National Good Food Network Webinar
Starting a Food Hub:
Successful Hubs Share Their Stories
Thursday, May 16
3:30 – 4:45pm ET
Food hubs hold great promise for a myriad of positive community impacts – economic development and job creation, farmland preservation, environmental sustainability… the list goes on. But how do you start a food hub?
This webinar brings together the stories of the formation and first year of three different, successful food hubs. Our presenters are all founders of their hubs. They will share some of the best decisions they made … and some of the worst. What types of contacts did they feel really helped their business to thrive? How much money did they need, and how did they get it? Why did they choose their incorporation status? And more…
If you are an emerging hub – in the planning stages – or work with groups who are considering forming a food hub, please join us for inspiration and instruction
Panelists:
Sandi Kronick – Eastern Carolina Organics
Chris Hartman – Good Food Collective-Head Water Foods, Inc
Jim Crawford – Tuscarora Organic Growers Cooperative
Reserve your spot – click here
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Presentation on Food Justice Research
Wednesday, May 1 | 11:00AM -12:30 PM | Vinegar Hill Cafe, Jefferson School
Enjoy a tasty lunch & learn about possible ways to improve local food justice!
The UVa PLAC 5500 Food Justice class is presenting preliminary findings; students conducted the first ever food justice audit in the City of Charlottesville. This audit is intended as a beginning, not an end. Instructors hope the class audit will raise community awareness about food justice, and will lead to a more comprehensive city-wide and comprehensive food justice audit.
The Food Justice class builds on the last seven years of community food system class research. Students first conducted research into the city plans and codes. Then, after learning best practices for community engagement, students interviewed neighborhood leaders and community residents about their experience with hunger, access to fresh, healthy food, their perception of food justice, impacts of local food initiatives, and ideas for advancing food justice in Charlottesville. Students will be presenting their findings, which will also be submitted to the city for consideration in its comprehensive plan and neighborhood plans.
Presentations will last about 50 minutes, and the remaining time will be open for questions and discussion with participants. This event is free and open to the public.
Food and beverages are available for purchase at the Vinegar Hill Cafe!
Free parking is also available at the Jefferson School.
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NOVA Food Coalition: Presentation and Dialogue on Local Food Hubs
Where: GMU Arlington Campus
When: Friday May 3, 10 AM – noon
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UVA Food Collaborative’s GMO FORUM
Tuesday, April 23 at 6:00 pm
Nau Hall, 1550 Jef erson Park Ave
Free admission.
Join the UVA Food Collaborative and the Department of Environmental Sciences for a panel discussion on genetically modifi ed organisms (GMOs).
Featured panelists include:
Eric Hallerman, Department Head, Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech
Jean Halloran, Director of Food Policy Initiatives, Consumers Union, NY
Manuel Lerdau, Professor of Environmental Sciences and of Biology, UVa
Michael Rodemeyer, Executive Director, Policy Internship Program, UVa
Co-sponsored by: WHOLE FOODS
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Wholesale Success Information from FamilyFarmed.org
FamilyFarmed.org has announced a new round of Wholesale Success Training Workshops for small to midsize produce farmers! In the past few years we have partnered with organizations around the country to train over 5,000 farmers. If you are interested in partnering with us to put on a training in your area, or have any questions about the Wholesale Success Workshops or Wholesale Success Farmers’ Manual, please contact James Pirovano, james@familyfarmed.
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Food and Farm Related Online Courses
Sustainability of Food Systems: A Global Life Cycle Perspective
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Permaculture Design Course in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Permaculture in partnership with Greenfire Institute and Dancing Star Farms would like to announce a comprehensive 72 hour course in Permaculture Design. Join us for 4 weekends this spring to earn your passport to food security and a meaningful future. The course will take place on February 22-24, March 2-3, April 6-7, with the final weekend being April 20-21.
Learning to build food systems to mimic healthy natural systems allows us to produce our food with increasing productivity AND increasing fertility, without working ourselves to the bone. With thoughtful planning and design, your garden can do the work, while you reap the benefits.
Aside from earning certification in Permaculture Design, students will gain experience in…
· Significant reskilling and hands-on work to gain confidence moving forward towards a more sustainable future.
· Medicinal Herbs: your pharmacy in the back yard, or a lucrative crop
· Water harvesting/restoration
· Design tools for sustainable building
· Tools for productive interpersonal relationships and community building
· Organic gardening techniques
· Principles for thoughtful design of property and productive community systems
We invite you to join instructors:
Ted Butchart: Physician, Herbalist, Homeopath, Straw Bale Construction Expert
Ryan Blosser: Permaculture Farmer, Coordinator of Project GROWS, Co-Owner Dancing Star Farms, Individual and Family Therapist
Dave O’Neill: Permaculture Farmer, Owner Radical Roots Community Farm
Meghan Williamson: Director of h(OUR) Economy; The Valley’s Community Time Bank, Former Executive Director of Staunton Creative Community Fund
Trevor Piersol: Senior Fellow and Farm Manager, Allegheny Mountain School
And other Shenandoah Valley Permaculture experts as we explore the possibility of radical culture change through gardening.
