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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.
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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.
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WVFFC is proud to provide support for food and agriculture efforts around West Virginia by convening Food and Farm Working Groups, creating resources, growing the local foods network, organizing trainings and events, offering mini-grants, and providing strategic policy support to stakeholders. Our budget relies on raising funds in order to keep our work accessible to all. Will you support us today?
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WVFFC News
WVFFC hosting a Policy Training & Proposal Workshop in Summersville, May 15
WVFFC is hosting a Policy Training & Proposal Workshop for Working Group members and chairs that will be open to the public. Learn about the process to make administrative and legislative policy change. Identify, prioritize and refine your policy ideas. Registration is $10 and a local foods lunch will be provided. Register here.
WV Farmers Market Association releases Farmers Market Planning Toolkit
Are you marketing your farmers market as effectively as possible? The West Virginia Farmers Market Association has released an in-depth marketing toolkit after having studied high need training topics for farmers markets in the state. You can find the toolkit for download here.
Farmers and Large-Scale Gardeners wanted in McDowell County
Farmers and large-scale gardeners located in McDowell County are encouraged to contact Jenny Hudson, of the Mingo County Diabetes Coalition, if they are interested in selling produce through the Mingo Mobile Market, which may begin serving McDowell County this summer. Local produce is needed! Email Jenny at jennysuehudson@gmail.com or call her at 304-235-3400.
West Virginia Food News
WVSU Launches Hops Research Initiative
40 farmers and ranchers around West Virginia will plant test crops of hops to see where optimal growing locations are, as well as open potential market opportunities. Many different counties are represented, including Marion, Preston, Harrison, Cabell, Kanawha, Putnam, Fayette, Mercer, and Monroe counties. Click here to read more. Food, Farm, and Finance Seminar Helps Grow Food-Business Entrepreneurs
On April 22nd, a panel of business and finance experts met at the Sandstone Visitor Center to advise farmers and food-business owners on their projects. The panel included members of the Small Business Development Office, the Natural Capital Investment Fund, Region I Planning and Development, Farm Credit of the Virginias, and the New River Gorge Regional Development Authority. Read more here. West Virginia Interested in Sriracha Hot Sauce Plant
West Virginia Delegate Gary Howell and other state and local officials from Mineral County have been working together to convince Huy Fong Foods to relocate a Sriracha factory to West Virginia. Read more here.
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Upcoming Events in and near West Virginia
Do you have events that you want included in our newsletter?
Please contact us !
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Farm To School Webinar: Using Geographic Preference
2pm, May 8
USDA offers two free webinars per month to showcase the variety of ways school districts can purchase local foods. Click here to register for one or more of the webinars. Click here for more information and click here to register.
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Worker-Owned Cooperative Business Workshop: Basics
1-3pm, repeat at 6-8pm, May 12, 1650 8th Ave, Huntington WV
Leslie Schaller of ACEnet in Athens, OH will lead workshops that will provide a useful introduction to business models for worker-owned businesses. The Worker-Owned Basics Workshop will be held twice on May 12th; once from 1-3pm and again from 6-8pm. Does not require registration.
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Worker-Owned Cooperative Business Workshop: Worker-Owned Steps to Incorporation
9am-12pm, May 13, 1650 8th Ave, Huntington WV
Leslie Schaller of ACEnet in Athens, OH will lead a Worker Owned Steps to Incorporation Workshop, for individuals and groups with cooperative business ideas that are looking for technical assistance to get started. To reserve your seat for this workshop, call Lauren Kemp at 304-697-3007.
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Webinar: Healthy Food Marketing: Trends & Research
2pm, May 13, Free
This webinar will feature the latest evidence from the field, and explore how new research is changing how the public purchases nutritious food. Healthy food marketing efforts are generating healthy outcomes for retailers and for consumers. Register here.
