Showing posts with label organic farming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic farming. Show all posts
2/05/2012
10/10/2011
Reclaiming Our Food, Oct. 14, Rooster's Wife
You're Invited to An Evening with: Tayna Denckla Cobb and Reclaiming Our Food
October 14 – Friday, 5 pm
The Roosters Wife
114 Knight Street Aberdeen, NC
RECLAIMING OUR FOOD: How the Grassroots Food Movement Is Changing the Way We Eat is the new book by Tanya Denckla Cobb and it tells the stories of people across America who are finding new ways to grow, process, and distribute food for their own communities. Their successes offer inspiration and practical advice for all of us interested in eating better while also building community around local food production.
Please show your support for local food projects by joining us for a community potluck event. Bring a dish to share and tell your friends!
Phone:910.692-3211
Meet the Author, Local Food – Community Potluck Event!!
October 14 – Friday, 5 pm
The Roosters Wife
114 Knight Street Aberdeen, NC
RECLAIMING OUR FOOD: How the Grassroots Food Movement Is Changing the Way We Eat is the new book by Tanya Denckla Cobb and it tells the stories of people across America who are finding new ways to grow, process, and distribute food for their own communities. Their successes offer inspiration and practical advice for all of us interested in eating better while also building community around local food production.
Please show your support for local food projects by joining us for a community potluck event. Bring a dish to share and tell your friends!
Phone:910.692-3211
Meet the Author, Local Food – Community Potluck Event!!
4/12/2011
5% Day for Carolina Farm Stewardship Assoc., Raleigh
Great News! The Whole Foods Market in Raleigh on Wade Ave. has named CFSA the recipient of one of their 5% Days! Five percent of all sales on Tuesday, April 26th will go to benefit CFSA's work to support local, organic food and farming!
If you're in the neighborhood that day, please stop by and pick up a yummy treat (all food purchased for a good cause is calorie free!) or better yet, save your grocery shopping trip for that Tuesday and stock up!
If you're in the neighborhood that day, please stop by and pick up a yummy treat (all food purchased for a good cause is calorie free!) or better yet, save your grocery shopping trip for that Tuesday and stock up!
10/05/2010
Salatin's Polyface Farm, Oct. 20
POLYFACE FARM TOUR
Swoope, Virginia, Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 1-3 PM
Here’s an opportunity to visit and tour Polyface Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Polyface Farm is the home of Joel Salatin, the inspirational grass farmer featured in the movie FRESH. This planned visit has grown out of a sustainable agriculture discussion group held for the last four weeks at United Church of Chapel Hill. The participants in our discussion group are interested in local food production and agricultural sustainability issues. Therefore, we have scheduled a tour of Polyface Farm which is open to anyone and we invite you to join us. Here are the details:
1. This trip is open to anyone. Please share this information with anyone you wish.
2. Salatins can easily receive groups of any size. There is no limit to the number of people we can take.
3. We will be given a formal two-hour tour of the most interesting features of the farm: grass-fed beef, laying hens following the cattle, pastured poultry (meat chickens and turkeys), pastured pigs, and more. The tour will be led by Matt Rales, their official farm tour guide: 1 PM to 3 PM, Wednesday, October 20. I suggest we try to get there at least an hour early (two hours would be better) so we can look around a bit before the tour. They have an open-farm policy and I can show you quite a bit of the place myself.
4. It's approximately a five-hour drive one-way from Chapel Hill. We plan to carpool.
Fees:
a. Tour fee – We will divide the flat-rate $250 tour fee among everyone who attends. The more people who go, the lower the cost per person will be. We’d love to have 25 people (or more) and get the cost down to $10 per person (or less).
b. Shared carpool expenses.
c. Lodging for any nights you choose to spend on this trip. Some people plan to drive up the day before and spend the night of October 19th. There are several moderately-priced motels ($50 to $80 per room per night) in the Staunton, VA, area near the intersection of I-81 and I-64. Share a room or not; that would be up to you. Polyface Farm is about 15 miles south of Staunton. Other folks plan to drive up and back all in the same day; they would not have any lodging costs.
d. Meals are on your own.
e. The cost of any other attraction you might visit along the way.
