Seacoast Eat Local

The proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS) which many farmers objected to has been abandoned. Officials state that it would be left to the states to devise their own system. New federal rules are to be developed but would apply only to animals being moved in interstate commerce:

U.S.D.A. Plans to Drop Program to Trace Livestock

Faced with stiff resistance from ranchers and farmers, the Obama administration has decided to scrap a national program intended to help authorities quickly identify and track livestock in the event of an animal disease outbreak.

In abandoning the program, called the National Animal Identification System, officials said they would start over in trying to devise a livestock tracing program that could win widespread support from the industry.

The agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, will announce the changes on Friday, according to officials at the Agriculture Department, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision had not yet been made public.

The officials said that it would be left to the states to devise many aspects of a new system, including requirements for identifying livestock.

New federal rules will be developed but the officials said they would apply only to animals being moved in interstate commerce, such as cattle raised in one state being transported to a slaughterhouse in another state.

It could take two years or more to create new federal rules, the officials said, and it was not clear how far the government would go to restrict the movement of livestock between states if the animals did not meet basic traceability standards.

To read entire article >

The menu is posted on the website www.wsbe.unh.edu/gourmetdinner . If you have local food available at medium-to large quantity, please contact Amy Winans at amy.winans@unh.edu. For everyone else, join us!-do you dare? 

Enjoy Some Sinful Indulgence at the UNH Gourmet Dinner March 5 and 6 

DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire will serve up seven courses of sinful indulgence at two gourmet dinners in March.   Organized by the hospitality management students at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics, “Sinful Indulgence” gourmet dinners will be held Friday, March 5, and Saturday, March 6, 2010, at Stillings, 20 Ballard Drive, Durham, NH, beginning with a cocktail hour and hors d’oeuvres at 6 o’clock and dinner to follow.
The concept of the dinner revolves around the Seven Cardinal Sins. Each course will include locally produced foods and represent each of the sins. The menu will be paired with elegant décor that will transform Stillings into an atmosphere where guests will experience the seven indulgences representing greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, pride, sloth, and envy.
“This event challenges the students of UNH’s Advanced Food and Beverage Operations Management class to design, organize, and direct two gourmet dinners for approximately 200 guests per night. The event prepares students for what to expect in the world of hospitality management beyond the college classroom, and it provides hands-on management experience from the beginning to end of formal event planning,” said Bridget McCartney, marketing manager for Sinful Indulgence. Students have six weeks to plan and execute the dinner, and take on real-world executive management positions in the process, including general manager, chief financial officer, front of the house manager, executive chef, human resource director, and director of marketing.  

Tickets for Sinful Indulgence are $50 per person and may be purchased online at http://www.wsbe.unh.edu/gourmetdinner.  

The UNH Department of Hospitality Management combines business fundamentals as well as classes geared toward the service industry sector. Hands-on education proves to be a strong and integral part of the experiential and academic curriculum. The department also offers the first-ever EcoGastronomy Program, which integrates UNH’s strengths in sustainable agriculture, hospitality management, and nutrition to offer a unique academic program emphasizing the interdisciplinary, international, and experiential knowledge that connects all three fields.  

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state’s flagship public institution, enrolling more than 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students. 

-30-

From the good folks at ATTRA:

Take Action on Food Safety Legislation
While we all cheer this Administration’s emerging emphasis on local and regional food production, let s not forget that the Food Safety Modernization Act (S 510) now on its way to the Senate floor could erect a formidable barrier to those markets for many small and moderate sized farms. The Act would considerably ramp up FDA regulation on farms that even minimally process their crops and sell them to restaurants, food coops, groceries, schools or to wholesale markets. One of the best ideas for improving this legislation has been introduced by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). The Stabenow Amendment is called the Growing Safe Food Act (S. 2758) and it would create a national food safety training and technical assistance program. If you value safe, local, and healthy food, please call your Senators and encourage them to co-sponsor the Growing Safe Food Act.
Related ATTRA Publication:   Food Safety Act Background and Resources

Great news! Sandwich Creamery and NH Cider Works have signed up for the markets, starting Feb 13. Sandwich Creamery will be bringing their fantastic cow milk cheeses, and NH Cider Works will have apples! We’re at the new Exeter High School from 10am-2pm on the 13th, and the market is overflowing with farmers and fishermen. Check out the full list of vendors >

We’re still hoping that Silvery Moon Creamery will be able to attend as well. A recent change in the management at Smiling Hill Farm (where the creamery is hosted) has caused a lot of changes, including lack of support for selling at farmers’ markets. If you would like to express your desire to see Silvery Moon Creamery continue to come to the markets, you can email info@smilinghill.com