Autumn in October

Community Update October 2018

Students learn how to save seeds at Taqwa Community Farm during our Preparing for Winter course

Zooming Out

Farm Bill Update

If you haven't already heard, the 2014 Farm Bill just expired. This year, Congress failed to pass another bill, marking the second time in a row Congress has delayed the passage of a new Farm Bill. While the House and Senate continue negotiations on a new bill, lawmakers will soon return home for midterm elections. This means a new Farm Bill probably won't arrive until at least early 2019.

With the expiration, many national government programs about conservation, beginning farmers, and organics are left suspended as funding comes to a halt. Across the nation, countless smaller organizations that rely on grants and technical assistance from these government programs struggle to map out the intervening dry spell in funding. Lawmakers' inaction has real world consequences in the agriculture community. Let’s keep the pressure on for a new, equitable Farm Bill. Check out our next newsletter for actions you can take.

CRAFT NYC workshop about mushroom production with Smallhold at NBK Farms

Program Updates

As autumn arrives on a cool breeze, we've been focusing on how to prepare for the frosty months ahead. At Taqwa Community Farm, our instructors, Ursula Chanse and Kadeesha Williams from the Bronx Green Up, shared the in's an out's of cover crops and their ability to protect and replenish the soil. We saved excess harvest with canning preservation techniques. And we explored garlic varieties and planted some at Taqwa. Did you know garlic is often planted in the fall and harvested mid summer?

We're currently in the midst of Small Farm Planning & Design, our last course for this year. Join us for more individual courses in Spring 2019, and keep an eye out for some opportunities to gather in the meantime!

Applications are currently underway, and we're looking forward to welcoming a new cohort of students soon!

Farm School NYC at Farm Aid

Over 24,000 people from 48 states and 6 countries attended the Farm Aid Festival in Hartford, CT on September 22, and we were there to greet them. Our Unearthing our Roots booth at the festival bustled with attendees learning and crowdsourcing the roots of organic, sustainable agriculture from its origins in cultures around the world. We plan to bring our initiative to other gatherings and share what we learn both in our courses and on our website. More to come!