Vermont Food Fight

By Bill Duesing

The month after Vermont governor Peter Shumlin signed into law the country's first genetically modified organism (GMO) labeling bill with a firm effective date, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), the Snack Food Association (SFA), the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) sued in Federal Court to overturn the new law. This law is scheduled to take effect in 2016; there is no trigger clause requiring other states to pass similar legislation before it takes effect.

With foresight, the Vermont legislature established the Vermont Food Fight Fund to help defend the GMO Labeling Law.  A strong defense of Vermont's law should strengthen Connecticut's. You can contribute here. 

Why are these three multibillion dollar lobbying associations, representing the world's largest and most powerful corporations, suing to stop what the citizens want? After all, these citizens are their customers.  

The Japanese Food System Experience (So Far)

Greetings from Hayashima, Japan!

It's been about a month and a half since I left Connecticut to spend a year teaching English in Japan, and in that time I (and my stomach) have begun to get used to life here. I am by no means an expert on Japan's food system at this point, nor will I likely ever be, but there are some similarities and differences between the American way of producing and consuming food and the Japanese way of doing so that became clear almost as soon as I arrived.

Similarity: Both Japan and the United States have a country-wide food distribution network

This is a picture of Marunaka, a supermarket chain with a store right here in my town. This particular picture isn't of my town's store, but the one in Hayashima looks similar. There is parking available for both bikes and cars as many people (myself included) ride bikes around town. Marunaka stocks foods and household goods from all over Japan and is fairly sizable, although nowhere near as giant as a Costco or Super Walmart. Since arriving in Japan I haven't heard of or seen anything like that.


Difference: Japan's food distribution network focuses heavily on Japanese products
Or at least it does in my experience so far. And not only does it focus on Japanese-grown products, but also regional and local products. The Pione grape and white peach are both specialties of the region I am living in, and are available, seasonally, right as you walk into the store. Local fish from the inland sea near my town makes up a large percentage of the seafood selection, and even dry goods like rice have labels displaying what prefecture the grains came from.

Piglets, chickens, and kittens OH MY

Attendees admiring the feeder pigs at Copper Hill Farm

This past Sunday CT NOFA held its second On-Farm Workshop of the summer, Pasture-Raised Pigs on a Diversified Organic Farm, lead by Greg Hazelton, CT NOFA board member and the owner of Copper Hill Farm in West Suffield, CT. It was the perfect day to tour Greg's farm and listen to him eloquently speak about his experience raising pigs, chickens and growing produce as a one man operation at Copper Hill for the past four and half years. 

You Can Win a New Jacket by Supporting Our Mission!

Our Spring Appeal is in full swing, and there are prizes you can win! Donate $100 or more to be entered into a raffle to win one of these AWESOME JACKETS from Patagonia! Take on those chilly spring nights in style!

Click here to donate!

 

Your donations support our programs that train new farmers, encourage the growth of Community Farms, teach organic vegetable gardening and bring attention to the important agricultural and food work that is happening in Connecticut’s urban areas. You can help us continue to grow a local and organic food system and an organic land care system by donating.

We also encourage you to set up a recurring monthly donation; if you call the office at 203-888-5146, we would be glad to assist you. 

Again, you can make a donation here.

Thanks so much for your help!

Local Seedling Sales around the State

Didn't get a chance to start your seeds this year? That's ok! You can still have organic, locally seeded veggies - from the experts!

A number of farms around the state are having seedling sales this weekend.  If you're a farmer and would like some help promoting your seedling sale, please post it on CT NOFA's Facebook.

Here are the ones we know about, one in New Haven, one in New Britain and one in Waterford:

Common Ground High School's Seedling Sale
May 18, 10:00am - 3:00pm
385 Springside Avenue, New Haven
http://commongroundct.org/events/farm-festival-and-seedling-sale/





Urban Oaks Organic Farm
May 17 (12:00pm - 6:00pm)
May 18 (9:00am - 2:00pm)
225 Oak Street, New Britain, CT
http://www.blog.urbanoaks.org/?page_id=713

Hunts Brook Farm Farm Tour and Seedling Sale
Saturday & Sunday May 18&19 (10 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
108 Hunts Brook Road
Quaker Hill, CT 06375
http://huntsbrookfarm.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/farm-tour-and-seedling-sale/

Also, if you're looking for some fun with the whole family, visit Flanders Nature Center in Woodbury, CT for Flanders Family Farm Fun Day on May 18 between 10:00 and 3:00!  CT NOFA will be there with NEW Farm and Food Guides!

