| | |
The West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition is a statewide network of people involved in building West Virginia's food and farm sectors. Our interconnected goals are to improve access to healthy, locally-produced food for all West Virginians while helping viable food and farm businesses to grow. The Coalition was launched in 2010 by the West Virginia Community Development Hub, but is on its way to becoming an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to food and agriculture issues.
We believe that as West Virginia farmers and food producers become more directly connected to West Virginia consumers, the results include healthier people, greater business opportunities, stronger communities, and a unique economy reflecting our state's proud heritage of self-sufficient food production.
Read more on our website.
|
|
|
Greetings!
This newsletter provides a biweekly selection of news, events, resources, and ideas that are helpful to farms and food access projects in West Virginia. Whether you are a producer, consumer, nonprofit organization, educator, agency or food-related business, there may be something here to help you with your work. The information in this newsletter is compiled by the West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition, which is an initiative of the West Virginia Community Development Hub. In addition to this newsletter, we also offer updates on specific food and farm topics. To subscribe to special updates, go here and enter your email address.
WVFFC News
Take the Farmers Market Survey on Fees & Permits!
With some help from the Food & Farm Coalition, the West Virginia Farmers Market Association is studying issues surrounding regulations, fees and permitting that impact farmers markets and farms . If you sell at or manage a farmers market, or if you sell products at your farm, WVFMA wants to hear about your experiences -- please take the survey today! There are two versions of the survey -- click the one that applies to you:
Join a Food Policy Workshop with WVFFC and AARP
The Food & Farm Coalition has teamed up with AARP West Virginia to host a policy discussion on Local and Fresh Food Access at Bridgeport Conference Center on August 22. As part of a day-long workshop and training on policy advocacy, our session will focus on policy strategies to: (1) improve access to healthy local food through farmers markets and (2) reduce liability for organizations that transport people to food access points, like food pantries or farmers markets. The session is part of a policy workshop series hosted by the WV Community Development Hub and other partners. Register here to join us as we form a policy strategy that helps more West Virginians access healthy local food! Get food business help and and daily tips from VC2Have you checked out the Value Chain Cluster Initiative (VC2)? It's a program providing food business development assistance "from field to fork." If you're in one of the 17 counties targeted by the program, you can apply for customized on-on-one consulting on business planning, facility design, regulatory compliance, branding, online marketing and more. You can learn more here, see daily food business tips on the VC2 Facebook page, or sign up here to get regular email updates about the program. VC2 is administered by Natural Capital Investment Fund and co-coordinated by the WV Food & Farm Coalition.
West Virginia Food News
West Virginians affected by the national SNAP bill debate
Nineteen percent of West Virginians participate in the SNAP program (formerly called food stamps), including over 133,00 children. Ted Boettner, Executive Director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy, says that the expiration of the stimulus will bring a dramatic reduction in the food stamp program in November and that the House bill would make it harder for typical families to become eligible for the program. WV Public Broadcasting reports here.
Green Wheeling Initiative makes national news
The Green Wheeling Initiative made national news recently, telling people around the nation how West Virginia is "hurdling towards local foods." The Green Wheeling Initiative's mission: "Our mission is to build a local food production and distribution system that saves energy, creates jobs and circulates more money into the local economy. We partner with local farmers, community gardeners, schools and businesses to make fresh food available and easily available. We are Wheeling's green future." The Huffington Post reports here.
New video series shows value of VISTAs for food projects
The Appalachian Coal Country Team provides VISTAs (national service volunteers who complete a year of service) for local food and other rural development efforts around Appalachia. One such VISTA was WVFFC's beloved Leah Smith, who recently completed her term. But now many VISTA positions in West Virginia, including ours, have been cut by the feds due to sequestration. Check out this amazing video series about the value of VISTAs in rural communities, and consider telling your congresspeople and senators what you think about the cuts.
|
Upcoming Events in and near West Virginia
Do you have events that you want included in our newsletter?
Please contact us !
|
|
Heritage Tourism Workshop
Tuesday, August 20, 2013 9:30-3pm
Bridgeport Conference Center
300 Conference Center Way, Bridgeport, WV
Collaborative for the 21st Century Appalachia is hosting, in partnership with the West Virginia Community Development Hub, a one-day-train-the-trainer session for individuals who are interested in sharing information about how the cultural traditions and heritage of every community can be an engine for driving economic development when they are preserved and shared. There is the expectation that participants will share this information with their own and another community. The seventh guide of the Heritage Toolkit will be presented at this training. There is no registration fee. Lunch is provided. To reserve a place, email Allen Arnold at aarnold@wvfarm2u.org.
