Fall 2008 Natural Farmer

Fall, 2008 Vol. 2, No.
78 Publication of the Northeast Organic Farming Association 1077-2294

Inside This Issue
Features
Meetings Shape Organic Future 7
Vermont Compost in Legal Battle 8
Welcome to Page Czepiga 8
Attending the Organic Summit 41
Are Northeast Farms in a Finanhcing Fix? 42
Report from IFOAM World Congress 43
Supplement on
Organic Winter
Production and Sales
Wintertime Farmers Market in Providence 9
Year-Round Food and Learning at MSU 14
Pre-Thanksgiving Farmers Market 20
Running a Winter CSA - Blue Heron Farm 23
Growing in the Winter Greenhouse 30
Radiant Heated Benches for Winter Greens 33
Farming Winter Greens 34
Departments
Editorial 2
Letters 2
NOFA Exchange 4
News Notes 5
Book Reviews 39
NOFA Contact People 46
Calendar 47
by Jassy Bratko
When people who share common goals, beliefs,
hopes and dreams gather at events such as
the NOFA Summer Conference the result is
an amazing, synergistic energy that can make
you look at things in a new and refreshing
way. The result is that the conference can last
a whole lot longer than three days. The ideas
that it spawns, the connections it forms and
the knowledge that is gained helps to create
meaningful and important change that can
last a lifetime to the people who attend and
to those whose lives they touch. For years
organic seems to have hovered on the edge
of mainstream but all indications are that the
message NOFA has promoted for years is
gaining widespread acceptance and importance.
This could account for the record breaking
attendance at the NOFAs 34
th
Annual Summer
Conference.
Over 1200 people were pre-registered to
attend the jam packed event that was held
for the frst time this year at the University
of Massachusetts in Amherst from August 8-
10. The change of venue may well signify a
productive and growing partnership between
UMass and NOFA. Steve Goodwin, Dean of
the College of Natural Resources, addressed
the audience before Fridays keynote speech
and said that he was looking forward to
receiving many ideas in the near future for
research projects based on organic growing.
He expressed surprise at the perception that the
University worked only for companies such as
Monsanto.
The research will be welcome and necessary.
According to Friday nights keynote speaker
Dr. Arden Andersen, the United States has a
population that is starving itself to death on
full stomachs. He said that plants grown by
modern, conventional agriculture are suffering
from a defciency of nutrition and so are the
animals and people who eat them. According
to Andersen studies have shown that during
the last century there has been an average 63%
decline in nutrition in food. A tomato eaten
today does not contain the same quantities
of vitamins and minerals that one did in our
grandparents time. He went on to say that
health and disease are correlated to nutrition
so it is not surprising that despite the advances
of modern medicine the overall health of the
population is declining. Real medicine, real
health begins in the soil he said, and this was
the topic of his speech.
Mark McAffee, the keynote speaker on
Saturday night, continued to build on
Andersens message by saying that the nation
is committing mass suicide with antibiotics,
sterilized food, preservatives and a lack of
biodiverse foods. Speaking about the benefts
of raw milk, Mark went on to say that living
food, or that which is organic and untreated,
helps to build a healthy immune system.
Conventional, non-organic agriculture often
uses genetically modifed products, pesticides,
herbicides, antibiotics and processing
2008 Summer Conference Success at U/Mass
photo by Jack Kittredge
High-rise and tents coexist on the library lawn at UMass August 8-10. The central location of
Metawampe Lawn and the duck pond made a beautiful site for the registration tent, vendors,
exhibitors, fair and all the other outside activities.
treatments that greatly undermine the nutritional
value of food and, consequently, peoples
health. Agribusiness, which produces so much
of the worlds food supply and uses these
methods, treats food as a commodity and not
something vital that is going to feed a neighbor.
Government policies support the methods that
will generate the most proft for investors at the
expense of producing wholesome, organic food.
To change this Andersen said, the most
important vote cast is with your dollars
everyday by choosing locally grown,
organic food. McAfee agreed and said the
power to change current policies is all in our
hands. Looking out over his attentive audience
he laughed that he might be preaching to the
choir!
In addition to the two great keynote speeches,
the main attraction of the conference was
over 200 well attended and very informative
workshops. At the heart of the campus the
exhibit tent bustled with activity throughout
the weekend. On Saturday afternoon a farmers
market and a lively fair provided a welcome
change of pace from workshops, and an
opportunity to meet old friends or enjoy a rest
under a large shade tree. Others may have
chosen to watch one of the many educational
movies offered throughout the weekend.
Dancing with Swallowtail or Dirty Rice,
drumming with Steve Leicach and comedy with
Jackson Gillman kept the festive atmosphere
going well into the evenings.
New this year was the Grazing School that
featured several workshops and a pasture walk
organized by Mass Grass, a statewide grazing
group of Massachusetts livestock farmers and
educators from agricultural organizations,
including NOFA/Mass, UMass Extension, and
the USDA Natural Resources Conservation
(continued on page 38)
Th e Nat ur al Far me r F a l l , 2 0 0 8 2
Advertisements not only bring in TNF revenue, which
means less must come from membership dues, they also
make a paper interesting and helpful to those looking for
specifc goods or services. We carry 2 kinds of ads:
The NOFA Exchange - this is a free bulletin board service
(for subscribers or NOFA members who get the TNF) for
occasional needs or offerings. Send in up to 100 words
and well print it free in the next issue. Include a price (if
selling) and an address, E-mail or phone number so readers
can contact you directly. If you dont get the paper yourself
you can still send in an ad - just send $5 along too! Send
NOFA Exchange ads directly to The Natural Farmer, 411
Sheldon Rd., Barre, MA 01005 or (preferably) E-mail to
TNF@nofa.org.
Display Ads - this is for those offering products or services
on a regular basis! You can get real attention with display
ads. Send camera ready copy to Bob Minnocci, 662
Massachusetts Ave. #6, Boston, MA 02118 or BMinnocci@
aol.com and enclose a check (to TNF) for the appropriate
size. The sizes and rates are:
B&WColor
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Business card size (1 1/2 tall by 3 1/8 wide) $15 $20
Note: These prices are for camera ready copy on clean
paper, or electronically in jpg or pdf format. If you want
any changes we will be glad to make them - or to typeset a
display ad for you - for $25 (which includes one revision --
additional revisions are $25 each). Just send us the text, any
graphics, and a sketch of how you want it to look. Include a
check for the space charge plus $25.
Advertise in or Sponsor The Natural Farmer
Frequency discounts: if you buy space in several
issues you can qualify for substantial discounts off
these rates. Pay for two consecutive issues and get
10% off each, pay for 3 and get 20% off, or pay
for 4 and get 25% off. An ad in the NOFA Summer
Conference Program Book counts as a TNF ad for
purposes of this discount.
Deadlines: We need your ad copy one month before
the publication date of each issue. The deadlines
are:
January 31 for the Spring issue (mails Mar. 1)
April 30 for the Summer issue (mails Jun. 1)
July 31 for the Fall issue (mails Sept. 1)
October 31 for the Winter issue (mails Dec. 1)
Disclaimer: Advertisers are helping support the
paper so please support them. We cannot investigate
the claims of advertisers, of course, so please
exercise due caution when considering any product
or service. If you learn of any misrepresentation in
one of our ads please inform us and we will take
appropriate action. We dont want ads that mislead.
Sponsorships: Individuals or organizations wishing
to sponsor The Natural Farmer may do so with a
payment of $200 for one year (4 issues). In return,
we will thank the sponsor in a special area of page
3 of each issue, and feature the sponsors logo or
other small insignia.
Contact for Display Ads or Sponsors: Send
display ads or sponsorships with payment (to
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If you have questions, or want to reserve space,
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com.
Dear Editor,
I read the recent issue about Online sales and
marketing with some interest since I have been
selling my vegetable seedlings by pre-order online
successfully for 2 years. And though I am sure the
technical article about how to set things up was well
done, (I wouldnt know since setting up websites
baffe me) I was dismayed not to read about criteria
to use when hiring someone else to do it for you.
When I began my farming adventure I was told to
do as much as I could by myself to save money,
but also to hire an expert for things that are high
profle and critical to my business if one hasnt been
previously trained in that feld. My web designer
has turned me onto tools to manage mailing lists,
orders, gift certifcates and messages from clients
that I never would have imagined possible. Since
she does this every day and I do not, I can only
imagine what my attempt would look like. Plus,
the computer savvy are a population that could be
open to barter for farm fresh goods. This is putting
your name out there for the world to see and quite
important to do right the frst time. Building a web
presence is not like mending a fence or trying a new
seed strain. Dont mess with it if you arent up for it.
Ayn Whytemare
www.foundwellfarm.com
Pembroke, NH 03275
Thanks, Ann.
I certainly support the idea of having a competent
person do your website!
We are fortunate enough to have a son in the
business who manages our farm website, and
since he is in the profession he keeps us up on the
latest developments. But many NOFA people are
incredibly capable -- like Mel Bristol in the article
on Bloomingfelds Farm who manages his own
internet operation or Abby Holm who set up the
Local Foods Plymouth software package -- so I
wanted to give people a taste of what it is like to
design your own site. Even if you have someone
else do the design, it helps to have thought out
some of these issues so you can discuss the options
intelligently with the designer.
Glad you site is working for you. I think more
farmers should consider this option. -- Jack
Letters to
the Editor
Anyone observing the farming scene in the
Northeast in the last year will be aware of the surge
in interest in local and year-round food. Winter
farmers markets have grown like Topsy, CSAs
have been extended farther into the fall, are starting
earlier in the spring, and sometimes now go right
through the whole winter. Techniques for growing
in heat-retaining systems (under greenhouses, hoop-
houses, cloches, row-cover), varieties which are
suitable for photosynthesizing in low-light/low-heat
situations, and management systems that deal with
the vagaries of winter climates, fnding time for
harvest and renewal, are all being explored.
For many of us, this interest is a two-edged sword.
The few months of lessened winter activity provide
an opportunity for some well-deserved R n R. On
the other hand, the opportunity for winter income
from the farm is an attractive, if somewhat novel,
prospect. As you might expect, some NOFA farmers
have jumped in, ramping up their winter operations,
and others have gotten their feet wet, lengthening
their season to Christmas before taking a month or
two off.
This issue deals with both those responses, and a
number of others, as it explores this new market
window, the technologies and systems it is inspiring,
and the ways interest in local, organic food is
continuing to transform organic farming in the
Northeast.
Organic Winter
Production and Sales
The Natural Farmer is a membership paper of
the Northeast Organic Farming Association.
It is published quarterly and is also available
for $15 per year. We count on you for articles,
letters, interviews, ads, news, etc.
We plan a year in advance so those who want
to write on a topic can have a lot of lead time.
The next 3 issues will be:
Winter 2009:
Organic Mulches
Spring 2009:
Soil Building
Summmer 2009:
Microbes, Food and Public Health
If you can help us on any of these topics, or
have ideas for new ones, please get in touch.
We need your help!
Jack Kittredge and Julie Rawson
411 Sheldon Rd., Barre, MA 01005
978-355-2853, fax: (978) 355-4046
tnf@nofa.org
ISSN 1077-2294
copyright 2008,
Northeast Organic Farming Association, Inc
The Natural Farmer
Needs You!
2008 UBS Financial Services Inc. All Rights Reserved. Member SIPC.
Douglas Calnan, First Vice PresidentInvestments
300 Granite Street, Braintree, MA 02184
888-320-4366 781-917-1982
douglas.calnan@ubs.com
www.ubs.com/financialservicesinc
Socially Responsible Investing
Please help us thank these
Friends of Organic Farming
for their generous support!
Fresh Garlic available August 1st from Frasers
Garlic Farm in Churchville, NY. The same high
quality Certifed Organic and Naturally Grown
garlics as offered for the past 15 years. We
have both seed and table stock available in the
following varieties: German White, Italian White,
Korean Red, Pskem, Bogatyr and Ozark. For
information and ordering, check us out on the
web at www.frasergarlic.com or preferably call
Ed at (585) 350-8295.
For sale: 50 acre organic farm in northeast
Vermont. includes small herd of Saanen dairy
goats, small creamery/cheese making facility
(licensed), 4 year old barn w loft, solid well
insulated 30 yurt as main residence, guest cabin,
and a 24 canvas yurt. Entire farm off grid. one-
of-a-kind place. $340,000, 802-274-1531 or
skyislandf@yahoo.com.
D Acres of NH is a non-proft, farm based
service organization that promotes SustainAbility
through practice, experimentation, workshops,
tours, and community outreach in the foothills
of the White Mountains. The working organic
farm offers four-season hostel accommodations
and seasonal meals prepared in our commercial
kitchen. This site is a regional model of
permaculture gardens and sustainable building
design. The 180-acre property is located
in Dorchester, NH and includes perennial
polycultures, annual gardens, pastures, and
wooded trails for hiking, snow-shoeing, and
cross-country skiing. To schedule a visit to the
farm or for more information: www.dacres.
org info@dacres.org 603-786-2366
Many Hands Organic Farm is offering certifed
organic garlic seed for sale. $12/lb plus shipping;
25 lb or more for $10/lb plus shipping. Artichoke
Red Soft neck; German Red stiff neck; Magic
stiff neck. Julie@mhof.net; (978) 355-2853.
NOFA
Exchange

Blow Your Own Horn
Farm Manager - The Meeting School, a small
Quaker day & boarding school located in Southern
New Hampshire is seeking to hire a Farm
Manager/Educator. The individual will be
responsible for coordinating the daily aspects of
the farm (livestock & organic gardens) within a
school/community environment, along with house
parenting teens. Room/Board and comprehensive
compensation/beneft package are included. Please
send resume to: The Meeting School, 120 Thomas
Road, Rindge, NH 03461, 603-899-3366, www.
meetingschool.org, offce@meetingschool.com
Fall/winter apprenticeship, transitioning into
Assistant Farm Manager for 2009 season. This
position is for someone with farm work experience
who wants learn how to run a farm. Crabapple Farm
is a diversifed farm doing some of everything:
greenhouse, vegetables, livestock, and grains.
For 2009 we hope to bring some more felds
into production and expand our operation. Join
us for the planning phase of the season and then
help implement those plans. Summer apprentice
positions open for 2009 also. To apply or for more
information, contact Tevis and Rachel Robertson-
Goldberg, 413-296-0310, crabapplefarm@verizon.
net
Turnkey CSA Opportunity for experienced,
community-minded organic farmer/s. Thriving
230-member CSA in SE PA currently uses 12
acres of a scenic 100-acre municipally-owned
open space preserve plus barn, outbuildings and
ranch house. PV electric. Vibrant core group and
supportive community. Equipment available at
fair price. Position starts 12/08. Commitment to
community education and expansion of sustainable
agriculture in the region desirable. Visit www.
anchorrunfarm.com and www.wrightstownpa.org
for more info. Contact Tali at: tali1968@gmail.com
or Robin at ecorobinhood@comcast.net to apply.
News
Notes
Organically Reared Cows Produce Healthier
Milk
Milk from organic cattle that eat a fresh grass diet
is likely to be better for your health, according to
a new study by the University of Newcastle. This
organic milk contained more good fatty acids such
as omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid known as
CLA9 than milk produced at intensive commercial
dairy farms. The difference was even more marked
during the summer with levels of CLA9 about 60
per cent higher in milk from cattle that graze in
felds. Gillian Butler, livestock project manager
for the universitys Nafferton Ecological Farming
Group, who led the research, said: Our work has
not looked at the impact on human health, but I
would say organic milk should be better for health
from what we know of the benefts of these good
fatty acids. They are effective in combating cancer,
coronary heart disease and type II diabetes.
source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk:80/tol/life_
and_style/health/article4016428.ece
Oregano-based Food Protection?
Microbiologists and natural healers have long
known that an essential oil extract of oregano,
carvacrol, is a powerful anti-microbial which can
kill foodborne pathogens. Now USDA scientists
have fgured out how to make an edible flm 5
thousandths of an inch thick which is suffused with
the substance. The flm can be placed inside a bag
of produce, for instance, and its vapors will both
season and protect the contents. Such inserts for
leafy greens could be available for testing in less
than a year.
source: Growing for Market, August, 2008
Access to Pasture Rule is Alive
After many years the USDA has fnished its
review process and the proposed rule dealing with
livestocks need for access to pasture has been
received by the Executive Offce of Management
and Budget (OMB) for their review. The rule is
NOT judged to be economically signifcant (which
would involve further delays), so after review by
the OMB it will head back to USDA for publication
on the Federal Register with a 60-90 day comment
period.
According tio Ed Maltby, executive director
of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance,
We have been lobbying and advocating for a clear
and universal interpretation of what is meant by a
total feed ration composed of agricultural products,
including pasture and forage. While it might seem
obvious that cows need to graze pasture that is
nutritious, there has been much abuse by some large
dairies and some genuine confusion because of the
lack of a quantative measurement in defning how
much pasture needs to be consumed and how long
cows need to be on pasture.
Organic dairy farmers and processors have
agreed that the following standard should become a
rule: All certifed organic dairy operations regardless
of size and ownership must work to maximize
pasture and meet a minimum level of pasture intake
of at least 30% Dry Matter Intake (DMI) during the
grazing season, which can be no less than 120 days.
As supply increases with many new entrants
into the industry, we need to ensure that we have
the highest standards possible to maintain the
integrity of the product in the market place. Once
we have a clear standard for livestock we can move
onto a clear defnition of access to the outdoors for
poultry!
source: NODPA press release, August 4, 2008
Home Depot Drops Pesticides
Home Depot, the second largest US retailer after
Wal-Mart, has decided to stop selling traditional
pesticides and herbicides by the end of 2008,
replacing them with less environmentally harmful
alternatives.
source: Acres, USA, June, 2008
Mass Death Of Bees In Germany: Pesticide
Approvals Suspended
The German offce for consumer protection and
food safety (BVL) has ordered the immediate
suspension of approval for eight seed treatment
products due to the mass death of bees in Germanys
Baden-Wuerttemberg state. The suspended
products are the following nicotinoid pesticides:
Antarc, Chinook, Elado, Mesuro, Poncho, and
Faibel, all made by Bayer; and Cruiser, made by
Syngenta. According to the German Research
Centre for Cultivated Plants, 29 out of 30 dead bees
it had examined had been killed by contact with
clothianidin, a nicotinoid pesticide. Also wild bees
and other insects are suffering from a signifcant
loss of population.
source: http://www.cbgnetwork.org/2517.html
NOP Continues Methionine Exemption Two
More Years
Methionine is an amino acid necessary in the
diets of poultry. It is naturally available in insects,
worms, and other animals eaten by free-ranging
birds. But it is diffcult to get naturally by birds kept
indoors. Although the Organic Foods Production
Act requires access to out-of-doors for birds, that
provision has been ignored by the organic poultry
industry which is possible largely because a
synthetic form of methionine has been allowed in
poultry feed year after year by the National Organic
Program (NOP). In a proposed rule published in the
Federal Register in July, the NOP is again extending
the expiration date of the exemption allowing
synthetic methionine. The program said the loss
of the use of methionine, at this time, would disrupt
the well-established organic poultry market and
cause substantial economic harm to organic poultry
operations. The proposed rule would extend the
expiration date of the synthetic substance from Oct.
1, 2008, to Oct. 1, 2010 by amending the National
List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances, which
identifes the synthetic substances that may be used
and the nonsynthetic (natural) substances that may
not be used in organic production.
source: Sustainable Food News, July 14, 2008
Call for the location of your
nearest wholesale distributor
Depot Street
Bradford, VT 05033
Ph. 802.222.4277
Fax 802.222.9661
info@norganics.com
www.norganics.com
Fertilizers:
Azomite
Bone Char 0-16-0
Cheep Cheep 4-3-3
Chilean Nitrate 16-0-0
Greensand
Greensand Plus 0-0-17
Kelp Meal
Natural Sulfate of Potash 0-0-51
Organic Gem 3-3-.3
Phosphate Rock 0-3-0
Phosphate Rock and Greensand Mix
Pro-Gro 5-3-4
Pro-Start 2-3-3
Stress-X Powder
Livestock Nutritionals:
Redmond Trace Mineral Conditioner, Salt
Blocks & Granular Salt
*
Pest Controls:
PowderGard
Pyganic
Seacide
Surround
*
*Many of our products that are not OMRI listed may be allowed for use on a
certifed organic farm. Check with your certifcation representative to be sure.
Bone Char 0-16-0 contains
more than 16% available
phosphate (P2O5) and 32%
total phosphate. It is OMRI
listed and can be applied
without restriction on certifed
organic farmland.
George DeVault to Head Seed Savers Exchange
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce
the appointment of George Donald DeVault as
President and Executive Director of the Seed
Savers Exchange. He succeeds Kent Whealy,
a co-founder and former Executive Director. In
accepting the position, Mr.DeVault said, For me,
this is not just a job. Its more a mission. Seed
Savers combines the best of everything I have
worked for all of my life as a journalist, organic
farmer and gardener. Its a natural ft. I have
known Seed Savers founders, Kent and Diane,
personally for going on 20 years, and have nothing
but the highest respect for their pioneering spirit,
vision, and accomplishments. Seed Savers is doing
more than preserving and passing along our garden
heritage. It is safeguarding our future food and our
food future. Becoming the steward of Seed Savers
legacy is both a great honor and a truly awesome
responsibility.
source: Seed Savers Exchange press release, August
6, 2008
Cave Man Diet Better for Us
One of agricultures lasting gifts to the world has
been a vastly larger human population. But at what
price? A recent study at the Karolinska Institute
in Huddinge, Sweden put volunteers on a Stone
Age diet of vegetables, berries, nuts, lean meat and
fsh. Eliminated were cereals, dairy products, and
refned sugar. After just three weeks the subjects lost
an average of fve pounds, were slimmer, and had
lower blood pressure. The fve men and nine women
had dramatically reduced blood levels of a clotting
agent linked to heart attacks and strokes.
source: Fruit and Vegetable Markets, May 27, 2007
Monsanto To Dump rBGH
Monsanto announced on August 6 it will divest
or sell off its controversial genetically engineered
animal drug, recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone
(rBGH). Monsantos divestment of rBGH is a direct
result of 14 years of determined opposition by
organic consumer, public interest, and family farmer
groups.
source: Organic Consumers Association, August 13,
2008
Eating soy linked to memory loss
Frequently consuming foods containing soy
may contribute to memory loss, British experts
say. Experts at Englands Loughborough and
Oxford Universities researched the impact of
soy consumption in 719 senior citizens on the
Indonesian island of Java. Researchers determined
people who ate soy at least twice a day had 20
percent less memory function that those who ate it
signifcantly less. Vegetarians and elderly women
seemed to be highly susceptible to potential memory
loss from soy consumption.
source: UPI, July 5, 2008
Food Companies Bet on Stevia
Corn Products International has joined Cargill and
Coca-Cola as American food companies investing
in stevia. CPI is working with a Japanese company
to perfect an exclusive strain of the plant, as well
as manufacturing technology. The super-sweet
yet low calorie herb from South America has a
sweetening power 300 to 400 times that of sugar.
The US frms believe eventually the Food and
Drug Administration will approve stevia as a food
sweetener. It is already approved in Japan, China
and Brazil.
source: The Natural Foods Merchandiser, June,
2008
Jury Demanded in Organic Milk Class Action
Suit
A class action suit has been fled against Safeway,
Publix Super Markets, Target, and Wal-Mart,
among others, in federal court in the Eastern
District of Missouri. The suit involves claims of
breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation,
breach of implied warranty, unjust enrichment, and
statutory claims under several states consumer
protection and deceptive trade practices statutes.
The case is the result of 18 class-action lawsuits
fled since last fall alleging Boulder, Colo.-based
Aurora Dairy Corporation labeled milk as organic
without meeting federal organic standards.
Auroras organic certifer Calif.-based Quality
Assurance International, Inc. (QAI) is also named
as a defendant as is former organic dairyman
Case Vander Eyk, Jr. Other defendants in the case
include giant retailers Wild Oats Market, Inc. and
Costco Wholesale Corporation. Aurora and the
retailers deny the allegations. The consolidated
case demanded a jury trial. Judge Richard Webber
ordered the defendants to answer the complaint
by Aug. 29. Once that is received, the court will
schedule a conference hearing.
source: Sustainable Food News, July 21, 2008
CALL MEMBERSHIP SERVICES TODAY
1-888-809-9297
www.farmers.coop