The course is being offered on a sliding scale from 750$ -1050$. You can reserve your seat in the course with a 200$ deposit.
For more information: visit – https://www.facebook.com/
or email Dr. Ted Butchart or Ryan Blosser at shenandoapdc@gmail.com
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The History of US Food Industry: New Exhibit Opens at Smithsonian Museum
The American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution have opened and expanded its exhibitions devoted to food and the food industry, which include: Our Global Kitchen: Food, Nature, Culture and Food: Transforming the American Table, 1950-2000. Both exhibitions explore how food is grown, transported, cooked, eaten, and wasted, as well as food system evolutions and transformations from prehistoric to modern times, including the influence of gender and immigration on food.
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2012 Virginia Farm to Table Conference and Buy Fresh Buy Local Mixer
Are you interested in local economies? Are you an advocate for local foods and sustainable farming?
Wednesday, December 5, and Thursday, December 6, 2012
Blue Ridge Community College
Plecker Workforce Center
One College Lane, Weyers Cave, VA 24486
The theme of the two-day conference is ‘Food and Farming at a Profitable and Sustainable Scale.’ A specific focus of the conference will be to encourage collaboration, conservation and community. Day 1 will focus on food and farming in the 21st century and the second day will focus on community supported investment, capital needs of emerging and beginning farmers and entrepreneurs, cooperatives, community food enterprises, and scale.
On Wednesday evening, there will be a Buy Fresh Buy Local Mixer to encourage business conversation among Virginia producers and buyers. As part of the evening, Michael Shuman will speak about his recent book, ‘Local Dollars, Local Sense.’ His presentation will be preceded by music from a local band.
The conference is being hosted by Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia State University, Virginia Tech, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Virginia Food System Council with support from community organizations, state agencies and area businesses.
For more information about the 2012 Virginia Farm to Table Conference, you can contact Eric Bendfeldt of Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Northern District Office at (540) 432-6029 Ext. 106 or Kathy Holm of USDA-NRCS (540) 434-1404 Ext. 114.
For information about the Buy Fresh Buy Local Networking Mixer – connecting food service providers with farmers—and how you can be involved, please contact Francie Kennedy at 540-432-6029 Ext. 107.
Flier with agenda and registration form: http://conference.
THE PLANNING COMMITTEE
Eric Bendfeldt, Co-chair, Kathy Holm (Co-Chair), Francie Kennedy, Leanne Dubois, Steve Cooke, Dale Gardner, Tim Long, Kim Niewolny, Theresa Nartea, Kim Woodwell, Cristina Cain, Kenner Love, Amber Vallotton, Justin Van Kleeck, Joan Comanor, Ben Craig, Spencer Neale, Don Loock, Cecily Kihn, Gordon Walker, Lynda Fanning, Mary Lynn Lipscomb
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Fourth annual Virginia Farm to School Week – November 12-16, 2012
RICHMOND—The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the state Department of Agriculture will celebrate Virginia Farm to School Week Nov. 12-16. The observance will highlight the nutritional and economic boosts seen when school systems purchase food for student meals from local farms. “Farm to School Week presents an opportunity to expand the awareness of fresh, in-season products available in Virginia throughout the year,” said Matthew J. Lohr, VDACS commissioner. Schools observe the week with food tastings, agricultural and nutritional education, cook-offs, visits from local farmers and school-based farmers’ markets. Students also plant and harvest seasonal crops in school gardens and greenhouses.
“As the parent of two school-aged children, I know from experience that it is also a time to engage parents and educate them about the nutritional value of fresh, locally grown and locally produced fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs and other products,” Lohr said.
The Commissioner will be visiting the Local Food Hub in Charlottesville on Tuesday the 13th to help load trucks to deliver fresh food to schools. The LFH has been the source for connecting schools in the region with local produce working with over 75 family farms to build capacity. Over the past 3 years, they have delivered over 350,000 pounds of apples to area elementary, middle and high schools. Since they began in 2009, the Local Food Hub has generated over $1.2 million dollars into the local farm economy.
The commissioner will then visit Louisa Middle School on Friday, November 16. High School students in the Ag Department will be making Apple Butter using Virginia apples on Friday Nov. 16 at the Middle School. They plan to serve it on the menu and sell the apple butter with proceeds going to support the Agriculture Department.
A recent survey of school nutrition directors throughout the state revealed that all respondents had knowledge of the Virginia Farm to School Program, which was created in 2007. The majority defined local foods as food grown within Virginia. When asked what steps they had taken to include local food in their school divisions, 86 percent said they had begun serving meals featuring Virginia-grown foods. About 45 percent reported that they had developed purchasing relationships with local farmers, and 15 percent said they planned to develop such relationships within the next year.
Other farm-to-school activities reported included inviting farmers to speak at schools (40 percent), planting school gardens (36 percent) and working with teachers to include classroom-based curriculum featuring local foods and agriculture (32 percent).
Fifty-one percent of respondents said seasonal availability of local foods within the school year was a challenge. A 2009 study by the Virginia Food System Council reported a 300 percent increase in Virginia foods being served in public and private schools since the General Assembly directed the implementation of the Virginia Farm to School Program.
