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 Hannah Grimes Center Farm Focus Newsletter
August 2011 |
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NH Eat Local Celebration &No-Till Farming and Forest Management Workshops Cheshire County Conservation District
Thursday, August 25, 11a.m. - 8p.m. Granite Gorge, Roxbury On Thursday August 25, 2011 farmers and forestland owners will have the opportunity learn more about stewarding the resources on their property through no-till farming and forest management practices: 11am-1pm No-Till Seeder Workshop and Demonstration with Joel Myers Joel is a national no-till expert from PA and he will host a discussion on continuous no-till systems and cover cropping as well as do an on site demonstration with a no-till seeder available for rent locally. Carl Majewski of UNH Cooperative Extension will also be available to discuss management options with farmers. There will also be the opportunity to learn more about using the no-till seeder on your land.
2-4pm Which Trees to Grow, Which to Cut - Forestry Workshop & Demo Join Forester Geoff Jones and Cheshire Co. UNH Cooperative Extension Forester Steve Roberge to discuss forest management, cutting for firewood, and managing for wildlife. Steve Pytlik of the USDA NRCS will be there to discuss funding opportunities for land owners and managers for farm and forest land.
Farmers, land managers, and land owners are invited to register for these FREE workshops by contacting the Cheshire County Conservation District 603-756-2988 x 116 or Amanda@cheshireconservation.org. 
5-8pm NH Eat Local Celebration - Live Music & Local Food Roast The summer feast will offer a local pig roast, beef on the barbeque, local sweet corn, roasted vegetables, and much more. Otis Doncaster and the Elevators and additional local musicians to be announced will be adding the music to the festivities. There will be opportunities to visit and buy from local vendors and enter raffles to win cordwood, farm produce, books, and more. Tickets can be purchased for a suggested donation of $10-20. All proceeds will benefit the Monadnock Farm & Community Connection program and their work to keep farms profitable, natural resources conserved, and the community connected to agriculture. To purchase tickets online visit www.cheshireconservation.org or send funds & number of tickets requested to: CCCD, 11 Industrial Park Dr, Walpole NH 03608. For more information contact the Cheshire Cnty Conservation District at 603-756-2988 ext.116 or Amanda@cheshireconservation.org. We encourage folks to purchase tickets in advance, but they will be available the day of the event.
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Fall Interns Needed: Whether you would like to learn hands on about small scale organic farming, eat and prepare delicious organic food, get some good exercise and meet some nice people, our fall farm internship may be for you. August through October and beyond we are looking for a few farm interns who have 5 or more hours per week to participate in harvesting corn and sweet potatoes winter squash and much more, cultivating, post harvest handling and learning about farm infrastructure, including greenhouse management. No experience required. We look forward to hearing from you: Lori Schreier, Fertile Fields Farm, Westmoreland, (603)399-7772.
Members Sought: Small and Beginner Farmers of New Hampshire is a farmer to farmer network with the goals of connecting farmers and the community, sharing ideas and information, and accessing technical assistance and agricultural education. Membership is $16 for a year and includes a monthly newsletter and email list serve. View more benefits on SBFNH's website. Also, SBFNH has a grain mill available for rent by dues-paid members. *The Hannah Grimes Center is posting these classifieds as a service to readers and does not imply endorsement. Add your own classified ad: Send a 20-30 word description of your service or product that is directly supporting entrepreneurs to jen@hannahgrimes.com. Make sure to include the best way to contact you.
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Events to Help You Connect
With Farmers & Other Experts
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37th Annual NOFA Summer Conference
Friday - Sunday, August 12 - 14
University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts
Over 225 workshops on organic farming, gardening and land care, draft animals in farming and forestry, permaculture, homesteading, sustainability, nutrition, food politics, activism, and much, much more. View www.nofasummerconference.org for all details.
Beginner Farmer Workshop NOFA-NH Thursday, August 18, 10a.m. - 4p.m. Tracie's Community Farm, Fitzwilliam This workshop for Beginner Farmers in New Hampshire will combine a hands-on tour of a successful farm, with a presentation of important knowledge and skills, and an opportunity to provide input into the programming of workshops for the NOFA-NH Winter conference in March 2012. Cost $75. Farmers and apprentices with fewer than 10 years of experience can benefit from a USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program grant that will cover 100% of the workshop cost. View details: http://www.nofanh.org/events/2011-08-18/beginner-farmers-workshop.
NMPAN Webinar: Working Effectively with Your Processor Cooperative Extension Wednesday, August 24, 12:30 - 1:30p.m. Online Webinar The Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network offers a free one-hour webinar that will explore how livestock producers can work together and with their processors more effectively, to make better use of existing processing facilities. Link: http://www.extension.org.
Scaling Up: Producing & Processing for the Larger Regional Market VT Meat Producer & Processor Workshop Series Saturday, September 10, 10a.m.- 3p.m. SEVCA & Westminster Meats, Westminster, VT Interested in selling meat to institutions and other large-scale buyers throughout the New England region? The New England state departments of agriculture are collaborating with the Northeast Farm-to-School Network and Healthcare without Harm on a marketing plan for increasing sales of regionally-produced beef to institutions. The research team, led by Rose Wilson, will give a presentation of the results and propose some steps we can take to increase beef sales to large-scale regional consumers. Then we'll head down the street to Westminster Meats, Vermont's newest slaughter facility, for lunch and a tour. This will be a great opportunity to make connections from across New England. Free for those who pre-register, $7 for walk-ins; includes lunch. Register at http://vtmeat.blogspot.com/p/september-10-scaling-up-producing.html.
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News & Resources to Inform & Inspire
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Designs for Two Vegetable Wash Stations
Originally Posted on Leopold Center
The Fruit and Vegetable Working Group, a community of practice within the Value Chain Partnerships program in Iowa, has developed a new online tool to help vegetable growers construct efficient wash stations. The detailed designs, based on wash stations used at One Step at a Time Gardens near Kanawha, offer a low-cost option for small farmers to improve the safety and quality of their produce. Materials to build the open-air wash station can be purchased for a little under $1,000. The document also presents design plans for a second, upgraded wash station enclosed in a commercially available hoophouse with a poured cement floor. The hoophouse design requires more labor and skill to construct, and materials cost roughly $20,000. Detailed instructions, material lists and 3-D drawings for both wash stations are available at: http://www.leopold.iastate.eduDairy Processing Workbook Online Originally Posted on ATTRA American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is making available Dairy Processing 101: An online workbook for the beginning dairy farmer or dairy processor. The workbook includes sections on business planning, heritage dairy animals, dairy products, legalities, and infrastructure. The workbook is designed for people interested in using heritage breeds in dairy processing, and offers sources of further information at: http://www.albc-usa.org. New Hampshire Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program Grant Applications Due November 1, 2011 The purpose of the Program is to encourage the principles and practices of integrated pest management in all areas where pesticides are used. The goals of the Department are to contribute funding to further the education of the public, including those applying pesticides, minimize the use of pesticides, and improve the health, environment, and economics of New Hampshire citizens. The Program grant application process is open to all residents of the state, including citizens from the private sector, extension offices, trade organizations, corporate organizations, and government agencies. Details at: http://www.nh.gov/agric/programs (scroll down page a bit). More funding opportunities at: https://attra.ncat.org/calendar/funding.php.
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