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Our products are
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P.O. Box 40, Montague, MA 01351
Sold in natural foods stores in the Northeast
plus ... We ship UPS!
(Call or check our website for details.)
by Steve Gilman
NOFA Interstate Council Policy Coordinator
Theres nothing like a southerly trip to put our
northeastern summer bouts of heat and humidity in
perspective. For me, July in Washington, DC was
just plain hot and humid, although the residents
were shrugging it off -- while bracing for the real
stuff that they say hits hard in August and its
no wonder our legislators vacate and head for the
homeland. Suitably, there were ample hot topics as
well for the back-to-back National Organic Action
Plan (NOAP) and National Organic Coalition
(NOC) meetings we came to town for.
Although the member organizations of the National
Organic Coalition are from far-fung locations in
the South, North and Midwest, DC is an appropriate
central meeting place. In addition to being the seat
of government its the home base of the Center
for Food Safety, Food and Water Watch, Beyond
Pesticides and Union of Concerned Scientists
as well as NOCs Congressional representative
working on the Hill. The other attending NOC
members from the hinterlands represented
NOFA, MOFGA in Maine, Midwest Organic
and Sustainable Education Services (MOSES) in
Minnesota, Northeast Organic Dairy Producers
Alliance (NODPA) and Equal Exchange in
Massachusetts, Rural Advancement Foundation
International (RAFI) in North Carolina and the
National Cooperative Grocers Association in
Iowa. New York Stater Liana Hoodes, formerly
a coordinator for the National Campaign for
Sustainable Agricultures Organic Committee is
employed as sole part-time staff.
NOAP
The two days of meetings were held in the newly
appointed, well air-conditioned offces of the Union
of Concerned Scientists on K Street. The frst day,
July 16
th
was devoted to NOAP a RAFI-led project
headed up by Michael Sligh that had its road tour
launch at the 2006 NOFA Summer Conference
and has been roaming the country for the past 2
years. Its mission has been to gather input from
the grassroots organic community farmers,
producers, consumers, trade, urban and rural groups,
and industry giving everyone an opportunity to
articulate their vision for the future of organic food
and farming over the coming decades. Additional
participants came in for the NOAP meeting,
including reps from the Southeast African American
Farmers Organic Network (SAAFON); the Organic
Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and the
Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (SAC) while
NOFAs Elizabeth Henderson, a primary NOAP
organizer, few in from the farm just for the day.
In addition to the job of collating all the input from
the listening sessions held at eleven sites across the
U.S., the main task now for NOAP is to put together
a 2 day Summit conference to be held February
25-26 2009 just prior to the 20
th
Midwest MOSES
Organic Farming Conference (the largest organic
gathering in the country with over 2400 participants
last February.) The purpose of the Summit is to
coalesce a broad set of goals derived from the
grassroots input and to identify mechanisms for
meeting those goals, along with setting benchmarks
for evaluating them. Based on an Organic Action
Plan process that has been already well-developed
in European Countries, NOAP seeks to develop
governmental and non-governmental goals as to
where organic should go and how to get there,
using such benchmarks as increases in the number
of organic farmers, acreage, sales, and ability of
domestic producers to supply domestic markets to
help gauge progress.
NOAP is further committed to fnding resources to
help fund grassroots participation scholarships for
the 2009 Summit. The outreach and recruitment
efforts include providing written fund-raising
Hotter than DC in July:
NOFA Policy Report
materials and working with regional and national
organizations to connect with a list of potential
funders and building capacity by establishing
more collaborative funding relationships. The
Summit process aims to further engage the organic
community with a re-evaluation in 2011 while
keeping an eye toward major policy modifcations in
the 2012 farm Bill.
The NOAP Summit has set a target of bringing in
200 attendees from grassroots organizations around
the country, including someone from each of the
NOFA chapters. The Summit organizers are also in
the process of completing a Draft Plan derived from
the listening sessions that will be sent out for review
by the participants prior to the gathering with the
intention of honing it into a fnal document over the
two day meeting. Planning-wise, February is right
around the corner. Midst the sweltering DC heat,
some meeting attendees almost longingly recalled
being snowed in for days at a previous wintertime
meeting in LaCrosse -- and advised participants
to make air travel plans through Milwaukee, not
Chicago.
NOC Meeting
Day Two was set aside for the National Organic
Coalition meeting, and despite building in a
working lunch, the Agenda seemed full enough for
several days work. NOC also meets via regularly
scheduled monthly conference calls and had sent
out homework before the meeting so participants
would be prepared to address pressing questions.
The coalition members were joined by Emily Brown
Rosen, Jim Riddle and Roger Blobaum highly
experienced organic specialists who serve as NOC
advisers on various initiatives. And legislative
coordinator, Steve Etka, came with binder-sized
handbooks analyzing the wins, losses and draws
of the NOC organic initiatives in the recently
completed Farm Bill.
A presentation by the membership committee
started the day. NOC is a looking to expand, but
is concerned with keeping its core values and
quick-response abilities intact. Discussion included
defning membership parameters and looking into
creating a second tier NOC network an affliate
membership that could bring in a greater number
of participants, with decisions still in the hands of
the Board but further development and resolution
of this issue was charted for further discussion.
The committee was also charged with developing
membership qualifcations and recruitment criteria
for the next meeting in December.
NOC has also taken over the important function
of hosting the members of the organic community
attending the National Organic Standards Board
(NOSB) meetings that used to be handled by
the now moribund National Campaign Organic
Committee. In addition to providing participants an
opportunity to coordinate meeting testimony and
strategy it is an invaluable networking occasion, as
people come from all over the country.
Implementation time
After the group reviewed the draft budget-in-
progress, our Washington representative Steve Etka
handed out the hefty Farm Bill handbooks. After
three years of work (the scorecard of the NOC
initiatives is nicely laid out at the NOC website at
http://www.nationalorganiccoalition.org) the next
critical step is implementation making sure the
monies are handled in accord with the legislation
and the stated initiatives are indeed realized. Cost
Share provisions for covering the government
mandated certifcation costs was a big win, for
example, with a total of $32 million designated to
compensate eligible small scale farmers around
the country. Some funding is already being
distributed with the remainder by September but
implementation details such as who is the receiver
in each state and the National Organic Programs
(NOP) ability to execute the program still have to be
worked out.
Steve walked the group through each of the 10
initiatives in the Implementation Handbook. Each
initiative consisted of sub sections that presented
the NOC Farm Bill request; the outcome success
level (win, lose, or draw); pertinent legislative
language; Conference committee report language;
implementation actions so far and timing parameters
for further implementation action. Steves analysis
also included a section on unresolved questions and
additional action items needed for follow up.
As outlined on the website -- in the win category is
Organic Cost Share; the Conservation Stewardship
Program, the Organic Research and Extension
Initiative and Organic Data Collection and
Analysis. The partial win category includes Organic
Conversion Assistance; Classical Plant and Animal
Breeding (i.e. non-GMOs and cloning) and Organic
Crop Insurance. In the lose (with caveats) category
are GMO Liability and Competitive Markets in
Organics. NOC also worked on numerous other
Farm Bill issues as they came up in conjunction
with other sustainable agriculture groups. The
legislative task is now to ride herd on the rule
making process through conference calls with
pertinent parties to infuence the fnal language and
implementation process.
Further, while some Farm Bill programs are
protected by the security of mandated funding,
others have to go through the Appropriations
process in Congress every year and the allocated
dollars arent necessarily there to support them
when powerful interests step in for a bigger piece
of the pie. Subject to Appropriations for the 2009
fscal year are increased funding for the NOP; the
organic data collection and analysis; the organic
transition program; the SARE and ATTRA programs
and classical plant and animal breeding and these all
require further support to shepherd them through the
process.
Other issues on the NOC legislative priority list
are producing materials for the transitioning
administration in this election year and pushing for a
Pasture rule before years end. NOC is also looking
to impact the congressional Climate Change and
Energy debates and legislation. Meanwhile its not
too soon to start building initiatives to go into the
2012 Farm Bill.
The ongoing NOC agenda also includes riding
herd on the National Organic Program (NOP) and
the NOSB, as well as the current, non-transparent
process by which the NOSB members are appointed
by the Secretary of Agriculture. In particular,
NOC is pushing for a valid complaint and tracking
process at the NOP to make what goes in and out of
USDA completely transparent along with clarifying
their Byzantine accreditation enforcement decisions.
NOC also underscored the recent outcome of the
International Federation of Organic Agricultural
Movements (IFOAM) General Assembly, which
overwhelming voted to keep Grower Group
certifcation solely for organizations of small scale,
third world growers not for Food Store Chains
as industry interests have proposed. And as a new
priority, NOC agreed to begin an initiative to bring
government nutrition programs onto the agenda,
starting with working against the prohibition of
WIC (Women, Infants, Children) program mothers
from using their coupons for organic food.
After a power point presentation of the National
Coop Grocers Associations new Organic
Integrity Project designed to protect consumers via
documenting methods for detecting fraud in the
supply and retail chains, the meeting was evaluated
and adjourned. NOC will host a pre-NOSB organic
community meeting on Sunday, November 16
th.
In
addition to regularly scheduled conference calls,
the next NOC and NOAP meetings will be in
December.
Compost Politics
Vermont Style:
Vermont Compost
Companys Legal
Fight
by Dave Rogers, Policy Advisor
NOFA Vermont
The environmental, agricultural and economic
benefts of compost and composting are well-known
to organic farmers, gardeners and readers of TNF.
High-quality compost is essential to backyard
and commercial organic crop production. And
composting is rapidly emerging as an important
strategy in diverting organic wastes from
commercial and community landflls. To meet
these needs the number and scale of commercial
composting operations have grown in recent years.
In Vermont, over the past year or so, these trends
have collided in a regulatory, legal and political
debate that will set the course for the future of
commercial composting in this state. Should
larger-scale composting operations be regarded as
solid waste processing facilities, or as agricultural
enterprises? Ought they be regulated under the same
land use and development laws that apply to, for
example, industrial manufacturing plants? How
can commercial composting be encouraged while
at the same time protecting environmental quality
and community interests? No one seems to have the
answer.
In May the legislature passed and Governor
Douglas signed into law, an act (H.873) that places
a moratorium on regulatory and enforcement actions
related to commercial composting operations
in Vermont pending the outcome of a two-year
comprehensive review of related issues and the
development of legislative proposals for new
regulations.
This summer Karl Hammer, owner/operator of the
Vermont Compost Company in Montpelier has
found himself in the crosshairs of the debate. His
ongoing legal struggle with the State of Vermont
illustrates the complexity and importance of the
issues involved. It also provides something of a
case study of Vermont politics good and bad.
Vermont Compost Company (VCC) is one of
Vermonts largest and most successful commercial
compost manufacturing companies. On several
acres of his 49 acre farm on Montpeliers northern
border Karl composts sorted food residuals and
natural organic materials brought to the farm from
a number of local schools, colleges, and large and
small businesses. These ingredients are combined
with composted manure Karl produces at another
VCC composting site on a nearby dairy farm.
Karl is a well-known and very experienced
compostologist. Vermont Compost products are
highly-regarded and relied upon by over two
hundred organic commercial greenhouse growers
and vegetable farmers in Vermont and other
states. Thousands of home gardeners buy Vermont
Compost formulations at stores, farm stands, food
coops and other outlets throughout the region.
Karl is also a farmer, the fourth largest egg producer
in the state. His fock of 1200 free-ranging chickens
produces over 1000 dozen eggs per month that are
sold at local stores, coops and directly to customers
at his farm. Karl feeds them no grain; the hens
forage among the compost piles for their food.
Their manure is composted along with everything
else. Many tons of organic waste that would
otherwise end up in central Vermonts landflls
are converted into a valuable agricultural products
eggs and organic compost.
It would be hard to fnd anyone who does a better
job of closing the loops of the local environment,
economy and food system. Over the years his
farming innovations, composting practices
and contributions to the Vermonts agriculture,
communities and environment have been widely
recognized by citizens, businesses, environmental
organizations, legislators and government agencies.
But the growth of Vermont Compost Company in
order to meet the demand for its compost products
has led to controversy and a diffcult legal battle
with the State that threatens its future.
Earlier this year, in response to complaints by
several neighbors (who are politically well-
connected to Vermonts Republican party), the
Vermont Natural Resources Boards District 5
Environmental Commission found that VCC is
operating a compost product manufacturing facility
and requires a permit under Vermonts Land Use
and Development Act, Act 250. In June, Karl
appealed this Jurisdictional Opinion to Vermonts
Environmental Court arguing, in part, that VCCs
status as an operating farm, which has long been
affrmed by the Vermonts Agency of Agriculture,
makes it exempt from Act 250.
(In 1970, when Act 250 was enacted, farms
were specifcally exempted to protect them from
neighbors and others who might, for one reason or
another, seek to prevent farmers from expanding
or conducting farming activities. Environmental
quality standards on Vermont farms are enforced by
the Agencies of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Contrary to allegations made by his neighbors,
VCC has not been found to be in violation of these
standards.)
On July 7
th
, in an unexpected and outrageous
development, Vermonts Natural Resources Board
ordered Karl to immediately cease and desist all
operations, remove all compost from the farm and
pay an $18,000 fne even though no court hearings
had been held or judgments made pertaining to
VCCs pending appeal! Karl appealed this order as
well to the Environmental Court.
An especially troubling aspect in this matter is that
the moratorium on enforcement actions does not
apply to VCC. Apparently, H.873 was tweaked
by someone in the fnal days of the legislative
session, without the knowledge of many legislators,
such that VCC would be excluded from the
moratorium. This provided the Vermont Natural
Resources Board, whose Chair was appointed by
Republican Governor Douglas, with the opportunity
to immediately pursue its legal actions against
Vermont Compost Company.
Unless the Natural Resources Board is directed
by the Governor to suspend its legal actions
against the Vermont Company Company until new
composting rules and regulations are developed and
implemented, Karl faces a long and expensive legal
fght. His legal expenses have already amounted to
tens of thousands of dollars and continue to climb.
They threaten to reach a point soon where he will
no longer be able to fght the deep pockets of the
State of Vermont. Vermont Compost Company
has created a Legal Defense Fund for those who
would like to help. More information about this
and the entire story may be found on VCCs website
http://www.vermontcompost.com.
At the time this is being written (August 5), NOFA
Vermont is helping to organize a growing group of
certifed organic farmers who use VCC products,
as well as recycling organizations, restaurants,
food coops and others who are directly affected
by this case. The group has retained an attorney
to represent them and fle for party status on their
behalf in the Environmental Court. The group is
organizing under the name Friends of Vermont
Farming and Recycling. It is now actively
fundraising to pay attorney fees and, if funds are
suffcient, assist Vermont Compost Company with
its legal expenses.
Vermonters interest in this issue is high and
growing. Letters to the editor, op-eds, editorials
and news stories appear regularly in the
states newspapers and media outlets. A recent
gubernatorial candidates debate dwelt on the issue.
A petition to Governor Douglas is being circulated
at farmers markets, food coops and other locations.
Media and parties in other states are expressing
interest. This is grassroots Vermont politics!
More information may be found at www.nofavt.
org. Updates on developments will be posted on
NOFA Vermonts webpage regularly. Contact Dave
Rogers, NOFA-VT Policy Advisor, if youd like
more information dave@nofavt.org.
The NOFA Organic Land Care Program is excited
to announce that Page Czepiga (pronounced zeh-
pee-guh) has been hired as Accreditation Manager.
Page, a recent University of Vermont graduate
who majored in Community and International
Development, recently participated in the Living
Routes Ecovillage program in Findhorn Scotland.
She also worked at the Vermont Hispanic Labor
Pilot Project where she designed a survey, polled
workers/producers at fve farms and developed and
published a communication dictionary that is now
available for use by area farmers.
Page will be the central communication person
between the NOFA Organic Land Care Program
and the diverse pool of NOFA Accredited Organic
Land Care Professionals. She will be organizing this
years Update Course and assisting professionals
with their re-accreditation for 2009. Page also will be
sending out monthly Organic Land Care newsletters
and coordinating with the credits sub-committee to
provide continuing education to NOFA professionals.
To contact Page, call the CT NOFA offce at (203)
888-5146 or email pczepiga@ctnofa.org.
Welcome Page Czepiga, Accreditation Manager
Special Supplement on
Organic Winter Production & Sales
by Jack Kittredge
Because of its small physical size, Rhode Island
is used to playing second fddle to the other New
England states in many regards. But while only
a quarter the size of the next biggest state in the
region (Connecticut) it is the most people-dense
of any. In fact, the Providence metropolitan area
contains more people than any in New England
except Boston. With this many people for
customers, and with an ocean-moderated climate
many of us in colder climes would kill for, winter
production and sales of crops on some of Rhode
Islands 800 remaining farms is a natural.
Farm Fresh Rhode Island is a Providence-based
non-proft advocacy organization that is trying to
make more of this happen. It started as a research
project at Brown University, but grew into an
independent non-proft. It is still headquartered,
however, in Browns Urban Environmental Lab,
home to its Environmental Studies Department.
The building is surrounded by community gardens
actively used by Brown students and faculty, as well
as neighborhood residents. Last fall the gardens
were torn out and the building put at risk because
Brown was going to demolish it. But there was a
push back by students and faculty and ultimately
Brown decided to preserve the building for a
time and allow the gardens to continue. Students
and faculty members quickly rebuilt the gardens
and distributed about 20 plots, plus a couple of
community ones open to anyone.
Farm Fresh Rhode Island has set up farmers markets
in the Providence area to enable city-dwellers to
get access to local food. But those markets tend to
close at the end of October, or by Thanksgiving at
the latest. One of the organizations long term goals
is to build a permanent year-round farmers market
in Providence which would be open 4 or 5 days a
week.
Our market would create a permanent enclosed
space, says Jessica Knapp, development
coordinator for the group, similar to a public
market, where produce, meat, dairy, everything
could be sold. There are a couple of markets like
that in Baltimore, one in Philadelphia.
But for now Farm Fresh Rhode Island just wants
people to get familiar with buying local produce in
the winter. Last November they came up with the
idea of having a one-day a week wintertime market
that would explore whether the community really
wanted a place to buy local food in the winter.
Sheri Griffn, the groups markets coordinator, used
to work at AS 220, a small non-proft art gallery
and performance space in downtown Providence.
AS 220 was not used during the day, so she got
permission to use their display space on Saturdays
from noon to 3 p.m.. Ten to twelve vendors agreed
to sell there, it was advertised, and people came. It
stayed open from the beginning of December until
May 3.
There arent actually any grocery stores in
downtown Providence, explains Jessica. There
A Wintertime Farmers Market
in the Ocean State
photo courtesy Farm Fresh Rhode Island
The entrance to the Wintertime Farmers Market at Providences AS 220 is well marked!
Karla Simmons, of Simmons Farm, sets up her display of vegetables at the Providence
Wintertime Farmers Market.
arent even many people living here, compared to
downtowns in other cities. But this is a good market
for people who have condos and apartments because
it is handy to people to go shopping on Saturday.
We had about 8 tables going in a circle. The vendors
were on the inside and the customers on the outside.
The Johnson and Wales chef would cook up food
here, as a sort of demo. It was a festive atmosphere,
which was nice in the winter.
The frst two or three months were busy and
successful beyond our imagination, she continues.
It was always packed from 12 to 3. We had at
least 300 customers coming every week. They were
people committed to buying local, people who had
frequented farmers markets during the season. There
is a restaurant next door that uses locally grown
produce. They worked with us and people could
come to the market, bring their family for brunch,
and enjoy the day.
The market was such a success the group is looking
for a larger space this winter. They are also talking
to farmers earlier, so they can prepare to have more
food specifcally for the market. Although AS 220
was accessible by bus, parking was a problem last
winter. So Farm Fresh Rhode Island is trying to
work out arrangements with local merchants who
have lots but dont use them on Saturday.
It is not a requirement of Farm Fresh Rhode Island
that farms selling at their markets be certifed
organic. But some of the participants at the
wintertime market were. Skip Paul, of Wishing
Stone Farm in Little Compton, sold storage crops
and greens there through the end of December, but
treasures his time off in the winter and didnt want
to go into January with the market. Karla Simmons,
of Simmons Farm in Middletown, brought greens as
well as a selection of their organic meats, frozen and
packed in coolers.
We had 4 farms with fruits and vegetables, says
Jessica, including an apple orchard which did
very well, plus we always had a coffee roaster, a
chocolate maker, a woman who made jams and
jellies out of locally grown fruit, an oyster farm
came every week, one farm would bring meat
and eggs, we had a cheese maker and a start-up
farm raising eggs came too. It was a great chance
for them to start up and meet the public. We were
also selling local organic Christmas trees before
Christmas.
Farm Fresh Rhode Island also had a table there to
answer question and occasionally sell some out-
of-state things produced on small farms. Sheri
had a relative with a small citrus farm in Florida
who shipped up some tangerines and grapefruits
that were especially appealing to New England
customers in January. There was also a farmer in
Maine who grew heirloom beans, but had family
in Rhode Island. The organization sold his beans at
their table, too. A local bakery brought bread so that
people could come and buy a lot of their staples.
In our other markets we dont allow non-local
items, or for farmers to come one week and skip
the next, explains Jessica. But because this was
a winter market and we were experimenting, we
wanted to open it up to small farms elsewhere. We
told the farmers that this was just a pilot and we
would re-evaluate at the beginning of March. But
when March came everyone was still aboard. At
the beginning of Spring the supply started to wane
a little bit -- Karla Simmons took a month off, for
one thing. But when we started to get asparagus and
Sheri Griffn, at the Farm Fresh Rhode Island table, gives information and sells some family
farm citrus.
Skip Paul, who sold through December, shows his tomatoes, broccoli and fresh greens.
Allan Hill of Hill Orchards, with his apples, was one of the markets top sellers.
more greens it picked right up.
We are encouraging people that this market
is worthwhile and they should raise for it, she
continues. But there are plenty of farms that value
their downtime in winter, too, and they dont want
to grow anymore. Were particularly interested in
storage crops like potatoes, squash, and apples.
Another thing that we are trying to put together for
this permanent space in the future is a lot of storage
on-site so people can grow their crops but store
them there.
Skip Pauls Wishing Stone Farm is one of the
Ocean States older and more established certifed
organic farms. Situated in Little Compton, on one
of the long fngers protruding into the Rhode Island
Sound on which so much of the eastern part of the
state sits, Skip suffers from drought every summer.
Winds off the ocean drop what rain they carry to the
west of him, from thunderclouds often tantalizingly
Skip Paul
Grower
Extraordinaire!
Organic and Natural Beef
Organic Milk (Bottles)
Interested families are welcome and
encouraged to come see our beef in their
natural habitat. We are proud of our cattle
and how they live. They graze at
appropriate times of the year and have
access to outdoor and sunshine all year
round.
Our farm and all cattle have been
inspected and passed by a third party
animal welfare inspector as well as the
normal organic inspector that other farms
do. A specialist, third party inspector, also
inspected the meat handling facility; to be
sure it was being handled humanely.
Would you rather have local, well-finished
beef limited amount of barley and oats
during the finishing of our beef. We dont
use growth hormones or GMO Seeds, feed
maintenance antibiotics or bakery waste,
ever.
If your family wants safe, high quality,
organic meat year round, come or call and
place an order for a side at $4.00 per lb.
or, a whole animal at $3.75 per lb. (plus
cut and wrap).
Some customers split a whole animal with
a friend. Sides will average 400 lbs plus.
Our organic meat and glass-bottled milk
are in approximately 50 health foodstores
as well as restaurants in coastal Maine.
And, thank you for supporting Caldwell
Family Farm and local organic agriculture.
CALDWELL FAMILY FARM
(207) 225-3871
www.caldwellfamsmaine.com
"Hey!
We need a new
pasture"
Wow! Thanks, this
is wonderful."
within sight of his parched felds. When I stopped
to talk with him in mid-July we was feld-applying
water to his winter squash transplants from a 10,000
tanker-load he had recently purchased.
I can get 10,000 gallons of water for $250, he
says. A truck brings it from a reservoir. Thats
cheap compared to the cost of drilling wells. Ive
had no rain for 60 days -- I know it will eventually
rain in August, but I need the security of the water
now.
The lack of regular rainfall, while making
agriculture more diffcult, does not detract from
Little Comptons value for other purposes.
Right now the highest use seems to be sprouting
Skip Paul stands with some of the tomato plants that will still be producing for this winters
farmers market.
Jessica Knapp stands outside the Farm Fresh Rhode Island offce
on the campus of Brown University.
McMansions. When Skip bought his house twenty
some years ago land was $5000 an acre. Now it is
more like $90,000 an acre.
At such prices, of course, farming is priced out of
the market. Skip had ended up begging use of some
of his felds from wealthy people, and getting the
use of almost 30 acres from the town, which had
implemented a 0.5% tax on property transfers to
fund a town land trust.
Skip markets about a third of his produce through
CSAs, a third through farmers markets, and a third
wholesale primarily to Whole Foods which has
three big markets in the Providence area.
Here at the home farm I have a traditional CSA,
he explains. But Ive established what I call debit
card CSAs in Providence and Barrington. People
pay me in advance and I add 10% to whatever
they give me. The minimum is $350. They come
whenever they want and can get whatever they
want. Its set up like a farmers market but I provide
staff and the public can come -- but they dont get
the 10% extra. With the change in paradigm for
energy I see a problem for the CSAs that are out
of the way and you have to drive to get to them
people are going to stop coming. Were going
to have to deliver to the city. Right now we have
our site in front of a store with an overhang, for
protection from the elements. When farmers realize
they can service thousands of people in the city
rather than a few hundred at the farm, theyll see it
makes sense. Thats the future of CSAs.
One of the farmers markets Skip participated in
last year was the Providence wintertime market.
Although this year he is growing more for next
winter, last fall he found out he had to make some
adjustments for the wintertime customers.
We had a bunch of parsnips and purple top turnips
and I remember that for one of the frst winter
markets I brought them in bushels and baskets.
Nobody bought a thing. My wife said call Pete of
Petes Greens. He told me: Man, bag them up and
call it Skips Soup Mix. It was a great idea. We sold
50 bags the next time. So packaging is big in the
winter markets. We now have three soup mixes.
Having greens is big, he continues. There is
an explosion of interest in greenhouses some
farmers are adding heat, some not. Where we are
we wont have to add any heat were so much
warmer down here. We can grow year round but
we dont want to. We only sold through December.
We work so hard we want a little time off. I start
in the greenhouse February frst anyway, grafting
tomatoes to disease-resistant rootstock. You have to
take time off or you burn out. Were growing almost
of an acre of onions for the Wintertime Farmers
Market, an acre of potatoes, a lot of carrots and
parsnips. Weve increased the size of those storage
crop plantings.

