the irresistible fleet of bicycles

our solstice mixer is one month away!

greenhorns — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:19:36 +0000

Don’t miss it.

Solstice Mixer Grange Campout June 22-23, Keeseville, NY
It’s our yearly summer blow out,

- Spoken word artist Laura Brown Lavoie
- A presentation by Vermont Sail Freight visionary Erik Andrus,
- Eight painted panel exhibit of GRANGE HISTORY, by Severine and Ripley
- Dancy music by POCATELLO in the Ausable Grange Hall #945
- Electronic SAFE, COMMUNICATOR, & BLKTHY playing at the bonfire afterwards BYOB.
- Sneak peak of OUR LAND next episodes (Texas cotton! Michigan cherries!)

Its two jam packed days of north country activities: Blacksmithing at the horse nail factory, tubing in Ausable chasm, tour of the underground railroad museum, guided naturalist hike up Pocomoonshine mountain, hay wagon multi-farm tours, visit the homestead of abolitionist John Brown, or hit the trails in 6 million acres of wild forest. Options for everyone, so pack up a wagon and get yourselves north for a weekend away!

TO RSVP, get directions, ask questions and receive the schedule of events please email:cara@thegreenhorns.net

Filed under: Events, Greenhorns Mixers Tagged: New York, solstice

much afoot with our Canadian brethren

greenhorns — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:17:30 +0000

The Young Agrarians!

Who are the Young Agrarians?
Young Agrarians is a grassroots initiative made up of agriculturalists and media conspirators intent on growing food sustainably. Inspired by The Greenhorns to build a network Canada-side to celebrate, connect and recruit young farmers – the Young Agrarians are the movers and shakers of a new agrarians movement: young agriculturalists, farmers, urban farmers, market and community gardeners, community groups and academics, organizations and the public who want to ecologically rebuild, promote and inspire the agriculture of our country. We are using the power of media and the internet, and bringing people together in real time- to build community and grow ‘good, clean, and fair’ food.

http://www.youngagrarians.org/

http://www.facebook.com/YoungAgrarians

https://twitter.com/#!/youngagrarians

http://www.flickr.com/groups/youngagrarians/

Filed under: For Your Enjoyment, ideas + models, resources

ranch jobs!

greenhorns — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:13:31 +0000

via the Quivera Coalition.

Quivira Coalition – Land & Water Program Opportunity

Summer Watershed Restoration Intern: Download the PDF for full job descrption & application. The Quivira Coalition seeks a 2013 summer intern who is passionate about land health to assist with a variety of tasks linked to our Comanche Creek Watershed Restoration project. The intern will work under the direct supervision of Mollie Walton, Ph.D., Quivira’s Land & Water Program Director. This is an amazing opportunity and involves projects that will require both field work and office work. Interested? Take a look at the application – pdf attached in this email – and apply as soon as possible. Dr. Walton will be filling this position as soon as possible.

Other Great Opportunities:

A few of the opportunities listed below were in the April newsletter. Khalsa Greenhouses is hoping to find one additional intern who would be interested in over-wintering with them – see job description and contact info below if you’re interested. Chico Basin is good to keep in mind if you’re interested in ranching, and can plan several months ahead of time. Spur Lake has regular openings for people with horseback experience…. Zapata Ranch is listed again, but with new positions…

2. FULL TIME SUMMER FARMING INTERNSHIP POSITION AVAILABLE (POJOAQUE, NM): Small market gardener (approximately 15 miles north of Santa Fe) in a beautiful setting along the Nambe River. Although not a certified organic grower, my farming practices are all organically based, are pesticide free & sustainably anchored. As a Los Alamos Farmers’ Market vendor & small CSA, I grow a wide assortment of veggies from baby salad greens, spinach, arugula, annual & perennial herbs, kale, chard, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, beets to heirloom tomatoes, Japanese eggplant, cukes, squash, onions, leeks, garlic & lots of raspberries.Room & Board and a small weekly stipend in exchange for help on my farm: April-September 2013. Work involves all aspects of small market gardening, including: small greenhouse production, field prep, setting up & maintaining drip irrigation systems, transplanting, direct seeding, weeding, harvesting & cleaning & selling produce at a weekly market & CSA distribution, composting and beekeeping.