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Real Food Real Local Conference
May 15th, The Plains OH
Are you passionate about local foods? Whether you are a farmer, processor, involved with farmers or retail markets, a food entrepreneur, advocate or consumer, this May conference will whet your appetite with fresh ideas, proven approaches, great connections, and plenty of interaction and fun. See more information and register here.
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Appalachian Food Summit
12pm-7pm, May 18, Hindman, KY
The Appalachian Food Summit is a gathering for authors, scholars, farmers, media makers, foragers, advocates, chefs and consumers to learn from one another, celebrate preserving the heritage of mountain foodways and break (corn)bread as a community. More information and registration here.
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House of Delegates Listening Tour
6:30pm, May 20, Beckley-Raleigh Convention Center
Are you a farmer or owner of a food-business? The House of Delegates small business and entrepreneurship Listening Tour is an opportunity to share your firsthand experience in West Virginia's local food economy with legislators. Your stories show how important the success of local food is to the economic growth of West Virginia. Open to the public, RSVP here.
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Webinar: HACCP in an Hour
1pm, May 29, Free
On this webinar, you'll learn the ABCs of HACCP - vocabulary and basic concepts - from an experienced HACCP instructor. If you're a farmer or rancher who brings animals to an inspected processor, if you're thinking you might want to get into the processing business, or if you just want to know what HACCP actually is, this webinar is for you. Register for the webinar here.
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Try This Conference
June 6-7, WV Wesleyan, Buckhannon WV
Enjoy two idea-packed, inspiring days with like-minded people. Meet people from all over the state who are doing great things to help their communities. Trade ideas! Join forces! Get inspired, learn, plan your next steps. Help build a statewide movement! For more information and registration, click here. Scholarships, lodging, and meals available.
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Southeast WV Farm Gathering
June 16-17, Fairlea, WV
Save the date! This event is being organized by the WV Farmers Market Association and the WV Food and Farm Coalition. The purpose of this event is to train and educate farmers, food producers, and market managers in best practices to sustain and expand their agricultural entrepreneurship endeavors and improve access to healthy local foods for all West Virginians. Watch this space for further details.
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Young & Beginning Farmer Mixer
June 16, 7:30-9:30, The Spring, Lewisburg WV
Please join us Monday June 16th from 7:30-9:30 PM for the Young & Beginning Farmer Mixer at The Spring in Lewisburg (204 N Jefferson St.)
This event is a great opportunity to meet other young or beginning farmers from across the Greater Greenbrier Valley to mix and mingle, chat, share stories, give advice, brainstorm shared needs, plan future events, and have fun! Local snacks, beer, & wine will be provided. Enjoy live music featuring Tyler Childers and bring your instrument for the Open Mic. There will be a Canned Goods and Produce Swap, so bring non-immediately perishable local food products from your farm, garden, or a local producer to share/swap!
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West Virginia Brownfields Conference
Sept 11-12, Big Sandy Arena, Huntington WV
Who should attend? Anyone involved in redevelopment: Economic development professionals, real estate developers, lawyers, state and local officials, environmental professionals, entrepreneurs, planners, realtors, bankers, investors, and community redevelopment professionals. This year's event will include sessions covering all aspects of brownfields redevelopment, interactive workshops on project funding, specialty training on remediation, a project showcase banquet, and much more! More information and registration here.
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Sustainable Agriculture Education Association Conference
August 3-4, 2014, Raleigh NC
Registration begins May 1st for the Sustainable Agriculture Education Association Conference. Registration and more information will be available here.
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American Farmland Trust's National Conference
Oct 20-22, Lexington, KY
The Farmland, Food and Livable Communities conference focuses on farming, land use, and food policy. If you have an interest in the impact that land use has on food systems, economic development, job creation, and agricultural viability, visit the conference website here.
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Job Opportunities in and near West Virginia
Do you have jobs that you want included in our newsletter?
Please contact us !
