over 150 people sign up and create profile pages. The Northeast Food and Farms Network is a project of the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (NESAWG). For more info, please see: http://www.nefood.org
Young MAINE families desire simple farming way of life
(Bangor Daily) - There’s a glimmer of hope for agriculture in Maine in the guise of young families entering farming for the first time — no land inheritances, no barns full of equipment already bought and paid for, no established herds or fields — just a raw desire for a simple farming way of life. Fed up with mass marketing, the repulsive living conditions of commercially raised animals, and the mediocre quality of the products, Dan and Carrie Armiger established their first farm in rural Pittsfield just 18 months ago. In Maine, 65 percent of farmers are already at age 55 or older, with no family member coming up behind them to take over the farm, according to state agricultural experts. Many of these farms will be sold to developers and their "last crop" will likely be house lots. The Armigers, however, headed back to the land, seeking a simpler life, and along the way they discovered that many other people are seeking the same thing. Full article here: http://bangornews.com/news/t/midmaine.aspx?articleid=164487&zoneid=182
Niche markets could fill Mid-Atlantic farmers' pockets
(Baltimore Sun) - Although prices continue to rise at the supermarket, the farmer's share of the American food dollar has declined 35 percent over the past 27 years, and the farmers are looking for ways to reverse this trend. Niche marketing may be the answer, particularly for farmers in the Mid-Atlantic region, one of the most populous sections of the country. Niche marketing or direct marketing involves farmers selling directly to the consumer, and it can boost their share of the food dollar by providing them with a higher return per unit sold. This is a conclusion of a recent report, "Niche Marketing Outside of the Box, but in the Black," by Ginger S. Myers, a regional extension marketing specialist with the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension. Full article here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-ha.farm01jun01,0,5470721.story
Local farms, wineries feel effects of a labor shortage
(Grand Island Record) - Some local farms and wineries are having a problem with finding labor — the result of immigration issues and a shrinking pool of migrant workers. Jim Bittner of Singer Farms in Appleton said his farm is doing OK for now, but is making changes to compensate for the cost of the missing labor. He had to cut back on growing cherries and peaches because there isn’t enough help to pick them. Labor comprises about 50 percent of the costs of growing cherries and peaches. “We’re nervous as heck. We barely made it last year with enough help,” Bittner said. “It’s more a fear of the unknown. We’re hoping Washington, D.C., gets serious about it.” Bittner said his biggest labor need is when the apples are in season, which is about the first two weeks of September. The problem with growing fresh produce is the fruit has to be picked at a certain time. And there just aren’t enough hands to pick. “We made a decision in January not to plant as much,” Bittner said. “A lot of fresh market produce has to be picked in a timely fashion. Otherwise it turns too ripe or not ripe enough.” He added Singer will be growing blueberries, as well as tart cherries, that can be picked by machines, not workers. Full article here: http://www.grandislandrecord.com/local/gnnlocalnews_story_152235815.html
UConn Raises Bees To Supply Dining Halls' Honey
(Hartford Courant) - In a great green meadow, behind a forgotten apple orchard, 100,000 bees got to work Saturday making honey for University of Connecticut dining halls. Two university dining service employees gently shook the bees, shipped in from Georgia, into 10 new hives Saturday afternoon, making UConn probably the first college in the country to make its own honey for its dining halls. By next year, UConn hopes to produce as much as 2,000 pounds of honey from the hives, more than half the 3,800 pounds the university kitchens use a year in marinades, sauces and baked goods. Starting an apiary seemed like a logical, if novel, step in UConn's efforts to serve more locally grown food, part of a national trend in college dining services to become more environmentally conscious. Full article here: http://www.courant.com/community/news/ec/hc-uconnbees0601.artjun01,0,7820873.story
Vermont's Governor won't veto new hemp law
(Times Argus) - Gov. James Douglas will allow a bill legalizing hemp to become law despite concerns from the law enforcement community about its impact on marijuana eradication efforts in the state. The legislation, which legalizes the cultivation of industrial hemp in Vermont, won nearly unanimous support in the both the House and Senate this session. Though Douglas doesn't support the bill, and has refused to attach his signature to it, he will nonetheless forward the legislation to the Secretary of State, which will effectively enact the law. "It's a do-nothing bill," Douglas spokesman Jason Gibbs said Thursday. "The federal law still prohibits the cultivation of industrial hemp, and so the practical impact of this legislation is virtually nothing." Douglas could have vetoed the legislation, an option he considered after law enforcement officials raised concerns. But Gibbs said Douglas does not "exercise his veto authority lightly," and that the bill is too insignificant to warrant such an extreme action. "The consequence of this bill is so low, so insignificant, that it doesn't rise to the level of a gubernatorial veto," Gibbs said. Farmers won't be able to grow hemp crops just yet. Federal statute, which supercedes state law, draws no distinction between hemp and marijuana, and anyone growing either is subject to prosecution. Full article here: http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080530/NEWS01/805300377/1002/NEWS01
