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.

West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition greatly appreciates the support of our funders, The Appalachian Regional Commission,The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, BB&T, Central Appalachian Network, Change the Future WV, One Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, US Economic Development Administration, and the WV Department of Agriculture. This support enables WVFFC to continue to fulfill our mission.

WVFFC Staff & Board

Staff

Elizabeth Spellman	Executive Director
Stephanie Tyree	Director of Community Engagement & Policy
Brandon Holmes	Policy Analyst
Kelly Crane	Outreach Coordinator
Garnet Bruell	AmeriCorps OSM/VISTA
Megan Smith	Program Coordinator

Board

Cheryl Brown	President
Mike Kwasniewski	Vice President
Rob Hinton	Treasurer
Kent Spellman	Secretary
Brooke Nissam-Sabat
Susan Jones
Marlo Long
Hannah Vargason

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 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?

WVFFC News

WVFFC hosts Local Food Expo at North Central WV Farm Gathering

On Wednesday, Oct 29, The West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition hosted its third regional Local Foods Expo at the North Central WV Farm Gathering in Fairmont, WV. The Farm Gathering, organized by the WV Farmers Market Association and local partners, drew approximately 100 participants from counties all across the northern region. Over the course of the day, three breakout sessions were held to share tools and best practices for building relationships between WV Buyers and WV Producers. News coverage of the event is available here.

North Central WV Buyer Grower Directory Now Available

WVFFC has published a directory of potential local food buyers and local food producers as part of the North Central WV Farm Gathering. The directory is available here. This project was funded by a WV Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant.

WVFFC recognized by Food Tank & James Beard Foundation

FoodTank, a non-profit news outlet focusing on addressing Food Systems issues, in partnership with the James Beard Foundation, recognized The West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition as part of their 2014 Good Food Organizations list. WVFFC Executive Director Elizabeth Spellman was interviewed by West Virginia Public Radio, which you can hear here. For a complete list of 2014 Good Food Organizations, click here.

West Virginia Food News

The Aftermath of Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution"

NPR show The Splendid Table featured an interview with Jane Black and Brent Cunningham, who are researching the after effects of Jamie Oliver's 2010 "Food Revolution" show, which explored the food habits of Huntington, WV. "I would say West Virginia, which is not known as a very progressive state, probably has one of the best school lunch programs in the country." says Black. Read or listen to the interview here.

Photo Essay: Wheeling's Grow Ohio Valley initiative

PBS newshour explored the accelerating landscape of urban agriculture in Wheeling, WV, including Farm 18, located under a highway bypass. Read the story here.

WVSU Receives $40,000 WV Specialty Crop Block Grant

Agricultural research in West Virginia receives a boost with this grant, which will explore viable production crops for the state. Read more here.

A Culinary Journey Through Appalachia

The Wall Street Journal identifies Appalachia as one of the next great dining destinations, and documents its journey here. Featured locations include Bluegrass Kitchen in Charleston, and Stardust Caf� in Lewisburg, both of which are known for their support of the local food economy.

Appalachian Food Diversity Heritage

As one of the most ecologically diverse regions in the United States, this article explores the rich history of heirloom crops that exist in the region, and how their tradition is being preserved. Read it here.

National Food News

Comment Period Opens on Requirements for the Distribution and Control of Donated Foods

As part of the FSMA regulation, a comment period is now open regarding the requirement for distribution and control of donated foods. Read more here.

NSAC Report: Decline in Public Seed Supply Harms Farmers

The proceedings from the Summit on Seeds and Breeds for 21st Century Agriculture were published today by the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI), a farmer-based non-profit organization based in Pittsboro, NC. The report expresses increased concerns about farmers' limited access to seed, the narrowing of our country's agricultural plant and animal genetic diversity, consolidation within the seed industry, the decline in public cultivar development, and how these trends are impacting farmers' abilities to confront the unprecedented challenges of climate change and global food security. Read the article here.

Report: Shoppers Willing to Spend 31% More Per Week on Responsibly Produced Food

The Conscious Consumer Study shows that consumers are willing to pay more for food that reflects corporate responsibility. Some of the key findings include data on health, safety, waste reduction, well-being of animals and laborers, and sustainably produced grocery food. To read the whole report click here.

Regional Highlight: North Carolina

Worker-Owned Textile Cooperatives in North Carolina

Note: WVFFC is currently advocating for West Virginia to add a Worker-Owned Cooperative Business Statute to the books in 2015. While this story is not specifically about agriculture, it highlights the economic potential for Worker-Owned Businesses across Appalachia.