We hope you can enjoy this weekend for some gardening, and visiting some of our states working and educational farms to get to know farmers and your food better!

Best,

Kristiane

Get Ready for Spring Crops!

Although you can grow or buy a bounty of foods year-round in Connecticut, now is the time that the season for a wide array of spring and summer crops really starts to pick up.  This week as you're contemplating your grocery list, check out the above Connecticut Grown calendar (also available online here) to see what's growing in the area right now. 

Then, check out our brand new Farm and Food Guide that just came out for a listing of organic and sustainable farms near you!  The Guide provides not only a list of farms and farmers markets with maps that show where each farm is located, but also contains information about which Connecticut Grown farm products are available from each farm.  Starting right now, you can use the Guide and the CT Grown map together to get more of your produce from local sources.

And don't forget, CT farmers offer all of the produce listed in the map, plus more!  Check out the Guide to learn about additional types of produce as well as baked goods, dairy items, meat and seafood, and so much more! Buying local is an easy and delicious way to keep your food dollars where they count - in the local economy supporting Connecticut's own farmers!

Have a great afternoon!
-Melissa

Rethink Your Cellphone and the Global Food System

For many, cellphones are used for a few primary services; communicating with others and (if you own a smartphone) staying connected to the internet and often times your Facebook page. Yet for farmers in Sub-Sahara Africa, having a cellphone could mean the difference between making a profit on your crop in the global market or none at all. 

FoodTank, an organization that has created a network of connections and information that offer solutions to some of the most pressing issues of our food system, has highlighted five major ways cellphones are changing agriculture in this region of Africa. Check them out:

1) Access to market prices: Mobile phones allow farmers to gain access to vital information about prices of crops before they travel long distances to markets. Cell phone services employ SMS text messaging to quickly transfer accurate information about wholesale and retail prices of crops, ensuring farmers can  negotiate deals with traders and improve their timing of getting crops to the market. SokoniSMS64 is one popular service used in Kenya to provide farmers with accurate market prices from around the country.

2) Micro-insurance: Cell phones are also used for a “pay as you plant” type of insurance. Kilimo Salama, meaning “safe agriculture” in Swahili, is a micro-insurance company that protects farmers against poor weather conditions. The insurance is distributed through dealers who utilize camera phone technology to scan and capture policy information through a code using an advanced phone application. The information is then uploaded to Safaricom’s mobile cloud-based server that administers policies. Farmers can then receive information on their policy, as well as payouts based on rainfall, in SMS messages. This is a paperless, completely automated process. 

3) iCow from M-Farm: This cell phone application calls itself “the world’s first mobile phone cow calendar.” It enables farmers to keep track of each cow’s individual gestation so farmers never miss the valuable opportunity to expand their herd. iCow also keeps track of feed types and schedules, local veterinary contact information, and precise market prices of cattle. 

4) Instant weather information: Mobile technology provides farmers with crucial weather data so they can properly manage their crops. Programs such as Tigo Kilimo in Tanzania give small-scale farmers instant weather information combined with appropriate agricultural tips. 

5) CocoaLink: This app makes use of western Ghana’s rapidly expanding mobile network to deliver important information to cocoa farmers. The World Cocoa Foundation created this program to provide free voice and SMS text messages about farm safety, child labor, health, and improvements in farming practices, crop disease prevention, and crop marketing. Farmers receive messages in English or their local language. 

It is amazing to see how technology is being used all over the world for more purposes than what we are accustomed to. It is also interesting to note that while we advocate for sustainable agriculture and organic farming which tends to stray from the technological advances of the modern world such as those used in industrial agriculture, people of other areas of the world are utilizing technology in a way that advances their profits and maintains their livelihood of being a farmer.

Have a great afternoon!

Katie

Become a Volunteer with CT NOFA!

CT NOFA needs you!

A message from Debra Sloane, the CT NOFA Board Member Responsible for Volunteers:

This could be you!

CT NOFA is actively recruiting volunteers to be part of a sustainable team committed to supporting the incredibly wide array of events and activities we sponsor and get involved with throughout the year. Only with your support can we continue to be a dynamic and growing organization able to participate in all of the state’s events and programs committed to organic farming and organic food. That’s why we need you to be part of our volunteer team!

Please plan on joining us at either one of our two upcoming volunteer training sessions:

Sunday, April 7, 2013
3:00 – 6:00 PM
Auerfarm, Bloomfield CT

Monday, April 8, 2013
5:30 – 8:30 PM
New Morning Market, Woodbury CT

The agenda will be the same at both events and food and drinks will be served. Please join us at the date and time that suits your schedule by registering HERE.