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Health Educator: Braxton/Clay, Fayette, McDowell, Mingo, Putnam/Mason, Wyoming counties
Multiple positions available. 30 hours/week, benefits eligible. This position will assist in providing health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles. Assists with collecting and analyzing data to identify community needs prior to planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies, and environments. May serve as a resource to assist individuals, and other healthcare workers, or the community, and may administer fiscal resources for health education programs. To read the full description and to apply for the position, click here.
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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.
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FIRSTHAND Coffee is a buying cooperative that allows consumers in the Morgantown area to purchase fair-trade in a way that directly benefits those coffee producers, and pick that coffee up at a predetermined location. Click here for more information or to register for the CSA.
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Farm Service Agency Microloan Program
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) developed the Microloan (ML) program to better serve the unique financial operating needs of beginning, niche and the smallest of family farm operations by modifying its Operating Loan (OL) application, eligibility and security requirements. The program will offer more flexible access to credit and will serve as an attractive loan alternative for smaller farming operations like specialty crop producers and operators of community supported agriculture (CSA). Read more here.
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2014 EQIP High Tunnel Initiative
The Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers. The goal of the initiative is to assist producers to extend the growing season for high value crops in an environmentally safe manner. Read more here.
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Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program
Deadline: June 12, 2014
The Agriculture Act of 2014 provided an additional $20 million per year for 2014 through 2018. The reasons for the renewed interest in beginning farmer and rancher programs are: the rising average age of U.S. farmers, the 8% projected decrease in the number of farmers and ranchers between 2008 and 2018, and the growing recognition that new programs are needed to address the needs of the next generation of beginning farmers and ranchers. Read more and find an application here.
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Organic Farming Research Foundation Grant
Deadline: May 15
The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) encourages farmers, ranchers, researchers, and Extension personnel to applying for funding to work with a professional researcher in order to design and carry out a research project. Read here for more information.
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Deadline: June 13 & Sept 19, rolling
The RGK Foundation invites grant proposals in the areas of education, community, and health & medicine. Their primary interests include programs that focus on formal K-12 education (particularly math, science, and reading), teacher development, literacy, and higher education. Click here for the full RFP.
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Captain Planet Foundation Ecotech Grant
Deadline: Rolling through May 31, 2014
The Captain Planet Foundation is accepting proposals for grants to be awarded to schools or non-profits organizations focusing on engaging children in inquiry-based projects in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) that use innovation, biomimicry / nature-based design, or new uses for technology to address environmental problems in their communities - Learn more here.
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Aquaponics Association Micro Grant
Deadline: June, 15 2014
The goal of this program is to increase public awareness, understanding, and knowledge of aquaponics as an educational tool, a hobby, or a business in providing a source of fresh, local, healthy food. Preference is given to educational/outreach based activities that focus on developing aquaponics systems or a plan to move existing growing systems toward aquaponics. View the application here.
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Whole Foods Market Local Producer Loan Program
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Food for Thought
(fruitful reading, research & case studies)
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West Virginia Farmers Markets
Spring is here! Many West Virginia Farmers Markets have begun operating for the season! Not sure where your nearest market is? The West Virginia Farmers Market Association maintains a list of partner markets, which is available here.
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Report: Garden Based Learning at North Elementary in Morgantown
What is Garden Based Learning?
Garden based learning is a problem based science initiative to elementary grade 1-5 students integrating science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), reading, writing and social science curriculums. The emphasis integrates hands-on garden-based projects with the core curriculum making the program sustainable over multiple class levels and builds upon year-to-year experiences for the students. This video demonstrates the program in action.
WVU faculty with expertise in science and mathematics education, elementary curriculum, garden-based learning, and human nutrition have provided professional development to teachers and pre-service teachers at one school North Elementary, Morgantown, WV with plans to expand to three additional schools. The students are actively exposed by personal experience to issues of local food sourcing, nutrition, wellness, business development (Farmers Market) and the importance of community participation to maintain the school gardens.
To see the full report, click here.
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This is YOUR space, YOUR newsletter and YOUR Coalition. If you have suggestions, announcements or resources you would like to share please contact us.
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