Community Alliance with Family Farmers - November 2014                  
CAFF's e-newsletter for farmers and community members
CAFF Membership
While we celebrate the fall harvest, it is a good time to give thanks and think about giving back to community organizations. If you're not already, please consider
joining CAFF as a member, or renewing your membership if you already have one. The on-the-ground work that we to to assist and sustain family farmers is essential, and we appreciate your support!
New Board Member Nominations

CAFF is interested in nominations for new Board members; if you know anyone who is interested please email [email protected].

CAFF's Farm to Hospital Work 

 

CAFF is working with hospitals in the Bay Area to source local, healthy produce for patients. To date, the project has helped to source over 83,596 pounds of local produce in 6 Bay Area hospitals. In addition, we have also created a number of resources, such as the "Farm Fresh Healthcare How To Guide" (with Health Care without Harm) and an analysis paper (with San Francisco Bay Area Physicians for Social Responsibility). An article about the project can be found here.

Farmer Profile:
Riverdog Farm
by Rachel Petitt

Riverdog Farm is a certified organic mixed vegetable farm with pastured pigs and chickens in the Capay Valley. The farm also offers organic melons, walnuts, and almonds. Growing from 2 acres in 1990 to the 500 hundred-acre operation it is today, took great skill as well as support from the community. Each week hundreds of loyal customers pick up their CSA share, from Sacramento to San Francisco.   For more information about the farm's CSA program, please visit their CSA blog Continue Reading...

Profile: Community Grains

 

Community Grains' mission is to co-create a thriving whole grain economy in northern California through the power of great tasting food, information sharing, education, curiosity, and purpose. 

 

The company began by sourcing all of their whole grain through commodity markets from mid-sized California farms. Although they still source some of their whole grain this way, they are moving in the direction of sourcing all of their whole grain directly from local farmers such as: Full Belly Farm in Guinda, Front Porch Farms in Healdsburg, the Rominger Brothers in Winters, Tule Farms in Capay, and Coke Farm in San Juan Bautista. Continue Reading...
Policy Update
by Dave Runsten

Please submit your comments about the the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) to the FDA. Your comments make a difference! The second comment period is open until December 15.

 

The FDA has issued some revised sections of the Produce and Preventive Controls rules for public comment. The comment period ends December 15. In the earlier round of comments we criticized FDA's proposals on water testing and harvest intervals after compost and manure applications, among other things, and these are among the issues that have been revised in the new draft rules.
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Save the date!
The California Farm to School Conference will be held on May 4-6 at Asilomar in Pacific Grove, CA. Join us for three days of short courses, field trips, a "Taste of Farm to School" dinner reception, and opportunities to learn, connect, and grow the farm to school movement in California through a diverse mix of powerful and engaging sessions. The conference is open to all who work to link family farms to school cafeterias, including school foodservice, educators, administrators, school garden advocates, nonprofit and government allies, growers, distributors, and more. More details about schedule, registration, and sponsorship to come. Visit cafarmtoschool.org to sign up for our newsletter so you can stay up to date on the latest conference and farm to school news!

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In This Issue
 

News and Events

Support CAFF by shopping at Amazon Smile. Amazon will donate 0.5% of all purchase amounts to CAFF. Make sure you use this special link!

We know CAFF is awesome, but it's nice to make this list of 'awesome food organizations in CA'

Planning a food hub? Read CAFF's study first!

CAFF and PCFMA hosting a Beginning Farmers Market Workshop Nov. 18

There are many upcoming Farm Law workshops; find more info here

CIRS is hosting a showing of the new move Food Chains in Emeryville, Nov. 24

Farm to Shelf service grants available. Due Dec. 1 

Farmers Guild workshop for ag entrepreneurs Dec 13 &14

Ecology Center's Op Ed about AB 1871 (farmers market legislation)

CAFF is listed in the Food Tank's Good Food Org Guide!

CAFF staff on a podcast with OUSD about school food
 

Upcoming workshops for farmers can be found on the Farms Reach site.

 
Loans for farmers available through Kiva.
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