12. Raising Vegetables and Civic Values: CSA in the 21st
Century
Second Biennial Conference for Community Supported Agriculture
When: November
10-12, 2006
Where: Kettunen Center near Tustin, Michigan (Just south of Cadillac)
Contact:
CSA-MI
3480 Potter Rd
Bear Lake, MI 49614
231-889-3216 (toll free 877-526-1441)
Email csafarm AT jackpine.net
(replace AT with @
and paste into your mail program)
Keynote
Speakers
We have two exciting keynoters coming to the CSA conference:
Steven McFadden
A native of New England, Steven McFadden now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico,
where he serves as director of Chiron Communications, and continues his work as
a journalist, a teacher, a counselor, and a healer. "I have been reporting
on community supported agriculture since its inception in the United States in
1986. In those days I was the Organic Outlook farm and garden correspondent for
The Monadnock Ledger in Peterborough, NH. The first two CSA experiments started
nearby that summer in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. They naturally drew my
interest. I have continued to follow the story over the years -- a story that
has enormous importance for North and South America, as well as for many other
nations sharing the water, soil, and air of our earth." He is co-author
(with Trauger Groh) of Farms of Tomorrow
Revisited – Community Supported Agriculture and Agriculture Supported
Community
Scott Chaskey
Scott is a poet, farmer, and educator. For the last fifteen years he has grown
garlic, greens, potatoes (and fifty other crops) for the Peconic Land Trust at Quail Hill Farm
in Amagansett, New York. A pioneer of the CSA movement, he serves on the
governing council of NOFA NY and on the board of the Center for Whole
Communities in Vermont. He has worked as poet-in-residence in numerous schools
and museums and for over 20 years has taught poetry to children of all ages. He
lives in Sag Harbor, NY with his wife and three children. His recent book, This Common Ground – Seasons on an Organic Farm
will soon be released in paperback.
In addition to his address on Sunday morning, Steven will
present two workshops:
The Spirit of Our Land, The Spirit
of Our Times – A CSA Council Circle. The Council Circle tradition is the
oldest form of democracy in North America, with roots reaching thousands of
years into the past. In the traditional manner, adapted to our needs a members
of CSAs, we will take seats as equals in the circle. We will pass the Talking
Stick to share the authority and hear the heart and mind of every person who
chooses to speak -- adding layer after layer to our understanding of our times,
our land, and our work.
Farm Safety 101: Yoga for Yeoman
and Yeowoman. A yeoman is a diligent farmer who cultivates the
land, working constantly with his or her body and the forces of nature and
machines. The farmer’s body must be properly cared for over the years
– for it is the most valuable piece of farm equipment, and it eventually
absorbs a lot of wear and tear. In this experiential workshop, we will talk
about basic body safety for farmers, then learn and practice gentle stretches
to keep our bodies strong, limber, and uninjured while we attend to chores.
Scott will be an instructor in the intensive mini-school on
CSA and on two workshop panels:
Land Trusts (description not available) with
Ellie Kastanopolous of Equity Trust, Inc.
Metaphors, music, and meaning: CSA
and the arts with Laura B. DeLind
In today's world of sound bites, fast food, and multi-tasking, we forget (and
are starved for) what art and aesthetics add to our lives. CSA farmers and
members are dedicated to a more humanely-scaled and naturally-paced way of
growing and eating. This needs to include opportunities for creative expression
and time to reflect on the beauty and meaning that exist within ourselves and
our shared environments. This session will consider the value of stories, song,
poetry, dance, ritual, and the visual arts for building and enriching the CSA
community.
In addition there is a full line
of workshops, time for meeting and mixing with your fellow CSA farmers and farm
advocates, and great entertainment on Saturday eve with NW Michigan favorites
Seth and Daisy Mae.
Much more information at the
website!
