Connecticut NOFA

See Jeffrey Smith on Friday at the Legislative Forum or on Saturday at the Winter Conference

2012-03-01T09:59:00.001-05:00

The leading consumer advocate promoting healthier non-GMO choices, Jeffrey M. Smith, is the author of the world's bestselling and #1 rated book on the health dangers genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

His first book Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies about the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating masterfully combines the art of storytelling and investigative reporting. His second book, Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods, is the authoritative work on GMO health dangers. It includes 65 health dangers, linking GMOs in our food to toxic and allergic reactions, infertility, and damage to virtually every internal organ studied in lab animals.

Mr. Smith has counseled leaders from every continent, campaigned to end the use of genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rbGH or rbST), and influenced the first state laws in the United States regulating GMOs. An admired keynote speaker around the globe, Mr. Smith has been described as "a life-changer". Former US National Institutes of Health scientist Candace Pert describes Jeffrey as "the leading world expert in the understanding and communication of the health issues surrounding genetically modified foods."

He is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology, producer of the films Hidden Dangers in Kids' Meals and Your Milk on Drugs—Just Say No!, writes an internationally syndicated column, Spilling the Beans, has a regular blog on the popular Huffington Post, and is followed on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Get a preview of some of the health dangers from GMOs with this video.

You have TWO opportunities to see Jeffrey Smith this weekend!

Attend the Environment Committee’s special news conference and legislative forum this Friday, March 2, 2012, from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 pm. The Environment Committee will hold a news conference, followed by a legislative forum on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) sponsored by State Representative Richard Roy. Following the news conference supporting HB 5117, An Act Requiring the Labeling of Genetically-Engineered Foods, national expert on the subject, Jeffrey Smith, will lead a legislative forum on the subject. A question and answer session will follow. Please arrive early to find parking, then head to the Old Appropriations, Room 310 at the Capitol in Hartford, CT.

And then of course, your second opportunity is at the 2012 CT NOFA Winter Conference on Saturday at Manchester Community College. We already have hundreds of people registered and are expecting many many more! Registration before the conference is encouraged, but we accept walk-ins too!

Organic Farmers' Suit Against Monsanto Dismissed

2012-02-28T09:28:00.002-05:00

Judge Sides with Monsanto in Lawsuit

Ridicules Connecticut NOFA Farmers' Right to Grow Food without Genetic Contamination and Economic Harm

New York, NY - Judge Naomi Buchwald's February 24 decision dismissing the case of Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association et al v. Monsanto was met with great disappointment by organic farmers, seed growers and agricultural organizations, including CT NOFA—and a renewed commitment to fight on.

Daniel Ravicher, lead attorney for the 81 plaintiffs represented in the lawsuit, said, "While I have great respect for Judge Buchwald, her decision to deny farmers the right to seek legal protection from one of the world's foremost patent bullies is gravely disappointing."

"Her belief," added Ravicher, "that farmers are acting unreasonably when they stop growing certain crops to avoid being sued by Monsanto for patent infringement, should their crops become contaminated, maligns the intelligence and integrity of those farmers."

Ravicher said the judge failed to address the purpose of the Declaratory Judgment Act and mischaracterized the Supreme Court precedent that supports the farmers' standing. "In sum, her opinion is flawed on both the facts and the law. Thankfully, the plaintiffs have the right to proceed to the Court of Appeals, which will review the matter without deference to her findings," the attorney said.

Monsanto's history of aggressive investigations and lawsuits brought against farmers in America has been a source of concern for organic and non-GMO agricultural producers since Monsanto's first lawsuit brought against a farmer in the mid-‘90s. Since then, 144 farmers have had lawsuits filed against them by Monsanto for alleged violations of their patented seed technology.

Monsanto has sued more than 700 additional farmers who have settled out-of-court rather than face Monsanto's belligerent, and well-financed, litigious actions.

Many of these farmers claim to not have had the intention to grow or save seeds that contain Monsanto's patented genes. Seed contamination and pollen drift from genetically engineered crops often migrate to neighboring fields. If Monsanto's seed technology is found on a farmer's land without a contract the farmer can be found liable for patent infringement.

"Family farmers need the protection of the court," said Maine organic seed farmer Jim Gerritsen, President of the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association, the lead plaintiff.

Gerritsen added, "We reject as naïve and indefensible the judge's assertion that Monsanto's vague public relations 'commitment [not to sue farmers for 'trace amounts' of their seeds are genetically engineered traits], should be 'a source of comfort' to plaintiffs. The truth is we are under threat and we do not believe Monsanto."

The plaintiffs brought the suit against Monsanto to seek judicial protection from such lawsuits and challenge the validity of Monsanto's patents on seeds.

"Monsanto is the big biotechnology bully and has used the courts, for years, to intimidate farmers," said Mark A. Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst at The Cornucopia Institute, another plaintiff. "The purpose of our lawsuit is to preemptively challenge its reign of intimidation over organic farmers, and others, who have chosen not to jump on their genetically engineered bandwagon."

Another plaintiff, organic farmer Bryce Stephens of Kansas, added, "As a citizen and property owner, I find the Order by the Federal Court to be obsequious to Monsanto."

"Seeds are the memory of life," said Isaura Anduluz of plaintiff Cuatro Puertas in New Mexico. "If planted and saved annually, cross pollination ensures the seeds continue to adapt. In the Southwest, selection over many, many generations has resulted in native drought tolerant corn. Now that a [Monsanto's] patented drought tolerant corn has been released how do we protect our seeds from contamination and our right to farm?"

A copy of Judge Buchwald's ruling is located here

To learn more about the lawsuit, come to Dan Ravicher's workshop at the CT NOFA Winter Conference this Saturday, March 3 at Manchester Community College.

Don't Just go Local, Grow Local!

2012-02-27T16:41:00.000-05:00

When searching for the most delicious, healthiest, and most cost effective produce, a great tactic is to buy local. Locally produced foods cut down on transportation costs and are fresher, more nutritious, and tastier than foods that are brought in from far away. If you take that mentality to its logical conclusion, however, the most local you can get is to simply grow it yourself! Growing your own fruits and vegetables is incredibly cost effective, and even if you don't own a yard where you can plant a garden, you can still grow food in planters on the porch or near a window indoors. Food picked fresh from your own home often tastes better as well since it couldn't possibly be any fresher, and you have the satisfaction of knowing that you grew it yourself.

The image above from the National Gardening Association details the demographics of American home gardeners. A larger version of the image can be found here. According to this information, over a third of households in the US have a garden, and many of those people are new to gardening. If you are interested in starting a garden, or have just started one and want to learn more about how to successfully produce your own fruits and veggies, check out our workshops at Common Ground High School in New Haven.

Have a great evening!

HB 5155 in Connecticut is a Really Big Deal

2012-02-23T14:46:00.000-05:00

"With so many unknowns and with plausible evidence of harm to children it makes no sense for our children to be involuntarily exposed to the unnecessary use of these toxic chemicals especially when there are safe, effective affordable alternatives." - Bill Duesing as quoted in the Connecticut Post

Hi All,

I know you must be tired of us only discussing GMO-Labeling and the potential reversal of the pesticide ban. But these are really, really important issues. Connecticut has the opportunity to either take big steps in the right direction towards toxics safety in foods and school grounds, or taking ten steps backwards.

Healthy soil yields pest-
resistant plants!

Lets focus on the pesticide bill. The NOFA Organic Land Care Program has just concluded two of our three accreditation courses, and we've accredited about 65 new professionals (if you're interested, there's one more course in Rhode Island!) Since I am a new employee, this is the first time I've sat through the course (though I did have the pleasure of coordinating it), and this comprehensive thirty hour course focuses on plant health, because the best pesticide (for people, the environment, pests and plants) seems to be prevention. We also celebrated some of our landscapers who have been accredited for ten years this past December. Organic has worked for these landscapers for ten years - it just needs to be done right!

There was a public hearing about HB 5155, an Act Modifying the Ban on Pesticide Applications on School Grounds on Wednesday, February 22. I was unable to go because it was the last day of our Accreditation Course, and I needed to moderate the Accreditation Exam (which everyone did very well on, by the way). Yes, it's a little bit ironic that our program accredited 36 new professionals prepared to offer the services that school groundskeepers and pesticide lobbyists claim are too difficult, too expensive, or simply impossible on the same day as this hearing.

Since I couldn't go, I submitted the following testimony:

What kind of chemicals should children really be exposed to?

I am writing from the classroom of the Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care, overseen by the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s Organic Land Care Program. We are in the fourth day of the course, and the students have learned about turf management, planting, mulching, fertilizing and pest management all without the chemicals that the NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care have found to be both harmful and unnecessary.

Connecticut took the lead on toxics safety and child health regulations with the pesticide ban. The pesticides banned by P.A. 09-56 have been linked to serious health issues including, but not limited to, birth defects, behavior disorders, respiratory disease like asthma and potentially cancer. Children are especially vulnerable to these dangerous chemicals because they play in the grass and because of their smaller, developing bodies.
The pesticide ban is a law that Connecticut should be proud of. Our state has prioritized the health of children over the importance of bright green grass, and the profits of chemical companies.
Widespread non-compliance must be addressed by education and training support from programs similar to the NOFA Organic Land Care’s Accreditation. More parents and families are choosing organic landscapers for their homes. To then expose their children to these harmful chemicals at school disrespects these parents’ values. As awareness grows about the potential threats of lawn chemicals, one can only expect greater support for the pesticide ban in Connecticut schools.

NOFA has the only internationally approved
land care standards

The alternative to pesticides exists. Organic land care has been applied to sports fields, turf grass, parks, homes, and many types of grounds. NOFA's Accreditation Program is in its twelfth year and we have a number of accredited organic professionals with decades of experience and many successful years offering organic services. As with every sustainable practice, at first it is more difficult. Organic land care requires that land care professionals develop an understanding of the ecology of the systems they are working with, and apply these lessons to the grounds.
To address non-compliance with a law by simply eliminating the law is unthinkable. Using this standard, most new laws would need to be reversed in the first couple years that new regulations take effect. To move backwards in regards to laws protecting the health of children would be an embarrassment for Connecticut.
Sincerely,
Kristiane Huber

Bill Duesing, our Executive Director also submitted an eloquent testimony which you can read here, you can read all the testimonies on this page. Want to comment on the bill? Beyond Pesticides has set up this online petition which will help you contact your legislator directly.

Best,
Kristiane

Our Winter Conference is Less than Two Weeks Away!

2012-02-20T14:02:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a busy few weeks we've been having here! We're in the middle of our Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care, as well as preparing for several upcoming workshops and tabling events in New Haven and Hartford. We're also gearing up for our biggest event of the year - our Winter Conference!

Join us in celebrating our 30th Annual Winter Conference with keynote international bestselling author Jeffrey M. Smith. Mr. Smith is the leading spokesperson on the health dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). He documents how the world’s most powerful Ag biotech companies bluff and mislead critics, and put the health of society at risk.

Our schedule of events for the day is now available online! There will be over 40 workshops, a potluck lunch, vendors, live music, cooking demos, exhibits, and expert panels. If you're a member or volunteer for us at the conference, you even get $10 off your registration! Best of all, we're running a promotion right now so that you can become a member for just $15 for the first year. Join today and take advantage of the member discount at the Winter Conference!

This short video from our 2010 Conference gives an idea of what it's like to attend:

Our biggest event of the year might be under two weeks away, but you can still take part! Check out our website to learn more, and fill out your registration online. You can also register by calling our office at 203.888.5146 or by mailing in a printable registration form.

With hundreds of people in attendance every year, this is an experience you don't want to miss! Sign up today and I'll see you there!

Best,
Melissa

Connecticut's Legislative Session Has Definitely Begun

2012-02-17T14:31:00.004-05:00

There are so many things going on this week! I'm writing from the Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care in New Haven. It's been a great class so far, we have about 40 students and have learned about soil biology, fertilizers, rain gardens, planting, mulches, meadows and organic turf management!

GMO-Labeling Bill:

A very exciting bill was just introduced in the Connecticut House of Representatives. HR Bill 5117 is an "Act Concerning Genetically Engineered Foods." We're working on creating an online petition, but you can look up your legislator here and let them know that you have the right to know exactly what is in your food, exactly what you are eating and if it is harmful or potentially harmful. Read our Executive Director, Bill Duesing's initial message about the legislation on Connecticut Environmental Headlines. Stay tuned for more information on how to take action and support this legislation.

Reversal of the School Pesticide Ban:

A very discouraging bill was also introduced to the House of Representatives. Maybe in the same letter to your representative you might want to address the "Act Modifying the Ban on Pesticide Applications on School Grounds" or House Bill 5155. This bill is designed to undo the pesticide ban on school grounds and playing fields at K-8 schools.

That's right. There is a bill in our state to reverse a law passed to protect Connecticut's children.

Transitioning to organic is not easy, and Connecticut's groundskeepers have required more support to successfully make their school grounds pesticide free and beautiful. It would be easier, of course to just go back to how it used to be, and expose every child ages 5- 14 to chemicals used to kill other living things like insects, grubs and soil organisms.

Both of these bills come down to our right to our health. I don't care if genetically modified foods, foods treated with pesticides, and direct exposure to pesticides might be okay for me. That's not enough. These are our bodies, our children, and our future. It is unconscionable to expose children to chemicals that might cause respiratory disorders, cancer, and reproductive issues later in their lives.

The potential health threats of GMOs are extensive but I'll leave it to the experts like Jeffrey Smith (who will be speaking on March 3 at CT NOFA's Winter Conference) to explain these risks. The point is that if there is any question about it's safety (and when it comes to GMOs and pesticides, there is beyond a question) then the public needs to be fully aware of the risks, and there needs to be a way for them to avoid these risks.

That is why we need your help. Please contact your representative, talk to your friends, and let's establish our right to healthy bodies and futures.

Best,
Kristiane

The Coventry WinterFresh Farmers' Market

2012-02-13T15:12:00.000-05:00

Coventry WinterFresh Market Sunday, February 12, 2012

Sunday, two of our staff members, myself included, went to table at the Coventry WinterFresh Farmers' Market in Coventry, CT, out by Tolland and the University of Connecticut. The event was wonderful - as someone who had never been to the Coventry Market before, I was thoroughly impressed by both the turnout of attendees and the selection of goods for sale. It may be the end of winter - that tricky time of year when stored produce from the fall starts to run out while it's still too early to begin planting many summertime favorites - but that doesn't mean you can't find a variety of delicious options from local producers. In this respect the Coventry Market is a real winner. The locally grown and produced goods really cover all bases, from seafood to greenhouse and storage produce, to diary, meat, baked goods, and even hot sauce! Not to mention the stands selling inedible items like beeswax candles, clothing, and cutting boards. This market is a great example of what CT NOFA is trying to promote with its Winter Food Project: increased access to safe, healthy, local food throughout the year. The first step in that process is to get the word out about what is available year-round in the state, so tell your friends about this and other winter markets listed on our website.

Here is a brief description of the Winter Market, as provided by the Coventry Market's website:

A photo of me next to CT NOFA's table and display board

Coventry WinterFresh Farmers’ Market brings you more than 30 local farmers and specialty food producers, from 11-2, Sundays, at Coventry High School, 78 Ripley Hill Rd. in Coventry, Connecticut. Running from November 20 through the end of February, our WinterFresh Market makes it easier to eat seasonally and locally through the depths of winter. We offer the freshest, tastiest food grown and produced in the state every Sunday, in a warm, indoor setting with good parking and easy access. We’ve lured the best farmers and food producers in Connecticut! We think you’ll be impressed!

This was a great event for us to table at because it not only served as an easy informal way to reach audiences that didn't previously know about CT NOFA and our programs, but also was a wonderful opportunity to do a little grocery shopping! If you'd like to come table for CT NOFA at a farmers market this spring, send me an email. We have many volunteer opportunities coming up at markets and outreach events across the state, especially as Earth Day in April draws closer. Volunteering for us is fun, educational, and often delicious!

Have a great afternoon!
-Melissa

Rethink Valentine's Day!

2012-02-10T11:52:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year, all the ads for edible arrangements, flowers and Russel Stover Chocolates are back on television. However, as human rights and environmental groups observe on virtually every holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Halloween) the ecological and human rights costs of these products are in sharp contrast to the holidays they are used to celebrate. Could there be a worse gift than something dowsed in chemicals, that causes birth defects, and permanent environmental damage?

About 78% of the flowers imported to the U.S. are from Colombia and Ecuador. Cut flowers are heavily treated with pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, a number of these chemicals are considered illegal in the United States. The people who apply these chemicals are young women and sometimes children, causing serious respiratory disorders and birth defects. Then they have to be shipped thousands of miles, continually hydrated, and refrigerated.

While the CEO of Russell Stover has promised that their contracts with cocoa companies in the Ivory Coast prohibit slave labor, the ecological cost of plantation farming, pesticide application and chocolate processing is extensive (and don't even get us started on palm oil).

Why not be a little more creative than chocolate and flowers?

It actually doesn't even require a lot of creativity. Preparing a healthy, local, organic meal is a pretty great option, and you can avoid the Valentine's Day Restaurant craze. There is also a growing popularity of local and organic wines.

