December, 2006 In this issue... Features CISA's Fall appeal Get ready to renew Thank you, Whole Foods! Local Hero farmer killed in car accident Increase traffic and sales at farmers markets Blankets ad cards on sale; supplies dwindline! CISA offers new web business workshops Statewide survey of institutional food buyers and farmers released Milk money Cowls offers barn boards for your barn projects Talk about ag to Deval Patrick Local, organic apples available Annual meeting moved to Feb. 28 News Local wood makes it good: Woodlands Coop products available at Rugg Getting state money for local communities FarmAid featured on NPR 'Think Local First' contest returns Wal-Mart good! Wal-Mart bad! Concert benefits CISA SMALL BITES:find it, grow it, cook it. Workshops, Events and Announcements Holiday farm events, calendars, beekeeping classes, habitat improvement...And more! Classified Ads Always read the fine print. View ads What’s fresh this month? Pretty much the same as last month, since winter seems to be on a permanent vacation! Apples, squash, rutubagas, pears, carrots, parsnips, cabbages, greens, milk, meat, eggs, syrup, honey, and more! Time to stock up for winter! For more information on what's in season download our produce calendar. Quote for December: At Christmas I no more desire a rose Than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled mirth; But like of each thing that in season grows. — William Shakespeare Local Hero members: get ready to renew for 2007! As one season winds down (will this odd spring-like weather ever end?) we are gearing up for the next. Local Hero enrollment materials will be mailed in early January, 2007. Remember to reply by January 31 to get your early bird discount, and be sure to recommend to us anyone you think might be interested in joining the Local Hero team. Look for your membership materials in the mail next month – and you can even renew online starting in January! CISA extends a very big THANK YOU to Ann Walsh-Sullivan, the Hadley store team and Whole Foods for hosting a 5% day for CISA. Thanks to all your shopping, CISA received a check for just over $4,000, which will help fund the Local Hero program. We are very grateful for the support. [menu] Sale on blankets, notecards Heritage Wool Blankets are great holiday gifts! We have limited quantities of two of our most popular products – Heritage Wool blankets and ‘Eat the View’ note cards. Both are available now at our online store for 50% off the original price. Get a bargain and support CISA - while they last! To order, click here. Please note: fringed blankets are sold out; hemmed is the only style available.

FEATURES Dear CISA friends, It's the season to appreciate the gifts from farmers who do the risky work of farming because they love the land and they want to feed their neighbors. Citizens who care about farms support them; and farmers who are supported keep farming. CISA’s mission is simple: strengthen that relationship. Here’s what’s possible in 2007 with your help: Healthy seniors: Senior FarmShare provided shares to over 200 low-income seniors in 2006 who shared food with family and friends. We estimate that over 500 people benefited from weekly deliveries of fresh fruits and vegetables from 9 Local Hero farmers. Feedback has been positive. One senior said, “I see a difference in the way I feel after eating all the fresh vegetables.” A farmer who delivered shares to Holyoke said, “Through Senior FarmShare, I met people I wouldn’t have met otherwise and I can see that my food is appreciated by them. And, the program helps my bottom line.” CISA’s goal for 2007: Add Hampshire County to the region served. Increase the number of low-income people served to 1,000. CISA’s program investment: $35,000. Healthy students: Farm to Cafeteria helps bring local food to cafeterias at the University of Massachusetts (600 pounds of potatoes for lunch!), Amherst College, Northfield Mount Hermon, Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Franklin Medical Center and other institutions. Local Hero farmers who currently deliver to cafeterias want to expand, and many other farmers tell CISA that they want to enter this market. CISA’s goal for 2007: Increase the amount of local food purchased by current participants, and add 10 new institutions. This will mean $500,000 in income for local farmers. CISA’s program investment: $20,000 Healthy employees: Farm2Firm has opened doors at 9 workplaces for Local Hero farmers with CSA programs. Employees at MassMutual, Baystate Health, Springfield College, Franklin Medical Center, and other sites (Potential market: 14,000 employees!) enjoy locally grown food delivered to work, and employers are cooperating with CISA by paying for the shares through payroll deductions. CISA’s goal for 2007: Double the number of workplace sites and number of farmers delivering food to those sites thereby creating $200,000 in new income for farmers. CISA’s program investment: $25,000 Healthy farms: There is work to do. We can do it with your help. Please consider a gift to CISA this year to help us meet our goals for 2007. We can double the number of low-income seniors served by Senior FarmShare, Local Hero institutions, and workplace sites engaged in Farm2Firm if you will double your pledge to sustain local agriculture. CISA’s Fund Drive: $80,000 Thank you for your consideration and support. Faye Omasta Board Chair Annie Cheatham Executive Director P.S. Give a gift of $300 or more by December 31, 2006 and we will send you a Heritage Wool Blanket locally woven and made with wool from 23 Massachusetts farms. Click here to contribute securely online or call the office, 413-665-7100 to charge your contribution to your credit card. Checks may be mailed to CISA, 1 Sugarloaf Street, S. Deerfield, MA 01373.

