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Newsletter No. 6
| September 2011 |
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Greetings!
The Vermont localvore's favorite season is upon us. As the harvest approaches, ACORN Network would like to share with you some stories from the summer and upcoming events. Not least of those will be the Tour de Farms on September 18! We hope to see you at the Champlain Valley's favorite bike tour!
Sincerely,
Jonathan Corcoran
President, ACORN Network
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Ride the Tour de Farms: Advance Registration Ends Sept. 12!
The 4th Annual Tour de Farms is just around the corner! The scenic bike tour of Addison County farms benefits ACORN, Rural Vermont, and the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition, and is expected to draw close to 600 participants from all over Vermont and beyond. Register now with Rural Vermont to save 50%! The Tour takes place in and around Shoreham on September 18. After riding 10, 25, or 30 mile routes and tasting the fall harvest at over a dozen participating farms, bikers will arrive at Apple Fest on the Shoreham Green for more food and fun.
Special thanks go to this year's sponsors: Vermont Fresh Network, Earl's Cyclery, Wolaver's Organic Brewery and American Flatbread Middlebury. Thanks also to the Addison County Regional Planning Commission for their assistance with the Tour maps.
Riders who bring their own cup and spoon to partake of the farms' samples will have the chance to win a local foods gift basket donated by the Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op. Volunteers who give three hours to help the Tour run smoothly will receive a free t-shirt.
Learn more about the Tour de Farms here.
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ACORN Wholesale Collaborative Issues Final Report
 Download the AWC Report here! (PDF)
The ACORN Wholesale Collaborative (AWC) is pleased to present its final report, the fruit of 6 months of field research funded by grants from the High Meadows Fund and the John Merck Fund.
The AWC was convened in December to determine the viability of a low-cost, online wholesale brokerage and delivery service linking Addison County produce growers and institutional buyers. The report answers questions regarding the interest of growers & buyers in such a service, which crops would have the most demand, the need for long-term storage facilities, the impact of marketing and branding, and much more.
To learn more about the AWC, contact ACORN Board member Annie Harlow.
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| ACORN at Middlebury Green Drinks Sept & Oct
Green Drinks is a global movement aimed at connecting people
informally in cities throughout the world for the purpose of brainstorming and networking on green topics in a relaxed, relatively unstructured setting. On Sept. 20, ACORN Board member David Dolginow will be talking about Vermont Refrigerated Storage at a Green Drinks with the theme "Putting Up the Harvest." Next month, on October 18, come get a short and sweet update on ACORN's latest initiatives! Middlebury's version of Green Drinks meets third Tuesday night of each month at 51 Main and features door prizes, free snacks, drink discounts and themes. Green Drinks will be meeting earlier from 5 -7 pm starting in October. |
Where Is Tomorrow's Farmer? Video from the Oregon Coast
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Oregon tomatoes are a teaching tool in "Where Is Tomorrow's Farmer?"
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In a community 3,000 miles away, on San Juan Island in Oregon, residents are trying to solve a problem that also challenges us here in Vermont: that is, how to engage young farmers when the average age of the U.S. farmer steadily climbs. The short video Where Is Tomorrow's Farmer? sums up the challenge and the efforts that farmers and young people all over the country are making to start a new generation of growers.
A friend of ACORN Board member Ron Slabaugh, who used to live on the same island, produced the video and presented it to lawmakers in Olympia who were considering passing a bill that would prevent the state Labor agency from putting an organic farming internship out of business because they didn't pay minimum wage. The bill passed, allowing farmers and young people to sustain a relationship that benefits everyone. Check out the video on You Tube. |
Profile:
Students at Monkton School Are Growing Their Own Food
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Kristen Andrews helps students harvest basil at Monkton School.
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For the first time this fall, when students return to Monkton Central School, the vegetables they planted in the spring will be there to greet them in the new Monkton School Garden.
Each class took ownership of a different vegetable or fruit by picking out their favorite varieties (ones with fun names, like the "tongue of fire" beans, often won out), planting their crop, and learning about its nutritional value. Colorful signs with the variety names now mark each plant's location in the garden.
The new gardening and nutrition initiative at Monkton School is made possible thanks to a grant to the Willowell Foundation from the Frances R. Dewing Fondation and support from the ANESU Foodservice Co-op, UVM Master Gardeners, Monkton School teachers and staff, and--last but not least--parent & student volunteers. ACORN supported the program through our Farm to School Coordinator and AmeriCorps member, a position co-financed with Willowell. The first season is turning out to be a big success for one of Vermont's newest school gardens. |
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Real Food Campaign Workshop Series Starts this Fall
The Real Food Campaign is offering a course in Bionutrient Rich Crop Production this fall. Two types of workshops will be held in 17 different locations throughout the Northeast, including in Vermont:
- a two-session course designed for commercial farmers with substantial production and marketing capability;
- a four-session course, designed for homesteaders, gardeners, and others who want to know more about growing and eating high quality food.
RFC Founder Dan Kittredge facilitates most of the course. Visit the Real Food Campaign website to learn more and register. |
 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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