This article explores Opportunity Threads, a worker cooperative textile manufacturing business in Morganton, North Carolina. Traditionally rich in textile jobs, North Carolina has suffered great job loss in that sector over the past several decades. Using a cooperative ownership model and the highly skilled labor that was available in the community, the business has thrived. Read the whole story here.

WVFFC Comments on FSMA

In November of 2013 the West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition weighed in on the impacts that the Food & Drug Administration's proposed "Produce Rule" would have on West Virginia farms. The Produce Rule is part of the "Food Safety Modernization Act,' or FSMA; a sweeping set of new regulations aimed at improving the safety of America's food supply with regard to foodborne illness. Many of the requirements of the proposed rule would place a major burdens on Appalachian farms, particularly those practicing sustainable and organic techniques. In an effort to give farmers a voice, the Coalition submitted four pages of comments to FDA back in November asking them to revisit the requirements and make several changes. Last week the FDA announced that it did indeed make several changes to the proposed rules, including on many of the points we raised last year.

In our original comments to FDA, the Food & Farm Coalition asked FDA to issue a completely new set of rules that better takes into account the realities of small farm and sustainable agriculture. FDA did not re-open the entire Produce Rule, but instead made some changes to five different areas Rule related to water quality standards, use of manure and other amendments, wild animals on farms, how FDA determines who is covered, and their administrative procedure to withdraw an exemption. All five are areas that the Food & Farm Coalition asked FDA specifically to review (read an overview of our requests to FDA here).

FDA did not address the Food & Farm Coalition's request to differentiate between foodborne illnesses originating on the farm and those originating at later food processing stages. The agency also did not address the need to protect the ability to have domesticated and work animals in the field.

The Food & Drug Administration is currently accepting comments to the supplemental rule only. The WV Food & Farm Coalition is in the process of reviewing the new rules to determine how they will impact small farms in West Virginia. We will be working with stakeholders and partner organizations, including the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, to assemble feedback and guidance for the FDA's latest round of regulatory proposals. Watch WVFFC's website for updates on how you can make your voice heard regarding the Supplementary Produce Rule.

West Virginia Highlight

YouTube Video: JQ Dickinson Salt Works

Salt of Kanawha: Unearthing Appalachia's Buried Treasure

Upcoming Events in and near West Virginia
Do you have events that you want included in our newsletter?
Please contact us !

Leadership and Organizing Training

Nov 14, Dec 12, Jan 9

3:30 pm-5 pm

Charleston, WV

The Healthy Kids and Families Coalition will be hosting a four part series of community organizing and writing workshops from October through January. These training sessions are free, open to anyone, and led by experienced trainers Stephen Smith and Kate Long!

Training sessions include:

Nov 14-The Melian Debate: Practicing the Skills of Power and Negotiation

Dec 12-Build a Neighborhood: Organizing, Team-Building, and Poverty

Jan 6-Language as an Organizing Tool: Writing and Talks that Grab People

Please RSVP to trythiswv@gmail.com

West Virginia Agritourism Initiative: Combining Agriculture, Economics, and Education on Your Farm

Classes held once a month from Nov-Feb

Online Course runs Jan-March

Helping local farmers create and profit from farm-based tourism opportunities is the idea behind WVU Extension Service's new Agritourism Initiative - a training program for aspiring and beginning agritourism operators.

WVU and industry experts will engage participants in a series of four, day-long training sessions in areas like risk-management, marketing, hospitality management and business collaborations.

Classes are held regionally or online. Click here to get more information or to register.

Eastern Panhandle Local Food Networking & "State Of The Plate" Panel

Nov 6, 5:30pm, Panorama At The Peak

This is a panel discussion focusing on issues relevant to the local food movement, featuring WVFFC Director Elizabeth Spellman as well as Rob Losey, owner and national sales and distribution manager for Bloomery Plantation and Distillery, and Lincoln Wilkins, owner and brewer at Blackwater Brewing Company. Farm to Table restaurant Panorama At The Peak will host the event. More information here.

WVU Extension Presents: Inaugural Women in Agriculture Conference

Nov 14-15, Stonewall Jackson Resort

Roanoke, WV

An inaugural event that will provide networking opportunities, promote leadership development, provide tours of diverse operations, support positive agriculture and natural resources policy development, and provide production and marketing education for any agricultural service providers and female agriculture producers and agribusiness women across West Virginia. For more information or to register click here.

