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Renewing the Countryside Newsletter
September 2006
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In This Issue
-- This Month's Featured Stories
-- RTC News Flash
-- Resource Pick: Farm Beginnings
-- Partner Pick of the Month: Northern Great Plains, Inc. -- What We?re Reading: Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen -- Where We're Going: Goods from the Woods Up North Marketplace -- What Does RTC Do?
Welcome to the September Renewing the Countryside newsletter, designed to provide a monthly toolbox of resources, ideas and inspiration for your own efforts and interests in rural revitalization.
Thank you for your continued support of Renewing the Countryside as we celebrate our fifth anniversary this year. Jan Joannides, Executive Director |
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This Month's Featured Stories --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elk Falls Pottery Works and Sherman House Bed &
Breakfast: Getting Mugged in a Living Ghost Town Elk Falls, KS Less than two hours southeast of Wichita, Kansas, and surrounded by thousands of acres of pasture and ranch lands, Elk Falls ? population 120 ? could have fallen off the map and become a ghost town. But it didn?t -- thanks, in part, to Elk Falls Pottery Works and the hospitality enterprise of Steve and Jane Fry, along with the community?s picturesque waterfall (rare for Kansas) and an historic 1893 Iron Truss Bridge. Since 1976, Steve and Jane have mastered their stoneware craft and expanded their activities to include the Sherman House Bed & Breakfast nestled in a magnificently restored 19th Century railway eating house.
Angelic Organics: Over One Thousand Customer
Accounts
About 75 miles from the booming metropolis of Chicago, Angelic Organics grows a dizzying array of vegetables and herbs on about 25 acres of the entire 90-acre farm. Their fresh vegetables and herbs are sold directly to over 1,000 customers who buy Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares in their farming operations each year, making them among the largest -- if not the largest -- of such operations in the United States, grossing more than $575,000 annually. |
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RTC News Flash --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Changes
Autumn will be ushering in staff changes at RTC. A fond and appreciative farewell to Beth Munnich as she starts the Master's in Public Policy program at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, with her interests in economic policy and local economic development. Beth looks forward to getting involved with local food groups like the Chicago Food Policy Council and ? naturally ? exploring the Hyde Park Farmers' Market. RTC thanks Beth for her strong contributions to the organization, including her efforts on the Youth Book project and Green Routes. Best of luck in Chicago, Beth! RTC welcomes Lindsay Clarke, the new RTC Program Associate. Lindsay will be working on public education projects, events coordination, bookkeeping, and Green Routes. With a background in Environmental Studies and Justice and Peace Studies from the University of St. Thomas, Lindsay understands the value of strong local food systems with first hand observation from trips to Bangladesh and Cuba. Prior to RTC, Lindsay spent a year farming on sustainable agricultural projects on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. You can reach Lindsay at (612) 871-1541 or lindsay@rtcinfo.org. Eco Experience: Getting to Know Minnesota Food & Farmers The Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency launched the first-ever ?Eco Experience? at the Minnesota State Fair. RTC was asked to take the lead on coordinating the ?Healthy Local Food" exhibit and did so in partnership with a number of great businesses and organizations including the Wedge Community Co-op, Organic Valley Family of Farms, HealthPartners, Northland Organic Foods Corporation, the Emergency Food Shelf Network, Heartland Food Network & Minnesota Project, Land Stewardship Project & Food Alliance Midwest, Minnesota Environmental Partnership, Minnesota Food Association, the Minnesota Grown Program of the MN Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA) & the Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships at the University of Minnesota, Peace Coffee, and White Earth Land Recovery Project. Over 350,000 people visited the exhibit during the 12-days of the fair that spanned from Aug. 24 through Sept. 4. Highlights in the Healthy Local Foods area included many great food samples, a Food Facts wheel game, real live farmers, chef demonstrations and Local Food Hero playing cards. Minnesota Cooks RTC, Food Alliance Midwest and Farmers Union hosted the 4th Annual Minnesota Cooks event on August 29th at the Minnesota State Fair. Fourteen fabulous local chefs demonstrated their skills by creating an array of dishes made with ingredients from local farms. In addition to the live shows, a beautiful 16- month calendar was produced that includes the recipes the chefs prepared as well as great food and farm photographs. The calendar is available for the cost of shipping at Renewing the Countryside store.
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Resource Pick: Farm Beginnings ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With a decreasing farmer population and the majority of those
still around over 55 years of age, Farm Beginnings fosters a
new, revitalized generation of family farmers by helping new
farmers get established on the land. Since 1998, this hands-on
initiative of The Land Institute trains new and transitioning
farmers in innovative, low-cost farming practices that sustain
both farm families and the land. Classroom topics include goal
setting, business planning, innovative marketing and creative
financing, as well as social, environmental and financial
monitoring. Taking the experience outside the classroom, on-farm tours and strategic mentorships with seasoned farmers give participants firsthand opportunities to learn about managed rotational grazing, Community Supported Agriculture and other examples of innovative stewardship farming. Farm Beginnings began in Minnesota, but recently it has served as the model for similar programs in other states. Scholarships are available for the 34-hour course. |
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Partner Pick of the Month: Northern Great Plains, Inc. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A non-profit applied research and demonstration organization,
Northern Great Plains, Inc. (NGP) works with a network of rural
development, business, policy and academic leaders to build a
healthy economic and ecological future, focusing on the people
and communities in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota
and South Dakota and the provinces of Manitoba and
Saskatchewan. NGP identifies and carefully researches
regional trends and needs, promoting policies and programs
that support an integrated approach to economic opportunity, a
healthy environment and vital rural communities. NGP was a
lead partner in publishing Renewing the Countryside: North
Dakota book
project.
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What We?re Reading: Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking for fresh, hip perspectives on organic eating?
Combining hard facts with the how-to's of creating an
affordable, easy-to use organic kitchen, Grub brings organics
home, with a particular focus on urban dwellers shopping at
farmer's markets and grocery stores. Authors Anna Lappé,
daughter of
writer Francis Moore Lappé (Diet for a Small Planet), and
Bryant Terry present an inviting recipe section with eclectic
menu
themes such ?Afrodiasporic Cookout" (Grilled Corn and
Heirloom Tomato Salad, Shrimp and Veggie Kabobs, Fresh
Green Beans, Good Grilled Okra, Ginger Beer), complete with
suggested music playlists to cook by.
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Where We're Going: Goods from the Woods Up North Marketplace --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explore the Northwoods at the fourth annual Goods from the
Woods in Grand Rapids, MN, on September 14-17, 2006,
including the Midwest largest showcase of forest-based
products at the ?Up North? Marketplace. Forest education,
artisan demonstrations, traditional craft workshops and music
make up an inspiring line-up of activities. An annual event
drawing over 5,000 visitors,
Goods from the Woods stems from a unique public-private
partnership between area organizations and businesses
committed to promoting connections between a healthy local
forest products industry and healthy forest ecosystems to
create vibrant local economics.
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What Does RTC Do? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Renewing the Countryside is a 501(c)3 non-profit
that strengthens rural areas by championing and
supporting farmers, artists, entrepreneurs,
educators, activists, and others who are
revitalizing the countryside through innovative
endeavors. We build awareness and support for these
initiatives by collecting and sharing stories of
rural renewal, providing practical assistance and
networking opportunities for those working to
improve rural America, and fostering connections
between urban and rural people.
As always, you can support our work by purchasing books from the Renewing the Countryside store. We're grateful to the Beim Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Emma B. Howe Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation, the Bush Foundation, and North Central SARE, for contributing to our work. |
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Contact Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
email:
info@rtcinfo.org
phone:
1-866-378-0587
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