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 Apply to Participate in NOFA-NH's
Fall Farm Share Program!
Applications Due September 18, 2018
Are you organic, certified, a member of NOFA-NH and have a CSA? If so, you should apply to participate in our
Fall Farm Share Program
!
We are pleased to continue our Farm Share Program this fall throughout New Hampshire to provide subsidized CSA (community supported agriculture) shares for limited-income individuals and families.
The NOFA-NH Farm Share Program will be available to New Hampshire residents with limited income especially benefiting children, families and seniors. If you are a certified organic farmer with a CSA program, it's not too late to become a member of NOFA-NH and take part in this opportunity! Please pass along this information to your certified friends and farmers.
We are looking for about five farms to provide one share each to an individual or family in need for the 2018 fall season. Building on the success of our 2017 pilot, we hope to continue this program for years to come!
Application deadline is September 18, 2018
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Grazing for Change New England
with Keynote Speaker Allan Savory
September 21, 2018
Stonewall Farm, Keene, NH
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Don't miss a day of networking, innovation and learning with conservationist Allan Savory, Founder of the Savory Institute.
On Friday September 21
st
, Stonewall Farm is convening leaders from the business, agricultural and food system sectors to discuss the benefits of regenerative agriculture, opportunities for expanding regenerative markets in New England, and incentives for farmers who are regenerating the health of the soil through their farming practices.
Workshops begin at 9:30 AM and include the following: a Pasture Walk with Allan Savory, Stonewall Farm Savory Global Network HUB, Regenerative Grazing 101, and a
panel discussion with Britt Lundgreen of Stonyfield Organics, Rebecca Hamilton of W.S Badger Co, Chris Kerston of Savory Institute, Ridge Shinn of Big Picture Bee, and Seith Itzkan and Karl Thidemann of Soil4Climate discussing, "How Do We Support the Widespread Implementation of Regenerative Agriculture; Market Opportunities and Incentives for Farmers."
The day will end with a lecture at Keene High School by Allan Savory at 7:00 PM.
Learn more and register here. Join the Facebook Event here.
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Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care
October 9 - 12, 2018
Portland Public Library, Portland, ME
The NOFA Organic Land Care Program will host an
Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care at the Portland Public Library in Portland, Maine, from October 9 - 12, 2018. This course is designed for landscapers, lawn care professionals, garden caretakers, park and land trust managers, landscape architects, educators, gardeners, and anyone else who is interested in learning how to care for properties using organic methods. The 30-hour, 4-day course will cover organic land care principles, practices, design, and maintenance. For an example schedule of topics,
click here.
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Gleaning Update:
Providing Farm Fresh Food to Those in Need
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NH Gleans is a network of organizations working to increase the availability of fresh and local produce distributed to food pantries, soup kitchens, community suppers and schools throughout New Hampshire. Gleaning Coordinators harvest food from farms and farmers markets that would otherwise go undistributed or unsold, and donate that food to partnering community organizations.
NOFA-NH has participated in NH Gleans since the program began in 2013, working alongside Seacoast Eat Local, Community Kitchen in Keene, and the Merrimack, Belknap, and Hillsborough County Conservation Districts to get our state's local bounty of farm fresh food into the hands of those who need it most.
NOFA-NH's Gleaning Coordinator, Kelsey MacDonald, works in the Seacoast where she had already gleaned 20,700+ pounds of food this season, providing over 5,500 low-income residents with farm fresh food.
Check out Seacoast Online's in depth article on NH Gleans featuring our very own coordinator, Kelsey, and learn more about our Gleaning Program here.
You can further support this program by making a donation.
