March 5, 2010 by Heather.

If you’ve always wanted to drive a tractor but want to know the basics, this upcoming adult education class at Alvirne High School’s Wilbur H. Palmer Vocational-Technical Center is for you.

Tractor Safety and Operation is designed for inexperienced drivers who would like to learn how to maintain and operate a tractor. Students will learn basic tractor maintenance, safety, basic driving, and power take off operation. An interactive CD is included for each student to take home.

This class will run on Monday nights, March 22 through April 19, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tuition for the 5 weekly classes is $60 and includes the CD. There is a minimum age requirement of 18.

If you’re interested, fill out the registration form and mail it, along with your payment, to Alvirne High School, 200 Derry Road, Hudson, NH 03051. Please call the school as well to get your name on the class list as the deadline is coming quickly, 603.886.1260.

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March 3, 2010 by Heather.

Food safety is important to everyone. But sometimes, in an effort to make things safe, regulations come that can end up hurting some just as much as they can help. 

According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), “we can’t let rules designed to address serious food safety deficiencies in our industrial food system shut down the move toward healthy, natural and local food.”

The Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) now on the Senate floor will increase FDA regulations on farms that even minimally process their crops and sell them to restaurants, food coops, groceries, schools, and wholesalers. The new regulations would include many expensive requirments that could erect substantial barriers to these important markets for small and mid-size farmers.

The NSAC recommends the following action:

Senator Gregg sits on the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which has jurisdiction over food safety legislation.  He needs to hear your views on this legislation!  

Calling your Senator is easy.

Step 1:  Call Senator Gregg’s office at (202) 224-3324 and ask to speak to the aide responsible for agriculture.  If the aide is unavailable leave a brief voice mail message.  Be sure to leave your name and a call back number.

Step 2:  Urge Senator Gregg to support amendments to S. 510 which:

-Focus FDA regulation only on those processing activities that present the most risk for causing food borne pathogen contamination.
-Exempt farms with modest gross sales from new FDA regulation.  These farms would still need to register with FDA and would be subject to existing state food safety regulation.
 -Exempt from recordkeeping requirements foods using labeling that preserves the identity of the farm all the way through the supply chain to the ultimate consumer.
-Exempt from recordkeeping requirements food produced on farms and sold directly to a consumer, restaurant, or grocery store. 
 -Cosponsor the Growing Safe Food Act (S. 2758) introduced by Senator Stabenow (D-MI).  This bill creates a program to deliver training and technical assistance appropriate to small and mid-scale farms to reduce the incidence of food borne illness.

For more information visit:

the NSAC’s blog http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/

the Growing Safe Food Act (S. 2758) http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:S.2758:

the Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c111:2:./temp/~c111FUxNNm::

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March 2, 2010 by Heather.

This conference is for growers selling at summer or winter farmers markets, farm stands, or PYO operations or selling through Community Supported Agriculture; market coordinators and volunteers; or anyone exploring alternatives to cash payments. Besides growing your farm markets and profits using alternative to cash payments, you will also learn about making food accessible to low income families and increasing nutrition for the well being of individuals and families.

There are two sessions at the workshop. Session A is from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and will deal with Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) coupons, the new WIC food package, and senior coupons. Session B will be held from 4:30 to 7:15 p.m. and will discuss the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps-EBT.

Interested participants can attend both sessions or just A or B individually.

This workshop is free and open to all.

More information can be found at http://extension.unh.edu/events/index.cfm?e=app.event&event_id=21130.

To preregister, please contact Deb Stevens at (603) 679-5616 or deb.stevens@unh.edu.

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March 2, 2010 by Heather.

Farmers and agricultural service providers will learn about effective on-farm energy practices that are suitable for New England at this two-day conference, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, March 15 and 16, 2010, at the Radisson Conference Center in Manchester.

The keynote address will be delivered by Mike Morris, ATTRA/National Center for Appropriate Technology. Morris will address practical ways to assess energy options on the farm. Two workshop tracks will be offered–on oilseed production and greenhouse energy efficiency and conservation–and will include 14 individual workshops on topics ranging from systems for harvesting and pressing oilseeds to using shell corn for greenhouse heat. A complete description of the workshops, along with additional conference information, can be found at http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/meetings/FarmEnergy3-10.pdf. The registration fee is $25 per person per day and includes lunch and materials. Please register by March 10.