Your commitment to our volunteer team is essential to helping CT NOFA reach the

entire state with our message. We will have opportunities for you to be active throughout the year to help strengthen and grow our membership base and support the CT NOFA vision. Our plan is to become a regular presence at various farmers markets, open farm days, conferences, fairs and to provide informational brochures to a targeted set of natural food stores and CSAs. We will support you with training and mentoring so that you are comfortable with your role and so that you look forward to your volunteer commitment.

Volunteering with CT NOFA is fun!  Depending on what's happening at the time, you might be able to visit farmers markets, table at expos and symposiums, or learn new computer skills.  As someone who has done all of those things and more with CT NOFA, I can say that it's a great way to grow, meet amazing people, and have a great time!  Again, if you'd like to get involved, sign up for one of the training sessions online here.

Have a great evening,
Melissa

You Can Take Control of the Food System Right Now

Food corporations aren't in business to help us eat healthier - they're in business to make money, since they are ultimately accountable to their shareholders. So when big food reassures us that they care about what's in our best interests - namely reducing lifestyle diseases like obesity and diabetes that stem from over-consumption of their products - that's really only a partial truth. It's a truth only in the sense that they care about how our interests will affect whether or not we purchase their products.  The idea that big food has any moral obligation to care about whether or not we get sick from their products is false, regardless of how their advertising might spin it. (Remember this ad by coke?  That's what I'm talking about.) And even that supposed "truth" that we as consumers are powerful enough to sway product development with our concerns could be considered a stretch.  Really, psychology is king in this industry, trumping public opinion and moral outrage, and the only thing we can do about it is to eat critically and move toward greater government regulation.

I was recently sent this article by a colleague that explains what I mean.  The article is long, but I'm glad I read the whole thing because it really gets into the nuts and bolts of how the food industry operates.  The fact that big food tries to create and optimize products for maximum addictiveness isn't all that surprising, but it does speak to the need for each of us as individuals to take control of our own health by making informed food choices, and to push for greater government oversight in order to regulate the production and marketing of these products.  Again, the industry isn't interested in pleasing the consumer; it's interested in pleasing its shareholders by selling product.  If the best way to sell product is to placate consumers with hollow reassurances while at the same time marketing them highly addictive and nutritionally poor goods, so be it.  There is no ethical compass here. In this system, the vast complexity of a human being is reduced to a set of psychological impulses.  If a company can capitalize on those impulses to make more money, all the better for them, but not necessarily all the better for you.

The point is, it's not about big food being good or evil.  Morally corrupt or not, they're looking after their best interests, and so should you.  It's easy to slip into eating unhealthy foods because we perceive them to be cheaper, tastier, and more convenient than their healthful wholesome cousins (I've fallen into that trap more than I'd like to admit) but when you're about to go for that prepared meal or snack because you think it's less expensive and less time consuming than making a real meal, consider whether or not that perception is really true, or if it's just the result of effective corporate marketing.  More and more I'm finding that I can make meals that are easily prepared and more delicious and satisfying than anything processed, despite what any food commercials tell me. There are thousands of variations on the sandwich, for instance, many of which are very quick and easy to make with local healthy ingredients, and are much cheaper and more delicious than fast food versions of the sandwich like burgers.  And if I really have no time for a full meal, or are just bored with the meal options I've been preparing for myself, I'll go the snack route, but not in the conventional chips and cookies way.  A combination of fruit, nuts, veggies, and cheeses makes a great on the go snack, and if you focus more heavily on the fruits and veggies it can be very affordable.

Regardless of your approach, buying locally produced food and preparing your meals yourself is a great way to feel empowered about your place in the food system.  On a larger scale, that empowerment means communities can work more effectively together to make lasting changes in government policy at all levels of the system, which translates into a better standard of living for everyone.  But it all starts with how we as individuals respond to the current food system, and who we choose to support with the one thing that big food cares about the most.  Money talks - how will you spend your opinion?

Have a great afternoon,
Melissa

Stop the Biotech Rider!

The biotech, or "Monsanto" rider is back!  Originally in legislation last summer, this industry-driven rider would not only allow, but require the Secretary of Agriculture to grant a temporary permit for the planting or cultivation of a genetically engineered crop, even if a federal court has ordered the planting be halted until an Environmental Impact Statement is completed. This means that biotech companies would be able to temporarily override a federal court ruling, effectively placing them in a position of greater power than the court itself. All they have to do is ask.

