He is chairman of the Slow Money Alliance — a nonprofit that encourages sustainable financial investments that support local, community-based food and farm businesses. To date, $14 million has been invested in 86 small food enterprises around the country.
Local investing
The program seeks to keep more money in local economies by encouraging Americans to invest at least 1 percent of their money into local food systems. The returns may not be seen immediately, but over time help to build a local, sustainable network of business, he explained.
Tasch said historically, the economy has been based on buying stocks in companies and “stuff” that we don’t understand, and that may be located half-way around the world.
The problem, he said, is “you don’t know where your money really is,” and you have limited control over what it does for you.
Renee Hunt, OEFFA program director, described “slow money” as “a movement and an investment strategy. (It’s) about finding meaningful places for people to put their money to work, right in their own communities.”
OEFFA Executive Director Carol Goland introduced Tasch, saying that he and other event speakers were helping to bring about “fundamental kinds of shifts within our society and within our culture.”
Changing the language
She spoke about the changing language of food, culture and economy.
“Slow money recognizes that respecting the interrelationships between ourselves, the connectedness of ourselves as a community, we will lead our way to a restorative economy and in doing so transform ourselves both as individuals and as a society.”
The event was in its 33rd year and attracted more than 1,000 attendees to Granville. Preconference sessions were held Feb. 17, and a wide variety of producer and environmental workshops were held the next two days.
Other speakers
Eric Hanson, extension berry crop specialist at Michigan State University, discussed the benefits of using high tunnels: higher yields, longer growing seasons, higher quality, reduced diseases, and reduced populations of Japanese beetles.
Jeff Moyer, director of farm operations at the Rodale Institute, led a workshop on no-till organic farming, and discussed the importance of cover crops to increase soil fertility.
He said if farmers plan to continue feeding the world, they need to pay more attention to the biology of their soils instead of chemistry.
“We have to shift our gears,” he said, keeping chemistry in mind, but focusing on the life and fertility of the soil.
Several presentations were held on hydraulic fracturing — the modern practice of extracting oil and gas from deep shale formations.
Vanessa Pesec, president for the Network for Oil and Gas Accountability & Protection, gave a talk on protecting land and communities from irresponsible leasing and drilling. She handed out “stop fracking” signs to those who were opposed to the practice.
Different perspectives
Presenters at times disputed facts over hydraulic fracturing and the tone toward the subject depended on the speaker.
Cheryl Johncox, of Buckeye Forest Council, discussed the legislative and regulatory landscape of fracking. She showed pictures of properties that had reportedly suffered losses in land value and use.
Mike Hogan, Ohio State University Extension Educator in Jefferson County, talked about the importance of responsible leasing, but also the opportunities shale gas can provide to farmers, communities and whole economies.
A common misconception is the amount of waste water being injected into disposal wells, as well as understanding the difference between disposal wells and production wells. He said most of the water in eastern Ohio’s fracking rigs actually is being recycled and reused, a process he’s witnessed on the sites he’s visited.
OEFFA presented its stewardship award to Doug Seibert and Leslie Garcia of Greene County. Both have farmed organically at Peach Mountain Organics since 1992, growing certified organic mixed vegetables, microgreens, fresh-cut flowers, mushrooms, hay and greenhouse plants.
They sell their products at the Yellow Springs Farmers’ Market, local restaurants and grocery and health food stores.
February 19, 2012
Anna Sudar, Writer
Zach Gray, Photos
Newark Advocate
GRANVILLE — Ryder Kardas smiled as he squeezed an avocado, watching as the green fruit plopped into his bowl.
Using a fork, he mixed in jalapeños, cilantro, salt, lemon and lime juice and enjoyed his guacamole with chips.
The 7-year-old came from Delaware, Ohio, to Granville with his family Saturday to participate in the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s annual conference.
While his parents attended adult sessions, Ryder joined a group of 45 other kids participating in the OEFFA’s Kids Conference.
“We try to make this a family event,” said Lauren Ketcham, communications coordinator for OEFFA. “It’s a conference about educating adults, but also about educating kids.”
OEFFA is a nonprofit organization that works to promote local food systems and sustainable agriculture. The organization has about 3,000 members around Ohio, including farmers, gardeners and educators, Ketcham said.
OEFFA has hosted an annual conference for 33 years. This weekend is the seventh time it has been conducted at Granville High School and Granville Middle School.
About 1,200 people signed up for this year’s event, which continues today.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Sowing the Seeds of our Food Sovereignty.”