Local Hero farmer killed in car accident

It is with great sadness that we report that Local Hero farmer Jon Konove, of River Rock Farm in Brimfield, was killed early Sunday morning in a car accident. Those who knew Jon recall him as a smart, passionate and skilled farmer whose dry-aged beef was highly regarded by customers and chefs in this region and beyond.

You can read Jon's obituary here. There will be a Quaker-style memorial service at River Rock Farm this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. with a reception to follow. The farm is located at 81 Five Bridge Road in Brimfield, MA, 1/2 mile from Rt. 20, between Brimfield and Sturbridge. Look for the White Coach Motel on Rt. 20; Five Bridge Rd. is across the road.

Below is an article from the Worcester Telegram-Gazette:

Crash kills Brimfield cattle farmer
At 29, Konove had found success
By Kim Ring TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

To his friends he was just Jon, a big guy who had cowboy down to a science and whose death had telephones ringing in Cairo, Australia and across the United States yesterday.

Jonathan E. Konove, 29, died in a 5 a.m. accident yesterday on Route 20, not far from East Old Sturbridge Road, when his 2005 Ford pickup truck rolled over. Firefighters who responded said roads in the area were icy, but state police could not say whether that may have contributed to the crash.

Mr. Konove, who operated River Rock Farm on Five Bridge Road, was headed west on Route 20 when the accident occurred. State police said the truck veered left across the eastbound lanes of the highway and flipped onto its roof.

A passenger in the truck, Kristen Boyer, 26, of Shrewsbury, sustained minor injuries and was being treated at Harrington Memorial Hospital in Southbridge. State police are continuing their investigation.

Last night, friends who had attended Haverford College in Philadelphia with Mr. Konove were remembering him as someone unique and whose loss they will long lament.

Ryan Taggert said Mr. Konove served as his best man when he married in 2004.

“I met my wife because of him,” Mr. Taggart said. He recalled the time he and Mr. Konove spent studying in Australia. Mr. Taggart met a woman named Amy there, but ended the relationship when he returned home.

A year later, Mr. Konove woke Mr. Taggart early one morning, telling him he had a call.

“I wanted him to tell them I wasn’t there, but he just came in the door and said, ‘You’re gonna want to take this one,’” Mr. Taggart recalled. “It was Amy. We started to talk more. Eventually, I went back to Australia. He told me to do it. He knew I wanted to.”

Kevin Gregory lives in Manhattan and laughed when he remembered Mr. Konove, clad in cowboy boots and flannel shirts, being perfectly at home at parties he hosted.

“He was the real deal,” Mr. Gregory said. “He was super smart he was the biggest guy in the room, but he was a teddy bear.”

Perhaps the most amazing thing his friends talked of was Mr. Konove’s commitment to the family farm he had turned into a thriving business. He put off and eventually turned down offers from a veterinary school so he could build up River Rock Farm, which quickly became well-known for its aged beef.

A 2005 Boston Globe story said the beef is featured at Davios in Boston and Cambridge, among other restaurants.

Mr. Gregory said the farm was something his friend was passionate about.

“Going up there (to the farm) was a treat for me,” Mr. Gregory said. “I work in business, and we talked about the business. He was very well versed in it.”

Mr. Konove’s friends said they feel some comfort knowing that he’d accomplished so much in 29 years and lived his dream of having a job he loved where he could work with his shirt off.

“You can at least say that everything he wanted to do in his life to this point, he had done,” Mr. Gregory said.
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Get better sales at farmers markets
Attend CISA’s Farmers Market Workshop

Farmers: learn tips on how to increase your sales through better displays.
CISA wants to work with local farmers markets vendors and managers to boost sales of local farm products. Even though we do not take an active role in the creation or management of farmers markets, we are committed to the success of farming in our communities. Join us for an evening of discussion and networking. All are welcome to attend this FREE workshop, featuring a short presentation by guest speakers, dinner, and a roundtable discussion with all attendees.

Wednesday, December 13
Better market sales through display and merchandising.
Speakers: Gideon and Sarah Porth, Atlas Farm, successful marketers at Boston-area farmers markets.

