Curious About Community Supported Agriculture? Sign up with a friend and give it a try!
|  Live or work in the greater Chicagoland area? Then you're in luck, as you have more than 75 choices for a CSA program this year! And, once again FamilyFarmed.org is here to help you narrow your list by pickup location.
Download the 2011 Guide to Chicagoland CSA.
Once you've narrowed your search, please visit
The Local Beet for more information about your top choices. Also check out the farm's website or give them a call. This guide contains single-farm CSA, multi-farm CSA, year-round options which supplement from non-local sources in the off-season, and even meat CSA listed on the back. No matter how you choose, you're supporting Good Food Farmers!
The 2011 Guide to Chicagoland CSA is a joint production of FamilyFarmed.org and the Local Beet. |
| Family Farmers Struggle During "Great Recession"
By Jim Slama, FamilyFarmed.org
| 
A recent report developed by a coalition of farmer advocates describes the credit challenges facing small to midsize family farmers. According to Farm Aid, "The report, Don't Bank On It, found that banks were rejecting farmers for loans more frequently and that demand for government farm loans was rising. Eighty-five percent of those surveyed reported that farmers had more difficulty accessing credit since 2009. 'Even with high crop prices, our phones are still ringing at the same pace," said North Carolina farmer advocate Benny Bunting.'"
In this economic crisis, bankers are reducing their risks by requiring more collateral and putting more conditions on loans, making it harder for farmers - especially small- and mid-scale family farmers - to get the credit they need to farm this spring.
"Farm Aid's farmer hotline has been flooded with calls since the start of the economic crisis, with most farmers calling for financial and credit help," said Farm Aid president Willie Nelson. "Farmers are the backbone of our economy. We will only rebuild our economy if our farmers have access to available, affordable credit and fair prices."
FamilyFarmed.org's Financing Farm to Fork Conference helps address this issue by bringing farmers and food business owners together with sources of capital. This year, the conference attracted over a dozen private investors, plus a number of Farm Credit bankers (including Lee Strom, the Farm Credit Administration Chairman) to meet with farmers and food business owners seeking financing. The conference included keynote speeches by Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield Farm and Will Allen, CEO of Growing Power, plus numerous workshops.
In addition, the emerging Chicago-based angel investment group focusing on sustainable food businesses, SLoFIG, debuted at the conference. They sponsored a business plan competition for new or beginning food businesses, then moderated a discussion with two finalists, Black Earth Meats and Local Orbit. Black Earth Meats was the winner of the competition; please click here to view the press release. Also at the conference, Andy Whitman, Linda Darragh, and Kathy Nyquist led the afternoon skill building session to help farmers, food business owners, and social enterprise groups build their capacity to raise money. Click here to download the PowerPoint of the skill building session.
Also as part of the Financing Farm to Fork Conference, FamilyFarmed.org released a 2011 Financial Resources Guide for Agribusiness Enterprises in Illinois. The guide is now available on FamilyFarmed.org's website, here.
|
Visit FamilyFarmed.org at Chicago Green Festival
| 
Be sure to stop by FamilyFarmed.org's pavilion at the Chicago Green Festival May 14 and 15 at McCormick Place. Every year the Chicago Green Festival celebrates the path toward a sustainable world. It is a celebration of individuals, organizations, and communities that are leading the way to improve our world both economically and environmentally.
Some Good Food Friends joining our FamilyFarmed.org pavilion this year include:
Chicago Botanic Garden
Since the 1890's, the Chicago Botanic Garden's mission has been "to promote the enjoyment, understanding and enjoyment of plants in the natural world." To achieve this mission, they have created and maintained one of the finest public teaching gardens in the country.
Esther's Place Fibers
Every inch of Esther's Place in Galena, IL is devoted to natural fiber arts. The first floor of their 1895 home has a retail store selling raw wool from local Illinois flocks, home dyed and sustainably farmed, and fiber spun into yarn, woven into cloth and hand worked into beautiful gifts.
Abbey Brown Soap Artisan
Abbey Brown Soap produces a wide variety of products for the body, the home, and aromatherapy. Using only cold pressed olive oils infused with locally grown organic herbs and botanicals, their shop in the West Loop of Chicago features products hand crafted daily.
Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks
If you need fresh, organic food year round that you can order online and have delivered to your door, check out Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks. Convenient, economical and tailored to your needs and lifestyle, Irv & Shelly's takes all the hassle out of eating clean, fresh and local.