I am looking for an intern who is interested in learning about small scale food production, who knows how to work hard and have fun, is detailed-oriented, people-friendly, can work independently & is committed to working some long, hot hours out in the field 5 days per week for the entire season. Intern will have their own room in my shared home & have full access to the kitchen (along with all the fresh produce you can eat), laundry facilities & the internet. The Pojoaque Wellness Center is a 5 minute walk from the house where there are excellent fitness & training facilities, an indoor pool & an adjoining library & computer pod. If you’re interested in more information, please call Lauren @ 505-660-1677. Thanks

3. ZAPATA RANCH (Colorado) is a 103,000 acre working ranch and bison preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy, and managed through a one-of-a-kind partnership with Ranchlands www.ranchlands.com. Zapata Ranch has two internships available starting August 1st through to 31st October. Wonderful opportunity to be involved in all areas of the business. Riding experience would be great but not essential. Duties include leading bison tours, hiking with guests, kitchen duties, support rider, playing a role in ensuring all day to day operations run smoothly. Attitude is everything, we can train for everything else. To apply please email resume, recent photograph and a few lines as to why you’d like to work at Zapata to kate@zranch.org

4. KHALSA GREENHOUSES INTERN PROGRAM (ESPAÑOLA, NM): Room and board. Come live in a vegetarian, tobacco and drug free environment where you will share a large spacious household near a Sikh/kundalini yoga community. A beginning $200 monthly stipend for a six month to one year participant working 4 hours a day six days a week, including farmers markets, with the opportunity to earn more. An opportunity to work on a year round producing farm – primarily focused on fall and winter production Khalsa Greenhouses is getting ready to expand into spring and summer field and permaculture agriculture

We are looking for the right mature young adult(s). Please send your resume and cover letter to Gurujiwan S. Khalsa in care of khalsaenterprises@hotmail.com or letter to Gurujiwan S Khalsa, 11 Walnut Drive, Espanola, NM 87532. You can also check us out on Facebook at Khalsa Greenhouses. A couple of things to address in your cover letter: What are some of the things you would like to learn and can share? What motivates you and what are your core values? Why do you want to be a part of the family farm movement? Where would you like to be in five years? Would you be willing to participate in shared meal prep? When are you available?

5.The CHICO BASIN RANCH (Colorado Springs, CO) has a wonderful internship program. They accept several interns at any given time, although you may need to contact them well ahead of your ideal start-date to insure a spot in their program. They require a minimum 3 month commitment. For more information on the Chico, and contact information, visit their website:http://www.chicobasinranch.com/.

6. The SPUR LAKE CATTLE COMPANY (Springerville, AZ) regularly seeks interns and ranch hands who are experienced on horseback to help them out during the spring and summer seasons. They are located in eastern Arizona, and work on lands in both western New Mexico and eastern Arizona. For more information on Spur Lake, and for contact information, visit their website:http://www.spurlake.com/Spur_Lake_Cattle_Company/Home.html.

Filed under: Intern & Apprenticeships, Job Posting Tagged: Arizona, colorado, New Mexico

growing food in a hotter, drier land

greenhorns — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:24:19 +0000

Gary Nabhan’s newest book, out next month.

From his website:
With climatic uncertainty now “the new normal,” many farmers, gardeners, and orchardists in North America are desperately seeking ways to adapt how they grow food in the face of climate change. The solutions may be at our back door.

In Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land, Nabhan, one of the world’s experts on the agricultural traditions of arid lands, draws from the knowledge of traditional farmers in the Gobi Desert, the Arabian Peninsula, the Sahara Desert, and Andalusia, as well as the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Painted deserts of North America to offer time-tried strategies, including:

Building greater moisture-holding capacity and nutrients in soils;
Protecting fields from damaging winds, drought, and floods;
Reducing heat stress on crops and livestock;
Harvesting water from uplands to use in rain gardens and terraces filled with perennial crops;
Selecting fruits, nuts, succulents, and herbaceous perennials that are best suited to warmer, drier climates; and,
Keeping pollinators in pace and in place with arid-adapted crop plants.

“Emulating and refining these adaptations may help us secure food in the face of climate change,” writes Nabhan.

A certain type of agricultural history was made in 2011 when more than 500 food-producing counties in the continental United States were declared parts of disaster areas because they suffered weather-related crop failures. The searing heat waves and dry conditions suffered across seven-tenths of the United States during the summer of 2012 proved even more devastating: 2,228 counties were designated as federal disaster areas, where crops and livestock were either severely affected or lost to drought.