RSVP to Jennifer at CISA by Monday December 11, 413-665-7100, to reserve your dinner.
Sponsored by CISA and the Agway Foundation.
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How can you build a website for your farm when you’re not even comfortable checking your email?

CISA knows that some farmers just haven’t had the time to get familiar with their home computers – let alone decide on how to get a website for the farm or whether to start selling products online.

That’s why we created a series of workshops that will help you learn new skills and get the information you need to create a plan for your farm’s online business - whether it’s a simple web page with a few photos, or an elaborate online store. And because a successful ‘virtual’ business is based on sound marketing and design principles from the real world, we’ve included classes to help you build those skills too.

The workshop series meets for 8 sessions, starting Monday, January 22 and ending on Monday, March 19. Attendees will experience a combination of lectures, hands-on exercises and presentations. Topics to be covered are:

Basic Computer Literacy, January 22
Communications Strategy and Planning, January 29
Basic Principles of Design, February 5
Developing Effective Print Communications, February 12
E-business Development I, February 26
E-business Development II, March 5
Class Presentations and Feedback I, March 12
Class Presentations and Feedback II, March 19

At the conclusion of the series you will have a plan of action – specific steps you can take to implement your online goals, and the comfort of knowing a lot more about good marketing and internet opportunities than when you started!

You can attend one, some or all of the classes – but if you attend all sessions, there’s a bonus – up to 5 hours of FREE technical assistance to help you implement your plan. That’s easily $500 of consulting time from experts in marketing, design and the internet.

Classes will be held in Greenfield at the Franklin County CDC’s Venture Center from 2:30-5:30 pm. The cost for the series is only $100, or $50 for Local Hero members. Each class costs $20, or $10 for Local Hero members. Not a Local Hero member? Become one for as little as $125 – which includes listing in our annual Farm Products Guide, use of the popular Local Hero logo, and much more.

Space is limited so sign up early! To enroll for the series or particular classes or to join the Local Hero campaign, call CISA at 413-665-7100 and talk to Jennifer. She’s available Monday-Thursday, 9-4.

This material is based upon work supported by USDA/CSREES under Award Number 2004-49200-02254

Statewide ‘Farm to School’ survey reveals common ground - and common challenges - between farmers, institutions
By Claire Morenon, CISA Program Assistant

Over 25,000 meals a day are served at local hospital and college cafeterias. In addition to 15 colleges and universities and ten hospitals, there are hundreds of K-12 schools, each with robust cafeteria programs. Institutions like hospitals, colleges, and public schools can serve as a large local market for farmers in Western Massachusetts. They can increase consumers’ access to local food. Local farmers can provide healthful, fresh and delicious ingredients for the meals food service directors serve.

A recent survey of institutional food buyers and local farmers conducted by CISA and the Massachusetts Farm to School Project reveals both common ground - and common challenges. Every food service director with standing wholesale relationships with local farmers reported that buying locally is less expensive than or comparable to not buying locally. Every farmer who currently sells to institutions has found those relationships to be profitable. Both parties are interested in building farm-to-institution relationships:

75% of the food purchasers interviewed were interested in locally grown food, with 87% of those food service directors who currently buy locally are interested in expanding their local buying

60% of the 73 farmers who responded to our survey expressed an interest in entering or increasing sales to institutions.

However, challenges remain, primarily finding a good fit between farmer and institution. Larger cafeterias need to find a farmer who can meet their supply and delivery needs. They also have concerns about the additional labor that is required by finding and adding new suppliers, and processing produce in the cafeteria. Farmers need to determine what size institution they can serve to make delivery worthwhile. Price was cited by both farmers and purchasers as a potential barrier, although this may be more of a perception than reality, given that institutions currently buying locally grown food report that it is competitively priced.

CISA’s Farm to School and Institutional Buying programs, along with the statewide Massachusetts Farm to School Project, work to support new and increased sales of local foods to regional cafeterias. This survey helped us:

- find out which institutions are buying locally and which are not,
- learn lessons from institutions that have successfully incorporated local foods into their dining programs
- understand real and perceived barriers to local buying,
- find farmers which have already entered the farm to institution market; and
- identify farms which want to build this business.

As more food service directors make the extra effort to ensure that they serve only the best, freshest food, and as more farmers persist in getting their product into local schools and institutions, the hurdles can only get smaller. And we at CISA have become better equipped to help both sides of the relationship.

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Organic apples available at Apex Orchards in Shelburne
Every fall we get calls from local consumers asking 'where can we find local organic apples?' Our answer: Apex Orchards in Shelburne! Tim Smith recently sent me this reminder for organic apple seekers: "Our organic apples are the only certified organic apples in Massachusetts. We have both regular Cortlands and Cortland utility apples available for making applesauce. We're open seven days a week from 9-5, just 3.5 miles west of Greenfield on Rt.2. Turn right onto Peckville Rd. and follow it to our farm on the left, just before the sharp bend left in the road." Take a trip to the farm this month and pick up some organic apples for eating or for applesauce this winter.