Atlas Farm, certified organic vegetable farm in Deerfield,
MA seeks assistant farm manager with 1-2 years
experience on vegetable farms, tractor experience and
strong desire to learn. Assist with production, equipment
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EE08042 Produced by New Hope Natural Media, a division of Penton Media, Inc
Co-located with
by John Biernbaum, Professor of Horticulture
www.msuorganicfarm.org
The story of the Michigan State University
Student Organic Farm (MSU-SOF) is a lesson in
how passionate people with a fresh perspective
and vision can lead to exciting outcomes. In
May 2008 we completed our ffth year of a
48 week Community Supported Agriculture
(CSA) Program that provides an opportunity for
students, staff, faculty, and community members
to experience organic farming, local food systems
and transformative learning. We are also in the
second year of a unique year long organic farming
certifcate program. Following is a summary of
some of the key aspects of the SOF in relation to
crop production and season extension that support
the 48 week CSA program and learning farm.
Background
During the spring of 1999, members of the
Michigan Sustainable Agriculture Network student
organization met to share ideas about how to start a
farm on campus where students could gain practical
experience about organic farming. At the same
time, a group of legislators and organic farmers
were working as the Michigan Organic Advisory
Committee to develop recommendations for how
to advance organic agriculture in Michigan. Both
groups were interested in seeing MSU develop
research, outreach and teaching programs for
organic agriculture. I was one of several MSU
faculty members learning about organic agriculture,
sustainability and the importance of local food
systems.
The core curriculum of the SOF was built around
four keys of success or the keys to reduce risk.
Build Soil Organic Matter. SOM can
increase water absorption, water retention,
plant pathogenic organisms and reduce soil
erosion.
Increase Crop Diversity: A wide diversity
of crops reduces risk of total crop or market
failure and increases the opportunity to
improve soil health.
Use Season Extension: A longer production
and marketing window and methods
of protected cultivation can increase
productivity and total sales.
Emphasize Direct Marketing: CSA, farm
stand, restaurant and institutional sales can
cultivate customer loyalty and bring more
income to the farm.
Our CSA marketing program is built around three
16 week sessions that align with the academic
semesters. The spring session is January 15 to
the end of April; the summer session from May
through August; and the fall session from September
through December 15. We offer only one share size
intended for a family of four but many memberships
split a share. Cost per session is $480 or $30 per
week, partially based on an informal survey of
Michigan CSA membership costs. Each week
the weight of items from 4 shares are recorded to
allow estimates of share values based on market
prices and comparison of share weights from
season to season and year to year. Members bring
their own containers and select produce from large
containers of each item based on a posted white
board list of share contents. The frst season we had
25 memberships with the intent to grow to 50 and
then 75. We decided to stop at 50 to 60 so we could
focus more on the teaching. The 2007 season was
the frst for adding an additional 25 summer shares
for 20 weeks and operating a weekly farm stand
on campus from June through October. In 2007 the
total of produce sales was just under $100,000 from
roughly fve acres of feld production and 13,000 sq
ft of passive solar greenhouse (PSGH) (at ~60% bed
space).
MSU is one of the top ten largest single campus
universities in the US with over 45,000 students
(more than 15,000 living on campus). The
agriculture research and teaching farms are still
contiguous with the campus and together cover over
5 square miles. The 160 acre Horticulture Teaching
and Research Center (HTRC) is located at the
south end of campus and is located on land added
to the campus in 1965. The 10 acre SOF parcel was
previously planted in research fruit trees for over 40
years.
East Lansing is in climate zone 5 with a typical
winter low of -10F and occasional low of -20F.
Precipitation is approximately 30 per year (average
2.5 per month). We can expect from 10 to 30 days
above 90F each summer. Fifty percent frost date is
May 15 and October 1 (120+ day growing season)
but frost up to the end of May is common.
The Farming Program
The following highlights are intended to provide
a description of some of the key farming aspects
of the SOF together with our four season farming
practices. More details are available at our web
site under the resources tab including Michelle
Ferrareses thesis about the start up of the SOF.
Soil Management. The 10 acres of crop land we
have at the HTRC was in fruit trees from ~1965
when the farm became part of the University.
Technically, the loam A horizon is 6 to 12 inches
deep with a predominately clay subsoil. The frst
The Michigan State University Student Organic Farm:
Year-Round Food and Learning
photo by John Biernbaum
Students working at the farm have the opportunity to manage harvests for both the CSA
distribution and for the campus farm stand which has been an important tool for letting
the thousands of community members that cant belong to the CSA learn more about local
organic food.
Walkways on the perimeter of the Passive SolarGreen House works to keep crops warm and
works well for the large tour groups that frequent the farm and can come in one end of the
greenhouse and out the other.
felds planted had a year of soybeans and then
sorghum x sudan cover crop. Prior to starting the
transition to organic, composted dairy and horse
manure and bedding were applied at 40 to 50 ton per
acre with a winter rye cover crop. This heavy initial
application provided adequate fertility and growth
of both crops and weeds for several years while
we learned more about the intricacies of managing
fertility organically with minimal off-farm
resources. Primary nutrient inputs that last three
years have been from cover crops and mulches.
Almost all feld plots are drip irrigated. The
investment in materials and labor for placing and
removing drip tape from the feld are signifcant
and one of the key steps in insuring appropriate and
timely yields for the CSA.
Ground Cover Management. Given the 40 years of
orchard production with mowing, the seed bank is
well funded. The initial high fertility following the
application of composted manure also supported
a growing economy for the seed bank. We try to
use the principle of allowing the weeds to express
themselves followed by early cultivation. Our
aggressive planting and production schedule with
limited labor are not always conducive to timely
cultivation. Each year as the production systems
develop into more of a routine, cultivation and
ground cover management to minimize competition
has improved. Mulching with either round bales
between warm season feld crops or aged bedding or
straw over the top of potatoes have been effective at
reducing weeds, conserving moisture and building
soil organic matter. Over the last few years there has
been a movement towards frost seeding clover into
winter rye and then tilling the 4 beds and mowing
the 2 paths.
Crop Planning Scheduling. Based on published
rotation recommendations, quantities desired/space
required and planting times, we have grouped crops
into six categories / felds of equal size (0.6 acre).
A. Summer fruiting crops (1) tomato, pepper,
eggplant; (2) cucumber, summer squash
B. Early spring crops (1) garlic, onion; (2)
brassica, root
C. Corn (sweet, pop, fint) under-sown with
clover
D. Potato (1); and leeks, celery and green
beans (2)
E. Winter squash (1) and melons (2)
F. Fall brassica (1) and root crops (2)
G. Summer cover crop / fallow
The order of rotation is as listed. For many of the
felds, specifc crops are assigned to a particular half
of the feld (1 or 2) so the rotation cycle is 14 years.
Our seven felds are either 150x 175 or 80 x 300
(0.6 acre) with 4 beds and 2 walkways.
We are using approximately 4.2 acres of feld
production and the CSA is for approximately 240
people (60 shares x 4/share) year round and 100
(25 shares x 4/share) summer. If we round to 300
people, and account for only using 66% of the
feld for actual growing (4 bed, 2 walkway), we
are using approximately 400 sq ft per person. We
also need to take into account our passive solar
greenhouse production area of 10,000 square feet
for the CSA. The space is approximately 60%
growing area so for 300 people there is 20 sq ft per
person. Our beds in the houses are 2.5 x 8 or 20 sq
ft so we make the point that we use approximately
one bed per person for fresh winter greens, roots
and herbs.
Crop Health Management. The primary herbivorous
insects that require management are striped
cucumber beetle, Colorado potato beetle, fea
beetle, cabbage looper, corn ear worm and Japanese
beetle. Striped cucumber beetle are managed by
timing of planting, using large transplants, row
cover and occasionally vacuuming. Colorado potato
phphoto by John Biernbaum
One of the 20 wide Passive Solar Green Houses with a central walkway with short beds on
either side. The smaller beds are helpful for research and when students are frst learning
how to prepare and plant beds.
beetle are managed primarily by manual removal
of larva. Flea beetles have been managed by row
cover, occasionally vacuuming, and minimizing
feld residue that favors overwintering. Cabbage
looper is only minimally managed by perhaps one
Bt application per crop if needed. We do not have a
management plan for Japanese beetles.
Crop diversity is the foundation of our soil and
plant health program. With more than 60 fruit and
vegetable crops in the standard rotation, we can
afford to have reduced yield in limited crops. The
students and farm managers have favored more of
a see what happens approach to crop protection as
opposed to preemptive treatment strategies. One
of our new learning and experimental tools is a
0.6 acre Edible Forest Garden (EFG) planted as
a combination of annual and perennial crop and
insect pollen and nectar species to attract a diversity
of insects. The EFG was designed as part of a
graduate student project and incorporates many
of the permaculture principles including guilds,
above and below ground three dimensional canopy
management (spatial) and development of annual
and perennial crops (temporal) for immediate and
long term yields. Jay Tomczaks graduate thesis
about the EFG is available at our web site under the
resources tab.
Crop loss to soil-borne root pathogens has not been
an issue in the felds or PSGHs. Recent seedling
cucurbit transplant losses have been related to
compost and root media quality. Powdery mildew
is an issue in the PSGHs and felds for summer
and winter squash crops but to this point has only
been managed with good water management and
sanitation methods.
Transplant Production. All transplants are
produced on site in a heated greenhouse. We use
a germination chamber to elevate temperature and
moisture during the frst stage of seed germination
prior to emergence and to minimize seed scavenging
by mice. We use plastic plug trays (50, 100 and
128 cells) except for onions and leeks, which are
sown in rows in open fats. We have experimented
with soil blocks but have not invested the time to
develop the experience to do them effciently and
with reproducible quality. The increased volume
of compost and root medium necessary, and
availability of wooden fats, are also issues. The
root medium is typically 50% on-farm compost,
25% sphagnum peat and 25% vermiculite. We
have also used coconut coir, which wets easier
than peat when no wetting agent is used. The
only amendment we have consistently used is
Bradfeld alfalfa based fertilizer at 20 to 40 lbs
per cubic yard depending on the fertility level of
the compost. Our compost feedstocks have varied
over the years but a preferred recipe for transplant
media is equal parts by volume (bales) of 1) straw,
2) compressed soft wood shavings, 3) grass (frst
cutting hay), 4) alfalfa (second cutting hay), 5) aged
leaves/leaf fold, 6) sphagnum peat and 7) feld soil.
We do not add lime to our media due to the high
calcium, magnesium and carbonate alkalinity in our
irrigation water from limestone aquifers which is
much different that the ground water from granite
aquifers in the Northeast US. Fertility adjustments
during production have been with fsh emulsion or
Omega 666 as liquids or in the past two years by
top dressing fats with screened compost or worm
castings (~0.5 to 1 cup per fat). Top dressing with
Another greenhouse shot from November 13 with a crop of head lettuce ready for
Thanksgiving harvest. The lettuce area will be prepared and ready to plant in late January.
compost during production is a valuable technique
that is not part of current transplant production
recommendations but appears to be very valuable
for the small scale organic grower that uses on-farm
resources. Detailed recommendations for transplants
and compost production are available at our website
under the resources tab.
Certifcation. We have been certifed organic since
2004, frst by Organic Growers of Michigan (OGM)
and for the last two years by Ohio Ecological Food
and Farming Association (OEFFA). Our farm plan
records, maps, fertility history, crop rotation, yield
and other records are maintained as electronic fles
that we use when teaching our course in Organic
Certifcation and Farm Plans. We try to involve the
students in updating the annual records in the annual
farm inspection.
Storage Crops. In the frst few years of production
we grew items like potatoes, carrots, leeks and
celeriac in the PSGHs for winter harvest. Over time
we shifted to a greater emphasis on salad and leafy
greens in the PSGH and increased feld production
of carrots, leeks and celeriac as well as maintaining
feld production of garlic, potato, cabbage and
winter squash. We have the use of two coolers that
are part of the HTRC for storage. One is maintained
at 40F and high humidity and used for potatoes,
onions, cabbage, carrots (boxed in shavings or coco
coir) and recently harvested crops. Onions would
not be kept here by choice if you had a colder,
lower humidity cooler, but it has worked so far for
us. The other cooler is maintained around 50F and
low humidity for winter squash and garlic during
the winter or around 60F and higher humidity for
holding chilling sensitive summer fruits. Winter
squash is typically cured in a greenhouse for 10 to
14 days prior to storage in the cooler. One of our
investment priorities is to construct a root cellar for
demonstration of crop storage techniques.
Our summer planted, fall harvested brassica and
root crops are an important part of the season
extension that does not require storage. Fall brassica
transplants are set out mid July and harvested
starting in late September and into late November.
Brussels spouts are an SOF tradition and in good
years we have enough to hold some in the cooler
until early January. The storage cabbage and carrots
also come from this feld. We have been harvesting
leeks from the feld all winter and into the spring but
with the losses due to up and down temperatures last
year it sounds like this fall the leeks will not be left
in the feld. The parsnips will over winter in the feld
and be ready for spring distributions.
Passive Solar Greenhouses. Unlike most farmers
who start with season extension for warm season
crops and a little winter harvesting as an added
bonus, we started with winter production as our
focus and season extension as an added beneft.
With our emphasis on winter and four season
production, we prefer the name passive solar
greenhouse (PSGH) in place of high tunnel or
hoophouse. A 21 page handout about PSGHs is
available at our website under the Resources tab.
Since we have so many visitors and tour guides, our
simplifed teaching and outreach program for the
PSGH is based around the following four principles:
1. Proper Protection the cloud or igloo effect
2. The right crops tolerate freezing
3. Multiple harvests leafy greens
4. Planted at the right time early fall growth
photo by Joihn Biernbaum
The 30 x 96 passive solar greenhouse with extended ground posts, roll up sides and
thermostatically controlled end wall louvers provides good summer and winter ventilation
and one large interior polyethylene cover for winter protection.
The frst principle is the protection of the crop by a
greenhouse and internal layers of polyethylene or
fabric. The protection from wind, rain and snow, and
therefore excess moisture limits damage to the foliage.
The protective layers, when covered by moisture as
a result of condensation and or ice under freezing
conditions, act like a cloud and trap long wave radiant
energy in the greenhouse and prevent freezing of the
soil and allow maintenance of temperatures in the 15F
range even when temperatures outside have dropped
to -20F. The second principle is the use of cold tolerant
crops that can handle repeated freezing and thawing.
Examples include spinach, chard, kale and many
leafy greens as well as root crops like carrots and
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beets. A third important principle is the use of crops
that allow for multiple harvests either by removing
outer, larger leaves at regular intervals or by cutting
the entire plant back to within an inch or so above the
soil so the growing point still remains. These leafy
crops are able to grow during the winter conditions
of lower light and temperature. The fourth is that the
crops must be planted and grown early enough in
the fall season so that the majority of development
has occurred before light and temperature conditions
are too low for a reasonable rate of growth. There is
enough light for growth in November and December,
but the light also determines the temperature in the
PSGH and the temperature drops to such a point that
growth is very slow.
Structures
We have used single layer and double layer infated
polyethylene covered structures with a preference
for double layer infated to help prevent wind
effects on the poly and to favor snow removal and
slightly warmer temperatures. All our structures
have roll up sides and end wall peak vents for
passive ventilation. Equipment and energy costs are
minimal.
We started with two 20 x 96 foot houses primarily
due to published recommendations that wider
houses would be too warm in the summer, even
with roll up sides. The frst houses were covered
with a single layer of polyethylene. Our next two
houses added another 20 wide house and a house
30 wide x 96 long. Both houses were covered
with a double layer of air infated polyethylene.
The 30 wide house was not any warmer in the
summer but covered more ground in the winter with
less cold edge or perimeter effect. We have been
recommending 30 houses for the last few years.
Our frst 30 wide house was a Ledgewood which
was easy to build and a great greenhouse. We later
learned of the advantages of the higher side walls so
our next 30 wide house, a Rimol NorEaster, was
built with 6 ground posts so we could put walkways
along the cold edge as opposed to down the warm
middle. The added height improves the work
environment and air fow.
Over the last fve years we have helped farmers
purchase and construct more than eighteen 30 x
96, houses. This summer we also helped build two
20 x 48 houses for projects that needed a smaller
house. The smaller houses certainly went up much
faster and with what seemed like less work. With
the rising price of steel, it may be more common
for smaller operations to start with a smaller house.
While we started smaller and worked up, when it
came to selecting a PSGH for farmers selected to be
part of a research study of the economics of PSGH
production, we started them with a 30 x 96 house.
For many of the farmers, the frst learning year was
not that economically productive. They are growing
The Student Organic Farms Passive Solar Green Houses are white on the outside
and green on the inside. MSUs colors are green and white!
into the structure and space but life would have been
more diffcult if they were paying off a loan. The
lesson is to start with a reasonable size that you can
afford and use effciently and then add space.
Beds and Covers
All our houses run east and west and, in four of fve
houses, the beds run north and south. We started
with 30 x 8 beds for research and data collection
purposes. The beds use between 55 and 60% of
the foor area, which is low. With the last 30 wide
house, the beds are 25 long across the house. We
shifted from 30 beds to 40 beds with 8 walkways
which allows one bed to be centered under each
truss and creates up to 70% bed space. This is the
frst house with north south beds that we have been
able to effciently water with drip irrigation. The
beds in the center of the house also allow a single
large winter covered tent area.
Our interior covers started as row cover
approximately 12 to 15 off the ground. All our
interior covers are now used roof polyethylene. We
dont have any hard data to support that the crops
are better under polyethylene. With the management
system we have, the polyethylene holds up longer
than frost fabric and is more forgiving if someone
forgets to recover crops until after the temperature
has dropped below freezing. We have used a variety
of wire and plastic pipe supports but over time have
shifted to exclusively conduit interior supports using
a combination of and inch conduit to provide
a tent approximately 40 tall that allows production
of leafy crops such as kale, chard and collards. This
system is described and illustrated in the wonderful
High Tunnels publication available at (www.uvm.
edu/sustainableagriculture).
The right crops at the right time
In our initial research we grew 30 different baby
leaf salad greens (BLSG- aka spring mix) and then
reduced the crops to 15 for year two. Our standard
fast crops are red Russian kale, mizuna, tatsoi,
Tokyo Bekana, red mustard and arugula, which are
planted about one week after the lettuce, spinach,
beets, and chard. If the lettuce gets damaged by
cold or is slow growing, we dont hesitate to put
together a no lettuce mix. The Tokyo Bekana flls in
for the lettuce. We do have a small amount of heated
greenhouse space in raised beds that can provide
some lettuce in January, if needed, and a place
to harvest if we get a week with no sun or PSGH
temperatures above freezing.
What makes these the right crops is that all of them
will tolerate freezing of the foliage. The other key
advantage is the regrowth and multiple harvests,
even during the winter. With good planting and
growing we can harvest one pound or higher per six
square feet.
Fresh winter leafy cooking greens include kale
(Red Russian, Winterbor, Redbor, Tuscano), chard
(Bright Lites) and collards are sown in plug fats in
mid July and put in beds between August 15 and 20.
We wait until the soil cools off to direct sow spinach
for full size leaf harvesting, usually the later part
of September. These leafy greens are harvested all
winter long removing the lower leaves for bunching
or bagging for spinach.
Multiple harvest crops include parsley, which is
carried over as large plants from the spring, and
cilantro direct sown late, with the spinach.
Other key fall crops include head lettuce (Four
Season, Winter Density, Buttercrunch, Ermosa),
Chinese cabbage, tatsoi and pac choi which are also
established as transplants set in beds starting in later
August. These one-time harvest crops are grouped
so that the space can be the frst replanted space in
late January and early February. Most of the head
lettuce is harvested before December 15, although
we have surprisingly carried some head lettuce into
late January for the last four years.
Other one harvest crops include carrots, which are
the frst fall crop seeded the frst week of August,
then bunching onions are next during the second
week. Radish (Easter Egg and Davignon), kohlrabi,
and salad turnips (Hakurei and Scarlet Queen) are
sown multiple times for the CSA. The winter carrots
taste great but we generally only have space for
a few beds --which often get used at our display
booth at winter conferences or for tours and special
events. Most of the CSA carrots come from storage.
We winter harvested from mulched felds for a few
years but the rodent damage and our heavier clay
soils lead to the storage option.
We plant about 60 to 70% of the PSGH space to
warm season summer fruit crops including tomatoes
(planted ~ 4/15; Celebrity, Big Beef, Red Sun, Taxi),
peppers (Ace and Carmen), eggplants, cucumbers
(Diva), summer squash (Sultan), and a few green
beans. We see the well-publicized benefts of four
to six weeks earlier harvest. Some of the early fruit
go to the CSA but also to the farm stand. We do not
continue the warm season crops much past early
September or replant warm season crops during the
summer for the fall because all our space is being
used for winter production.
Our early research was partially focused on
identifying the acceptable sowing dates in the fall
for BLSG. Crops were planted weekly for eight
weeks and we saw time to harvest go from 21-24
days on up to 80+ days from September through
October. Our goal is to have BLSG planted by the
frst week of October. We know that we can sow
into early November in a greenhouse that is heated
to 40F and harvest in January. The timing for
carrots, bunching onions and leafy greens are not
based on controlled studies but refect several years
of experience.
PSGH Soil Management
Fertility is maintained through the addition of
compost, which initially was at the rate of fve
gallon per 20 sq ft per year but has increased
to one cubic foot per 20 sq ft prior to fall and
spring planting. The compost used in the frst
years included some manure while the compost
used the last three years has not included manure.
Our ground / irrigation water has high carbonate
alkalinity (320 mg/liter bicarbonate) which drives
the soil pH and magnesium levels up. We amend the
soil with one pint gypsum (~1lb) to keep calcium
ahead of the magnesium and one-half pint sulfur
(~0.5lb) per 20 sq ft to lower pH (from upper sevens
to lower sevens) when we apply compost for the fall
crop.
We use permanent beds either 30 or 40 inch wide.
Our routine is to broad fork a bed frst, then work
the soil with the three prong hand cultivator to break
up large soil clumps, and then raking with the hay
rake to smooth the bed. Compost is applied as a
top dressing to help with water absorption and seed
germination. The compost on the surface keeps the
nutrients initially out of the root zone until they are
watered in with irrigation. The remaining compost is
deep incorporated at the next broad forking. Organic
matter runs from 5% to as much as 9%. We have
been able to acquire year old decomposed leaves
from campus for incorporation into compost or as a
soil amendment. We also either acquire or purchase
old baled hay and straw when available.
The Learning Program / Culture
The SOF is frst and foremost a teaching/learning
farm. A basic premise leading to the start of the
SOF was that university students are not learning
about farming because much of crop agriculture
happens in the summer when students are away
from campus. In our landscape and foriculture
teaching programs students are involved in learning
and practicing skills during the academic year. We
proposed at the start that the PSGH was the perfect
tool to get more students involved in farming.
Students were able to start classes in September
and plant, maintain and harvest crops right through
to the middle of December when they went home
for break. When they returned in January they were
right back on the farm, planting, nurturing and
harvesting until they left in May, unless they were
one of the summer interns that farmed full time in
the summer. Independent of what the PSGH can do
for year round local food for small scale farms, the
PSGH is a valuable tool for educators at all levels.
With Laurie Thorp who worked on school gardening
and NCSARE funding we built a 30 x 48 PSGH at
an elementary school for students from downtown
Lansing. With a graduate student to guide the
planting and work with teachers, the project was a
great success. Emily Reardons thesis is available at
our website under the resources tab. The idea of a
garden at every school is not just for mild California
climates. With a PSGH, students at every school
can be involved in growing fresh local vegetables
throughout the academic year. In the past year we
have been working with community gardening
groups and recently a Karate club to build PSGHs
to help with gardening education, the availability
of local food and cultivating the next generation of
farmers. Where heated greenhouses are often too
expensive and require more skill to manage, the
PSGH can be a great place to get started.
The MSU-SOF is a collection of ideas from many
farms. Together we have nurtured a teaching farm
that practices the principles of year-round organic
local food. I hope you get a chance to visit us
through our web site or at the farm. The vision that
has been an inspiration for me over the last decade
still describes the story and picture I enjoy helping
cultivate:
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N
EW N
EW
N
EW
by Karen DiFranza
The story of local agriculture is always entwined
with stories of community. Food is an essential
ingredient in health, pleasure and social connection,
and, therefore, the growing and marketing of
food is at the center of any culture. That is, it was
until modern transportation enabled agriculture to
move out of town. Trains, planes, trucks and cars
severed the connection that once bound farms to
communities and eliminated the link of the local
market. Today we have begun to realize the hole this
leaves in society, and many of us are seeking ways
to re-instate local agriculture and its local markets.
On the Sunday before Thanksgiving in 2007, the
Hubbardston Historical Society held its frst annual
Pre-Thanksgiving Farmers Market. It was a magical
event, and people still speak of it in tones of awe
and amazement. Several vendors sold out within the
frst hour or so due to overwhelming attendance, and
everyone sold more than they anticipated. How did
this market come to be such a success?
At their annual meeting in October 2007, the
Hubbardston Historical Society (HHS) approved
a plan to hold an indoor farmers market at the
historic Williamsville Chapel built in 1888. The
HHS owns the chapel and has been restoring the
building since 2001. Most members of the HHS
wish to restore the chapel to its original use, as well.
Although the chapel once offered religious services,
it was, like many churches, a social gathering place
with ladies sewing circles and whist parties and
other community events. In fact, the history of the
chapel as an important entity in the local community
may have played a role in the 2007 farmers market
success.
Williamsville was a prosperous village within the
town of Hubbardston in the late 19
th
century. There
was productive farmland there; a train ran north/
south through the village; there was a post offce,
a school, dry goods stores, and sawmills and small
factories powered by the Burnshirt River. What
more could a community need except a place to
worship and to gather?
In 1873, as the story goes, a woman from
Williamsville was riding her horse to the center of
Hubbardston about 4 miles away to attend church
on a Sunday morning. The woman was thrown from
her horse and killed. This event was disturbing to
residents of the community, whose Ladies Union
Social Circle came together to organize a fund: the
village would have its own chapel to serve as place
of worship and community center.
By todays standards, the next chapter in the legend
is even stranger than the opener. The womens group
raised funds for 15 years, until they had enough -
about $2,000 - to pay cash for the new building. And
so, in 1888, the residents of Williamsville completed
The Pre-
Thanksgiving
Farmers
Market
photo by Karen DiFranza
Customers were in a buying mood and some vendors sold out the frst hour.
construction on their unencumbered chapel.
The style of this charming structure is rural
Victorian: a toned-down complement to its more
ornate and gee-gawed town and city cousins. It has
a turret and, as many homes of that period, several
motifs of shingles on its wood frame. Each tall,
narrow window has two columns with 4 panes,
the top two of which are stained glass in shades of
mauve, yellow/gold and blue. In the fall, the yellow/
golds match the hues of foliage outside the chapel
windows so well, they melt your heart.
The sanctuary or main hall of the chapel has no
pews or fxed seating, allowing for a variety of
uses. Just a small stage stands at one end of the
hall devoid of religious symbols or implements.
A sermonizing minister or a foot-stomping fddler
could feel equally at home presenting their talents
from this platform. As your eyes take in the rooms
simplicity, a small serving window on one end
speaks of hot meals passed through it from a tiny
kitchen whose amenities included a wood cookstove
and dry sink. You realize that the hall was a place
of gatherings and festivity marked by the sharing
of homestyle repasts. In 1880 there were about 200
farms in Hubbardston, with 1000 cows, heifers and
steers and hundreds of sheep and swine. The chapel
kitchen cooks did not need to look far for locally
grown food.
The foyer of the building opens not only onto
the main hall and the tiny kitchen; a door on one
side opens onto a cloakroom with 50 hooks for
outerwear, refecting the intimate scale of gatherings
in this small community. Another door opens onto a
front room with windows on three sides and its own
wood stove. This room has foor-to-ceiling folding
doors which allow it to become part of the main hall
as needed. For small winter gatherings, the doors
could be closed and the woodstove fred up to heat
only the social circle that met there for spiritual or
recreational purposes. No thermostats to crank up
a billow of heat. Just the stove that gave you what
you needed, where you needed it. Someone in the
village had to cut and split and haul the wood, and
they used it as economically as possible.
When you visit the chapel today, all is as it was.
Villagers eventually added on a full-size kitchen
in 1920 to accommodate what must have been a
growing number of members and events. Because
rural areas were slow to modernize, this updated
version is much more a snapshot of the 19
th
century
than the 20
th
, with an ornate cookstove, cabinets of
wainscoating and a dry sink. Still no water on the
premises. And so it remains. Down a fight of stairs
from the new kitchen is a partial basement with a
two-seater outhouse.
As we take steps to revitalize the ancient model
of local agriculture and community, this building
that was once a part of that models infrastructure
beckons us and offers a link to some valuable
pieces of history. On that October night last fall,
members of the Hubbardston Historical Society
recognized the link and took a chance on organizing
a pre-Thanksgiving market at the chapel with only
4 weeks to prepare. There would be outreach to
area farmers and food artisans, publicity to bring
in the public and preparations within the chapel to
ready it for the event. The chimneys seemed to be
in good condition, but no one had lit a fre in them
in a long time. Having heat from a woodstove on a
late November day and the smells of mulled cider
photo by Karen DiFranza
Fall produce adorns the tables at the Williamsville Pre-Thanksgiving Farmers Market.
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brewing on it seemed like necessary elements of the
vision.
In the 21
st
century version of advertising the market,
email played an important role. By contacting the
market masters of local farmers markets, email went
out to all their vendors soliciting their participation.
No one wanted local farmers to lose money if
consumers didnt show, so the registration fee was
set at $10/vendor. The Historical Society offered 18
spots for vendors, and these flled within a week.
After three spots went to non-food vendors, the
HHS determined to save other openings for locally-
grown/prepared foods only.
With registrations in hand, advertising went out to
newspapers and to personal email addresses of local
folk. The following email reached 150 addresses,
and many of those passed it along:
Dear Friends:
Heres some information on a wonderful event
coming up on Sunday, November 18 at the
Hubbardston Historical Societys Williamsville
Chapel. Please join us for this festive occasion
and plan to do some of your Thanksgiving dinner
shopping from noon to 3PM that day. This is the
only venue for local foods from organic turnips to
home-made organic apple-onion tarts in a parsnip-
sweetened crust!