Fair trade organic chocolate is a little pricey (and definitely not local) - but it's delicious, and pays workers a fair price and invests in sustainable farming in developing countries, some mainstream brands like dove are even moving towards sustainability. Choosing local jewelry and crafts support local artists and are more unique. It's also time to buy seeds (if you haven't already) - organic seeds will grow into an organic garden which will turn into organic homegrown food!

The best possible gift of course is a gift CT NOFA membership or maybe a gift Winter Conference registration.

Have a great weekend!
Kristiane

P.S. The NOFA Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care starting next Wednesday in Connecticut and on Febrary 27 in Rhode Island is still taking registrations if you are serious about "going organic" with your business, organization, town or school!

Big Food at the Yale Peabody Museum

2012-02-09T16:03:00.002-05:00

The following 7 minute video gives a great introduction to the challenges and solutions surrounding America's current food system. It also serves as an overview of a new exhibit at the Yale Peabody Museum, Big Food: Health, Culture, and the Evolution of Eating, that will be running from February 11 to December 2, 2012. Open to the public, and great for adults and kids alike, this exhibit is a wonderful interactive resource to help you learn more about your food, where it comes from, and why that's important. And the video even features our friends at Common Ground High School in New Haven!

Learn more about the exhibit here, and check out some interactive online food games related to the exhibit here. Below is an excerpt from the Peabody Museum's website:

Food is fundamental to life. Yet, our eating habits have become incredibly complex, involving many aspects of daily life far beyond addressing simple nutritional needs. Our world is characterized by environments that promote increased consumption of unhealthy food and sedentary lifestyles; over-nutrition and obesity now surpass under-nourishment as the world’s leading food and nutrition problem.

So why is it that our current food system promotes larger portion sizes, unhealthier meal options, and less exercise? As the video points out, the answers are complex, but there's certainly more to it than meets the eye. A recent article on the Spirit of Change Magazine's blog points to farm subsidies and fossil fuels as major contributing factors in the prevalence of cheap unhealthy foods. Of course, this is only another part of a much bigger picture, but it is an important part that's worth taking into account. Here is a particularly compelling excerpt from that article:

The truth is, food in the grocery store is not cheap. We pay for it in advance with our tax dollars, which support farm subsidies that go to support an ecologically problematic industrialized food system. We pay for it with the lives of our soldiers and with the unfathomable military expenditures that support our national reliance on fossil fuels, upon which the industrial farming model is completely dependent. The prices only look cheap because we are paying for them someplace else: through our taxes, and via the destruction of our soil, water, and natural resources through irresponsible farming practices.

Our food system has traveled down a long and winding road to get to where it is today. Because of this, the issues surrounding our food are fraught with complexities and ambiguities, but that doesn't mean that we have to get bogged down by them. Just remember to buy local and organic as much as you can and really honestly know where your food comes from and who's behind producing it. That's the easiest way to ensure that you are getting whole nutritious food for yourself and your family. Check out our Winter Food Project webpage or CT Organic Farms webpage for information about farms, farmers markets, and CSA programs in your area at this time of year.

Have a great afternoon!

Come Volunteer with us at the CT Flower and Garden Show!

2012-02-07T16:05:00.000-05:00

We are still looking for volunteers to table at the CT Flower and Garden Show at the Convention Center in Hartford, so if you want to attend an exciting event and promote sustainable land care to the public, please email me, the volunteer coordinator, at melissa@ctnofa.org.

We have volunteer openings Thursday-Saturday, in two shifts of 10-3 and 3-8pm. Volunteers be tabling with one other person (so you can take breaks as necessary) and will be provided with free admission. You can learn more about the Flower Show here.

The CT Flower and Garden Show boasts award winning landscape exhibits in full bloom ranging from 300 to 2,000 square feet and occupying over 45,000 square feet of the Convention Center Exhibit Hall. There will be 250 booths filled with plants, fertilizers, garden tools, tractors and mowers, patio and lawn furniture as well as other floral and garden related products and services, as well as an extensive floral & garden related artisian section with one of a kind designs including garden ornaments, jewelry, photography and more. Our booth will be among the many non-profit and educational exhibits. Even if you don't want to volunteer with us, visit the Show and experience some of the hours of educational seminars that will be available.

Have a great afternoon,
-Melissa

Why Seed Catalogs are Great Tools

2012-02-06T14:42:00.000-05:00

Our newest edition of Gleanings eNews features organic seed catalogs as this month's favorite tools. Since new organic seed catalogs have just come out for the 2012 season, now is a good time to note how informative and useful seed catalogs can be when starting out your garden or farm for the year. Really knowing what kinds of seed grow best in a particular soil and climate and when it's best to plant them can mean the difference between a successful harvest and a loss. Seed catalogs (and the people working behind the scenes to compile them) provide more than just an indexed list of products for sale. They represent a wealth of knowledge from decades of experience working with seeds. If you are a farmer or gardener, taking every opportunity to soak up this kind of accumulated know-how can really put you ahead in terms of your production, regardless of whether you are growing for personal or commercial use.

A recent interview by A Way to Garden highlights one individual in the vast well of organic seed producers. C.R. Lawn, the voice behind Fedco Seeds, is not only an expert on organic seed and production, but also was a keynote speaker at one of our past winter conferences, a co-author of the NOFA Handbook on saving seeds, and his business is a co-plaintiff in our suit against Monsanto. In the interview, C.R. dicusses a host of topics ranging from his heroes, to the Monsanto lawsuit, to giving advice about the best lettuces, peas, and potatoes. The following segment was particularly interesting:

Q. I have a famous garden friend who despite his expertise (and Italian heritage) lamented he could never ripen a proper crop of figs. Has any plant escaped your attempts at cultivation, or otherwise exasperated you?

A. I have never done well with peppers or eggplant. With peppers I think it is mostly that I have farmed in two windy locations and I have observed that peppers hate wind. They did much better when I built them little cages with row covers over.

I think plants know when you don’t like to eat them and they won’t grow for you. The eggplant falls in that category. Though a good chef can make an eggplant dish that I would eat, I lack that ability. The plants seem to know that and never grow for me. It doesn’t help that they prefer a great deal of heat (Maine sure was not warm enough for them most years), and they seem to be a favorite target for the Colorado Potato Beetle, which in my experience will decimate them must faster than it will potatoes.

C.R. makes a good point in this section that it's important to grow what you enjoy cooking and eating. If you love what you grow you will have a vested interest in its success, and all that hard work will be all the more delicious come harvest time!

Have a great afternoon!

Journeyperson Program

2012-02-03T14:45:00.002-05:00

TheNortheast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (CT NOFA) will beaccepting applications from qualified new farmers to participate in itstwo-year support program, known as the CT NOFA Journeyperson Program, untilFebruary 17, 2012. The program is modeled off a highly successful programpiloted by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA). CTNOFA, along with state NOFA chapters in five other states running similarprograms, is able to provide two years of educational and business planningstipends, support of a paid farmer mentor, educational and networkingopportunities and a specific commitment to ensuring that this small group offarmers is able to find sure footing in their first few years of farmingindependently.

Farmerscan begin the application process by filling out an application available at www.ctnofa.org/Beginning_Farmer/Journeypersons.html orby contacting CT NOFA’s Outreach Coordinator, Kristiane Huber at Kristiane@ctnofa.org. The application deadline for CT NOFA’s Journey Person Application is February17, with notification regarding the next step of the process occurring in thefirst week of March. Those accepted to the program will be invited to an orientationlater in the spring to officially welcome the first northeast-wide cohort ofJourneyperson farmers. The CT NOFA Journeyperson farmers will be invitedto meet their counterparts from other northeast states at the annual NOFASummer Conference in Amherst, MA in August 2012.

The CTNOFA Journeyperson Farmer Program is supported by the Beginning Farmer andRancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture,USDA, Grant #2011-49400-30510. Thisgrant has also enabled all of the NOFA Chapters to offer scholarships tobeginning farmers for their respective Winter Conferences. CT NOFA’s Winter Conference is March 3 andwill be accepting applications until February 24. Experienced farmers that are interested in becomingmentors should contact Kristiane Huber at Kristiane@ctnofa.org.

The Journeyperson Application: https://nofa.wufoo.com/forms/m7p8m7/

The Winter Conference Application: https://nofa.wufoo.com/forms/x7x1x7/

Please encourage anyone who is eligible for either program to apply. Higher rates of participation make our program stronger, and allow us to service more beginning farmers and be more effective!

OSGATA et al v. Monsanto In Depth

2012-02-02T15:41:00.000-05:00

The following is an excerpt from our Executive Director, Bill Duesing's, article in our newest edition of the Gleanings eNewsletter that was released today. In the article, Bill details his visit to Manhattan on Tuesday to support farmers who are trying to prevent Monsanto from suing them for patent infringement. If you would like to read the full newsletter, click here. If you'd like to sign up to receive our monthly eNews, click here.

A GMO Hearing and Wingnuts
February 1, 2012

activists outside the courthouse

Yesterday I had the honor of representing CT NOFA and its members at a hearing, in the Southern District Court in lower Manhattan, on Monsanto's motion to dismiss our suit asking the court to prevent Monsanto from suing farmers whose crops are contaminated by Monsanto's modified genes. (See this document for more information on the lawsuit, including a list and descriptions of our co-plaintiffs.)

I joined 54 other organic and non-GMO farmers, representatives of organic farming organizations and organic seed producers before 7 AM in order to get a seat in the courtroom. We came from 20 different states and one Canadian province. Although there was no opportunity for us to speak, our attorney felt it was important to show the judge that there are real people behind the law suit. There was standing room only in the courtroom. Monsanto's only supporters were its four attorneys.

After about three hours of waiting... Read more here!

In the following video, Dan Ravicher explains what OSGATA et al v. Monsanto is all about. The video is a little long, but gives a really good explanation that's easy to understand for those of us who aren't familiar with legalese.

These resources help to explain why this lawsuit is important, and give an idea of what the outcome will mean for both farmers and consumers. If you want to learn more about activism surrounding this case, check out the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association's website.

You can also read two articles in the news about Tuesday's event here and here.

Winter Conference Updates!

2012-02-01T12:25:00.000-05:00

We have some exciting updates about CT NOFA's 2012 Annual Winter Conference!

Trainwreck Jerry

Did you know CT NOFA is 30 years old? And that this is our thirtieth Winter Conference? We look at the conference as a bit of a celebration of our 30 years supporting sustainable food and farming. But what better way to celebrate our past than to discuss the future of food?
The labeling of genetically modified ingredients is becoming a big debate in Connecticut. There is draft legislation expected to be introduced in the Connecticut House of Representatives this spring advocating the right of consumers to know exactly what's in their food - including genetically modified ingredients. Learn more about this issue with our keynote Jeffrey M. Smith, world renowned speaker on genetically modified foods in our food system and with Dan Ravicher (pictured in the post below addressing protesters) the attorney representing organic seed producers and farmers in our lawsuit against Monsanto.
Did we mention that John Turenne, a board member, one of our favorite chefs and founder of Sustainable Food Systems will be orchestrating the Winter Conference pot luck? We're not sure if it's the largest pot luck in the state, but we bet it's in the top 3. And when you bring together hundred of people who love farms and food and tell them all to bring their favorite dish - we are talking about an amazing potluck here.
What kind of celebration doesn't include music? Trainwreck Jerry will be joining us to provide some musical entertainment. Watch a youtube of one of his performances.

Check out the official Winter Conference page!
Register today!
If you are a beginning farmer (have less than ten years of farming experience - but are serious about making farming your livelihood) you can apply for a scholarship to the Winter Conference to cover your admission fee! Apply for the scholarship here.

Update: A Citizen's Assembly of Support for Family Farmers vs. Monsanto

2012-01-31T15:44:00.000-05:00

Community members assembled early this morning.

At 9:00 am this morning community members and stakeholders assembled outside of the Southern District Court in New York City to announce a public message that they stand behind family farmers as they go to court with Monsanto. The lead plaintiffs in the case stated, " In the past two decades, Monsanto’s seed monopoly has grown so powerful that they control the genetics of nearly 90% of five major commodity crops including corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and sugar beets. This has resulted in onerous costs to farmers through high technology patent fees for seeds as well as burdensome litigation costs in defending themselves against lawsuits asserted by Monsanto. In many cases organic and conventional farmers are forced to stop growing certain crops in order to avoid genetic contamination and potential lawsuits." In response to the injustice leveraged on farmers by Monsanto, the Organic Seed Growers and Traders Association has filed suit against Monsanto.

Activists rallied after the court hearing.

The lawsuit OSGATA (Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association) et al vs. Monsanto was filed on behalf of 300,000 organic and non-GMO farmers and citizens to seek judicial relief in "protect[ing] themselves from ever being accused of infringing patents on transgenic (GMO) seed". The judge has requested and agreed to hear oral argument in orders to make a decision of whether or not to allow the farmers’ case to move forward in the courts after Monsanto filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Supporters of farmers’ rights to grow food without fear and intimidation assembled outside the courtroom today to support the farmers in their claims, recognizing that these injustices affect us all and that this case is deserving of the court’s time and attention.

We won't know the results of the hearing for a few weeks, but are taking a stand and are committed to seeing this through.

Have a great afternoon!

Monsanto's Take on GMO Testing

2012-01-30T16:19:00.000-05:00

A recent post in the Natural News highlights a claim made by Monsanto Corporation that "there is no need for, or value in testing the safety of GM foods in humans". Despite many studies pointing to the dangers of GMO foods, Monsanto has taken the stance that GMOs are not substantially different from natural crops. Here is a selection of text from the article that details a bit of Monsanto's argument:

In the "Why aren't you running human clinical trials on GM crops?" section of Monsanto's Food Safety page, the biotechnology giant explains its opinion that GMOs are "substantially equivalent" to natural organisms. According to Monsanto, since concentrations of proteins, carbohydrates, and other nutrient factors vary among natural crops, as well as among natural and GM crops, then these differences are unimportant in light of GMO safety.

Furthermore, Monsanto claims that its injection of foreign DNA into its GM crops is also safe because DNA is present in natural crops as well. Never mind that the injected DNA is foreign and unnatural, and is used to alter the entire genetic structure of GM crops -- according to Monsanto, its unnatural DNA is non-toxic because every other plant also has DNA.

It's time that we learn the truth about what's in our food, so that we can make more informed decisions as consumers about what goes into (and potentially harms) our bodies. We are building a list of members interested in anti-GMO activism who can help send letters to the FDA or locally organize to advocate for state labeling regulation in which Rep. Roy and the Ledgelight Health District have led the way. Please e-mail Kristiane if you'd like to be added to the list as we coordinate more GMO activism activities.

Additionally, if you want to learn more about the Dangers of GMOs, register today for our Winter Conference! With over 40 workshops, potluck lunch, vendors, live music, cooking demos, exhibits, expert panels, and a keynote by Jeffrey M. Smith, the leading spokesperson on the dangers of GMOs, this is an event you don't want to miss!

Have a great week!
-Melissa

Growing Fruit in a Healthy Orchard Ecosystem

2012-01-27T09:49:00.001-05:00

Join NOFA Organic Land Care on March 9, 2012 for a workshop lead by "The Apple Grower" himself, Michael Phillips. The workshop is intended for land care professionals interested in edible landscapes, community gardeners, and aspiring or current fruit growers!

The program will start at 9:00am at the Connecticut Forest and Park Headquarters in Rockfall, CT. During this time in the Classroom Michael will discuss the primary role of orchardists; which is to build system healt hcreating the most favorable conditions for the production of delicious, healthy fruits. He will discuss holistic method which are about deep nutrition and competitive colonization along with organically-approved approaches to achieving pest balance.

After a hearty lunch the class will move out of the CFPA Headquarters to High Hill Orchard in Meriden (about a ten minute drive away). At High Hill Orchard, the class will learn in the field about forest edge ecology, embracing the right biology in your yard or orchard, and roots cycles which suggest a particular timing of tasks. The workshop will wrap up around 4:00pm.

Michael Phillips has written a number of books on the topic of holistic orchard management including The Holistic Orchard, The Herbalist's Way and The Apple Grower. For more information about Michael Phillips, visit his websites at www.HerbsAndApples.com and www.GrowOrganicApples.com

Course Cost:

Regular: $155
AOLCP/ NOFA Member: $140
Early Registration: $140
Early AOLCP/NOFA Member Registration: $125

To register call the office at 203-888-5146 or visit the Organic Land Care website: http://www.organiclandcare.net/education/advanced-workshops

GMO's unfavorability in Europe

2012-01-26T09:54:00.000-05:00

According to the Euractiv.com article "Disgruntled GMO firms start pulling out of EU market" Monsanto has announced that it will cancel plans to sell an insect-resistant maize in France, the second move in a weekly by biotech company to retreat from the genetically modified foods market in Europe.
German's chemical company BASF also has suspended the development of GM crops in Europe and move its plant science arm to the United States.

"No one wants to eat them and few farmers want to grow them," explained Adrian Bebb, food campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe.

This is encouraging for anti-GMO activists in the United States, because it is evident that government regulations of GMO crop development and distribution discourages biotech companies. This means that the labeling the 93% of Americans demand   along with some closer regulation of the distribution of GMOs (currently genetically modified blue grass seed and alfalfa have the same regulations as non-GMO strains) can seriously impede Monsanto and other GMO companies.