If passed, this provision will undermine the fundamental safeguards of our judicial system, and will negatively effect farmers, the environment, and public health across America. The rider will give the biotech industry a way to circumvent federal court orders and serves to give the industry assurances that aren't needed.

Tell your Senators to demand that Appropriations Chairwoman Mikulski pull this dangerous and unconstitutional rider, and support Senator Tester's amendment  (#74), co-sponsored by Senators Boxer (D-CA), Gillibrand (D-NY), and Leahy (D-VT), that would strike the rider from the Continuing Resolution.

We can't allow the biotech industry to subvert our judicial and political system. Thank you for taking time from your busy day to make this important call!

Find your Senator's number here

 

You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask for your Senator's Office, or send a letter telling your Senator to support the Tester amendment by filling out the online letter here. Learn more about the biotech rider and the Tester amendment on the Beyond Pesticides website here.

Get Excited - CT NOFA 2013 Winter Conference Just a Week Away!

In December 2012, I joined CT NOFA as the Outreach Intern. I very quickly learned that a majority of my time would be devoted to helping Kristiane (the Events and Outreach Coordinator) and other CT NOFA staff promote the 2013 Winter Conference on March 2nd.

As I learned more about the event my curiosity peaked and my thoughts started to go from  "This seems really cool!" to "I can learn about dairy goats, maple sugaring, climate change and meet with local vendors all in the same day? This is AWESOME!".  When I realized today that the conference is only a week away, that curiosity turned into excitement and unlike the rest of the CT NOFA staff, I have never attended the Winter Conference (or really any conference similar in magnitude). This experience will be entirely new to me and I am greatly looking forward to it. 

Here are some reason's why you should be excited too (newbie or not):

• Workshops, workshops, workshops. Did I mention the workshops?
• There are over 50 workshops (53 to be exact) to choose from and we are providing three sessions throughout the day to attend any of them that you are most interested in. Best part is there is something for everyone - topics like small business lessons, basic vegetable production, sustainable living, food preservation, school gardens, climate change and small scale agriculture, organic land care, and even seaweed aquaculture are all available!

• Get to know your neighbors 
• A big part of sustainable eating is supporting local farmers and businesses. Throughout the day you can "meet and greet" with over 40 vendors and exhibitors from all over Connecticut. You might be surprised to find that some of them are located right in your own community and you just never knew it!

• All this talk about food is making me hungry....
• In past years lunch has been served Pot Luck style and while that is a fun and creative way to eat, it doesn't really cater (no pun intended) to the capacity the Winter Conference has grown to. So this year some of the very best farm-to-restaurant chefs from Fairfield County will be serving you lunch! I am particularly excited for this since in all honestly, my just-out-of-college-and-broke budget doesn't really allow me to go out to eat very often. This will be a great way to eat locally and organic from many different restaurants all at once! (The cost for lunch is $15)

• Silent Auction/Raffle
•  Many of the vendors donate wonderful items and products to the raffle so if you see something you like during the day, maybe you could walk home with it! 

• Celebrate sustainability with music!
• The band Gatsby's Green Light will be joining us during registration and the lunch hour to bring us good vibes for the day. The band often plays with organizations, events, and fairs that promote local food and clean energy solutions. They also donate 30% of their profit to organizations like NOFA. 

Check out this video of the 2012 Winter Conference highlights to get even more excited!

I hope to see you next Saturday! Best, 

Katie

GMOs, Industry Involvement, and Preemption - A Word of Caution

Photo via: planetmattersandmore.com

I read an interesting take on possible federal GMO labeling legislation today that cautioned against a potentially dangerous and irreversible situation known as preemption. This comes after a flurry of other articles like this one came out that discuss the possibility of big food supporting GMO labeling.  It might be hard to believe that conventional food retailers would support a federal labeling initiative, but when you look at it from the perspective of money, ease, and stability, it makes more sense.  After all, it's a lot easier for a multinational corporation like Walmart to have one labeling law to deal with in the United States rather than a host of different state laws, and putting an end to grassroots organizing helps their bottom line, reduces the possibility of PR trouble, and generally creates a more stable situation for their business to operate in.  Big food isn't supporting labeling to protect the consumer, however, and big ag isn't about to let the GMO labeling bill of our dreams get written up. That's where compromise and preemption come into play.  An excerpt from the article I first mentioned reads:

[There is an] ominous potential downside of federal GMO labeling: a sneaky legal concept known as preemption. Most advocates don’t find out about it before it’s too late.

