In January, Michael O'Gorman was awarded the Advocates for Social Justice in Sustainable Agriculture Award on at the EcoFarm Conference in Pacific Grove, CA. 

He began farming in 1970. In 1990, he was hired to run the first organic farm in Salinas, CA. In 2008, he began the Farmer Veteran Coalition out of the back of his pickup truck. The mission of the Farmer Veteran Coalition is to mobilize veterans to feed America. They cultivate a new generation of farmers and food leaders, and develop viable employment and meaningful careers through the collaboration of the farming and military communities. 

Congratulations Michael, and thank you for your work! 

In 2013, the FBEN began collaborating with Vermont partners to develop a set of resources for farmers who are looking to host the public on their farms through agritourism, education or direct sales. The project culminated last month with the release of a new website and a 13 chapter resource guide that provides helpful tips and best management practices, available here.

Topics include, "How to Host an On-Farm Dinner," "How to Host Summer Camp on Your Farm," "How to Develop a Farm Stay," "Financial and Business Planning for Agritourism," "Safety and Risk Management for Agritourism," and more. The resources are available online through the University of Vermont Extension.

In December, FBEN Coordinator, Vera Simon-Nobes and colleagues from Shelburne Farms spent three days visiting educational farms in Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. 

They talked with peers to gain ideas and inspiration for educating on farms and reconnected with alumni of the ABCs of Farm-Based Education workshops. The team was inspired by farms that are using poetry and scales, saddles and wagons, costumes and hands-on work to teach the public critical thinking around food production systems. See photos, including the chalkboard egg at Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, or read more about their trip...

One indicator of a vibrant farm and food sector is the growing number of training programs in a field. The Hudson Valley Farm Hub now joins the likes of the University of California Santa Cruz's Grow A Farmer Program, New York's Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming, and the University of Vermont's Farmer Training Program. It will serve as a regional center for farmer training, agricultural research and demonstration of innovative farm technologies.  

Pictured is the Farm Hub's management team (L to R) John Gill, Associate Director for Farm Operations, Anu Rangarajan, Farm Hub Director, and Jean Paul Courtens, Associate Director for Farmer Training. The group will be spending much of 2015 on in-depth master planning alongside a network of regional and local partner organizations. Learn more about the farm hub...

Soul Fire Farm in Petersburg, NY is a family farm, community resource, and vessel for education.  It is guided by the words of Curtis Hayes Muhammad, the veteran civil rights activist who said, "Recognize that land and food have been used as a weapon to keep black people oppressed. Recognize also that land and food are essential to liberation for black people." 

In a January 2015 article in "Yes! Magazine", author Leah Penniman discusses the strengths of unique farm-based education initiatives such as Project Growth, which brings groups of convicted teenagers to Soul Fire Farm for internships, where they learn job skills and earn money to pay their restitution.

"If we are to create a society that values black life, we cannot ignore the role of food and land," Penniman writes. "I believe that black people's collective experience with slavery and sharecropping has created an aversion to the land and a sense that the land itself is an oppressor. The truth is that without good land and good food we cannot be truly free."  Learn more about Soul Fire Farm and Freedom Food Alliance...