13. Hay Shortage in the
UP?? A chance to work together to assure availability
Due to shortage of hay in some parts of the UP and
overabundance in others, we are putting together a list of people selling their
extra hay. We have had a few phone calls of people either looking for or
selling hay, so we are going to try this free of charge. If you know of
anyone selling their hay, please have them contact us and we will list them. We
just need a little info from them:
1. Type of hay (1st, 2nd, 3rd cutting), (grass, alfalfa,
mix, etc.)
2. Kind of package (round, sm. square, lrg. square) Size and
amount.
3. Balage? Silage?
4. Name, phone, city
Or you can just have them call us
and we can get the info from them.
Contact Chelsea or Ben at [log in to unmask]
or phone 906-439-5305.
14. Workshop on Transition to Organic Dairy
CONTACT:
Fay Benson, Cornell Cooperative Extension
607-753-5077,
[log in to unmask]
<http://www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/pages/news/index.cfm>
The Organic Dairy Decision
A video linked workshop on
transition to organic dairy production
November 29th, 11am = 2pm
The meeting will be held
simultaneously in 5 counties: Jefferson, Lewis,=20 Oneida. Franklin, and
Tompkins. At each of the 5 sites we will have current= =20 organic farmers
present to talk about their operations and help with=20 questions. An organic
dairy processor field person will be available to=20 answer questions about
programs and markets in the area. The NOFA NY=20 Transition team will also be
involved to help with any questions.
Fay Benson will go over the use of
the workbook "The Organic Decision."=20 Each participant who is in
transition or thinking about it will receive=20 this workbook, produced by NY
FarmLink.
To attend this workshop, please
register with the contact listed for the=20 site nearest you:
* Lewis County: County Office
Bldg, Outer Stowe St., Lowville, NY. Call= =20 315-376-5270 to register (by
Monday, 11/27)
* Jefferson County: 203 N.
Hamilton St. Watertown, NY 13601. Call=20 Donna Alberry at 317-788-8450 to
register.
* Franklin County: Distance
Learning Lab, North Country Community=20 College, Reshetkina Hall Room 111,
Malone, NY 12953. To register, call=20 518-483-2550 Ext. 246.
* Tompkins County: 300 Rice
Hall, Cornell Campus. To register contact=20 Sharon VanDeuson at 607-753-5078.
* Oneida County: 121 Second
Street, Oriskany, NY. Call 315-736-3394 ext= =20 120 for reservations.
Sponsored by the NY Farm Viability
Institute, Cornell Small Farms, and the= =20 NOFA NY Transition team.
For more information about this
Distance Learning opportunity, contact Fay= =20 Benson with the Cornell Small
Farms Program at (607) 753-5213 or=20 <file:///mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask]
For more information on a variety of
small farm topics, visit=20 <file:///http://www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/>www.smallfarms.cornell.edu.
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15. Initial Concepts for the 2007 Farm
Bill Brise Tencer,
June 2006 Our farm bill interest: Organic farming and ranching
provide multiple benefits that contribute to all U.S. strategic goals for
agriculture: a safe and secure food system; environmental protection; increased
trade opportunities; improved human health and nutrition; and prosperous
rural communities. USDA programs supporting organic agriculture should
likewise be present in all agencies and mission areas. Despite gains made in
the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, organic producers still
receive a disproportionately small share of USDA resources. It is important
for Congress and the USDA to work together to strengthen public investment in
organic research, extension, education and economics. These programs should
receive a share of USDA resources that reflects the growth and opportunities
of the organic sector. Programs and policies in other mission areas (natural
resources, risk management, etc.) should be established that provide
strategic support for the balanced growth of organic production. Specific
recommendations are detailed below. Data Collection: The Organic Production and
Marketing Data Initiatives (Sec. 7404 in the 2002 Farm Bill) reads:
"Secretary shall ensure that segregated data on the production and
marketing of organic agricultural products is included in the ongoing
baseline of data collection regarding agricultural production and
marketing." This initiative should be reauthorized. Expanded data on the
organic sector is essential to better understanding the organic
industry’s growth and trends. This initiative from the 2002 Farm bill
should be reauthorized and should receive mandatory funding. Specifically:
Research: Many organic producers find few
information resources available to them to address production or marketing
issues specific to organic. Federal agricultural research dollars dedicated
to organic food and farming are disproportionately low in relation to the
size of the organic industry. Only since 1998 has organic research been
funded at all, and it currently receives far less than a proportionate share
of federal agriculture research dollars. In 2004, 3.1% of the USDA gross
outlays ($2.5 B) was used to fund and research and education. Of this $2.5 B,
only about $10 M (0.4%) went to organic specific research.