Preemption simply means that a higher law trumps a lower law: so federal trumps state, and state trumps local. But in practice, it’s industry’s way of ensuring uniformity and stopping grassroots efforts. How I do know this? From years of experience of seeing it happen in various public health issues. It’s such a huge problem that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded an entire project called “Preemption and Movement Building in Public Health” to educate advocates about how to handle it.

Here is the pattern: a grassroots effort builds over time to enact local or state laws (such as gun control, indoor-smoking laws, or restricting alcohol sales), and industry fights these efforts for years, until they can no longer win. At that point, industry lobbyists turn around and either get their own weak bill passed, or work with advocates to pass a compromise version. In exchange, this law will preempt or prevent any state or city from passing a different or stronger law. Forever.

So if industry and grassroots efforts come to a compromise sometime in the future and produce a federal GMO labeling bill, preemption could prevent stronger legislation from being passed on the state level.  This effectively transforms the federal initiative from being a foundation for stronger more effective legislation into being a watered down action plan that stifles and oppresses future progressive initiatives.  That's not to say that a federal GMO labeling bill is a bad idea - it's a great idea if accomplished through care and caution.  Let's make sure that when a labeling bill is passed, whether at the state or federal level, it does what we want it to do.

Have a great evening!
-Melissa

A Full House at the Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference

Last Saturday, January 26, 2013, CT NOFA held it's annual Getting Started in Organic Farming Coneference at Goodwin College in East Hartford.  Despite a winter storm that inundated much of the mid-Atlantic states, we had sunny, albeit cold, weather up in Connecticut on the day of the event.  This was the first time the conference has been held at Goodwin, and we couldn't have been happier with how the day turned out.

The conference began just after 8am, and every seat in the room was filled.  Our Executive Director, Bill Duesing, kicked off the day with a compelling 30 minute overview of our current agricultural situation and how that ties into important global issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and nutrient loading in fresh and salt water.  Bill gave an inspiring call to action for new farmers, explaining that organic farming directly addresses our planet's (and humanity's) most pressing ecological concerns.

After Bill's excellent introduction, Joe Bonelli from the UConn Cooperative Extension Service spoke briefly about Connecticut Farm Risk Management and crop insurance, explaining the tools that UConn and RMA have to offer new farmers to help them get started.

Our first full-length speaker of the day was Kip Kolesinskas, a conservation scientist with 35 years of experience. Kip has been a major contributor in efforts to increase farmer access to land, develop farm friendly municipalities, and promote locally grown food.  Kip's 45 minute presentation, Gaining Access to Quality Farmland, gave an overview of the common methods and sources for gaining access to affordable farmland, such as matching services, opportunities on Municipal and Land Trust properties, and the basic elements of a good lease, technical resources, and its role in risk management.

Next Erin Pirro, a Farm Business Consultant for Farm Credit East with a background in agricultural economics, spoke for an hour about Budgeting from the Bottom Up.  Erin has been helping farmers large and small make their businesses run better since 2001, and showed her knowledge and expertise by describing how to build a plan in numbers, designed to show you if you can take your business where you need it to go. Erin delved into the many aspects of building a strong and comprehensive budget, and showed how doing do will save you a lot of time and effort in the long run.

Kerry and Max Taylor, owners and operators of Provider Farm in Salem, CT, followed Erin with  a half hour presentation about Starting a CSA for Long Term Success. Provider Farm is a 200 share CSA, wholesale, and market biodynamic farm.  Kerry and Max described what it takes to start a CSA and why it can be a really valuable tool for new farmers. They addressed the benefits and draw backs of starting a CSA in the first year as well as lessons learned, tools for success and how a CSA fits into a whole farm plan.

Kerry and Max's presentation served as a great opening to the 45 minute CSA Panel where five Connecticut farmers, including Kerry and Max, addressed CSA-related questions from the audience ranging from the more general to the technical and specific. Other than Kerry and Max, the panel was also represented by three other farmers: Karen Pettinelli from Holcomb Farm, Mark Gauger from Maple View Farm, and Rodger Phillips from Grow Hartford.  Together, the panelists operate CSA programs in a wide range of sizes and specialties, and cater to different clientele.  The panel was a great way for attendees to learn a great deal about the different approaches to running a successful CSA program.

