Oh, the web we weave - the many connections of Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm.
There is a lot of talk in the sustainable, organic, and local food world of Food-webs. It begins in the soil and extends out to all the living organisms dependent on that soil for sustenance. As a grass farmer, I could speak in depth on the importance of diverse and vibrant Food-webs; but, just as important to our sustainable farm is the network of human relationships that are just as vital to our survival – and our ability to thrive.
Over the coming weeks and months, I will write about the human connections and interactions that enrich OUR farm and community. There will be many branches, cross-connections, and circling back. You will see farms that both compete and cooperate. I’ll detail relationships that are rewarding, synergistic, and multiplying. I’ll contrast the cooperative nature of local foods with conventional corporate agriculture as well as highlight the need for conventional and sustainable/organic farmers to interact in order to move our food system to a healthier model.
Several months ago, Richard Wood of the Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) - contacted me about a new project he and FACT were working on. Richard wanted to see if I would serve as a farmer/advisor for a modest grant program to encourage farmers to move towards more humane livestock growing practices. Of course, I said “yes,” because I know Rich and support FACT’s mission, and I know the effectiveness of small grants given directly to farmers.
I met Rich and staff from FACT in 2008, when Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm hosted a Sustainable Agriculture tour. The Sustainable Agriculture Tour is a project of the University of Illinois Extension’s, Illinois Small Farms. CVSF was on the tour schedule because we were awarded a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) producer grant in 2007 to explore and expand direct to consumer retail marketing of our farm raised meats. The success of this grant project prompted us to start the first Meat CSA in Illinois.
Since that first meeting at our farm, Rich and/or FACT staff and I have run into each other several times at various local food and sustainable farm confabs in and about Chicago. Not surprisingly, our relationship has grown.
With help from fellow farmer, Greg Gunthorp and whole lot of work by FACT staff, the Healthy & Humane Farms Funds Project came to fruition. It was feted in October at a launch party held at Uncommon Ground(http://www.uncommonground.com/) in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago. FACT invited me to speak about our farm, the health and humane benefits of grazing animals, and the grant project. I look forward to reading grant applications this spring and seeing the first grants awarded.
Another farmer, Harry Carr of Mint Creek Farm, also, spoke at the launch event. Richard and his wife treated me and Harry and his daughter, Rae, to dinner after the event. Free flowing conversation followed – it’s always nice to get to be social with otherfarmers. The discussion included Harry mentioning that he was marketing holiday turkeys. CVSF has raised turkeys in the past for our members, but did not this year. Of course, we get requests for turkeys and since we didn’t raise them – suggestions on where to buy. From our dinner talk, Harry agreed to offer his turkeys to our CSA members at the same discounted price (25% off retails) he was offering to Mint Creek’s CSA members. Win/Win!
While at the launch party at Uncommon Ground, I had the pleasure of meeting Helen Cameron, co-founder with her husband, Mike, of two award winning, green, farm to fork establishments. When we were introduced, Helen exclaimed, “I can’t believe we haven’t met before.” Having been involved in Chicago’s local food scene for nearly ten years, I felt the same way. I found that the Cameron’s share our passion for local and sustainable foods and work just as tirelessly promoting it as we do. From this brief meeting springs another relationship.
In January, Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm adds meat share deliveries at both Uncommon Ground locations in Lakeview and Edgewater. Beer pairings with Revolution Brewing beers and CVSF meats promote the new sites. The first was held at the Lakeview location on December 7th, and one is planned for Edgewater on January 11th tickets are $20 and half or the proceeds go to Uncommon Ground’s charity, Uncommon Cause. Also, new CSA members signing up for the new delivery sites can have $30 go to the Healthy & Humane Farms Funds Project by putting FACT in as the promo code on their sign up form ($15 dollars from CVSF & a matching $15 from Uncommon Ground).