Participants could attend more then 70 workshops, which emphasized learning about where food comes from and the importance of consumer choice, Ketcham said.
Workshops ranged from making mozzarella cheese and selecting sheep to information about fracking and marketing a business.
“We really try to craft the conference so there is something for everyone,” Ketcham said.
The Kids Conference is designed for ages 6 to 13 and offers two days of activities, said Krissy Pfleider-Smeyak, an OEFFA volunteer who organized the conference.
This weekend’s events were centered around getting kids excited about healthy food and food production.
“We want to pique their interest and plant the seeds (of learning) early,” Pfleider-Smeyak said.
Saturday’s conference started with a lesson on worms and what they do for the soil. After dancing to the sounds of the Columbus Women’s Drum Chorus, the children walked to the Denison Homestead to talk with students about sustainable lifestyles.
After their trip, employees from Chipotle Mexican Grill — one of the conference’s sponsors — helped the children make guacamole and work on crafts.
Older children in the group had the opportunity to attend one of the adult lectures on organic strawberry production and got to make wooden strawberry boxes to take home, Pfleider-Smeyak said.
Today, the children will learn about milk production, paint gourds and learn about the history of trail mix, she said.
“We try not to make it school. We just want to expose them to different activities,” Pfleider-Smeyak said. “If they learn one new thing, you’ve succeeded.”
Many of the children who attend the conference come back year after year.
“You learn a lot from them,” she said. “They surprise you with the answers they give.”
Seth Armstrong, 10, said he really enjoyed learning new facts about worms — including that they have five hearts.
The Columbus boy has been coming to the conference for several years.
“It’s really interesting and fun also,” he said.
Hannah Gardner, 12, attends some of the adult workshops but also enjoys the Kids Conference.
This year, she took a class on fracking and worked on a strawberry box.
The North Canton girl said she enjoys coming to the conference and talking to people about gardening and farming.
“It’s very important to learn about your food and where it comes from,” she said. “Some people have no clue.”
Grace Gordon, left, dances with children Saturday during the Kids Conference, part of the 33rd annual Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association Conference at Granville Middle School. / Zach Gray/The Advocate
ASHLAND — A movement to better harness local food resources could boost the health, economy, ecological sustainability and vitality of a community.
It may appear a lofty vision to some, but Brad Masi, former director of the New Agrarian Center at Oberlin College, has seen it happen. At least he’s seen it start to happen.
Masi spoke as part of Ashland University’s Center for Nonviolence Creating a Caring Community symposium. He highlighted efforts across Northeast Ohio to develop a more sustainable, regenerative local food system, including a movement in Oberlin to decrease the community’s dependence on non-local food sources. And he suggested ways counties could adapt some of those initiatives locally, though in some cases the community is already doing so.
“A local food economy is in many ways an approach to economic development that is focused on retaining and circulating dollars in the local economy while promoting regenerative forms of economic activity,” Masi said.
“Creating a local food economy is about asking how do we create something that’s more regenerative where we create the web of relationships that allow us to grow that system over time?”
Masi shared examples of urban farming projects in Cleveland, including one in the Ohio City neighborhood where an Amish farmer from Middlefield helped turn an empty plot of land behind some public housing units into an urban garden.
He cited an Ohio State University Extension Center study that found Cleveland’s 225-plus urban gardens occupy 56 combined acres and generate between $2.6 and 3 million in fresh fruits and vegetables for the Cleveland area.
“That’s a pretty enormous value. And for a lot of people, that’s actually savings; it allows them to stretch their budget a little bit further,” Masi said.
In Oberlin, Masi has been a part of an effort to better use local food production in surrounding counties.
Local individuals, markets restaurants and businesses have worked to increase collaboration with producers in Ashland, Wayne, Huron, Medina and Erie counties and have increased the counties’ overall local food consumption to 6 percent.
Masi said he thinks there is potential for the activity in Oberlin to be emulated in the Ashland community. Citing data from the 2010 Census, Masi said Ashland’s approximately 21,000 residents spend about $55 million each year on food, 40 percent of which is spent eating out at restaurants.
“These are dollars that are being spent every day,” Masi said. “That’s one of the economic drivers of the food market is we all eat. It’s a daily activity and it happens 365 days a year so in terms of market stability. It’s a guaranteed market.”
Masi recognized as a promising venture Local Roots — a Wooster-based farmer-producer co-op planning to open a permanent store this spring on South Street in Ashland.
To continue that movement, Masi said it’s important to work to increase collaboration with surrounding communities, grow cooperative networks with those communities and take small steps toward realizing a bigger vision for Ashland.