After the panel, the conference broke for lunch, some of which was generously donated by Whole Foods West Hartford and Chabaso Bakery. Thanks to CT NOFA staff and board members for providing some of the lunch as a supplement to the donations! There was plenty of food to go around, and the  break afforded attendees a great chance to network and get to know one another.  It also gave the staff and presenters time to get ready behind the scenes for a packed afternoon program!

The afternoon program started off with NRCS Opportunities for the Organic Producer, a 45 minute presentation from Adam Maikshilo, a Soil Conservationist for CT NRCS. Adam talked about technical and financial assistance that's available through the NRCS to organic producers, how to apply for those services, and common conservation practices that organic producers follow.

After Adam's presentation, Kim Stoner, the vegetable entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, presented about Pest Management for Organic Farms.  Kim explained which pests can be tolerated, which can be managed at low levels, and which can appear suddenly and devastate a crop.  She also described ways to reduce pest damage, like diversifying, using resistant varieties, and using other non-chemical strategies for control.

Our last presenter of the day was Duncan Cox, a  Certification Administrator at Baystate Organic Certifiers.  Baystate is the only organization that certifies organic farms in Connecticut, and it was important to end the day describing the step by step process of becoming certified.  Duncan explained not only the certification process, but also addressed common concerns among farmers about becoming certified and maintaining certification.

This year's event was a blast!  Many thanks again to Whole Foods and Chabaso, as well as to the USDA RMA and the Specialty Crop Block Grant for providing some of the funding for this event, and to Goodwin College for the venue.  Also, a very special thank you to all the presenters for making the event informative and engaging.  Lastly, thanks to all the attendees for coming and learning about how to get started in organic farming!  We really appreciate the evaluations you filled out, and will use them to make even better programming for you in the future.  Thanks for your support!

Couldn't make it to this year's event?  No worries - we will be offering 8 beginning farmer workshops this year focusing on a variety of technical topics, and three CSA fairs.  Check our website often for the most up to date information.

Have a great weekend!
-Melissa

Are You a New or Transitioning Organic Farmer?

If so, you should join us at our Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference! 

CT NOFA Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference

January 26, 2013

8:00am - 3:30pm

Goodwin College
One Riverside Drive
East Hartford, CT

 

This conference helps aspiring organic farmers develop successful farming careers by linking them with important resources and experts in the field.  Whether you're interested in farming for the very first time, or you've been farming for a while and want to learn more about how to work organically, this conference will provide you with valuable insight and support.

Here's some information about some of the conference presenters:

 

Wayne Hansen, Wayne's Organic Garden -Diverse “Tools” For Success in Organic Vegetable Production
How several tools, some small, some larger, some inexpensive, some not so, have helped me to create a productive growing situation on a tiny lot not obviously meant for growing and selling produce. How I got there may help you do the same.
 

Bio: I never knew what I wanted to do in life. Academia seemed like a trap to put me in an unimaginative job in a world without a soul. I've found a life in soil, weather, hard work, and the joy of good food. It's all been worth it.
 

Erin Pirro, Farm Credit East - Budgeting From the Bottom Up
It's good to have a plan. Before you have a plan, you have an idea - something on the back of a napkin about how you will run your business. A budget is a plan in numbers, designed to show you not just if it's worth it, but if it can take you where you need to go. A bottom-up budget is an easy-to-use technique to help you get there.

Bio: Erin Pirro has been helping farmers large and small make their businesses run better since 2001. As a Farm Business Consultant for Farm Credit East with a background in agricultural economics, Erin's focus has been on benchmarking and profitability improvement because sustainability means economics, too! At home, Erin's small family farm raises and markets sheep and wool products in southern New England.

Kerry and Max Taylor; Provider Farm - Starting a CSA for Long Term Success
CSAs are great but starting a CSA should not be taken lightly, and involves careful planning. We will address the benefits and draw backs of starting a CSA in your first year as well as lessons learned, tools for success and how our CSA fits into our whole farm plan.

Bio: Max and Kerry Taylor own and operate Provider Farm in Salem, CT. Provider Farm is a 200 share CSA, wholesale, and market biodynamic farm. We also maintain a small herd of beef cows on 20 acres of rotationally grazed pasture.

Adam Maikshilo, USDA NRCS - NRCS Opportunities for the Organic Producer 

NRCS can provide technical and financial assistance to organic producers utilizing Farm Bill programs. Who is eligible and how do you apply? Common conservation practices for an organic producer.

Bio: Adam has been a Soil Conservationist for CT NRCS for approximately 2 years. Previously worked as a Wildlife Technician for USDA - Wildlife Services for approximately 6 years. Graduated from UCONN with a degree in Natural Resources.
 