Revolution Brewing’s participation flowed from connections to both Helen and CVSF. Uncommon Ground has some of Revolution Brewing’s beers on tap. The tie to CVSF goes back even further. I met Josh Deth back in 2005 as one of the inaugural vendors of the fledgling Logan Square Farmers Market (http://logansquarefarmersmarket.org/). Then Josh was a partner in Handlebar working with the Logan Square Chamber of commerce to get it’s farmers market established, brewing beer at home, and dreaming of opening a world class brew pub. As with Richard and FACT, Josh and I have had many interactions over the past few years, and again our relationship has grown. In fact, Revolution Brewing serves pork from our neighbors Mark and Kristin Boe of La Pryor farms. La Pryor farms is from whom CVSF, also, buys stock. We introduced the Boes to Josh a couple of years ago after he had asked about sourcing locally raised meats.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Foods Resource Bank
On October 15th, while Beth was delivering shares to our Oak Park drop off, I attended a Foods Resource Bank (FRB) Harvest Celebration just a couple of miles from Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm.
FRB is a Christian NGO that works overseas (in 30 countries on every populated continent but Australia and North America) to help alleviate hunger. Although my proclivities tend toward the secular and humanist, this is an inter-denominational religious organization that has a really good approach to food and hunger.
Basically, FRB, raises cash to implement programs in food insecure regions that help people to create their own food security. First of all, FRB does NOT provide direct food assistance. Simply distributing free food is counterproductive to building food security as it puts farmers already growing and selling food in the area out of business. It's hard to compete with free. In starvation situations, FRB will allocate up to 25% of their aid to emergency food assistance - however their overall goal is to build the knowledge and infrastructure needed for resilient, sustainable, local food systems.
How do they do this?
FRB volunteers organize Growing Projects to raise funds. Corn was the crop being harvested at the harvest celebration I attended. For this project, suburban and rural congregations work together, and for the past two years have worked with local farmers to raise a corn crop. This crop is sold at the local grain terminal and the cash proceeds are donated to FRB.
The farmer donates the use of land and his farming expertise to the project.
Once the land is secured, money and donations are raised to supply the inputs needed to raise the crop -GMO seeds, fertilizer, diesel fuel, herbicide, pesticides, etc.
Why donate cash instead of the crop?
The logistics and high cost of shipping the actual grain to the hungry make this approach unfeasible. FRB says it is almost always best to buy food from nearby when there are emergency food needs. Wow, what a refreshing departure from government food aid program. Besides, the corn raised is not suitable for human consumption.
Anyone see the irony here?
High input industrial agriculture is being used to raise money to support low input, sustainable agriculture in areas of food insecurity.
Why was Jody at the harvest celebration representing CVSF?
Partly for entertainment...
Once people get over their awe of the massive, technological marvel of a modern combine (the grain harvester) watching corn get harvested is a bit like counting train cars or watching paint dry.
There were several farming demonstrations going on. A local sheep breeder did a sheering demonstration. Another had and old fashioned miniature baler and turned a large bale of straw into many small decorative bales. My cage of hens that kids could feed popcorn, blades of grass, and grasshoppers were a big draw. Plus getting to talk to an actual farmer away from a noisy machine was pretty novel, for kids and their parents,too.
Partly out of nostalgia...
People of a certain age remember when their grandpa or uncle had a farm with animals that they would visit. Or they had a neighbor that kept hens and a garden and sold them eggs and vegetables. It's harder to connect to one's food as it once was.
Partly for education...
I talked a lot about community supported agriculture and how local foods contribute to the health of our communities and our economy.
Partly as a counter balance...
Even as the combines raced across the fields sucking up bushel on bushel of grain and disgorging it into the semi-trailers, the people visiting my table understood that their current food system is out of whack. Being able to speak to someone farming on another path shows them that things can change and with the support of a community, that change can be for the better.
FRB is a Christian NGO that works overseas (in 30 countries on every populated continent but Australia and North America) to help alleviate hunger. Although my proclivities tend toward the secular and humanist, this is an inter-denominational religious organization that has a really good approach to food and hunger.
Basically, FRB, raises cash to implement programs in food insecure regions that help people to create their own food security. First of all, FRB does NOT provide direct food assistance. Simply distributing free food is counterproductive to building food security as it puts farmers already growing and selling food in the area out of business. It's hard to compete with free. In starvation situations, FRB will allocate up to 25% of their aid to emergency food assistance - however their overall goal is to build the knowledge and infrastructure needed for resilient, sustainable, local food systems.