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EVENTS
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(Attention food and farm event organizers: the best way of insuring that your event appears below is to list it on the events calendar at www.nefood.org (once you have signed in, click on “events” and then “add an event”). In doing so, you reach the nefood.org web audience and NEFOOD listserv audience in one go! Thanks)
6/4
Small Ruminant Management, Sterling, MA
NOFA/Mass, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the University of Massachusetts Extension have organized a series of Grazing Workshops as a continuing education resource for Massachusetts farmers. Topics at each event will vary, but will include pasture management, organic transition and herd health, forage species, soil fertility, fencing and water systems, and summer and winter grazing. Pasture walks will take place from 10:00 - 1:00. For more info, see: http://www.umass.edu/cdl/MassGrass.html
6/5
Hardy Har Harvest Comedy Show, Arlington, MA
To celebrate the opening of market season, Mass Farmers Markets presents "Hardy Har Har: a family-friendly comedy show" with Boston-area comedians Jimmy Dunn and Tony V. Join us Thursday, June 5th at 7pm at the Regent Theatre in Arlington. Tickets available online from the Regent Theatre (https://www.interweave.us/tix/hardy.htm), at the box office, or by calling (781) 646-4849.
6/6
Small Ruminant Production Tour, Bedford County, PA
Join PA-Women's Ag Network representative Melanie Barkley for a tour of two Bedford County farms that are producing meat goats and sheep. Melanie will guide a tour of the farms and discuss pasture species, fencing, and water systems. The tour will compare the farms' different marketing strategies—direct marketing meat goats on the farm, sales to New Holland, and sales of breeding stock. For more info, see: http://wagn.cas.psu.edu/Calendar.html
6/7
The Role of the Horse in the Farm Organism, Chestnut Ridge, NY
In this one-day workshop, farmer Mac Mead will present a comprehensive picture of the role of the horse in the farm organism. After reviewing the basic nature and care of the draft horse and its harness and equipment, we will move from the classroom to the barn, where attendees will get hands-on instruction and practice in the tasks of grooming and harnessing. In the field, attendees will try their hands at several practical tasks, such as logging, plowing, discing and working raised beds. For more info, see: http://www.pfeiffercenter.org/workshops/index.asp
6/7
7th Annual RI Sustainable Living Festival & Clean Energy Expo, Coventry, RI
Rhode Island’s premier event for Sustainable Living, combining educational workshops, children’s programs, vendors and exhibitors with live entertainment all in a fun family-friendly environment. For more info, see: http://www.livingfest.org
6/8-8/15
Vermont Sustainable Agriculture Semester, Craftsbury Common, VT
The Sterling College Sustainable Agriculture Semester immerses students in the daily rhythms and realities of farming. The Sustainable Agriculture Semester is a 8-11 credit integrated program of work and study exploring ecological management of plants, animals, and land. Classroom instruction, hands-on training, and work on the farm are combined to teach sustainable practices and to foster discussion about agricultural issues. The deadline for application for the 2008 summer semester is April 14, 2008.For more information, see:
http://www.sterlingcollege.edu/AD.summerfarm.html
6/9
Construction of Portable Animal Shelters for Small Ruminants, Cumberland County, PA
Join Pennsylvania Women's Ag Network representative Sandra Miller at Painted Hand Farm in Cumberland County for a hands-on construction workshop. At this event, the third in a series of construction workshops, participants will build small, light, and inexpensive shelters for sheep and goats. For more info, see: http://wagn.cas.psu.edu/Calendar.html
6/10-14
International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, Burlington, VT
ISSRM is the official meeting of the International Association for Society and Natural Resources, and is the largest international meeting of social scientists who focus on environmental and natural resources issues. The theme for this year's symposium is "People and Place: Linking Culture and Nature." For more info, see: http://www.issrm2008.org/
6/14
Raising Layers: Small-Scale Egg Production, Shelburne, VT
This morning workshop is part of the Backyard Farmer series presented by Shelburne Farms. Learn the basics of backyard egg production, including the economics of producing eggs, selecting the perfect laying hen, basic and innovative housing solutions, feed requirements, and flock health management. For more info, see: http://www.shelburnefarms.org/calendarofevents/index.shtm
6/21
Transitioning to Organic Dairy, Hardwick, MA
NOFA/Mass, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the University of Massachusetts Extension have organized a series of Grazing Workshops as a continuing education resource for Massachusetts farmers. Topics at each event will vary, but will include pasture management, organic transition and herd health, forage species, soil fertility, fencing and water systems, and summer and winter grazing. For more info, see: http://www.umass.edu/cdl/MassGrass.html
6/22
Connecticut NOFA Organic Farms Tour, Fairfield County, CT
