NOFA-NH Newsletter: POLYFACES Film Screening, Winter Conference Sneak Peak

Happy Holidays from NOFA-NH

December Newsletter

POLYFACES - film screening

Red River Theatres is partnering with NOFA-NH to host a screening of POLYFACES, a documentary film about Joel Salatin's farm, in advance of Joel's long-awaited Keynote appearance at Winter Conference. Watch the trailer:

Thursday, January 12, 2017 @ 6:30 pm

Red River Theatres, Concord, NH

Tickets make great stocking stuffers!

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to NOFA-NH

Details & Tickets here

Winter Conference is just around the corner

We are so excited for our 15th Annual Winter Conference and we know you are too!

Registrations are streaming in and we're expecting a great crowd.

Joel Salatin - Workshops & Keynote

Joel Salatin, author and full-time farmer of Polyface Farm, will deliver our evening Keynote address, and present four workshops during the conference.

Whatever your interests may be, Joel will have something for everyone.

Winter Conference Workshops with Joel Salatin:

8:30 - 9:45 am - "Pastured Poultry Profit"
10:00 - 11:45 am - "Salad Bar Beef"
2:00 - 3:00 pm - "Relationship Marketing" w/ co-presenters Lane & Meryl Nevins
3:15 - 4:15 pm - "Fields of Farmers" w/ co-presenter Kristen Kilfolye

4:30 - 6:00 pm - Keynote: "Folk, This Ain't Normal"

Can't make it for the full day? Tickets to see Joel Salatin's evening Keynote address only are $16 for NOFA members, and $20 for non-members. Register here.

Carbon Sequestration in Soils

Increasing global carbon sequestration in soils via organic agricultural practices is critical in reversing climate change.

Our Winter Conference will feature a number of workshops regarding soils and carbon sequestration. Learn more about research and outreach efforts on this topic from our friends at NOFA-Mass.

Workshop Tracks

Advanced Growers

Agricultural Business

Beginning Farmers

Carbon/Soils

Gardening/Homesteading

Health/Nutrition

Livestock/Animals

Policy/Advocacy

School Gardens

Winter Conference Schedule

Saturday, January 28, 2017

7:30 - 8:30 am - Registration, Breakfast, Green Market Fair

8:30 - 9:45 am - Session 1 Workshops

9:45 - 10:00 am - Break

10:00 - 11:15 am - Session 2 Workshops

11:15 - 11:45 am - Green Market Fair, book signing, seed swap

11:45 am - 1:30 pm - Lunch, NOFA-NH Annual Meeting, Awards Ceremony

1:30 - 2:00 pm - Green Market Fair, book signing, seed swap

2:00 - 3:00 pm - Session 3 Workshops

3:00 - 3:15 pm - Break

3:15 - 4:15 pm - Session 4 Workshops

4:30 - 6:00 pm - Keynote Event - Joel Salatin

Presenters & Workshops

Visit our website for the current list of presenters and workshops

Finding Funding for your Farm: Writing a Business Plan and Raising Private Capital

Anastasia Cole Plakias

Whether finding funds to start a farm or expand an existing one, raising private capital requires a strong business plan and a bit of acumen. Anastasia Cole Plakias takes a frank approach to the subject, sharing the lessons she's learned over the course of three fundraising rounds. This workshop will cover how to put together a professional, compelling business plan to woo investors and lenders, as well as exploring non-traditional solutions like crowd-funding campaigns.

As Founding Partner of Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm, the leading green roof farming business in the US, Anastasia has has spent the last seven years growing the farm from a tiny, grassroots organization to a thriving and diversified business. Focused on creating strong and meaningful connections between the farm and the communities it serves, Anastasia co-founded the farm's educational non-profit arm, and wrote The Farm on the Roof, a book about the team's experiences, published in April 2016.

Growing & Using Peaceful Herbs

Maria Noël Groves

Learn how to grow wonderful and beautiful herbs in your garden that promote peace ~ aiding sleep, boosting mood, quelling anxiety, and encouraging calm energy. We'll discuss some of Maria's favorite peaceful herbs for the temperate garden, including several appropriate for container gardening. We'll focus on favorites including holy basil, ashwagandha, gotu kola, milky oat seed, roses, lemon balm, blue vervain, skullcap, California poppy, valerian, and motherwort and touch on the many other great herbs that you can grow locally. You'll learn the specific indications for using each herb medicinally, how to grow and harvest each one, and some of the best methods of preparation.

Maria Noël Groves, RH (AHG), registered clinical herbalist, runs Wintergreen Botanicals, nestled in the pine forests New Hampshire. She more than 20 years of experience with herbs, is certified by Michael Moore's Southwest School of Botanical Medicine, a registered professional herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild, and founder of the NH Herbal Network She is the author of Body into Balance: An Herbal Guide to Holistic Self Care, teaches nationally, and offers health consultations.