To sign up for the tour or to get more information please contact: Skip Polson
Email: skippolson@nc.rr.com Phone: 919-889-4404
Swoope, Virginia, Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 1-3 PM
Here’s an opportunity to visit and tour Polyface Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Polyface Farm is the home of Joel Salatin, the inspirational grass farmer featured in the movie FRESH. This planned visit has grown out of a sustainable agriculture discussion group held for the last four weeks at United Church of Chapel Hill. The participants in our discussion group are interested in local food production and agricultural sustainability issues. Therefore, we have scheduled a tour of Polyface Farm which is open to anyone and we invite you to join us. Here are the details:
1. This trip is open to anyone. Please share this information with anyone you wish.
2. Salatins can easily receive groups of any size. There is no limit to the number of people we can take.
3. We will be given a formal two-hour tour of the most interesting features of the farm: grass-fed beef, laying hens following the cattle, pastured poultry (meat chickens and turkeys), pastured pigs, and more. The tour will be led by Matt Rales, their official farm tour guide: 1 PM to 3 PM, Wednesday, October 20. I suggest we try to get there at least an hour early (two hours would be better) so we can look around a bit before the tour. They have an open-farm policy and I can show you quite a bit of the place myself.
4. It's approximately a five-hour drive one-way from Chapel Hill. We plan to carpool.
Fees:
a. Tour fee – We will divide the flat-rate $250 tour fee among everyone who attends. The more people who go, the lower the cost per person will be. We’d love to have 25 people (or more) and get the cost down to $10 per person (or less).
b. Shared carpool expenses.
c. Lodging for any nights you choose to spend on this trip. Some people plan to drive up the day before and spend the night of October 19th. There are several moderately-priced motels ($50 to $80 per room per night) in the Staunton, VA, area near the intersection of I-81 and I-64. Share a room or not; that would be up to you. Polyface Farm is about 15 miles south of Staunton. Other folks plan to drive up and back all in the same day; they would not have any lodging costs.
d. Meals are on your own.
e. The cost of any other attraction you might visit along the way.
To sign up for the tour or to get more information please contact: Skip Polson
Email: skippolson@nc.rr.com Phone: 919-889-4404
9/19/2010
Must Watch Video re: Slow Food, Terra Madre Conference
http://www.slowfood.com/dossier2010/eng
And Sandhills Farm2Table reps will be there in October, very exciting! Let's help them when they bring those excellent ideas and motivations back home. Slow Food for all, sustainable farming methods for all, cleaner air and water for all, community-building for all! Congratulations to Jan and Fenton, buen viaje, Amigos!
And Sandhills Farm2Table reps will be there in October, very exciting! Let's help them when they bring those excellent ideas and motivations back home. Slow Food for all, sustainable farming methods for all, cleaner air and water for all, community-building for all! Congratulations to Jan and Fenton, buen viaje, Amigos!
3/08/2010
1/18/2010
1/15/2010
1/05/2010
11/27/2009
11/26/2009
Syngenta Goes on the Attack
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/11/25-7 [Agribusiness on the attack means they're feeling threatened. So this is good news, Folks! Happy organic Thanksgiving to you!]
11/18/2009
Real Dirt, Fri. Nov. 20
Documentary Night at Raven’s Wing Healing Center
325 N. Page St., Sou. Pines
Friday November 20th, 2009
Center opens at 6:30pm
Documentary starts at 7:00pm
The Real Dirt on Farmer John
Filmmaker Taggart Siegel paints a fascinating portrait of a man who refused to yield. By transforming his farm into an experimental haven in the late 1960s, John Peterson attracted hundreds of artists, hippies and other political radicals. But when the agriculture crisis of the late 1980s led to the farm's eventual collapse -- and his neighbors publicly branded him a devil worshipper -- most locals thought he'd call it quits. They were wrong.
Discussion afterwards for those who would like to stay!
Homemade snacks provided!
Please arrive at least 10 minutes before the movie is scheduled to begin.
rwhealingcenter@gmail.com
www.rwnaturalhealing.com
A suggested donation of $5 is greatly appreciated!
325 N. Page St., Sou. Pines
Friday November 20th, 2009
Center opens at 6:30pm
Documentary starts at 7:00pm
The Real Dirt on Farmer John
Filmmaker Taggart Siegel paints a fascinating portrait of a man who refused to yield. By transforming his farm into an experimental haven in the late 1960s, John Peterson attracted hundreds of artists, hippies and other political radicals. But when the agriculture crisis of the late 1980s led to the farm's eventual collapse -- and his neighbors publicly branded him a devil worshipper -- most locals thought he'd call it quits. They were wrong.
Discussion afterwards for those who would like to stay!
Homemade snacks provided!
Please arrive at least 10 minutes before the movie is scheduled to begin.
rwhealingcenter@gmail.com
www.rwnaturalhealing.com
A suggested donation of $5 is greatly appreciated!