CISA moves Annual Meeting to February 28
It’s a sure sign that your Annual Meetings are worth attending when you start getting phone calls in the fall wondering why there hasn’t been any information on the next one!

If you’ve been to a CISA annual meeting you know that they combine engaging speakers, great success stories from Local Hero members and CISA programs, and a bountiful locally-grown pot luck feast. All in the rustic, not-stuffy-at-all environment of the Hampshire College Red Barn. Good food and good friends getting together to celebrate the hard work of local farmers and all who support them.

We’ve decided to change things a bit and combine our Annual Meeting with our Local Hero meeting and move the date to late winter – February 28, 2007. We're going to bring together as many of our Local Hero members and wonderful supporters as possible.

This year we are celebrating local food and culture by inviting author Patricia Klindienst to talk about her book, “The Earth Knows My Name: Food, Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic America,” which happens to feature two local gardens and gardeners from Leverett and Amherst.

We'll send more formal information about the meeting in early 2007. But for now, crack open that new 2007 calendar or planner and put us down for February 28 at the Red Barn in Amherst!

To learn more about Patricia Klindienst and her book, click here.
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NEWS

Local hardwood flooring now available at Rugg Building Solutions

The Massachusetts Woodlands Cooperative (MWC) is please to announce that our line of locally grown and processed HomeGrown WoodTM solid hardwood flooring is now available through Rugg Building Solutions at their Greenfield and West Hatfield, MA locations. The MWC is a forest landowner cooperative, which processes and markets lumber, solid hardwood flooring and custom cut post-and-beam timbers.

HomeGrown Wood™ flooring is comprised of mixed widths (2 ¼, 3, 4, 5 and 6”) and lengths (2 - 12’), and includes the natural characteristics inherent to each individual species. HomeGrown Wood™ solid hardwood flooring is available in beech, black cherry, black and yellow birch, red maple, red oak, sugar maple and white ash.

“I could have purchased any kind of flooring but I wanted to purchase flooring which came from well managed forests, ensuring their quality for the future,” says customer Matt Rigby of Conway. “My floor looks beautiful, and the wood was harvested and processed locally in western Massachusetts.”

HomeGrown Wood™ is Forest Stewardship Council certified – guaranteeing that it was harvested to the highest standards of sustainable forest management in the world. MWC members are improving the long term quality of their forest land and ensuring that it will be an ecologically strong and economically sound resource for generations to come. MWC also supports the local economy by contracting with small local businesses to process its wood products.

Please call Rugg Building Solutions for flooring inquiries at 413-773-5471.

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Local communities access matching funds from state
By Wendy Sweetser, wsweetser@ttor.org (413) 268-8219
Director, Highland Communities Initiative

In last month’s election, seven communities across Massachusetts adopted the Community Preservation Act (CPA), including Hatfield, Monson, and Hubbardston. These towns join 111 others, bringing the number of municipalities accessing CPA funds to 118—over 1/3 of the Commonwealth.

The CPA was designed to help communities implement the projects that are always on their wish lists but rarely make it to the “To Do” lists. The CPA raises funds through a small surcharge of 1-3% of a household’s property tax, which is matched by the state and spent on land conservation, community housing, historic preservation, and recreation projects.

In 2006 alone, towns participating in the CPA enjoyed over $58 million in additional funds from the Commonwealth. Yet few towns in western Massachusetts are benefiting from the program. The CPA is a flexible, locally-controlled investment in a town’s land, heritage, housing, and future. CPA funding removes some of the financial burden from our communities, allowing them to undertake projects crucial for retaining their rural character and way of life. Through the CPA, communities are preserving their historic buildings, cemeteries, and archives, improving housing for families and senior citizens, preserving farms, forests, and water supplies, and building ball fields and trails across Massachusetts.

Many people are surprised to learn of the CPA’s benefits:

- It’s locally controlled: A local committee reviews potential projects to spend the CPA funds, which requires the approval of Town Meeting only, not any state agency. The CPA funds stay in town coffers for town projects.

- It’s flexible: The funds can be used for preserving and maintaining historic structures or landscapes that are important to the heritage or character of the town, such as painting town hall, planting maple trees along scenic roads, or rehabilitating privately owned barns.

- It can adapt to community needs: The financial burden of the surcharge can be tailored to community needs by exempting low-income families and moderate-income senior citizens.