Kip Kolesinskas, Gaining Access to Quality Farmland
Participants will gain an overview of the common methods and sources for gaining access to affordable farmland, such as matching services. Opportunities on Municipal and Land Trust properties will also be explored. Basic elements of a good lease, technical resources, and its role in risk management will be discussed.
Presenter bio

Bio: Consulting Conservation Scientist, Formerly State Soil Scientist for CT /RI, USDA-NRCS, 35 years of experience. A.A.S. SUNY Cobleskill, B.S. Cornell University, Lancaster University, and Schumacher College -UK. Kip has been a major contributor in efforts to increase farmer access to land, develop farm friendly municipalities, and promote locally grown food.
 

Kim Stoner, CT Agricultural Experiment Station - Insect and Pest Management
Organic farmers need to think ahead about pest management. Plan to reduce pest damage by diversifying, using resistant varieties, and using other non-chemical strategies of control. Learn which pests can be tolerated, which can be managed at low levels, and which can appear suddenly and devastate a crop.

Bio: Kim Stoner has been the vegetable entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven since 1987. Her current research focuses on pollination and bees – including measuring exposure of bees to pesticides, monitoring native bee species, and studying pollination in pumpkins and squash.

Duncan Cox, Baystate Organic - Organic Certification
Duncan will explain how the organic certification process works. He will describe how crop, livestock, and processing operations large and small can become certified to the USDA National Organic Standards.

 

Bio: Duncan Cox has been inspecting organic farms and processors for Baystate Organic Certifiers since 2003, after first obtaining an MS in Soils from Washington State University, organically producing apples and onions in Washington State, and assisting farmers in both the Pacific Northwest and in South Carolina. 

In addition to these presentations, the conference will also feature a CSA Roundtable with Mark Gauger of Maple View Farm, Rodger Phillips of Grow Hartford, and Karen Pettinelli of Holcomb Farm.  During the roundtable, attendees will be split into small groups and be placed with one of the three roundtable speakers.  This will give attendees a greater opportunity to ask questions and start a dialogue with farmers who have had many years of experience with running a CSA program. 

You can learn more about the conference and register here.  If you have questions, or want to register over the phone, give us a call at 203.888.5146.

Hope to see you there!

-Melissa

2012 Hottest Year on Record for United States

Between winters with barely any snow, very mild springs, and summers with intense, dry heat it comes as no surprise that 2012 was claimed to be hottest year on record for the continental U.S. 

From National Geographic:

"2012 marks the warmest year on record for the contiguous U.S., with the year consisting of a record warm spring, the second warmest summer, the fourth warmest winter, and a warmer than average autumn," Jake Crouch, a climate scientist at the National Climatic Data Center at the U.S. National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said in a press release on Tuesday". 

1998 was the last year that a heat record was broken, and like most records they are usually measured in a fraction of a degree. The 2012 record however was set by an increase in a full degree Fahrenheit taking the average temperature for the lower 48 states to an alarming 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit. New records were also set across the country with 34,008 daily high records compared to only 6,664 record lows set. All 48 states had above average temperatures; 19 states had their warmest year on record and 26 had one of their top ten warmest years on record. 

So what did all this mean for agriculture? 

With the severe heat it only makes sense that this year was the 15th driest for the nation. The drought affected 61% of the nation, particularly the agricultural Midwest and was most intense in July of 2012. On July 1st, crops in the Midwest were at their worst since 1988 and the heat wave in that one week set or tied 1,067 temperature records.  This increased the price of corn and soybeans by 37% in only three weeks (!), causing a spike in global food prices and feed prices for meat producers. 

While scientists agree that weather variability (which occurs each year) played a factor in the heat record, many cannot deny that the record could not have been set without the effects of global warming caused by the human release of greenhouse gases. Many also agree that years like 2012 will soon become the norm. 

If this does become the norm, one can only think how it will continue to affect agriculture and our production of food. Supporting growers within your local food system will at least help you to avoid feeling the effects of food prices and keep them going during tough times like this past year of 2012. 

Let us hope for the best. Have a good afternoon!

Katie 

Get Ready for our 2013 Winter Conference!

Keynote David W. Wolfe

The 2013 Winter Conference brings into focus the challenges of adjusting to climate change for farmers, gardeners and consumers. Join us to discuss the future of sustainable farming and celebrate local food.

