Summer CSA harvest

Seacoast Eat Local is sponsoring yet another great event to connect consumers and food producers in the Seacoast! They’ve planned a community-supported agriculture (CSA) and community-supported fisheries (CSF) event to coincide with the Winter Farmers’ Market to be held at Wentworth Greenhouses (141 Rollins Rd, Rollinsford, NH—a mile past Red’s Shoe Barn on Broadway in Dover), on Saturday, Feb. 27, from 10 am to 2 pm. (Similar events will take place at 12 locations in Maine and in Newburyport, Mass., on Sunday, Feb. 28.)

If you’ve ever wanted to know more about CSA and CSF, keep reading … then attend the event that’s local to you. Learn, ask questions, meet 15 participating farms and fisheries, make connections, and maybe sign up for your own 2010 share.

Learn more: Download the Choosing a CSA flyer (PDF) from Seacoast Eat Local.

Learn more: Read a comprehensive list of CSA farms in Rockingham, Strafford, and York Counties in Seacoast Harvest: A Local Food Guide.

Learn more: Get dates, times, and directions for all of the Seacoast Eat Local Winter Farmers’ Markets.

From a Seacoast Eat Local press release:

Seacoast CSA + CSF Day Coming to Winter Farmers’ Market

Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, is a partnership between consumers and farmers in which members buy shares of the farm’s harvest and receive regular allotments of food throughout the growing season. For farmers, this provides much needed cash flow for the beginning of the season, as well as a ready market and community of supporters. Shareholders join in the risks of the growing season but reap the benefits of the harvest.

Community Supported Fisheries, or CSFs (modeled after CSAs), are a way to buy seafood directly from fishermen and support our local fisheries by purchasing seasonal shares.

Each CSA and CSF has its own pricing structure and distribution schedule, and some farms have work requirements. Signups for CSA and CSF shares often begin in February by directly contacting the farm or sponsoring fishery.

Participating Farms & Fisheries:

Brookford Farm
Connolly’s Organics
Eastman’s Local Catch
Farmer Dave’s CSA
Heron Pond Farm
Meadow’s Mirth
New Roots Farm
Riverside Farm
Riverslea Farm
Stone Wall Farm / Osprey Cove Organic Farm
Touching Earth Farm
Two Toad Farm
Wake Robin Farm
Willow Pond Community Farm
Wolf Pine Farm CSA

This week, Slow Food Seacoast has posted twice about NH policy related to genetically modified organisms (GMOs): Your chance to speak out against GMOs in NH and Attend GMO hearings today. Elizabeth Obelenus (info@nofanh.org), program coordinator at the Northeast Organic Farming Association, NH Chapter (NOFA-NH), provides a brief report of yesterday’s hearings here:

The hearings were delayed till 2 pm and we finished at 5 pm.  The morning’s hearing on a study committee to ban pesticides went from 9am to noon (it was an excellent hearing too) which was a problem for us because we had at least 60 people show up all anxious to be a part of the hearings.  However, our hearings went very well, and even better, biotech’s lobbyists were in DC digging out from the snow so could not show up and their substitute lobbyist was a joke.  Rich Bonanno from the NE Veg & Berry Growers though showed up against (I was surprised) but after all the people signed in (not including the 150+ emails sent) we out numbered the opposition by what, 30-1?

The interim results sound promising … but the game is still on! If you haven’t yet, please urge your NH legislators to support the labeling of GMO seeds and protect NH farmers whose non-GMO crops are contaminated by GMO crops by February 15. Use the following link to quickly send (or customize)  a form email to the members of the NH House Environment and Agriculture Committee and your own representative: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1221/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2253. Suggestion: Write the message on your own computer, SAVE IT, then copy and paste it into the window provided. If the website doesn’t work properly, please send your message to the following addresses, provided by Elizabeth from NH House of Representatives, Environment and Agriculture Committee, website (http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/committees/committeedetails.aspx?code=H06):

Tara A. Sad, (d) Chairman (tara.eric@gmail.com)
Jane E. Beaulieu, (d) Vice-Chairman (jane.beaulieu@leg.state.nh.us)
Suzanne J. Smith, (d) Clerk (zanne1@metrocast.net)
Derek Owen, d (owen31@juno.com)
Leigh A. Webb, d (leigh.webb@leg.state.nh.us)
Roger R. Beauchamp, d (roger.beauchamp@leg.state.nh.us)
Steven W.Lindsey, d (steven.lindsey@leg.state.nh.us)
Brian D. Poznanski, d (bpoznanski@anselm.edu)
Susan E. Wiley, d (stephmwv@ncia.net)
Robert H. Haefner, r (bobhaefnerjp@comcast.net)
J. David Knox, r (jdknox@worldpath.net)
Laura J. Gandia, r (laura.gandia@leg.state.nh.us)
Warren J. Groen, r (warrengroen@gmail.com)
Stephen J. Palmer, r (spalmer_peanuts@msn.com)
Pamela Z. Tucker, r (pamzt@comcast.net)

And finally, here are some GMO-related facts and resource links from Pam, to inform and motivate you.