How do they do this?
- Focus on the specific needs of community being served
- Develop local assets
- Invest (modestly) in tools and seed
- Commit strongly to education, training, and community organizing
FRB volunteers organize Growing Projects to raise funds. Corn was the crop being harvested at the harvest celebration I attended. For this project, suburban and rural congregations work together, and for the past two years have worked with local farmers to raise a corn crop. This crop is sold at the local grain terminal and the cash proceeds are donated to FRB.
The farmer donates the use of land and his farming expertise to the project.
Once the land is secured, money and donations are raised to supply the inputs needed to raise the crop -GMO seeds, fertilizer, diesel fuel, herbicide, pesticides, etc.
Why donate cash instead of the crop?
The logistics and high cost of shipping the actual grain to the hungry make this approach unfeasible. FRB says it is almost always best to buy food from nearby when there are emergency food needs. Wow, what a refreshing departure from government food aid program. Besides, the corn raised is not suitable for human consumption.
Anyone see the irony here?
High input industrial agriculture is being used to raise money to support low input, sustainable agriculture in areas of food insecurity.
Why was Jody at the harvest celebration representing CVSF?
Partly for entertainment...
Once people get over their awe of the massive, technological marvel of a modern combine (the grain harvester) watching corn get harvested is a bit like counting train cars or watching paint dry.
There were several farming demonstrations going on. A local sheep breeder did a sheering demonstration. Another had and old fashioned miniature baler and turned a large bale of straw into many small decorative bales. My cage of hens that kids could feed popcorn, blades of grass, and grasshoppers were a big draw. Plus getting to talk to an actual farmer away from a noisy machine was pretty novel, for kids and their parents,too.
Partly out of nostalgia...
People of a certain age remember when their grandpa or uncle had a farm with animals that they would visit. Or they had a neighbor that kept hens and a garden and sold them eggs and vegetables. It's harder to connect to one's food as it once was.
Partly for education...
I talked a lot about community supported agriculture and how local foods contribute to the health of our communities and our economy.
Partly as a counter balance...
Even as the combines raced across the fields sucking up bushel on bushel of grain and disgorging it into the semi-trailers, the people visiting my table understood that their current food system is out of whack. Being able to speak to someone farming on another path shows them that things can change and with the support of a community, that change can be for the better.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Food Soveriegnty
I recently read an article about Wisconsin judge Patrick J. Fielder's ruling that Wisconsin citizens do not have a fundamental right to consume the food of their choice. This decision was in a case involving raw milk and Wisconsin's ban of it's commercial sale.
Here are the specifics of his ruling that the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection did not violate the constittutional rights of the plaintiffs:
(1) no, Plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to own and use a dairy cow or a dairyherd;
(2) no, Plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to consume the milk from their own cow;
(3) no, the Zinniker Plaintiffs, do not have a fundamental right to board their cow at the farm of a farm;
(4) no, the Zinnikers Plaintiffs' contract does not fall outside the scope of the State's police power;
(5) no, the Plaintiffs, do not have a fundamental right to produce and consume the foods of their choice;
(6) no, the DATCP, did not act in an ultra vires manner because it had jurisdiction to regulate the Zinniker's conduct.
Judge Fielder did not limit his decision to milk alone or to commerce and agriculture regulated by the state.
(Here is a link to the full text of Judge Fiedler's ruling clarification: http://www.thecompletepatient.com/storage/WIorder-clarification9-11.pdf)
If this broad ruling is left to stand, it will set a dangerous legal precedent about all our food choices and the role of government in deciding what we can and cannot eat or grow. It, also, brings into question basic rights of personal property.
