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Newsletter No. 4
| Feb. 15, 2011 |
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Greetings!
The soil may be hidden under ice and snow, but most of you are hard at work preparing for greener months. ACORN Network is no exception, and we hope you enjoy these updates on our efforts and upcoming events!
On Thursday, April 14, we'll be holding our Annual Meeting at the Lincoln Peak Winery in New Haven. Please join us from 6-8 PM for wine tasting, an update on ACORN's projects, and a talk by Vermont farmer Ben Hewitt, author of The Town that Food Saved, on the state of local foods. Hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Jonathan Corcoran
President, ACORN Network
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Looking Towards Spring: Upcoming Events and Announcements
 ACORN Network's 2011 Guide to Local Food and Farms comes out March 17! (See last year's at right). This year we'll feature an updated grower directory with GIS map, Farm to School programs in the county, a history of soils in the Champlain Valley, and other colorful stories. Look for this resource in the Addison Independent and at local businesses, and hold onto to it throughout the year.
- Coming up May 23-27 is an Aquaponics conference at Common Ground Family Center in Starksboro. Workshops will teach how to raise fish, rabbits, chickens, vegetables, herbs and greens efficiently and sustainably for a home or an organization. Register at the Aquaculture International website, and refer questions to Abbie Ahern at alahern@gmavt.net.
- Friends of Burlington Gardens and the Vermont Community Garden Network are sponsoring a mini-grant opportunity to fund school garden expansion projects. Gardens must grow to be 50'x50' or have twenty 4'x8' raised beds, with at least 75% of the food feeding students. More info here. Apply by March 15.
- And don't forget to mark your calenders for two ACORN events this spring: the Stone Soup Summit at Middlebury High School, April 5, 4-7:30 PM. And, our Annual Meeting at Lincoln Peak Winery, April 14, 6-8 PM, featuring Ben Hewitt.
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Nutrient-Dense Farming and the Real Food Campaign
by Annie Claghorn
On November 17, Dan Kittredge of the Real Food Campaign spoke about Nutrient Dense Crop Production at a talk sponsored by the ACORN Network at the Ilsley Library in Middlebury. The aim of the Real Food Campaign is to inform the public about the importance of
proper mineralization in our soils and to empower food buyers to demand more nutrient-dense foods. Soil, after all, is the foundation of our food system.
The USDA reports that mineral levels in crops have significantly declined over the past seven decades. Dan talked about the interrelationship between soil health, mineralization, crop health and human health. Diminished mineral levels mean our bodies are not getting the nutrients they need to function properly, to think and work effectively, and to realize their full potential. The Human Genome Project has identified 70 key nutrients that humans need for optimal health - our current agriculture works with 12 of them.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
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Support Student Gardeners at Mt. Abe High School
 The vegetable garden at Mt. Abraham Union High School, started two years ago by local gardener Walter O'Donoghue, is becoming a fixture of the school community. Student- grown vegetables were often a part of lunches this past fall, the garden will be the focus of a new science class next year, and ACORN's Farm to School coordinator is helping teachers to gather student volunteers for spring garden work days.
Walter is now looking for donations to support two student gardener positions this year. Paying students to take care of the garden gives them important agricultural experience and personal responsibility, and makes the garden much more productive of healthy, local food for the cafeteria.
If you'd like to make a tax-deductible donation to support the student gardeners, checks can be made out to "Mt. Abraham Garden" and sent to Walter O'Donoghue, P.O. Box 501, East Middlebury, VT 05740.
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Bridging the Gap:
The ACORN Wholesale Collaborative
by Jonathan Corcoran, ACORN President
ACORN is pleased to report that it has received $35,000 to fund the development of the ACORN Wholesale Collaborative (AWC) from the High Meadows Fund and the John Merck Fund.
PROJECT SUMMARY: The ACORN Wholesale Collaborative (AWC) is a non-profit, online brokerage service that will market production from local growers to local institutions in Addison County like Middlebury College, Porter Medical Center and county schools. The grants will support a 5-month planning phase in preparation for launch of the wholesale market in June 2011. The AWC's objective is to achieve financial sustainability by the end of 2013.
PROJECT MISSION: The mission of the AWC is to reconnect the members of our community food system for the mutual benefit of all stakeholders.
PROJECT GOALS: The goals of the AWC are to develop new markets for local growers and to increase food production, to partner with others to develop the needed infrastructure, and to make fresh, local foods more accessible and affordable to county residents and institutions.
THE AWC STRATEGY: The AWC will utilize the non-profit status of its parent ACORN to serve as a low-cost, fair-trade broker between growers and buyers, harness cost efficiencies and market local foods. The AWC will piggyback on existing infrastructure and minimize investment in assets. Sales will be marketed by direct relationships and through a comprehensive online ordering and fulfillment system to maximize efficiencies with ordering, billing, product tracking and logistics.
THE AWC TEAM: The team is comprised of a founding board of four ACORN board members, an Advisory Board of 15 members and a planning consultant. Annie Harlow of Bristol brings 15 years of professional experience in the food business,from production to distribution to retail, including 9 years as produce manager at City Market and 5 years in institutional sales at Black River Produce.
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Survey Takes Snapshot of Farm to School in the County by Hannah Mueller, ACORN Farm to School Coordinator
Every Addison County public school participated in an online survey in December about their Farm to School programs. ACORN administered the survey in preparation for the second-annual Stone Soup Summit, a gathering of teachers, farmers, students, Foodservice directors, gardeners, and community members to brainstorm next steps on Farm to School in Addison County.
Here's a taste of the data collected:
- 8 schools have used their gardens to teach science classes
- 85% of Addison County schools do some taste tests
- 5 schools compost waste in the cafeteria
Major challenges identified in the survey were funding, building connections with farmers, and integrating Farm to School into the curriculum. Working groups at the Stone Soup Summit will center around the hot topics, and people who have had success in each area will lead the discussions.
SAVE the DATE! Stone Soup Summit, April 5, 4-7:30 PM,
Middlebury High School
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An Update from the Gleaning Program
by Corinne Almquist
The Addison County Gleaning Program grew significantly in its second year, more than doubling the amount of produce gleaned in 2009. We started gleaning spinach in March from Singing Cedars Farmstead, and finished the season with a large winter squash donation from Golden Russet Farm in December.
With the help of four gleaning coordinators and lots of volunteers, we were able to deliver nearly 20,000 pounds of fresh, local food to meal sites and food shelves in Addison County. Staff and volunteers at HOPE worked hard all season to preserve food for winter months, and 30 farms around the country participated in the successful gleaning season.
Many thanks to everyone who helped make this happen, and we look forward to even greater yields in 2011! As you start planning your garden this spring, remember to plant an extra row for the Addison County Food Shelf. The generosity of home gardeners made a big difference in 2010, and we want to ensure access to healthy food once again this growing season!
To learn more, please email gleanaddison@gmail.com |
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 Thank you for your interest in the ACORN Network. If you have specific questions about the Network, please e-mail us at info@acornvt.org or call us at 802-382-0401.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Corcoran, President
ACORN Network |
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