Today, The Humane Society of the United States and the United Egg Producers announced in a joint statement that they will work together to urge U.S. lawmakers to craft legislation overseeing the living conditions of the 280 million hens involved in U.S. egg production. This would mark the first federal law regulating the treatment of animals on farms.
Great interview with Glen Rice, CEO of Anson Mills and president of the Carolina Gold Rice Foundation on the role of landraces, especially grains.
This interview is found on Common-place, a wonderful and wondrous site on Early American life, especially food. The site is sponsored by the American Antiquarian Society in association with the University of Oklahoma and would be enjoyable to many audiences.
Landraces are pre-industrial domesticated plants and animals that are maintained by agricultural methods, rather than scientific methods.
Common-place
Or it’s all about corn, cotton, rice, wheat and soybeans.
Top 10 Things You Should Know About The Farm Bill | Environmental Working Group.
I just had the great fortune to tour Shelburne Farms last week with NOFA organizer Jean Hamilton, who was able to entice Program Director Megan Camp out of her office for a few minutes to show off her amazing educational/working farm. Megan seems to be one of those inspirational leaders who make it look so easy. She and NOFA Executive Director Enid Wonnacott share that attitude; because of women like this creating a food system for people’s health and community (rather than massive corporate profit) seems doable.
Now I read Shelburne Farms has another project going; sharing the sheep (not shearing) with the University of Vermont campus. As long as the sheep don’t have to costume in period sheep’s clothing to participate in the re-enactments during the historical tours….
VT sheep
The Crescent City Farmers Market in New Orleans has had a disaster this week; their iconic dairy farmers, Warren And Sandra Smith of Smith Creamery in Mount Hermann, LA had a huge explosion on the farm. Luckily, no one was hurt including the cows) but the damage to the processing plant is massive and will take months to repair.
Besides being the conduit for information for the community, the market staff is collecting donations and getting signatures on a card for the Smiths. The table is manned by community advisory and board members of the market, and if someone gets there early enough, they can also have a free I (heart) Creole Cream Cheese t-shirt (which was being phased out of the market merchandise and so has come in handy!).
The important thing is the channels of communication are kept open by the market and any media or support requests can be channeled through or facilitated by the skilled staff on behalf of the farmers. Therefore, the time the Smiths spend answering the phone, explaining their plan and deciding how and when to accept donations is reduced and instead they can spend their time rebuilding.
Once again, a market, its shoppers and farmers share a social contract that is not written down but it understood and expanded when needed.
I Heart Smith Creamery
The Greatest Show on Dirt
THE LITTLE FARM SHOW is an original musical theatre performance for all-ages created and performed by Tannis Kowalchuk and Brett Keyser. The actors play “the Amazing MacDonald Twins,” a brother and sister team of side show performers who tour “the greatest show on dirt!” from town to town. Full story
An excellent report to view return on investment (ROI as it is known in the philanthropy and corporate world) for USDA and to see where the support has gone.
With this (2006) study, we seek to better understand how key USDA grant and research programs are serving beginning and small and mid-size farms and ranches, and what steps might be taken to improve these programs or develop new solutions to enhance farm profitability and rural community success.
The Impact and Benefits of USDA Research and Grant Programs to Enhance
Mid-Size Farm Profitability and Rural Community Success Download Report
Published on Center for Rural Affairs (http://www.cfra.org)
No injuries, but significant damage to the anchor (and beloved) dairy farmers at the New Orleans markets.I guarantee that the Crescent City Farmers Market staff will work overtime to find ways to communicate ongoing issues and needs on behalf of the farmers to the larger community. No doubt they will remember this tough break and continue to look for ways to support all of their vendors in trying times.
Good example of why markets matter to vendors.
dairy explosion
A great video to embed on your market websites or in your email newsletters. Simply explained for many audiences.
Thanks to our friends the Greenhorns (well in the way that all farmers are our friends, not like we share a car or anything like that), we heard about this town named Cato in New York that has adopted a comprehensive agricultural plan to preserve farmland for the future. The town has 13 strategies, including conservation easements, the adoption of a Right-To-Farm Law and changes in zoning.
Read about it on the Greenhorns site “The Irresistible Fleet of Bicycles” where they blog well about food and community.
How did I miss this movie?
A must-see movie for all food organizers. Farmer’s mind, farmer’s point of view.
Commodity farming, artist colonies, devil cult paranoia, homeopathic remedies, Rudolf Steiner, CSAs, body image remade by picking tomatoes, cancer, love, Mexico, giant bee costumes, community barn raising, and John’s mother Anna Peterson are all shared.
Independent Lens
The Brooklyn Grange (Queens, New York)
Sunday, June 12th, 4pm-8:30pm
Free for NOFA-NY members/$15 for non-members
Looking for insight on starting or improving your urban farm? Join us on June 12th in Queens, NY to delve into the challenging yet rewarding business of rooftop farming & production for urban markets. The Brooklyn Grange is a working farm on a rooftop in Long Island City, Queens, New York. Ben Flanner is the founding farmer and CEO of the 1-acre farm, which uses 750 cubic yards of soil to produce vegetables for farmers’ markets, restaurants and a 25-member CSA. The farm is actively expanding to incorporate educational efforts, in the form of their City Growers program. They are also planning to include bees and chickens into their rooftop environment. During our Beginning Farmer Workshop, the farmers at The Brooklyn Grange will discuss the philosophical and technical aspects of their farming operation, including the process of site selection, rooftop farm installation & funding. Through a thorough exploration of the 1-acre farm, we will see space-saving intercropping, crop rotations, soil fertility management, the unique aspects of farming a formerly non-agricultural acre of space & much more! To celebrate the revival of city agriculture, we will end the day with a rooftop potluck picnic & social hour (please bring food to share & your own place settings). This event is free for NOFA-NY members, $15 for non-members- some scholarships may be available. For more information, visit https://www.nofany.org/events/field-days or call Rachel at (585) 271-1979 ext. 511. Space is limited to 30 attendees, so pre-register by June 6th to guarantee your spot! If you are looking to share transportation or lodging to attend this event, please see our newly-launched virtual bulletin board at https://www.nofany.org/bfam/bulletin-board
Thanks to Cindy Torres of Colorado Farmers Market Association and Rocky Mountain Farmers Union for providing this link:
Napa story
Helping Farmers Markets Grow 