|
West Virginia Regional Community Policy Workshops
August 21, 2013 10am-4pm
The Dream Center, 224 Pinewood Road, Beckley, WV
August 23, 2013 10am-4pm
Bridgeport Conference Center
300 Conference Center Way, Bridgeport, WV
The meetings will feature educational and interactive workshops, discussions on new ideas, brainstorming sessions, and a merging of solutions to develop new policies. Proposed discussions include: local foods issues (including SNAP benefits and the meat processing industry), affordable housing, broadband development, children in poverty, and more. At the Bridgeport workshop, WVFFC is co-hosting a session on food access with AARP (see article above). Learn more here.
|
Two-Day Range Hands-On Butchery Workshop
September 21-22, 2013
Swift Level Land and Cattle, Lewisburg, WV
This two-day workshop with Kari Underly includes 2 full days of hands-on training and lecture, Friday night reception (open to the public $35), Saturday and Sunday lunch and snacks, Saturday night BBQ, and boning knife and cutting glove. The workshop costs $875 per hands-on person, and $500 for observing person. Fifteen hands-on spots are available. Contact Jennifer "Tootie" Jones at swiftlevel@gmail.com to register. Find out more here.
|
WV Policy Symposium
September 24-25, 2013
Charleston, WV
Building on the two regional community policy workshops, this symposium will bring people from around the state to present ideas to policy-makers. Topics on child poverty and the many other challenges facing West Virginians will be refined and presented to the Senate Committee on Children and Policy. Learn more here.
|
|
Opportunities
(grants, awards, partnership ideas)
* Find a full grants calendar here, on our website! To use this calendar, scroll ahead to see what grant deadlines are coming up. Also look back to see what grants came out last year, so you can anticipate the same grants coming out in the year ahead.
|
West Virginia Recipe Challenge at the State Fair
Deadline: August 11, 2013 11:30am
The 2013 West Virginia Recipe Challenge at the fair will give competitors the chance to showcase their culinary skills and explore future entrepreneurship potential during the competition slated for Sunday, Aug. 11 from noon to 3 p.m. in the West Virginia Building. Emphasizing food product and business development, competitors will present their original recipes and discuss a business vision with a panel of culinary and business experts. The winner will receive business consulting and services designed to launch their food venture in West Virginia. WVNSTV reports here.
|
CROPP's Farmers Advocating for Organic Fund
Deadline: September 1, 2013
The Farmers Advocating for Organics (FAFO) fund provides a way for CROPP cooperative's farmers to identify and support key issues facing the organic marketplace and organic agriculture. The FAFO Farmer Committee accepts proposals from individuals and organizations seeking funding for particular projects or programs dedicated to furthering organic education, organic farming or product research, and organic advocacy. Learn more here.
|
Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grants
Deadline: October 15, 2013
Each year, the Lowe's Toolbox for Education gives $2,000-5,000 to individual schools. This year, the foundation wants to provide the tools that help educators and parent groups through today's challenging times efficiently, while providing the greatest impact, with basic necessities taking priority. Example projects include vegetable gardens, physical fitness area, reading gardens, and nature trails. Learn more here.
|
Appalachian Community Fund Technical Assistance Grants Program
Deadline: Rolling
The Appalachian Community Fund's Technical Assistance Program is designed to help build strong organizations. These are small grants (max $800) for specific technical assistance needs identified by the organization. Technical Assistance grants are designed to build organizational capacity and to help train board and/or staff in organization building skills such as but not limited to: leadership development, fundraising, long range planning, board responsibilities, community organizing, legal issues, etc. Learn more here.
|
National Network of Libraries of Medicine Funding
Deadline: Rolling
The National Networks of Libraries of Medicine Southeastern / Atlantic region provides funding for National Network of Libraries members located in the Southeastern / Atlantic region to assist them in conducting outreach and technology projects. Priority areas include improving health literacy through education and outreach projects and working with health-based coalitions to create healthy communities. Awards range from $1,000 to $50,000. Learn more here.
|
|
Food for Thought
(fruitful reading, research & case studies)
|
Farmers Market Recipe Generator
From the NY Times: "The Recipe Generator is essentially a one-armed bandit of ingredients and techniques, offering more than 50 combinations of things you're most likely to find in a market or your C.S.A. basket, with recipes that make wonderful use of them." Explore it here.
|
Live Nation turns to locally grown concessions
Live Nation, one of the country's top concert promoters, is reworking its concessions to serve only local produce and humanely-raised meats. The Huffington Post reports here.
|
TN agritourism more than doubled over last six years
University of Tennesseee Institute of Agriculture recently released study of Tennessee's agritourism industry that estimates that the economic impact of agritourism in the state has more than doubled between 2006-2012. Visitors to TN agritourism operations in 2012 were estimated to have spent more than $34.4 million directly and more than $54.2 million total. UT reports here.
|
This is YOUR space, YOUR newsletter and YOUR Coalition. If you have suggestions, announcements or resources you would like to share please contact us.
|
|
If you received this email from someone else, and would like to subscribe to the West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition Newsletter, please visit this link to sign up.
|
|
|
|