11/05/2009
Friday Night Flick at Raven's Wing Center
Tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 6, 7 pm
Raven's Wing is showing The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2006)
Filmmaker Taggart Siegel paints a fascinating portrait of a man who refused to yield. By transforming his farm into an experimental haven in the late 1960s, John Peterson attracted hundreds of artists, hippies and other political radicals.
But when the agriculture crisis of the late 1980s led to the farm's eventual collapse -- and his neighbors publicly branded him a devil worshipper -- most locals thought he'd call it quits. They were wrong.
Genre: Biographical Documentaries, Social & Cultural Documentaries
This movie is: Feel-good, Quirky, Inspiring
suggested donation $5, refreshments. Come early, stay late to chat!
Raven's Wing is showing The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2006)
Filmmaker Taggart Siegel paints a fascinating portrait of a man who refused to yield. By transforming his farm into an experimental haven in the late 1960s, John Peterson attracted hundreds of artists, hippies and other political radicals.
But when the agriculture crisis of the late 1980s led to the farm's eventual collapse -- and his neighbors publicly branded him a devil worshipper -- most locals thought he'd call it quits. They were wrong.
Genre: Biographical Documentaries, Social & Cultural Documentaries
This movie is: Feel-good, Quirky, Inspiring
suggested donation $5, refreshments. Come early, stay late to chat!
10/03/2009
10/02/2009
9/28/2009
Why Are Farmers Afraid of Pollan?
Published on Friday, September 25, 2009 by CommonDreams.org
Why Are Farmers Afraid of Michael Pollan?
by Jim Goodman
Author Michael Pollan [1] is no stranger to controversy. He has broadened the discussion of what we eat, where and how it is grown, big vs. small, organic farming vs. conventional. When he speaks some in the audience will love him, some will not.
Advocates of large scale agriculture see Pollan as the enemy, they believe he stands against everything they see as the future of agriculture. Pollen however is not an absolutist, his basic premise is that people need to think more about their food; where it was grown, how it was grown, was the farmer paid fairly, is it good for you?
Pollan wants people to think about cooking, about food freshness and flavor, about the dinner table as more than a "filling station".
Knowing your food is not a radical concept, and it should not be a frightening concept. Knowledge is power, the more we know, the better choices we can make.
Farmers should have nothing to hide, and those most upset with Pollan's theories on eating, tout their large scale farming methods as being models of efficiency, environmental protection, animal welfare and safe food.
Still, they fear his thoughts being mainstream. Granted, Pollan is not a farmer, and does not know all the intricacies of farming; he does not claim to. However, those who denounce him do not know the intricacies of the local, regional and organic farming he advocates.
So, why are they afraid of what he has to say? Pollen admits there is no one right way to farm, there is no one system that will work for all farmers. He maintains that all farmers need to make a living yet be mindful of how they farm, how they raise their animals and how they maintain the environment. If Pollan has an argument with agriculture, it is not with farmers, it is with agribusiness.
Author Wendell Berry notes that "Agribusiness is immensely more profitable than agriculture". Any farmer knows that the corporate owners of seed, chemicals, fertilizer and the buyers of grain, livestock and milk always seem to make a profit; farmers do not.
Over the past 60 years farmers have seen competition in the market place steadily disappear as corporate mergers concentrated all aspects of agriculture into the hands of a few multinational corporations.
Their profit comes at the expense of the farmer, the farm worker, consumer safety and the environment.
While farmers defend themselves against what they see as an attack by Pollan, they are really defending agribusiness. When they say they love their Roundup Ready corn, the hormones and the chemicals they are promoting the corporations that always make a profit whether the farmers win or lose.
When farmers disparage small-scale ecological agriculture because it "will never feed the world" they conveniently forget that conventional agriculture has not fed the world either, despite 60 years of promises to do so. They also ignore the findings [2] of IAASTD [3] that indicate [3] the old paradigm of industrial agriculture is a thing of the past.
The industrial model sources food from the world, pits farmer against farmer in a race to the bottom. Globalized commodities converted into processed nutritionally empty foods, make corporations rich, Americans obese, and developing countries destitute .
Pollan just wants farmers and consumers to think. Agribusiness is rich and persuasive, they own both ends of the market place and they want to keep it that way. When people think about what they eat and what they grow, chances are, eventually, they will make the right choice.
Jim Goodman is a dairy farmer and activist from Wonewoc, WI and a WK Kellogg Food and Society [4] Policy Fellow.
Why Are Farmers Afraid of Michael Pollan?
by Jim Goodman
Author Michael Pollan [1] is no stranger to controversy. He has broadened the discussion of what we eat, where and how it is grown, big vs. small, organic farming vs. conventional. When he speaks some in the audience will love him, some will not.