Tour three organic farms in Fairfield County with the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut. For more info, see: http://www.ctnofa.org/
7/10
Organic Dairy Transition Pasture Walk, Colrain, MA
NOFA/Mass, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the University of Massachusetts Extension have organized a series Grazing Workshops as a continuing education resource for Massachusetts farmers. Topics at each event will vary, but will include pasture management, organic transition and herd health, forage species, soil fertility, fencing and water systems, and summer and winter grazing. This event takes place at Colrain Dairy Farm. For more info, see: http://www.umass.edu/cdl/MassGrass.html
7/18
Rodale Field Day, Kutztown, PA
At the Rodale Institute's annual field day their researchers provide updates and tours of the Farming Systems Trial research underway on the 333-acre certified organic farm. for more info, see: http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/on_our_farm
7/24
Raising and Marketing Grass-Fed Meat, Shelburne, MA
NOFA/Mass, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the University of Massachusetts Extension have organized a series of on-farm pasture walks and Grazing Workshops as a continuing education resource for Massachusetts farmers. This event takes place at Wheel-View Farm. For more info, see: http://www.umass.edu/cdl/MassGrass.html
8/24
International Kitchen Garden Day, your garden, your community
Kitchen Garden Day is an annual, decentralized celebration of food produced on a human-scale. It is an opportunity for people around the world to gather in their gardens with friends, family, and members of their local community to celebrate the multiple pleasures and benefits of home-grown, hand-made foods. For more info, see: http://www.kitchengardenday.org
9/19-21
Common Ground Fair, Unity, ME
MOFGA celebrates its 32nd Common Ground Country Fair on September 19, 20 & 21, 2008, in Unity, Maine. The Fair allows fairgoers to make connections with a rapidly expanding base of organic farms in the state of Maine. Hundreds of vendors, exhibitors and demonstrators, more than 1,000 volunteers, and roughly 50,000 fairgoers will gather to: share knowledge about sustainable living; eat delicious, organic, Maine-grown food; buy and sell beautiful Maine crafts and useful agricultural products; compete in various activities; dance; sing and have a great time. For more info, see: http://mofga.org/TheFair/tabid/135/Default.aspx
9/19-21
PA Renewable Energy & Sustainable Living Festival, Kempton, PA
A three-day festival about renewable energy, natural building construction, sustainable agriculture, land-use planning, forestry and healthy living practices in general. Featuring dynamic speakers, national exhibitors, workshops, hands-on demonstrations, vendors, live music and entertainment, children's activities, food and more.For more info, see: http://www.paenergyfest.com/
10/5
Mother Earth Harvest Fair, Glenrock, PA
Combining the atmosphere of a traditional country fair and farmer's market with cutting-edge advances in alternative fuels, green building, and sustainable living, the Mother Earth Harvest Fair is a celebration and showcase of healthy, balanced, and sustainable living in the Chesapeake Bioregion. For more info, Contact: 717-235-6610
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OPPORTUNITIES
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Food Justice Coordinator, Just Food, New York City, NY
Just Food is a NYC non-profit organization that addresses regional farm and food issues. We work to build a more just food system. This means, for example, that family farmers make a fair profit for their efforts, and all people have access to affordable, healthy food. It also means that farming techniques focus on the ecological methods that protect nature's resources, as well as the urban and rural people that live off these resources. One of the main aims of our Food Justice program is to encourage NYC residents to be more aware of and engaged in farm and food issue advocacy. Last day to apply: June 11, 2008 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/en/job/282395-329
Executive Director, Intervale Center, Burlington, VT
The Executive Director is responsible for carrying out the initiatives of the Board of Directors in accordance with the comprehensive strategic plan and leads the Intervale Foundation in fulfilling its mission to develop sustainable ecological systems that provide solutions for productive land stewardship, innovative farming practices, and sustainable economic development. Last day to apply: June 30, 2008 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/en/job/281560-123
Outreach Manager, Campaigns, The Humane Society of The United States, Gaithersburg, MD
Care about animals—and the planet? Here’s your chance to join a winning team that’s working hard to improve the lives of farm animals! The Humane Society of the United States is hiring an outreach manager for its factory farming campaign. Last day to apply: July 1, 2008 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/en/job/278349-76
Call for Nominations, Glynwood Center’s 6th Annual National Harvest Awards
The Harvest Awards honor individuals, organizations, and businesses across the United States that do an exceptional job of supporting sustainable agriculture and regional food systems. Deadline for nominations: 21 July 2008. For more info, see: http://www.glynwood.org
Food and Society Policy Fellowship call for applications
The Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute is pleased to announce a request for applications for the 2009-2010 class of Food & Society Policy Fellows.