- It supports a community’s housing needs: CPA housing funds can be spent on maintaining or converting existing housing to be affordable for current residents, making homes handicapped accessible for the elderly or infirm, or helping families with down payment assistance on their first home.

- It’s dependable: The state matching funds come from fees at the Registry of Deeds (landowners in every city and town are paying them!), and are not appropriated by the legislature. Because of this separate funding stream, CPA matching funds are much more dependable than other forms of state funds.

For a region that is known for its rural character and extraordinary forests, farms, and rivers, the CPA is too valuable for small towns to ignore. There is still time to take advantage of the CPA’s benefits, and the Highland Communities Initiative, a program of The Trustees of Reservations, is available to help you learn more about your town’s options. Contact HCI at www.highlandcommunities.org or 413.268.8219 for more information or visit the Community Preservation Coalition’s website at www.communitypreservation.org to learn about putting the CPA to work in your town.
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Farm Aid: Saving the Family Farm
Listen to the latest installment from NPR’s ‘Kitchen Sisters’ which features Farm Aid and small farmers: "Farm Aid is as much a ritual gathering of America's farming community as it is a fundraiser and a concert. At the annual event, corn and pig farmers trade tips and plot lobbying strategies, and college kids listen as Dave Matthews plays a killer set. It's a story of hard times and new possibilities, of farmers markets, of young people, whose parents were forced off the land, returning to farm again, and the beginning of new food chains. The Kitchen Sisters traveled to Camden, N.J., this fall to document Farm Aid for Hidden Kitchens."

‘Think Local First’ contest returns this holiday season
Co-sponsored by CISA
by Daniel Finn, PV BALLE

During the past two Holiday seasons the 'Think Local First' Contest has been hugely successful, where many people have heard the messaged about the importance of shopping with locally owned businesses during the holiday season - and year round as well.

Last year fifty businesses donated 80 gift certificates to the Think Local First Contest and these gift certificates were split up among 7 prizes. If your locally-owned, independent business is interested in donating a gift certificate to this contest and/or receiving more information please contact Daniel Finn at Danfinn32@yahoo.com or by calling 413-364-7266.

The 3rd Annual Think Local First Contest begins the Saturday before Thanksgiving and runs to the end of the year. The way people win the contest is to shop with any locally owned, independent businesses in the Pioneer Valley and save their receipts. Whoever has the most receipts to locally-owned independent businesses from the Pioneer Valley wins the prizes. A $10 receipt is counted the same as a $300 receipt so people don’t win simply because they spend more money. As Jacob Mayberry wrote, after winning one of the prizes, "I'm ten times more aware [of local businesses] than I was before."

Last year the contest was featured in at least 8 media outlets, from a number of newspapers, to the radio, and was on television three times, with the Valley Advocate donating ad space for a month. To learn more contact Daniel Finn, PV BALLE Organizer/Treasurer, 413-364-7266 or Danfinn32@yahoo.com

PV BALLE is one of over thirty seven BALLE networks around North America working with locally owned, independent businesses to encourage the public, non-profit organizations, and local governments to put their local economy first, and to encourage businesses in a friendly way to be socially, locally, and environmentally responsible.
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Wal-Mart good! Wal-Mart bad! Confused? Read on...

Wal-Mart salutes American farmers with buying program
Wal-Mart recently initiated a program to purchase and promote farm products from farmers in all 50 US states. The program is currently operating in Maine, where it is purchasing apples from a local orchard.

“We understand that consumers want to purchase quality products that help support the local economy and we’re proud of our ability to bring wholesome, home-grown selections to our customers in Maine. This commitment not only allows us to offer fresh, quality selections but also generate savings on distribution costs that we can pass on to our customers,” said Bruce Peterson, Wal-Mart Stores senior vice president, perishable food division.

[We also understand that consumers want to enjoy great local food that supports local farmers and the local economy; it's something we've been talking about through the Local Hero program since 1999! We urge Wal-Mart to have a commitment to local farmers that is long lasting - and equitable. - ed.]

To read more about this program, visit these links:
http://www.freshplaza.com/2006/09nov/rn_ua_walmart.htm http://www.walmartfacts.com/articles/4594.aspx

Wal-Mart accused of misrepresenting food as organic
The Cornucopia Institute, the nation’s most aggressive organic farming watchdog, has filed a formal legal complaint with the USDA asking them to investigate allegations of illegal “organic” food distribution by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Cornucopia has documented cases of nonorganic food products being sold as organic in Wal-Mart’s grocery departments. Read all about it here.
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Earth-themed concert benefits CISA
The Pioneer Valley Symphony is donating $1 from every ticket sold for its ‘Hymns to the Earth’ concert on February 10, 2007 at the Greenfield High School at 7 p.m. The concert features Carol Wincenc performing environmental-themed pieces with the symphony. We are very grateful for their support! For more information about the concert, visit the PVS web site.