Advocates of large scale agriculture see Pollan as the enemy, they believe he stands against everything they see as the future of agriculture. Pollen however is not an absolutist, his basic premise is that people need to think more about their food; where it was grown, how it was grown, was the farmer paid fairly, is it good for you?
Pollan wants people to think about cooking, about food freshness and flavor, about the dinner table as more than a "filling station".
Knowing your food is not a radical concept, and it should not be a frightening concept. Knowledge is power, the more we know, the better choices we can make.
Farmers should have nothing to hide, and those most upset with Pollan's theories on eating, tout their large scale farming methods as being models of efficiency, environmental protection, animal welfare and safe food.
Still, they fear his thoughts being mainstream. Granted, Pollan is not a farmer, and does not know all the intricacies of farming; he does not claim to. However, those who denounce him do not know the intricacies of the local, regional and organic farming he advocates.
So, why are they afraid of what he has to say? Pollen admits there is no one right way to farm, there is no one system that will work for all farmers. He maintains that all farmers need to make a living yet be mindful of how they farm, how they raise their animals and how they maintain the environment. If Pollan has an argument with agriculture, it is not with farmers, it is with agribusiness.
Author Wendell Berry notes that "Agribusiness is immensely more profitable than agriculture". Any farmer knows that the corporate owners of seed, chemicals, fertilizer and the buyers of grain, livestock and milk always seem to make a profit; farmers do not.
Over the past 60 years farmers have seen competition in the market place steadily disappear as corporate mergers concentrated all aspects of agriculture into the hands of a few multinational corporations.
Their profit comes at the expense of the farmer, the farm worker, consumer safety and the environment.
While farmers defend themselves against what they see as an attack by Pollan, they are really defending agribusiness. When they say they love their Roundup Ready corn, the hormones and the chemicals they are promoting the corporations that always make a profit whether the farmers win or lose.
When farmers disparage small-scale ecological agriculture because it "will never feed the world" they conveniently forget that conventional agriculture has not fed the world either, despite 60 years of promises to do so. They also ignore the findings [2] of IAASTD [3] that indicate [3] the old paradigm of industrial agriculture is a thing of the past.
The industrial model sources food from the world, pits farmer against farmer in a race to the bottom. Globalized commodities converted into processed nutritionally empty foods, make corporations rich, Americans obese, and developing countries destitute .
Pollan just wants farmers and consumers to think. Agribusiness is rich and persuasive, they own both ends of the market place and they want to keep it that way. When people think about what they eat and what they grow, chances are, eventually, they will make the right choice.
Jim Goodman is a dairy farmer and activist from Wonewoc, WI and a WK Kellogg Food and Society [4] Policy Fellow.
8/07/2009
USDA to Seek Independent Oversight of Organics
NATIONAL ORGANIC COALITION APPLAUDS USDA'S DECISION TO SEEK INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT OF NATIONAL ORGANIC PROGRAM
Action Ensures Consistent Enforcement of Organic Standards WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 6, 2009)
At the urging of the National Organic Coalition and others, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will subject its National Organic Program (NOP) to a stringent audit and continued oversight by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In a July 29 letter addressed to the National Organic Coalition, USDA Deputy Secretary, Kathleen Merrigan underscored the value of scrutinizing the NOP to strengthen the integrity of the program and the USDA organic seal. The NOP is USDA's regulatory body that develops, implements, and administers the USDA organic seal and national standards for organic agricultural products sold in the U.S. It accredits domestic and foreign certifying agents who inspect organic production and handling operations producing organic food sold in the U.S. as compliant with USDA organic standards. NIST's National Voluntary Conformity Assessment Systems Evaluation (NVCASE) program reviews accreditation programs such as the NOP to assess their ongoing conformity with international standards for management of accreditation program through onsite audit, evaluation of office system, and oversight of record keeping, enforcement, and corrective actions.
"Third-party recognition is important for many of USDA's audit-based programs," Merrigan said in her letter to the National Organic Coalition. "We understand the value of this step as we continue working to strengthen the integrity of the NOP and to build the organic community's trust in the program." Merrigan anticipates that the NIST review will begin October 1, 2009.
"We applaud USDA's willingness to submit its organic program to the rigors of these international norms and believe this will pave the way for continued growth and success of the U.S. organic industry," said Robynn Shrader, a National Organic Coalition founding member and CEO of the National Cooperative Grocers Association. In June, the National Organic Coalition met with Merrigan to discuss the need for greater consistency in the implementation of NOP rules. The coalition proposed that the NOP apply to NIST at the U.S. Department of Commerce for recognition of its accreditation function and to make a commitment to strictly comply with NIST requirements.