Due date: 26 June 2008. Download application information here: http://www.foodandsocietyfellows.org/publications.cfm?refID=102200
Download the application cover sheet here: http://www.foodandsocietyfellows.org/publications.cfm?refID=102199
Marketing and Communications Manager, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Pocantico Hills, NY
Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture is a farm, a kitchen, a classroom—an exhibit, a laboratory, a campus. The mission of this unique, nonprofit, member-driven collaboration is to celebrate, teach and advance community-based food production and enjoyment, from farm to classroom to plate. Stone Barns has an immediate opening for a full-time Marketing and Communications Manager. Supervised by the Managing Director, the Marketing and Communications Manager will have primary responsibility for all marketing projects, overseeing development, design and production of all internal and external materials. Working with the Managing Director, the Marketing and Communications Manager will develop and implement an integrated marketing and communications strategy for this growing organization. Last day to apply: June 20, 2008 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/en/job/275759-287
Director of Development, Glynwood Center, Cold Spring, NY
The Director is responsible for all fundraising programs for Glynwood Center. This position reports to the President and the Board of Directors on fundraising goals and achievement. The Director will head a comprehensive fundraising program to meet the short and long-term needs of Glynwood Center. This will include gifts from foundations, corporations and individuals to support annual unrestricted needs, special projects and endowment. Last day to apply: June 22, 2008 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/en/job/276320-2
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
NRI: Agricultural Prosperity for Small & Medium Sized Farms
One component of the National Research Initiative is the Agricultural Prosperity for Small & Medium Sized Farms Program. Proposals for this program must be "integrated," i.e. contain at least two of three functions: research, outreach, and education. This year the program is highlighting involvement of Extension personnel & curriculum development that involves K-12 teachers. The program also encourages applications on sustainable biofuel production. Due date: June 5, 2008. For more info, see: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/nri_rfa.html
Organic Research and Education Grants
The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) has issued its Request for Proposals for organic research and education projects for Spring and Fall 2008 grants. OFRF offers funds for research on any topic that will improve organic production systems, and for education and outreach projects to share organic farming information with current organic producers and to farmers and ranchers considering transitioning their operations to organic. Proposals may request awards of up to $15,000 per year ($20,000 for fruit projects). Multi-year funding will be considered for fruit projects. Due date: July 15, 2008 For more info, see:http://ofrf.org/pressroom/releases/071116_stretchislandfunding.html
New York Agriculture Innovation Center Grant
The New York Farm Viability Institute seeks proposals for innovative projects that help farmers increase profits and provide models for other farmers to follow. Eligible grant applicants include farmers, producer groups, researchers, educators, organizations, agencies and businesses. Applicants may represent nonprofit or for-profit sectors. Projects should work with New York State resident farmers and outcomes should benefit agriculture in New York State.