• Geneticist Marcello Buiatti says, “From a scientific point of view GMOs are a total failure.” He adds that they “use out-dated technology, do not increase production of useful food crops, do not help fight famine and do not do what their patents claim” and “serve only to make their owners rich as farmers have to pay royalties to the multinationals to use their seeds” (http://www.slowfood.com/sloweb/eng/dettaglio.lasso?cod=D5D7F482190d022CD4RxY105A0A2).
• Monsanto is a U.S.-based multinational agricultural biotechnology corporation. It calls itself an agricultural company yet was founded as manufacturer of agricultural chemicals, then expanded to include molecular biology, biotechnology, genetic modification, and pharmaceuticals (http://www.monsanto.com/who_we_are/history.asp).
• Monsanto sells 90% of genetically engineered or GMO seed worldwide. It started to acquire existing seed brands in 2004 and has continued to do so almost every year since (http://www.monsanto.com/who_we_are/history.asp).
• Monsanto also is the world’s leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate (active ingredient in the Roundup family of brands). Its broad-spectrum, nonselective herbicide products “are registered in more than 130 countries and are approved for weed control in more than 100 crops” (http://www.monsanto.com/monsanto/content/products/productivity/roundup/back_history.pdf).
• GMO farming encourages monoculture (growing one single species or crop), which decreases ecosystem diversity and is not a sustainable approach to agriculture. “Monocultures deplete the soil, and fruits and vegetables become more susceptible to pests and disease than those grown in a diverse crop environment, thus requiring larger amounts of chemical sprays” (http://www.sustainabletable.org/intro/dictionary/).
• Farmers growing GMO crops are prohibited from saving seeds (i.e., collecting and drying seeds from one crop to use the following season) because GMO seeds are patented (http://www.cropchoice.com/leadstryc657.html?recid=505).
• Many GMO crops are genetically modified to either be tolerant of or contain (directly in the seed) pesticides or herbicides. Examples include Roundup Ready varieties of soybean, cotton, canola, and corn (which require the application of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide) and YieldGard Rootworm corn (with “in-seed insect-protection against the corn rootworm”) and Bollgard II insect-protected cotton (http://www.monsanto.com/who_we_are/history.asp). Both kinds of seed increase environmental exposure to pesticides and herbicides, which has implications for the health of water, plants, insects, and humans as well as other animals.
• The use of pesticide-tolerant GMO seeds has been implicated in the widespread decline in the populations of honeybees and other plant pollinators (http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_4557.cfm). Without pollinators, plants cannot bear fruit or vegetables.
• The results of a recent study indicate an alarming effect of GMOs on human health: Monsanto’s GMO Corn Linked to Organ Failure (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/monsantos-gmo-corn-linked_n_420365.html).
• Because of nature (in the form of wind, birds, and other animals), GMO seed and pollen inevitably “drift” into non-GMO crops. And in cases of GMO drift, liability usually falls on the farmer (http://www.caff.org/publications/aa/02_Fall/gmo_threat.shtml).
• GMO drift and cross-pollination spell economic loss or ruin for farmers whose valuable non-GMO crops have been contaminated by GMO crops. What’s more, Monsanto has a history of criminalizing small farmers who have been unwitting victims of the forces of nature (e.g., Monsanto Canada Inc. v. Schmeiser, http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/schmeiser012004.cfm and http://www.percyschmeiser.com/).

Thanks in advance for sending your written statement!

This BBC report features a Virginia farmer who is “feeding the community one stop at a time” as he takes his wares on the road—literally! His “Farm to Family” bus brings fresh food (vegetables, fruit, dairy, eggs, fresh meat, and bacon) to food deserts in Richmond, VA. And he uses Facebook to get the word out to customers! How cool is that?

The video also features commentary from Slow Food USA president Josh Viertel.

The Farm Bus on BBC News

On Monday, we posted about Your chance to speak out against GMOs in NH. Today, we’re forwarding an action alert from Northeast Organic Farming Association, NH Chapter (NOFA-NH), requesting your presence or written testimony at tomorrow’s hearings. (Note: A link to democracyinaction.org in the original newsletter from NOFA-NH did not work, so it was deleted; we will post an update ASAP if we get a working link!)

