On Monday, May 23rd the WV Food & Farm Coalition hosted the first of many meetings for the Foodshed Pilot Project in the New and Greenbrier River Foodshed (Fayette, Nicholas, Raleigh, Summers, and Greenbrier County). To start the conversation, the Coalition shared a meal with several of our food and farm community members. Farmers, farmers market managers, nonprofit partners, county commission, and service agents identified many of the disparities, gaps and assets within our local food system. After an energetic meeting in Fayette County, the Coalition staff and new AmeriCorps VISTA, Cody Addison, will travel to neighboring counties to host similar meetings.

Do you live in one of the five counties? Want to create change in your county? Contact Spencer Moss at smoss@wvfoodandfarm.org or (304) 877-7920. 

Happy reading,

West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition
FOOD AND FARM EVENTS
Visit our events calendar: http://wvfoodandfarm.org/news-media/events
Try This West Virginia Conference June 3-4 at WV Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, WV

The conference is "two idea-packed, inspiring days with like-minded people from all over the state! Trade ideas, join forces. Get inspired, learn, plan your next steps. Have a great time and help roll this ball forward!" Register here.
Greenbrier Valley Pasture Network is Hosting "A Report From the Front Lines" with Dr. Glenn Stone on June 7th at Swift Level Farm in Lewisburg, WV

Join the Network for an informative and interactive session, 
"A Report From the Front Lines" with Dr. Glenn Stone on the experiences he has encountered over the past 15 years with field research on the effects of GMO's. Dr. Stone's research spans from laboratories in St. Louis to rice paddies and cotton fields in Asia to farmers markets in Appalachia. This presentation will summarize his perspective on what's going on and what's around the next curve. Where? Swift Level, 530 PM 237 Herns Mill Road Lewisburg, WV Questions? Contact Tootie Jones at swiftlevel@gmail.com Attending? Contact Tootie Jones at swiftlevel@gmail.com
2016 Southern Cover Crop Conference in Mount Olive and Goldsboro, North Carolina
July 18-19

The conference "will focus on cover crop research and extension priorities throughout the Southern region. Monday, July 18, will be dedicated to workshops on topics ranging from economics to nutrient management held at the University of Mount Olive. Tuesday, July 19, will be a morning of cover crop field demonstrations held at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems' 2000-acre Field Research and Outreach Facility at Cherry Farm in Goldsboro." Register here.

PASA's 2nd Annual Summer Conference on July 28th - 29th at the Grange Fair Grounds in Centre Hall, PA

The conference focuses on sustainable soil health techniques through hands-on workshops, farm tours, and cover crops clinics. Hear from Steve Groff from Cover Crops Solutions, PSU soil scientist John Spargo, and many other experts in the field. Register here.
Online Continuing Education Course on "PostHarvest Handling of Fruits and Vegetables- From Farm to Table" July 11th - August 19th, 2016

The course, taught by Dr. Susan Han, "will include an introduction to the environmental and biological factors that contribute to postharvest loss of fruits and vegetables, commercial procedures of harvesting, handling, and storage of horticultural commodities, and specific handling information for commodities of various plant organs. Small-scale handling practices will be emphasized." Register for the online course here.
Poughkeepsie Farm Project hosts Summer Institute: Using Gardens to Teach on August 23rd - 25th in Poughkeepsie, NY 

The Summer Institute: Using Gardens to Teach is providing three days of professional development for youth garden-based instructors (pre-kindergarten through grade 3). The institute focuses on curriculum and instruction development, as well as skill-building in hands-on gardening and garden-building. Register here.
Food Distribution Research Society Annual Conference in New Orleans September 30th - October 4th

More information coming soon! Register before August 23rd to receive the early registration discount here.
GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
No Deadline
Deadline: June 24, 2016 
Deadline: June 30, 2016


Deadline: July 3, 2016
Deadline: July 3, 2016
Deadline: July 6, 2016

Deadline: October 15, 2016
JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS


Deadline: June 23, 2016

No Deadline

No Deadline

No Deadline
FOOD AND FARM RESOURCES
Visit our free library: http://wvfoodandfarm.org/resources/
NEW resource available in the West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition's Free Library! The West Virginia Farmers Market Association (WVFMA), market managers from participating WVFMA markets, and the WV Food & Farm Coalition Meat Working Group are partnering to collect weekly farmers market price reports. Review the price reports here.




Penn State Agricultural Economist Dr. Edward Jaenicke for the Organic Trade Association (OTA) recently published a white paper on the impact of organic agriculture on local economies. Read the full report here.




WV FOODLINK recently published "Nourishing Networks: West Virginia Community Food Security  Assessment." The report provides West Virginia with a resource that identifies the gaps and assets within our food system. Read the full assessment here.
U.S. Small Business Administration's 2016 Growth Accelerator Fund competition is accepting applications from May 2nd to June 3rd. 
Special consideration will be given to these accelerator models which support women-owned or minority-owned small businesses. Read more about the competition and apply here.


Chesapeake Foodshed Network and Future Harvest CASA co-hosted the webinar, "Building a Website to Tell Your Farm's Story." Listen to the recorded webinar here.
FOOD AND FARM POLICY CORNER
State and National Policy Page: http://wvfoodandfarm.org/initiatives/policy/
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), Food Policy Action, and Alliance for Justice are hosting an informational webinar on June 10th from 2PM - 3PM (EST) about election-related lobbying and advocacy for 501(c)(3) organizations. Learn the basic rules and the various activities that 501(c)(3)s may legally engage in. Register here. 
Feature Headline
Civil Eats discusses the potential outcomes of USDA's proposed rule to create stricter guidelines for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligible retailers. Read the full story here.
 
NSAC released a breakdown of the Senate Appropriation Committee spending bill for food, agriculture, and rural development programs for the upcoming fiscal year (FY), which begins on October 1st. Read the breakdown here. 
Are you a farmer in West Virginia? Are you selling value-added products with ingredients sourced from local, sustainable producers? Want to list your farm or food business in the Directory? Click the image below. 
If you have any questions or want to learn more about the Directory, 
contact Evelyn Hartman at ehartman@wvfoodandfarm.org OR (304) 877-7920. 
Support the WV Food & Farm Coalition!
Your support will further our work to make local food more viable in West Virginia.