Standing alone this ruling is alarming; however, I learned Sunday (from a customer at the Logan Square Farmers Market) that just six weeks after his ruling Judge Fiedler stepped down from the bench to go to work for Axley Brynelson (http://axley.com/services) a law firm whose work includes defending Monsanto (retirment article: http://host.madison.com/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_f25f22b3-4a89-50e3-8d32-06da1adb92f2.html)
If you are unfamiliar with Monsanto, they are intimately involved in the dairy industry with their Posilac product (http://www.elanco.us/products/posilac.htm), recombiant bovine growth hormone (rGBH), a synthetic hormone injected into dairy cows to prolong lactation and boost output. Milk from rGBH cows DOES NOT have to be labeld as such, and Monsanto has fought long and hard to keep it that way - even to the extent of prohibitiing milk from being labeled as rGBHG-free.
But, Monsanto's reach extends far beyond just milk - they have patents on much of the feed and fiber seed planted in the United States (corn, soybeans, cotton, sugar beets, alfalfa), andthey are aggressively expanding expanding into the realm of fruit and vegetables. (http://westernfarmpress.com/agribusiness-monsanto-buying-leading-fruit-vegetable-seed-company)
Most of Monsanto's patents in the feed and fiber arena include genetic modifications. Now they are working hard to transfer that technology into the produce we eat (http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/gmo-sweet-corn-variety-coming-soon.aspx).
It is disgusting that the very judge that said food choice is not a constitutional right now effectively works for the same corporation bent on monopolizing the world's food supply for its own control and profit.
It is not much of a stretch to think that Judge Fiedler's decision was influenced (bought) by his current employers.
.
Here are the specifics of his ruling that the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection did not violate the constittutional rights of the plaintiffs:
(1) no, Plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to own and use a dairy cow or a dairyherd;
(2) no, Plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to consume the milk from their own cow;
(3) no, the Zinniker Plaintiffs, do not have a fundamental right to board their cow at the farm of a farm;
(4) no, the Zinnikers Plaintiffs' contract does not fall outside the scope of the State's police power;
(5) no, the Plaintiffs, do not have a fundamental right to produce and consume the foods of their choice;
(6) no, the DATCP, did not act in an ultra vires manner because it had jurisdiction to regulate the Zinniker's conduct.
Judge Fielder did not limit his decision to milk alone or to commerce and agriculture regulated by the state.
(Here is a link to the full text of Judge Fiedler's ruling clarification: http://www.thecompletepatient.com/storage/WIorder-clarification9-11.pdf)
If this broad ruling is left to stand, it will set a dangerous legal precedent about all our food choices and the role of government in deciding what we can and cannot eat or grow. It, also, brings into question basic rights of personal property.
Standing alone this ruling is alarming; however, I learned Sunday (from a customer at the Logan Square Farmers Market) that just six weeks after his ruling Judge Fiedler stepped down from the bench to go to work for Axley Brynelson (http://axley.com/services) a law firm whose work includes defending Monsanto (retirment article: http://host.madison.com/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_f25f22b3-4a89-50e3-8d32-06da1adb92f2.html)
If you are unfamiliar with Monsanto, they are intimately involved in the dairy industry with their Posilac product (http://www.elanco.us/products/posilac.htm), recombiant bovine growth hormone (rGBH), a synthetic hormone injected into dairy cows to prolong lactation and boost output. Milk from rGBH cows DOES NOT have to be labeld as such, and Monsanto has fought long and hard to keep it that way - even to the extent of prohibitiing milk from being labeled as rGBHG-free.
But, Monsanto's reach extends far beyond just milk - they have patents on much of the feed and fiber seed planted in the United States (corn, soybeans, cotton, sugar beets, alfalfa), andthey are aggressively expanding expanding into the realm of fruit and vegetables. (http://westernfarmpress.com/agribusiness-monsanto-buying-leading-fruit-vegetable-seed-company)
Most of Monsanto's patents in the feed and fiber arena include genetic modifications. Now they are working hard to transfer that technology into the produce we eat (http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/gmo-sweet-corn-variety-coming-soon.aspx).
It is disgusting that the very judge that said food choice is not a constitutional right now effectively works for the same corporation bent on monopolizing the world's food supply for its own control and profit.
It is not much of a stretch to think that Judge Fiedler's decision was influenced (bought) by his current employers.
.
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