This practical book is replete with detailed descriptions and diagrams showing how to implement desert-adapted practices in your own backyard, orchard, or farm to mitigate the impact of these rapid changes. It also includes colorful “parables from the field” that exemplify how desert farmers think about increasing the carrying capacity and resilience of the lands and waters they steward.

This unique book is useful not only for farmers and permaculturists in the arid reaches of the Southwest or other desert regions. Its techniques and prophetic vision for achieving food security in the face of climate change may well need to be implemented across most of North America over the next half-century, and are already applicable in most of the semiarid West, Great Plains, and Southwest and adjacent regions of Mexico.

Filed under: Books Tagged: climate change, gary nabhan

connecticut farm tours

greenhorns — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:18:44 +0000

from the New Connecticut Farmer Alliance. Read on for the full schedule.

Each Farm tour, accompanied by a potluck, will take place every third Sunday of the month.

Tours will begin at 4:00pm with a potluck at 6:00pm until dusk. Bring your own place setting and beverages. Farmer friends welcome.

May 19 – Provider Farm, Salem CT

Provider Farm is a 10 acre non-certified organic vegetable farm that uses biodynamic methods managed by Max and Kerry Taylor. They are primarily a CSA serving 200 shareholders and sell to farmers markets and wholesale accounts. They also maintain a small grass-fed beef herd on 20 acres of rotationally grazed pasture and sell beef cuts retail to their shareholders and the general public.

The farm tour will focus on tractor selection and implements used for mechanical vegetable cultivation.

Provider Farm 30 Woodbridge Rd. Salem CT 06420 www.providerfarm.com

June 16 – Sullivan Farm, New Milford, CT

Sullivan Farm is currently in its 2^nd year of operation as a 501(c)3 agricultural non-profit. Joe Listro, the Farm Manager, has been farming for 5 years and began at Sullivan Farm last year when the non-profit started its lease on the 104 acre town-owned farm. His previous work includes farming and educational programming at Urban Oaks Organic Farm and the Community Farm of Simsbury.

The mission of the Sullivan Farm is to educate children and high school students in the area of sustainable food production. The farm is run by a crew of 20-30 youth volunteers and interns ages 14 through 19. They saw over 1000 elementary school children last year through school field trips, children gardening events, boy and girl scout programs, and special events. They grow over 30 types of vegetables, 60 acres of hay, and produce maple syrup. Interns market their produce through an on-site farm stand, local farmers’ market, New Milford Hospital, and local restaurants.

The farm tour will focus on farm-based education on production and non-profit farms. We will discuss how to attract community members to your farm through programs which benefit the greater community and open up an additional revenue stream for the farm. We will also go into detail about managing and supervising a (mostly) youth work crew.

Sullivan Farm 140 Park Lane Rd. New Milford, CT 06776 www.sullivanfarmnm.org

July 21 – GROW Hartford, Hartford, CT

Grow Hartford urban farm is a project of the non-profit Hartford Food System and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The farm provides hyper-local produce to Hartford residents as well as social service agencies in the city. They sell to restaurants, farmers’ markets and have a popular CSA program. The farm is also the base for a vibrant youth program focusing on agriculture and food justice.

Rodger Phillips has worked at a number of farms and is in his 5th season as farm manager at Grow Hartford. A lifelong grower, Rodger and his wife Isabelle have been urban homesteading in Hartford for 14 years.

The farm tour and social will feature a tour of three urban farm plots. Details on urban farming challenges, advantages and techniques will be discussed. Follow along by car or by bicycle. At our last stop we will share a delicious meal and enjoy some live music.

Grow Hartford 75 Laurel St. Hartford, CT 06106 www.GrowHartford.org

August 18 – Sweet Acre Farm, Hampton, CT

Charlotte Ross and Jonathan Janeway started Sweet Acre Farm, a partnership business, on 1 acre in Mansfield in 2011. For their third season they moved to a 2 acre farm in Hampton where they have received organic certification and expanded both their vegetable and livestock operations. For the 2013 season they will be growing diversified vegetables for 3 farmers markets. They also have a small market-based CSA component and sell wholesale to restaurants when possible. The extra acreage will afford them the opportunity to grow more storage crops in the hopes that they can continue selling into the winter. Additionally they are raising pigs, laying hens, meat birds, and two goats that will eventually allow them to dabble in dairy/cheese-making. They own only a BCS walk-behind tractor so much of their farming is done by hand.

