WALTON, NY - On Thursday, May 30, the Catskills Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) group will meet with the participants of the EcoPracticum Program at 7 p.m. at Channery Hill Farm in Callicoon Center, NY. Catskills CRAFT is an educational networking group for beginning and mentoring farmers. Gardeners, farm interns, employees and operators are also welcome to attend the event.
EcoPracticum is a summer environmental education and action program that attracts enthusiastic, passionate and intelligent college-aged students to the Catskills to farm, meet with environmental experts in the field, and engage critically with the region's most pressing issues. Channery Hill is a small family-owned farm that grows vegetables and raises livestock. Owners Jen McGlashan and Kai Brothers also operate a CSA and sell at local farmers' markets.
The group will share a potluck meal to eat, socialize and take part in an informal conversation about the regional food system, as well as the challenges and opportunities that Catskills farmers face.
For more details on Catskills CRAFT and the monthly farm visits planned throughout 2013, visit www.catskillscraft.org. Contact Eleanor Blakeslee-Drain at [email protected] or (607) 267-0184 for more information about this event, including transportation.
The CRAFT group returns to Channery Hill Farm on June 11 for a discussion on preserving foods and making value-added products such as pestos, spreads and dressings. A farm tour and potluck follow the discussion. A full schedule and host farm background can be found at www.CatskillsCRAFT.org.
Catskills CRAFT is made possible with leadership support from Catskills region beginning farmers, financial support from Farmhearts, and administrative support from the Watershed Agricultural Council.
The purpose of the Watershed Agricultural Council is to protect both the rural, land-based economy of the watershed region and its drinking water quality for over nine million people. Working with farmers, agribusinesses, forest landowners, forest industry professionals and others, the Council seeks to enhance both business profitability and environmental stewardship. It also champions the use of conservation easements as an option to keep land within a working landscape context. The Council works through partnerships with other nonprofit organizations, government agencies and community stakeholders to achieve its purpose. For more information, visit www.nycwatershed.org.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
START: May 20, 2013
END: May 30, 2013
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SUMMARY: Catskills CRAFT adds a season opener to its farmer networking training on May 30. The group will hold a potluck dinner and food systems discussion with EcoPracticum at Channery Hill Farm, Callicoon Center.
IMAGES PROVIDED BELOW
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RELEASE CONTACT:
Weekdays 9a-5p
Eleanor Blakeslee-Drain
Catskills CRAFT Coordinator & Farmhearts Fellow
(607) 267-0184
Weekends
Tara Collins
Communications Director
Watershed Agricultural Council
(607) 643-5148 cell
(607) 865-7790, ext. 226
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The Watershed Agricultural Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the economic viability of agriculture and forestry through the protection of water quality and the promotion of land conservation in the New York City Watershed region. The WAC is funded by The New York City Department of Environmental Protection, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service and other federal, foundation and private sources. The WAC is an Equal Opportunity Providers and Employers.
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