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GLEANINGS: n. 1. That which has been acquired by
gleaning. 2. The monthly eNewsletter of CT NOFA.
[Glean:v. 1. to gather relevant information or
material by patient effort, bit by bit; to find
out. 2. to gather grain or other produce (often:
left by reapers); to
harvest.]
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| From the Executive Director |
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Dear CT NOFA members and friends,
Welcome to the new CT NOFA Gleanings
eNewsletter.
 We've decided to eliminate the
quarterly publication of the paper version of Gleanings
and move the name to our on-line
publication. We can reach nearly
3,000 people 12 times a year at a fraction of the cost
of getting a paper copy of Gleanings to about 800 folks
four times a year. The information
will be much more timely in the electronic version,
too.
We'd like to extend our sincere thanks to Erica
Meyers-Russo who has done a wonderful job of editing
Gleanings for many years. Thanks too
to the regular writers who've contributed to Gleanings
over the years, including Judy Rothenberg, Al Eliason,
Robin Glowa and Kim Stoner.
We hope to integrate some of their future
writings into the electronic version.
Deb Legge, our office manager, edits the
eNewsletter. If you have items for
it, send them to her at deb@ctnofa.org.
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| Upcoming CT NOFA & NOFA Events
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NOFA
Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care
SPACES
STILL AVAILABLE - Become an Accredited Organic Land Care
Professional this year!
Feb. 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 2010
(Snow Date: Feb. 17), Elmsford, NY
Feb. 22, 23, 24,
25, 26, 2010 (Snow Date: Feb. 27) Providence,
RI
CT
NOFA's 28th Annual Winter
Conference
Sustaining Connecticut: Growing
Local, Eating Healthier, Living Smarter
March 6,
2009. Manchester Community College, Manchester,
CT
Registration is now open, with early bird
registration before February 19. Check out the website
for the latest details!
What's
Organic about Organic?
Thursday, February 11,
2010 at Women & Family Life Center, Guilford. CT
Film screening, followed by a facilitated discussion led
by the CT NOFA Executive Director, Bill Duesing.
One
on One Consultation Sessions with Agricultural
Professionals
Beginning February 16, 2010 at
various locations. Bill Duesing & Michael
Keilty will discuss Transitioning to Organic
Production. Brochure>
Connecticut Premiere of A
Chemical Reaction
Sunday March 7th, at the
Cinestudio, Trinity College, Hartford
Pre-screening reception hosted
by CT NOFA at 1:00.
Film screening at
2:00. Suggested donation is $10
Bulk
order update-Thank
you to all of those who participated in the 2010 Spring
Bulk Order. The first Connecticut item pick-up (useful
things, fertilizers, mineral amendments, Fedco cover
crop seeds, animal nutrition) is scheduled March 13 at
High Hill Orchard, 86 Fleming Road, in Meriden.
Directions & site map available here. Please contact Cathleen O'Keefe, (413) 584-6786, with
any questions about your order.
Other
local and regional events are now maintained on our website. If you have an event you'd
like to add, send it along to the office.
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| Recent CT NOFA & NOFA Events Recap
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Joel
Salatin's keynote address at the NOFA/Mass Winter
Conference can be downloaded here.
The CT NOFA Getting Started
in Organic Farming conference was held at the
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven
on January 30, 2010. Thirty-five people listened
to a variety of speakers, including Paul
Bucciaglia of Fort
Hill Farm, Dr. Kim Stoner from the Ag Station, Joe
Bonelli of UConn, The
Hickories' Dina
Brewster, Bob
Muth from Muth
Family Farm, and Don
Franczyk from Baystate Organic Certifiers.
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Volunteer Opportunities
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We
have a free table at the Neighborhood Network Organic Turf Show,
Tuesday, February 16th, from 8am - 4pm. It's located in
Farmingdale, NY at Farmingdale State College (Long
Island) and we could use 1 to 2 volunteers to table and
talk about the Organic Land Care program. Please contact
Clara or call the office at
203-888-5146.
Stop
by the CT NOFA booth (#355) at Hartford Flower Show, Feb 18-21. If
you'd like to
staff the booth for a few hours and
talk to people about CT NOFA and Organic Land Care,
let us
know. |
Guest Columnist
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Views
from the Barn: K.
Roselli-Rothenberg
By
Judith Rothenberg
She
managed to get into more trouble in the space of a month
than all the other goats combined - and they'd had
eighteen years. She did it effortlessly.