Many Americans don't want to eat GMOs and many farmers would prefer that GMOs were heavily regulated or banned because of the continued risk of contamination.

Check out Friends of the Earth Europe's page about GMOs for more information.

Best,
Kristiane

Why Local Farming is Important

2012-01-24T12:19:00.000-05:00

Rebecca Kline of New Haven Farms stands at the site
of a proposed community garden in New Haven.

An excerpt from a recent Huffinton Post Article about our local (and impressive) Common Ground Farm and High School reads, "In a 1787 letter to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson wrote, 'Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will, in the end, contribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness.' In short, farming produces not only food, but also the foundation for a good life." Growing the number of farms in our state addresses more than just food access and nutrition; it also fills a cultural void that has been present in our country ever since industrial agriculture stole the spotlight from traditional community-based means of food production. Without local farms available in and around the places where we live and work, we suffer emotionally and culturally as well as physically. In communities where there aren't many remaining farms, losing another one can be especially unsettling, as is the case with Purdy's Farm in Greenwich, one of only two farms left in the town.

But there is light on the horizon. Of late there has been a new resurgence in the number of new people, many of whom have never farmed before, developing an interest in local sustainable agriculture. In New Haven, the same city in Connecticut that Common Ground calls home, a nonprofit called New Haven Farms has set its sights on creating a new urban community farm that aims to feed 250 people in the surrounding area. Additionally, other nonprofits and farming organizations like the NOFA state chapters have implemented programs to help teach and train a new generation of farmers.

If you are interested in starting a sustainable farm and want to learn more about taking the first steps, join CT NOFA and a group of other established and prospective farmers this Saturday at the Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference in Rockfall, CT. Come and learn about the topics that are most integral to starting your farm - land access, leasing, marketing, and more. To learn more about the conference and to register, check out our website. Working together, we can change the culture of farming in our state and in our country.

Have a great day!
-Melissa

Climate Negotiators Start Talking about Agriculture

2012-01-19T16:05:00.001-05:00

Climate scientists, climate activists, farmers, agricultural scientists, and sustainable food advocates around the world have tried to highlight the close, and alarming, relationship between climate change and agriculture. Current industrial agricultural methods contribute heavily to green house gas emissions (more than the entire transportation sector) while floods in Vermont, droughts in the south, wildfires in Texas, tornadoes in Mississippi and northern California, have shown that agriculture is threatened by more frequent extreme weather.

This post, Agriculture and Climate Change, Revisted in the New York Times Green Blog by Justin Gillis, is a nice overview of the complexities related to how climate change is interrelated with global agricultural production. Especially this quotation from Dr. Molly Jahn, a plant breeder at the University of Wisconsin: “Agriculture needs to be front and center, as an activity on which our lives very literally depend.”

This led me to a report from the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change titled "Achieving Food Security in the Face of Climate Change" which is definitely worth a read oiver, it's only 20 pages. Here are two images that struck me the most (the first is on page 5 of the publication and the other is on page 6).

This map shows the areas that will gain in agricultural production by 2080 (in green) and those that will lose agricultural production (in red), notice what countries are in red (almost all developing countries).

Now check out this image considering the green house gases emitted to produce food in different countries and how that food is used.

There are lots of solutions proposed to address these issues, mainly that we need more farms and more farmers in more places using sustainable methods.
Also it looks like America's beloved corn crops are going to be heavily affected by climate change, should we try planting something else? Maybe something that's a little bit more edible and healthy?

Just some more food for thought!
Best,
Kristiane

The 30th National Pesticide Forum Healthy Communities: Green solutions for safe environments

2012-01-18T09:24:00.000-05:00

The 30th National Pesticide Forum, Healthy Communities: Green solutions for safe environments, will be held March 30-31, 2012 (Friday evening and all day Saturday) at Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. The conference will focus on organic landcare, urban/ suburban pesticide use, organic food, and protective national, state, and local policies.

Registration: Register online.
Student: $15
Grassroots activist/member: $35
Non-member: $75
Business: $175

Just added speaker:
David Hackenberg is the beekeeper who first discovered the disappearance of honeybees known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Mr. Hackenberg believes that pesticides contribute to CCD and that honeybees are a barometer of the environment. He is featured in the film Vanishing of the Bees and various media reports, including this 60 Minutes segment. David is a past president of the American Beekeeping Federation, and currently serves as co-chair of the National Honey Bee Advisory Board.

Other speakers include, Nancy Alderman, President of Environment and Human Health, Inc, Gary Hirshburg, co-founder of Stoneyfield Farm and a number of other environmental leaders in the pesticide action field. See the speaker list here!

Convenors and co-sponsors
The conference is convened by Beyond Pesticides, Environment and Human Health, Inc., and the Watershed Partnership, Inc., and co-sponsored by Audubon Connecticut, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA), Grassroots Environmental Education, Green Decade/Newton, GreenCape, NOFA Massachusetts Chapter, Northern New Jersey Safe Yards Alliance, Rivers Alliance of Connecticut, Safelawns.org, Sierra Club-Connecticut Chapter, and Toxics Action Center.

Sessions will be held in the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies' Kroon Hall. It is a truly sustainable building: a showcase of the latest developments in green building technology, a healthy and supportive environment for work and study, and a beautiful building that actively connects students, faculty, staff, and visitors with the natural world.

Another Reason to Avoid GMOs: Bt Toxin Superpests

2012-01-17T13:20:00.000-05:00

This is hardly breaking news, but worth remembering when deciding if you want to eat food processed with Bt corn or soy. At the end of last year, both Grist and GM Freeze wrote articles about insects developing resistance to genetically modified Bt crops. The following is an excerpt from GM Freeze:

Corn Rootworm

Scientists have confirmed five incidents of insects evolving resistance to Bt toxins in the field to date: Bt cotton in India (2010) and US (2008), moth pests in maize in Puerto Rico (2007) and South Africa (2007) and a beetle pest in maize in the US (2011).

Reasons for resistance developing are:

Failure to provide adequate non-GM refuges in GM crops to ensure non-resistant adult insects can survive to breed with resistant ones so that the resistance gene does not become dominant. Refuges are required by US laws that are widely flouted.
Levels of Bt toxin in the crops too low to deliver lethal doses to pests. Sub-lethal doses mean resistance can develop as pests survive, mate and pass on the resistance gene. If the number of resistant individuals is high they can multiply quite rapidly and become dominant.

This failure of Bt crops goes hand in hand with a separate superweed problem affecting Monsanto's Roundup Ready line of herbicide resistant crops. The moral of this story: genetic tinkering has a host of unintended consequences, some of which you can plan for (as in the case of non-GM refuges, which demonstrates another issue of whether or not companies will comply with knowledge-based regulations) and some of which you can't. Since the yields of these crops are the same or worse than the organic alternative, why not just skip the GMOs altogether?

If you would like to know what's in your food, join our GMO Activist Project and add your voice to the public outcry to label genetically modified foods. Check out our GMO resource page and take action at Just Label It. If you want to learn more about the dangers of GMOs, register for our Winter Conference with keynote Jeffrey Smith, the leading spokesperson on the health dangers of genetically modified organisms.

Have a great rest of your week!
Melissa

January 31: A Citizen's Assembly of Support for Family Farmers vs. Monsanto

2012-01-16T16:09:00.002-05:00

When: Tuesday, January 31, 2011 @ 9:00 am

Where: Southern District Court, New York City

Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse
500 Pearl St.
New York, NY 10007-1312

Here is a message from the lead plaintiffs in the Organic Seed Growers and Traders Association et. al v. Monsanto court case:

We wish to assemble free and peaceful citizens outside the Manhattan District court in an effort to present the important message to family farmers that millions of Americans stand behind them as they seek their day in court. In the past two decades, Monsanto’s seed monopoly has grown so powerful that they control the genetics of nearly 90% of five major commodity crops including corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and sugar beets. This has resulted in onerous costs to farmers through high technology patent fees for seeds as well as burdensome litigation costs in defending themselves against lawsuits asserted by Monsanto.

In many cases organic and conventional farmers are forced to stop growing certain crops in order to avoid genetic contamination and potential lawsuits. Between 1997 and April 2010, Monsanto filed 144 lawsuits against American farmers in at least 27 different states, for alleged infringement of its transgenic seed patents and/or breach of its license to those patents, while settling another 700 out of court for undisclosed amounts. As a result of these aggressive lawsuits, Monsanto has created an atmosphere of fear in rural America and driven dozens of farmers into bankruptcy.

The lawsuit OSGATA (Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association) et al vs. Monsanto was filed on behalf of 300,000 organic and non-GMO farmers and citizens to seek judicial relief in "protect[ing] themselves from ever being accused of infringing patents on transgenic (GMO) seed". The judge has requested and agreed to hear oral argument in orders to make a decision of whether or not to allow the farmers’ case to move forward in the courts after Monsanto filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. We are encouraging supporters of farmers’ rights to grow food without fear and intimidation to assemble outside the courtroom in a peaceful manner to support the farmers in their claims, recognizing that these injustices affect us all and that this case is deserving of the court’s time and attention.

Due to limited space, only a small number of individuals will be able to enter the courtroom and listen to the proceedings. We respectfully ask that farmers and plaintiffs in the case be given priority to hear this case in person as each plaintiff has traveled many miles and put a great deal on the line to be a part of this case.

In the spirit of peaceful assembly and respect for the courts, we request that you adhere to the following principles:

Principles for Citizens' Assembly

1.     Assemble outside the court in a show of support for family farmers and their right to grow food without the threat of intimidation, harassment or loss of income.
2.     Assemble peacefully to present a positive message that America’s citizens stand behind family farmers and support their rights of legal protection under the Constitution.
3.     Bring signs that portray messages of:

a.     Hope
b.     The positive impacts of sustainable and organic agriculture
c.     Solutions to our current crisis in food, agriculture and society
d.     Support for farmers who seek justice in the courts

4.     Be respectful of court security requests and follow them faithfully.
5.     Maintain a respectful distance from the court entry on Pearl Street, making sure not to block access for foot traffic or vehicles.
6.     Maintain a tone of respect for the court and the sanctity of our legal process as the judge hears the merits of this important case.
7.     Cell phones, cameras and tape recorders are prohibited inside the courthouse. Those who enter the courthouse must conform to court security protocols.
8.     No signs, t-shirts with slogans or other disruptions, visual or otherwise, are appropriate or allowed in the courtroom.
9.     No chanting or loud noises allowed outside the courthouse as all must maintain their conduct in ways that are respectful to the judicial process and in accordance with the seriousness of the case.
10. Please follow the instructions of designated assembly captains who will continue to update you as the events of the day unfold.

As advocates for farmers and supporters of a citizen-based democracy we greatly appreciate your support for family farmers and your agreement to act in accordance with these principles in order to guarantee farmers' rights to grow food without fear and intimidation.

Location to Hear Plaintiffs and Attorney Comment After Hearing

Once oral arguments are heard in the court, farmers, plaintiffs and lead attorney Dan Ravicher of the Public Patent Foundation will be available for comments to supporters and the media, at the Southwest Corner on 500 Pearl Street, at Pearl Street and Cardinal Hayes Place.

For those planning on assembling at 9 am, Pearl Street has been recommended to gather respectfully and overflow can gather at Foley Square.

Link to Google Map http://bit.ly/NyDistrictCtPearlSt

If link does not work, Google: 45 Cardinal Hayes Place, New York, NY for location of assembly, which is the intersection of Pearl Street and Cardinal Hayes Place.

Click here to RSVP to attend the Citizen's Assembly.

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/citizensassembly_monsanto/

Click Here to Sign Our Petition Supporting Farmers

http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/farmersvs_monsanto/

The CT NOFA Winter Conference Welcomes Families, Farmers and Foodies!

2012-01-12T12:59:00.000-05:00

The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (CT NOFA) welcomes all to the 30^th Annual Winter Conference on March 3 to discuss the future of sustainable farming and celebrate local food. Geared not only toward farmers, but also gardeners, locavores, homesteaders and anyone interested in a sustainable lifestyle, the conference features workshops, internationally-celebrated speakers, and the renowned potluck. Geared not only toward farmers, but also gardeners, locavores, homesteaders and anyone interested in a sustainable lifestyle, the conference features workshops, internationally-celebrated speakers, and the renowned potluck.

The 2012 Winter Conference’s keynote speaker is Jeffrey Smith, noted author and speaker on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). He is the author of Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette, and will share insights on the real threats that GMOs pose to local food production as well as to consumers’ health. A second workshop on GMOs will be hosted by Daniel Ravicher, legal counsel representing CT NOFA and 80 other plaintiffs against Monsanto to legally protect small farms and farmers.

All workshops are taught by regional professionals bringing expertise from the farm, kitchen, government, or non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable lifestyle. Specific growing workshops include production of fruit, garlic, honey, nuts, and mushrooms. Classes on pollination, nitrogen management and soil microbiology are among those that will provide more technical instruction. Sustainable home-life classes include seminars on root cellars, food storage, cooking, household products as well as well as how to make healthy choices in cosmetics. For activists and organizers the conference offers workshops in climate change, starting food co-ops, and establishing a winter farmers’ markets.

The Winter Conference is a celebration of local foods and farms. In keeping with this theme, attendees are encouraged to bring a favorite food dish for the potluck feast. Local, organic vendors including Sweet Sage Bakery of Madison, CT and Bean & Leaf of New London, will be selling delicious, sustainable treats. Children are welcome to spend time in the Family Play ‘n’ Chill room.

The CT NOFA 30^th Annual Winter Conference will be held at Manchester Community College, on Great Path Rd in Manchester, CT on Mach 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration is $50 for NOFA members, $60 for non-members ($35 for students or seniors). There is a $5 discount for early registration (before February 18^th) and an additional $10 discount for those interested in volunteering. For more information and registration online, visit www.ctnofa.org, or call the office at 203-888-5146.

Can you have fair, green, affordable, and healthy food all at once?

2012-01-11T13:28:00.000-05:00

What do you think? The folks at Slow Food USA are vehemently divided on the subject. Last August, after electing a new president, Slow Food started the "$5 Challenge", a pledge to share a fresh, healthy meal for under $5 per person as an alternative to a fast food value meal. This marks a change in direction for Slow Food, as they were originally an organization that believed consumers should be willing to pay more for their food. Proponents of this new outlook believe that the old way of doing things preached too much to the choir, and was often elitist, classist, and exclusionary. Critics, however, argue that competing financially with fast food companies and big agribusiness is nothing more than a race to the bottom - an unsustainable effort that sacrifices the livelihoods of small scale farmers and food producers. Personally, I can see both sides of the debate. Not everyone can afford to pay more for the organic items sold in stores, but it's also dangerous to apply fast food economics to slow food situations.

However, you don't necessarily have to pay a lot more for healthy organic food. Offset packaging and transportation costs by buying goods from your local farmer's market or CSA program. Visit a farm and pick your own. Or start a garden, either in your yard if you have one, or in containers if you don't. You'll be supporting the local food movement, helping the environment, being kind to your wallet, and doing your health a favor. Check out our Winter Food Project webpage and CT Farms and Food webpage to learn more about farms, markets, and CSA programs in your area all year round.

Read a Chow article here to learn more about the Slow Food debate and let us know what you think either here or on Facebook!

One Great Reason to go Organic: GMOs

2012-01-10T10:11:00.000-05:00

Right now the only way to know for sure if the food you're eating is GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) free is to buy organic. Organic produce is prohibited from containing any genetically modified material, and organic livestock may not be given any genetically modified feed. Maria Rodale, CEO and Chairman of Rodale, Inc., posted an article yesterday on the Huffington Post that describes the dangers of GMOs and the resulting need for product labeling. Maria sites three studies listed in her article and summarizes them concisely: "One reports that GMOs survive in our bodies -- they aren't killed in the stomach, as some have suggested, but travel to the intestine where they remain active in the body. Another study reports that we are exposed to these GMOs, not only from the GMO foods themselves, but also from eating animals that eat GMO foods. And finally, animal studies reveal that these GMOs may be linked to disease.

So I say, Just Label It!"

The Just Label It campaign calls for mandatory labeling of GMO ingredients. The NOFA Interstate Council, NOFA RI, NOFA-VT, NOFA-NY and CT NOFA have joined the Campaign and are also plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Monsanto to protect organic producers from the ramifications of GMO contamination. As part of our GMO Activist Program, we are building a list of members interested in anti-GMO activism who can help send letters to the FDA or locally organize to advocate for state labeling regulation in which Rep. Roy and the Ledgelight Health District have led the way. Please e-mail Kristiane if you'd like to be added to the list as we coordinate more GMO activism activities.

Check out our webpage to learn more about what you can do to ensure that you know what's in your food.

Have a great week!
-Melissa

Did You Know about CT NOFA's Support for Beginning Farmers?

2012-01-06T10:31:00.001-05:00

Below is a press release about CT NOFA's work supporting beginning farmers. If you are a beginning farmer, or know one, let them know about our programs and that we're planning six beginning farmer workshops and offering scholarships to the CT NOFA Winter Conference!