Webinar: Square Foot Gardening

Nov 17, 4:00pm, Online

This webinar will explore ways for you to get the most out of your existing school garden space. Matthew Doris, Food Service Director & Chef, Tuckahoe Common School District in Southampton, NY, will discuss the concept of square-foot gardening and using bigger beds for growing vegetables. It will compare yields with these techniques Vs traditional gardening methods, and learn about the food cost savings of square-foot gardening for your school lunch program. Free. Registration here.

Webinar: Structural Racism & Food Inequality

Nov 17, 3:00pm, Online

This webinar will discuss the past, current and future work at NC A&T State University as a part of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) to address food systems inequities. The discussion will cover our history of youth work and community engagement in eastern North Carolina as well as statewide efforts and national engagement with organizations like the Inter-Institutional Network for Food and Agricultural Sustainability (INFAS) and the Center for Social Inclusion (CSI) as well as the WK Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) to build shared language, a shared analysis and frame for food equity using race as a lens. To register for this webinar click here.

WVU Extension: Food For Profit Workshop

Nov 19, 9am-4pm, Charleston

Cooperative Extension's Food for Profit workshop takes you step by step through the information necessary to start and run a small food product business. Although appropriate for any food business owners who want to develop their venture proactively, the workshop is especially directed to individuals
who will be making and packing their products for resale (through grocery stores, open-air markets,
or restaurants). Registration is $30. More information is available here.

Webinar: Creating a Green Infrastructure Plan to Transform Your Community

Nov 20, 3:00pm, Online

This webinar, Creating a Green Infrastructure Plan to Transform Your Community, will discuss how three different organizations-a regional association of governments, a local government, and a nonprofit organization-have developed and implemented plans for using green infrastructure to achieve multiple goals. The webinar will also cover EPA's report, Enhancing Sustainable Communities With Green Infrastructure, a guidebook to help communities engage stakeholders to develop a vision for how green infrastructure can transform their communities and a plan to achieve that vision. For more information click here.

Webinar: Crowdfunding The New Economy - A Wealthworks Perspective

Nov 20, 12:30pm, Online

This webinar will give an overview of the Wealthworks approach to local and regional economic development, and within the spectrum of financing available for new businesses, we will introduce how online crowdfunding can fill the funding gap in early-stage ventures, and essentially be the new form of New Economy "barn-raising" we need to support this work. To register, click here.

Free Local Foods Film Festival at The Lewis Theatre

Nov 23, The Lewis Theatre, Lewisburg WV

This free showing of The Greenhorns and other short films is presented by the Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Local Foods Initiative. More information here.

Virginia Farm to Table Conference

Dec 2-4, Weyers Cave, VA

The Virginia Farm to Table Conference is a 3 day event that focuses on Nutrition, Health, and Sustainability from the Ground Up. The conference is hosted by Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Soil Health Coalition, and the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. In addition to other tracks, the conference will feature a special Soil Biology Track with Dr. Elaine Ingham, the founder and President of Soil Foodweb Inc. For more information on the conference and to register, click here.

Acres USA Conference On Ecological Farming

Dec 4-6, Columbus OH

This conference will feature presentations by some of the world's leading authorities and practitioners of ecological agriculture ─ successful large-scale farmers, leading consultants, and cutting-edge scientists. For more information and registration click here.

PASA Annual Farming For The Future Conference

February 4-7, State College PA

Farming for the Future Conference is PASA's signature event and our main vehicle for community building. Widely regarded as the best of its kind in the East, this event brings together an audience of over 2,000 farmers, processors, consumers, students, environmentalists and business and community leaders annually. Registration will open in December and be available here.

ASAP Business of Farming Conference

February 14th, University of North Carolina Asheville

ASAP's Business of Farming Conference is a day of learning and networking for those involved in local food and farming. Each year, approximately 250 area farmers, agriculture professionals, and business and marketing specialists attend tailored 90-minute workshops, meet with restaurant and wholesale buyers, exchange resources, and celebrate the start of the season. If you're currently farming or seriously considering farming as a profession, you won't want to miss our 2015 conference! For more information and registration click here.

Job Opportunities

VC2 Business Coach

The VC2 Business Coach (20 hours per week) will directly assist business owners by linking them to business development resources that improve their access to markets. The Business Coach will directly work with local food business owners to grow their operations by linking them to (or in some cases
providing) one-on-one technical assistance, group trainings, entrepreneurial networking opportunities, and legal assistance. The Businesses Coaches will also track program results through surveys and other instruments. The Business Coach should have some understanding and experience of what it takes to run and grow a successful agriculture-related enterprise as well as an understanding of the statewide resources available to them. For a complete job description, requirements, and contact information, click here.

