SEMAP's e-Newsletter
THE VINE
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Blue skies ahead... 
Greetings!
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New Educational Workshops!
Sunday, May 20th, 2012
MEAT CUTTING: 101 - Meat Cutting on Your Kitchen Table with
Steve Brown
"This introductory overview class is grounded in appreciation of the fact t  hat these animals were once alive, and are deserving of our respect as we bring them to our dining table. Meat is not like a blueberry that a consumer plucks from the plant and eats.." - Steve
Learn more and register HERE...
Recently Added!
Saturday June 9th, 2012
Spring Organic Baby Food with Rosa Galeno 
This class will introduce everyone to what Baby Food is all about:
- What vegetables work best
- Best options for ingredients
- See current equipment on the market with demonstration
- Discuss best options for containers and how to think out of the box when prepping the foods
You will be amazed at how much can be prepped in one simple hour for your baby!
Learn more and register here!
Thursday, June 14th, 2012 The Ultimate Guide to Enjoying Your CSA and Farmers' Market Foods with Chef & Author, Julia Shanks  "[The] amazing diversity of foods from local farms can be confusing. ... We want you to understand what produce is available, how to choose truly ripe vegetables and fruits, and how to best store them." -The authors Learn more and register HERE...
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5th Annual Farm to Table Dinner:
Please join us at The Silverbrook Farm in Acushnet for
SEMAP's 5th Annual Farm to Table Dinner!
The Silverbrook Farm is over 100 years old and sits on 89 protected acres of farmland. The farm boasts a beautiful store and one of, if not the most, unique CSA farm shares in the region (includes a Thanksgiving Turkey and a Christmas tree).
Our main event sponsor this year is New England Country Rentals - and we're all in for a treat! They are a new rentals company out of Scituate, owned by a recently married couple that was inspired by their wedding to make their own custom tables out of reclaimed wood - so beautiful we don't need linens!
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SEMAP FARMER / GARDNER WORKSHOPS
Food Safety Program for Wholesale Farms (and Pizza Party!)
Wednesday May 16th, 6:30pm - 8:00pm FREE! SEMAP & MDAR have teamed up to offer an informational session on two programs: GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) Certification and the MA Commonwealth Quality Program. Hear from real farmers who have gone through the process of both GAP and CQP. How did they do it? Was it worth it? How expensive is it? Also, this session will include Q&A with both MDAR and local farmers. READ MORE...
SEMAP & NOFA/Mass
Twilight Grower Education Series Continues!
Monday June 4th, 2012 - BLUEBERRIES!  with Stan Ingram at Coonamessett Farm
Over the past 4 years Stan has worked creatively to increase the health and productivity of their 1-acre blueberry patch, including incorporating fowl, irrigation and OMRI approved sprays.
REGISTER and see more classes here.
2012 Advanced Growers' Fall Seminar w/ Paul & Sandy Arnold
Profitable Year-Round Farming and Marketing 
Monday, November 5, 2012
Stonehill College, The Martin Institute, 320 Washington Street, Easton, MA (8:30am - 5:30pm)
This one-day seminar will show how small-scale farming practices and organic systems can be used to make a livelihood throughout the year. Learn ways to make your farming operation more economically robust with well-designed farm systems, innovative techniques for extending the productive season throughout winter, intuitive methods for tracking farm productivity and expenses, and marketing techniques for success.
[Download the info/registration form!] This event is part of an educational collaboration between SEMAP and NOFA/Mass, supported in part by the USDA Specialty Crops Program through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS / OPPORTUNITIES
Our fresh Berkshire pork is sold to you as 1/2 hog. This means that you will purchase approximately 75-90lbs of pork at $4.50 per pound, plus a $100.00 processing fee. Your cuts will include, however, not limited to, shoulder, butt, chops, ground pork. All cuts are wrapped and labeled. You must reserve before May 23rd and your pork will be ready for pickup the first week in June. To place your order or for further information please call 508-420-9748, or email: [email protected]
New Entry Livestock Field Schools - Free Event May 12th! Come join livestock farmers from New England and beyond for the 2012 Livestock Field Schools! The workshops feature a hands-on approach; speakers from the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and other regional experts; plenty of resources for you to take home; and the opportunity to connect and compare notes with other producers of all experience levels.
Don't miss our big kickoff event, the FREE Livestock Farm Day at the Tufts vet school on May 12, a full day of free workshops covering all sorts of livestock topics. Read more...
NOFA/Mass Summer 2012: Soils Buildings Workshop Series 
Saturday, May 12th, 9:00am-12:00pm, Transplants and Seed Starting
Sunday June 17th, 3:00pm-6:00pm, Foliar Sprays and Crop Monitoring
Join Derek Christianson of Brix Bounty Farm for two workshops on enhancing soil health for growing quality, high nutrition crops. Learn specific tools for fostering healthy plants from germination and supporting health throughout the growth cycle.
Come for the education, stay for the socializing and discussion over potluck lunch! REGISTER HERE
Brix Bounty Farm, 858 Tucker Rd., Dartmouth MA
Cost: $30 each ***both followed by an optional potluck lunch.
Sprout Lenders LLC, a Boston area investment club, committed to strengthening the local food system, is pleased to announce the application dates for their very first round of lending - first round deadline: May 21st. Sprout Lenders' mission is to support a vibrant and healthy local food system by making small loans to farmers, producers, and food system entrepreneurs that serve the greater Boston area. We value sustainable products and the communities that create and consum e them. By investing in our local food system, we hope to strengthen our community economically, nutritionally, socially and environmentally. If you are interested in learning more about the investment club and/or interested in learning about the businesses and projects we want to lend to, please visit our website at http://www.sproutlenders.com or contact us via email at [email protected] .
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AG. POSITIONS
ORGANIC FARM POSITIONS
We are a small certified organic vegetable and flower farm in Westport MA. We are looking to hire 2 people to help with field work 2 to 3 days per week (ideally Wed, Thurs, Fri). Work includes harvest, hand weeding, hoeing, transplanting, and washing produce. Some experience with agriculture and/or manual labor preferred. Ability to work well in groups and alone a must. Ability to work through September preferred. Compensation: $8-10/ hr DOE plus lots of organic produce. Looking for workers to start in mid-May.
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Happy Eating!
Sincerely,
Sarah Cogswell
SEMAP Program Director
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