“Think about the Amish farmers bringing their horses up to Cleveland to help start an urban farm. Think about the Ashland farmers that are down here supplying food to Oberlin. Think about the Local Roots sprout that’s coming from the Wooster community to help an effort here,” Masi said. “Don’t underestimate the power of small acts, but think about how those small acts can be attached to a much, much larger vision.”
Marlene Barkheimer, treasurer for Local Roots, was in attendance at Tuesday’s event. She said the co-op has seen its presence in downtown Wooster impact the way people in the community think about local food.
“We try to do a lot with education, teaching people about different foods and demonstrating different cooking techniques,” Barkheimer said.
As people recognize local farmers are able to grow certain foods year-round with various techniques and as farmers realize the demand, the co-op has seen a shift in the way people think about local food.
“It’s sort of that chicken and egg idea, but we’re starting to see the demand from the consumers, which gives our farmers an incentive to produce,” Barkheimer said.
Contact: Carol Goland, Executive Director, (614) 421-2022 Ext. 202, cgoland@oeffa.org
Press Release
COLUMBUS, OH—The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) has bestowed its highest honor, the Stewardship Award, to Doug Seibert and Leslie Garcia of Greene County. The announcement was made on Saturday, February 18 as part of OEFFA’s 33rd annual conference, Sowing the Seeds of Our Food Sovereignty. The award recognizes “outstanding contributions to the sustainable agriculture community.”
Doug and Leslie have farmed organically at Peach Mountain Organics since 1992, growing certified organic mixed vegetables, microgreens, fresh-cut flowers, mushrooms, hay, and greenhouse plants. They sell their products at the Yellow Springs Farmers’ Market, local restaurants, and grocery and health food stores.
The Greene County-based Peach Mountain Organics currently has two farm sites and one half acre greenhouse location in Spring Valley, Ohio. Altogether, the operation is 43 acres, more than 25 of which are certified organic.
“Leslie and Doug’s energy and skill with commercial-scale, organic growing is an inspiration for many of us,” said Steve Edwards, who serves on OEFFA’s Board of Trustees and presented the award at the Saturday evening ceremony. “Their willingness to share their experiences with other growers has helped provide healthy food for people beyond Peach Mountain’s customers. They make it happen in the real world with an artful balance of intelligence and hard work.”
Doug and Leslie have helped organize group seed and potato orders for other farmers and grown organic bedding plants for other growers, hosted farm tours, presented OEFFA conference workshops, and were involved in the creation of both OEFFA and the Federation of Ohio River Cooperatives (FORC).
“Both Doug and Leslie care deeply about creating a sustainable food system. We should all be sincerely grateful for what they have done to advance sustainable agriculture in our community,” said OEFFA Executive Director Carol Goland.
For a full list of past Stewardship Award winners, click here.
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The Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association (OEFFA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1979 by farmers, gardeners, and conscientious eaters who committed to work together to create and promote a sustainable and healthful food and farming system. For more information, visit www.oeffa.org.
For a high resolution photo of the stewardship award recipients, please contact Lauren Ketcham at (614) 421-2022 Ext. 203 or lauren@oeffa.org.
Slow Money Alliance founder and chairman Woody Tasch authors Slow Money, a national effort to encourage sustainable financial investments that support local, community-based food and farm businesses.
The best description of slow money, said Woody Tasch, who coined the term and started the Slow Money Alliance, is that it is the opposite of fast money. And the best way to think about fast money is to first consider fast food.
Its detractors say that fast food is corporate, standardized, unhealthy, and often harmful to the environment. In rebellion against the fast-food culture, a small but growing population around the world is now actively living the slow food lifestyle — organic foods, freshly grown on local farms.
“Fast money is 1,000-point drops in the Dow in 20 minutes. It’s all the stuff everyone is worried about. … It’s financial institutions that are too big and complicated, derivatives that are too risky,” Mr. Tasch said on the phone from his home in Boulder, Colo.
Mr. Tasch will be a keynote speaker Saturday at the 33rd annual conference of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, to be held in Granville, Ohio, east of Columbus. He is the author of Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered, and it is from that 2008 book that the young movement sprang. It is a grassroots response to what it sees as the harm done by enormous agricultural corporate interests: It asks ordinary people to invest part of their money in small farmers and local food systems.
The return on these investments will not be large, Mr. Tasch said, but the investors will have the satisfaction of knowing they are helping to provide what he said is healthy food grown on human-scale farms.