From Grassroots International's Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/grassrootsinternational/707717556/

Contact: Kristiane Huber
kristiane@ctnofa.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 2, 2012

To replace the estimated half of American farmers expected to retire in the next decade, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has called for 100,000 new farmers. In Connecticut, where the average age of our food producers is 57, while the demand for “Connecticut Grown” increases, it is evident that beginning farmers require support in farm planning, financing and land access. Agriculture’s $2 billion contribution to the state’s economy as well as the value of local, sustainable foods means that Connecticut needs to attract new farmers to the state. The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (CT NOFA) seeks to support beginning farmers with a variety of programs supporting organic, women, young and beginning farmers.

CT NOFA’s Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference will be held in Rockfall, CT on Saturday, January 28, 2012. The conference features speakers with farming, business and organizing expertise who will discuss organic certification, green house planting, marketing, land access, and specific organic growing methods. Confirmed speakers include Dina Brewster from the Hickories in Ridgefield, Bryan O'Hara from Tobacco Road Farm in Lebanon, and Shannon Raider from Common Ground Farm in New Haven. The conference aims to help provide new and transitioning organic farmers with the tools and the expertise necessary to be successful. To register, visit www.ctnofa.org and click on Getting Started in Organic Farming.

Seventeen women enrolled in the third year of CT NOFA and Holistic Management International's Beginning Women Farmer Program and have already attended three seminars to learn whole farm management practices. This program will move outdoors in the spring to on-farm workshops and tours.

The Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont, and New Hampshire NOFA chapters, as well as the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), have received a grant from the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program to fund the regional Beginning Farmer Program, "Cultivating the Next Crop of Northeast Organic Farmers from Apprenticeship to Independence". The goal of the collaborative project is to help each organization boost their Beginning Farmer outreach through educational programs, networking opportunities and overall support to aspiring and beginning farmers and to experienced farmers who help to train them in the art and science of agriculture.

Each state is expected to organize and provide six beginning farmer workshops in 2012, a beginning farmer workshop track at their chapter's Winter Conference and an online service to match apprentices with farm-hosts and mentors. The grant also enables CT NOFA to offer scholarships to beginning farmers attending the Winter Conference. Interested farmers with ten years of experience or less are encouraged to visit www.ctnofa.orgfor more information.

Come Visit us at our Upcoming Events!

2012-01-05T13:59:00.001-05:00

This year marks our 30th anniversary, so to make this year our best one yet we are hosting or tabling at a vast array of events over the next several months. This means you will have even more opportunities to come visit us and learn more about organic agriculture, land care, and sustainable living. Check out the following list of events for farmers, land care professionals, and consumers, and click on many of the titles to learn more information.

If you are thinking about becoming an organic farmer, register today for this conference:

2012 Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference
Saturday, January 28
CT Forest and Park Association
Rockfall, CT

If you are an Accredited Professional, come check out these conferences, courses and workshops:

NY Turf and Landscape Conference
January 11, 2012
White Plains, NY

RI Nursery and Landscape Annual Winter Meeting
January 24-25, 2012
Warwick, RI

CT Groundskeepers Association 2012 Turf Conference
January 24, 2012
Cromwell, CT

New England Grows
February 1-3, 2012
Boston, MA

11th Annual Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care
New Haven, CT
February 15-17, and 21-22, 2012
(Snow Date: February 23, 2012)

Charlestown, RI
February 27-29, March 1-2, 2012
(Snow Date; March 5)

Ecological Landscaping Association - 18th Annual Conference and Marketplace
March 7-8, 2012
Springfield, MA

Organic Apple Growing OLC Advanced Workshop with Michael Phillips
March 9, 2012
Location and time TBA

And if you're a farmer, Accredited professional, or consumer, these events are open to all:

30th Annual CT NOFA Winter Conference
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Manchester Community College
Manchester, CT

How to Plan For a Bountiful Vegetable Garden
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Common Ground High School
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Starting Seedlings Workshop
March 10, 2012
Common Ground High School
10:00-12:00pm

Soils and Compost Workshop
March 11, 2012
Common Ground High School
10:00-1:00pm

Organic Gardening Workshop
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Common Ground High School
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Looking forward to seeing you there!
-Melissa

Wal-mart's threat to the food system

2012-01-04T12:44:00.000-05:00

The Atlantic

"Eaters beware: Walmart is taking over our food system" by Stacey Mitchell, on Grist.com brought to light the power of Wal-Mart in the American food system. I knew Wal-mart was becoming a considerable force in conventional and organic markets, but had not realized their pervasiveness in our food system, and how rapidly their presence has grown.

I won't ruin the article for you (you should read it), but here are some interesting facts I learned:

The first Walmart supercenter (store with an included grocery store) opened in 1989
By 1998 there were 441 supercenters
From 1998 - 2012 that number has grown to over 3,000 super-centers
Wal-Mart is targeting New York, Chicago and Washington DC for expansion
This has set off a chain of mergers and purchases so food companies can grow to a large enough size to do business with Wal-Mart

Also this little statistic is some real food for thought: Walmart has also been linked to risingobesity. "An additional supercenter per 100,000 residents increases ...the obesity rate by 2.3 percentage points," a recent study concluded. "These results imply that the proliferation of Walmartsupercenters explains 10.5 percent of the rise in obesity since the late1980s."

This is a great reminder that there are many elements to the sustainable food debate - we aren't just looking for local and organic, we are looking for decentralization and where it is possible, completely removing the "food provider" middle-man part of the food supply chain that insures farmers are underpaid while customers over pay.

Happy New Year!
Kristiane

How Much Did you Eat This Holiday Season?

2012-01-03T16:16:00.000-05:00

Maybe it was more than you think. According to NPR's food blog, The Salt, the average American ate nearly one ton of food last year, much of it as cheese, sweets, potatoes, and corn. The data, compiled by the US Department of Agriculture, estimates that, per person annually, we consume on average a whopping 630 pounds of dairy (including 31 pounds of cheese), 141 pounds of sweeteners, and 185 pounds of meat. The 273 pounds of fruit and 415 pounds of vegetables may seem to make up for all that, but unfortunately most of the fruit figure is water weight and a large portion of the vegetables are comprised of corn and potatoes, two of the least healthy vegetables out there. All of this accounts for a grand total of 2700 calories per person per day on average, quite a bit more than we need. Of course, you might be well below that number, but these averages speak to a very clear consumption problem in the United States and a heavy reliance on subsidized and processed foods.

This winter, skip the prepackaged and processed foods and buy a bag of produce from your local winter farmers market. It will taste delicious, will be easier on your budget than you think, and will help your local economy, the environment, and your health. Check out our Winter Food Project webpage for details.

Wishing you a healthy and sustainable new year!
-Melissa

Not All Organic Farms are Created Equal

2012-01-02T10:51:00.000-05:00

We generally think of organic and sustainable as going hand in hand, but in the produce department this isn't always the case. The New York Times featured a front page article on the 30th questioning the sustainability of many organic produce farms, focusing mainly on those farms in Baja, Mexico that are technically organic, but don't often match up with what we would typically consider environmental sustainability. Organic tomato farms on the Baja Peninsula have depleted the water table in the area to the point where local subsistence farmers can't grow food because their wells are dry. Additionally, tomatoes produced in this region overwhelmingly serve the United States market, meaning that they are shipped long distances at fossil fuel costs rivaling those of conventional farms.

How should we as consumers respond to this? Buy local! If you live in a cold winter climate, reduce your intake of warm-weather produce in an effort to eat more sustainably. If the northern United States didn't have such a high demand for tomatoes all winter, we wouldn't be so reliant on imports. Eating local winter food can be just as delicious and satisfying as eating imported hot-weather foods, and is also better for the environment and your local economy.

If you want to eat local this winter but aren't sure how to get started, check out our Winter Food Project webpage for recipes, winter CSA programs, and winter farmers markets in Connecticut.

Watch the New York Times video about sustainability here.

Happy New Year!
-Melissa

Trends of 2011, Resolutions for 2012

2011-12-30T08:28:00.003-05:00

Another year is coming to a close - here in the office it doesn't feel like anything is ending since the Organic Land Care Accreditation Course is quickly approaching in February and the CT NOFA 2012 Winter Conference will be following closely on March 3, but we won't object to a long weekend.

The sustainable food movement had a good year in 2011:

The "local' food industry had doubled from 1999 to 2009 and is estimated to be worth $7 billion in the United States in 2011
Restaurants are going "hyperlocal" by growing food in restaurant gardens - some behind restaurants and others on the roof (we had one restaurant garden on our 2011 Annual City Farm and Garden Tour - 116 Crown in New Haven)
Do-it-yourself canning, pickling and preserving - learning how to preserve fresh food through the winter is a great way to keep your diet local year-round!
There are more community gardens and urban farms than ever, and, say what you will about the economy, consumers want to support them.
Farmers occupied Wall Street making the same demands for a political system that supports people, not corporations

Do you have any 2012 New Year's Resolutions? The most common answers are some combination of "lose weight", "live more healthfully", "spend more time with friends and family"

I have some good news, all of these resolutions lend themselves to eating local and organic!

We like these resolutions, they can make you happier, healthier, and thinner (if you're concerned about that)

Eat in. I like this recommendation to lay off the take-out, and try making your own bread. If you're really inept at cooking, look for some cooking classes in your area, more restaurants are offering them as a way to bring customers into their kitchens!
Start a garden! It's not too hard (we're here to help!), you can save money on food, help the environment and you'll have a healthy food source in your yard!
Share your resolutions with other people, make sustainable dinners for your family and friends, bring them to the local farm where you buy your produce!
Buy a share in a CSA, contact farms now to see when you should buy your shares and to see if you can reserve one (some CSAs have already sold out their shares for 2012)

Here's to 2012!

Kristiane

And a happy, hearty, healthy New Year from all of us in the CT NOFA office.

Winter Farmers Markets Expand to More than 1,200 Locations for Fresh Local Foods

2011-12-29T17:20:00.000-05:00

According to the USDA, the number of winter farmers markets in the country has increased by 38 percent since 2010, from 886 to 1,225 total markets nationwide. This means winter farmers markets account for 17 percent of the total number of markets, a promising and currently growing figure. The USDA believes that much of this growth can be traced to the adoption of hoop house technology by small farmers as a way to lengthen their growing season and continue to offer fresh fruits and vegetables into the winter.

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan gives some encouragement to those who are considering offering produce into the winter months: “Consumers are looking for more ways to buy locally grown food throughout the year. Through winter markets, American farmers are able to meet this need and bring in additional income to support their families and businesses.”

If you're thinking about starting a farmer's market and want to learn more about the support the USDA can provide you, check out the article here. If you're looking for a winter farmers market or CSA program near you (a great way to have delicious, healthy, local food year-round while supporting your local economy) or if you want to try out some new winter food recipes, check out our Winter Food Project webpage here.

Happy Eating!
Melissa

The Huffington Post Reports: "Monsanto's Corn Linked to Organ Failure"

2011-12-28T12:58:00.003-05:00

The Huffington Post first published a story in 2010, which then was updated this year and has been reposted several times recently (perhaps because the GMO debate is really heating up again) that the International Journal of Biological Sciences has found that GMO corn consumption is linked to organ failure in test rats.

The conclusion of the report states that:
"Effects were mostly concentrated in kidney and liver function, the two major diet detoxification organs, but in detail differed with each GM type. In addition, some effects on heart, adrenal, spleen and blood cells were also frequently noted. As there normally exists sex differences in liver and kidney metabolism, the highly statistically significant disturbances in the function of these organs, seen between male and female rats, cannot be dismissed as biologically insignificant as has been proposed by others. We therefore conclude that our data strongly suggests that these GM maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal toxicity....These substances have never before been an integral part of the human or animal diet and therefore their health consequences for those who consume them, especially over long time periods are currently unknown."

What it comes down to - is that it doesn't matter if GMOs are good or bad (though the health and environmental threats are daunting), the fact that scientists are questioning the safety of GMOs is enough. Until GMOs are deemed safe or not - we at least deserve the right to choose whether to risk it or not. In my search for images of GMO Protests, the first several photos were all from different countries. These global protests are not against scientific progress - they are against the "unknown" and the unanswered questions surrounding GMO food safety.

Bulgaria: http://lesconcepts.wordpress.com/tag/ichiro-sato/

South Korea:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/include/print.asp?newsIdx=20476

Spain:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/04/20/858692/-Genetically-Modified-Plants,-New-Study-Released

Ireland: http://www.gmfreeireland.org/potato/photos.php

Keep telling the Food and Drug Administration how you feel about GMOs by adding comments to legal petition (Docket # FDA-2011-P-0723-0001/CP) calling on the FDA to label genetically engineered (GE) food.

All the best,
Kristiane
kristiane@ctnofa.org

Are you passionate about GMO labeling legislation?

2011-12-27T10:12:00.000-05:00

A message from Bill Duesing:

Dear Friends,

I hope you are well and enjoying the holidays with family.

You may have heard that Rep. Roy is planning to introduce legislation to require the labeling of foods containing Genetically Modified Organisms in the next session. He has bipartisan support.

This seems like something that you would be interested in and support.

CT NOFA is supporting this effort, as is so far, The Ledgelight Health district and the United Church of Christ. The CT League of Conservation Voters will support it as soon as we have a bill to show them.

Most polls (for over a decade or more) have shown that the vast majority of people in this country also support labeling of foods containing GMOs.

This could be very helpful to the local food movement in Connecticut, since almost all local food (except meat and dairy products) doesn't involve GMOs. The coming of GMO sweet corn next year opens up a big can of worms.

It might also have a beneficial health outcome since many junk foods contain GMOs, while fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes don't.

If successful this will be another in a long line of Connecticut's significant environmental firsts. There is an Initiative in California to do this too.

We are having a meeting in Hartford this Friday, at 10 in the LOB. Bob Burns, who is a leader in this effort, says that Rep. Roy is arranging a room. Senator Maynard has committed to coming. Tom Reynolds will be there. Diana Urban supports this and may be there. Edith Prague is 100% behind this effort but is recovering from surgery.

It would be great if you could be at this meeting. Check with Rep. Roy's office rm.3201for exact location of the meeting.

If you can't attend, let us know if you are interested in supporting, or if you have any questions.

I'll paste the language for the California initiative below, as well as some questions about how it treats GMO feed, although I need to spend some more time with the complicated language there to really understand what it means.

It would be wonderful to work with you on this.

Best wishes for 2012.

Bill

Here's a link to the California Initiative language.

Kraft Foods' Environmental Foodprint

2011-12-22T21:54:00.000-05:00

Kraft Foods, the world's second largest food producer has released the results of a survey on the company's effect on climate, land and water including analysis of their agriduclutral production.

The first thing that surprised me about the articles about the findings, were the number of food brands that Kraft foods owns including, Cadbury, Maxwell House, Nabisco, Oero, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Tang and Trident.

Also, Kraft has already put in place some efforts at being more sustainable and has set a number of ambitious goals to attain by 2015.

The survey was conducted in a partnership with Quantis, Inc., a company that specializes in Life Cycle Assessment. The World Wildlife Fund analyzed the results as part of its market transformation initiative.
'
Kraft found that nearly 60% of its carbon footprint is from farm commodities and 12% of the carbon footprint is from transportation and distribution of products. 80% of the land impact is from agriculture, and 70% of their water footprint is from growing raw materials.

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/emergency_preparedness/Transportation.html

The study confirms that Kraft's biggest environmental liability and potential leverage point for improvement is increasing the sustainability of its agricultural suppliers.

Krafts 2010 goals to be achieved by 2015 were to:

increase sustainable sourcing of agricultural commodities by 25%
reduce 50 million miles from its transportation network

The other five goals are related to manufacturing efficiency. With 60% of Kraft's carbon footprint coming from their agricultural sources, Kraft needs to pressure their agricultural suppliers to be more sustainable and shift more of their agricultural production to locations more local to manufacturing and distribution points. And consumers need to pressure them to do this too. Decentralized, local farm production is of course preferable, but large companies are going to continue to purchase food from the agricultural industry. This large industry can reorient itself to be more sustainable and local, it just requires some more thought, planning and oversight.

WWF has charged that supply chain work requires the formation of long-term partnerships based on the identification of shared objectives. Kraft's plans to make manufacturing more efficient are commendable, but they aren't changing the agricultural practices that have the greatest negative impact on the environment and our livelihoods.

http://www.kraftfoodscompany.com/MediaCenter/country-press-releases/us/2011/Pages/multi_media_12142011.aspx

http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/12/kraft-supply-chain-sustainability/

http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/2011/12/22/Kraft-Maps-Sustainability-Footprint-122211.aspx

Turning Away from Corporate America Toward Farming

2011-12-22T14:36:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

There's been a lot of buzz lately about young people becoming increasingly interested in farming and specifically in organic production. Back on the 12th, NPR ran an article on it's food blog, The Salt, about a push among young people to abandon corporate life in favor of a more agrarian alternative. Disillusioned with stifling corporate values, and in response to an economy where the daily grind is less likely to yield positive results, thousands of people are returning to the land. Another recent article by MSNBC points out that, although farming is inherently risky and expensive getting started, agriculture has fared better than many other parts of the economy during the recession. Many young people see farming as a calculated risk; one that has a greater likelihood than an office job of working out to their advantage, whether the gains lay in profits or in emotional well-being. With more than 60% of current farmers over the age of 55, we need a new generation of young farmers to prevent reliance on an ever-decreasing number of producers.