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IV National Assembly of the US Food Sovereignty Alliance (USFSA) to Convene in Bellingham, WA
October 12 - 15, 2018
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Food Sovereignty is a term that was coined by Via Campesina in 1996 at the World Food Summit. Via Campesina, an international movement which coordinates peasant organizations of small and middle-scale producers, agricultural workers, rural women, and indigenous communities from Asia, Africa, America, and Europe defined food sovereignty thus:
Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to define their own food and agriculture; to protect and regulate domestic agricultural production and trade in order to achieve sustainable development objectives; to determine the extent to which they want to be self-reliant; [and] to restrict the dumping of products in their markets .... Food sovereignty does not negate trade, but rather, it promotes the formulation of trade policies and practices that serve the rights of peoples to safe, healthy and ecologically sustainable production.
On October 12 - 15, 2018, grassroots organizations, activists, faith-based community, scholars, union members, farmers and fisherfolk, and other food chain workers from around the US and the world will converge on Bellingham, WA, for the IV National Assembly of the US Food Sovereignty Alliance (USFSA)
. The Assembly will provide a space to learn about food sovereignty, share struggles and collective wins, and build solidarity.
The USFSA has a goal of bringing together as many people as possible in a World Social Forum style gathering that will encompass a range of panels, political education, arts and other cultural exchanges to pave the way for stronger political action in the United States. The space will be an opportunity for mutual learning. Please stay tuned for information on how to submit a proposal for a panel, registration, and more. Together, we'll deepen relationships across sectors and geographies to build a path for community liberation and reclaim our food system.
The Assembly will also include the 2018 Food Sovereignty Prize awards ceremony honoring movements in the US and internationally. Lauded as an alternative to the World Food Prize, the Food Sovereignty Prize champions real solutions to hunger and is recognized by social movements, activists and community-based organizations around the world.
Please save the date and
sign up (or follow on Facebook or Twitter) to get the latest updates on the organizing and registration process. If you are interested in participating in the planning of the Assembly, please email info (at) usfoodsovereigntyalliance (dot) org.
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USFSA Publishes Evolution of the Coalition
The
US Food Sovereignty Alliance (
USFSA) has just launched a new publication compiling stories and histories collected through interviews with fifteen members of the Alliance since its formation in 2010. "Our History" provides readers with an understanding of how the coalition has evolved over the years, where it's headed in the future and how to get involved. Through its overview of the USFSA's past, present and future, "Our History" is an important introduction to food sovereignty in the U.S.
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Action Alert: Thank Representative Kuster
and Take Action on Organics!
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With only 10 legislative days remaining before the Farm Bill expires on September 30, the Farm Bill Conference Committee held its first official meeting on September 5. The Conference Committee includes
56 members of the House and Senate, including NH Representative Annie Kuster. Each member provided 3-minute opening statements about their top Farm Bill priorities.
This next step in the process is for the Farm Bill Conference Committee leaders (Senators Roberts and Stabenow, Representatives Conaway and Peterson) to continue their behind-the-scenes negotiations to see if they can get a final bill done by the September 30th deadline. Significant hurdles remain. While the Republican-only House bill overhauls the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and makes deep cuts to conservation programs, the bipartisan Senate bill leaves these programs intact. The wide gulf between these major policy decisions in the two bills will make reconciling them a formidable process. Even so, now is the time to voice our support for organic while negotiations are underway. Any agreements reached now on organic issues could determine the future of organic programs.
ACTION ALERT:
Please call Representative Kuster and thank her for her efforts to help farmers transition to organic and for her remarks during first meeting of the Farm Bill conference committee on September 5th.
Washington DC Office Phone:
(202) 225-5206
Or Email Representative Kuster here.
And please leave the message that as a NOFA - NH member, the following three issues are particularly important to you:
1. We are especially concerned about the fate of the certification cost-share program, which the House bill eliminates
2. We need to defend against attacks on the NOSB. NOC strongly opposes provisions in the bill that would make unnecessary statutory changes to the National Organic Standards Board and the process the board uses to review and approve materials for use in organic.