Please email this message on to local friends who
might like to attend. See you there!

*The Hubbardston Historical Society is hosting
an indoor pre-Thanksgiving Farmers Market on
Sunday, November 18, 2007 from noon to 3PM at
the historic Williamsville Chapel in Hubbardston.
The chapel, a community gathering place built in
1888, will be decorated for the season and kept
cozy with an inviting fre and hot mulled cider
on the woodstove. Vendors will be selling quality
homegrown and homemade foods for Thanksgiving
dinner, including organically grown root vegetables
and greens, herbs, grass-fed turkeys, lamb, veal
and beef, local cheeses, homemade pies, candies
and other baked goods. Growers will also offer
gourds, wreaths and seasonal decorative items. Live
music by local musicians will infuse the setting with
holiday cheer.

This is a unique opportunity to buy locally grown
foods for your Thanksgiving table and a wonderful
way to support local agriculture. We hope you will
join us for this special event. The Williamsville
Chapel is located at 4 Burnshirt Road just as you
turn off Williamsville Road in Hubbardston heading
north toward Templeton.
HHS members festooned the chapel with garlands
of bittersweet and lined window sills with dainty,
colorful gourds. The stage sported an arrangement
of pumpkins and squash, and, as promised, the
air was warmed with wood heat and spiced with
fragrant mulled cider. By noon, vendors were in
place with mouth-watering displays of baked goods,
crisp organic apples, root-cellared vegetables, meats
and local dairy treats. AND, the normally quiet road
outside was lined with cars.
The crush of buyers was shocking at frst, but
the atmosphere was unhurried and friendly. Both
vendors and consumers were patient with the crowd,
and the smiling faces of acquaintances stopping to
chat were indicators of the days good cheer. Folk
songs by a choral group from the elementary school
and other local musicians enhanced the gay festivity.
The day even turned out to be sunny enough for
some vendors to set up on the lawn, with the
afternoon sun bouncing off the chapel behind them.
In retrospect, there were two inseparable draws
to this market. One was that people seemed to be
hungry (in both a literal and fgurative sense) for the
goodness of locally grown/prepared foods for their
holiday feast. They were looking for quality and
for connection to the producers of these foods, the
kind of quality and connection you dont fnd in a
supermarket. And, no doubt, some were interested
in the sustainability of food that has not traveled
thousands of miles and in the sensible model of
keeping your money within the community when
you buy.
The second draw to this market was the venue.
The chapel does provide a link to the past when
people, of necessity, flled their social and cultural
needs close to home. When you enter the chapel,
its continuous history as a community center
undisturbed by modernization resonates palpably.
Its not a reproduction, and its not an old building
that has been moved somewhere to adorn the streets
of a living history museum. Its just where its
always been serving the community in its unadorned
simplicity.
Somehow, the attractions of local food and historic
venue wove together to produce this unusual event.
And perhaps somewhere the members of the Ladies
Union Social Circle were smiling, too, as they
witnessed the resurgence of community they once
sought to support with the creation of their charming
chapel. It was not so very long ago that they
responded to the needs of their community; some of
their descendants still reside in town. Probably they
would be pleased to know that in the 21
st
century,
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not thrown from its horse.
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by Jack Kittredge
The Finger Lakes region of New York is about as
beautiful as you can get for farm country. Gently
rolling land, dotted with family-size farms and
orchards, gradually drops down to the gleaming
lakes. Drawn by their deep, clean water, summer
tourists fock to the region.
The Finger Lakes region was always a big fruit-
growing region peaches and cherries and some
apples. The lakes moderate the climate so you dont
get as bad frosts in the spring, which kill the fowers
before pollination. You also get two or three weeks
longer for ripening in the fall. Also, in some areas
the land is steep and rocky and the soil is terrible for
anything else.
Welchs Grape Juice came in during the sixties
and convinced a lot of tree fruit growers to take
their orchards out and put in juice grapes. So a lot
of growers did that, thinking there would be this
processing plant and great market. But Welchs
never built their plant. By then, however, local
growers had gotten their feet wet in the grape
growing business.
When New York passed a law making it easier for
small grape growers to set up estate vineyards
to bottle and process and sell their own wine,
the idea took off here. The soils, climate and
experience for vineyards all existed already, and
the tourists provided a ready market. As a result,
the Finger Lakes area has experienced a boom in
local vineyards and many lakeside farms have been
converted to small wineries.
Blue Heron Farm, however, located between the two
biggest lakes, Seneca and Cayuga, is still a mixed
vegetable operation the same as it was when
owners Robin Ostfeld and Lou Johns founded it 22
years ago.
We moved here from Western Washington, near
Seattle, says Robin. Lous from there and we
were farming there, but Im an East Coaster and my
family convinced us to move closer. Also the land
prices here were a fraction of the prices out there.
That was a big convincing reason. We really liked
Running a Winter CSA
At Blue Heron Farm
Robin and Lou in the main feld on their 154 acre farm
in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
the Ithaca region and the markets there, only 20
miles away. Land prices are still very reasonable
here compared to the rest of the country. Although
the vineyards have driven up the prices. There must
be forty or ffty wineries within 20 miles of us!
The couple bought 154 acres in Lodi with three
felds and a lot of woods, and proceeded to put in all
the vegetables from A to Z, plus some fowers and
strawberries.
The soils here are not very pretty for vegetable
ground, says Lou. Theyre shallow, clayey, full
of rocks. But theyre getting better. We produce on
10 to 12 acres, plus we keep another 3 to 5 fallow,
out of production in any one year. We can do
tractor planting and tillage all right. But most of the
harvesting is by hand.
They joined the Ithaca Farmers Market and
the Finger Lakes Growers Coop, and their frst
year went all the way to New York City, to the
Greenmarket, to sell their produce.
We stopped that, says Lou. And we left the
Finger Lakes Growers after ten years. We sold to
Wegmans for a while, but didnt like dealing with
conventional grocery stores. Theres a huge turnover
in the staff, theres a huge bureaucracy. Every item
of yours has to be in their system. Recently some
chains are getting the local food idea and managers
are being told to look for local produce and make it
happen. But for us they were impossible to deal with
in the past. We prefer to sell as locally as we can.
Now we do all our own sales, adds Robin. We
have a few local restaurants, about half our crop
we sell at the farmers market in Ithaca, we have a
winter CSA, we sell to the local food coop, and to
select customers in New York City. We tried running
a local CSA out here, but there just wasnt much
interest.
In the winter, she continues, we primarily
market through our winter CSA, but we still supply
the food coops and keep selling to the restaurants
that are open. Our restaurants are medium to high
priced places and they like to work with root crops
during the winter because of the locavore movement
and the benefts of supporting local farms.
Blue Heron Farm is certifed organic and has 5 full
time and about 4 part time employees, besides the
owners. Thats from June through November. In
the winter it is just Robin and Lou. The hired labor
supply is irregular and the farm advertises in a
number of venues. Some of the workers are family,
some friends, some local people.
Lou and Robin have one child -- a daughter who is
23. She wants to be a doctor and is at Bennington
College in Vermont taking a lot of science courses
in a program called post baccalaureate pre med
and seems to be enjoying it.
One of the most interesting aspects of Blue Heron
Farm is their highly successful 110 member
winter CSA. It involves 6 pick-ups from January
through March (the months the Ithaca Farmers
Market is not open) and consists primarily of root
crops and winter squash, but also some stored
greens as well as fresh kale and spinach. Perhaps
the couple describe it best on their website www.
blueheronorganic.com:
The long cold winters in our region make vegetable
farming economically challenging. To address this
problem, we decided many years ago to grow crops
suitable for storage and to develop facilities to keep
them as fresh as possible all winter long. In 2006,
we built a passive solar greenhouse and grew a
successful crop of winter kale. Were confdent that
we can supply each share at least 2 installments of
fresh greens during the winter.
Every 2 weeks in January, February & March you
will pick up a box of mixed vegetables. In the
Ithaca area we will deliver every other Saturday and
Tuesday afternoon to the Greenstar Coop parking
lot. A pickup in Watkins Glen is also available, call
for details. The location and dates will be confrmed
in a December mailing.
We want to make it as easy as possible for you to
get your produce. You can choose to pick up either
on Saturdays or Tuesdays. If, on occasion, you
cant pick up on your regular day, we will hold your
produce until the next delivery. If you dont pick up
the second time, the food will be donated.
Youll always fnd at least 6 different items. Potatoes
and carrots will be included every time. Beets,
Brussels sprouts, cabbage, celeriac, garlic, leeks,
photo by James Cornwell
Lou retroftted this from a horsedrawn to a tractor-mounted potato digger, which works fne.
The farm crew unloads cabbage from the feld into the storage bin in the cooled room.
onions, parsnips, radishes, rutabagas, winter squash,
shallots, and turnips will make an appearance once
or twice, and maybe more. Kale, spinach, or another
delicious leafy green will be available at least twice,
and possibly more, depending on the weather.
Recipes are included every time.
We have a limited number of shares to sell, so sign
up early to avoid disappointment.
Cost for a full share, a total of 6 boxes, is $150.00
(2008). A full share will contain 15-16 lbs. of
produce (90-96 lbs. total).
Half shares are $80.00 (2008). Half shares will have
7- 8 lbs. each time (42-48 lbs. total).
Since initially getting involved with the Finger
Lakes Marketing Coop, Lou and Robin were
growing winter storage crops. But so was everyone
else, so prices were low and the markets saturated.
They fgured there had to be a better way.
We spend all this time developing markets, sighs
Lou, and then at the end of the year we didnt
want to shut it all down. And we didnt want to
go without winter income. Its a major part of our
planning. In the fall every other grower has produce
and the market is fooded. But come late November
the demand goes up and by January you can sell an
awful lot.
So in 1997 we started a winter CSA, adds Robin.
At that point Id never heard of a winter CSA. But
it was surprising how many people were interested.
Last year the CSA was about two-thirds of our
winter income, and the rest was wholesale sales. We
sell more in January than we do in October.
One of the nice things about winter selling, she
continues, is keeping in touch with our customers.
The whole idea behind it was that one fall the
farmers market was closing and all our customers
were asking us how they could get our produce
during the winter. They really looked forward to
getting our produce and were going to miss it and
their connection to the farm. Winter is such a time
of shutting in and losing your connections. That has
been one of the nice things about a winter CSA. It
is nice to have structure for our days in the winter,
too. We average 2 to 3 days a week of 5 hours each
during the winter. It was stressful to not have any
money coming in all winter, so it helps to have an
income.
The Internet is a really big help for people not
knowing what to do with something. I dont know
how many millions of recipes are up there! You can
search for anything! We dont do a newsletter, but
do enclose a list of what is in the order so people
can check it and know what something is they dont
recognize. Were also going to do a blog on our
website.
Important to the CSAs success is the farms
cooperation with Greenstar in Ithaca.
Theyre pretty cooperative with us, says Lou.
They let us use their entryway for distribution. Of
course it brings customers to the coop and theyll
shop for other stuff once they are there. They also
save half-bushel waxed boxes for us, which we use
for packing peoples shares. The boxes are reusable
many times, but theyre not recyclable so most
of them get thrown out. Think of the millions of
single-use waxed boxes that go into landflls in this
country. Theres no system for them to get back to
California.
Blue Heron has also formed a linkage with Liz
Henderson at Peacework Organic Farm, about
50 miles away. Peacework members make a bulk
purchase of 50 Blue Heron winter shares. They do
the entire breakdown, the bookkeeping, and send a
check for the 50 shares in a lump sum. Robin and
Lou ship the food to them every two weeks through
a distributor 10 miles away who is going to the
Rochester food coop. Peacework and Ithaca get
deliveries on alternate weeks.
Comparing the labor involved in servicing
Peacework and Ithaca members, Robin and Lou are
very conscious of the work involved in breaking
down the produce into individual orders and are
trying to get the Ithaca shareholders to do that.
Weve been boxing things into individual CSA
orders here at the farm and driving them down to
Ithaca, says Robin. But it takes a good bit of time.
There are 30 boxes for the shares, and then 30 bags
for the half shares. Then you have to weigh out
your carrots and potatoes Wed like to start having
shareholders break down their own shares there.
We need to fnd a good place to do it. It would be
too messy and obtrusive at the coop. We need to
fnd a heated garage, or weve thought about doing
Robin brings in an especially productive Brussels sprouts plant.
Garlic dries in the peak of the barn attic for several months until it is stored.
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it in the truck, if we could get light and heat and a
way for people to step up into it. Like the Peoples
Grocery!
The key to making the winter CSA work is planting,
harvesting, and storing the right crops at the right
time.
We store everything we can, says Robin, all the
different root vegetables: Brussels sprouts, leeks,
cabbage, onions, garlic, winter squash. Were able
to keep those in pretty good shape usually through
the end of April. Some things we move faster than
others, and some of the hardier root vegetables we
continue to sell at the farmers market in April and
into May. Then we have a passive solar greenhouse
where we have kale that keeps growing through the
winter, and spinach that we plant so we can have
early spinach in March. Kale and spinach are the
only things we actually grow in the winter. And that
is of limited quantity and pretty much just for our
CSA.
The greenhouses are double skinned, she
continues. We start planting kale in August in the
feld, dig it up in November and replant it in the
greenhouses. The plants continue to grow during the
winter, and then make a nice crop of forets out of
the leaf nodes. We call it Kale raab. We give it to the
CSA in March and have it at the farmers market in
April.. We get a lot of pickings.
A winter CSA puts a big demand on your planting
schedules for midsummer and late summer. More
so than if you are just growing for the fresh market.
A lot of ground is tied up in carrots and beets and
turnips that arent going to fresh market sales. And
there is a lot of greenhouse seed starting that you
just wouldnt otherwise be doing.
It starts with the parsnips that you plant in April,
recites Lou. Then there are the onions, celeriac
those are all started early. In July we plant beets
and carrots and rutabagas. After these cucumbers
come out of this house well put kale in there. You
are forever planning your plantings.
Lou and Robin put a lot of energy into proper
storage facilities for the different crops they wanted
to provide during the winter. They had an old 1880s
barn with horse stalls and a loft for hay storage.
They put cement foors in the existing stalls, rodent-
proofed them with wire mesh all along the walls,
sprayed foam on the walls for insulation, and put in
cooling units.
Often in the early to mid fall it is quite warm, says
Robin, and you cant rely on natural cooling. With
these units we can refrigerate everything down to 35
degrees. They are like walk-in coolers but they are
extremely effcient because of the spray foam. In the
winter we dont normally cool, just circulate the air.
But in the fall we can bring the temperature down
quickly. We put water on the cement foors to keep
the humidity up.
Then we have a different room for onions and
garlic, she continues, and a different room for
squash. They have the same insulation, cement
foors and rodent proofng, but are not refrigerated.
Each has a small heater connected to a thermostat
that can maintain the room temperatures at 40 and
50 degrees F respectively. We cure winter squash
frst in the greenhouse. We keep it at about 70
degrees for a couple of weeks and it will continue to
ripen there. We fnd we get better long-term storage
that way. We dont manage the humidity in the
onions and garlic or squash stalls. They just get the
ambient humidity which is fairly low in the fall
and winter.
Brussels sprouts we cut as late as possible, usually
right before Thanksgiving, and line boxes with
garbage bags. Once they are flled we close the bags
and put the boxes in the cooler with the root crops.
Theyll keep at least until January. We used to just
put them in boxes unbagged, but they dried out. The
garbage bags seem to retain moisture.
In the cooler stalls we keep the root crops
rutabagas, parsnips, turnips, celeriac, potatoes,
radishes, beets and carrots -- plus Brussels sprouts,
and leeks. Each of the two cooler rooms is about
12 by 22 feet. Polystyrene lines the ceiling and we
have drains in the foor for water when we wash
the facility down. We keep cabbage loose in a bin
in the cooler stalls. We trim it right before we sell
it. If we didnt have this bin we would have had to
box all our cabbage in the feld. Everything except
the cabbage is in waxed boxes, stacked on pallets,
with the feld dirt right on them. We wash them
Robin shows the empty horse barn she and Lou converted to a walk-in cooler to store root crops and
cabbage for winter markets.
just before we distribute them. We fnd that a fne
coating of our soil keeps them from drying out.
Were doing hundreds of bushels of root crops and
boxes are the easiest way to pack them.
For carrots both because of their soils and the
actual shape of the carrot they grow the Chatennay
variety. Theyre shorter and blockier and dont
lose moisture or dry out, so they tend to be the best
storage carrots. In addition, their favor improves
with age. Lou and Robin break the tops off so no
greens are on them. Beets get trimmed with a knife
but they leave a little of the stem. They prefer beet
varieties that have a high sugar content such as Red
Ace, for which organic seed is widely available.
Garlic is stored upstairs in the hayloft. It is tied in
bundles in the feld and then hung from cables in
the hayloft until the weather gets close to freezing.
Between the end of harvest in August and storing it
in an insulated stall in late December for the CSA, a
lot is sold fresh.
Lou feels that storage conditions are crucial to
maintaining a healthy and attractive product for 3 or
4 months.
We try to hold our coolers at 36 degrees, he says.
If you are at 40 degrees your storage time is really
cut down. You need to work with someone who
fully understands cooling and refrigeration. In high
humidity refrigeration like this the temperature of
the coil is set to be not many degrees colder than
the room so you dont get a lot of condensation
freezing on your coils. That keeps a lot of the
humidity in the room. If you look at the inside of
an air conditioner, that coil is really cold so room
air passing over it drops moisture that freezes on
it. In that case the cooling cycles on and off so the
coil can unfreeze and let the water run off. Here, the
amount of coils in the room are sized with enough
to not require them to run much colder, but to let
them cool the room by being only a little colder than
the air.
Lou and Robin thought about doing a root cellar
instead of coolers, but the cost would have been
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This is winter squash curing in the greenhouse before storing it for the winter.
much more than retroftting the barn and wouldnt
have enabled them to bring the temperature down
close to freezing in the early fall. As they were able
to afford more improvements in later years, they
went back and sprayed an extra layer of foam on top
of the frst.
When the winter squash storage stall is not in use
they use the room to warm up seed potatoes to
green sprout them. They keep bags in the dark
there for ten days to two weeks at about 75 degrees.
What that does is initiate all the eyes to bud out. If
you dont do that, normally what you will get is a
bull sprout on the one end that will start growing
vigorously. It produces a hormone that suppresses
all the other eyes. After you get them all sprouted,
you cut your potatoes and expose them to light in
shallow trays and the sprouts green up and start
growing. Then you put them out in the feld. What
you get is about two weeks quicker growth. They
emerge much quicker in the feld, get a jump on
diseases and pests and give you an earlier harvest.
Of course storage adds value to the crops, and
Lou and Robin make sure that they recover their
investment by selling the root vegetables at a price
that covers the cost of storage. In January, for
instance, they get $1 a pound wholesale for potatoes
-- whereas in October they usually cant get more
than 70.
But the volume is the real difference, stresses
Robin. I cant sell that many in October because
everyone else has them. But in January Ill sell a ton
of them! Besides the competition being less, people
are eating more potatoes and root vegetables in the
winter.
I asked Robin and Lou what the pluses and minuses
of running a winter CSA are.
Around here in the summer there is a huge amount
of production, sighs Robin. There are a lot of
farmers with the same perishable items. We found
there was a lot of security in having crops that
didnt have to be sold that had a huge window
of freshness. Its a much more relaxed way of
marketing. The root vegetables just keep getting
sweeter and sweeter! Plus it spreads out our labor.
It we were trying to do it all in the fall wed have to
hire more people.
And we cant drop that much stuff on our markets
all at once anyway, says Lou. If we spread it out
they can take it in smaller deliveries all winter.
But on the minus side the infrastructure costs are
signifcant. We did it all piecemeal -- its used,
cobbled together, and in an old barn. But still, even
though it was parsed out over 15 years, our overall
investment is large. We dont like to be using the
energy to run the coolers and heaters, even though
the costs seem pretty minor. When we shut the
system off in March its insignifcant on the electric
bill.
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The cabbage is loaded into a separate bin in the root crop cooler room.
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ed varieties for your winter and earliest spring sales!
Plan ahead now to include overwintering and cool
weather crops in your 2009 season lineup!
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Harvesting kale rapini 4/22/08 Kale rapini 4/22/08 Bejo leeks overwintering in feld Harvested leeks 4/22/08
Overwintering can bring early market income, with most of
the labor and maintenance done the previous season. Just
harvest, clean and sell! Try overwintering Bejo Winterbor
kale and Bandit Leek next season. Mulch Nectar carrots in
the feld and continue to harvest into the winter. Call your
local Bejo dealer or 315-789-4155 for more information.
One minus of this system, adds Robin, is you
dont get enough time off each year before you start
up again. And its often not pleasant to harvest all
that stuff in November.