The farm tour at will include an update on their experience with organic certification (pros and cons), BCS tractor work and implements, discussion on the use of proteknet row cover for brassicas, and reflections on use of cover cropping in an intensive farm operation.

Sweet Acre Farm, 130 Station Road, Hampton CT 06247 www.sweetacrefarm.com

September 15 – New Mercies Farm, Lyme, CT

New Mercies Farm is a 5 acre organic farm nestled in the quiet countryside of the Connecticut River Valley in Lyme, CT just 13 minutes from exit 70 off I95. They grow a diverse array of heirloom fruits, vegetables and heritage chickens on the tenants of holistic stewardship and community building. In their first year of production, they offer produce through a CSA, farmers’ markets, and specialty grocers. The farm was established in March 2012 as an LLC and is managed by Mike Melillo.

Mike is fourth generation farmer who grew up gardening with his grandfather and great uncles. In 2000 he began a personal journey into self-resiliency taking many apprenticeships on organic farms in Connecticut and California which culminated into bringing back his family farm under the name Nature’s Mirror. His enthusiasm for agriculture is fueled by the sharing of knowledge with others.

The farm tour will focus on good record keeping. It would be helpful if farmers would bring their templates/spread sheets and anecdotes on how they keep their farm records and what they keep records of. Mike will also discuss management of small fruit such as brambles and vines.

New Mercies Farm 256 Beaver Brook Rd Lyme, CT 06371 www.newmerciesfarm.com

October – Favorite Plant Variety Halloween Party, location and date TBD

For more information on the New CT Farmer Alliance go to www.newctfarmers.com

and like us on Facebook.

Filed under: Farm Tours Tagged: Connecticut

battery urban farm seeks lead farmer

greenhorns — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:14:54 +0000

Applications due this Friday.

The Battery Conservancy is seeking an enthusiastic individual with significant farming experience to assist in running Battery Urban Farm in The Battery, the public park at the southern tip of Manhattan.

Battery Urban Farm, an educational project of The Battery Conservancy, is the first farm on this site since the Dutch planted theirs in 1625. Now in its third season, Battery Urban Farm is engaging elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as local community groups and individuals, in a hands-on experience of organic farming on one acre of parkland. Our vegetables, herbs, and cut flowers are donated to school cafeterias and used in our summer Farm Share.

Download the full job description HERE

Filed under: Job Posting Tagged: New York

big food ideas

greenhorns — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:07:13 +0000

the BBC collects these each year. Listen to their selection of 2012′s big food ideas HERE.

Filed under: ideas + models Tagged: BBC

the great grape & bean pairing

greenhorns — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:57:07 +0000

Saturday!

http://vermontbeancrafters.com/

Filed under: Events Tagged: Vermont

greenhorns — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:54:55 +0000

Via the National Wildlife Federation.

At close to midnight last night, the House Agriculture Committee voted 36-10 to approve the farm bill. Unfortunately, the bill they passed out of committee lacked key conservation provisions that are priorities of National Wildlife Federation. Unlike the Senate version of the farm bill, this House version does not tie soil and wetland protection provisions, known as conservation compliance, to eligibility for crop insurance premium subsidies. Additionally, it contains only a weak regional Sodsaver provision to protect native prairies that applies to only parts of 5 states in the Northern Great Plains. Finally, we were particularly disappointed that an attempt from Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH) to increase funding for practices that benefit wildlife on working lands met opposition from both the Chair and Ranking Member of the committee and the amendment had to be withdrawn.

The next step for the Farm Bill is that the full Senate will take it up for consideration next week, starting Monday, and the House will hopefully bring it to the floor sometime in June. We will continue working to ensure that the final Farm Bill includes a link between conservation compliance and crop insurance subsidies, a strong national Sodsaver provision, and adequate funding for programs that benefit wildlife.

Below is a rundown of how the amendments that NWF weighed in on fared during last night’s debate. As you will see, most of the amendments we supported were withdrawn, and two of the amendments we opposed were approved.

NWF Supports:

Walz #3 (WITHDRAWN) to provide $800 million in mandatory funding for agriculture energy programs. These valuable and popular programs are needed to improve energy efficiency and deployment of alternative energy on farms as well as to advance bioenergy technologies and biomass supply for the next generation of biomass based heat, power, fuels and biobased products.