Additionally, we believe a stronger fiscal commitment is
essential to better serving the organic community. In 2004, USDA- ARS spent
about $3.5 million on organic-specific projects, or about 0.35% of ARS annual
expenditures. A framework of “fair share” funding of organic
agricultural research, based on the organic share of U.S. retail food sales,
calls for at least a 5-fold increase in USDA-ARS resources explicitly
allocated to organic. ARS should be directing devoting at least a 2%
“fair share” (based on the organic share of US food markets) of
their total resources to organic research, equivalent to approximately $20 M
per year. We also believe that ARS needs to strengthen
efforts to disseminate organic research results through the National
Agriculture Library’s Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
(AFSIC). For example, funding should be provided to the USDA National
Agriculture Library’s Alternative Farming Systems Information Center
(AFSIC) to manage the www.OrganicAgInfo.org
website as a publicly available online database of research and extension
information specific to organic production and marketing. Additionally, we
would like to see a requirement for on-going reporting of USDA ARS organic
specific activities. ·
USDA CSREES o
Integrated Organic Program (IOP) - The Integrated Organic Program
is a production based competitive grants program managed under the CSREES
Plant and Animals Systems division. The IOP, which is comprised of the
Organic Research and Extension Initiative and the Organic Transitions
Program, has been extremely successful. Because of the high level of interest
in this program, only about 10% of qualified applicants have been able to
receive funding (compared to 19%-29% of qualified applicants that receive
funding in comparable grants programs at the USDA CSREES). We expect interest
in this program to continue to grow. Accordingly, funding for the IOP should
be increased to $10 M mandatory per year. Expansion of this program should
focus on a higher number of smaller grants. Also, it is important that this
program keeps its own identity and not be incorporated into the National
Research Initiative. o
IPM Centers- The USDA CSREES Integrated Pest
Management Centers should have a role in expanding the USDA organic
portfolio. The development of “Strategic Plans for Organic Best
Management Practices” is a potential way these centers could better
serve the organic sector. o
National Research Initiative
(NRI) - Organic plant and animal breeding should become a priority area
within existing NRI germplasm programs. Extension ·
USDA CSREES Integrated Organic
Program: The extension component of the Integrated Organic Program should be
refined and strengthened. ·
Cooperative Extension System: Amendments to the Smith-Lever Act
to direct the Cooperative Extension to spend an increased percentage of
agriculture extension dollars on organic should be considered. ·
USDA National Agriculture
Library: Fund the USDA National Agriculture Library’s Alternative
Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) to manage the
www.OrganicAgInfo.org website as a publicly available online database of
research and extension information specific to organic production and
marketing. ·
USDA Current Research
Information System (CRIS): Create organic as an activity code within the USDA
CRIS system. This will allow increased access and search-ability of organic
research. In
2004, 10% ($8.1 Billion) of USDA gross outlays were used for natural resource
and conservation programs. It is still unclear how much went to organic
growers (OFRF is currently researching organic growers use of CSP and EQIP
programs). Stronger NRCS leadership and oversight of how their programs serve
organic producers should emerge from this Farm Bill.
Incentive Programs
END
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Vicki Morrone
Organic Vegetable and Crop Outreach Specialist
Michigan State University
C.S. Mott Sustainable Food Systems
303 Natural Resources Bldg.
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-3542
517-282-3557 (cell)
517-353-3834 (fax)
http://safs.msu.edu/
http://www.mottgroup.msu.edu/
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