As for the future, the couple plan to increase the
CSA share cost a little in 2009. For the frst time last
winter there was another CSA in the area, but Robin
and Lou feel fne about that because they dont want
to expand to meet demand.
If we opened it up we could more than double
our 110 members, says Robin. But we dont
want to work that hard! We like to not hire help all
winter. Its not a pleasant time of year to be washing
vegetables, hauling stuff through the snow.
Were pretty much maxed out as much as we
want, says Lou. No expansion!
Washed potatoes spill out onto the sorting
table from the washing machine.
Early on a Fall morning the van is loaded for market.
by Harvey Ussery
Soil Care
You should be as concerned about improving soil
quality in the greenhouse as in the garden. I grow a
cover crop of cowpeas in the off season to improve
the soil. Another possibility is the growing of forage
cropsgrain grasses, mixed crucifers, peas, etc.
as cut-and-come-again green fodder for poultry or
other livestock in the winter. The biomass of the
root systems of some of these plants, especially
rye, is quite large. If you rotate your forage plots
over the greenhouse beds, their soil will over time
increase in tilth, fertility, and humus as the spent
root systems decompose.
Use of compost is of course always a good idea,
especially for its boost to the microbial populations
in the soil. As in garden growing, mulches help
moderate the temperature in the soil, conserve soil
moisture, and decompose over time, increasing soil
tilth and fertility.
(Do note, though, that use of heavy mulches could
encourage slugs, since there are apt to be inside
the greenhouse fewer natural controls on their
population than in the garden.)
One caution regarding soil care in the greenhouse: It
is important to avoid over-fertilizing with nitrogen.
Green leafy crops can sometimes accumulate
unhealthy levels of nitrates, especially in the low
light conditions of the winter greenhouse. I never
add nitrogen fertilizers in the greenhouse. Composts
are a good source of fertility, though it is better to
use plant-based rather than manure-based (higher in
nitrogen) composts. I am even concerned about the
nitrogen fxed by the summer cowpea cover crop,
and plan to follow it with a quick mixed grain cover
to sop up some of the nitrogen before the fall
greenhouse planting season comes in.
The Moderated Winter
A homestead greenhouse can add tremendously to
sustainable food production. However, adding huge
amounts of artifcial heat in order to grow tomatoes
in January or cucumbers in March is anything but
sustainable. Hence, I strongly recommend relying
on the protection from winters extremes provided
by the structure itself, and on naturally cold-hardy
plants, in order to bring in your winter crops. Lets
look at each of those points in turn.
Most new greenhouse owners are surprised to learn
that a plastic-skinned greenhouse gets quite cold at
nightin fact, the air temperature will often be only
a few degrees above ambient temperature outside.
Upon refection, this is not really so surprising: The
translucent skin that acts as a portal for the radiant
heat of the sun during the day is also no barrier
to the radiation of stored heat out of the structure
into the cosmos at night. How is it, then, that the
greenhouse is so effective at keeping plants alive,
even when winter is turning the ground to iron
outside?
You could think of the soil inside the greenhouse
as a rechargeable battery. During the day, it charges
from the heat energy of the incoming sunlight. At
night, it loses that stored energy at a prodigious rate,
true, but it has a huge amount of heat it can lose
before the soil starts to freeze.
The other way in which the structure protects its
sheltered plants is by moderating the extremes
of winter. Plants which are adapted to low
temperatures will still be badly stressed if the
temperature plummets from a high of 40 F in the
late afternoon to 18 by dark; or if sharp winds join
in on the abuse (wind chill isnt just a problem
for us humans); or if they get rained on in low
temperatures. The greenhouse acts to slow the
abrupt temperature changes, and to keep wind and
cold rains at bay.
Remember, however, that the moderating infuence
of the greenhouse is effective only when we
are growing naturally cold hardy plants. I have
harvested lettuces, completely exposed in the
garden, in mid-December in a fairly benign winter.
Spinach will often survive a cold winter in the
garden, and rejuvenate when encouraged by the sun
come spring (here in Zone 6b). You might say that
we are using the greenhouse to imitate for naturally
cold hardy plants like these an unusually mild
winternot to teleport them to somewhere in the
tropics.
Two factors make possible the survival of cold
hardy plants through freezing temperatures. I
referred above to the way the growing beds store
solar heat during the day, and can lose that heat
profigately before the ground starts to freeze. But
by the point that the ground does start to freeze,
its morning, and the cycle begins anew. Ive gone
into my greenhouse many a morning after a 10
night to fnd only a quarter of an inch of frost on the
surface of the growing beds. That quarter inch is no
problemas long as there is no freezing deep into
the root zone, the plants are not unduly stressed.
Growing in the Winter Greenhouse
photo by Harvey Ussery
Harvey grows as many cover crops in his greenhouse as possible, both to improve the
soil and as green fodder for his poultry. Note the uses to which he puts his greenhouse in
addition to growing winter greenery: He keeps a fock of poultry (chickens, ducks, and geese)
in one end of the greenhouse over winter; gets an early start on warm-season crops like
tomatoes; and runs an extensive vermicomposting operation in pits dug into the center of
the greenhouse (under the heavy bin lids you see in the picture). The bins are dug 16 inches
into the earth down the center of the greenhouse. The plywood lids (3/4 inch on 2x4 framing)
cover the bins and provide access down the center. Harveys original idea was that he needed
access down the center anyway, so he wouldnt lose a signifcant amount of growing space if
he dug them into the earth and put down bin lids heavy enough to support any load, e.g. a
loaded wheelbarrow.
Lettuces--in an incredible array of sizes, colors, shapes, and textures--are worth growing
for their beauty alone. They like cool temperatures, rich soil, and a steady supply of soil
moisture to make sweet, tender salads.
The other factor is a neat little trick the plants have
learned, but which is apt to be unsettling the frst
time the gardener sees it. When the air temperature
gets below freezing, certain plants such as lettuce
have learned how to move water out of their cells
into the intercellular spaces, to prevent rupture of
the cell walls when the water crystallizes (freezes).
In this state, the leaves become limp. When the
gardener comes into the greenhouse after a deep-
cold night, the sight of drooping lettuces seems
to indicate a disastrous end of the winter growing
effort. After half an hour of sunlight, however, the
plants cells rehydrate, and they perk up as bright
and pretty as they were before their descent into the
chill.
The Mirror Season
Experienced gardeners may have some diffculty
adjusting to the paradoxes of winter gardening.
Unlike in spring, when the season is gloriously
opening out into greater warmth and longer days,
in the fall it is shutting down into a time of ever-
greater darkness and deeper chill. The implications
for growing are tricky, and take some getting
used to. This reversal in the general trend of the
season is perhaps the biggest adjustment the winter
gardener has to make. We have to re-learn many of
our assumptions, particularly about scheduling our
crops. Do remember that the biggest challenge is
apt to be the reduced photoperiod, rather than the
low temperatures (assuming we make appropriate
choices of cold hardy crops).
The bad news: During the darkest time of winter,
there is insuffcient solar energy to support vigorous
growth. If we have started our plants too late to
make most of their growth before the short days,
they will indeed survive the cold temperatures,
but instead of growing actively will sit and sulk,
awaiting sunnier days.
The good news: On the other hand, if we get the
timing right to produce, say, a mature head of
lettuce by the dark days, the window of opportunity
for harvest expands enormously. That perfect head
of lettuce that would demand use it or lose it
within a matter of days in June, will sit contentedly
in prime condition, awaiting your pleasure, for two
or even three months in the middle of winter.
One implication of the dormancy at the heart of the
winter harvest season: When you start your crops
in the late summer or early fall, start far more than
you think you will need. As you make your earliest
harvests, you will not be able to start new crops, but
if you have plenty in the bank at that point you
can continue making generous harvests until longer
days make possible some late-winter crops.
Watering
It is best to water deeply from time to time (in
lieu of frequent shallow waterings). Water in the
morning, as soon as the frost is off the leaves, to
give the plants time to dry before descending into
nighttime cold again. Avoid over-watering, which
makes plants sappy, less able to stand the cold
and other stresses (and less favorful and nutritious
as well). Test the soil with your fnger: As long as
you feel good moisture half an inch or so deep, it is
better not to water.
Ventilation
It is important to appreciate how hot a closed
greenhouse can get on a sunny day, even if the
temperature outside is quite cold. Do not stress your
plants by leaving the doors to the greenhouse closed
when it is sunny. I typically shut up my two large
doors (one at either end) at night, then open them
wide during the day. If the day is unusually cold,
blustery, and cloudy, I will prop the doors partially
open. However, I always ensure there is some air
movement through the greenhouse during the day.
Incidentally, I found that open doors at either end
of the structure provide suffcient ventilation during
the winterexhaust fans were superfuous. I know
growers with 20 x 96-ft greenhouses who report
that ventilation is adequate using open doors alone.
Remember that as the air in the greenhouse heats in
the sunlight, it will rise and exit the structure, and
more air will be drawn in from outside, providing
constant natural air exchange.
Insects
My approach to leaf-eating insects in the
greenhouse is, as in the gardens and orchard outside,
not so much about control as about balance. Hence
I encourage all the fowering plants I can inside the
greenhouse. I planted yarrow throughout the beds a
couple of years ago, and it blooms late into the fall
and early in the spring. Perhaps it is the fowering
yarrow that encourages the obvious increase in lady
beetle populationin any case, I now have far less
trouble with aphids in the late-winter, early-spring
greenhouse. I also allow unharvested chicories,
crucifers, and onions (grown from bulbs discarded
in the kitchen because of sprouting) to fower and
boost insect populations.
My impression is that the insect season gets an early
start in the warmth of the spring greenhouse, then
the lady beetles and their comrades migrate out into
the garden as it starts to bloom, boosting earlier
insect diversity there.
And speaking of insects: Be aware that a greenhouse
provides good habitat for black widow (and of
course other) spiders. It is important not to leave
stacks of emptied plant pots and cell-packs lying
aboutthe dark space between such cast-offs and
the ground is just where our lady of the shadows
likes to set up, weaving her scraggly web, making
a yellowish cocoon for her eggs, and awaiting
prey. In my greenhouse, the undersides of the
vermicomposting bin lids are also prime real estate.
Though feared for her venomous bite, the black
widow is shy and unaggressive. Just respect her
need for privacy and watch where you put your
fngers. Sooner or later youll likely see her. Tell her
I said hello.
Text and photos copyright 2008 by Harvey Ussery
Harvey Ussery and his wife Ellen live on 2-1/2
acres near the Blue Ridge in northern Virginia,
where they produce much of their own food, and
offer their homestead as model and inspiration to
others aspiring to the homesteading life. Harvey is a
regular contributor to Backyard Poultry and Mother
Earth News. Countryside & Small Stock Journal
is currently publishing in several installments
his The Integrated Homestead, based on his
presentation at the 2007 conference of the Weston
A. Price Foundation. Visit his website at www.
themodernhomestead.us
Chard (or Swiss chard) is botanically simply another beet (Beta vulgaris), but one bred
for its beautiful tops which make a nice mess of greens, instead of a bulbous root. Note
also the lacy foliage of yarrow on the left. Numerous patches of yarrow throughout Harveys
greenhouse seem to have boosted the lady beetle population and greatly reduced aphid
opportunists in the late winter, early spring.
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by Paul and Sandy Arnold
Pleasant Valley Farm is located in a valley in a rural
town 25 miles northeast of Saratoga Springs, New
York. We have been operating it as an organic fruit
and vegetable farm since 1988. We have 2 children,
Robert (age 15) and Kimberly (age 12) who are
homeschooled and help on the farm. We own 60
acres and rent our neighbors 120 acre farm, both
of which have somewhat limited tillable soil for
good vegetable production. We use a total of 6
acres for vegetable production, 1/2 acre for large
fruits and acre for small fruits, and keep another 4
acres in cover crops for rotation. We grow a diverse
selection of more than 40 types of vegetables and
fruits with organic methods for retail sales at three
area summer farmers markets and two winter
farmers markets.
We had outgrown our original 17 x 24 hoop-style
greenhouse and started building our new 30 x 48
gutter connect, polycarbonate greenhouse in the
fall of 2002. The greenhouse was manufactured
by Rimol Greenhouse Company to include all the
details we wanted, including an automatic ridge,
automatic roll-up sides, and rolling benches. In
2004, we installed radiant foor heat and grew on
the ground for several years. Then, starting in 2005,
rolling benches were added over a two year period.
The rolling benches were equipped with Radiant
Root heat mats that give uniform heat through a
series of narrow (3/16) tubes spaced apart
that carry the 100 degree water through them. The
mats are made of very sturdy black PVC that we
felt would last our lifetime. Flats and pots are set
directly on the mats and through a series of valves,
we can have a different temperature on each of our
14 benches. The rolling benches allow effcient use
of the greenhouse, by having only one 2 foot aisle
on each side of the greenhouse.
The heater for the greenhouse consists of a Takagi
instant-on variable fame propane-fred unit with a
range of 30,000 to 175,000 BTUs. The boiler is
set up with 5 heating zones, two for the greenhouse
foor, 2 for the benches (one on each side) and
one for the small barn attached to the greenhouse,
which is used as a potting shed and a winter
washing station. Each zone has its own high-volume
circulator. The system also has a heat-exchanger
which produces warm water. The warm water,
which is used to water the seedlings, is benefcial
for enhanced growth and for saving energy.
Before late fall production of greens tapers off, we
begin preparation for production of greens in the
greenhouse on the heated benches. Our frst winter
production was trialed with seedings in February
2006. 1020 plastic trays were flled with Vermont
compost potting mix (regular mix) and we seeded
5 varieties of lettuce and 3 Asian greens (tatsoi,
mizuna, and mustard), which were used for mesclun
production. The trays were seeded weekly and the
mesclun was sold for $10 per pound in March and
April. By May 1
st
, our tunnel greens are ready, and
the greenhouse production ceases to allow us to
raise all our transplants for the farm.
In January 2007, we started production of the
mesclun in trays and added arugula as another
product to add diversity to our table at the markets.
We switched to using 13x17 trays that are 3 high,
which ft perfectly on the 6 foot by 13 foot benches,
and we also started mixing our own soil, giving us
very uniform, healthy growth and saved us money.
In 2007, the arugula was continued weekly for the
entire year and the production was a great success.
On November 1
st
of 2007, we started seeding
mesclun in hopes of having greens for the markets
when the outside fall production waned.
Early winter production seedings (greens for
December & January) consist of 4 lettuces: black-
seeded simpson, red sails, red salad bowl, and
plato II Romaine and 4 Asian Greens: red mustard,
ruby-streaks mustard, kyona mizuna, and tatsoi.
Seven shallow rows are indented per each tray and
we shoot to have 25 seeds per each row, utilizing
a Gro-More vibrating hand-seeder (about tsp of
seed per tray). We plant 6 trays of each variety for
a total of 48 trays per week for mesclun, and also
plant 12 trays of arugula each week. The air bench
thermostats are kept at 40 degrees, which gives the
soil a temperature of between 50-60 degrees. Single
or double P-19 rowcovers are kept over the benches
on cold nights and on cold, cloudy days. They
are removed during warm temperatures and sunny
days. The HAF fans are run almost continually to
control dampness, keep rowcovers dry, and prevent
diseases.
The greens are harvested with a Johnnys produce
knife into 5 gallon buckets, spread across our
washing table bench, misted, tossed, and bagged
into vented clear plastic bags with pound per bag.
These are sold for $4 per bag ($16 per pound) at
our 2 weekly farmers markets. We can get 2 or 3
cuttings off each tray, then the soil is recycled and
amended to utilize for potting up large perennials.
Arugula is harvested similarly, however we put only
1/8 pound per bag and sell it for $2.50.
We are trialing many new greens and are continually
learning more each year since our growing system is
unique. Some of the new seedings consist of yukina
savoy, green wave mustard, black summer pac choi,
mei qing choi, fuyu shomi pac choi, bulls blood
beets, yellow swiss chard, and also a new lettuce
mix from Johnnys seeds that has varieties specifc
for winter growing, giving more color and cold-
weather vigor. In summary, after our limited years
of trialing this system, we have had our ups and
downs of success, but look to perfect it since we feel
it can be a lucrative venture. The radiant heat gives
us the advantage of reduced fuel usage. The demand
for greens is very high and increasing all the
time, especially in the winter months. As we gain
knowledge on winter growing, we will continue to
strive to meet this demand.
Cold Weather Greens Production
on Radiant-Heated Benches
photo courtesy Pleasant Valley Farm
Winter mesclun grows on radiantly heated benches.
photo courtesy Pleasant Valley Farm
Mesclun on the heated benches and under row cover stays at 65 degrees even though the air
in the greenhouse is below freezing.
by Seth Jacobs
We have been farming in Washington County New
York since 1983. The most recent turn our business
has taken is towards growing greens in the winter.
This winter we will have just over 10,000 sq feet of
growing area under cover, in three high tunnels. .
Two of those tunnels have a ground heating system.
We will grow baby spinach, a mild and spicy
mesclun, baby bok choi, and arugula. Our goal is
to generate nearly half our income from November
to May. The story of how we got to this point on
our farm is about markets primarily, and about our
preferences and skills as growers.
For years we farmed as many market growers in
New England have done- growing and selling
enough on 10-15 acres in the 5 months from June
through October to generate an income to cover
the entire year. We have marketed in several ways,
including CSA, bulk storage vegetable sales in the
fall, retail at markets, and wholesale. For the last
10 years we have settled on a mix direct retail at
farmers markets and wholesale to a medium sized
natural food store in Albany, NY. To stay proftable
at our scale of production we have found we need to
keep wholesale marketing down to about 1/3 of total
sales.
While our climate and soils certainly allow for the
creation of enough value in the fve month growing
Farming
Winter
Greens
season, this style of growing makes for a very
busy growing season, with a labor force that must
fuctuate a lot over the year, and income that when
plotted over the year looks like a classic extreme
bell curve. It also creates a basic disharmony in our
lives at this point. We are now raising two young
children, and during their summer break we are too
busy to spend much time with them.
About fve or six years ago our Farmers Market
in Troy, NY, decided to try a year round market.
An urban renewal project from the early 1970s
provided us with an excellent venue- the Atrium in
downtown Troy is a large, naturally lit indoor space
with covered parking, lots of space, surrounded by
other retail stores, coffee shops, and a post offce.
Our strategy for this frst winter market went
something like this: We had some experience with
season extension under row covers, and we had
built our frst high tunnel which was a Ledgewood
model, 21 X120. This was a simple structure, no
heat, single layer poly, and manual roll up sides.
We built this tunnel for tomato production, and had
had success with that crop because it gave us a one
month jump on the season, and eliminated the blight
problem. We also much preferred the permanent
overhead support provided by the structure of the
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photo by Seth Jacobs
This is some of the more than 10,000 square feet of high tunnel space Seth has
under cover to grow greens for winter sales.
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house- we fnd it makes supporting the tomato
plants much simpler. We also used this house for
early greens production in the spring, and squeezed
in some crops, basil and greens, in between the
tomatoes before they grew too large. For this frst
winter market we planted this house to spinach. We
also planned to bring storage crops such as carrots,
beets, onions, potatoes, butternut squash, and
shallots.
The spinach production has gone something
like this: We fertilize with heavy applications of
compost. We fll the house in two plantings, the
dates we use at our latitude are just before and just
after the 1
st
of October- say Sept 25
th
and October
5
th
. We plant close and densely, using resistant
varieties is important. The frst planting is ready by
the middle of November, and the spinach continues
to grow until late December. The second planting
is ready by mid December, and is stockpiled fully
grown for harvesting during the part of winter when
there is no growth in this unheated house. Growth
restarts in February- early or late depending on the
severity of the winter. The amazing thing about
spinach is that it seems able withstand any low
temperature. This unheated house obviously gets
quite cold at night, thought the ground never freezes
more than and inch or two down. When frozen
the spinach cannot be harvested, but once it thaws
is looks great. During a cold (or cloudy and cold)
spell we will use row covers to keep it from freezing
ahead of that weeks harvest. We have been able
to cut this spinach once or twice again in February
and March. Often some of this spring crop is
wholesaled, as growth rates at that time exceed the
capacity of our retail markets. The total yields have
been very impressive from this low input, unheated
house.
The availability of fresh spinach at our frst winter
market was very well received by our customers,
That frst year the market quickly grew to the point
where we could sell more spinach than at a busy
summer market, which makes sense given that we
were the only game in town in the fresh local greens
department. For the next few years we perfected
this spinach production method, and grew and
stored enough root crops and squash to supply this
ever-growing market. We saw that the economics
of the spinach in this low input system were quite
good.
The Next Step
As the Market grew demand exceeded supply, so
we built another high tunnel, this one a larger Rimol
brand, 30 X 120, with automatic roll up sides,
also unheated. That frst year in this house we also
planted some of our mesclun and arugula in the fall,
and with the use of row covers kept production up
until mid December. What happened next is when
things really got interesting for us. Some of the
row cover was left on the ground where it had last
been put when the arugula was uncovered the last
time in the fall. When we lifted this in the spring,
there was a long row of Arugula that had survived
the winter under multiple layers of row cover. It
was at this point that we realized that perhaps with
a small amount of additional heat, just enough to
keep the ground from freezing, we might expand
our production of winter greens. There is not much
new under the sun in agriculture, its all been done
before, but this is when it occurred to us that a
small amount of additional heat might work for our
situation.
That spring we dug up the ground in the new house,
and installed a ground heating system using basic
radiant foor materials, and oil-fred hot water. We
buried the pex tubing underground at 1 intervals
16-18 inches under, deep enough so that tractor
tillage was still an option. The next winter we
planted a variety of winter greens- but not lettuce.
We used wire hoops and 3 layers of row covers to
cover the whole house at night. We maintained a
soil temperature of 47 degrees 6 inches under the
surface, and found that under the row covers at night
the temperature never dropped below 27 degrees.
We burned 400 gallons of oil, 90% of it between
November 15
th
and February 1
st
. We have found
that by February, no matter how cold the nighttime
temperatures, if the weather is sunny there is enough
solar gain during the day (5 degrees of soil temp
rise) that no additional heat is necessary.
The next two years we worked on our growing
techniques for all these new (to us) winter crops.
Many of the mix ingredients are the same as
in the warm season, with a few changes made
to accommodate the different light levels and
temperatures. The planting schedule is critical for
continuous production. Succession planting begins
the frst of October, and proceeds weekly, as we
work our way into November, seedings become
more frequent, and by mid-November plantings
are every three days. Unlike in the spring, when
plantings need to be stretched out for continuous
harvest, at this time of year 3 days apart in the
seeding schedule can translate into 3 week intervals
in the harvest. Most crops are harvested 2-3 times
before renewing the beds with new seedings later
in the winter. Productivity really jumps in the
late winter and early spring, when light levels,
temperature, and day length are up. In February
and March, production is way up, and in late
March, April, and early May, which are usually
considered the lean times for local food around here,
the production from these established, well rooted
crops, many of which were planted in January and
February, is off the charts, and in addition to all the
mixes our market table is full of lots of large greens,
which have grown too large for mixes, and are sold
on their own- things like chard and kale.
Regarding spinach: As mentioned, spinach
production from the unheated house was very good,
but when we planted spinach in the heated house the
results were even more impressive. In March and
April spinach planted in January can be cut every
other week, with high very quality and quantity.
Final Notes
Needless to say, the addition of a wider variety
of fresh greens in midwinter was met with great
enthusiasm by our customers at market. We can sell
2-3 times as many greens at a winter market vs. a
summer market. Prices are slightly higher then as
well. Demand has again exceeded our supply, so
we just completed our third and largest tunnel, a
Rimol 34X 120, also heated. We enjoy gardening
in the winter, the greenhouses are a cheerful place to
be. The type of work now being done in the winter
is all for the highest value crops- greens! We have
cut back on out fall root crops- no storage carrots or
potatoes- eliminating these large crops during the
growing season means we need less labor then. Our
winter labor now will be less washing of roots and
more work in the greenhouses. Our labor force is
more oriented towards year round part time workers.
By offering year round work we can keep more
experienced and committed people.
As oil prices rise by large percentages, we will have
to keep an eye on costs. Our two heated houses,
which last year would have cost $2,000 to heat, will
now cost $4,000. We could add supplemental wood
heat, or increase nighttime insulation. Covering the
earth inside these houses at night is critical. Oil use
would be 3 or 4 times as much without a covering
system. As soon as solar gain stops as the sun goes
down, which around the solstice can be as early as
3:30 pm, the covers need to be in place. Currently
we use 3-4 layers of row cover, and are working on
a system to roll the covers on and off; as we expand,
covering and uncovering becomes a bigger chore.
No doubt our farm will continue to change, well
see how all this plays out this year. We defnitely
feel less pressure to produce this summer, and are
glad to concentrate on the crops we grow best, and
have more time for family activities. Our hope is
that even during the winter we can earn enough to
pay off debt incurred building these rather expensive
high tunnels and heating systems.
Greens cannot be picked until they are thawed, but then they look great!
Greens are well received by winter customers, and command a good price.
Service. A high point this year was the sold out
local dinner on Saturday night. All the food for this
delicious meal was local and organic: produced on
a certifed organic farm in one of the seven NOFA
chapter states.
Kirsten Bower of NOFA/Vermont was honored
as the NOFA Person of the Year for over eighteen