Wind Ridge Herb Farm
Wind Ridge Herb Farm grows over 300 varieties of culinary and medicinal herbs and many heirloom varieties of vegetable plants in their greenhouse. All are organically grown, and herbs are personally harvested, inspected, dried and packaged to insure quality and freshness.Visit their beautiful farm with themed gardens available for meetings, luncheons and tours.
Harvest Moon Farms
Harvest Moon Farms is a vegetable farm specializing in organic heirloom vegetables and endangered vegetable varieties. Their CSA shares are available now, with pick up points in Chicago and its suburbs. Also read about their innovative "Farm to School Program", bringing the world of farming to the classroom, and the kids to the farm.
LocalFolks Foods
LocalFolks Foods produces a line of sauces, condiments and pasta, which you can enjoy knowing it is good for you and the environment. Using only locally, sustainably grown heirloom ingredients without corn syrup artificial ingredients, their products support local farms and celebrate the rich harvest available in our area.
Click here to plan your day at Green Festival!
Interested in volunteering for Green Festival? Learn more here.
|
|
Celebrate Earth Day All Year,
Host an Earth Dinner!
| |
 Earth Dinner is an exciting project from our friends at Organic Valley that engages consumers to grow a better connection with their food, farmers, and the earth.
It's an active and ever evolving celebration of food that seeks to raise awareness of food related issues while dining on local, organic dishes. Through engaging stories and interactive discussion, Earth Dinner inspires dinner guests to explore their personal experiences of food and the role it plays in their lives everyday.
For more information, visit Earth Dinner on Facebook.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Have You Wrapped What You Love?
| |
Chipotle Mexican Grill is joining forces with the non-profit organization FamilyFarmed.org for a national fund-raising program to support its efforts to create new markets for sustainable farmers.
For the past few years, FamilyFarmed.org has worked with Chipotle to help support sustainable food systems that match its "Food With Integrity" philosophy and its quest for ingredients that are raised with respect for the animals, the environment and the farmers.
"Chipotle has always used the highest quality ingredients possible," said Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle. "The partnership with FamilyFarmed.org is a way for us to support them, while building this movement for us and other buyers of local and sustainable food."
The fundraiser is part of an online contest called "Wrap What You Love" where Chipotle lovers submit photos of objects they love wrapped in gold foil.
Chipotle offers prizes for the most creative submissions, including five 24-karat gold Chipotle burrito coins and $10,000 in cash. The online campaign also raises money for the 501-c-3 non-profit FamilyFarmed.org in support of its programs to help family farmers bring more local food to market.
Over $50,000 has been raised in the past week, but the contest ends May 8 and we need your help!
To raise the goal of $150,000 for FamilyFarmed.org, we need YOU to vote. Every vote in the contest = $1 for FamilyFarmed.org, so get over to Chipolte.com/gold and help out.
Jim Slama wrapped what he loves (eggs from his backyard chickens):
 |
|
USDA to Offer $50 Million for Farms to Implement Organic and Conservation Practices
| |
The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will offer up to $50 million for fiscal year 2011 to help certified organic producers and those transitioning to organic production build in conservation practices that address natural resource concerns in ways that are consistent with organic production.
While applications are accepted on a continuous basis, the cutoff date for this application period is set for May 20. Eligible producers include those certified through USDA's National Organic Program, those transitioning to certified organic production, and those who meet organic standards but are exempt from certification because their gross annual organic sales are less than $5,000.
Under NRCS' Environmental Quality Incentives Program Organic Initiative contracts, NRCS provides financial payments and technical assistance to help producers implement conservation measures in keeping with organic production.
Beginning, limited resource, and socially disadvantaged producers may obtain additional assistance.
The 2008 Farm Bill limits EQIP payments for organic operations to $20,000 per year per person or legal entity, with a maximum total of $80,000 over six years.
Producers interested in applying for EQIP Organic Initiative funding must submit applications through their local NRCS Service Center, which can be located
here.
|
|
Farmers Markets Seek Vendors
| | The busy season of farmers markets is upon us. The following markets are seeking vendors. Please contact them directly with inquires.
Mundelein Farmers Market
Mundelein, IL
Starting 6/3/11, every Friday until 10/14/11.
Email, Sandra Hotton.
Fox Lake Farmers Market
Fox Lake, IL
Starting 7/6/11, every Wednesday until 9/28/11.
Call Linnea: 847-587-7474 for more information.
|
|
|