To purchase tickets call Jennifer in the office, Monday – Thursday, 9-4, 413-665-7100. Adults, $18.00, Seniors, $14.00, Students, $10.00, Child (Under 18) $5.00.

SMALL BITES
Revised guide for sustainable eating. Looking for a guide to locally grown food outside the Pioneer Valley (because we know you use CISA’s Farm Products Guide here at home)? The Eat Well Guide, a comprehensive way for you to find wholesome, fresh, sustainable food in the US and Canada has been recently revised and updated. Find food when you travel that is healthful, humane, better for the environment, and that supports family farmers.

Growing your own. In 1870, U.S. households produced 35 percent of their own food; 25 percent in 1925; six percent in 1965; and one percent today.

Cooking it up. Simply in Season cookbooks feature recipes for cooks of all ages
Info here: http://www.worldcommunitycookbook.org/index.html

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Workshops, Events, Announcements

Saturdays, December 2, 9, & 16
Mixed Greens
Decorate your home for the holidays!
Hickory Dell Farm, Northampton
Make a wreath, kissing ball, or centerpiece with fresh local greens. Private parties
available. Fee for supplies. 3-5pm. Call 413-586-0031 for more information.

Open Farm and Holiday Sale at Craigieburn Farm Alpacas
December 2-3
Saturday and Sunday, 10AM – 4PM



In the spirit of the Holiday season, we invite you and your family to visit our farm. Sip hot cider, enjoy your holiday shopping and meet the beautiful creatures that provide this wonderful fiber. Shop from our selection of elegant sweaters, shawls, jackets, hats, socks, gloves, yarns, roving, and alpaca teddy bears.
Steve and Susan Rice; 243 West Pelham Road, Shutesbury; 413-253-4485.
Farm info here.


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Organic research grants available
Deadline December 15
The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) funds research on organic farming and food systems and the dissemination of these research results to the greater agricultural community. Proposals must involve farmers or ranchers in project design and implementation and take place on working organic farms or ranches whenever possible. Additionally, proposals should articulate how the proposed research project will foster the improvement or adoption of organic farming systems. OFRF requests proposals which have objectives that are realistically achievable with a modest level of funding. The average grant awarded in OFRF's last full year of grantmaking was $10,360. OFRF will not fund a project for more than $15,000 per year. Info: http://www.ofrf.org/research/application.html
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UMass Extension's 2007 Garden Calendar: Choosing the Right Plants
Still time to recieve your order before Christmas!

Looking for a way to thank your clients for their business or to keep your company's name in their memory? Consider giving them a copy of UMass Extension's Garden Calendar. This year's theme is ‘Choosing the Right Plants’. Consumer surveys show that most households spend very little time planning their garden and gardening activities, including plant purchases. Yet, adding plants to the garden should be a carefully thought-out choice based on explicit needs, specific habitat characteristics, and plant growth requirements. The 2007 UMass Garden Calendar presents a selection of plants chosen by the UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry staff for foliar color, seasonal effectiveness, and adaptability to specific growing environments.

As always, each month features

* An inspiring garden image.
* Daily gardening tips for Northeast growing conditions.
* Daily sunrise and sunset times.
* Phases of the moon.
* Plenty of room for notes.
* Low gloss paper for easy writing.

PRICES
Bulk orders: 10-49 copies, $7.00/each plus shipping and handling. 50 copies or more, $6.00/each plus shipping and handling. For a shipping quote, go to www.umassgardencalendar.org or call 413-545-2717.

Single copies: (1-9): $11.00/each (includes shipping).

For more details or an order form, go to www.umassgardencalendar.org.
Send to Outreach Bookstore, University of Massachusetts, 101 University Dr. - Ste. A4, Amherst, MA 01002-2385. (make checks payable to UMass). Allow at least two weeks for delivery.
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2007 UMass Extension Green Directory Now Available!

The 2007 UMass Extension Green Directory is a comprehensive guide to educational resources for Massachusetts Agriculture industry professionals. This 32 page guide is used as a reference document all year long!

The directory includes:

- Contact information for UMass Extension Agriculture Specialists and
Faculty
- Upcoming UMass Extension conferences, seminars and workshops
- UMass Plant Diagnostic Lab submission information for insect, disease and cultural problems
- UMass Soil and Tissue Testing Lab submission information
- Pesticide License information, including test dates, training workshops, and how to get a pesticide license
- Phone Resources to Refer home gardener questions
- Extension newsletters, web sites and publications
- Frequently Used Phone Numbers related to agriculture

To receive a hard copy, send us your mailing address:
Email at greeninfo@umext.umass.edu; Fax at 413-577-1620; or call 413-545-0895. It is also available online at www.umass.edu/agland.

