June 20, 2011 by Debra.

From NOFA/MASS, helping us to be ever vigilant about how one-size-fits-all policy and regulation affects local smaller-scale production:

Remember the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that passed last year? We won a hard fought battle, securing appropriate food safety rules for small-to-midsized farms and processors producing fresh and healthy food for local and regional markets. This law will be implemented by one of the agencies with food safety authority—the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

 

Now, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, an agency with no food safety expertise or authority, is proposing to establish a set of food safety regulations for leafy greens (spinach, lettuce, and cabbage) growers and handlers who sell into the wholesale market, called the National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (NLGMA).

 

The most powerful “Big Ag” players in the leafy green industry are pushing the National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (NLGMA). The sellers, processors, or distributors that sign on to the rule will require that the farmers they purchase from comply with its standards. The rule adds a second and conflicting layer of food safety standards and audits on top of FDA food safety rules.

 

How to comment:

USDA is seeking written comments from the public on the NLGMA proposal by July 28th. Write USDA today to urge them to reject this proposal.  CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A COMMENT TO USDA

 

Here are some suggested points to make:

• I oppose the creation of a National Leafy Green Marketing Agreement, which I believe to be the wrong approach to address food safety concerns.

 

• The Agricultural Marketing Service is not a food safety agency. It is bad public policy to create food safety regulations in order to address the “marketing” goal of increasing consumer confidence in the safety of leafy greens. Food safety policies should be driven by science, not by marketing problems.

 

• The NLGMA, as proposed, would give the large conventional produce industry the ability to use its own world view to dictate farming practices. Small scale and organic farmers would have a very small voice in the standard-setting process.

 

• The NLGMA is modeled on state food safety agreements in California and Arizona. In those examples, the conventional produce industry has pushed through food safety regulations that are biased against organic and small-scale farmers, have led to the destruction of wildlife habitat and discouraged good conservation practices on farms.

 

• Diversified farming operations with complex rotations have been shown to be beneficial to the environment. Yet crop-by-crop food safety regulations, such as the NLGMA, are an economic disaster for diversified farming operations, and are biased toward large mono-cultural operations. For a farmer with 40 crops on 100 acres to comply with 40 different food safety regulations is prohibitively burdensome.  Crop specific food safety regulations, such as NLGMA, will drive farmers out of environmentally sensitive diversified crop production, and toward chemical-intensive mono-cultural operations. This is counter to the goals of food safety and more environmentally sound agriculture.

 

• The Food and Drug Administration is currently writing regulations to establish food safety standards for produce. Why is AMS proposing to establish standards that conflict with or duplicate the FDA standards, with the conventional leafy greens handlers in the drivers’ seat?

 

The NLGMA is a disaster waiting to happen, for farmers, consumers, the environment, and ultimately for food safety. Also see the Action Alert and Comment Form from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition—(NSAC)

For more information on this action alert, or about NOFA/Mass Policy and Social Action, please contact Jack Kittredge, Policy Director, 978-355-2853, or jack@nofamass.org.

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June 20, 2011 by Debra.

The new community garden at Exeter High School is the result of a number of collaborators working together to create a wonderfully integrated program — from the garden to the cafeteria!

Service project sets healthy goals for EHS dining

 

Twelve Exeter High School seniors left their mark at the school this past Monday by helping build a community garden full of organic herbs and vegetables to be utilized within the school cafeteria.

 

As part of the Class of 2011’s community service project, four beds were built behind the school, filled with various herbs, greens and other healthy vegetables. The project was headed by EHS’s Environmental Club, Master Gardener and UNH Cooperative Extension member Margaret Theobald, and health and wellness counselor Tracey Miller.

 

“We’re trying to work more on letting students know where their food is coming from,” said EHS teacher and Environmental Club leader John Brough.