“Our industrial food system is fraying our way of life,” he said, citing soil erosion, loss of organic matter in the soil, and a decreased population of microorganisms and earthworms necessary for growing crops.
Not everyone agrees. Cargill, one of the world’s largest agribusinesses, tries to encourage sustainable farming, said company spokesperson Pete Stoddart. Using a technology called precision agriculture, the company can tell farmers exactly which nutrients are needed for the soil in each part of their farms, he said.
In addition, Mr. Stoddart said, Cargill works to lessen its environmental impact by lowering its own use of energy and emission of greenhouse gasses. Last year, he said, 11 percent of the company’s energy came from alternatives to fossil fuels.
The slow money movement is fairly new, Mr. Tasch said, and it is still finding its direction. As of this writing, there are 14 chapters around the country, with more coming soon, where members get together and try to determine the best ways to give financial support to local food producers and distributors.
Four investment clubs have formed from these chapters, in which the members pool their money and vote to decide how it should be invested. In one club in Maine, 20 people invested $5,000 apiece and have been using this pool to make small loans to farmers and a few small businesses. In North Carolina, 12 people got together and refinanced a loan for their local food co-op, paying off a loan at 10 percent and offering instead a rate of 3 percent to the co-op. They get to help the co-op and at the same time make a small return of 3 percent on their investment, he said.
Of course, not everyone has $5,000 to invest in anything, and Mr. Tasch is sensitive to criticism that his organization is elitist. Organic and locally produced food is typically more expensive than food grown by agribusiness firms, which benefit from the economies of mass production and the higher yields created by using pesticides and chemical fertilizer. Many people cannot afford the higher cost of the organic or locally grown food he promotes.
“There is no question everyone will not have access to this increased organic or locally produced food all the time. The way to think of this is to think of it generationally,” he said, adding in a few generations everyone will benefit from a balance of organic and corporately grown produce.
Mr. Tasch said he does not believe the giant agriculture corporations set out to do harm; they were trying to grow more food for more people at a cheaper price. But they did realize how their policies would affect people’s health — he mentioned the high rates of obesity and diabetes — and the vitality of local businesses.
“Just like we saw in the financial system, when companies become too big they become detached from real life, real people, real consequences,” he said.
The slow money movement wants to counter that model with a plan that is both small and large at the same time. The goal at the end of a decade is for 1 million people to invest 1 percent of their money into local food businesses.
“It just seems to a lot of people that if you stop treating food as a commodity, you begin to recognize other values that it brings to you in your own health, the health of the community, and the health of the land,” he said.
The conference is sold out for Saturday, but tickets remain for a preconference event from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday. At that event, Mr. Tasch will speak about how to finance the local food system.
Contact Daniel Neman at: dneman@theblade.com or 419-724-6155.
By Andrew Fowler, WOUB Published Tue, Feb 14, 2012
Athens, OH
Thousands of Ohio farmers will make there way to Licking County this weekend for the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s thirty-third annual conference.
The conference deals with the future of food production and how our country can reclaim food independence.
An Athens-area farmer will be speaking at this weekend’s conference.
J.B. King will talk about niche pork production.
King says his farm and many farmers who will attend the conference have a more sustainable way of farming.
“Well, we try to be real sustainable. We try to do things that not only are we doing them today, but we’re doing several years down the road. A lot of the people in the organization try to work without chemicals and without drugs, we do the same,” says King.
King was a guest on WOUB’s newswatch last night.
The conference will also include several discussions about fracking.
MECHANICSBURG – Amy Forrest of Mechanicsburg is one of four children, all girls, born to farming parents who turned the soil just southeast of here for many years. She took to the chores like the others, but fully adopted the agricultural lifestyle and is teaching other women about the business.
“My dad was a farmer and he had four daughters, so he had different farm hands than most,” laughed Forrest, whose children are the fifth generation of the family to live on the farm.
“We (the sisters) were active in 4H and FFA and all that, but I really liked being a farmer. I got my state farming degree using a part of the land as my project.”
Forrest is a graduate of Mechanicsburg High School and has degrees in animal science and agricultural communications from Ohio State University. She has been a single mother for the past 15 years. Her son, Corie Murphy, is a senior at Mechanicsburg; and her daughter, Lyndsey Murphy, has a degree in agriculture from Ohio State.
The farm is located at 8331 state Route 187, south of state Route 29. The family owns 800 acres, which includes 450 tillable acres. The remaining is pastures, woodlands and gardens.
Forrest moved back to the farm in 1994, and in 2005 began to farm full time.