Farm to School AmeriCorps: Kanawha County

Charleston, WV

The WV Farm to School initiative is recruiting for an AmeriCorps position to serve in Kanawha county. Members will help their site develop school gardening programs, help teachers utilize garden-based curriculum in their classrooms, connect public schools with local farmers, and help market and publicize Farm to School related achievements. Each site has set slightly different priorities for their members based on individual site's needs.

For more information, please visit www.groweducatesell.com.

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to Emily Landseidel, Coordinator for the WV Office of Child Nutrition's Farm to School AmeriCorps members at

elandseidel@gmail.com

Communications Director, West Virginia Community Development Hub

Fairmont or Charleston, WV

The WV Community Development Hub is hiring a full-time Communications Director to coordinate marketing and strategic communications for the Hub and our partner groups in the Community Development Network, with a particular focus on promoting current economic transition activities and opportunities in West Virginia. The position will start in January and can be based out of the Hub's Fairmont or Charleston offices, though location is flexible for the right candidate.

Job Description:

This position will serve to build an internal and external communications structure for the Community Development Network through supporting, linking and catalyzing economic transition activity across the state and creating a model of communications collaboration that can be used effectively by partner groups within the network. Broadly, the scope of work will be to: identify messaging and marketing strategies that communicate effectively with a broad audience across the state; amplify current solutions and activities being undertaken by communities and increase communication and skills-sharing between communities; and to create a structure for intentional, strategic and catalyzing cross-group communications. Through this position, we are undertaking the development of a unique model of nonprofit communications and marketing, where the focus is on creating a long-term strategic plan and sharing communications and media coverage among partners and initiatives.

Job Duties

Create and coordinate a statewide communications collaboration; Develop and implement a communications system with key partners and initiatives; Undertake broad public engagement to include diverse interest groups and unengaged sectors in dialogue relating to economic transition;

Develop and provide tools and resources to partners and communities to increase their communications impact and to connect them with decision-makers; Collaboratively identify and implement messaging relating to economic transition across partner groups; Providing on-going support to initiatives and partners, with a particular focus on seeding messaging relating to economic transition in West Virginia; Build a regional transition communications collaboration with organizations in neighboring states

Qualifications

Strong communications, social media and marketing background, Excellent writing skills with an ability to distill complex issues into an understandable language, Ability to connect with widely diverse populations and bridge differences among groups, sectors and stakeholders, Excellent listening skills, Understand and enthusiastically support collaboration, Experience working on strategic planning, and strategy development and implementation, Ability to work as part of a team but also skills to self-direct work and work independently, Creative problem-solver, Willingness and enthusiasm to work hard, Comfortable with irregular hours and evening/weekend travel

This is a year-round, full-time position, salaried with full benefits. Salary commiserate with experience.

The WV Community Development Hub is an equal opportunity employer, and its employment policies and practices are applicable to all employees without regard to race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, creed, disability or national origin.

Please send resume, cover letter, a two-page writing sample, and three references to s.tyree@wvhub.org.

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.

National School Lunch After School Snack Program

Deadline: Ongoing

Funding for schools to provide after school snacks to low-income children who participate in the National School Lunch program. To learn more click here.

USDA Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI)

Deadline: Nov 12th, 2014

Grants of up to that will be awarded to organizations to provide critical financial and technical assistance to recipients to develop and strengthen their capacity to carry out housing, community facilities and community and economic development projects. Recipients must be non-profit organizations, low-income rural communities, or federally recognized tribes. Intermediary organizations are required to provide matching funds at least equal to the RCDI grant. The grants do not go directly to business recipients but rather through qualified intermediaries. Grants must be between $50,000 and $250,000. For more information click here.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows

Deadline: Nov 13th, 2014

This fellowship is an opportunity for midcareer health professionals and behavioral and social scientists with an interest in health and health care policy promoting the health of the nation. Fellows participate in the policy process at the federal level and use that leadership experience to improve health, health care and health policy. Read more here.

National Wildlife Foundation: Cover Crop Impacts & Economics Grants

Deadline: Nov 21st, 2014

The National Wildlife Federation is inviting proposals to conduct research on the economics and water quality attributes of cover crops, particularly in the Mississippi River Basin. Successful proposals will have practical application to agricultural practice and policy. Proposals should not exceed $10,000. Administrative overhead will not be funded through this grant.
Contracts will be finalized by January 31, 2015. Find the RFP here.