Kuster #28 (WITHDRAWN) to eliminate an unfair $20,000 payment limitation per year on farmers under the organic initiative. All other farmers have a $300,000 payment limit in EQIP, so this amendment would help to level the playing field and ensure that all farmers are subject to the same payment limitations in EQIP.

Kuster #35 and #36 (WITHDRAWN) to increase the unfair cap on wildlife practices in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The underlying bill allows only 5% of EQIP funds to go towards wildlife practices. This is particularly concerning since well over 5% of EQIP are currently going towards wildlife practices and the standalone Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program is being eliminated. These amendments would require that at least 5% or more of EQIP funds go towards wildlife practices.

Courtney #51 (WITHDRAWN) to restore mandatory funding for organic data and certification programs. This amendment restores mandatory funding that was included in last year’s Committee-passed bill for the Organic Production and Market Data Initiatives) and the National Organic Program.
Costa #69 (WITHDRAWN) to restore the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program. This amendment strikes the repeal of the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program and provides $22 million (the same level provided in the 2008 Farm Bill) for organic producers to offset a portion of the annual costs of organic certification.
Lujan Grisham #82 (WITHDRAWN) to restore funding for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and veteran farmers and ranchers. This amendment would increase funding to help ensure that that socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers have opportunities to successfully acquire, own, operate, and retain farms and ranches and equitably participate in all USDA programs.
Noem #67 (WITHDRAWN) to allow for funds from the Rural Energy for America Program to be used for installation of ethanol blender pumps at private gas stations. The Committee on Agriculture has provided no mandatory funding for the REAP program. The limited funding this program is likely to get is better used in helping with development of on-farm renewable energy systems and improving energy efficiency, rather than supporting the already profitable and mature ethanol industry.
McGovern #32 (NOT OFFERED) to cap the rate of return guaranteed for companies providing crop insurance and to cap reimbursement of administrative and operating expenses. In the spirit of the compromise worked out between conservation and agriculture groups on key conservation provisions in the 2013 Farm Bill, NWF is opposing amendments that limit crop insurance.

Nolan # 58 (FAILED BY VOICE VOTE) to raise the maximum enrollment of CSP from 8,695,000 acres to 10,348,000 acres. This would reduce the funding cut to the Conservation Stewardship Program, which is a critically important tool to help farmers improve both the environmental and long term economic performance of their land by protecting soil, water and related resources.

Garamendi #86 (NOT OFFERED) to allow interested states to permit qualified third parties to hold and manage easements under the Forest Legacy Program. The amendment would allow the states to terminate the third party holding of the easement if it is not managed appropriately. Third party holding of easements is allowed in many other conservation programs.

NWF Opposes:

King #73 (APPROVED) would prioritize one interest in the Missouri River basin over all other authorized purposes and require additional costly and damaging manipulation of the Missouri River channel. The Army Corps of Engineers has already released a study finding that adding more flood storage to the Missouri River reservoirs would not have prevented the floods of 2011. Improvements to managing the Missouri River should be addressed as part of the already authorized Army Corps study reassessing the authorized project purposes of the Missouri River system and through restoring the river’s natural flood protection capacity.

King #71 (APPROVED) to prevent any state from adopting standards or conditions on any agricultural product from another state. This sweeping amendment would likely even prevent states from banning imports of invasive, disease-carrying organisms, or pesticides. It is an extreme measure that would seriously impinge upon state’s rights with regard to protecting their air, water, food systems or the health of their citizens.

Filed under: Food + Ag politics Tagged: farm bill

dairy grazing apprenticeships

greenhorns — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:50:43 +0000

http://www.dairygrazingapprenticeship.org/welcome

Earn while you learn! The Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship is the first legally recognized, fully accredited apprenticeship for farming in the United States.

Mission

The Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship of GrassWorks, Inc., is dedicated to providing a guided pathway to independent dairy farm ownership, developing grazing careers, and strengthening the economic and environmental well-being of rural communities and the dairy industry.

We accomplish this mission by:

Linking current and aspiring graziers in the transfer of farms and graziers skills and knowledge.
Developing alliances with agricultural, environmental, and consumer groups.
Providing opportunities for farmers and their customers to invest in the next generation of grazing farmers.

Learn more

Filed under: Education, Intern & Apprenticeships, resources, Searching for land Tagged: apprentice, dairy