GMO Action Alert

We need your support at the public hearings

Thursday, February 11

in the Legislative Office Building (LOB)
33 North State St., Concord NH
Room 308

11 am for the GMO liability bill
1 pm for the GMO seed labeling bill

Monsanto is coming with their expensive propaganda and expensive lobbyists.  There is nothing locally grown or heirloom about biotech - show the legislature that traditional and organic agriculture and gardening is our choice.

Or, email NOFA for two handouts info@nofanh.org that can help you compose testimony - the more people that speak the better.  Or just come with friends and colleagues and sign in to support the bill, and stay to hear both sides.

We believe consumer-farmers and consumer-gardeners have a legal right-to- know if their seeds contain GMOs.  And we want to protect traditional, organic and small farmers from cross-contamination that occurs with GMO crops.

Please forward this alert to all your networks and get promises to attend the hearings.
And to make it even better, please email Elizabeth at NOFA-NH info@nofanh.org with your RSVP that you or others will be offering testimony.

More people than ever are growing food for their own families, or for sale.  Organic agriculture continues to grow.

Did you know that there are at least six transgenic varieties of yellow summer squash, crookneck and zucchini that are available to consumers, and are not labeled?

Did you know that a farmer can buy transgenic seed without knowing it? It has happened!

Biotech is only getting bolder with their plans to own all seed in the world.  And to pollute our soils with pesticides and herbicides while creating super weeds and super pests.

No state has yet been able to get seeds labeled for GMOs.  Aren’t we still first in the nation?  Let’s be the leader!

Recommended websites for info and for studies to support your statements:

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/geneticeng.pdf is an excellent (32 pg) summary of all that has been happening with transgenic crops. http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/Home/index.cfm is the website of the author of Seeds of Deception and other books on GMOs, Jeffrey Smith. http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/usda-releases-organic-production-survey-results/

You can also write Op Ed pieces about this issue.

How to testify: You will sign in at the hearing and wait till you are called. You will have only 3 minutes, maybe much less depending on the number of people who are signed up to testify.  Written and oral testimony do not have to be diatribes. Keep it simple, polite and to the point.  Thank the committee when you are done. Short statements about complex points are more memorable than long dissertations.

Please try to arrive by 10:45 am for the GMO liability bill (HB 1388) and 12:45 pm for the GMO seed labeling bill (HB 1172).  And plan to spend some time.

Thank you!

NOFA-NH recognizes that farmers, gardeners, and consumers of organic products share a “community of interests:” a common need to grow and consume safe, healthy, nutritious, great-tasting food; and a common interest in preserving a healthy environment that nurtures all of us. In an age of industrial agriculture, we’re working to re-establish a shared sense of pride and participation in a community-based food system that links local farmers with local consumers, and rewards them both equally.

Contact: Elizabeth Obelenus, Program Coordinator
info@nofanh.org
(603) 224-5022

More via Slow Food Portland:

Due to some last-minute cancellations, Appleton Creamery (Appleton, ME) still has space left in the 2-day Home Cheesemaking workshop, February 27 and 28. Visit the Appleton Creamery website for details and fees.

The ramifications of the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture are varied—some have slowly become evident over time, and some remain unknown. Hearings for HB 1172 “GMO Labeling Bill” and HB 1388 “GMO Liability Bill” are scheduled to be held this Thursday in Concord, NH, and the Northeast Organic Farming Association–NH Chapter (NOFA-NH) invites the public to help build support for these bills. If you can describe why GMOs are bad for our health, are concerned about GMO seeds contaminating organic crops, or simply believe in the right-to-know in seed labeling, then your oral testimony—or written statement—is requested!

WHAT: Public hearings for HB 1172 “GMO Labeling Bill” and HB 1388 “GMO Liability Bill” (read more in ADDITIONAL INFO below and in links)

WHEN: Thursday, 2/11/2010, at 11 am (HB 1388) and 1 pm (HB 1172)

WHERE: Legislative Office Building (LOB), Room 308, 22 North State Street, Concord, NH

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW: If you can’t attend the hearings on Thursday, submit your written statement for the record. Comments to the House received by email are not included in the permanent record, so please email statements to Elizabeth Obelenus of NOFA-NH (info@nofanh.org), and she will print out the required copies and submit them in person at the hearings on Feb. 11 as official testimony.