3. Let's use this Farm Bill as our opportunity to get permanent baseline funding for organic research.
If Congress fails to complete the process by September 30, expiration of the current law poses major challenges for the organic sector because key organic programs like the OREI program and the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program lack baseline funding and may lapse if Congress passes a short-term extension (this happened previously when the Farm Bill lapsed at the end of 2012 and a short-term extension failed to fund organic programs during 2013).
This article was adapted from the National Organic Coalition's work.
Thank you for your engagement!
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NOFA-NH Attended Sustainable Soils CalCAN Meeting
In August, 14 sustainable agriculture organizations convened at a strategy meeting in Seattle, WA, to advance healthy soil legislation. The meeting was organized by
CalCAN, the California Climate & Agriculture Network, to explore pathways at the forefront of healthy soils advocacy. The group consisted of farmers, farmer-based organizations and advocates working in more than 20 states and nationwide.
The meeting was focused on the potential for agricultural soil health to mitigate climate change, enhance on-farm resilience to extreme weather and drought, and improve water and air quality.
The group aims to continue to strategize at the regional level on specific legislative ideas, and to expand to include other experts and allies in the conversation.
Read more about this initiative here.
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NOFA Supports Agribusiness Merger Moratorium Bill
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NOFA-NH has joined more than 80 farm, food, community and other advocacy groups endorsing an agribusiness merger moratorium bill. This legislation would halt the mega-mergers sweeping the agribusiness, food manufacturing and grocery industries that are contributing to falling farm prices, declining farm incomes and sapping the economic vitality of rural communities. On Thursday (9/13), a house companion bill was introduced.
This commonsense legislation describes the state of hyper consolidation in the agribusiness and food sectors and takes bold, needed action:
- It documents the corrosive concentration in the agriculture sectors (including how only 4 firms control 71% of hog slaughter, 85% of cattle slaughter, 79% of soybean crush, 90% global grain trade, 85% of corn seeds, and on and on).
- It describes the tentacles of consolidation throughout the food chain - processors are vertically integrated and control every step, increased use of unfair contracts, bigger buyers impose draconian conditions and lower prices on farmers and many more unfair practices.
- Farm families are struggling in the face of the massive agribusiness and food companies with free-fall in farm earnings that have dropped by half since 2013, farmer share of retail sales has plummeted to 15¢ on the dollar and rural communities are losing their economic vitality as independent farms are forced out of business.
The new legislation would:
- Ban agribusiness and food mega-mergers for the next 18 months.
- Establishes Agribusiness Concentration Market Power Review Commission to study consolidation and make recommendations to repair the broken antitrust laws, federal policies and market failures to ensure farmers get a fair shake.
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NOFA-NH Attended Dairy Summit in Albany, NY
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Our Board Member and Policy Committee Chair, Sarah Laeng-Gilliatt, attended a Dairy Summit in August in Albany, NY, joining
a crowd of about 400 people -- dairy farmers (many from the Midwest who came on buses organized by the Wisconsin Farmers Union, and who donned
t-shirts that read "Dairy Together"),
dairy cooperative members, Farm Bureaus, State Commissioners of Agriculture, other key farm organizations, and members of Congress
.
The day was organized by Bob Wellington, an independent economist, who also works with Agri-mark. The focus of the day was on finding solutions to low milk prices. Several proposals were put forward and many farmers and advocates took to the mike.
The event was heart-wrenching as a clear expression of the seriousness of the dairy crisis, but also inspiring, in that systemic solutions were explored. The day began with an overview of supply management strategies from US policy over the years. Though formerly a cornerstone of US policy, these measures have been eroded over the last few decades. Farmers from Canada presented Canadian supply management policies.
Dairy has long been considered the keystone industry in local agricultural economies, as it provides by far the strongest economic multiplier, which is to say, without our dairies we would lose so much of the agricultural infrastructure that makes up a local food system.
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NOFA Summer Conference Debate:
The National Organic Program - Where Do We Go From Here?