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Help for habitat improvement

Technical and financial assistance is available for private and municipal landowners interested in improving or restoring wildlife habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program works with private landowners to provide technical assistance and/or financial aid to complete projects that create, restore, or enhance habitat that benefits trust resources (e.g., threatened and endangered species, migratory fish and birds, etc.). The program focuses its projects in watersheds where conservation efforts will provide the greatest benefits for Federal trust species. A locally-based Partners Program field biologist will work one-on-one with private landowners and other partners to plan, implement, and monitor their projects. Partners Program field staff help landowners find other sources of funding and help them through the permitting process, as necessary. This personal attention and follow-through is a significant strength of the Program that has led to national recognition and wide support.

Click here for a fact sheet that describes the program in detail.

For more information, contact Melissa Grader, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/New England Field Office, (413) 548-9138, ext. 21 (phone) (413) 548-9622 (fax) or melissa_grader@fws.gov.
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Get buzzy next year
Hampden County beekeepers association announces its 2007 beekeeping school

Learn all about keeping bees this winter! From protective clothing to hive management and everything between, this series offers the beginner the information she needs to get started with bees. The school will be held at the Feeding Hills Grange, 47 North West Street, Feeding Hills MA, from 7-9 on alternating Thursday evenings beginning January 11 and ending April 26, 2007. Please arrive before 7:00 p.m. Class starts promptly at 7:00.

Growing Fruit in the Home Garden series starts February 10

Little surpasses the joy of eating fruit from your own garden; however, growing those fruit is often a horticultural challenge. This year's Mass Aggie Seminars ("Growing Fruit in the Home Garden" -- February 10 - April 28, 2007) will help overcome the challenges with growing fruit at home. We will present programs on basic and advance apples and stone fruit (peaches, plums, and cherries), on blueberries and raspberries, on grapes, on identifying and controlling fruit pests, and even on grafting apples. Many of these Saturday sessions (such as pruning, grafting, and identifying pests) are hands on and should be both educational and fun. All sessions will be on Saturdays, and locations include Brooksby Farm in Peabody, Tougas Family Farm in Northborough, and UMass Cold Spring Orchard in Belchertown.

For a copy of the schedule, go to www.massaggieseminars.org or call the
UMass Extension Fruit Program at (413) 545-2254.
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New England Farmers' Direct Marketing Conference and Trade Show
Successful Strategies for Growing Your Farm Business
February 28 - March 1, 2007 Sturbridge, Mass.

This unique marketing conference is for New England farmers interested in learning new marketing ideas or fine-tuning strategies for business success. Over the course of two days, there will be over 20 workshops with a wide range of marketing and business planning topics to be covered. Agri-tourism, farmers' markets, internet marketing, value added and testing feasibility are just some of the workshops planned. A half-day workshop especially designed for farmers' market managers is also planned.

The morning of February 28 will feature nationally recognized agri-marketing expert Jane Eckert. Raised on her family's apple orchard outside of St. Louis, Jane earned a degree in business and went on to executive marketing positions for eighteen years. As the former Vice President of Marketing of Eckert's Country Store and Farms in Belleville, Illinois, she developed the property into one of the most successful retail and entertainment farms in America. Today it is a top tourist attraction that draws over 500,000 guests annually.

Honored with the 2004 Outstanding Leadership Award from the North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association, her professional approach to promotion, advertising, public relations and merchandising gave Eckert's a strong brand identity widely recognized and respected throughout the region.

A full trade show will provide farmers with information on the latest products and services. Specialty food producers from across the Northeast have also been invited to take part in the trade show to showcase unique local products perfect for roadside stands.

The conference is sponsored by all six New England State Departments of Agriculture and Harvest New England, in cooperation with:
• Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA)
• Cooperative Development Institute
• Essex Buy Local
• Federation of Massachusetts Farmers' Markets
• Massachusetts NOFA
• Massachusetts Roadside Stand Association
• University of Maine Cooperative Extension
• University of Massachusetts Extension
• University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension
• Rhode Island Center for Agricultural Promotion and Education
• Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP)
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

More information will be coming in the next couple of months.
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The Food Less Traveled: How Good Local Food Contributes to Healthy People and Healthy Communities
2007 NYS Farmers’ Direct Marketing Conference
January 18-20, 2007 Owego, NY

This year’s conference planning committee is working on workshops and sessions that will provide knowledge, resources and tools to help farmers to increase their farm’s ability to impact their farm’s health, their consumers’ health and their community’s health.