years of work for the organization. Unfortunately,
due to an injury, she was unable to be present and
the ceremonial award shovel was presented to her
likeness in the form of a smiling, waving, cardboard
effgy! Also honored was Juanita Nelson, a long
time supporter of the civil rights and local food
movement. Juanita briefy addressed the audience
at the Annual Meeting on Friday night.
When the hundreds of people who attended the
conference headed home, there was no doubt they
took with them new knowledge and insight to farm
and garden organically. There is no doubt that they
will help to bring about the important changes in
food production of which Arden Andersen and Mark
McAffee spoke and to help spread NOFAs message
well beyond the three day conference.
photo by Jonathan von Ranson
Potter takes a moment away from her display to tend her baby.
photo by Jonathan von Ranson
Those three careful listeners were at the Farming without Fossil Fuels workshop led by
Molly Merrett and Lisa DePiano.
Neptunes_18H 11/13/07 9:07 AM Page 1
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Solar Gardening: Growing Vegetables Year-
Round the American Intensive Way
by Leandre Poisson and Gretchen Vogel Poisson
published by Chelsea Green, 1994
www.chelseagreen.com
paperback, 288 pages
$31.96 sale price
review by Jack Kittredge
This is a classic (in the sense that Eliot Colemans
book the Four-Season Harvest is a classic) by
a couple that went back to the land in New
Hampshire at the end of the 1960s. They spent
decades raising their own food and experimenting
with ways to use solar energy not only for growing
but also for house heat, cooking, hot water, and
more. They drew inspiration from the Nearings,
attended early NOFA gatherings, and by the time
this book was written in 1994 had students focking
to learn from them.
Leandre taught at the University of New Hampshire
before becoming a fulltime homesteader and had
familiarized himself with a number of different
growing systems developed by indigenous and
European cultures. He was fascinated by the
marais market gardeners who thrived on the
outskirts of Paris as it grew to a population of over 2
million during the nineteenth century. Their system
(also called the French Intensive system) extended
the season by growing plants in solar microclimates
created by bell-shaped glass enclosures called
cloches. Extra heat was added to the mix with
scoops of rotting horse manure collected from
the well-littered streets of Paris. According to one
scholar, at the height of the marais system (about
1880) one-sixteenth of the land area of Paris was
under cultivation by some 1800 marais farmers
averaging just under 2 acres each and using over
6,000,000 cloches to produce more than 100,000
tons of extended season vegetables and fruits. That
is some 55.5 tons (111,000 pounds) of food per
solarize their immediate environment. Pods go over
a bed for the same purpose. Pods atop pod extenders
create a tiny greenhouse in which you can grow and
work.
The Poissons divide crops into heat-loving, cool-
hardy, and cold-tolerant crops. Each of those groups
is further subdivided into short-season, mid-season,
long-season, and perennial crops. This organization
is important for following their rotations later, as
they step you through each month in continuous
gardens in the northern, moderate, and southern
belts of North America.
In the northern zone, for instance, where most of
New England lies, in January one harvests kale,
collards, mustard greens and leeks for fresh crops
from an insulated pod/extender bed, and digs up
carrots, parsnips and salsify from another pod
marking the root crops and keeping the soil from
freezing. One also keeps the snow off the outdoor
appliances and starts lettuce and spinach inside the
house. In February, as soon as weeds appear in the
insulated bed, the soil is warm enough to germinate
short season cold greens such as corn salad or
mustard greens. Keep harvesting your fresh greens
and root crops to make room for the new plantings,
and gradually remove any mulch to let the sun
warm the soil. In March you empty the insulated
beds and direct-seed short and mid-season cool-
hardy and cold-tolerant vegetables. By the end of
March you can start seed for celery or members of
the cabbage and onion families. This is also a good
time to clear some snow off your beds and set out
the cones, mulching around the edges, to preheat
the soil. You can also use the cones to force greens
from over-wintered vegetables like Swiss chard or
endive roots, or force perennials such as asparagus,
rhubarb, or sea kale.
Skipping the warmer months of April through
October, we pick up again with the Poissons garden
after Halloween. In November you harvest Brussels
sprouts, winter cabbage and root crops, and either
dig up and store or mulch and mark with a stick any
root crops you have selected for spring forcing. In
Book
Reviews
farmer, or close to 60,000 pounds per acre.
Poisson has designed a number of modern devices
to duplicate marais productivity in the northern belt
of the U.S. Where the French used glass, he prefers
the lighter (and easier to work with) fberglass. The
three growing aids he uses are cones (analogous to
cloches with a 36 inch diameter at the base), pods
(similar to modern cold frames and 4 x 8 feet at the
base), and pod extenders (structures to raise and
widen the effect of a pod to 8 x 8 feet at the base).
Cones go over one or a small number of plants to
December you neither plant nor transplant anything.
You still harvest fresh vegetables from the insulated
pod/extender beds, and from under mulch in the
open garden. Mostly, however, you eat storage crops
from the root cellar, and squash, onions, garlic and
shallots.
Leandre is the kind of guy who gets things free
and fgures out how to use them creatively. He
constructs energy budgets for materials and works
out whether more effort went into creating the
material than its use will save. He loves recycling
things and Im sure would be a frst-class dump
picker (if they still allowed that noble but vanishing
profession). He has put together the price of making
his appliances from new material though he points
out that should not be necessary in many cases. The
4 x 8 pod should run you $240, he fgures. A Solar
Cone would be about $25. A full 8 x 8 pod extender
would be as much as $300. Remember, these are
1994 prices.
The current equivalent of these prices may seem
hefty when you multiply them by the number
of cones and pods you would like to work with.
Certainly in the last 14 years hoop house and row
cover makers have shown what inexpensive poly
flms and spun-bonded fbers can do for growers to
extend the season. On a one year, square foot basis
it may be hard to justify the Poisson appliances.
But their mobility, durability, and fexibility lend
them to a second look. This is a fascinating book
and holds many secrets and tips from 2 lifetimes of
northeastern growing.
Sacred Stewardship: Regaining Our
Spiritual Partnership With The Food We Eat
by Charles Hubbard and Maggie Carruthers, 2007
Published by Maggie Carruthers
www.sacredstewardship.net
paperback, 155 pages
$27.50 CDN
review by Maria Erb
Sacred Stewardship: Regaining our Spiritual
Partnership with the Food we Eat by Charles
Hubbard and Maggie Carruthers is a very personal
look at what it means to farm biodynamically with
an extra emphasis on the more mystical elements
of biodynamic agriculture. For anyone trying to
fnd out more about this involved subject, it can
be a mighty task to learn about the biodynamic
sprays and preps, when to use them, and what their
function is without even opening the astral drawer
of cosmic pipes, spirit guides, elemental beings, and
radionics -- but that is the focus of this book. And it
makes for a very interesting offering from the shelf
of often hard to fnd publications on biodynamics.
The book is a self-published effort, spiral
bound, with a workbook feel to it. Many of the
chapters include space for notes and exercises to
do to increase your ability to be more aware of
different types of energies -- around plants, in the
atmosphere, in your body etc. Sort of what you
might fnd in a beginning Qigong class when they
tell you to stand with your palms a few inches apart
and feel the energy between your hands. The book
does briefy describe a bit about Hubbards journey
from farming conventionally in England to farming
biodynamically in Nova Scotia but doesnt offer
anything detailed enough for anyone who actually
wants to know how to migrate from organic to
biodynamic. The authors are part of an intentional
community in Canada which is centered on the
teachings of Saint Francis of Assisi and they spend
most of the book talking about the importance of
pyramid shaped structures (greenhouses), the golden
mean, earth circles, labyrinths, cosmic pipes and
other metaphysical subjects. So be prepared to go a
little X-Files for most of the books 155 pages.
The Sacred Stewardship book also comes with an
audio CD that contains some text and audio fles
with supplemental resources. The frst fle is a PDF
with instructions on how to create a biodynamic
compost pile using the preps obtained from
the Josephine Porter Institute and the second text
fle is a PDF with links to various websites on
food vitality, earth circles, where to obtain metal
corners for pyramids, how to build a labyrinth and
other topics touched on in the book. The CD also
contains two guided meditations Meditation with
Cosmos and Meditation with Mother Earth.
The book includes some photos of the earth circle,
garden wheel, pyramid greenhouse, Fibonacci cross,
and other structures described in the book and also
includes pictures of life on the farm lush foliage,
vibrant veggies, and peaceful animals with shiny
coats.
If youre not fortunate enough to have a lightworker
and animal communicator like Maggie Carruthers
in your household, then perhaps reading about what
its like to have one nearby will at least make you
think you should learn a little bit more about feng
shui. As hard to put into practice as this stuff is, its
still fascinating. And the fact that someone actually
has created such a sacred space is sublime. I give
them a lot of credit and I do hope theyll share a bit
more with us in the future, perhaps picking out one
of the many topics covered in the book and going
into greater detail with more photos. Personally,
I feel the type of material presented in this book
would beneft from a massive multimedia overhaul.
The book is text heavy and since much of the
information will be new and somewhat puzzling to
most readers, a lot of it could be better delivered
using short videos (which could be included on a
companion DVD or made available on the Sacred
Stewardship website http://sacredstewardship.
net). Walking the labyrinth visually or watching
some of the ceremonies described in the book would
make this material spring to life and have an impact
that just doesnt come across easily in the current
format. But for anyone who wants to work at it,
digging through Sacred Stewardship will root out
some worthwhile fare.
Managing Water: Avoiding Crisis in
California
by Dorothy Green
University of California Press, 2007
review by Larry Siegel
Not quite academic (footnote-free and generally
lacking documentation), Managing Water is
nonetheless a dry read. (One would hope a book
about water would not be dry.) Focusing on the
greater Los Angeles area, the author at the outset
summarizes the sources of water supplies. This is
followed by interminable descriptions of many of
the hundreds of water agencies operating in the area.
Sections on water use effciency and water quality
were a bit more interesting. All of three pages are
devoted to providing the elements of a sustainable
statewide water policy. Maps, charts, and
photographs abound but they are poorly reproduced
and too busy with detail to be useful to the casual
reader. It is bewildering why the author did not
pursue matters of agriculture more extensively, since
it consumes the lions share of the states waters.
I am bemused by the fact that the book reached
the hallowed halls of The Natural Farmers
headquarters. Managing Water will be of interest
to but a small number of readers and I do not
imagine any of them residing anywhere but southern
California. For an alternative look at water, I would
recommend Mayordomo: Chronicles of an Acequia
in Northern New Mexico by Stanley Crawford.
Crawford was, may still be, a writer and truck
farmer who established roots in rural, Hispanic
New Mexico. (His Garlic Testament is also
highly recommended.) An acequia is a community
irrigation ditch. Crawford spent several years as the
mayordomo, the ditch manager, and recounts issues
of water while wallowing in it. Dry it is not.
Kitchen Literacy: How We Lost Knowledge of
Where Food Comes from and Why We Need to
Get it Back
by Ann Vileisis
Island Press, 2008
331 pages
review by Winton Pitcoff
An advertisement in a popular womens
magazine advocated for buying foods as near the
unmanufactured state as possible pepper in the
berry, coffee unground, honey in the comb, fruits
for jellies. Nothing revolutionary there, really its
what those of us who try to keep aware of our food
consumption already do as a way of pushing back
against over-processed foods. But that text, from
a column in Good Housekeeping magazine, was
printed in 1886.
Its evidence that the struggle between consumers
maintaining control over or even awareness of
what they eat and food corporations endeavoring to
produce food more cheaply while concealing their
processing techniques is hardly new. That we have
lost touch with how our food is grown, processed,
packaged, shipped and sold is no accident, says
Ann Vileisis in Kitchen Literacy. Rather, it
is the result of a covenant of ignorance forged
between consumers who prioritize convenience, and
manufacturers constantly seeking less expensive
ways of producing the food we need.
The book begins with details of the food preparation
habits of a homemaker in 1790, with evidence
culled from the diaries of Martha Ballard of Maine.
Vileisis paints a picture of a table laden with
foods of which Ballard had intimate knowledge of
their provenance her own garden, a neighbors
pasture, a local millers stones. Her cooking process
involved simple and effcient methods and were far
more than a chore they were a key part of daily
life.
The growth of the urban middle class in the mid
1800s prompted a profound shift from such
awareness, says Vileisis, with shopping markets
replacing local farms and domestic help stepping in
frequently to provide labor. When industrialization
happened toward the end of the century, offering
domestic workers far more appealing opportunities
for employment, homemakers were faced with
having to re-learn how to shop and cook.
Publications aimed at homemakers stepped in, and
many of the articles from this time seem familiar
they encouraged knowledge of where food came
from and eating only what was fresh and ripe
at the time, for instance but as transportation,
refrigeration and sterile packaging became more
commonplace, the national food system took hold
and quickly began to cancel out such lessons. Labels
bearing pictures of bucolic pastures full of plants
and animals began to adorn cans of processed meat
and vegetables, and succeeded in making shoppers
feel re-connected to the agrarian life, even if those
images belied the actual feedlots or factory vats that
the food inside the cans came from.
The book details the rise of preservatives,
pesticides, health regulations and advertising, all as
part of an analysis of consumers seemingly constant
interest in keeping aware of what they eat, coupled
with their growing unwillingness to challenge
the systems that feed them. This is where Vileisis
refers to the covenant of ignorance that shielded
shoppers from knowing unsavory details about their
foods; [and] also shielded food producers from
public scrutiny.
The 1960s saw the rise of kitchen countertrends,
with a gourmet food movement, heightened
ecological awareness, and an increase in sentiment
that foods were being tampered with at the
expense of taste, with large corporations benefting
fnancially from that loss. The rise of natural and
organic foods are chronicled in the book, and
cursory attention is paid to the re-emergence of
small farms, CSAs and the local food movement.
Vileisis is a historian, and her deconstruction of
the time period between 1790 and 1950 is the
best part of this book. Her coverage of the current
state of the food culture is brief, however, and she
offers little in the way of optimism for any large
scale transformation of the ignorance she says
plagues the food chain. The ending feels rushed,
with a few snippets about organizations doing good
work and an admonition to consumers to be more
engaged in the public policy process that regulates
the food industry, but little else. Still, the history
that precedes this fnal chapter is thorough and
fascinating, and well worth reading for anyone
seeking to understand just how weve gotten so far
removed from our agrarian roots.
by Jack Kittredge
Earlier this summer I was invited to attend the
Organic Summit. This is a three-day event in
June at which organic farmers, certifers, and
representatives of organic groups such as OMRI
(the Organic Materials Research Institute), OFRF
(the Organic Farming Research Foundation), The
Organic Center, the Community Food Security
Coalition, the Center for Food Safety and the
Rodale Institute get to mix and mingle with middle
managers (and sometimes founders) of such Organic
Industry companies as Whitewave Foods, Horizon
Organic, the Organic Trade Association, Honest T,
Organic Valley, Target (Target? Yes, Target!), Small
Planet Foods, Alberts Organics, Kroger, Smucker,
Dagoba Organic Chocolate, Safeway, and Coca-
Cola (Coca-Cola? Yes, Coca-Cola!)
There were about 160 of us there, fairly evenly
mixed between players from the Industry and the
broad set of farmers, researchers and policy people
representing the Movement, if you will. The primary
purpose of the event, besides being educated by
the plenaries, panels, and break-out presentations,
seemed to be to mix these diverse folks together
so they arent quite strangers to each other, and
avoid another disastrous split in the organic world
such as happened a couple of years ago around the
controversial Congressional amendments sponsored
by OTA to the Organic Foods Production Act.
The Organic Summit is put on by New Hope
Natural Media, publishers of such Industry
journals as Delicious Living Magazine, Functional
Ingredients Magazine, The Natural Foods
Merchandiser, and Nutrition Business Journal, in
partnership with the Organic Farming Research
Foundation created by the California Certifed
Organic Farmers and dedicated to funding research
that furthers organic farming.
Together they have raised serious funding from
sponsors like Horizon Organic (Dean Foods), Silk
(Whitewave Foods), Origins Organics (an Este
Lauder personal care company), Cascadian Farm
(General Mills), and Muir Glen (General Mills) to
put on this event at an upscale hotel and conference
center in the trendy heart of the organic food
industry Boulder, Colorado. Most of the industry
people paid hefty fees to register, eat and sleep at
the event. Many of the farming contingent were
invited guests or speakers who were subsidized by
the organizers (including our own Steve Gilman,
speaking on the Domestic Fair Trade Movement).
The opening keynote featured the global president
of Origins Organics talking about the growth of the
natural organic personal care industry in the last
couple of years (growing faster than organic foods).
A key to her companys success was fnding an Iowa
farmer who could help them develop an organic
emulsifying agent from soy lecithin that got rid of
the oily feel of their products on human skin.
I could relate to the next presentation a little better.
John Ikerd, professor emeritus of agricultural
economics at the University of Missouri, delivered
a passionate sermon about the importance of local
food and the refreshing values that it represents:
Honesty, Responsibility, Compassion and Respect.
Tom Philpott, Grist blogger and part-time farmer,
backed him up with personal recollections of the
power of the locavore movement. This was soon
further emphasized by a tour of the thriving Boulder
Farmers Market, conducted by member Steve Ela,
Attending
The
Organic
Summit
raiser of peaches, cherries, apples and pears on the
Western Slope of the Rockies, about 6 hours further
west.
The Boulder Farmers Market is one of the more
impressive ones Ive seen around the country
comparable to Ithacas or that in Washington
DCs Dupont Circle. All sorts of stunning produce
was heaped high on tables, as well as amazing sweet
cherries, colorful fowers, wines, pastries, bottled
and packaged value-added products along with
ready-to-eat granolas, cookies, confections, and
drinks. A constant crowd of young families, students
and older couples strolled past in a festive mood,
stopping often to shop. And this was just Wednesday
evening -- Im told its twice as big on Saturdays!
Two more days followed of presentations and
discussions. Among my favorite were Fred
Kirschenmann, North Dakota grain farmer talking
about the importance of not squeezing out mid-
sized farms in the fght over small local versus
industrial operations, and Jim Thomas from ETC
Group warning about the rapid development of
nanotechnology including in organic food and its
packaging and the need for caution in proceeding
with this untested new technology.
I was also interested to see just how rapidly this
market is growing. There were presentations
on a retirement community designed around
permaculture and organic gardens in Costa Rica
with units for $300,000 and up, a traditional French
organic wine company now, for environmental
reasons, packaging their product in aluminum
tetra-paks which are more recyclable than glass
and a ffth of the weight, and stories by the founders
about selling a start-up organic chocolate business
to Hersheys and a bottled organic tea company to
Coca-Cola.
Was the Organic Summit a success? I came away
realizing that the Industry players are often
individuals with passion and commitment to a better
earth. I also realized that the corporations that are
rapidly moving into this marketplace are learning
how to culture it and grow the small organic
companies that they have bought to give them
entry. Will the farmers concerns for high standards
and the long-term interests of the organic name
prevail over temptations to make a quick buck by
lowering the threshold and allowing a synthetic dye
here or caking agent there? That is a tougher call.
American corporations are notorious for fxating on
the short-term for growth and returns, which is in
strong contrast to the long-term thinking necessary
for building soil, cleaning water and reestablishing
biodiversity.
But it certainly cant hurt that we can talk to each
other, enjoy common experiences, and try to fnd
joint values and goals that let us work together
despite the pressures and demands of the immediate
moment.
photo by Jylle Lardaro
John Ikerd, professor emeritus at the University of Missouri, speaks with Jerry DeWitt,
director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture,
and Gary Zimmer of Wisconsins Bio-Ag consulting frm.
ORGANIC FARMETTE -- Foster, RI. Antique home on 6.5 organic (for more than 30
years) acres with berries, fruit, and large fenced vegetable garden. Indoor cooking hearth,
outdoor bake oven, barn w/studios, cabin, screened timber-frame porch, pool, trail.
Restored and energy effcient. Pls call 774-202-2035
by Dorothy Suput,
Executive Director, The Carrot Project
We paid for our land with our credit card.
-- Becky, a New York farmer
For todays small, midsized, and limited-resource
farmers, fnding suffcient capital to fnance
their businesses can be a challenge. Tightening
regulations, limited USDA-Farm Service Agency
budgets, and consolidation of lending institutions
have resulted in fewer lenders with agricultural
expertise or mandates. Community development
fnance institutions (CDFI) fnance many small
businesses, but were pioneered to address urban
issues and typically have little or no agricultural
expertise. The dominant agricultural lenders in the
Northeast do offer credit, but do not adequately
serve small and midsized farm operators who run
start-ups, want to expand their operations, have
unique business models, or lack adequate collateral.
The Carrot Project is a not-for-proft organization
dedicated to making loans and guarantees available
to small and midsized farmers, as well as to limited-
resource farmers and those using ecologically
friendly practices. As part of a study to better
understand the fnancing obstacles facing small and
midsized farms, 700 farmers, in New England and
New York, responded to a survey about fnancing.
The study found that 25% of small farmers who
applied for fnancing cant get the money they need
and that small farmers may beneft from alternative
fnancing services and business technical assistance.
Short- and intermediate-termed loans at a median
amount of nearly $30,000 are sought by farmers,
along with fexible payment options, additional
security, and farm real estate fnancing at a median
amount of $165,000. Findings also identifed
interest in equity fnancing. Their answers make it
clear that there is a need for new forms of technical
and fnancial assistance that address the needs,
particularly, of start ups and expanding businesses.
Debt Financing
The farms most likely to apply for operating or
capital fnancing were those with managers or
operators with more than fours years of farming
experience, higher gross farm incomes, and more
mature businesses. This profle was strongest for
operators with gross farm incomes of $117,000
or more who applied for operating and capital
fnancing at 60 percent and 46 percent respectively
(Table 1). This is at least double the application
rate for all respondents. Yet, according to the 2002
Agricultural Census, New York and New England
farms grossing more than $100,000 per year make
up 15% of the farm population. Farms operating
less than 10 years were most likely to apply for
fnancing for farm real estate (Table 2).
Table 1: Applied for fnancing by gross farm
income.
Table 2: Applied for fnancing by years in business.
Are Northeast Farms in a Financing Fix?
Reasons for Denial
Not surprisingly, the survey indicated that securing
fnancing is diffcult for farmers with limited capital,
lack of credit history, and insuffcient cash fow.
When measured by stage of business, start-up
operations were the most likely businesses in our
survey to be denied fnancing, but they applied at
lower rates than expanding or mature businesses.
Farms with the highest gross farm income were the
least likely to be denied fnancing.
Table 3: Rates of denial by stage of business.
It should also be noted that nine percent of all
respondents to the survey were asked to provide
additional security to obtain operating or capital
fnancing. Eighty percent of the farms needing
additional security were in the three lowest gross
income categories. This means that programs
addressing lack of collateral could be useful to
farms within different income categories.
Table 4: Farms needing security to obtain fnancing
by gross farm income.
In The Carrot Project survey, start-up farms were
the most likely to be denied fnancing. However,
because of their relatively low loan application
rate, the number of start-ups denied fnancing
is comparable to the number of expanding
businesses (See Table 5). Expanding businesses
are different from starts ups in that they share
more characteristics of the average respondent.
Expanding farm businesses had income levels
that were similar to the average, but were slightly
more likely to be in the highest or lowest income
categories. Sixty-four percent of expanding
businesses were operating between 5 to 20 years
versus 42 percent in the general survey population.
Table 5: The percent of farms denied fnancing by
stage of business.
It is important for organizations intending to
support small and midsized farms to know the
reasons why farm businesses are denied fnancing
before they can address fnancing gaps through
business technical assistance, alternative fnancial
services, or both. In general, insuffcient cash fow
and lack of a reasonable business plan may be
addressed with technical assistance. For example,
a farms business can be examined to determine if
expenses could be lowered or profts increased by
adjusting certain aspects of the business and thereby
increasing cash fow. Lack of credit history, lenders
unfamiliarity with a specifc business enterprise, or
lack of collateral might be addressed by alternative
fnancing programs designed to respond to these
situations.
Diffculty of Obtaining Financing
The perceived ease of obtaining fnancing was
lowest among start-up operations, average among
expanding businesses, and highest for mature
businesses. Respondents perceived that fnancing
with fexible payments was the most diffcult to
obtain. This fnding refected prior research, done
through lender focus groups, which found a need
for fexible payment schedules such as deferring
principal payments, skipped payments, and annual
payments. This information is important because it
indicates that fexible payment options should be
considered when developing or modifying existing
fnancing programs.
Equity Financing
Equity fnancing is a strategy in which an investor
gives capital (cash) to a farmer in exchange for
partial ownership of the farm or for an agreed upon
share of the farms future profts. There might
be an agreement for the farmer to buy back the
share of the farm that was sold to the investor. The
responses to our survey provide an important initial
benchmark for how farmers perceive this little-used
fnancing option in agriculture. Thirteen percent
of survey respondents expressed that they were
interested or very interested in equity fnancing if
there were an option to share profts or buy back
shares. When including farmers who said they
were somewhat interested, the number increased
to 30 percent. Start-ups and expanding businesses
expressed the greatest interest in equity fnancing.
This could indicate that for dynamic and growing
businesses, available capital is inadequate. It may
also refect receptiveness to new types of fnancing
arrangements.