 

Brough and Miller said the idea for an organic garden at the school came from the national nutritional movement called the Action for Healthy Kids Initiative, which aims to end childhood obesity. Brough said the school wanted to get involved with the cause, which is supported by First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign. “There’s a local garden at the White House these days,” he said.

 

Theobald of Exeter said the beds will be maintained by students, teachers and community volunteers. ”This is a real school and community effort,” she said. “I was absolutely delighted to help out my community.”

 

The school’s Food Services Director Jeanne Pierce said the long-term goal of the garden is for the cafeteria to provide its own herbs and vegetables. She said the cafeteria has already started using some of the garden’s products, such as chives and scallions, and staff and students are learning how to incorporate these items into their cooking.

 

“The food service staff is getting more training on cooking with greens,” said Pierce. She said the dining staff is excited to learn “creative recipes” they can serve to the students, adding that they recently introduced kale chips into their menu. “It’s a learning process,” she said.

 

Pierce said the cafeteria already is supporting the local community by allotting $100 to be spent each week on local products, such as vegetables or fish, from local farmers. The school also plans to implement an “eat local day” once a week in the cafeteria. Read more at Seacoastonline.com…

Posted in local food in schools, grow your own, eating locally in the media | Print | No Comments »

June 20, 2011 by Debra.

Celebrate the season at the Strawberry Festival in South Berwick on Saturday, June 25th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.:

South Berwick Strawberry Festival

Central School Grounds, 197 Main Street, South Berwick, ME

June 25, 2011

9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

The Strawberry Festival is a yearly event filled with entertainment, food, artisans and strawberry shortcakes! Our festival grows every year and manages to keep its small town country flavor boasting 20,000+ visitors each year.

 

Come join the fun! Food is available throughout the day at the Festival Food Court. All food is provided by our local non-profit organizations. We encourage your support of these wonderful groups!

 

The South Berwick Strawberry Festival is held at 197 Main Street, at the Central School grounds. Any vendors set up at other locations on Main Street are not part of the Strawberry Festival and the Festival Commitee does not receive any proceeds from these vendors.

For more information: www.southberwickstrawberryfestival.com

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June 20, 2011 by Debra.

There are a few spots left for this weekend’s workshop, Beginning Beekeeping, taking place on Sunday, June 26th, at 2 p.m. in Barrington, NH. Sponsored by the Seacoast Permaculture Group, join Amy Antonucci of the Seacoast Beekeepers Association as she takes you through the basics of keeping your own bees:

Beginning Beekeeping

Seacoast Permaculture Group

Barrington, NH

Instructor: Amy Antonucci

Sunday, June 26, 2011

2 p.m.

Integrating (principle 8) honey bees into our permaculture system offers us renewable resources and services (principle 5) and a delicious yield (principle 3)! If you are interested in bringing these amazing creatures into your landscape, come learn more. With an emphasis on natural methods, we will go over basic beekeeping terms, basic honeybee biology, equipment needed to get started, types of honeybees and how to get them. Products and services of the hive will be discussed. What to expect in terms of time and money input, and where to get more information will also be included. The plan is for 2 hours of indoor presentation, show-and-tell, and question and answer. Then, if the weather allows, we will spend about an hour looking in the hives together. If the weather is poor, I wil have an indoor alternative learning experience planned!

 

Amy Antonucci has been keeping bees for honey and pollination since 2005 and has been involved with organic agriculture for over ten years. She gives talks at libraries, schools, has been interviewed on the radio about apiculture and is VP of the Seacoast Beekeepers Association of NH. Please wear or bring light colored clothing, and consider if you’d like long sleeves and pants if we get into the hives. If you happen to have or can borrow a bee suit or veil please do—I will have some for folks to borrow also.

 

We are charging on a sliding scale for this: $10–30 per person. This workshop isn’t geared towards kids, and we will have limited space inside. Older kids who want to work with bees, though, are very welcome.

For more information: http://www.meetup.com/GreaterSeacoastPermaculture/events/16415677/?a=me1p_lnm&rv=me1p

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