The conference will feature pre-conference workshops, as well. These workshops will spend the day covering a topic of importance to farm direct marketers. These workshops include:

• Employee training;
• Food service for farm markets;
• Start-up bakery;
• CSA’s
• Livestock Marketing.

In addition to the full three days of workshops and sessions, the Farmers’ Market Federation of NY will be holding a special market manager training program sponsored by USDA’s SARE program. The NY Small Scale Food Processors will be hosting their annual meeting at the 2007 Conference. The trade show will run January 18 and 19 (Friday and Saturday) and will offer a wide variety of products for the farm direct marketing industry. You’re sure to find the packaging you need, the seeds you’ve been searching for, the perfect gift items for your stand or the special gourmet food item that will make your cashier register ring!

For more information, call the NYSFDMA office at 315-475-1101 or email diane99@dreamscape.com OR call the NY Farms! office at 607-659-3710 or email nyfarms@clarityconnect.com.

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CLASSIFIED

CLASSIFIED
Farmland wanted. 10 acres+ sought by farmer interested in raising sheep. Prefers the Colrain, Shelburne, Buckland area. Contact Ginger Wall, Gmwall42@aol.com.

The Food Project, a nationally recognized leader in youth development and sustainable food systems, seeks a Development Officer. We seek a bright, articulate, fast learner with excellent writing skills who seeks to be challenged in a supportive and collaborative environment. Responsibilities include many aspects of fundraising. This position is up to 50% writing including stewarding current funders and prospecting and cultivation of new relationships; the Development Officer is an integral part of the annual appeal process; assists with the development of a corporate strategy; and, is involved in the planning and implementation of events. Prefer two years fundraising experience with a proven record of success. Salary commensurate with experience. Send cover letter with salary expectations, a brief writing sample, and resume to jobs@thefoodproject.org or Hiring Manager, The Food Project, P.O. Box 705 Lincoln, MA 01773. Emailed submissions preferred. For a full job description, visit our website at www.thefoodproject.org

CEI is seeking an Outreach and Training Coordinator (OTC) for the New American Sustainable Agriculture Project (NASAP). Coastal Enterprises, Inc. is a private, nonprofit community development organization with a national reputation for using food as a resource to strengthen community. NASAP's mission is to assist recent immigrants to Maine to create viable and sustainable farm businesses that increase their capacity to provide food for their own families and the larger community in ways that are consistent with their culture and aspirations. Most participating farmers live in either Lewiston or Portland, though their homelands are Sudan, Somalia, and Guatemala.

The project seeks a staff person to work on outreach and training initiatives. This includes overseeing project outreach activities to potential and current project participants, cooperating farmers, funding partners, agency representatives, and the wider community. The OTC will develop and implement training programs, including group and one-to-one trainings for project participants, winter classroom trainings, seasonal farm workshops, program meetings, conferences, and farm visits/field trips. Field activities include site development at training farm sites in Lisbon and outside Portland. There will be opportunities to learn about farming in Maine and to interact with people from many different cultures. As the weather improves, much of the work will take place outside.

Qualifications include being part of or experience working with foreign cultures and diverse communities, familiarity with agriculture in the Northeast U.S., Bachelor's Degree or equivalent, and experience directly related to the position responsibilities. Good communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills are important. Reliable transportation is required. The compensation for the position will be commensurate with experience. Send resume and cover letter by Tuesday December 12th, 2006.
Amy Carrington, Project Director New American Sustainable Agriculture Project
Coastal Enterprises, Inc.
2 Portland Fish Pier Suite 201
Portland, ME 04101
arc@ceimaine.org

Help Wanted: Assistant Farm Manager for 2007 Season. Atlas Farm is a small family farm located in Deerfield, MA. We grow a wide variety of certified organic vegetables, herbs and flowers and sell our products at farmers' markets in Boston. We also sell wholesale to area grocery stores and grower co-ops throughout the season. We are entering our 4th season of operation and are committed to growing high quality produce. Currently 11 acres are in production with plans for expansion in 2007. We seek an Assistant Farm Manager for the 2007 growing season to assist with all aspects of production as well as supervision of the farm crew. Training by the farm manager will be provided. This is an ideal position for someone with previous farming experience looking to take on more of a management role. Salary is commensurate with experience. To begin the application process, submit a letter of interest to gideon@atlasfarm.com or mail to: Gideon Porth/Atlas Farm 8 Pine Street South Deerfield, MA 01373