If you are getting started as an organic farmer and need some help tackling big challenges like land access and marketing, register for our Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference to be held Saturday, January 28, 2012 at the CT Forest and Park Association in Rockfall, CT. Don't miss this opportunity to network with other new farmers and learn from the experts about how to be successful. You can learn more and register here. If you've been farming for less than 10 years you may qualify for a scholarship: find out here.

Have a wonderful afternoon!
-Melissa

A Decade in Organic Land Care

2011-12-21T09:24:00.001-05:00

Our certificate from IFOAM welcoming the NOFA
Standards in Organic Land Care to the IFOAM
Family of Standards

The NOFA Organic Land Care Program, a regional project out of the Connecticut NOFA office, has been accrediting professionals for 10 years now. And we want to expand the organic land care movement to be bigger than ever in 2012. Organic should be the standard in landscaping.

This year our standards were accepted to the International Family of Standards established by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements.

We celebrated 13 AOLCPs who have been with the program for a decade!

We received news that the 2012 Beyond Pesticides Forum will be held in New Haven, Connecticut on March 30-31

Our Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals (AOLCPs) : Have taken the NOFA OLC 5-day Accreditation Course in organic landscaping, passed the Accreditation Exam, pledged to provide organic land care according to the NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care, maintained continuing education by attending a minimum of 4 credit-hours of organic landscaping education annually and must pay an annual fee ($100) to support the work of the OLC program

If you are a homeowner, check out our homeowner's guide and brochure about going organic at home.

If you have a landscaper, ask them if they're accredited - there needs to be a demand for organic!

If you're looking for a landscaper, find an Accredited Professional near you in our database.

Ask your town government or schools if any of their groundskeepers are accredited - it's state law that no pesticides can be used on k-8 schools, and towns are also implementing these bans on town lands.

If you're a land care professional, think about accreditation

Frank Crandall

The course is coming up:

Massachusetts
January 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and a snowdate of Jan. 15th
Worcester State University
486 Chandler St.
Worcester, MA 01602

Connecticut
February 15, 16, 17 and 21, 22, and a snowdate of Feb. 23rd
CT Agricultural Experiment Station
123 Huntington St.
New Haven, CT 06511


Camilla Worden

Rhode Island

February 27, 28, 29, March 1, 2 and snowdate of March 5
Kettle Pond Visitor Center
Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge
Charlestown, RI 02813

Read about how a couple of our AOLCPs and committee-members, Camilla Worden of Brookfield, CT and Frank Crandall are making their accreditation work for them. While you are helping the environment and offering customer safer land management practices, you can also really help your business.

Why Eat Organic: A Comprehensive Presentation

2011-12-20T14:37:00.000-05:00

Jim Riddle from the University of Minnesota has compiled a great presentation that's provided on UMN's Organic Ecology website. The presentation, titled Why Eat Organic, provides a wealth of information about why organic agriculture can feed the world, is necessary to mitigate the effects of climate change, and can undo a lot of the harm that conventional agriculture does to our bodies. Not only do organic foods contain far less pesticide residues than their conventional cousins, but organic foods also have higher levels of healthy nutrients. Children who go organic for just five days "can virtually eliminate exposures to a dangerous class of insecticides known to disrupt neurological development in infants and children." Additionally, many of the nutrients found in much higher levels in organic foods can greatly decrease your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and many cancers. Organic is not only the safe bet but the healthy bet, both for our bodies and for our planet.

This presentation gives a great overview of the organic movement, but if you're looking for a more in-depth compilation of many scientific studies, visit Iowa State University's Leopold Center website.

Have a great afternoon!

Are You a New or Transitioning Organic Farmer?

2011-12-19T16:23:00.001-05:00

Register today for our Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference to be held Saturday, January 28, 2012 at the CT Forests and Parks Association in Rockfall, CT! A new article by Grist shows that new farmers cite land access and funding as the major stumbling blocks against becoming established in the industry, but that apprenticeships, local partnerships, and CSAs represent areas of growth. Attending the conference will help beginning organic farmers become more familiar with available resources, both in areas of growth and in areas of need, and will help to give a well-rounded perspective through exposure to broad themes as well as technically specific topics. Click here to learn more and to register!

You can also get involved with your local congressperson to change the upcoming Farm Bill. The Bill process is now restarting, and Congress needs to be reminded why our nation needs a Farm Bill that is responsive to current changing agricultural needs. Tell your congressperson to sponsor the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2011, which fixes, funds and improves USDA programs, as well as adds new programs to help young and beginning farmers succeed. The process of getting started as a farmer should be easier, and it can be easier, if we exercise our rights and let our voices be heard.

Have a great evening!
-Melissa

Understanding the 2012 Farm Bill: The "Hackathon"

2011-12-16T09:05:00.000-05:00

Comparison between government nutrition recommendations and federal agriculture subsidies in FoodTech Connect's entry in the Farm Bill Hackathon

The Farm Bill is a pretty dense document, with such complicated subsidy structures and a huge variety of programs, that it is a challenge for experts to follow and completely inaccessible to many of the people it effects the most: consumers and farmers. The 2008 Farm Bill is very difficult to read, as Marion Nestle points out in her column in The Atlantic even for experts, and the 2012 Farm Bill shapes agricultural policy for the next five years, which also determines what kind of food Americans will be eating for the next five years.

To break apart the Farm Bill to the essentials, GRACE Communications Foundation sponsored a "Hackathon" to bring together sustainable food advocates and computer programs to create infographics and online tools to communicate the important points of the Farm Bill, and what our country (and even the world) needs from the 2012 bill.

Teams created different tools and slideshows, as entries in the Hackathon, which was also a contest to create the best powerpoints.

Watch the winning entry:

A Clean Bill of Health

View more presentations from FoodTechConnect

There are a variety of Farm Bill Hackathon slides in this slideshow, which highlighted the stark contrast between Food Want and Food Waste.

Read more at:
Food and Tech Connect
Grist.com

Best,
Kristiane

10 Things You Should Know About GMOs

2011-12-15T13:39:00.000-05:00

A new article by Care2 provides a concise and well-written outline of topics you can use in the event of a Genetically Modified Organism debate, courtesy of Jeffrey Smith, the Keynote speaker at our upcoming Winter Conference. Advocates for GMO use have a lot to say about why GMOs are great for humanity, but numerous studies argue otherwise. Here are some of the highlights:

1. GMOs are unhealthy.
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) urges doctors to prescribe non-GMO diets for all patients. They cite animal studies showing organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, accelerated aging, and infertility. Human studies show how genetically modified (GM) food can leave material behind inside us, possibly causing long-term problems. Genes inserted into GM soy, for example, can transfer into the DNA of bacteria living inside us, and that the toxic insecticide produced by GM corn was found in the blood of pregnant women and their unborn fetuses.

3. GMOs increase herbicide use.
Most GM crops are engineered to be “herbicide tolerant”―they defy deadly weed killer. Monsanto, for example, sells Roundup Ready crops, designed to survive applications of their Roundup herbicide.
Between 1996 and 2008, US farmers sprayed an extra 383 million pounds of herbicide on GMOs. Overuse of Roundup results in “superweeds,” resistant to the herbicide. This is causing farmers to use even more toxic herbicides every year. Not only does this create environmental harm, GM foods contain higher residues of toxic herbicides. Roundup, for example, is linked with sterility, hormone disruption, birth defects, and cancer.

5. Government oversight is dangerously lax.
Most of the health and environmental risks of GMOs are ignored by governments’ superficial regulations and safety assessments. The reason for this tragedy is largely political. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for example, doesn’t require a single safety study, does not mandate labeling of GMOs, and allows companies to put their GM foods onto the market without even notifying the agency. Their justification was the claim that they had no information showing that GM foods were substantially different. But this was a lie. Secret agency memos made public by a lawsuit show that the overwhelming consensus even among the FDA’s own scientists was that GMOs can create unpredictable, hard-to-detect side effects. They urged long-term safety studies. But the White House had instructed the FDA to promote biotechnology, and the agency official in charge of policy was Michael Taylor, Monsanto’s former attorney, later their vice president. He’s now the US Food Safety Czar.

8. GMOs harm the environment.
GM crops and their associated herbicides can harm birds, insects, amphibians, marine ecosystems, and soil organisms. They reduce bio-diversity, pollute water resources, and are unsustainable. For example, GM crops are eliminating habitat for monarch butterflies, whose populations are down 50% in the US. Roundup herbicide has been shown to cause birth defects in amphibians, embryonic deaths and endocrine disruptions, and organ damage in animals even at very low doses. GM canola has been found growing wild in North Dakota and California, threatening to pass on its herbicide tolerant genes on to weeds.

9. GMOs do not increase yields, and work against feeding a hungry world.
Whereas sustainable non-GMO agricultural methods used in developing countries have conclusively resulted in yield increases of 79% and higher, GMOs do not, on average, increase yields at all. This was evident in the Union of Concerned Scientists’ 2009 report Failure to Yield―the definitive study to date on GM crops and yield.

And that's only half of the list! To read the full list, go here. If you want to hear Jeffrey Smith speak in person about the dangers of GMOs, register for our Winter Conference being held on March 3, 2012 in Manchester, CT. To learn more and to register, click here.

Have a great afternoon!
-Melissa

Wisconsin Woman Taken to Court Over Her Lawn

2011-12-13T09:57:00.000-05:00

In Shorewood, WI, Louise Quigley, who has been living in her home for over twenty years, is being taken to court over her native lawn. In an effort to deter schoolchildren from using her lawn as a shortcut coming home from school, she decided to plant prairie grasses, goldenrods, milkweed, and butterfly weeds, citing the ecological benefits of such a planting.

“They are less work, they come up every year, they are pretty," she says. "Native perennials have all kinds of environment benefits because the native plants feed the native bugs, feed the birds; it’s the bottom of the food chain. You can promote the survival of our ecosystem and our biosphere if you plant native plants.”

However, despite Louise's astute decision regarding local ecology, her prairie yard happens to violate an outdated neighborhood ordinance that her community has begun cracking down on. The ordinance states that native lawns can't exceed six inches in height, and when Louise refused to comply with the ordinance she was summoned to court. Louise has since been trying to push village officials to get the ordinance changed. She argues, "(The ordinance) is about lawns and it isn't about native plant communities. It was drafted way back and wasn't about 21st century aesthetics or a 21st century ecological understanding. I don't have a lawn, I have a prairie. They are using a lawn regulation to harass me about my prairie."

Read more about the Shorewood community and Louise's battle here.

Have a great day!
-Melissa

Events Galore!

2011-12-12T13:19:00.000-05:00

This winter we have a flurry of events that promise to be both exciting and educational. Read on to learn more:

Get ready for our upcoming NOFA chapter Winter Conferences! Six NOFA chapters are holding conferences between January and March with great speakers, workshops, and events for all. Visit the chapter websites to learn more and to register. If you've been farming for less than 10 years, you may also qualify for a scholarship - your local NOFA chapter can let you know if you do.

If you missed our Organic Land Care Annual Gathering last Tuesday, you can check out photos from the event on our Flickr page here.

Registration is continuing for our NOFA chapter OLC Accreditation Courses! If you'd like to take the course, or just want to learn more, check it out here.

Thanks!
-Melissa

As long as we're talking 99% vs. the 1% . . .

2011-12-09T09:15:00.001-05:00

Did you know that only 1% of America's population lists their occupation as "farmer". That is 1% of our population that feeds 100% of our population.
The Occupy movement, in its flexibility and broad appeal, has also become a central part of the sustainable food, food justice, and sustainable farming movements. You probably get why the occupy movement complements the sustainable food movement, but lets go over a few important connections to make:

small farms, especially those growing "specialty crops (fruits and vegetables) receive far fewer subsidies than large farms that produce cotton, corn and soy
the wealthy 1% can afford the local, organic, high quality food everyone needs to be healthy
the most economically depressed areas of the United States are often food deserts
supporting farming supports job creation
supporting organic, local farming supports much more job creation than on larger farms where farm machinery is relied on more heavily than manual labor
local farms and local foods support local economies instead of buying produce from South America which send our money out of the country or to multi-national corporations like Dole and Chiquita.
right now food production and poisonous chemical production (by large multinational corporations like Dow, Monsanto and Dupont) go hand in hand. Food produced organically is completely independent of the chemical production industry (unless their crops are contaminated by Monsanto's GMO genes of course)

Given all these connections (and there are many many more) farmers have joined Occupy Wallstreet. On December 4th, food justice activists (both producers and consumers) traveled from all over the coutry to occupy in New York City. The march began at La Plaza Cultural Community Farde and ended at Zuccotti Park/Liberty Plaza.
The message was that much of rural America supports the Occupy movement. The movement is not made up of lazy, spoiled notheasterners who would rather camp in parks in below freezing weather than get a job (come on).
Another occupy movement in New York City, protesters at Morning Glory Community Garden in the South Bronx were broken up by police and five were arrested. The police broke up a festival in celebration of food on the sidewalk because the community garden supporters had no permit. I should also add that the community garden (which used to be in illegal dumping site) was raided by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development - pulling plants out by the roots, deconstructing raised beds, and building a fence around the community space in November.

Remember even if you're not prepared to put on multiple winter coats and illegally camp in Zuccotti Park, you can occupy the food movement. The only people who don't benefit from local food production are the large companies and corporations that have crafted our imbalanced global food system, and if they're not ready to change, then it's time to stop supporting them.

On that note, have a lovely weekend!
~ Kristiane

The Fallacy of Efficiency - Why Organic Can Feed the World

2011-12-08T15:28:00.001-05:00

When engaged in an organic versus conventional agricultural debate, proponents of conventional methods often use the "organic can't feed the world" argument. The reasons why vary depending on who you're talking to, but some possibilities are that there's not enough land, or organic agriculture doesn't produce high enough yields, or the local and organic farm system is too disorganized and inefficient. To that I ask, who said that conventional farms are efficient, have high yields, or use less land than organic methods? What studies provide that information?

A recent article by The Atlantic provides a comprehensive set of resources to prove that organic agriculture can not only feed the world, but that conventional can't. Under our current, largely conventional system, 1 billion people worldwide are undernourished. Dozens of studies have been compiled over the last few decades to show that conventional agriculture has generally failed in its long-term efforts to increase crop yields, and organic methods in fact equal and often surpass conventional yields, requiring less land as a result. I have written in the past about the Rodale Institute's 30 year study that supports such claims, and would also like to note the Iowa study that drew similar conclusions. The idea that conventional farming somehow produces more food on less land is a lie, and the fact that it is still widely accepted doesn't make it less of a lie.

Additionally, as The Atlantic mentions, there exists a notable lack of studies that provide hard evidence that organic farming can't feed the world. An excerpt from the article reads " In an exhaustive review using Google and several academic search engines of all the scientific literature published between 1999 and 2007 addressing the question of whether or not organic agriculture could feed the world, the British Soil Association, which supports and certifies organic farms, found (PDF) that there had been 98 papers published in the previous eight years addressing the question of whether organic could feed the world. Every one of the papers showed that organic farming had that potential. Not one argued otherwise." Extensive marketing, lobbying, and misinformation has kept the public in the dark about the truth behind conventional ag for some time, but those barriers are slowly dissolving.

Lastly, I want to take a moment to talk about efficiency. Conventional agriculture has led our society to believe that bigger is better - that is to say that when you industrialize agriculture on a large scale, you are able to streamline your production system as you would in a factory, and thus produce higher yields with lower costs and less waste. The studies noted above as well as many others like them, along with the current global climate and ecological problems we are facing point to the illegitimacy of this belief. A network of small, local, organic farms is much more efficient than large scale conventional farming in terms of yield, waste, transportation costs, economic potential, ecological viability, and public health, to only name a few. One of the biggest hurdles the organic movement must jump today is breaking down that reputation of efficiency and plenty that conventional agriculture has made for itself.

If you want to start down the path toward true efficiency, check out your local farmer's market. Farmers markets and CSA programs exist even in winter, and are a great way to boost your local economy while enjoying fresh, local, whole foods. Check out our Winter Food Project to learn more.

Have a great evening!
-Melissa

The 2011 Annual Gathering

2011-12-07T10:24:00.001-05:00

The Organic Land Care Program's Annual Gathering "Trees: Landscaping for Future Generations" was yesterday, December 6. We had an interesting line up of ecologists, landscape architects, tree care professionals, and forest pathologists. To start off the day, Peter Wild, CEO of Arborjet Inc. and Todd Harrington, an OLC Committee Member, and one of the authors of the original Standards for Organic Land Care discussed their careers pioneering organic tree care.

Our keynote, Tom Wessels, followed. Tom discussed scientific principles, mainly entropy and the law of self-organization to discuss how these principles govern nature and have supported life on earth for billions of years. He then discussed how these ideas can support human systems (in order to stop endangering all the other life on earth) for instance citing Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations to discuss the limits of economic growth.