In all the years we have been keeping goats, or
they have been keeping us, from Maxine and Szlotnick all
the way to little Ella Bella from last summer, we'd
never had a beast so bent and determined to get into
anything and everything she shouldn't, and with such
delight . Her name is
Kalamity. A more aptly named creature
we'd never met, let alone lived with.
Of
course we didn't breed this little demon all by
ourselves; we're just not that good.
We got her from Carla. A fine
caprine specimen, a goat's goat, more guts than brains,
we should have known we were in for it when we saw the
007 on her ear tag. Read
more>
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| Community Board |
Position Available - Experienced gardener's assistant for all-organic vegetable and perennial garden/private estate in Roxbury. Mondays and Thursdays April - Oct. Fax resume/letter of interest to 860-350-4182.
Organic hay available -
1st and 2nd cutting Certified Organic hay. Contact:
860-651-8928
FRESH Farm Internship
- FRESH
New London is a community non-profit based in New
London, CT working towards a food-secure and food-just
New London. More>
Position Available -
Gardener at The Community Farm of Simsbury. Details>
Organic Farm
Internships - White Gate Farm seeks 2010 Farm
Interns. More>
Farm Manager &
Director of Agriculture Programs -
Common Ground School. Details>
Farmer Wanted - Iroquois Farm, a NOFANY certified Organic
Garden and Crop farm, is in need of a family to manage
and operate the farm located on 250 acres on the banks
of the St. Lawrence River near Ogdensburg, NY. Contact
M. Clements,
315-323-1905.
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| New Business Member Profile |
 Montgomery Gardens, the CT and NY
Manufacturer's Representative of Right Dress Licorice
Root Mulch, joined CT NOFA this past October. Owner
Peter Montgomery 38
year interest in perennial gardening led him to work in
the potting barn at White Flower Farms and later with
local landscapers.
Originally,
Montgomery Gardens only designed, installed and
maintained perennial gardens with plants sourced from
growers specializing in native perennial landscaping
plugs and bare root stock. As of
October 2009, the company expanded to become the
manufacturer's representative for Right Dress Licorice
Root Mulch in Connecticut and New York.
For
more pricing information, test results and technical
information on licorice root mulch, contact Peter
Montgomery by phone at (860) 619 8028, or by e-mail at
petersgardens@optonline.net.
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Help
support our business members!
If
you'd like add logos, pictures or additional text to
your listings, send them along to the
office.
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| Members In the News |
Business members Jordan Caterers manage
the Cafe on the Park at the New Britain Museum of
American Art in New Britain. The Cafe
was recently chosen by Connecticut Magazine
readers for Best Lunch in Hartford County. More>
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| Featured Regional Organization |
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What
Is The
Experiment Station Associates?
Many of you are familiar
with The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment
Station (CAES), a state-supported research
institution, which has been solving problems and
improving the quality of life of state residents and the
nation using state-of-the-art scientific procedures
since 1875.
In 1990, a group known as
The Experiment Station Associates (ESA) was
founded by supporters of the CAES.
This non-profit group assists the CAES in
delivering new scientific findings to Connecticut
residents, thereby expanding visibility for the CAES and
facilitating outreach to its stakeholders.
ESA
members benefit from a number of activities that
include:
o
Station events, including Plant
Science Day and Spring Open House;
o
Field trips to interesting sites in
Connecticut that include speakers from CAES staff;
o
Annual meetings where CAES
scientists report on their latest discoveries;
o
Bulletins.
You are
invited to join the ESA and help support the important
work of the CAES. More information
about the CAES and the ESA can be found at here. Once at the CAES homepage, click on
"Experiment Station Associates" for a membership
form. Inquiries about the ESA can also be addressed by
calling 1.877.855.2237 or sent to ESA, P. O. Box 3560,
Amity Station, New Haven, CT
06525.
--Contributed
by Dr. Sharon M. Douglas,
CAES |
| Other Items of Interest |
Cornell University has
added two new online resources:
A Grower's Guide to
Organic Apples
Production Guide for Organic
Grapes
Raw Milk Group is now called the CT
Farmstead Dairy Alliance
2010
Speciality Crop Block Grant-FB Program -
grant from the Department of Agriculture to
promote the production and sale of specialty crops.
Application deadline is March 1, 2010. Details>
The
Farmer's Cow ice cream naming contest.
From the
Xerxes Society - Pollinator Conservation on Organic
Farms
Organic
farming & climate change report from the
UK.
Sustainable
food Twitters
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Let us
know what you think of the expanded format. We'd like to
add additional member profiles and other news of
interest. If you have any stories, articles, notices or
suggestions for this newsletter, please send them
along.
Many
thanks,
Deb
203-888-5146
ctnofa@ctnofa.org
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