NESARE: Farmer Grant

Deadline: Dec 2nd, 2014

Farmer Grants are for commercial producers who have an innovative idea they want to test using a field trial, on-farm demonstration, marketing initiative, or other technique. A technical advisor--often an extension agent, crop consultant, or other service professional--must also be involved. Projects should seek results other farmers can use, and all projects must have the potential to add to our knowledge about effective sustainable practices. Find more information and apply here.

Food Insecurity Nutrition Initiative Program

Deadline: December 15, 2014

The Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) program, a new Farm Bill program, brings together stakeholders from distinct parts of the food system and fosters understanding of how they might improve the nutrition and health status of SNAP households. Under FINI, applicants may propose relatively small pilot projects, multi-year community-based projects, or larger-scale multi-year projects. Funded projects will test community based strategies that could contribute to our understanding of how best to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by SNAP participants through incentives at the point of purchase, supported by effective and efficient benefit redemption technologies, that would inform future efforts.

NIFA will give priority to projects that:

Maximize the share of funds used for direct incentives to participants
Test innovative or promising strategies that would contribute to our understanding of how best to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables by SNAP participants, which would inform future efforts
Develop innovative or improved benefit redemption systems that could be replicated or scaled
Use direct-to-consumer sales marketing
Demonstrate a track record of designing and implementing successful nutrition incentive programs that connect low-income consumers and agricultural producers
Provide locally- or regionally-produced fruits and vegetables, especially culturally-appropriate fruits and vegetables for the target audience
Are located in underserved communities, particularly Promise Zones and StrikeForce communities.

FINI is a joint effort between NIFA and USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. This solicitation combines funds for fiscal years 2014 and 2015. There will not be a solicitation in fiscal year 2015. Applications are due Dec. 15, 2014.

ASHCA Safety Grants Program

Deadline: January 7th, 2015

The purpose of the ASHCA Safety Grants Program is to encourage and provide financial support for agricultural safety and health interventions at the local and/or regional level in order to facilitate timely application of evidence-based safety/health strategies to protect agricultural workers. For more information and the full application click here.

Kitchen Gardeners International: Grants For Food Gardens

Deadline: January 9th, 2015

The grant is for nonprofit causes or organizations (schools, 501c3s, food banks, community gardens, colleges, libraries, prisons, senior programs, etc.) interested in starting or expanding food garden projects that are of general benefit to their community. Past grantees include school gardens, community gardens, food bank gardens, library gardens, senior gardens, prison gardens and homeless shelter gardens among others. Read more and apply here.

Aetna Student Health Award

Deadline: January 31st, 2015

Through the program, one or more grants of $5,000 will be awarded to support the creation of novel wellness solutions and programs that address issues specifically related to the retention and overall well-being of college students. Using dimensions of wellness, the project must demonstrate a creative evidence-based approach to facilitate student retention and well-being. The project should be creative in its scope, formulated on the basis of published research, measurable in its effects, and applicable to the health enhancement of college students who participate in it. Read more here.

WV Farm Service Agency Loans

The WV Farm Service Agency (FSA) has received increased funding to assist WV producers in purchasing farms, expanding their operations and making permanent improvements such as construction of farm related buildings. Eligible applicants can borrow up to $300,000; to be Eligible applicants must have participated in the day to day management of a farm for at least 3 years. The interest rate for a Farm Ownership loans is fixed with terms up to 40 years. The current interest rate for August is 3.75%. Lower interest rates are available if financing is combined with a commercial lender. If interested, please contact your local FSA office for more information.

Food for Thought
(fruitful reading, research & case studies)

Making The Invisible Visible: Looking Back at Fifteen Years of Local Food Systems Distribution Solutions

This report, authored by the Community Alliance With Family Farmers. The report has two primary goals: 1) answer questions about CAFF's own food hub, the Grower's Collaborative, and 2) share lessons learned from their successes and failures in trying to localize food systems with innovative distribution solutions.

You can find the report here.

The report identifies several areas of critical importance before assessing or launching a new food hub, including:

Assess current infrastructure.
Understand stakeholder roles.
Identify and calculate increased costs.
Plan for subsidies.
Foster a diverse, committed set of stakeholders.
Let farmers lead.
Work with multiple stakeholders to bring about long-term food systems change.

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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