Diane Devore discussed the arranging of trees in landscaping incorporating natives along the periphery of properties. Diane explained that a large element of organic landscaping was thinking about the landscape in 50 years, and planting trees for that landscape.

Dr. Claire Rutledge updated the audience on the Emerald Ash Borer's spread through out the United States and what it mean for New England forests and trees in residential areas.

After lunch Dr. Kevin Smith discussed tree care based on the biology of trees, and then how tree disease disrupts the bark, or trunk of the tree, and how some trees are able to protect themselves form diseases while others are more vulnerable.

Dr. Bob Marra followed up on this explanation of tree health and care with a description of a new technology used to measure the internal decay of wood called Tomography.

Finally Dr. Jim Conroy and Basia Alexander described some more spiritual approaches to tree healing, specifically their work Tree Whispering.

We closed out the day with a panel presenting business solutions for organic land care providers to keep business profitable in the recession. Our panelists were Todd Harrington, Aiken Tompkins and Mike Nadeau

Overall it was a pretty great day, we hope our attendees came away from the presentations with some insight on tree science and some new ideas about organic tree care!

Our Annual Gathering is Tomorrow!

2011-12-05T15:09:00.001-05:00

It's crunch time here at the office! Our Organic Land Care Annual Gathering is tomorrow at 8:00am at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. This year's theme is Trees: Landscaping for Future Generations, and will feature Keynote Speaker Tom Wessels on The Foundational Principles of Sustainability. We have some really great speakers lined up for the event including Dr. Kevin T. Smith, Diane Devore, Dr. Robert Marra, Peter Wild, Todd Harrington, Dr. Claire Rutledge, Dr. Jim Conroy, and Basia Alexander. And the best part is that's it's not too late to register! Call the office at 203.888.5146 to get your last minute registration in!

The United Nations has declared 2011 the "International Year of Forests" highlighting the environmental, historical and cultural value of trees and forests around the world. Presenters at the Annual Gathering will discuss the role of trees in our natural history, their integration in organic landscaping, threats to New England’s woods, and the importance of planting and preserving native trees in the landscape. Despite the tendency to associate trees with the environment, they are a central part of the designed landscape. Trees are an ecological staple, providing habitat, flood and erosion control, carbon sequestration and a host of other natural services to developed areas.

The Program:

7:30 - 8:00: Registration
8:00 - 8:15 Welcome: Frank Crandall
8:15 - 9:15 Peter Wild & Todd Harrington
9:15 - 10:30 Keynote Speaker: Tom Wessels
10:30 - 10:45 Break
10:45 - 11:45 Diane Devore
11:45 - 12:05 Claire Rutledge, Ph.D.
12:05 - 1:00 Lunch (Book Signings from 12:30 - 1:00)
1:00 - 2:00 Kevin T. Smith, Ph.D
2:00 - 2:30 Robert Marra, Ph.D.
2:30 - 2:45 Break
2:45 - 3:45 Jim Conroy, Ph.D. & Basia Alexander
3:45 - 4:30 Mike Nadeau (Plantscapes Inc.), Todd Harrington & Diane Devore, Panel Discussion: "Solutions to Assist Your Business in Challenging Economic Times"

Hope to see you there!
-Melissa

Greener Agriculture Policy in Europe

2011-12-02T10:15:00.001-05:00

The European Commission has proposed a greener Common Agriculture Policy for the European Union. Conventional farming organizations have criticized the commission's proposals for a greener agriculture policy, but European organic farmers view the proposed changes as positive steps toward sustainable agriculture. The Agricultural Commissioner, Dacian Ciolos has defended the proposed changes which encourage farmers to rotate crops, set aside permanent pasture and create woodlands or buffer zones as part of the European annual farm support program that constitutes 40% of EU spending.

Dacian Ciolos, EU Agriculture Commissioner

If it undergoes the proposed reforms, the program would use 30% of direct payments to promote conservation measures - an investment of about 11 billion euros.
Currently only about 5% of EU farmland is organic (which is actually pretty high in comparison to the United States' 0.6% of farmland being organic).
Ciolos' defense of the program is the part that American consumers, voters and legislators might want to consider. "A major objective of the reform is to provide the tools to provide both growth in agriculture and sustainability . . . If not, it is difficult to justify the CAP as a public policy." For a public policy, to be truly in the interest of the general public, it must work to improve agricultural yield (which practices like crop rotation have done for hundreds of years), and the quality of the soil, water and air of where people live (which can be achieved by using fewer synthetic chemicals and allowing buffers between farmland and water systems). Support for sustainable farming isn't in the interest of organic farmers as much as it is in the interest of generations to come, the environment, and farming communities. The American Farm Bill seems to be focused more on supporting the well-being of agricultural corporations, national food service providers, and grocery chains.

Have a good weekend!
Kristiane

Why Our Winter Food Project is Important

2011-12-01T13:12:00.001-05:00

The winter, more than any other season, is a time when many Americans eat more packaged, processed foods as local farmer's markets dwindle and access to fresh produce is often limited to factory farmed crops shipped in from far away. It's cold and dark out, and if cooking isn't your strong point, it's easy to get sucked into the convenience of prepackaged, non-local foods.

I recently read a post on Farmer's Market titled Forgotten Food: How We Lost Knowledge of Where Food Comes From, How to Cook It and What It Tastes Like that gives a brief synopsis of Ann Vileisis' Kitchen Literacy. This book chronicles America's food system, from its beginnings in 1700s agrarian society to the broken and disconnected monstrosity that it is today. As it turns out, America's transition from a society that had immense accumulated food knowledge to a nation where people often say food comes from "the grocery store" wasn't an easy one. Our ancestors fought against much of the commercialization and industrialization of food, leaving us a legacy not of complacency, but of activism. We owe it to ourselves and to our rich heritage to become reacquainted with where our food comes from, how to prepare it, and what it should taste like.

It is in this spirit that we started our Winter Food Project. After all, if we can develop a more personal relationship with our food in the toughest and leanest of seasons, we can do it at any time of the year. I encourage you to check out the resources available on our Winter Food Project page, and visit a winter farmer's market in your area. Access to whole, local food doesn't have to be seasonal, and we don't have to sacrifice flavor and nutrition just because it's wintertime.

A Look at the Broader Spectrum of Sustainability

2011-11-30T15:01:00.001-05:00

Russell Libby really nailed the organic and sustainable message in his keynote speech at the MOFGA Common Ground Country Fair this past September. His speech was featured in this quarter's Organic Farmer and Gardener Magazine, which can be read here. The speech, Putting the Pieces Together - Our Next Food System, gives a comprehensive outlook of the global sustainable movement, highlighting many factors that must be addressed in order to make real lasting change in our environment and in our society. Libby not only speaks about large-scale global change, but also about what we can do as individuals and groups to address growing sustainability concerns in our communities. Our Executive Director, Bill Duesing, describes Russell Libby as "one of my heroes", and for all of us here at CT NOFA that really speaks to the value and importance of Libby's message. Please take a few minutes to read through his speech - I doubt you will be disappointed.

Thanks!
-Melissa

Food Labeling - What the Words Really Mean

2011-11-29T11:26:00.001-05:00

On a typical trip to the grocery store, we're bombarded with a flood of catchy slogans and claims about what's in each product, where it comes from, and how buying it will benefit us. When we get to the meat counter, we often see two deceptively similar claims sitting right next to each other - the terms "certified organic" and "all natural". The package with the all natural logo is usually cheaper, and since it sounds so similar to organic, we should opt for the cheaper one, right? Unfortunately, like most things, you do in fact get what you pay for.

Certified USDA Organic foods are required to pass a rigorous federally mandated verification program before they can be considered organic. This process is governed by well established regulations and enforced by the US government. Animals that are raised organically must never be treated with antibiotics, and must only be fed organic, non-genetically modified food. Livestock raised under such strict regulations is often much more expensive than its factory farmed brethren, so buying the cheaper "natural" version might seem like a great deal.

However, foods labeled "natural" are cheaper for a reason. In truth, the natural label doesn't really tell us anything about the food. In the case of meat, the common assumption that all natural livestock was raised under better, more wholesome conditions than animals without the natural label is wholly incorrect. The natural label only means that the meat was minimally processed without artificial ingredients, which has nothing to do with how the animal lived before it reached the slaughterhouse.

According to an article for KNVO news, the USDA has been working to clarify this confusing labeling system, but for now they have had little success. For consumers, the best course of action for now is to know what different labels mean. I had posted a great resource from the Natural Resources Defense Council a while back as an addition to another topic, but I felt that I didn't give it enough direct attention at the time, so here it is again. This is a comprehensive list of labels rated on reliability, with full explanations about what each label really means. If we arm ourselves with the knowledge that's out there, we will ultimately be doing ourselves, our economy, and our food policy a huge favor.

Wishing you a pleasant shopping experience,
-Melissa

Farmer Dan and Maine Food Sovereignty

2011-11-28T09:01:00.001-05:00

Food sovereignty has been a steadily growing movement in the state of Maine, with many towns adopting ordinances that legalize small scale food production and sales without the need for costly and time-consuming state and federal permits. As could be expected, the state is none too happy with these recent developments, and along with the FDA, has spearheaded a recent effort to push back against the rising food sovereignty movement.

Farmer Dan Brown is a resident of Blue Hill, Maine, who owns a single dairy cow. Dan uses much of what the cow produces to feed himself and his family, but also has an on-farm farm stand where locals go to buy bottles of the surplus milk. Dan isn't a food distributor, and the notion of getting permits and facilities to be in line with state law is nonsensical in his case, but the state is cracking down on his operation nonetheless. According to the state and the FDA, his farm is breaking the law by selling supposedly dangerous unpasteurized milk to consumers without getting necessary inspections and permits. Dan, his family, and his purchasers have never had health problems with his milk, while legalized large-scale factory milk producers have had countless issues over the years with their product, but this irony seems lost on state officials who want to see Dan's farm closed to consumers. In response to Dan's refusal to shut down his operation, the state of Maine is filing suit against him. It is up to the community and those of us who care about local small-scale food production to convince the state to drop the lawsuit against Dan Brown and respect the authority of Blue Hill's local food sovereignty laws.

Food Renegade recently wrote up a nicely articulated post on farmer Dan's plight that includes two informative videos on the subject, the more concise of which can be found here. If you'd like to read the full post, check here. The post also contains information on how you can do your part to end the lawsuit against Dan Brown and support the hard work of small-scale local farmers.

Hoping your Thanksgiving was a good one,
-Melissa

A Message from our Executive Director, Bill Duesing

2011-11-23T09:08:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone,
While we're on the theme of giving thanks - think about how you value access to organic, local foods and Connecticut Grown produce, and please read through this letter from Bill Duesing outlining all that CT NOFA has done this year. We are so thankful for your support, but we still need more help!
Happy Thanksgiving,
Kristiane

From Bill Duesing

Beginning women farmers workshop

Executive Director

Greetings!

Next year will mark 30 years that CT NOFA has been Connecticut's strongest voice advocating and educating for a local and organic food system and organic care of the land.

CT NOFA needs your help to set a firm foundation for the next 30 years.

A vigorous and productive local and organic food system and

Canning workshop at Common Ground

a healthy relationship to the natural world are necessary elements for a sustainable and joyful future.

If you understand CT NOFA's important role in providing a better future, you can support us right now. See below.

If you would like to know more about the importance of organic agriculture, its ability to feed the world and CT NOFA's work, please read on. You'll find fascinating information, clickable links, details on CT NOFA's plans, income and expenses, and pictures of our events.

To support CT NOFA now, please:

Click here to donate - if you'd like a donation envelope, please call 203-888-5146 or email us.
Click here to become a member - join over 700 other members!
Upgrade your membership category to family, supporter or lifetime
Give a gift membership.
Contact us to donate stock or include CT NOFA in your will

I'll be glad to talk to you if you have questions.

Visit our website or call us at 203.888.5146 to donate or join.
Mail donations to:

PO Box 164

Stevenson, CT 06491

You can also support us by:

Keeping in touch - sign up for one of our eNewsletters, check out our Organic Land Care blog, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Visit our Gleanings eNews archives.
Signing up for one of our conferences or courses:
* The 2011 Organic Land Care Annual Gathering, (December 6 at UConn)
* The Getting Started in Organic Conference (January 28, 201 2 in Rockfall, CT)
* 2012 Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care(January in Worcester, MA, February in New Haven and February-March in Charlestown, RI)

In 2011, we:

CT NOFA staff from September 2011

Educated nearly 1,000 people in organic farming, gardening and land care through our conferences, courses and workshops.
Participated in the Working Lands Alliance and the Farms, Food and Jobs working group to advance farmland protection and farm viability in Connecticut.
Received notice of funding for three years work training and networking beginning farmers.
Received notice of funding for two years work promoting Community Supported Agriculture and connecting farmers with consumers through CSA fairs.
Worked to limit the damage from Genetically Modified Organisms.
Sued Monsanto by joining with Organic Seed Producers, Farmers and Farmers' Organizations in a suit brought by the Public Patent Foundation to prevent Monsanto from suing farmers whose crops are contaminated buy its transgenic genes.
Partnered with the Just Label It Campaign to advocate for mandatory GMO-labeling laws and laid the groundwork to work with state legislators who will introduce a labeling law for Connecticut.
Hired four talented and enthusiastic new staff members: Debbie Semonich, CT NOFA's Administrative Assistant; Kristiane Huber, the Events and Outreach Coordinator for CT NOFA and NOFA OLC; Jenna Messier, the Program Director of OLC; and Melissa Gabso, our Public Ally, working on volunteer coordination, graphic design and event planning.
Reinvigorated the NOFA Organic Land Care Program, firmly based in CT NOFA, with a strong partnership with NOFA/Mass and a nearly national reach.
Received notice that the NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care were accepted by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements into the IFOAM Family of Standards signifying that our
standards are equivalent to the highest international organic standards.
Published the Introduction to Organic Lawns and Yards booklet. It has been well received and has been ordered by towns, libraries, homeowners, and land care professionals as a resource for their clients. Order one or more copies here.
Participated with the other NOFA chapters in national policy initiatives to strengthen organic agriculture and support small farms.
Graduated the second class of Beginning Women Farmers Whole Farm Planning Course and accepted 16 new students into the third year of the course.
Join CT NOFA and support the momentum building for a local and organic food system.

In 2011 we laid a strong foundation for the future:

Check out our 2012 Winter Conference!

Our 30th Annual Winter Conference will be held on March 3, 2012 at Manchester Community College with Jeffrey Smith, author of Seeds of Deception, a best seller about the dangers of GMOs, as keynote speaker and over 40 great workshops.

We completed the first year of our Winter Food Project and will finish that work in 2012.

We have lined up exciting partnerships:

A People's Garden Project with Knox Parks in Hartford
A Community Education series at Common Ground High School in New Haven,
An Urban Agriculture project with the Green Village Initiative in Bridgeport.

CT NOFA makes efficient use of its funds.

Why Food, Why Organic and Why Local?

Food is our most important energy source.
Food is the way we take stored solar energy, roughly equivalent to the energy contained in a cup of gasoline each day, into our bodies to power them.
According to the FDA, over two thirds of the fruits and vegetables consumed in this country are imported. Food is largely (over 95 percent) made up of elements derived from air and water with only a small percentage derived from the soil. So when, for example, we import garlic from China, we are transporting water, air and sunshine from China at a great fossil fuel cost. It is time to reform this disorganized, inefficient food system, and it can be done.
Help CT NOFA support local food!
Growing more nutrient rich fruits, vegetables, and grains, and finding ways to get that food efficiently to everyone in our state will directly address many major health problems including the lifestyle diseases of diabetes, obesity, cancer and heart disease.
Organic agriculture directly addresses the three most serious problems with the global environment: climate change, excess nitrogen flow and loss of biodiversity.
Organic techniques are among the most effective ways to both mitigate climate change and to adapt to the changes that are already here.
Invasive removal students 2011
Local food production in gardens, communities and farms builds local knowledge, saves fossil fuel and builds resilience.
Organic agriculture is superior to conventional. Just this year the Rodale Institute's Farming Systems Trial released its report on 30 years of research that shows that organic agriculture is more resilient to drought, improves soil quality, uses less energy, produces fewer greenhouse gases and is more profitable when compared to conventional agriculture. Meanwhile a Report to the United Nations Human Rights Council from the Special Rap p orteur on the Right to Food
Beginning Women Farmers
demonstrated that agro-ecology, if adequately supported, can double food production in whole regions within 10 years while mitigating climate change and alleviating rural poverty. Agro-ecological agriculture is very close to organic and includes gardens, community production, small farms and sustainable family farms.

Thank you for your interest in and support for local and organic food. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at one of our events.

Sincerely,

Bill Duesing

Executive Director, CT NOFA

A Demonstration to Promote Agroforestry

2011-11-22T11:03:00.001-05:00

Gloria Flora walks through her forest garden.

In keeping with this year's United Nations designation as "The International Year of Forests", the New York Times reported recently on "the quiet push for agroforestry", highlighting a farm in Helena, MT that operates under a canopy of pine and spruce. Gloria Flora's forest farm boasts over 300 smaller fruit trees - apple, pear, black walnut, and chestnut to name a few - nestled amongst the larger forest trees, as well as crops like raspberries, grapes, and medicinal plants, and turkeys and chickens. The idea of producing food near or beneath a forest canopy may sound strange as we have been brought up under the assumption that farms need wide open spaces in order to flourish, but the truth of the matter is that a buffer of trees amongst crops serves many beneficial purposes.