Due date: July 15, 2008 For more info, see: http://www.nyfvi.org/grants-aic.asp
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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
* * * * * * *
Roger Doiron, NEFOOD Listserve administrator, roger@nesawg.org
FARM BILL UPDATE:
Farm bill in final stages - end in sight
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Environmental cost of shipping groceries around the world
NEWS:
Maryland farms share ideas on staying productive
Out of the yard and onto the fork
Costs killing Maine farmers
Jersey seafood initiative expanded
Buzz grows over beekeeping
Delaware law students stand up for laying hens' freedom
EVENTS:
5/10: Organic Orcharding 101 with Michael Phillips, Unity, ME
6/1-3: Agriculture and the Environment: Achieving Balance, Harrisburg, PA
6/4: Small Ruminant Management, Sterling, MA
6/6: Small Ruminant Production Tour, Bedford County, PA
6/7: The Role of the Horse in the Farm Organism, Chestnut Ridge, NY
6/8-8/15: Vermont Sustainable Agriculture Semester, Craftsbury Common, VT
6/9: Construction of Portable Animal Shelters for Small Ruminants, Cumberland County, PA
6/10-14: International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, Burlington, VT
6/21: Transitioning to Organic Dairy, Hardwick, MA
6/22: Connecticut NOFA Organic Farms Tour, Fairfield County, CT
OPPORTUNITIES:
Food and Society Policy Fellowship call for applications
Marketing and Communications Manager, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Pocantico Hills, NY
Director of Development, Glynwood Center, Cold Spring, NY
Executive Director, Waltham Fields Community Farm, Waltham, MA
Multiple Job Openings, The Food Trust, Philadelphia, PA
Multiple Job Openings, Community Food Resource Center, New York, NY
Connecticut Farm Reinvestment Grant Program
Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Grants Program
NRI: Agricultural Prosperity for Small & Medium Sized Farms
Food and Nutrition Research Program 2008 Competitive Grants and Cooperative Agreement Program
Organic Research and Education Grants
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FARM BILL UPDATE
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Farm Bill in Final Stages - End in Sight
(Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s Weekly Update) - After just one public farm bill conferee meeting last week on Tuesday, the primary action went back behind closed doors and appeared by last week’s end to be close to final resolution. In the meantime, Congress approved and the President signed another one week extension of the current farm bill. Private meetings last week settled most of the farm bill funding issues. A few items remain open, perhaps most significantly the Adjusted Gross Income commodity program eligibility test. With some deal making still in process, we would caution that this is preliminary (or as they say in Congress, nothing is final until everything is final), but the pronouncements from yesterday and today include:
-The $10 billion increase in total net farm bill spending agreed to in principle weeks and weeks ago will be paid for through custom user fees and, rumor has it, the White House has signed off on that offset.
-The Senate ag tax break/ag tax reform package will be included in the final bill, but at $1.4 billion total, $1 billion less than the Senate included in its offer from last week (more below). The tax reforms will pay for the new tax breaks.
-The increase in funding for nutrition (primarily though not only food stamps) will increase from $9.5 billion to $10.36 billion.
-There will be a further cut in commodity program spending of slightly more than $1 billion, with the details still being negotiated. Part of the cut will be a $400 million nick to direct payments ($400 million out of $26 billion baseline) and part will be from a $250 million reduction to the so-called permanent disaster fund, reducing it from the $4.1 billion level in the last Senate offer.
Expectations are that Members might meet as early as today to try to wrap up the bill and vote it out of conference. Any issues that are not resolved by the staff, however, will have to come before the Members this week for a vote. For the first time, there are widespread rumors and expectations that the White House will sign the emerging bill, though they have not said that directly. Read the full update online here: http://files.e2ma.net/13831/assets/docs/weekly_update_current.doc
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
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Environmental Cost of Shipping Groceries Around the World
(New York Times) - Cod caught off Norway is shipped to China to be turned into filets, then shipped back to Norway for sale. Argentine lemons fill supermarket shelves on the Citrus Coast of Spain, as local lemons rot on the ground. Half of Europe’s peas are grown and packaged in Kenya. The Sanifrutta company in Italy ships kiwis from its plant in Costigliore Saluzzo, traveling by sea in refrigerated containers. In the United States, FreshDirect proclaims kiwi season has expanded to “All year!” now that Italy has become the world’s leading supplier of New Zealand’s national fruit, taking over in the Southern Hemisphere’s winter. Food has moved around the world since Europeans brought tea from China, but never at the speed or in the amounts it has over the last few years. Consumers in not only the richest nations but, increasingly, the developing world expect food whenever they crave it, with no concession to season or geography. Increasingly efficient global transport networks make it practical to bring food before it spoils from distant places where labor costs are lower. And the penetration of mega-markets in nations from China to Mexico with supply and distribution chains that gird the globe — like Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Tesco — has accelerated the trend. But the movable feast comes at a cost: pollution — especially carbon dioxide, the main global warming gas — from transporting the food. Full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/26/business/worldbusiness/26food.html
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NEWS
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Maryland farms share ideas on staying productive