Table 6: Interest in equity fnancing by stage of
business.
At a time where established farmers in the Northeast
are rapidly aging, and young, entry-level farmers
are needed to replace them, it is not a good sign
that between 20 and 25 percent of the farmers
we surveyed who had requested fnancing were
denied. And while The Carrot Project concedes
that not every request for farm fnancing could or
should be granted, our research indicates that farm
start-ups and expanding businesses are particularly
vulnerable. It is our intent to begin meeting the
fnancing needs of this important but underserved
population. Currently we are talking with different
farm organizations and lenders about building
upon or starting targeted fnancing and technical
assistance programs in New York and New England.
If you would like to read the complete report on
which this article is based or learn more about the
work of The Carrot Project, please visit our website
at www.thecarrotproject.org. If you would like a
copy of the report mailed to you, please contact
Dorothy Suput at 617-666-9637.
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by Elizabeth Henderson
Organic Agriculture is a production system that
sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people.
It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and
cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than
the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic
Agriculture combines tradition, innovation and
science to beneft the shared environment and
promote fair relationships and a good quality of
life for all involved. (New IFOAM defnition of
Organic Agriculture)
Most of our attention and energy as NOFA members
goes to acting locally. But occasionally it is
exciting to think globally and travel to meet other
people from around the world who are practicing,
organizing, researching and lobbying for organic
agriculture in their own local places. From June
17 through 24, 2008, I had the honor and pleasure
of representing NOFA at Cultivate the Future,
the 16
th
Organic World Congress and General
Assembly of the International Federation of Organic
Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) in Modena and
Vignola, Italy. The organizers of the conference
did not shy away from the big issues. The offcial
welcome announces: We will be looking for
ways on how Organic Agriculture contributes
solutions to the major problems in this troubled
world: from climate change to food insecurity, from
gender imbalances to biodiversity loss, from rural
depopulation to global injustice.
The Modena gathering was the largest and most
diverse IFOAM congress ever held with over
1200 participants from 100 countries. The IFOAM
General Assembly was also the best attended yet:
sixty percent of the IFOAM members were present
or represented by proxies. There were 248 voting
members from 69 countries with about 90 proxies.
I got to vote with NOFAs blue card at the three
days of intense discussions and debates on the top
priorities for organic agriculture.
The Organic World Congress
The setting for the congress was Modena, a small
city in the industrial heartland of Italy, in the
Emilia-Romagna region, home of Parmesan cheese,
balsamic vinegar, prosciutto ham, Lambrusco wines,
and Mazaratti and Ferrari automobiles. In the
evening, the center of the city with its cobblestone
streets and beautiful old buildings is closed to
motorized vehicles. Tourists can pick up a free key
to bicycles parked conveniently around the city.
The local, municipal and regional governments
supported the conference and cooperated with the
Italian Organic Agriculture Association (AIAB)
in organizing special organic street markets, tours
and dinners with local food. There were also pre-
congress conferences on organic fruit, fber and
wine production.
With sixteen tracks of workshops running
simultaneously, there was no way to encompass
them all. The choices were maddening Organic
Agriculture and Climate Change or Women in
Organic Agriculture or Organic Agricultures
Relationship with Nature Conservation and
Biodiversity. The International Society for Organic
Agriculture Research (ISOFAR) accounted for six
of the tracks devoted to reports on the impressive
amount of organic research from universities
around the globe. The compilation of abstracts
for the entire congress runs over 500 pages. So I
will share my impressions and urge you to consult
the Book of Abstracts, available from the IFOAM
website: www.ifoam.org.
The frst two days of the Congress opened in a huge
tent with plenary sessions devoted to IFOAMs
Organic Agriculture, World
Hunger and Global Warming
Report from the IFOAM Organic World Congress & General Assembly
Modena, Italy, June 17 24, 2008
four principles of organic agriculture: ecology,
care, fairness and health. Jorgen E. Olesen and
Vandana Shiva spoke on ecology. After reviewing
the mounting evidence that organic agriculture
uses less energy than conventional agriculture,
Olesen, a Danish professor of agro-meteorolgy,
challenged IFOAM to reduce international trade.
Support for organic business is fne and a source
of revenue, Olesen said, but in confict with the
principle of ecology. In her usual fery and brilliant
style, Vandana proposed changing the pyramid of
life to put bacteria instead of human beings at the
top. Ecology means understanding the power of
biodiversity: in our world everything is something
elses food. She concluded with another challenge
since climate resilience is a common good, we
must build on the strengths of organic agriculture,
such as its lower use of water, to fght against
climate change. On the principle of Care, Tewolde
Berhan Gebre Egziabher urged us to make soil
replacement the central issue. Carlo Petrini, founder
of Slow Food, punctuated with emphatic gestures
his passionate summons to understand the essential
connection between producers and consumers.
On the principle of Health, Alan Greene, a
pediatrician and author, reviewed the history of
long-term damage caused by using such drugs
as DES and hormone-laced meat, and applauded
organic agriculture for its adherence to the
precautionary principle. Geneticist and Director of
Plant Science for Mars Inc., Howard-Jana Shapiro
stressed the importance of seed and defned health
as the abundance of the positive. On the Principle
of Fairness, Frances Moore Lappe pointed out
that improving the lives of farmworkers was not
on the Whole Foods list of reasons for organic,
and warned that fairness and justice were unlikely
to result from an economy driven by the highest
return on investment. By contrast, Lappe insisted
that fairness is an innate quality of human beings
so we must live and work in hope. Unfortunately,
Juan Evo Morales Ayma, President of Bolivia,
was unable to attend. In his place, Javier Hurtado,
Bolivias Minister of Production, described their
ambitious program for converting 8000 farms and 3
million hectares to organic production by 2010, and
their success in providing the low-income citizens
of La Paz with 80 percent of their food from small-
scale organic farms.
Nadia El-Hage Scialabba, who has worked within
the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO) for many years to bring attention
to the value of organic agriculture, coordinated the
session on Organic Agriculture and Climate Change.
In her opening remarks, Scialabba spoke about
the current crisis in the price of food. According
photo courtesy IFOAM
Jacqueline Haesig Alleje, Elizabeth Henderson and Michael Sligh participating in the Social
Justice Module at the IFOAM World Congress.
to FAO statistics, food prices rose 24% in 2007
and 53% in 2008. Increases in the price of food
are especially threatening to the food security of
developing countries where people spend 70 to
80% of their budgets on food. The main factors
underlying the increase, according to Scialabba,
are the decline in food stocks due to increasing
numbers of climate disasters, the privatization of
control of food stocks, the rise in energy costs, the
use of crops for biofuels (47% of the vegetable oil
in European Union countries goes for biodiesel),
the decline of the dollar and speculation on crop
markets. Scialabba concluded that the implications
for organic agriculture are the urgency of promoting
local food systems and fair trade and improving the
use of energy.
Claude Aubert, a pioneer in organic agriculture
in France, reported on the International Scientifc
Dialogue on Organic Agriculture and Climate
Change held in April 2008. He stated that
agriculture is responsible for 30% of CO2
emissions, half of which comes from fertilizer
production. Aubert cited studies that show that
organic agriculture uses less energy (26% less
per ton of output), and emits signifcantly lower
levels of nitrous oxide, especially where legumes
are used. He advocated a change in eating habits
to local, organic food, with less meat and less
packaging. In addition to her contributions to the
congress, Vandana Shiva introduced a Manifesto on
Climate Change and Food Security. The manifesto
stresses that the problems of our world are largely
political the lack of will to make change. Vandana
denounced the Kyoto Protocol as a non-solution that
does not even touch on agriculture; an emissions
trading system allows polluters to get paid for
continuing to pollute. Together with the other
presenters at this session, Vandana believes that
organic agriculture has a major role in mitigating the
food and climate crisis. Every step that mitigates
the effects of climate change also helps us adapt to
those changes. When we add organic matter to the
soil, we raise its water holding capacity and reduce
the need for irrigation. In conclusion, Vandana
called for a transition in knowledge to local and
indigenous.
The Social Justice module took up a full day of
presentations at the Congress, which also included
many relevant papers in other sessions, as well as
a full day on Women in organic agriculture, and
half a day on Food Sovereignty, featuring a major
address by Miquel Altieri. There were so many
simultaneous sessions in different buildings that it
was impossible to attend them all or to get all the
people concerned with the social agenda for organic
agriculture together. Jacqueline Haessig Alleje, a
member of the World Board, helped organize and
moderated the SJ module. Swiss by birth, Jacqueline
lives in the Philippines where she and her Philippino
husband and their 5 children run a dairy farm, the
frst to be certifed organic in the Manilla region.
In her introduction to the module, Jacqueline set
the tone, stating that Social Justice is as integral to
organic agriculture as soil health.
Unlike the 2 and 3-day social justice sessions
the Agricultural Justice Project has organized at
previous IFOAM conferences, the Social Justice
module allowed very little time for discussion.
The day was packed with paper after paper, each
speaker limited to 7 or 10 minutes so that all
could ft in the allotted time. Only the absence of
a few presenters left a little time for questions and
interactions. The program included presentations on
an Ethiopian honey project, a Brazilian cooperative
selling fair trade-organic nuts, my presentation on
the Agricultural Justice Project, Michael Sligh on
the broader issues of organic guarantee systems,
Richard Mandelbaum speaking on migrant workers,
an organizing project in Colombia, another in
Palestine, two survey projects, one from Austria and
one from Great Britain evaluating communication
of social values, a paper arguing the need for
equivalence among the fair trade organic projects,
Marty Mesh of Quality Certifcation Services (QCS)
and Manfred Fuerst of Naturland on implementing
social standards in organic certifcation, and a group
of papers on social farming, defned as projects
involving either prisoners or socially disadvantaged
people in organic farms. In the fnal 20 minutes
open for discussion, all we could do was agree
to develop a recommendation to IFOAM at the
Saturday session, and Richard and I distributed draft
language and language from a recommendation
passed at the 2005 congress. I later learned from
Thomas Cierpka that IFOAM had followed up on
the 2005 recommendation by producing a Guide
to Implementing Social Standards, available for
download from the IFOAM website (to fnd it, go to
Search, then click on Social Justice).
The half-day social justice discussion did not
have a large attendance due mainly to scheduling
complexities the GALCI (Latin American) and
Asian groups were meeting at the same time.
Nevertheless, we worked well as a group to
compose the following set of recommendations to
IFOAM:
The IFOAM Organic World Congress 2008 Social
Justice Module participants recommend to the
IFOAM General Assembly at Vignola:
That IFOAM continues to engage actively in the
promotion and inclusion of Social Justice in the
development of Organic Agriculture.
IFOAM recognises that Social Justice is a
mandatory component of any Organic Guarantee
System and will therefore commit to include the
Social Justice component in the IFOAM Organic
Guarantee System, regardless of the outcome of its
revision.
To this end we recommend that IFOAM initiate a
Forum on Social Justice in order to:
Establish a defnition of Social Justice in
Organic Agriculture, based on the declaration of
human rights of the UN, the ILO conventions
and taking into account the regional socio-
economic conditions and the different cultural
contexts. The defnition of Social Justice in
Organic Agriculture will focus on the rights and
perspectives of women, children, farmers and
workers.
IFOAM will support the Social Justice Forum
to host a conference on Social Justice in Organic
Agriculture
Unfortunately, the General Assembly had too long
an agenda and did not get to the recommendations,
which will be circulated to and voted on by the
membership electronically.
I also attended a session devoted to Organic
Markets. The plenary included speakers from the
entire spectrum of marketing from local direct sales
to one of the largest food corporations on the globe.
Helga Willer from the Swiss Research Institute of
Organic Agriculture (FiBL) presented the latest
statistics on organic farmland, crops and percent
of market. Ong Kung Wai, from Malaysia and a
member of the World Board who has done a lot of
work on harmonizing organic standards to smooth
international trade, gave an ingeneous and realistic
analysis of the state of organic guarantee systems.
The ideal, according to Kung Wai, is one inspection,
one certifcation and one accreditation, but this is
far from the current baffing labyrinth of competing
standards. He concluded with a call to build trust in
organic through more emphasis on values formation.
The next four speakers contrasted stunningly with
one another. Wolfgang Sachs from the Wuppertal
Institute presented the case for Slow Trade, a
critique of the dominant neo-liberal system of free
trade. Sachs called for fve propositions: 1. give
countries the right to govern their own imports, 2.
invest in domestic supports that help the common
good while not harming foreigners, 3. set standards
for quality, 4. democratize the food chain, and 5.
redress the current asymmetry in global markets
by placing priority on national food security, with
fair and organic trade for the entire food system.
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Following upon Sachs, Jan Kees Vis from Unilever
put the audience in its place by declaring that the
volume of trade controlled by Unilever surpasses
the entire world trade in organic products. Unilever,
according to Vis, is investing in sustainability
indicators and working with groups of small farmers
in Africa. However, Unilever requires a large
volume of sustainably produced raw materials. He
concluded, Whoever tells the story best, wins.
The fnal two speakers, Daniele Giovannucci and
Farmer John Peterson proved that Vis is right,
telling their stories with far more authenticity than
the corporate offcer could muster. Giovannucci
talked about the value to small holders of
geographical indicators, a new way of defning local
that can foster rural development. Peterson gave a
brief but moving version of his personal story, The
Real Dirt on Farmer John. If you have not seen his
flm, check it out soon!
Next I attended two closely related modules
on short supply chain and local markets and
participatory guarantee systems (PGS). The short
supply chain sessions included presentations on
Community Supported Agriculture in the US,
Japan, France, Canada and England, Slow Food,
and several other local marketing initiatives. In the
discussion, passionate words were exchanged about
the urgency of including low-income, landless and
people who live outside the money economy in
organic agriculture. The PGS session clarifed the
meaning of a PGS local organizing of small-scale
farms selling direct with education, empowerment
of farmers, and democratic participation.
I also attended a meeting between most of the
members of the Urgenci board (an international
network of CSA-like projects, represented in
Modena by Samuel Thirion, acting president, Shinji
Hashimoto and Murayama from Japan, Daniel
Vuillon, the frst of 1000 farmers to adopt AMAP
(Association pour le maintien dune agriculture
paysanne) in France, and a farmer from Mali, whose
name, unfortunately, I did not catch) and IFOAM
representatives (Angela Caudle, and World Board
members Ong Kung Wai, Mette Melgard, Vice
President, and Brendan Hoare.) The conclusion
was that partnering in some way was possible
and that Urgenci should begin by talking with the
PGS Forum of IFOAM. Urgenci would like joint
sponsorship of a conference in France to persuade
authorities that CSAs and PGS are legitimate ways
to offer an organic guarantee. The Urgenci group
then rushed off to Rome to a meeting with FAO to
request fnancial support for a training program in
authentic marketing, such as Teikei and CSA, for
farmers from developing countries.
Since 1998 in Mar del Plata, farmer organizations
in IFOAM have been trying to get a Farmers Group
together. As long as Inger Kallander, of Sweden,
coordinated voluntarily, the group functioned,
exchanging occasional messages about issues
related to farmers within IFOAM. After Adelaide,
Andrea Ferranti took over, and not much occurred.
At Vignola, farmers gathered again and this time
decided to constitute themselves as an internal body
of IFOAM. At three hurried meetings, we knocked
together a set of by-laws and elected a board with
Moises Quispe from Peru as Chair and Anton
Pinschof as coordinator (secretariat). I am on the
board, representing N. America. The objectives
are: to pursue IFOAMs principles and objectives
within the areas of food sovereignty, climate
change, farmers markets, Guarantee systems,
standards and all other farmer related issues; to be
an exchange platform among Farmers organizations
(and I think this will be the main function for the
time being), and to represent farmers organizations
within IFOAM and outside. Our frst task will be to
identify the farmers organizations in IFOAM and
to create an email group. Anita Deppe, a new staffer
at IFOAM, attended the meetings and was very
helpful.
The General Assembly
The 2008 General Assembly was faced with three
major tasks, and many other agenda items:
1. to discuss the new concept for the Organic
Guarantee System (OGS)
2. to elect a new World Board(WB)
3. to select a site for the 2011 Congress
The outgoing WB presented a program of 6 goals,
each with several objectives, for 2011. Members
divided into 6 groups to discuss them and suggest
changes, which were then voted on by the entire
body. The GA also discussed and voted on motions
from the members as binding guidance for the WB.
Sixty percent of the IFOAM members were present
or represented by proxies at the GA, the highest
attendance in IFOAM history. There were 248
voting members from 69 countries with about 90
proxies.
Since 2005, the World Board has been struggling
with a revision of the OGS. Taking as their rationale
the need to open the certifcation system to easier
access for developing countries, the WB has been
working on a scheme to decouple the IFOAM
standards from IFOAM accreditation. Although
the WB chart for the new concept refers to best
management practices, and a code of ethics for
certifers, these pieces have yet to be developed.
The WB directed their attention frst at replacing the
IFOAM Basic Standards (IBS) with benchmark
standards that were meant to serve as a baseline for
organic certifcation programs, the lowest common
denominator. IFOAM members, including yours
truly, responded with such emphatic criticism that,
after 3 revisions, the WB realized that approach
would not work. At a meeting a few weeks before
the GA, they came up with a new concept IFOAM
Requirements for Organic Standards (IROS): a
set of standards for standards that would be used
to screen sets of organic standards to select those
that would be considered members of the IFOAM
Family of Standards. In recognition of the fact
that they were springing this new understanding
on IFOAM members at the last moment, the WB
postponed a fnal decision till the fall and will
solicit written responses from members. Many of
the participants at the GA were hearing about this
plan for the frst time and found it confusing and
complex.
To prepare for the WB elections, Michael Sligh and
I decided that members needed to know where the
candidates stand on the major issues facing IFOAM.
While the GA agenda provides for introductions
of the candidates, with only 4 minutes each, there
was no possibility of learning very much. So we
developed a questionnaire and sent it out to all
the candidates. 15 of the 26 (later reduced to 22)
responded. I compiled their answers into a 24-page
document and was able to send it to the IFOAM
membership email list before the GA. We also
made 100 copies, which we distributed. Many
members told me that this was very helpful. Based
on these responses and our familiarity with some of
the candidates, we created a short list of candidates
who could be trusted to put the development of
local markets and smallholder empowerment as the
top priority for IFOAM rather than emphasizing
international trade. When the votes were counted,
all 5 of those elected in the frst round were on our
list. Existing president Gerald Hermann announced
his withdrawal from further balloting, saying he
did not feel he had a mandate from the members to
continue as president. In the second round, two
more from our list were elected. Only Jim Riddle
failed to be elected by 1 vote. When the WB
convened to elect offcers, they selected Katherine
diMatteo as President, since neither Roberto Ugas
nor Urs Niggli, who had received close to 100 more
votes each, felt they could fnd time for that job,
although they agreed to serve as vice-presidents.
So we have a coalition government for IFOAM,
a defnite improvement on the previous Executive
Board.
In his 4-minute speech, Roberto Ugas summed up
the feeling of the clear majority of the members
present. Roberto declared that poverty is the
worst threat to sustainable agriculture and organic
agriculture is the answer, and IFOAM must keep
organic standards high since the problems for
developing countries are with the procedures and
price of certifcation, not with standards.
As a side circus to all this serious business, three
countries - South Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines
- competed to host the 2011 congress with native
costumes and performances, impressive amounts of
food, and even little presents. Korea was clearly the
best prepared and fnanced and won the competition.
They promise to provide a big budget to bring
small-scale farmers from developing countries to the
next GA and to offer tours of agriculture in China,
and North and South Korea.
The abundance of motions and the energy with
which each was discussed prevented the GA from
completing its agenda, despite skillful chairing by
Beate Huber and Brian McElroy. This process is
IFOAM democracy at its best, though simultaneous
translation into Spanish, Chinese and a few other
languages would make it fairer. Motions that pass
become directives to the WB, which must report
back on what progress has been made on each
motion. Several motions on seeds direct the WB to
develop a holistic policy on the use of organic seed,
and to oppose the patenting of living organisms
and to clearly exclude all GMO varieties from
cultivation on organic farms. The motions touching
the OGS were all written before the announcement
of the new concept, by the departing WB.
Unfortunately, this new proposal was only available
just prior to the GA and therefore could not be
fully evaluated or comprehended by those present.
While not covering all needed areas of options and
guarantees, the new concept does present some
promising elements that warrant additional dialogue
and scrutiny. Nevertheless the motions that passed
make it clear that the membership wants to keep
the current system of IFOAM Basic Standards
in place until the members have approved a new
and more holistic system, that can meet the needs
of members seeking access to basic standards as
well as those calling for higher standards. A motion
passed that further clarifed the IFOAM Grower
Group policy, stating that it is only for smallholders
and not open to retailers. A motion on including the
gender perspective in all IFOAM work was dropped
because the World Board had already declared this
to be an IFOAM policy. Motions to strengthen
regional groups, farmer representation, to include
PGS in the OGS, and to promote Food Sovereignty
all passed with strong votes and fnally a motion
passed ensuring that major political changes to the
OGS must be approved by the full membership.
All in all, this was a most dramatic and clearly
positive General Assembly, which created a strong
mandate for change and called for hard work on the
part of all members and allies to meet the highest
ideals and potential of organic. Over and over again,
the speakers at the Organic World Congress called
upon organic agriculture to focus on our unlimited
potential to help arrest global warming and provide
resilient ways to produce healthy, clean, culturally
appropriate and fairly traded food for everyone. The
many fne contributions to the Congress demonstrate
irrefutably that organic practice and science contain
the clues to solving the worlds food crisis. The
membership of IFOAM chose a World Board that
understands the responsibility to bring this message
to the world.
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Send $15 for US, $20 for foreign address to:
NOFA Contact People
Connecticut
CT NOFA Offce: P O Box 164, Stevenson, CT 06491,
phone (203) 888-5146, FAX (203) 888-9280, Email:
ctnofa@ctnofa.org, website: www.ctnofa.org
Executive Director: Bill Duesing, Box 164, Stevenson,
CT 06491, 203-888-5146, 203 888-9280 (fax), bill@
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Offce Manager/Webmaster: Deb Legge, PO Box 164,
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President: James Roby, P.O Box 191, 1667 Orchard
Road, Berlin, CT 06037, 860-828-5548, 860-881-8031
(C), robysorganic@yahoo.com
Vice President: Elizabeth Fleming, 54 Four Mile
Road, West Hartford, CT 06107-2709, 860-561-4907,
elstrfeming@yahoo.com
Treasurer: Lynn Caley, 593 Old Post Road, Tolland,
CT 06084, 860-613-0325, momocaley@yahoo.com
Secretary: Chris Killheffer, 112 Bishop Street, New
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Massachusetts
President: Lynda Simkins, Natick Community Organic
Farm, 117 Eliot, South Natick, MA 01760 (508) 655-
2204, Email: lsimkins.ncorganic@verizon.net
Vice President, Fred Newcombe, 252 Dodge Road,
Rowley, MA 01969 (978) 432-1019, frednewcombe@
pjcecological.com
Secretary: Danielle Andrews, 85 Day St, Jamaica
Plain, MA 02130 (617) 524-1320; email:
bonitaapplebomb@hotmail.com
Treasurer: Dan Conlon, 2 South Mill River Road,
Deerfeld, MA 01373; (413) 665-4513; warmcolors@
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Coordinator: Julie Rawson, 411 Sheldon Rd., Barre,
MA 01005 (978) 355-2853, Fax: (978) 355-4046,
Email: Julie@nofamass.org
Administrative Coordinator: Kathleen Geary,
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Thursdays, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm), email anytime to:
info@nofamass.org
Webmaster: David Pontius: 26 School Street,
Northfeld, MA 01360, (413) 498-2721, Email:
webmaster@nofamass.org
Baystate Organic Certifers Administrator: Don
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(978) 297- 4171, Email: baystateorganic@earthlink.
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Press and Winter Conference Coordinator: Jassy
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Newsletter Editor: Jonathan von Ranson, 6 Lockes
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President: Jack Mastrianni, 277 Holden Hill Road,
Langdon, NH 03602, (603) 835-6488, jamastrianni@
yahoo.com
Vice President: Joan OConnor, PO Box 387,
Henniker, NH 03242, (603) 428-3530, joconnornh@
yahoo.com
Treasurer: Paul Mercier, Jr., 39 Cambridge Drive,
Canterbury, NH 03224, (603) 783-0036, pjm@
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Program & Membership Coordinator: Elizabeth
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Concord, NH 03301, (603) 224-5022, info@nofanh.
org
Newsletter Editor: Karen Booker, 44 Prospect
St., Contoocook, NH 03229, (603) 746-3656,
pottedplant@juno.com
Website: www.nofanh.org,
Organic Certifcation: Vickie Smith, NH Department
of Agriculture, Markets & Food, Division of
Regulatory Services, Caller Box 2042, Concord, NH
03301 (603) 271-3685, vsmith@agr.state.nh.us, www.
agriculture.nh.gov
New Jersey
Executive Director: Marc Bouvier, PO Box 886, 60 S.
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(609) 737-2366, Email: mbouvier@nofanj.org
President: Donna Drewes, Municipal Land Use Center,
TCNJ, PO Box 7718 McCauley House, Ewing, NJ
08628, 908-782-2443, Email: drewes@tcnj.edu
Vice President: Stephanie Harris, 163 Hopewell-
Wertsville Rd., Hopewell, NJ 08525, (609) 466-0194,
Email: r.harris58@verizon.net
Treasurer: William D. Bridgers, c/o Zon Partners, 5
Vaughn Dr., Suite 104, Princeton, NJ 08540, (609)
452-1653, Email: billbridgers@zoncapital.com
Secretary: Emily Brown Rosen, Organic Research
Associates, 25 Independence Way, Titusville, NJ
08560, 609-737-8630 Email: ebrownrosen@gmail.
com
Supervisor, Organic Certifcation Program: Erich V.
Bremer, NJ Dept. of Agriculture, 369 S. Warren St.,
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President: Scott Chaskey, Quail Hill Community Farm,
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Vice President: Gunther Fishgold, Tierra Farms, 2424
State Rte 203, Valatie, NY 12184, (888) 674-6887,
gfshgold@tierrafarm.com
Treasurer: Karen Livingston, 2569 Rolling Hills Rd,
Camillus, NY 13031, (315) 672-5244, klivingston@
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Secretary: Annette Hogan, 131 Alpine Drive #5,
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Executive Director: Greg Swartz, (845) 796-8994, fax:
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Offce Manager: Mayra Richter, (607) 652-NOFA,
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Organic Seed Partnership (OSP) Project Coordinator:
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Projects Coordinator & ODT Project Co-Project
Manager: Kate Mendenhall, (585) 271-1979, fax:
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Organic Dairy Transitions (ODT) Project Co-Project
Manager: Bethany Russell, (315) 806-1180, bethany.
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ODT Project Dairy Technician: Robert Perry, (607)
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CSA Network Coordinator: Abby Youngblood, (347)
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President: Dan Lawton, 247 Evans Road Chepachet,
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Vice-President: Erik Eacker, Ledge Ends Produce, 830
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Secretary: Nicole Vitello, Manic Organic, PO Box
425, Portsmouth, RI 02871 (401) 480-1403, Nicole@
manicorganic.biz
Treasurer/Membership: Abbie Barber, Shannock
Organic Farm, 1411 Shannock Rd., Charlestown, RI
02813-3726 (401) 364-7140 shannockorganicfarm@
hotmail.com
Bookkeeper: Peggy Conti, Brookside Apartments, Apt.
#8, Charlestown, RI 02813, (401) 364-3426
NOFA/RI, 51 Edwards Lane, Charlestown, RI 02813,
(401) 364-7557, nofari@nofari.org
website: www.nofari.org
NOFA Videos
0801 Maple Sugaring Lynda Simkins
0802 Overwinter of Bees in NE Mark Robar
0803 Keynote: Healthy Food & Soil Arden Anderson
0805 Winter Squash Bryan Connolly, Diane Dorfer
0806 Organic Sweet Corn Ruth Hazzard, Abby Seaman
0807 Keynote: Value of Raw Milk Mark McAfee
0808 Overwintering Greens Bryan OHara, Kim Stoner
0809 Potatoes! Rob Durgy, Bryan OHara
0810 Sidehill Dairy Tour A. Klippenstein, P. Lacinski
$15 each
Please send me the circled VHS videos. I enclose $15
for each in the form of a check to NOFA Video Project
NOFA Video Project, 411 Sheldon Rd., Barre, MA 01005
New from the 2008 NOFA Summer Conference:
for a full list of the 146 videos available, visit
www.nofa.org/conference/video/index.php
Calendar
Tuesday, September 2: Organic Dairy and Field
Corn Trial, Twin Oaks Farm, Truxton, NY, for more
info: projects@nofany.org, 585-271-1979