"USDA's organic seal is the best guarantee for people who want to eat healthy foods grown without the use of toxic pesticides, GMOs or artificial growth hormones such as rBGH," said Liana Hoodes, National Organic Coalition policy coordinator.
"We anticipate that the potential changes NOP will make to earn NIST recognition will result in greater consistency and integrity in USDA organic standards, greater fairness to organic farmers and handlers, and greater consumer confidence in the USDA organic label."
The National Organic Coalition (www.nationalorganiccoalition.org) is a non-governmental alliance of organizations working to provide a "Washington voice" for farmers, ranchers, environmentalists, consumers and progressive industry members involved in organic agriculture.In order for the NOP to be recognized by the NIST NVCASE program, National Organic Coalition anticipates NOP will be required to make significant modifications to its accreditation procedures.
"We think the USDA and the entire Obama Administration have sent a clear message that maintaining and improving the integrity of the organic industry is a national priority and that the USDA will continue to build a trusting alliance with the broader organic community as the NOP grows and matures," Hoodes added.
Media contact:Liana HoodesNational Organic CoalitionCell: 914-443-5759www.NationalOrganicCoalition.orgLiana@hvc.rr.com For a pdf of this release, or for a copy of the letter from Deputy Secretary Merrigan, go to www.NationalOrganicCoalition.org
Action Ensures Consistent Enforcement of Organic Standards WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 6, 2009)
At the urging of the National Organic Coalition and others, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will subject its National Organic Program (NOP) to a stringent audit and continued oversight by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). In a July 29 letter addressed to the National Organic Coalition, USDA Deputy Secretary, Kathleen Merrigan underscored the value of scrutinizing the NOP to strengthen the integrity of the program and the USDA organic seal. The NOP is USDA's regulatory body that develops, implements, and administers the USDA organic seal and national standards for organic agricultural products sold in the U.S. It accredits domestic and foreign certifying agents who inspect organic production and handling operations producing organic food sold in the U.S. as compliant with USDA organic standards. NIST's National Voluntary Conformity Assessment Systems Evaluation (NVCASE) program reviews accreditation programs such as the NOP to assess their ongoing conformity with international standards for management of accreditation program through onsite audit, evaluation of office system, and oversight of record keeping, enforcement, and corrective actions.
"Third-party recognition is important for many of USDA's audit-based programs," Merrigan said in her letter to the National Organic Coalition. "We understand the value of this step as we continue working to strengthen the integrity of the NOP and to build the organic community's trust in the program." Merrigan anticipates that the NIST review will begin October 1, 2009.
"We applaud USDA's willingness to submit its organic program to the rigors of these international norms and believe this will pave the way for continued growth and success of the U.S. organic industry," said Robynn Shrader, a National Organic Coalition founding member and CEO of the National Cooperative Grocers Association. In June, the National Organic Coalition met with Merrigan to discuss the need for greater consistency in the implementation of NOP rules. The coalition proposed that the NOP apply to NIST at the U.S. Department of Commerce for recognition of its accreditation function and to make a commitment to strictly comply with NIST requirements.
"USDA's organic seal is the best guarantee for people who want to eat healthy foods grown without the use of toxic pesticides, GMOs or artificial growth hormones such as rBGH," said Liana Hoodes, National Organic Coalition policy coordinator.
"We anticipate that the potential changes NOP will make to earn NIST recognition will result in greater consistency and integrity in USDA organic standards, greater fairness to organic farmers and handlers, and greater consumer confidence in the USDA organic label."
The National Organic Coalition (www.nationalorganiccoalition.org) is a non-governmental alliance of organizations working to provide a "Washington voice" for farmers, ranchers, environmentalists, consumers and progressive industry members involved in organic agriculture.In order for the NOP to be recognized by the NIST NVCASE program, National Organic Coalition anticipates NOP will be required to make significant modifications to its accreditation procedures.
"We think the USDA and the entire Obama Administration have sent a clear message that maintaining and improving the integrity of the organic industry is a national priority and that the USDA will continue to build a trusting alliance with the broader organic community as the NOP grows and matures," Hoodes added.
Media contact:Liana HoodesNational Organic CoalitionCell: 914-443-5759www.NationalOrganicCoalition.orgLiana@hvc.rr.com For a pdf of this release, or for a copy of the letter from Deputy Secretary Merrigan, go to www.NationalOrganicCoalition.org
6/24/2009
6/15/2009
6/12/2009
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