(Baltimore Sun) - When Bobby Prigel took over his family's Glen Arm dairy farm some years back, he shooed the cows out of the barn, cut his milk production by about 30 percent and planted grass on the cornfields. Prigel is considered a leader in Maryland among dairy farmers who have turned to what people in the industry call "grazers." His cows feed on grass out in the pasture instead of being kept in barns and fed a diet of grain. He says that turning back the pages of history to an earlier form of dairy farming has boosted his profits and reduced his workload. Prigel will share his experiences with other farmers as part of an educational field day series offered by Future Harvest -- Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture. This is the fourth year that the nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting profitable and sustainable food and farming systems in the Chesapeake Bay region has held a series of workshops. Full article here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-ha.farm27apr27,0,5929479.story
Out of the Yard and Onto the Fork
(New York Times) - MY peas are coming up — sugar snaps and snow peas — and the seeds I scattered out in my cold frame a month ago are now a blanket of baby greens. A few mornings ago, while weeding, I popped a tiny bok choy seedling into my mouth and let its peppery, sweet flavor explode on my tongue. It’s hard to describe the flavor of something so alive, hardly 10 seconds out of the earth. I want to say that it tastes green, but a grass blade does not taste like bok choy. It’s something you have to experience yourself, after doing something as simple as planting basil in a window box, or salad greens in one big pot and a no-fail cherry tomato plant in another. Kitchen gardens are as old as the first hunter-gatherers who decided to settle down and watch the seeds grow. Walled medieval gardens protected carefully tended herbs, greens and fruit trees from marauders, both human and animal. The American colonists planted gardens as soon as they could, sowing seeds brought from Europe. Call them survivor gardens. Now, they are being discovered by a new generation of people who worry about just what is in that bag of spinach and how much fuel was consumed to grow it and to fly it a thousand miles. Full article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/garden/17garden.html
Costs killing Maine farmers
(Bangor Daily News) - Dairy farmer Brian Call doesn’t have a fancy milking parlor. He hand-carries the portable milking machine to each of his 30 cows, wiping their teats with pages ripped from an old telephone book. "Another way to save money," he comments. It’s backbreaking work and it never stops. Call’s barn is as it was when his grandfather used it: wooden stanchions, no automatic waste gutters, no computer chips in his cow’s ears. This is farming the way it has been done for generations on the Call farm — since 1820 — and, at least for Brian Call and his wife, Joan Gibson, it appears to be headed for extinction. "The saturation point has been reached," Gibson said this week. "The enormous prices now for fuel and fertilizer and grain are just going to push family farms over the horizon, and quickly. America won’t even hear the thud." Picture this, Gibson said. "I stand in a vestibule. On one side is a huge, growing demand for local organic goods, swelled by millions of consumers, yearning and beckoning for affordable good food. On the other side is a gaunt weary farmer, surrounded by decaying buildings, run-down land, another long day of drudgery and the only hope of compensation the sale of his heritage: his land, as he bites his arm off to feed himself. This is the reality of dairy farming in Maine. It’s brutal." Full article here: http://www.bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=163463&zoneid=500
Jersey Seafood initiative expanded
(Gannett New Jersey) - Last week's launch of an expanded branding and marketing campaign for New Jersey seafood underlines a close relationship between the commercial fishing industry and the state Department of Agriculture -- a partnership that fishermen see threatened by budget turmoil in Trenton. "We may not plant seeds, but we do harvest," said James Lovgren of the Fishermen's Dock Cooperative here, a group that was instrumental in bringing fishermen together with the Agriculture Department and New Jersey Farm Bureau nearly 30 years ago. So captains are alarmed at cost-cutting proposals to shutter the department and transfer missions to the Department of Environmental Protection. Since the 1980s, fishermen have in fact argued for giving agriculture officials jurisdiction over the $146 million seafood industry, said fisherman Jimmy Harry, a participant in those early discussions. While Gov. Jon S. Corzine has recently acknowledged that the farm bureaucracy probably won't be dismantled, Harry and Lovgren say this could be a good time to renew their suggestion to transfer more fishing regulation into the agriculture department. Full article here: http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080428/NEWS01/804280337/1002/NEWS01
Buzz grows over beekeeping
(Boston Globe) - All morning one cool, drizzly April Sunday, cars pull up to the Reseska Apiaries warehouse in Holliston - one driven by an attorney, one carrying a plumber and a machinist, another a yoga studio owner. The occasion is the arrival by truck of 270 three-pound boxes of honeybees from Georgia, all ready for pick-up by a diverse and burgeoning cadre of backyard beekeepers. "When I signed up for bee school, I thought there would be six people," says Kristina Ward, a 38-year-old landscape designer from Norfolk. "It turned out there's a whole subculture." Subculture indeed. Ward is among almost four dozen aspiring beekeepers who recently completed the Norfolk County Beekeepers Association introductory "bee school," up from 17 two years ago. Full article here: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2008/04/28/buzz_grows_over_beekeeping/
Delaware law students stand up for laying hens' freedom
