10. Lacto
Fermentation II: Vegetables
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Date & time: |
October 27, 9am-noon |
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Description: |
In this hands-on workshop you will learn how to preserve
fall-harvested vegetables through fermenting processes. Some of the resulting
products will include tangy sauerkraut and pickled vegetables. Janet Gamble
will lead this course. She directs the Garden Student Program at Michael
Fields Agricultural Institute and incorporates Farm Life Skills into the
programs curriculum. |
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Instructor: |
Janet
Gamble, MFAI Education Director |
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Price: |
$35 registration. |
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Location: |
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11. Growers
Conference 2007 October 29, 2007
Firehouse Restaurant FOOD
FOR HEALTH “LOCAL
FARMERS, LOCAL FOOD, LOCAL ECONOMY” Registration
Information: Cost: $25 for Day
Sessions
(incl. breakfast & lunch)/$150 for
Evening Fundraiser Seating: Both Day & Evening Sessions Limited to First 140 Paid Participants Reservations: Step 1: Call 712.279.6609 (Jackie) Step 2: Check Payable to: Organic
Growers Conference Step 3: Mail by 10/19/07: 7th & More Information: www.woodburyiowa.com
12. New
American Farm Photo Contest
Four grand-prize winners to attend the National
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) conference for free! Click
here for official rules and details, or check out http://www.sare.org/2008conference/photocontest
Never before has the American public cared more about how and where its food
is produced.
New, lucrative markets are opening up for farmers and ranchers:
“natural”, “organic”, “local”.
More and more Americans are supporting farming communities through community
supported agriculture, farmers’ markets, and farmer-to-table
restaurants. Capture
the groundbreaking innovations, people and partnerships advancing
the frontier of sustainable agriculture in Enter SARE’s New American
Farm Photo Contest today! Deadline
is October 31, 2007 SARE is a program of the Cooperative State Research,
Education and Extension Service (CSREES), USDA, and works with producers, researchers, and educators
to promote farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and
good for communities. 13. Organic Tree Fruit Projects Field Day
Friday, November 2, 2007 There will be a field day at Jim Koan's AlMar Orchards on
Friday, November 2 to report on MSU organic tree fruit research
projects conducted in 2007. AlMar is located at 14. Propagation and Cultivation of Medicinal Herbs |
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Date & time: |
November 3, 9am-3pm |
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Description: |
In this workshop, you will learn about how to propagate,
cultivate, harvest, process and market medicinal herbs, as well as some tips
for herbalist usage. This workshop will have an emphasis on longer-term root
crops that include Valerian, Marshmallow Root, Black Cohosh Root and Goldenseal
Root. Blaine Tornow is an experienced medicinal herb grower who has been
growing medicinal herbs for over fifteen years. Bring a bag lunch or call in
advance to purchase one ($8.50 + tax) Fields Best (262) 642-9665 |
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Instructor: |
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Price: |
$70 registration. |
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Location: |
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15.
January 19, 2008,
February 23, 2008,
A third session yet to be determined
Cost: $50 per person. Another person from
the same farm, half price. Lunch included.
Contact: CSA-MI
231-889-3216 (toll free 877-526-1441)
Email [log in to unmask]
www.csafarms.org/csaresources.asp
Summary
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) basics will be the
topic of intensive day-long mini-schools, intended for the prospective or new
CSA grower.
Full Text
Community Supported Agriculture
(CSA) is one of the most innovative developments in agriculture today. As local
food is becoming more popular, many growers view CSA as a way to enter farming
in an exciting way, or to keep their small farm alive and thriving in an era of
failing family farms. But many growers go into CSA without adequate
preparation, or underestimate the complexity of the CSA model.
To help new or prospective CSA
growers succeed, CSA-MI, with some support from a Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education (SARE) grant, is offering a series of day-long intensive
mini-schools on Community Supported Agriculture. “The training will be geared
to those who hope to start a CSA, or those with little CSA experience, perhaps
a season or two,” according to Jo Meller, who will represent Five Springs
Farm CSA on the panel of instructors. “We will cover topics that are
specific to CSA,” added Jim Sluyter, who is helping to put the curriculum
together. “The CSA grower is confronted with issues that other market
growers do not have to consider, or with complexities beyond those of many
other market farms.” Beginning growers are particularly vulnerable. One experienced
grower has referred to CSA as “graduate school for growers,” with
complicated cropping plans for a steady harvest, the need to know and
understand dozens of different crops and the social aspects of growing for a
pre-paid group of farm members. Distribution, pricing, integrating the CSA into
the farm’s other marketing and much more will be covered in the training.
The mini-schools will be
patterned after the successful session offered at the CSA Conference in
CSA farms tend to be very
individual and can vary greatly. “Our goal is to offer the perspectives
of a variety of farm models – different sizes, structures, distribution
strategies and so on – in order that participants can learn the many
options open to them in developing their own CSA project,” said Jim
Sluyter, also of CSA-MI.
Attendance will be limited.
Please register early!
CSA-MI,
[log in to unmask],
toll free phone 877-526-1441
Or check
http://csafarms.org/csaresources.asp
THE END!! Hope you have a good weekend and week. And a SAFE
harvest!!
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)
For information on organic
agriculture production please visit:
http://www.MichiganOrganic.msu.edu/
P Please
consider the environment before printing this email
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