Growing Breakfast

George Wright

Learn how to make a living cash crop farming cereal grains on as little as 44 acres. George Wright of Canada will freely share all he has learned in direct marketing his grains direct to the consumer. See why local food must be more than just veg. George takes $3 per bushel oats and transforms it into $200 a bushel breakfast, his daughter transforms it into $400 a bushel mixes and his son makes $2000 a bushel selling grilled cheese sandwiches. He will reveal how he grows, cleans and processes.

George Wright grew his first crop of oats in 4H at 13. His family farms near Ottawa, Ontario. He has sold all his farm products direct to the consumer at local farmers' markets and his farm store for ten years. He grinds flour at the market and is best known for his freshly rolled and steel cut oats. Only interested in his local market, he freely shares all his has learned.

Volunteer

Interested in volunteering at our Winter Conference?

Volunteers who work 4 hours attend the conference free!

Submit a Volunteer Application form.

Awards Nominations

Every year, NOFA-NH recognizes the best of the best in our community at our

Annual Awards Ceremony.

Help us chose the winners. Submit your nominations here!

Raffle Prize Sneak Peak

Don't forget to stock up on raffle tickets during the Winter Conference!

You could win a year's worth of organic dairy from our sponsor Organic Valley!

Green Market Fair

Vendors & Exhibitors

Book Signings

Seed Swap

Raffle

There's still time to register as a Sponsor or Exhibitor!

Sponsor Registration Form

Exhibitor Registration Form

Renew Your Membership & Get 20% off Winter Conference Registration Instantly!

Did you know you can renew your NOFA-NH membership at the same time you register for the Winter Conference? (Click here to register for conference and join/renew membership.)

You can renew, or join, and instantly enjoy the 20% discount on registration for the 2017 Winter Conference.

We've streamlined to just two membership levels:

Student/Senior Member: $30 (Available to full-time students currently enrolled in school and persons over 65 years old)

Member: $45 (Available to everyone)

Check out list of member benefits on the membership page of our website.

Current memberships will continue for one year from the date you joined.

Thank you to our sponsors for joining our members in helping us to build a strong organic community in New Hampshire!

USDA Provides New Cost Share Opportunities for Organic Producers and Handlers
Organic Producers and Handlers May Apply for Certification Cost Share Reimbursements; Expanded Eligibility for Transition and State Certification Cost

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2016 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that starting March 20, 2017, organic producers and handlers will be able to visit over 2,100 USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices to apply for federal reimbursement to assist with the cost of receiving and maintaining organic or transitional certification.

"USDA reimburses organic producers up to 75 percent of the cost of organic certification, but only about half of the nation's organic operations currently participate in the program," said FSA Administrator Val Dolcini. "Starting March 20, USDA will provide a uniform, streamlined process for organic producers and handlers to apply for organic cost share assistance either by mail or in person at USDA offices located in almost every rural county in the country." Read full article...

$3.8 Million Available for Organic Agriculture Research

Excerpted from National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition's blog post on Dec. 12, 2016

Faced with a growing demand for organic products that dramatically outstrips available supply, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. organic industry have steadily increased efforts to bring new farmers and ranchers into the fold. While some organic producers, like Organic Valley and Stonyfield Farms, are funding their own transition initiatives, many others rely on support from USDA programs to increase the industry's competitiveness. This year (fiscal year 2017), USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will offer up to $3.8 million through a competitive grant program, the Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program - Organic Transitions (ORG), to support projects focused on research, education and extension related to organic transition. Read full blog post . . .

Spring 2017 National Organic Standards Board Meeting

The next National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) meeting will be held April 19 - 21, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. During the meeting, the board will address several petitions pertaining to changes to the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. The agenda of topics and current proposals are available at the Spring 2017 NOSB meeting webpage.

The NOSB invites the public to submit written comments in advance of the meeting, and/or provide oral comments face-to-face at the meeting on April 19 and 20, as well as via webinar on April 13. Please note: In order to be considered during the Spring 2017 meeting, written public comments or requests for oral comment speaking slots must be received by 11:59 p.m. March 30, 2017.

Grant Awarded to NOFA-NH

We are pleased to announce that NOFA-NH has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the You Have Our Trust Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation ,

to support capacity building and strategic initiatives. Thank you!

Spring Bulk Order

NOFA-NH Bulk Order is underway! Look for the order form in early January. Order deadline will be in late February, with product pickups in March.

Contact [email protected]

Farewell to Eve!

We wish farewell and a tremendous "Thank You!" to Eve Scarcello, who has moved on to new endeavors. Eve has been a tireless Office Administrator and Membership Coordinator for NOFA-NH, and we miss her dearly.

Thanks, Eve!