• HB 1172 (GMO Labeling Bill) “defines genetically modified seeds and organisms and requires that genetically modified seeds be labeled as such.” (More and more people raise their own food in NH to ensure quality and purity—and to save money. How do they know if their seeds contain GMOs if the seeds they buy are not labeled? This bill asks that the time-honored consumer’s right-to-know be extended to seed labeling.)
• HB 1388 (GMO Liability Bill) “defines genetically modified seed or organism” and “establishes a cause of action for farmers sustaining damage from the use of mislabeled or genetically modified seeds or organisms.” (Genetic drift is proving to be a huge problem for farmers that do not purposefully raise GMO crops. If a farmer’s crop becomes contaminated with GMOs through pollen drift, this bill gives the farmer the right to seek damages.)
• If you wish to testify in person or want more information about how you can participate, contact Elizabeth Obelenus of NOFA-NH at 603-224-5022 or info@nofanh.org.
• Slow Food Seacoast posted about a February 3 meeting related to these bills.
• Read an interesting recent article about GMO policy in NH in Front Door Politics.
• The House Environment & Agriculture Committee is set to make recommendations 1 week later, on Feb. 18.

The following event is being planned by students in the UNH Hospitality Program. They are interested in sourcing as much produce as possible from local farmers. They have proposed a menu but are willing to take inspiration from local offerings. If you have large quantities of produce available, please contact Amy Winans (amy.winans@unh.edu).

From a UNH press release:

Enjoy Some Sinful Indulgence at the UNH Gourmet Dinner March 5 and 6

DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire will serve up seven courses of sinful indulgence at two gourmet dinners in March.

Organized by the hospitality management students at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics, “Sinful Indulgence” gourmet dinners will be held Friday, March 5, and Saturday, March 6, 2010, at Stillings, 20 Ballard Drive, Durham, NH, beginning with a cocktail hour and hors d’oeuvres at 6 o’clock and dinner to follow.

The concept of the dinner revolves around the Seven Cardinal Sins. Each course will include locally produced foods and represent each of the sins. The menu will be paired with elegant décor that will transform Stillings into an atmosphere where guests will experience the seven indulgences representing greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, pride, sloth, and envy.

“This event challenges the students of UNH’s Advanced Food and Beverage Operations Management class to design, organize, and direct two gourmet dinners for approximately 200 guests per night. The event prepares students for what to expect in the world of hospitality management beyond the college classroom, and it provides hands-on management experience from the beginning to end of formal event planning,” said Bridget McCartney, marketing manager for Sinful Indulgence.

Students have six weeks to plan and execute the dinner, and take on real-world executive management positions in the process, including general manager, chief financial officer, front of the house manager, executive chef, human resource director, and director of marketing.

Tickets for Sinful Indulgence are $50 per person and may be purchased through UNH event online ticketing.

The UNH Department of Hospitality Management combines business fundamentals as well as classes geared toward the service industry sector. Hands-on education proves to be a strong and integral part of the experiential and academic curriculum. The department also offers the first-ever EcoGastronomy Program, which integrates UNH’s strengths in sustainable agriculture, hospitality management, and nutrition to offer a unique academic program emphasizing the interdisciplinary, international, and experiential knowledge that connects all three fields.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state’s flagship public institution, enrolling more than 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students.

On February 5, the New York Times reported that the USDA was scrapping the National Animal Identification Program (NAIS), “a national program intended to help authorities quickly identify and track livestock in the event of an animal disease outbreak” that has been in the news for at least 4 years. This much-maligned proposal treated all levels of producers similarly, from Big Ag’s concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to homesteaders raising meat for their families. As proposed, NAIS raised serious questions, including confidentiality and privacy, but the biggest concern was the high cost and low feasibility of implementation for producers smaller than factory size, because they would have to tag and track every animal owned. Many small producers effectively would have been put out of business, thereby removing an important link in the local market chain that allows us all access to good, clean, and fair food.

Secretary of Agrigulture Tom Vilsack made the announcement while the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published a factsheet explaining plans to create the Animal Disease Traceability Framework. In this FAQ, the USDA admits that “the vast majority of participants were highly critical” of NAIS and promises to include “representatives from States, Tribal Nations, industry groups, local farms, organic farmers, and underserved communities” in the new effort. What’s more, it promises to allow “maximum flexibility” and to “reduce the burden on producers.”

Of course the reality remains to be seen, but for now, saying “no” to NAIS is a victory for small farmers, because “producers who raise animals and move them within a State, Tribal Nation, or to local markets, as well as to feed themselves, their families, and their neighbors are not part of USDA’s framework’s scope and focus.” Thanks to all the people who signed petitions, wrote to lawmakers, and generally made noise about NAIS—and hoorah for all of our local livestock farmers!

Save the dates!

WHAT: 2010 Open House

WHEN: March 27 and 28, 2010

WHERE: Sugarmomma’s Maple Farm, Northwood, NH

MORE INFO: Sugarmomma’s website

Via the Seacoast Eat Local blog:

Bringing together farmers, gardeners, localvores, educators, and consumers … featuring workshops and vendors: NOFA-NH Winter Conference: “A Place at the Table”