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CT NOFA eNewsletter
Cultivating an Organic Connecticut
Since 1982
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Notes from the office
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We'd like to welcome two new members to the CT NOFA office: Clara Buitrago joins us  as the Program Coordinator for the NOFA Organic Land Care Program. She'll be organizing the upcoming 5-day Organic Land Care course in New York and also a new series of workshops geared to providing organic land care information to homeowners.
Teresa Mucci, CT NOFA member and Accredited Organic  Land Care Professional, has jumped right in as the Program Coordinator for CT NOFA events. She was the co-coordinator for the recent Taste! Organic Connecticut and is now working on the Organic Harvest Celebration/Annual Meeting in November and next March's Cultivating an Organic Connecticut Celebration.
Lost & Found at the recent Taste! event:
LOST - denim jacket with keys in the pocket
FOUND - Verizon Bluetooth
FOUND - a debit card issued by the Bank of America
If you can help or need more details, please call the office at 203-888-5146.
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From the Program Director |
Dear Fellow Members,
I could use your help. It's time to start planning for
"Cultivating an Organic Connecticut," our unique winter conference
with an indoor Farmers' Market, diverse workshops and legendary Potluck Lunch.
Being new to this role, I really need your collective inspiration and would
love your suggestions for the 2010 keynote speaker* and for workshop topics.
Email teresa@ctnofa.org or call the
office at 203-888-5146. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincere thanks, Teresa Mucci
*past keynote speakers included: Michel Nischan, Nancy Jack
and John Todd, James Howard Kunstler, Russell Libby, Dan Ross, CR Lawn,
Elizabeth Henderson, Joan Gussow and Kelly Brownell. Who do you want to hear?
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Upcoming CT NOFA & NOFA Events |
Homeowner's workshop on Organic Land Care - Saturday, October 24th, 11:00 am, at Common Ground, in
New Haven. This is the first in a new series of NOFA Organic Land Care (OLC) program workshops for homeowners. This free 1.5 hour workshop includes a half hour for questions and answers. Our very own Bill
Duesing will be the speaker. Details upcoming at organiclandcare.net.
CT NOFA Community Farming Conference
October 31, 2009 ~ New Haven, CT
 CT NOFA Organic Harvest Celebration & Annual Meeting
November 7, 2009 ~ Vendors
Wanted ~ call the office at 203-888-5146 to participate.
Pictured: James Roby, CT NOFA President and Claire Criscuolo, 2008 Member of the Year.
Fall Bulk Order - members should have received notification of the soil amendments and fertilizer order. The deadline for ordering is October 14th, 2009. Details here>
NOFA Organic Land Care Update Course - Tuesday, December 8, 2009 in Sturbridge, MA. 10th Annual NOFA Course in Organic Land Care January 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 2010 (Snow Date: Jan. 21), Newburyport, MA January 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 2010 (Snow Date: Jan. 29),New Haven, CT 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
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Recent CT NOFA & NOFA Events Recap |
  
In just a little over a month, CT NOFA and its Organic Land Care Program have sponsored
the following events. If you are interested in more information, call the office.
Organic Lawn and Turf Course in Windsor
Organic Pasture Management at Millstone Farm
Advanced Compost Tea workshop at Stone Barns
Taste! Organic Connecticut at Manchester Community College
Using Municipal Leaf Compost in Wethersfield, co-sponsored with DEP
Advanced Invasive Removal Workshop in Marlborough, Massachusetts.
Click here for more photos.
Photos above by Bill Duesing
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| Other Upcoming Events (* indicates new notice this month) |
 More events are now listed on our website.
Revolutionary
Thinkers Forum - October 2, 2009, The Bushnell Theatre, Hartford, CT. Includes recent NOFA Summer Conference keynote Will Allen. Details>
*Fall ABC's Celebration~Art Show, Bulb Sale & Community Farm Tour - A Benefit for Friends of Boulder Knoll - Saturday, October 3, 2009 and Sunday, October 4, 2009, Cheshire, CT. Times and details here>
*Sustainable Living Series in partnership with CT NOFA: The Real Food
Campaign - Saturday, October 3, 2009, 3-5pm. Long time organic farmer and director of The Real
Food Campaign, Dan Kittredge, will be speaking at The Growing Green Co-op, 203 New Britain Avenue in Hartford, CT. Details>
*Composting 101 for Kids and Families - Saturday, October 3, 2009, Pequot Library, Southport, CT, 2:00 to 4:00 pm. More>
Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream
Symposium - Oct. 4th at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 328 Paddock
Ave., Meriden, CT. Details>
Made in Connecticut Fair - Sunday,
October 4, 2009 from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, Colonial Tavern Grounds, 24 Hawley
Road, Oxford, CT. If you have questions, please
contact: Jane Maher, Event Chairperson via email snootyfood2@att.net or phone 203-231-5109.
*Plumb Memorial Library's Series: A Year in
the Garden - Color in the Gray Days of Winter; Forcing spring bulbs for early bloom,
Wednesday, October 7, 2009,
7 pm. What Would the Pilgrims Eat? Local and Seasonal Foods,
Wednesday, November 18, 2009,
7 pm. Plumb Memorial Library,
65 Wooster Street,
Shelton, CT. Free. Call to register @ 203-924-1580.