To register, send payment to UVM Extension at

278 South Main Street, Suite 2, St. Albans, VT 05478.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Radisson (603-625-1000) for conference participants at a rate of $109/double room.

For more information, including request for accommodations to participate in this program, please contact UVM Extension–St. Albans office at 802-524-6501.

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February 24, 2010 by Jeff.

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February 19, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

The Dover Cassily Community Garden will hold a workshop on how to properly prune mature apple trees at the Community Garden on March 8, at 3:30 pm. Pruning experts Bill Lord and Geoffrey Njue, University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, Strafford County, will lead the hands-on workshop.

Many topics will be discussed, including disease and pest management, how pruning is an important tool in managing diseases, and demonstrations on how to prune apple trees. The workshop will end with workshop participants getting a chance to practice their new pruning skills on any of the 10 apple trees at the garden.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own pruning sheers and/or loppers. For more information please call (603) 749 4445, or email cristy.cardoso@unh.edu or ekaborsa@hotmail.com. Suggested donation: $5.

Directions: From the corner of Chestnut St. and Sixth St. just north of the train station in Dover, take Sixth St. westbound away from town. After 0.5 miles, take a left onto Hillside Dr. Park in the large dirt parking lot on the right near our green shed in the back. We will meet in the parking lot, then take the trail to the garden field for the pruning demonstration.

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February 18, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

Farm Taxes 101: An introduction to farm income taxes
March 22, 2010, 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Merrimack County UNH Cooperative Extension
315 Daniel Webster Highway, Boscawen, NH

Do you cultivate, operate, or manage a farm for profit; either as an owner or at tenant?
A farm includes livestock, dairy, poultry, fish, fruit, and truck farms. It also includes greenhouses and orchards.

UNH Cooperative Extension Professor/Specialist, Agricultural Business Management, Michael Sciabarrasi, will talk you through this workshop, explaining how the federal income tax laws apply to farming. This talk is geared toward beginners to help them organize their records and receipts in preparation for their accountant and tax time. This workshop is not designed or intended to prepare an individual to do their own taxes.

Space is limited so please register ASAP by calling Mary at 796-2151.

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February 16, 2010 by Debra.

From MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association): 

Introduction to Organic Farming:

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February 3, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

We’re  very excited to see Sharon Astyk as the keynote speaker at this year’s NOFA-NH conference!

Winter Conference “A Place at the Table”
NOFA NH
Saturday, March 6, 8am - 5:30pm
Rundlett Middle School, Concord

The Winter Conference is the premiere gathering of New Hampshire’s organic food and agriculture community: farmers, gardeners, localvores, educators, and consumers joining together. This year our keynote speaker Sharon Astyk, will speak to us on “…central issues of our century. Coming to the table together is going to be the great challenge of our times, and it is the one I care most deeply about.”

Please join us for over 40 workshops, including some led by teens and programs for Youth and Children. This year herbalists from the NH Herbal Network will be leading several of the sessions. Plan on strolling through the popular Green Market Fair where vendors and a farmers’ market offer all things green and organic. nofanh.org/winterConference

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January 30, 2010 by Sara Zoe.

The New Hampshire Farm and Forest Expo is next weekend in Manchester, and it is a very inexpensive ($7) chance to see and learn more about agriculture in the state.

The schedule includes a variety of workshops, exhibits, and discussions for farmers, homesteaders/diy’ers, and local food activists including:

NH Farmers Market Association: Find out about NHFMA’s partnership with NH Made. Get updates from the WIC FMNP. Learn about selling products from your own kitchen with the “Homestead License”. NH Dairy Sanitation will be discussed in the afternoon and how to use Wireless Credit Card and EBT Processing Systems at your market.

The NH Coalition for Sustaining Agriculture Workshop Series – “Resources for Farmers”

What’s the Buzz on Honey Bees?

Rural Energy for America & Value-Added Producer Grant Programs

The Backyard Poultry Flock

A panel discussion called, Meeting the Demand for Local: Expanding the Market to Restaurants, Supermarkets and Schools

Intermediate Winemaking: Making Better Wines 

Backyard Maple Sugaring

Check out their website for a full list of what is going on, directions, and more!

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