Agroforestry, the science of incorporating trees into traditional agriculture, is not the same as converting farmland to forest. Agroforestry represents a collaborative attempt on the part of the farmer to harness the ecological services that trees provide and incorporate them into a farm. The Times writes, "Depending on the species, trees make all sorts of contributions to agriculture, experts say. Trees in a shelter belt reduce wind and water erosion. Some trees serve as fertilizers - they take in nitrogen from the atmosphere, or pump it from deep underground and, when they drop their leaves, make it available upon decomposition. Trees planted along streams can take up and scrub out polluted farm runoff. They increase species diversity by providing habitat, and some of those species are friendly to farmers - bees and butterflies that help pollinate crops, for example. (One study showed that 66 species of birds benefit from windbreaks on farms.) Trees can keep a field cooler and more moist."

Not to mention that trees in general help to offset the negative impacts of conventional agriculture by absorbing greenhouse gases and cleaning up polluted water.

This forward-thinking approach to agriculture, however, faces a difficult opposition. Conventional thinking about trees - that farmers should first remove all surrounding trees before planting and then prevent them from growing as the farm operates - has been ingrained in our collective minds for generations. The truth - that trees can be used to benefit agriculture if planted with thought and planning - may be a tough one to swallow initially, but it looks like it's starting to catch on.

Read the full article here.

Want to learn more about trees in the landscape? Register for our 2011 Organic Land Care Annual Gathering on December 6th at UConn, Storrs, CT. This year's focus is Trees: Landscaping for Future Generations, and will feature Keynote Tom Wessels, as well as a host of other exciting speakers. Click on the link above to learn more!

Have a great Tuesday!
-Melissa

Create a Slow Food Thanksgiving!

2011-11-21T09:56:00.001-05:00

With Thanksgiving only 3 days away, cooking and celebrating is on everyone's mind, and for those of us who are spearheading the cooking this year, the task may seem a bit overwhelming. But fear not, holiday kitchen crusaders, for there are resources you can use to make your holiday run smoother and be more eco-friendly. The folks at Slow Food have developed a guide complete with recipes, information, and helpful tips that will help you have a more delicious, less time consuming, and more sustainable Thanksgiving. Check out these tips for saving time and money while boosting the nutritional content, flavor, and appearance of your cooking. And the list of recipes is very comprehensive, taking into account both vegetarian needs and what to do with the leftovers after the big day. The guide also delves into the history behind the holiday, avoiding the sugar coated story often taught to us through advertising and the school system.

A couple weeks ago, I posted about the advantages in buying a local, organic, sustainable, or heritage turkey. Slow Food's guide also has information and resources about sustainable and heritage turkeys, and in my opinion elegantly describes why it's ultimately in your best interest as a consumer to go this route.

Thanksgiving is, as a modern holiday, a time to celebrate the bounty and joy of life with family and friends. We live in a fast-paced technologically advanced society, but that doesn't need to overwhelm us this holiday season. Finding the time to relax and enjoy your local harvest is not only good for the economy and the environment, but good for you as well.

Wishing you the best of luck in your pre-holiday preparation,
-Melissa

Urban Roots

2011-11-18T09:34:00.001-05:00

Last night, I had the pleasure of watching the documentary Urban Roots at a Community Potluck and Film Screening hosted by The New Haven Bioregional Group and co-sponsored by a number of organizations including CT NOFA.
The documentary was a wonderful testament to the power of gardens and farms in urban areas. Detroit is a powerful symbol of our society's assumptions that industry can support an economy, that an economy can grow forever and that a booming economy can replace a well-planned infrastructure and society. In the documentary, Detroit residents complain that they live in a food desert - where they must travel at least twice the distance to a grocery store with "real" food as they would travel to a convenience store or fast food restaurant.

photo credit: inhabitat.com

Residents started growing food in their yards, and then expanded to abandoned land around the city (there is plenty of it). They have no real right to the land - but with a city that has lost over half it's population since the middle of the 20th century - there isn't much competition for land. Some people are putting chickens and bees in abandoned housing, or taking over multiple plots on their block to create urban farms. The soil is tested and if it is contaminated, farmers must create soil by farming non-edible crops for a couple years and building up the soil with compost collected from near-by restaurants, breweries and homes. Community gardens give people who are unemployed or under-employed, a job to do in their free time, and access to the food that they would like to harvest. The city government seems to be hesitant about encouraging this guerrilla gardening, since they might want to encourage housing developments (thought this seems unlikely given all of the abandoned, already standing houses), but farmers and gardeners are going ahead filling this food desert with urban farms producing healthy foods for Detroit residents.

So if one of the most depressed run-down cities in the country can do it . . . why can't we do it in New England cities and suburbs? Even if you don't live in a food desert - wouldn't it be better to live in the equivalent to a food rainforest? Where there is food growing everywhere, on every block, incredible biodiversity and high access, for anyone, to the food they need to eat to be healthy and happy?

One of the main themes in the movie was of self-determination. The right to self-determination is a very powerful concept in international human rights law. According to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: All peoples have the right ofself-determination. By virtue of that right they freelydetermine their political status and freely pursue theireconomic, social and cultural development. Many people interviewed in the movie, reasoned that one of the best ways of self-determination, was to rely on themselves for food and for neighborhoods and communities to have food independence. It's pretty empowering - no matter what happens in your life, you can still provide, the only thing you really need to live - food.

This film clearly gets you thinking - I highly recommend it.

Have a great weekend,
Kristiane

Sustainable Yards Simplified

2011-11-17T09:44:00.001-05:00

Native Landscape

The Santa Monica, CA Office of Sustainability and the Environment recently finished installing Garden-Garden, a demonstration landscape that provides a side by side comparison of two landscape strategies, the sustainable approach and the traditional non-native approach. The project compares two adjacent yards in terms of aesthetic appearance, water usage, yard waste, and maintenance hours, and draws a concise and clear conclusion about which option is easier, cheaper in the long run, and better for the local ecosystem.

In this case, the numbers say it all.

The native garden cost $16,700 to install compared $12,400 for the traditional garden. Despite its higher initial cost, the native garden’s lower maintenance requirements translate into $2,200 per year in cost savings.
The native garden uses 77 percent less water, produces 66 percent less waste, and requires 68 percent less labor than the traditional garden.

Not to mention that the native garden looks beautiful and provides native habitat for indigenous fauna like butterflies and ladybugs.

Traditional "Mow and Blow" Landscape

Santa Monica currently imports over 90% of its water from Northern California and the Colorado River, and as these water sources are more than 400 miles away, their continued use in Santa Monica can hardly be considered sustainable. Traditional gardens in the area utilize exotic plants from wetter climates, and employ the use of standard sprinkler irrigation systems that distribute water over all plants regardless of need. This translates into an incredible water demand that has already put regional ecosystems and communities under increased stress.

Additionally, traditional gardens require frequent applications of fertilizer and pesticides that leech into the city's water supply during rainstorms, causing pollution and aquatic habitat disruption. When considered on a large scale, this is a huge problem as the average home gardener uses 10 times more toxic chemicals than a farmer.

Overall, the choice is a no-brainer. Native gardens are an all-around amazing solution to Southern California's water shortages, as well as a sustainable alternative to landscapes steeped in exotics and pesticides. In my opinion, education is the logical next step, so spread the word about what sustainable landscaping can do for you and your community! Check out the full report here and tell your friends!

Wishing you all the best,
-Melissa

The Organic Land Care Program's Annual Gathering is for Everyone

2011-11-16T10:20:00.001-05:00

In the aftermath of Winter Storm Albert, the piles of dead trees and tree limbs are accumulating along town roads. While Albert was a pretty unusual storm, it highlighted the importance of healthy, strong trees that are located in residential areas. Old trees aren't a liability if they are cared for properly - and I know the trees in my yard are an ecological staple, providing shade for shade gardens, cooling my house in the summer, habitat for my favorite birds and very entertaining squirrels, leaves that I use to mulch our gardens, kindling for my fireplace, and some less personal (but still vital) benefits like oxygen, erosion control, and flood control (woodland has been found to be 60 times more effective at absorbing water than grazed land and lawns).

Given all of these ecological services, trees are a central part of organic landscaping, and they are being celebrated as such in the 2011 NOFA Organic Land Care Annual Gathering. Early bird registration has been extended until November 22 and arborists, landscapers, naturalists and all kinds of tree-enthusiasts are welcome to attend.

The line up:

Keynote: Tom Wessels

"Foundational Principles of Sustainability"

For 3.5 billion years life has not only sustained itself, but has thrived on this planet. To create sustainable systems we don’t need to reinvent the wheel, we only need to embrace the foundational scientific principles that govern sustainability in all living systems. This presentation covers three of these foundational principles: the law of limits to growth, the second law of thermodynamics and its relationship to entropy, and the law of self-organization. Examples of how these laws work in the natural world will be used to show how they can be applied to human systems like a community or an economy.

Tom Wessels is an ecologist and founding director of the master’s degree program in Conservation Biology at Antioch University New England. He is the current chair of The Center for Whole Communities that fosters inclusive communities that are strongly rooted in place and where all people have access to and a healthy relationship with land. He is former chair of the Robert and Patricia Switzer Foundation that fosters environmental leadership through graduate fellowships and organizational grants. He served as an ecological consultant to the Rain Forest Alliance’s SmartWood Green Certification Program. Tom has conducted landscape level workshops throughout the United States for over 30 years. His books include: Reading the Forested Landscape, The Granite Landscape, Untamed Vermont, The Myth of Progress, and Forest Forensics: A Field Guide to Reading the Forested Landscape.

"Tree protection and Defense for Long-Term Landscapes"
Kevin Smith, Ph.D. leads a research team at the Northern Research Station of the USDA Forest Service working to determine the role of disease and environmental stress on forest health and productivity as well as the role of forest fungi to maintain forest fertility and biodiversity. Kevin has published more than 90 articles in scientific journals, trade magazines, and book chapters. Kevin is an honorary lifetime member of the New Hampshire Arborist Association and in 2010 received the Award for Excellence in Education from the Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture.

"Pioneering the Organic Tree Care Trend When Nobody was Listening"

Peter Wild is the founder and CEO of Arborjet Inc., a manufacturer of tree injection systems and medicaments. Wild is also the president and owner of Boston Tree Preservation, an organic-based, proactive tree-care business founded in 1977. Wild developed Soil Solutions, the first completely organic lawn-care program in the Boston area.

Todd Harrington is a true pioneer in organic lawn care having made it his business since 1987. Todd has proven that organic lawn, tree, and shrub care works and operates a profitable business near Hartford, Connecticut called “Harrington’s Organic Land Care.” He is an international consultant and national organic speaker and trainer who has written numerous published papers — of which some have been employed as the basis for legislation.

"Designing with Trees: Grouping, Natives and Sustainable Choices"
Diane Devore is a registered Landscape Architect and principal of Devore Associates, a landscape architectural firm located in Fairfield, Connecticut. Ms. Devore received her undergraduate degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Delaware Valley College and her graduate degree in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University. Devore Associates, now a mid-sized firm with projects throughout the Northeast, was selected as the award recipient for residential design by the Connecticut Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects eight times.

"Tree Whispering and Cooperative BioBalance- Paradigm Shifting to Restore Balance in Nature"
Dr. Jim Conroy or the Tree Whisperer®, earned his doctorate in Plant Pathology from Purdue University and spent 25 years as an executive in top ag-chem companies. Now, he is an authority on Nature-based communication and a global expert who holistically heals stressed trees, plants, and ecosystems with his own bioenergy-healing approach. As creator of Tree Whispering®–a holistic, hands-on, earth-friendly, no-product, and sustainable solution–he shows people how to restore tree and plant health by healing internal functionality.

Basia Alexander, The Chief Listener, is a catalyst for positive change and a leader in the new field of Conscious Co-Creativity. As an expert Nature communicator, Basia leads workshops and produces innovative curriculum. Both Dr. Conroy and Basia are on faculty at Omega Institute and are co-founders of the Institute for Cooperative BioBalance.

"Assess Internal Decay in Trees Nondestructively Using Tomography"

Dr. Marra has expertise in mycology, fungal genetics, population biology, evolution, and molecular biology. While his research program's focus on forest pathology, he studies a range of plant pathogens from the perspectives of population biology, ecology, and mating system evolution. He has been a key participant in efforts to prevent the accidental introduction of the Sudden Oak Death pathogen, from western states. He was instrumental in designing and running the department’s Molecular Plant Diagnostics Laboratory.

"Emerald Ash Borer Update"

Dr. Claire Rutledge's research specialty is wood-boring insects. She specializes in understanding the mechanisms by which these insects locate their host trees and what determines the range of acceptable hosts. Her research has focused on understanding the interactions between plants, their herbivores and the natural enemies which attack the herbivores.

We hope to see you there!
Best,
Kristiane

Local Farms Make $5 Billion in Revenue

2011-11-15T08:58:00.001-05:00

A new article from NPR's food blog, The Salt, sheds light on the truth behind the profitability of local food. According to the news giant, "It's easy to think of local food as a diversion for people with plenty of time and money — something that could never be a major source of food in a globalized world. But the number $5 billion might change that perception." According to a new analysis by the US Department of Agriculture, farmers are selling $4.8 billion a year in fruits and vegetables, mainly to restaurants and supermarket chains. This is the first time the USDA has included sales to those markets in their analysis, and it shows that there is a lot of room to increase demand further. In fact, the USDA's study didn't include two key markets, schools and prisons, that have become increasingly popular among local food growers, and that have the potential to greatly increase their overall revenue.

Ultimately, the number 5 billion is small potatoes (about 2 percent) compared to the much larger sale of commodity crops like soybeans and corn, but the numbers show that local food is a growing industry that has the demand to not only remain sustainable but also become increasingly popular over time. You can read NPR's full article here.

The best thing any of us can do when shopping for food is to buy local. Purchasing locally produced crops is great for your health, supports your local economy, and helps make our local economies less dependent on large commodity crops. Do yourself and your community a favor and buy local, or even start your own garden for the freshest food possible.

Have a great Tuesday!
-Melissa

A Great Recipe from Mindy Kannon, Prepared by One of Our Members

2011-11-14T09:34:00.001-05:00

Nutritionist Mindy Kannon offers a variety of great recipes on her website. The following recipe was given to me by a CT NOFA member who made it for our Annual Meeting potluck lunch, but was unable to attend the event because of the snow.

Sweet Potato, Walnut and Green Bean Salad on Baby Arugula
Serves 8. Active time 35 minutes, plus 20 minutes for roasting potatoes.

Tangy Yogurt Dressing:
½ cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 tsp dijon mustard
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
8 cup of baby arugula
sea salt and pepper to taste

Salad:
2 Lbs of sweet potatoes
1 tbsp rosemary
2 cloves garlic
2 cups trimmed and halved green beans
1 cup coarsely-chopped walnuts
¼ cup fresh parsley

Mix the dressing ingredients in the blender until smooth. Set aside.
Scrub sweet potatoes with a vegetable brush. With skins on, dice into ½" cubes.
Toss with olive oil, rosemary and fresh garlic. Put potatoes on a cooking sheet or pizza stone. Place in a 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Periodically check the potatoes and flip with a spatula. Remove when golden brown. Cool.
Steam green beans until tender. Immediately rinse under cold water to stop cooking so they remain crisp. Let dry.
In a bowl, toss potatoes, beans, walnuts, and parsley with dressing.
Arrange over baby arugula. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.

This delicious and easy salad supplies you with an incredible array of nutrients. Walnuts are high in anti-oxidants and are the richest source of omega-3s. Arugula is a great source of beta-carotene, vitamin C, calcium and vitamin K. Parsley contributes iron, potassium and vitamin C.

Our Annual Meeting was a great event! If you missed it because of the weather, or for any other reason, or if you made it and want to attend more of our events, check out the CT NOFA website, or the Organic Land Care website to learn more about upcoming events, including our OLC Annual Gathering, OLC Accreditation Course, and CT NOFA Winter Conference.