*Eating
Between the Lines ~
A series of
discussions, workshops and film - Beginning Thursday,
October 8, from 7:00 - 8:30 pm at the Women & Family Life Center in
Guilford. More>
*Urban Garden Series - Sat, Oct 10, 10:30 - 11:30 am, New Haven Free Public Library, 133 Elm Street. Free workshop ~ Transitioning the Garden from Summer to Fall and Winter, Preparing the Soil
for Spring. Details>
*Beltane Farm Cheese Tastings - October 11th through December 20th, Every Sunday, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, 59 Taylor Bridge Rd., Lebanon, Connecticut. More>
*Farming Rocks: Agriculture Past, Present and Future - Wednesday, October 14, 7 – 9 pm, Wilton Historical Society Museum, 224 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT. Tickets are $5 and must be reserved in advance by calling the Historical Society at 762 7257 or emailing at info@wiltonhistorical.org. Students (18 or under) attend free of charge. Details>
*Nutrition for Greenhouse Crops - October 20, 2009, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm, Publick House, 277 Main St.-Route 131, Sturbridge, MA. Sponsored by University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts
Extension and Northeast SARE. More>
*Johnny's Selected Seeds 2009 Variety Trials - Wednesday, October 21, 2009 from 3 to 6 pm at Johnny's Research Farm in Albion, ME. Please contact Kelly Dionne at kdionne@johnnyseeds.com or your sales representative with any questions you might have. More>
*First Annual Massaro
Farm Family Fun Day - Saturday October 24th from 1 'til
4:30 pm (the rain date is October 25th), at Massaro Community Farm in Woodbridge, CT. The event is FREE and open to the public. Details>
*Elizabeth Park Gardening Workshops and Lectures - for the October and November events in Hartford, CT, click here.
*Farm Beginnings Program - beginning mid-October at Hawthorne Valley Farm in Ghent, NY. More>
*Project for Public Spaces Announces "How to Create Successful Markets" Training Course - New York, NY on October 23-24, 2009. Details>
350.org Rally/International Day of Climate
Action - Oct 24, 2009 (Sat.) from 2 to 5 pm on the Lower Green in New
Haven. More> Local details>
Farm Design/Build:
Creating Working Buildings and Farmscapes - Oct 25-Nov 6, 2009, offered
by the Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Warren, VT. More>
*First Annual Fall Festival - Sunday, November 1, 2009, 12:00 - 3:00, The Community Farm of Simsbury, 73 Wolcott Road, Simsbury, CT. More>
*Introduction to Financial Planning for Small Farms and Agri-businesses - a series by CT-WAgN and UConn Cooperative Extension. Begins Nov. 4th in Norwich, CT. For dates and details, click here.
*Going Native in New England~A SALT Seminar for Homeowners - Saturday, November 7, 2009, Connecticut College Arboretum, New London, CT. More>
*2009 Farm-Based Education Conference - November 12-14, 2009, Tarrytown, NY. Hosted by the FBEA and Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. Details>
*It Takes a Region conference: A Working Conference to Build our Northeast Food System - November 13-14, 2009, Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, Albany, NY. More>
*Permaculture Design Course and Introductory Lecture - beginning December 15, 2009 through March 2010 at The Center for Sustainable Living, in Bethlehem, CT. More>
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| Community Board |
Looking to rent/lease: 1-2 acres of farmland in North Central CT. where I can grow chemical free vegetables. Contact: Kim 860-688-6020.
Wanted: a person with a rototiller to create a small space for heirloom garlic
planting in Norfolk, CT.
Please, either email gary@hellercd.com or call 917-370-5555 to discuss details.
2 year old laying hens for sale - many types, all heirlooms, (blue, brown, tan & white eggs layers). $10 each, in Wilton, CT. Call Annie at 203-834-2605.
Farmer/Farm Manager sought -
Massaro Farm, a beginning CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm, in Woodbridge, Connecticut . The position is expected to begin by winter,
2009 .
Interested persons may visit the web site www.massarofarm.org and
send a resume, including education and experience, to csa@massarofarm.org or
contact Jinny Schneider at 203-393-3721 for further details.
Position Wanted - seeking environmental or agricultural job that require good writing, public relations skills, grant writing skills. Need fulltime hours. Maureen, 860 228-4018 and phoenix470@live.com. Spaces available in winter's farmers' market - Fiddleheads Natural Foods Cooperative
will host a Winter Farmers Market for the 2009/2010 season.
Saturdays 9 - 4, begins Saturday, November 14th. Contact Sheila Herbert at sile.herbert@snet.net. More about Fiddleheads.
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| Members in the News |
Shannon Raider & Hannah Gant of Four Fields Farm were interviewed about urban farming on September 18, 2009 on the WNPR Colin McEnroe show. Here's a link to the show podcast.
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Legislative & Food Safety News |
Food and Water Watch article "Bridging the GAPs: Strategies to Improve Produce Safety, Preserve Farm Diversity and Strengthen Local Food Systems". |
| Other Items of Interest |
Organic Management of Late Blight of Potato and Tomato with Copper Products. More>
National Center for Food Preservation - latest methods and tips on their website. Though based in Ohio, a nice site for beginning farmers. |
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If you have any stories, articles, notices or suggestions for this newsletter, please let us know!
203-888-5146
ctnofa@ctnofa.org
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