Sunday, September 7: Farmscape Ecology
Workshop, Hawthorne Valley Farm, Ghent, NY,
for more info: projects@nofany.org, 585-271-1979
Tuesday, September 9: Organic Dairy Field
Day, Willow Creek Farm, Belmont, NY, for more
info: projects@nofany.org, 585-271-1979

Saturday, September 13: Urban Agriculture
= Added Value, Red Hook Community Farm,
Brooklyn, NY, for more info: projects@nofany.
org, 585-271-1979
Monday, September 15: No-Grain Organic
Dairy, Moore Farms, Nichols, NY, for more info:
projects@nofany.org, 585-271-1979

Friday, September 26 to Sunday, September 28:
2
nd
Annual Northeast Animal Power Field Days,
Tunbridge Fair Grounds, Tunbridge, VT, for more
info: www.animalpowerfelddays.org or info@
animalpowerfelddays.org, 802-234-5524
Saturday, September 27: Fall Meeting of NY
Nut Growers Association, Rutgers University,
New Brunswick, New Jersey, for more info: www.
nynga.org, or contact Jerry Henkin, (914) 423
7458, sproutnut@aol.com.
September 2008 - June 2009: Year-long Part-time
Training in Biodynamics, The Pfeiffer Center,
Chestnut Ridge, NY. for more info: 845-352-5020
x20, info@pfeiffercenter.org, www.pfeiffercenter.
org.
Tuesday October 28 through Thursday,
October 30: conference for veterinarians,
extension educators and other professionals
working with organic and grazing dairies, Auburn,
NY, for more info: www.nofavt.org/annual-events/
understanding-organics or contact Lisa McCrory
(lmccrory@together.net), Linda Tikofsky, DVM
(lg40@cornell.edu) or call the NOFA-VT offce to
receive a brochure (802-434-4122).
Thursday, January 15 to Monday, January 19,
2009: The Agriculture Course, Pfeiffer Center,
Chestnut Ridge, NY. for more info: 845-352-5020
x20, info@pfeiffercenter.org, www.pfeiffercenter.
org.
You may join NOFA by joining one of the seven
state chapters. Contact the person listed below
for your state. Dues, which help pay for the
important work of the organization, vary from
chapter to chapter. Unless noted, membership
includes a subscription to The Natural Farmer.
Give a NOFA Membership! Send dues for a
friend or relative to his or her state chapter and
give a membership in one of the most active
grassroots organizations in the state.
Connecticut: Individual $35, Family $50, Business/
Institution $100, Supporting $150, Student/Senior $25,
Working $20
Contact: CT NOFA, Box 164, Stevenson, CT 06491,
(203)-888-5146, or email: ctnofa@ctnofa.org or join on
the web at www.ctnofa.org
Massachusetts: Low-Income $20, Individual $35,
Family/Farm/Organization $45, Business $75,
Supporting $150
Contact: Kathleen Geary, 411 Sheldon Road, Barre, MA
01005, (978) 355-2853, or email: info@nofamass.org
New Hampshire: Individual: $30, Student: $23,
Family: $40, Sponsor: $100, Basic $20*
Contact: Elizabeth Obelenus, 4 Park St., Suite 208,
Concord, NH 03301, (603) 224-5022, info@nofanh.
org
New Jersey: Individual $35, Family/Organizational
$50, Business/Organization $100, Low Income:
$15*
Contact: P O Box 886, Pennington, NJ 08534-0886,
(609) 737-6848 or join at www.nofanj.org
New York: Student/Senior/Limited Income
$20, Individual $40, Family/Farm/Nonproft
Organization $50, Business $115, Patron $125.
Contact: Mayra Richter, NOFA-NY, PO Box 880,
Cobleskill, NY 12043, Voice (607) 652-NOFA, Fax:
(607) 652-2290, email: offce@nofany.org www.
nofany.org
Rhode Island: Student/Senior: $20, Individual: $25,
Family $35, Business $50
Contact: Membership, NOFA RI, c/o Abbie Barber
POB 86 Shannock, RI 02875 (401) 364-7557,
shannockorganicfarm@hotmail.com
Vermont: Individual $30, Farm/Family $40,
Business $50, Sponsor $100, Sustainer $250, Basic
$15-25*
Contact: NOFA-VT, PO Box 697, Richmond, VT
05477, (802) 434-4122, info@nofavt.org
*does not include a subscription to The Natural
Farmer
NOFA Membership
Vermont
NOFA-VT Offce, P. O. Box 697, Bridge St.,
Richmond, VT 05477 (802) 434-4122 NOFA, (802)
434-3821 VOF, Fax: (802) 434-4154, website: www.
nofavt.org, info@nofavt.org
Executive Director: Enid Wonnacott, enid@nofavt.org
NOFA Financial Manager: Kirsten Novak Bower,
kirsten@nofavt.org
Winter Conference Coordinator: Olga Boshart, olga@
madriver.com
VOF Administrator & Apprentice Program
Coordinator: Nicole Dehne, Nicole@nofavt.org
VOF Administrator: Nicole Dehne, Nicole@nofavt.org
VOF Staff: Cheryl Bruce, cheryl@nofavt.org
VOF Staff: Brenda Hedges, brenda@nofavt.org
Farmer Education & Apprenticeship Program
Coordinator: Wendy Sue Harper, wendysue@nofavt.
org
Bulk Order Coordinator & VOF Staff: Erin Clark,
erin@nofavt.org
Dairy & Livestock Administrator: Sam Fuller, sam@
nofavt.org
Dairy & Livestock Advisor, David Rogers, dave@
nofavt.org
Dairy and Livestock Advisor: Willie Gibson, willie@
nofavt.org
Offce Manager: Meg Klepack, meg@nofavt.org
Ag Education Coordinator: Abbie Nelson, abbie@
nofavt.org
Offce Assistant and Share the Harvest fundraiser:
Becca Weiss, becca@nofavt.org
Farm Share Coordinator: Jean Hamilton, jean@nofavt.
org
NOFA Interstate Council
* indicates voting representative
* Bill Duesing, President, Staff, Box 135, Stevenson,
CT, 06491, (203) 888-5146, fax, (203) 888- 9280,
bduesing@cs.com
Kimberly A. Stoner, 498 Oak Ave. #27, Cheshire,
CT 06410-3021, (203) 271-1732 (home), Email:
kastoner@juno.com
* Elizabeth Coe, 13 Hickory Hill Rd., Great
Barrington, MA 01230, (413) 528-6567, treecoe@gis.
net
* Jill Ebbott, 70 Beaconsfeld Rd., Brookline, MA
02445, (617) 232-3706, jebbott@msn.com
Elizabeth Obelenus, 22 Keyser Road, Meredith. NH
03253, (603) 279-6146, elizabeth@nofanh.org
* Jack Mastrianni, Treasurer, 277 Holden Hill Road,
Langdon, NH 03602, (603) 835-6488, jamastrianni@
yahoo.com
* Steve Gilman, Ruckytucks Farm, 130 Ruckytucks
Road, Stillwater, NY 12170 (518) 583-4613,
sgilman@netheaven.com
* Vince Cirasole, Sunshine Farm, 745 Great Neck
Rd, Copiague, NY 11726, (631) 789-8231, vince@
sunshinefarm.biz
Elizabeth Henderson, 2218 Welcher Rd., Newark, NY
14513 (315) 331-9029 ehendrsn@redsuspenders.com
* Dan Lawton, 247 Evans Road Chepachet, RI 02814
(401) 949-1596 dlawton33@hotmail.com
* Nicole Vitello, Manic Organic, PO Box 425,
Portsmouth, RI 02871 (401) 480-1403, Nicole@
manicorganic.biz
* Enid Wonnacott, 478 Salvas Rd., Huntington, VT
05462 (802) 434-4435, enid@nofavt.org
Kirsten Novak Bower, 65 Wortheim Ln., Richmond,
VT 05477 (802) 434-5420, kirsten@nofavt.org
Kay Magilavy, Virtual Rep, 212 18th St., Union City,
NJ 07087, (201) 927-7116
David Pontius, Webmaster, 26 School Street,
Northfeld, MA 01360, (413) 498-2721, Email:
webmaster@nofamass.org
Jack Kittredge and Julie Rawson, The Natural Farmer,
NOFA Summer Conference, 411 Sheldon Rd., Barre,
MA 01005 (978) 355-2853, Jack, tnf@nofa.org,
Julie@nofamass.org
Marion Griswold, Bookkeeper, 30 Hollow Rd.,
Woodbury, CT 06798, (203) 263-2221, marion@
ctnofa.org
Interstate Certifcation
Contacts
Nicole Dehne, nicole@nofavt.org, PO Box 698,
Richmond, VT 05477, 802-434-4122, 802-434-4154
(fax)
Carol King, 840 Front Street, Binghamton, NY
13905, (607) 724-9851, fax: (607)724-9853,
certifedorganic@nofany.org
Erich V. Bremer, c/o NJ Dept. of Agriculture, PO
Box 330, Trenton, NJ 08625, (609) 984-2225 erich.
bremer@ag.state.nj.us
$
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Fall 2008 Natural Farmer

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Fall 2008 Natural Farmer

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Fall, 2008 Vol. 2, No.

78 Publication of the Northeast Organic Farming Association 1077-2294

Let us live in harmony with the earth and the creatures,

1800 Scituate Ave. Cranston, RI

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