May 8, 2007
v.3 no.4
Learn about the benefits of membership at http://www.ctnofa.org/Join.htm
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Sign up for the e-Newsletter, please send an email to: deb@ctnofa.org
In this Issue:
Upcoming CT NOFA Events
June 16, 2007 - Community Gardening Conference
June 24, 2007 - Connecticut Organic Farm Tour
August 10 to 12- NOFA Summer Conference, Amherst, MA
August 16, 2007- NOFA Organic Lawn and Turf Course
September 9, 2007 - Taste! Organic Connecticut, Topmost Herb Farm, Coventry, CT
Community Board
Town Farm Dairy Grand Re-Opening Event
Manchester Farmers Market
NOFA Website hosts NOFA Interstate Farmer to Farmer Exchange
Volunteer for CT NOFA
Work for CT NOFA
Connecticut News and Stories
Plant A Row (PAR) for the Hungry Campaign
Children At Risk From Pesticides
New Webzine on New England Food and Farms
Environment Connecticut Report
How Gardeners can Fight Global Warming
National and International News and Stories
The Farm, Nutrition and Community Investment Act
Fire retardant ban article
Other Items of Interest
A Guide to Serving Local Food on Your Menu
Upcoming CT NOFA Events
June 16, 2007
Community Gardening Conference - New Haven, CT. An annual sharing of garden ideas and insights on how community gardening contributes to the health of people and neighborhoods.
http://ctcommunitygardening.org/events/
June 24, 2007
Connecticut Organic Farm Tour - Housatonic River Valley, CT. Visit 3 spectacular organic farms that are examples of the best of organic and sustainable agriculture in Connecticut.
http://ctnofa.org/events/farm tour.htm
August 10 to 12, 2007
NOFA Summer Conference - Amherst, MA. With keynote speakers Bill McKibben and Hazel Henderson and three days of workshops, farmers markets, and the most interesting people you'll find anywhere.
http://www.nofa.org/conference/index.php
August 16, 2007
NOFA Organic Lawn and Turf Course - Manchester Community College, Manchester, CT. Details to follow.
www.organiclandcare.net
September 9, 2007
Taste! Organic Connecticut - Topmost Herb Farm, Coventry, CT. Details upcoming.
www.ctnofa.org
Town Farm Dairy Grand Re-Opening Event
June 9, 2007 6am-2pm
Open Farm Day / Grand Re-Opening
Free refreshments, Milk for Sale
Local Farmer's Market
6-10am Brad Davis of WDRC Broadcasting Live from the Farm
9:30 Ribbon Cutting & Thank you Speeches
10-2 Family Activities, Barn & Processing Plant Tours
Visit their website for directions http://www.townfarmdairy.org/
http://www.townfarmdairy.org/events.html
Manchester Farmers Market
Manchester Community College is starting up a Farmer's Market as part of the
their human and environmental health program.
The market will go all summer through October on Wednesdays from 2 to 6 pm.
It's free to any farmer through May and June and after that there will be a
$100 fee for the rest of the season, which may be reduced if they get
funding for advertising. If you cannot start this week or even this month,
you/we can put up a sign for your farm to say You are Coming!
The market will set up in the courtyard and they'll have tables there and a
crew of students to help load up items with golf carts from parking lot C.
The MCC contact is Dr. Andrew Paterna at 512-2708. He has been the
inspiration behind this, is very hopeful of making this a fine ongoing
farmers market, and would love to have CTNOFA involved. They have around
2000 students and faculty on campus daily all through the summer.
We can really use some NOFA farmers bringing produce to Manchester, so
please consider this and spread the information to others if you cannot be
involved. Do you know of any newer farmers looking for ways to market their
products? This would be a good opportunity.
NOFA Website hosts NOFA Interstate Farmer to Farmer Exchange
A free forum for the exchange of information, products and services. Go to http://www.nofa.org/exchange/index.php to see job postings and follow the links at the bottom to post your own job announcement.