Last month, NOFA's Summer Conference hosted a
debate
on The National Organic Program (NOP) with industry thought leaders Lisa Stokke, Executive Director of Next7.org and co-founder of Food Democracy Now!, Elizabeth Henderson of NOFA-NY and Peacework Farm, Francis Thicke, a Dairy farmer and retired member of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), and Eliot Coleman, Author, and founder of Four Season Farm in Maine.
In the wake of recent events that have weakened the USDA standards by including hydroponics and eliminating basic animal welfare protections, the NOP has become controversial across the healthy food and farming movement. The panelists were asked to discuss whether or not the USDA Organic label is fraudulent, inadequate, and worth supporting. Read the panelists positions
here, along with the transcript of Elizabeth Henderson's brief presentation. More debate highlights can be found in the
Real Organic Project's September newsletter.
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Studies Show Bee-Killing Neonicotinoid Pesticides
are Unnecessary on Most Farms
Despite their ubiquity, neonics are known to cause "
widespread harm to a range of organisms, including the bees that produce our honey and pollinate our fruits and vegetables, the insects that protect our crops from pests, birds, and a range of aquatic life that provide food for fish," reports Doug Gurian-Sherman in
Civil Eats.
However, a new
study published in the journal
Environmental Science and Pollution Research reveals that only a small fraction of corn acres need neonic seed treatments.
Read
Civil Eats full article
here.
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Save the Date for NOFA-NH's Screening of "Modified"!
Wednesday, November 28
Red River Theatres, Concord, NH
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Join us on Wednesday, November 28
th
(AFTER Thanksgiving) for an enlightening screening of the film "Modified" on GMOs, followed by a panel discussion with NH farmers and advocates.
In this new, award-winning documentary,
the filmmaker and her mother embark on a personal and poignant investigative journey to find out why genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are not labeled on food products in the U.S. and Canada, despite being labeled in 64 countries around the world. Interweaving the personal and the political, the film is anchored in the filmmaker's relationship to her mom, a gardener and food activist who battled cancer during the film's production. Their intimate mother-daughter quest for answers, fueled by a shared love of food, reveals the extent to which the agribusiness industry controls our food policies, making a strong case for a more transparent and sustainable food system. The film is a visual celebration of family legacy and the love of food, cooking, and gardening.
Celebrate food, family, the harvest, and the holidays to come at this NOFA-NH fundraiser!
Spread the word and save the date!
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Save the Date!
NOFA-NH & Vital Communities Will Host a Farmer Mixer and Panel on Fair Labor & CRAFT Apprenticeship Models
Three Tomatoes Trattoria, Lebanon, NH
What is CRAFT? CRAFT stands for
Collaborative Regional Alliances for Farmer Training. It is a national program of small, independent regional alliances focused on training for farm workers, interns and apprentices. CRAFT expands training beyond one farm at a time to bring apprentices together on farms within their regional collaborative to meet fellow apprentices and learn new skills at on-farm workshops.
Come and enjoy a meal on us, meet other farmers from our region, and learn from our knowledgeable panel of farmers and experts discussing the CRAFT apprenticeship model, with a focus on the experiences of Vital Communities' Upper Valley CRAFT program, and fair labor practices.
Save the date and join us for a fun and educational evening, mingle with friends, meet new people, enjoy great food, and come away with new information to use on your farm!
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Join NOFA-NH's Quality Assurance Committee!
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We're looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our Quality Assurance Quality Control Committee (QAQC), a part of our fun and dynamic volunteer Board of Directors.
The purpose of the QAQC is to ensure continuity of quality and best practices through sound evaluation of NOFA-NH products, services, programs and personnel, including outcomes, goals, data analysis and resulting adjustments.
This Committee:
- Makes recommendation to NOFA-NH Board and staff about programs & services.
- Evaluates current products, services, and programs.
- Interfaces with NOFA-NH employees to solve problems and answer questions.