“The steady growth of farm-to-school programs in Virginia and other states is a real success story,” said Spencer Neale, a commodity marketing specialist for Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. “It increases opportunities for farms of all sizes, and it gets everyone involved in the experience—from students, their teachers and their parents to local volunteers, school administrators and food preparation staff.
“What better place than the school lunchroom to reinforce to children where their food comes from and how it gets to their plates?”
Contact Neale at 804-290-1153 or Elaine Lidholm, VDACS communications director, at 804-786-7686.
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FOOD DAY – Come join food lovers across the state in celebrating local, healthy and accessible food grown here in VA.
(October 24, 2012)
Help the Virginia Food System Council celebrate “Food Day”. Contact us to help coordinate your educational event. Food Day is a nationwide celebration and a movement for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food. Register your event with us, or directly on the Food Day website.
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Heritage Harvest Festival (September 14th & 15th)
Charlottesville at Monticello: in the West Lawn vegetable garden, and the Visitor Center.
The Virginia State Fair (September 27-October 1)
The Virginia State Fair - On May 22, 2012, Universal Fairs (VaFAIRS), purchased the assets of State Fair of Virginia in bankruptcy court and have brought it back from extinction. Come out to support your State Fair.
VICFA “Your Civil Liberties and Food Freedom” 3-Course Gourmet Meal Event! (September 30, 4-8 p.m.)
McLean, Tysons Corner
Virginia Day of Gleaning (August 16th)
The Virginia Food System Council would like you to learn and support “Gleaning” here in Virginia. Steven M. (Mike) Waldmann, Executive Director, Society of St. Andrew and the Gleaning Program Coordinator Sarah Ramey are working with the Virginia’s First Lady, Mrs. McDonnell in declaring August 16th (a Thursday) as a Day of Gleaning. For the festivities SOSA has set up gleaning events all over the state August 16th. Come out to one of the 6 locations and help to
Any one interested can call the contact person or Sarah Ramey. Gleaning will begin at 9:00 AM
Northern Neck- Parker’s Farm 1647 Kings Highway Oak Grove, VA 22443 – Contact: Brad Grinnen 804-577-7028
Winchester- Marker-Miller Farm 3035 Cedar Creek Grade Winchester, VA 22602 – Contact: Betty Heishman 540-336-2177
Southwest- Brady’s Produce in Hillsville – Contact: Karen Dennis 276-620-9446
Tidewater- Brookdale Farm 2060 Vaughan Road Virginia Beach, VA 23457 – Contact person: Sharon Wallace 757-546-4646
Lynchburg- A.J. Gross and Son Farm 6817 Wheats Valley Road Bedford, VA 24523 – Contact person: Sarah Ramey 434-841-1473
Charlottesville- Crown Orchard 5861 Piedmont Apple Lane Covesville, VA 22934 – Contact: Jim Hassmer 434-466-4375
Richmond- Mt. Olympus Farms 23298 Jefferson Davis Highway Ruther Glen, VA 22546
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Virginia’s FIRST Latino Farmers Market!
Opening April 14th in Richmond, Virginia! The organizer Teddy Elliot can still in receive more farmers, especially ones growing commonly used Latino crops: Beef, Goat, Fish, Garbanzo Beans, Whole Grains, Olives, Pomegranates, Rice, Hot Chili Peppers, Sweet Corn, Black Beans, Pinto Beans, Yams, Red Beans, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Garlic, Yucca, String Beans, Sweet Peppers, Jicama, Jerusalem Artichoke, Potatoes, Cilantro, Taro, Onion, Chayote, Tomato, Passion Fruit, Tomatillos and more….
LA PLAZA LATIN MARKET WILL OPEN ON:
APRIL 14TH and run every Saturday through OCTOBER 13TH 2012
LOCATION: BROAD ROCK PARK, CORNER of WARWICK AND BROAD ROCK BLVD, RICHMOND, VA TIME: 9AM – 2PM
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Virginia Food System Council Press Release (3/15/2012):
Read here about our campaign launch to promote all Virginian’s at all income levels to learn about the nutritional and economical benefits of eating Virginia raised and Virginia gown foods. See Press Release here
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The 2012 VABF Farms Tours
Learn about the farming methods practiced by various organic and sustainable farmers in Virginia by participating in the 2012 Farms Tour sponsored by the Virginia Association of Biological Farming (VABF). The VABF Farms Tour is designed to be beneficial for farmers, aspiring farmers, interested landowners, educators and professionals, and anyone interested in working in organic or sustainable agriculture. Each tour will focus on a specific farm topic (or topics) as well as provide a farming system overview of that farm. Several of the tours have already been scheduled. Click here (Tour Schedule & Directions) for more details or visit the ‘contact us’ page at http://www.mattawomancreekfarms.com
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The 2nd Virginia Food Security Summit
Come learn and brainstorm the next steps we need to make here in Virginia to create an efficient, healthy and prosperous local food system. Join us for this one-day gathering of farmers, chefs, grocers, health workers, and community leaders from across the state! http://virginiafoodsummit.org/
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