Have a great week!
-Melissa

The Demand for Beginning Farmers

2011-11-11T10:39:00.001-05:00

The National Young Farmer's Coalition released a study yesterday identifying and analyzing the barrier that new farmers face in making food production their full time career. The Report, Building a Future With Farmers: Challenges Faced by Young American Farmers and a National Strategy to Help Them Succeed surveryed over 1000 beginning farmers and identified the main obstacles, which are no surprise really:

Capital: Farmers need better access to capital, credit and small operating loans for start-up costs to start a farm business
Land: Farm land is scarce, it is unaffordable and it is difficult to convince landowners to make long-term lease agreements so that farmers can secure land that they can really invest in
Health Care: it is vital and unaffordable for beginning farmers

Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack is calling for hundreds of thousands of new farmers nationwide. For every single farmer under 35 there are 6 over the age of 65 and the average age of a farmer is 58. This measn that about 1/4 of our nation's farmers are expected to retire in the next 20 years. In order to replace these farmers, the US needs 500,000 new farmers - that's 10,000 farmers per state! And as we have seen this year, farming is a risky business, so all farmers, (but especially less experienced, less financially-secure farmers) need a well crafted safety net for their businesses - provided by the US Government

The 2012 Farm Bill is being written now, and it needs to include or increase funding to a number of initiatives to support beginning farmers:

micro-lending programs and loan pre-approval for farmers
training for people in the Farm Service Agency to work with beginning farmers more effectively
funding for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Individual Development Accounts ( Pilot Program
tax credits for leasing or selling land to a farmer
expand the Transition Incentives Program
reinstate funding for the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, a database of farm apprenticeships and internships
fully fund the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (which has funded CT NOFA's Beginning Women Farmer program and the regional NOFA's Beginning Farmer Program)
restore funding to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to provide cost sharing between farmers and the federal government for farmers to invest in organic and sustainable production

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has advice on how to communicate to your legislators the this farm bill needs to be about the future of farming instead of about the continued profit of unsustainable, large-scale farming. As we continue to mortgage our future, the farm bill has been scaled back considerably, but there is some hope for the Beginning Farmer Programs: http://westernfarmpress.com/government/beginning-farmer-legislation-introduced-farm-bill. Much of the decision making has been made (mostly behind closed doors) but it's never too late to let your legislators know that you value investments in new farmers, in rural, suburban and urban areas, and for new farms that maintain the land in a way that respects the environment, the community and future generations.

Have a great weekend!
Kristiane

CT NOFA's work to protect farmers and consumers from the threats of GMOs

2011-11-10T10:43:00.001-05:00

Hey all, here's a press release about CT NOFA's work to educate the public and farmers about the potential threats to consumer rights, the environment and organic farming posed by genetically modified foods. If you want to take action and demand labeling of GMO Foods please visit our GMO Page!

Best,

Kristiane

FORIMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kristiane Huber

November 10, 2011 kristiane@ctnofa.org

CTNOFA’S GMO PROGRAM SEEKS PROTECTION FOR FARMERS AND MANDATORY LABELING ONGENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS


Dan Ravicher prepares to discuss "Suing Monsanto" at Yale Law School

TheNortheast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (CT NOFA) has launched acampaign to educate consumers about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) inthe environment and food supply. GMO crops pose a great threat to small-scale agriculture,biodiversity, food security and consumer rights. GMO crops have failed to make agriculturemore sustainable or feed the world as the biotechnology industry promised, accordingto The Global Citizens Report on theState of GMOs, released by Navdanya International and the InternationalCommission on the Future of Food and Agriculture.

InJune of 2011, CT NOFA joined the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association(OSGATA) and over 80 other plaintiffs in suing Monsanto to protect independentor organic farmers from patent infringement charges should their non-GMO cropsbe contaminated with Monsanto’s patented genes. “Hopefully this suit will raise awareness here and all over the countryabout the dangers of GMOs and slow the pollution they are spreading into theseeds which sustain us” explained CT NOFA’s Executive Director, BillDuesing. In October, CT NOFA and YaleLaw School co-hosted “Suing Monsanto: Intellectual Property, GeneticContamination and Farmers’ Rights”, a talk by Dan Ravicher, the lawyerrepresenting organic producers in OSGATAet al. v. Monsanto and the Executive Director of the Public PatentFoundation.

Representative Roy at CT NOFA's Annual Meeting

CTNOFA has partnered with the Just Label It! Campaign and advocates for the rightof consumers to know about genetically engineered ingredients in their food andtheir right to choose whether to eat it or not. According to the Center forFood Safety, over 85% of soy, cotton and corn are genetically modified and 70%of packaged foods contain a genetically modified material. There is anoverwhelming consensus that GMO labeling is an ethical issue related toconsumer rights according to polls conducted by MSNBC Health Poll, ABC News andthe New York Times.

Oneof Connecticut’s leading GMO labeling advocates, Representative Richard Roy(D-Milford), Chair of the Connecticut Environmental Committee, was invited tospeak at the CT NOFA annual meeting about his efforts to establish ConnecticutGMO labeling legislation. RepresentativeRoy believes that Connecticut can be a leader in GMO labeling in the same waythe state led the way in establishing a BPA ban in containers forchildren. The first bill that containeda GMO labeling amendment failed to be passed in the House of Representatives,but he plans to introduce another GMO labeling amendment in a House Bill thisyear.

Jeffrey Smith, CT NOFA's
Winter Conference Keynote
Speaker

CT NOFA has also added a GMO workshop track at the CT NOFA WinterConference on March 3, 2011. The WinterConference keynote speaker is Jeffrey Smith, lead spokesperson on the dangersof genetically modified foods, and author of internationally bestselling “Seedsof Deception.” He is also the Executive Director of the Institute forResponsible Technology.

For now, the only foods that are guaranteed to be GMO-free arethose labeled as organic. To avoid GMOfoods, consumers are encouraged to buy local, know their farmer and supportorganic producers. For more informationabout our past programs, the Winter Conference or to take action and supportGMO labeling laws, please visit CT NOFA’s website: www.ctnofa.org or our GMO information page: http://ctnofa.org/GMO%20resource%20page.html

Moving the growing indoors

2011-11-09T10:18:00.002-05:00

With the exception of those hardy winter vegetables, like leafy greens, that you planted in September and October, your garden is probably looking pretty subdued (especially if it was recently covered with a foot of snow or fallen trees). You can still plant bulbs, and fall clean-up time is soon (remember, you don't need to clean up that much, you should leave some of your leaves on your property or add them to your compost pile ).

In light of CT NOFA's Indoor Food and Flower growing workshop this Saturday at 10:00 am at Common Ground High School in New Haven, lets talk about indoor growing!

As you can see from our office plants, we're experts.

If you have a window that gets 6-8 hours of sunlight a day, you can grow plants like lettuce, endive and arugula, radishes, small-crop tomatoes, peppers, and bush beans. Herbs are pretty easy to grow indoors too - you can grow chives, basil, parsley, oregano, cilantro, peppermint and rosemary. You can of course grow vegetables in pots, but you can also grow in glass, creating a terrarium. Here's a how-to video: http://www.ehow.com/video_9374_make-terrarium.html.

Please check out the workshop this weekend, from 10:00am - 12:00 pm for more information! You can grow a surprising amount of food indoors, and can really lighten up your space with living plants!

Container gardens, establish outside are especially easy to move indoors

Sheep Lawn Mowers - the Sustainable Alternative

2011-11-08T10:23:00.003-05:00

Eddie Miller and two of his Jacob sheep.

It's a win-win situation! When many Americans have lawns to care for and the economy is bad, entrepreneurs will inevitably step up to find mutually beneficial ways to fill the demand. In Ohio, 23 year old Eddie Miller has discovered that mowing a lawn can not only earn him money but can also feed his two sheep for free. As a result, he can raise his sheep without spending hundreds of dollars a month on feed, and the residents who pay for his service don't have to deal with loud emission-spewing machines. (There are emissions, of course, but rather than polluting the air, they make for great fertilizer.) He simply brings his sheep to graze for anywhere from three hours to several days. The sheep get healthy free food, Eddie gets revenue either monetarily or through barter, and the community gets a healthy dose of a more country lifestyle. For people entering the working community during this tumultuous economic period, innovation is often the key to success. Standard routes to revenue have proven stagnant over the past few years, so the answer may be to think outside of the box a bit and consider returning to methods of living often associated with the past. Adopting a more natural lifestyle eliminates a lot of waste that technology so often produces, making profits go farther and keeping the investment local. It's a sustainable alternative that could not only boost what goes into your pocket at the end of the day, but will also promote your well-being.

To read more about Eddie's story among others, check out the New York Times' article.

Have a healthy and stress-free day!
-Melissa

How to Stop Useless Food Destruction

2011-11-07T10:53:00.000-05:00

The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund is a legal institution in place to defend the rights and broaden the freedoms of family farms and protect consumer access to raw milk and nutrient dense foods. It's a valuable resource for any farmer or organization that deals with small farms and locally produced whole food, and their 24/7 hotline can help out if you are in a legal pinch. If you are concerned that government regulators may be putting your rights and your food at risk, they are an organization to contact.

Here's the story of Monte and Laura Bledso, owners of Quail Hollow Farm in Nevada's Moapa Valley. On Friday, October 21, they began their farm to fork dinner with paying guests and locally produced food and music. As their guests were arriving, farm tours were wrapping up, and the final dinner preparation was beginning, the Southern Nevada Health District showed up demanding an inspection. They declared that the food was unfit for not only human consumption at a public event, but also consumption at a private event or even by animals. Let me make it clear that there was nothing wrong with the food they prepared, with the sanitation of the facility, or with the farm's legal standing. Laura and Monte had complied with all regulations up until the event, most of the food preparation was done at a certified facility offsite and a certified food trailer had been rented for the onsite preparation, and they had a special use permit from the US Health Department for the event. Despite all if their efforts, and regardless of the fact that their food was, indeed, entirely safe for consumption, the inspector gave Laura and Monte no choice but to throw their lovingly prepared dinner that guests had paid for in the garbage. And to add insult to injury, they were not only required to throw all the food away but were also told to pour bleach on it, thus rendering it completely useless, even for composting. This story speaks to how out of touch with reality our national food priorities are. Our government is willing and motivated to crack down on the small farmer who's never had an incident of illness from his or her food, but are unable or unwilling to adequately regulate large-scale factory farms that cause thousands of food recalls, illnesses, and deaths.

Fortunately, Laura and Monte's story has a happy ending. As the inspector was forcing them to bleach and trash their dinner, they thought to call the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, that then let them know about their right to demand a search or arrest warrant from the inspector in order for them to continue operating on their property. When the inspector was unable to provide such a warrant, the Health District had no legal recourse but to leave the premises. Laura and Monte were able to salvage their event, and the guests felt a greater sense of bonding and motivation to enact change as a result of the incident.

You can go to the Fund's website to read more about Laura and Monte's experience, and to get involved yourself.

Have a great Monday!
-Melissa

Almstead Lawn Care Brings Science of Organic Care to Scarsdale

2011-11-04T12:28:00.003-04:00

Check out this article about one of the Organic Land Care Program's Accredited Land Care Professionals, Ken Almstead, and his business' organic services. If you are concerned about the synthetic chemicals in your food, you might want to consider the equally harmful chemicals being applied to yards in your neighborhood that run off into water supplies and marine environments. Ask your landscaper about their organic services, or search for one of our accredited professionals on our website: www.organiclandcare.net. You can demand the same ecological quality from your landscaper that you do from your farmers!

Almstead Lawn Care Brings Science of Organic Care to Scarsdale

Organic Lawn Care Invigorates 20 Acres of Scarsdale Sports Fields

SCARSDALE, N.Y. (October 13, 2011) – Almstead Lawn Care, leaders in the field of organic lawn services, recently utilized the latest natural soil supplements and organic fertilizers, along with aeration and seeding techniques, to strengthen more than 20 acres of sports fields in Scarsdale, N.Y. The benefits of an organic program are derived from improving soil biology in a way that supports lawns naturally.

“Investing in an organic program is not only a healthier option for lawns, but it also is more cost-effective over time because it requires less maintenance,” said Almstead Vice President and licensed arborist Michael Almstead. “Plus, organic programs promote more sustainable environmental practices, which ideally is always the goal.”

While the Village of Scarsdale began to implement its organic lawn care program two years ago, a new state law known as the Child Safe Playing Fields Act recently went into effect requiring all schools and day care centers to stop using pesticides on playgrounds and sports fields. Effective May 2011 for schools and November 2010 for child care facilities, the Child Safe Playing Fields Act aims to protect children from harmful pesticides and has been widely applauded by parents, environmental groups and human health activists. The law does allow for emergency pesticide applications pending reviews and approvals.

“We have people in our community using these fields all the time, and we felt an obligation to pursue an organic approach,” said Suzanne Busby, Superintendent of the Scarsdale Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. “As the person entrusted to make sure our fields are safe for residents, I felt it was the best action to take.”

Organic lawn care focuses on improving soil biology so that plants and lawns are strengthened naturally. In Scarsdale, Almstead this spring employed a technique called “Slit Seeding,” where a tractor attachment slices into the ground, drops in grass seeds and folds the grass to cover the soil all in one pass. After a summer of active field use, the Almstead team returned to Crossway Fields in late September, this time opting for a strategy called “Core Aeration.” Essentially core aeration creates hundreds of thousands of tiny holes in the soil, which allows for an increased flow of oxygen, water and nutrients to the soil. This in turn produces a healthier lawn as the improved soil environment provides more resources to the plants.

Almstead also treated the fields with an organic blend of insoluble fertilizer containing a “9-0-4” percent blend of Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potassium, respectively. Insoluble fertilizer releases more slowly over time, thereby staying in the soil longer and providing more nutrients to the grass. Additionally, such fertilizers don’t produce Nitrate runoff, which is an environmental concern surrounding traditional Nitrogen fertilizers. Nutrients in this organic blend were derived from feather meal, soybean meal, cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal and vegetable ash.

Equally important, Almstead conducted tests to check on the biology of the soil, discovering that the fields had a low active beneficial fungi count. This required that the team conduct a humate application, an organic source of food for these microorganisms, to correct the issue naturally. Active beneficial fungi help with disease suppression and nutrient retention in the soil.

“When I pull up grass here I find tons of earthworms, whereas on a primarily chemically treated lawn you really don’t find any earthworms at all,” Michael Almstead said while checking on the fields recently. “That is exactly what you want to see. Not only are the earthworms helping to aerate soil and increase root growth, but they are also near the top of the soil food-chain and their presence is a great indicator that the rest of the soil ecosystem is functioning well. The Village of Scarsdale has a real commitment to going organic, and this is proof their success.”

Family owned and operated since 1964, Almstead Tree & Shrub Care Co. provides homeowners, businesses and municipalities in the tri-state area with tree, shrub and lawn care services. Recognized for being at the forefront of organic care services, the company runs compost tea brewing operations and offers a full line of pure organic and hybrid organic/traditional programs to keep plants healthy naturally. Vice President Michael Almstead holds a certificate from the Sustainable Studies Institute in organic soil management. CEO Ken Almstead, Horticultural Chair of Cornell Cooperative Extension, is a NOFA Certified Organic Landscape Care Professional, as are several other Arborists on the staff. Headquartered in New Rochelle, N.Y., Almstead has locations in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. For more information or to request a free consultation, visit Almstead at http://almstead.com or call toll-free at 1-800-427-1900.

Press Contact

Diana Costello

Co-Communications, Inc.

diana@cocommunications.com

914-666-0066

About Almstead Tree & Shrub Care Co.

Distinguished by its International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborists, Almstead Tree & Shrub Care Co. is a family owned and operated business founded by Richard E. Almstead in 1964. Today sons Ken and Michael Almstead oversee many of the daily operations, caring for residential, commercial, municipal, and school properties throughout the greater New York-metropolitan region. Almstead offers a full range of organic and traditional services to properly care for trees, shrubs and lawns. Offices are located in Hawthorne and New Rochelle, N.Y., Stamford, Conn., and North Halendon, N.J. For more information or to request a free consultation, visit Almstead at http://almstead.com or call toll-free at 1-800-427-1900. You can also connect on Facebook or LinkedIn for the latest news, photos and promotions.

Michael Almstead, right, Vice President of Almstead Tree & Shrub Care Co., discusses Core Aeration with driver Kevin Andrews at Crossway Fields in Scarsdale, N.Y. The company recently completed a second round of organic lawn care on more than 20 acres of sports fields, employing Core Aeration to help strengthen the lawn. The company has offices in Hawthorne and New Rochelle, N.Y., Stamford, Conn., and North Halendon, N.J.

Organic lawn care specialists Almstead Tree & Shrub Care Co. recently utilized a Core Aeration technique on more than 20 acres of sports fields in Scarsdale, N.Y. This patch of a baseball field shows how holes were created to aerate the soil, which enables grass roots to grow deeper and ultimately produces a healthier lawn.

Michael Almstead, Vice President of Almstead Tree & Shrub Care Co., prepares for a day of aeration, seeding and organic fertilization at Crossway Fields in Scarsdale, N.Y. The company, which has offices in Hawthorne and New Rochelle, N.Y., Stamford, Conn., and North Halendon, N.J, recently completed a second round of organic lawn care on more than 20 acres of sports field.

Organic lawn care specialists Almstead Tree & Shrub Care Co. recently utilized a Core Aeration technique on more than 20 acres of sports fields in Scarsdale, N.Y. Here Michael Almstead, Vice President of Almstead Tree & Shrub Care Co., shows how holes were created to aerate the soil, which enables grass roots to grow deeper and ultimately produces a healthier lawn.

Justin Eubanks, of Almstead Tree & Shrub Care Co., prepares an organic blend of fertilizers for a baseball field at Crossway Fields in Scarsdale, N.Y., where the company recently serviced more than 20 acres of sports fields. While the Village of Scarsdale implemented its organic lawn care program proactively, a new law known as the Child Safe Playing Fields Act recently went into effect requiring all schools and day care centers to stop using pesticides on playgrounds and sports fields.