- Conducts employee annual reviews.
Membership of QAQC
is open to all members of NOFA-NH. Volunteers work directly with the Committee Chair, Steve Forde, a member of NOFA-NH's Board of Directors.
We are currently seeking two volunteers to join this committee.
Are you dedicated to supporting the local and organic food movement? Passionate about building and sustaining healthy communities? Interested in working with NOFA-NH to bring about positive and lasting change to our food system?
or call (603) 224-5022 to inquire.
We know that life is busy and your time is valuable, so we promise not to waste it.
Learn more about our Board of Directors and Staff here.
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Visit Our Online Store
Our online store is stocked with NOFA-NH bumper stickers and metal membership signs (great for your farmers market table, store, farm or farm stand!), as well as NOFA books on organic farming.
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Your Support Matters! Help NOFA-NH Thrive
NOFA-NH uses every cent of your donations on programs like providing CSA shares from local farms to low-income families, educating consumers and organic producers, and maintaining our website as an educational clearinghouse to support our network of growers, gardeners & more.
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Welcome New & Returning Members!
Thank you to our NOFA-NH Members who became new members and renewed their membership in August and September 2018.
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Renew Your Membership, Join Today, or Give the Gift of NOFA-NH Membership!
We've streamlined to just two membership levels:
- Student/Senior Membership: $30 (Available to full-time students currently enrolled in school and persons over 65 years old)
- Standard Membership: $45 (Available to everyone)
Check out a list of member benefits on the membership page of our website. A NOFA-NH Membership makes a great gift all year round! Call our office to purchase the gift of organic for your loved ones: 603-224-5022.
Current memberships
will continue for one year from the date you joined.
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Classifieds
Stonewall Farm Seeks F/T Herds Person, Keene, NH:
Stonewall Farm, located in Keene, NH is seeking a full-time herds person to work in our organic dairy farm. We milk up to 30 Brown Swiss and Holsteins. Duties include milking, daily barn chores, herd health, calf care, operating equipment etc. Stonewall Farm is a HUB in the Savory Global Network and uses holistic land management. Please send resume and salary requirements to
[email protected]
.
1.25 Acres of Farmland Available in Gilmanton:
I own 1.25 acres in Gilmanton, NH, and am amenable to letting the right organic farmer cultivate roughly half the land. Land is mostly treeless but thick with high grass, shaded in places, and sloped as it gives way to a trickling brook. Contact:
[email protected]
Scooter's Farm of Woodmont, Hollis, NH:
Pick-your-own apples Sep 1st-mid Oct. Full-sized Cortland and McIntosh trees with iconic views. Self-serve farm stand on the honor system, open daily from 8am-7pm. Come and go as you wish and no hassles. Grown exclusively using organic methods which means no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers! Visit us at
www.scootersofwoodmont.com
for more info and directions or call 1-866-441-1854.
Bounty from the Box Cookbook and It's in the Bag--or Not! Storage Guide: Save time with Bounty from the Box Cookbook, an amazing reference on 90 fruits and vegetables. A PDF version allows you to copy/paste crop information and 200 recipes directly into CSA newsletters. And check out
It's in the Bag-or Not!-a PDF guide that helps members not waste food.
https://bountyfromthebox.com/for-farmers-only/
Wanted To Buy: 1-3 Acres 20 Miles of Antrim // Bear Tree Zendo, a local Zen group, needs a small piece of land (one to three acres) within twenty miles of Antrim to build a small local meditation hall (zendo). Woods, field, old pasture, going back to trees, etc. Quiet essential. Continued use arrangement, hay or sugaring possible. Call 603-748-5006 and leave a message.
About This Section:
NOFA-NH Members may post 1 free Classified per month on our
Classifieds page
and in this newsletter. Not yet members may post a Classified in the e-news and on our website for $45 per Classified per month. To inquire about this program and to share your Classified with our community, please contact [email protected].
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