In between workshops, attendees can visit with over 50 vendors and exhibitors with local foods, crafts, books, and sustainability initiatives. There will be a silent auction with garden supplies and other Connecticut grown and crafted items and services. Families are invited to participate in children’s activities and workshops scheduled throughout the day.

Our keynote David W. Wolfe Ph.D., the Faculty Fellow and Chair of the Climate Change Focus Group, Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future and Professor of Plant and Soil Ecology, Department of Horticulture at Cornell University.

Dr. Wolfe's topic will be Farm and Landscape Management for a Changing Climate.

Click here to listen to a recent interview with Dr. Wolfe on climate change, agriculture and policy issues.  For a list of confirmed workshops, vendors, exhibitors, and a video of last year's conference highlights, click here.  Online registration will be available by the weekend, so stay tuned!

Caroling to Support Locally Grown Food

Spread holiday cheer while also spreading the word about locally grown foods! During this holiday season,  let's take a moment to think about where our food comes from and reflect on why it's important to buy locally grown, sustainably produced goods - through song!

TIS THE SEASON FOR THE FEASTIN'
Lyrics by Bob Waldrop (edited for Connecticut)
Tune: Deck the halls with boughs of holly

(1) Tis the season for the feastin',
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
Taste nutrition can't be beaten,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
Nurturing the land and people,
Farm and city joining hands.
Tis the season for the feastin',
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!

(2) Care for people and creation,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
Hope throughout the bio-region,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
From our farms onto our tables,
we will bless the way we eat!
Care for people and creation,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!

(3) Healing nature with earth's beauty,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
Wisdom, joy fulfilling duty,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
Eating with the changing seasons,
Chasing the CAFOs from our land!
Healing nature with earth's beauty,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!

(4) Social justice, sustainability,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
Economic viability,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
These our values, govern always,
They will take us forward far!
Three in number the core values,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!

Happy Holidays!
-Melissa

Scrambling to Find the Perfect Holiday Gift?

There's been a lot of talk lately at the CT NOFA office about holiday gift giving and the staff's various levels of gift-buying/making completion. The holidays are a busy time of year, and that can mean there's not a lot of time available to buy or make meaningful gifts for loved ones. After all, no matter how well-intentioned or thoughtful our holiday gift-giving plans are, there are still only 24 hours in a day. Last year, a time crunch meant my husband had to make the vast majority of gift decisions in our household, but this year I was spared the stress of a last minute gift-buying bonanza because I knew where to look for locally-made products. If you are in the midst of wracking your brain for unique gift ideas, consider buying locally-produced items from Connecticut farms and winter farmers markets.

The USDA National Farmers Market Directory has seen a 52 percent increase in winter farmers markets this year. This, of course, means more opportunities to buy locally produced in-season foods for your holiday cooking. Winter markets, however, are also great places to go for unique locally-made gifts for family and friends. Items available at the markets can include fresh and preserved fruits and vegetables, dairy, meats, baked goods, eggs, nuts, honey, soaps, wool and fiber, Christmas trees, and holiday decorations. If you're throwing a holiday party, a larger market can literally cover all of your bases, providing food, decor, and gifts for the event. Check out a list of markets that feature at least one CT NOFA member farmer here, or click here for the CT Department of Agriculture's full holiday list.

Even if you can't make it to a farmers market in time to buy holiday gifts, many farms also offer goods for sale in the winter from farm stores and online. The second option is especially helpful if you're really busy - just don't forget to order far enough in advance to account for shipping time. Each farm sells their goods a little differently, so check out our Farm and Food Guide here to find farms in your area that you can visit.  You can also use the Guide as a database of farm websites that you can peruse when shopping online.

However you choose to complete your holiday shopping, don't forget to have fun and feel the spirit of the season! Have a great afternoon!
-Melissa

Want to Get More Involved with CT NOFA?

CT NOFA Board Members Sought!
CT NOFA is looking for board members with Fundraising, Legal and/or Volunteer Coordination Experience.

The Board member will:

1. Attend in-person meetings approximately every other month
2. Participate in conference call meetings on the alternate month
3. Participate or lead the appropriate committee of the Board, with separate meetings for committee
4. Attend CT NOFA events, have fun, eat great food and advocate for local, organic food and organic land care

Interested?
Please contact John Turenne, Vice-President of the CT NOFA Board.  You can learn more about the current CT NOFA board here.

CT NOFA is a growing community of farmers, gardeners, land care professionals, and consumers that encourages a healthy relationship to the natural world.  We are the largest and oldest organization in the state that educates about and advocates for local organic food, farming, and land care.  You can learn more about us and our mission here.