(The News Journal) - Some lawyers judge success by how many people they've kept out of the lockup. Apparently, that now applies to chickens as well. Thanks to a consciousness-raising campaign by budding attorneys, Widener Law school has joined a rising number of schools in banning eggs laid by caged chickens from its dining halls. It might not be quite like winning a case in court, but to the students who rallied to the caged chickens' cause, it feels good nonetheless. "It's actually starting to pick up a lot of steam," Widener student Andrew Fabian, who helped lead the cage-free campaign by the Widener Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, said of the issue on campus. In the world of animal rights, the realm of law is increasingly coming to bear, even outside the leafy expanse of Widener's Concord Pike campus. In Widener's case, all it took was a chat with the dining hall's manager and a few caged-chicken videos to achieve their aim -- but such efforts do stand a chance of someday ending up in the nation's courts. "It's mushrooming and snowballing all the time," said Widener's Assistant Dean Verne R. Smith, who teaches a course on animal law. "It's pretty exciting to be in.” Full article here: http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080425/BUSINESS/804250325/1003
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EVENTS
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5/10
Organic Orcharding 101 with Michael Phillips, Unity, ME
MOFGA offers this full-day workshop as part of its Organic Orcharding series for 2008. The author of The Apple Grower will teach about everything under the sun as concerns the apple tree. Come learn about pruning, pest dynamics, soil health, good varieties, and apple pleasures. For more info, see: http://www.mofga.org/Programs/Events/OrganicOrchardingClasses/tabid/300/Default.aspx
6/1-3
Agriculture and the Environment: Achieving Balance, Harrisburg, PA
Join the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and leaders from throughout Pennsylvania’s agricultural and environmental community for a conference designed to tap the collective wisdom in identifying opportunities for improving the state’s water quality. This two-day conference will bring together the state’s foremost experts to identify opportunities and solutions for better stewardship of the land and waters. For more info, see: http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=4f1e1583-849f-43ef-b3d2-430085b75427
6/4
Small Ruminant Management, Sterling, MA
NOFA/Mass, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the University of Massachusetts Extension have organized a series of Grazing Workshops as a continuing education resource for Massachusetts farmers. Topics at each event will vary, but will include pasture management, organic transition and herd health, forage species, soil fertility, fencing and water systems, and summer and winter grazing. Pasture walks will take place from 10:00 - 1:00. For more info, see: http://www.umass.edu/cdl/MassGrass.html
6/6
Small Ruminant Production Tour, Bedford County, PA
Join PA-Women's Ag Network representative Melanie Barkley for a tour of two Bedford County farms that are producing meat goats and sheep. Melanie will guide a tour of the farms and discuss pasture species, fencing, and water systems. The tour will compare the farms' different marketing strategies—direct marketing meat goats on the farm, sales to New Holland, and sales of breeding stock. For more info, see: http://wagn.cas.psu.edu/Calendar.html
6/7
The Role of the Horse in the Farm Organism, Chestnut Ridge, NY
In this one-day workshop, farmer Mac Mead will present a comprehensive picture of the role of the horse in the farm organism. After reviewing the basic nature and care of the draft horse and its harness and equipment, we will move from the classroom to the barn, where attendees will get hands-on instruction and practice in the tasks of grooming and harnessing. In the field, attendees will try their hands at several practical tasks, such as logging, plowing, discing and working raised beds. For more info, see: http://www.pfeiffercenter.org/workshops/index.asp
6/8-8/15
Vermont Sustainable Agriculture Semester, Craftsbury Common, VT
The Sterling College Sustainable Agriculture Semester immerses students in the daily rhythms and realities of farming. The Sustainable Agriculture Semester is a 8-11 credit integrated program of work and study exploring ecological management of plants, animals, and land. Classroom instruction, hands-on training, and work on the farm are combined to teach sustainable practices and to foster discussion about agricultural issues. The deadline for application for the 2008 summer semester is April 14, 2008.For more information, see:
http://www.sterlingcollege.edu/AD.summerfarm.html
6/9
Construction of Portable Animal Shelters for Small Ruminants, Cumberland County, PA
Join Pennsylvania Women's Ag Network representative Sandra Miller at Painted Hand Farm in Cumberland County for a hands-on construction workshop. At this event, the third in a series of construction workshops, participants will build small, light, and inexpensive shelters for sheep and goats. For more info, see: http://wagn.cas.psu.edu/Calendar.html
6/10-14
International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, Burlington, VT
ISSRM is the official meeting of the International Association for Society and Natural Resources, and is the largest international meeting of social scientists who focus on environmental and natural resources issues. The theme for this year's symposium is "People and Place: Linking Culture and Nature." For more info, see: http://www.issrm2008.org/
6/21
Transitioning to Organic Dairy, Hardwick, MA
NOFA/Mass, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the University of Massachusetts Extension have organized a series of Grazing Workshops as a continuing education resource for Massachusetts farmers. Topics at each event will vary, but will include pasture management, organic transition and herd health, forage species, soil fertility, fencing and water systems, and summer and winter grazing. For more info, see: http://www.umass.edu/cdl/MassGrass.html
6/22
Connecticut NOFA Organic Farms Tour, Fairfield County, CT
Tour three organic farms in Fairfield County with the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut. For more info, see: http://www.ctnofa.org/
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OPPORTUNITIES
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Food and Society Policy Fellowship call for applications
The Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute is pleased to announce a request for applications for the 2009-2010 class of Food & Society Policy Fellows.