Volunteer for CT NOFA
- CT NOFA Event Help:
Next CT NOFA event is the Farm Tour on June 24th. Working members pay only $20 a year if they commit to volunteering at CT NOFA events for 5 hours. Find out more here. Contact Deb Legge for more information at deb@ctnofa.org - News Watch: Reads the newspapers, watches TV and listens to the radio for mention of CT NOFA or its members. Clips articles and records shows and archives them. Formatting to digital files would be ideal for website and permanent saving. This can be done by the same or different volunteer. Contact Deb Legge for more information at deb@ctnofa.org
- Volunteer outreach coordinator Research events that we can display at, Contact them for permission to display, Develop outreach materials Go to events or help schedule other volunteers to go to event. Contact Deb Legge for more information at deb@ctnofa.org
- Reporter Goes to CT NOFA events with camera and takes pictures, Gets people’s names that are in pictures and permission to use pictures, Writes stories for Gleanings/ press releases/ website. Contact Deb Legge for more information at deb@ctnofa.org
- Distribution Coordinator: Annual guide distribution - April through July - coordinates other volunteers statewide. Periodic checking in of distribution points to see if they need more materials. Contact Deb Legge for more information at deb@ctnofa.org
- Join a committee:
Taste! Organic Connecticut - contact Jim Roby at jroby7088@sbcglobal.net
Fundraising - contact Janet Heller at janet.heller@snet.net
Organic Land Care - contact Kim Stoner at kimberly.stoner@po.state.ct.us
Work for CT NOFA
No current job opportunities
Connecticut News and Stories
Connecticut Farmers Can Make a Difference:
Join in the Plant A Row (PAR) for the Hungry Campaign
The Plant A Row (PAR) for The Hungry campaign, working in conjunction with Connecticut Food Bank, urges all farmers to plant an extra row of produce earmarked specifically for local hunger-relief efforts. Every extra tomato, squash, or watermelon can go a long way to help feed those who don't have enough to eat every day. While Connecticut has the highest per capita income in the U.S., approximately 280,000 people in the state each year are at risk of hunger - 33% are children and 7% are elderly.
"Last year, we collected one ton of fresh produce through PAR," said Marilyn Wilkes, Connecticut PAR coordinator. "For our second year, we are working to double that number to two tons."
The produce that the Connecticut Food Bank and soup kitchens need most is fruits and vegetables such as spinach, kale, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, peas, green beans, tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplants, summer squash, zucchini, winter squash, beets, or garlic. Herbs and flowers also are welcome.
Clean, fresh produce can be dropped off at:
o Connecticut Food Bank at 150 Bradley Street, East Haven, CT
o A local food agency in your community - Call 203-469-5000 ext. 322 for listings; or visit www.ctfoodbank.org/links/member.cfm
o For larger donations, pick ups can be arranged by calling 203-937-6939.
Donations are tax deductible and donor receipts will be provided.
Launched in 1995 in Alaska, the PAR program was developed by the Garden Writers Association of America (http://www.gardenwriters.org/) to encourage gardeners everywhere to grow a little extra and donate the produce to local agencies that serve people in need.
For details about the program and ways to volunteer, please contact Marilyn Wilkes at 203-937-6939.
How Gardeners can Fight Global Warming:
http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/garden/hc-gardenglobalwarming0412.artapr12,0,5409791.story?coll=hc-headlines-garden
Children At Risk From Pesticides
http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-ctpoisons0419.artapr19,0,5546626.story
New Webzine on New England Food and Farms
I wanted to let members know about a new webzine promoting New England food and farms: www.NewEnglandGrown.com.
Environment Connecticut Report
The newest edition of Environment Connecticut Report is now available online at:
http://www.environmentconnecticut.org/html/newsletters/winter07/index.html
National and International News and Stories
The Farm, Nutrition and Community Investment Act
Legislation Will Benefit Nation’s Farmers, Consumers and Communities. To learn more: http://www.farmland.org/news/pressreleases/050307nrFNCIAct.asp
Fire retardant ban puts industry on defensive:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/311845_pbdes17.html
Just Released:
A Guide to Serving Local Food on Your Menu: The Guide is a primer to help
foodservice managers and directors, caterers, chefs, restaurateurs and
others consider creative ways to incorporate local food products into
almost any foodservice setting. Topics include where to begin, identifying
sources of supply, developing relationships with farmers, working through
existing distributors, and things to consider about the regional food
system. Chefs, institutional purchasing agents, and others share their
experience in short case studies within the 32-page guide. Click here http://www.glynwood.org/resource/guidelocalmenu.pdf to view the Guide in
PDF form. Printed copies will be provided with a charge for postage and
handling. For more information, please contact info@glynwood.org
or 845-265-3338.
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To post an organic event, go to http://www.nofa.org/calendar/insert.php
To post an organic-related job, go to: http://www.nofa.org/exchange/submit.php
CT NOFA
PO Box 164 • Stevenson, CT 06491
phone: (203) 888-5146 • fax: (203) 888-9280