Due date: 26 June 2008. Download application information here: http://www.foodandsocietyfellows.org/publications.cfm?refID=102200
Download the application cover sheet here: http://www.foodandsocietyfellows.org/publications.cfm?refID=102199
Marketing and Communications Manager, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, Pocantico Hills, NY
Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture is a farm, a kitchen, a classroom—an exhibit, a laboratory, a campus. The mission of this unique, nonprofit, member-driven collaboration is to celebrate, teach and advance community-based food production and enjoyment, from farm to classroom to plate. Stone Barns has an immediate opening for a full-time Marketing and Communications Manager. Supervised by the Managing Director, the Marketing and Communications Manager will have primary responsibility for all marketing projects, overseeing development, design and production of all internal and external materials. Working with the Managing Director, the Marketing and Communications Manager will develop and implement an integrated marketing and communications strategy for this growing organization. Last day to apply: June 20, 2008 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/en/job/275759-287
Director of Development, Glynwood Center, Cold Spring, NY
The Director is responsible for all fundraising programs for Glynwood Center. This position reports to the President and the Board of Directors on fundraising goals and achievement. The Director will head a comprehensive fundraising program to meet the short and long-term needs of Glynwood Center. This will include gifts from foundations, corporations and individuals to support annual unrestricted needs, special projects and endowment. Last day to apply: June 22, 2008 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/en/job/276320-2
Executive Director, Waltham Fields Community Farm, Waltham, MA
Waltham Fields Community Farm promotes local agriculture through growing and distribution practices that are socially, ecologically, and economically sustainable. We forge relationships between people, their food supply, and the land from which it grows. The Executive Director (ED) has overall responsibility for implementing the goals of Waltham Fields Community Farm as expressed in its mission and strategic plan. The ED works closely with the staff and the Board of Directors, as well as with partner agencies, donors, and the local community in general. He or she is responsible for fundraising, drafting and implementing the annual budget, and conducting the financial and administrative activities of the organization. Last day to apply: May 11, 2008 For more info, see: http://www.idealist.org/en/job/269208-262
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
Connecticut Farm Reinvestment Grant Program
By providing money for capital enhancement to farms, it is the Department of Agriculture'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 their 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, 2008 For more info, see: http://www.ct.gov/doag/cwp/view.asp?a=1368&q=273968
Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship Grants Program
These grants support fellowship programs that encourage outstanding students to pursue and complete their degrees or obtain postdoctoral training in areas where there is a national need for the development of scientific and professional expertise. Applications are being solicited in the following Targeted Expertise Shortage Areas: 1) agricultural genomics and bioinformatics; 2) natural resources and the environment; 3) agricultural systems and natural resource engineering; 4) agricultural management and economics; 5) food science; 6) human nutrition; 7) sciences for agricultural biosecurity; and 8) training in sustainable sciences. Applications may be submitted by: 1) Land-Grant Institutions, 2) colleges & universities having significant minority enrollments & a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food & agricultural sciences, & 3) other colleges & universities having a demonstrable capacity to carry out the teaching of food & agricultural sciences. Due date: May 8, 2008. For more info, see: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/graduateandpostgraduatefellowshipsserd.cfm
NRI: Agricultural Prosperity for Small & Medium Sized Farms
One component of the National Research Initiative is the Agricultural Prosperity for Small & Medium Sized Farms Program. Proposals for this program must be "integrated," i.e. contain at least two of three functions: research, outreach, and education. This year the program is highlighting involvement of Extension personnel & curriculum development that involves K-12 teachers. The program also encourages applications on sustainable biofuel production. Due date: June 5, 2008. For more info, see: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/nri_rfa.html
Food and Nutrition Research Program 2008 Competitive Grants and Cooperative Agreement Program
USDA Economic Research Service's Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program is now accepting proposals for grants and cooperative agreements for fiscal 2008. The three priority research areas are (1) Food Choices: Economic Determinants and Consequences, (2) Economic Incentives in Food Assistance Programs, and (3) Food Assistance as an Economic Safety Net. Funding for competitive awards in fiscal 2008 is approximately $2 million Due date: May 19, 2008. For more info, see: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/AP/ap027/DBGen.htm
Organic Research and Education Grants