In addition to farming, Forrest is the principal operator of A Tasteful Garden, which features more than two acres of organically grown vegetables, fingerling potatoes and salad greens. She also heads the In Good Taste Catering Co., which uses 85 percent of her farm products.
The organization Women Farm sought out Forrest, who now serves as a co-instructor in skills related to field vegetable and livestock farms in southwest central Ohio. The organization seeks to develop training programs to help Ohio women farmers become more sufficient in their farm operation. Officials claim nearly 3,600 women farm operators, of which nearly 900 are principal operators.
The company’s website can be found at www.womenfarm.com.
Forrest will host a series of seminars through April 17, both on her farmland and by teleconference. The topics include organic requirements, farm workload and labor projections, planting and soil strategies to equipment maintenance and storage.
She met co-founder Sharon Sachs in the mid-1990s during a presentation known as Wisdom of the Land, which addressed under-used farm land. They kept in touch over the years, Forrest said, and became active with the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA).
“When I moved toward niche farming and financial planning, we were part of the OEFFA, and she (Sachs) was looking for people with hands-on experience. We had livestock, gardens and (it) was part of a family with generational involvement.”
Forrest sold her organic garden produce in Columbus until the catering business took the majority of the goods in 2007. The pastureland is used to raise grass-fed beef from a Miniature Hereford cattle herd and brown eggs from their poultry stock.
The farm products are marketed through an e-mail network of those who market and operate a Community Supported Agricultural program.
Her father is researching whether or not the farm has been in the family for 100 years. A Depression Era cabin in the woods, used to hide from bankers at the time, has been moved and now serves as a nostalgic reminder of the farm’s history.
Upcoming sessions
Aspiring, beginning and experienced women farmers in Southwest Central Ohio can benefit directly from Amy Forrest’s co-instruction this year, both on her Mechanicsburg farm and via teleconferences. Upcoming sessions include the following:
•Feb. 26 – Growing a farm business from the middle of three generations
•March 13 – Amending soil and plowing for field vegetables
•March 13 – Women farm operators and the men, women and children in their lives (via phone)
•March 27 – Season Extension practices
•April 3 – How to access, maintain, store and use a tractor and tilling equipment
•April 17 – Cover cropping for field vegetables
For more information, visit www.womenfarm.com.
Forrest can be contacted through her website at www.ingoodtastecateringco.com.
Jim Painter can be reached at jpainter@urbanacitizen.com.
DES MOINES – Making healthy food available to more Americans isn’t just a goal for Deb Eschmeyer, it’s a passion.
Eschmeyer is a 32-year-old Midwestern organic farmer and co-founder of FoodCorps, a national service program that aims to improve nutrition education for children.
“There’s so much interest in this topic,” Eschmeyer said, “and we have the power to transform the landscape.”
Eschmeyer was the keynote speaker at the Jan. 21 Women, Food and Agriculture Network’s annual meeting in Des Moines.
Farmers are in a unique position of power to bring about positive change, said Eschmeyer, who grew up on a dairy farm near New Knoxville, Ohio, and now operates a 20-acre farm, which includes five acres of organic fruits and vegetables, in west-central Ohio.
She encouraged the audience to focus on the “Silent Ps,” including:
People. Identify the three influential people you need to know to be successful in business. They might include a news reporter, a state lawmaker, a local business leader or another key individual to help meet goals, said Eschmeyer, a former Kellogg Food & Society Fellow who has worked as outreach director of the National Farm to School Network and a project director at the National Family Farm Coalition.
Passion. What motivates one each day? Eschmeyer still remembers the day in 2004 when herhusband, Jeff, was diagnosed, at age 25, with type 1, late-onset diabetes.
“This sparked my passion for nutrition issues,” said Eschmeyer, who challenged her WFAN audience to determine what actions they need to make their passions a reality, whether it’s moving to a farm or earning a master’s degree.
Practice. Taking action is vital, said Eschmeyer, adding that FoodCorps has 50 service members working in 10 states, including Iowa, to teach children about nutrition and help them grow healthy food in school gardens.
In addition, FoodCorps partnered with Whole Foods’ Whole Kids Foundation during the 2011 back-to-school season to raise money for school gardens.
Shoppers were encouraged to make a small contribution at the checkout, and the campaign raised more than $2 million.
“Could you do something similar in your local community?” Eschmeyer asked. “If you have the people, the power and the passion, don’t just talk about the things you could do – take action.”
Prose. People listen to other people who are good communicators, said Eschmeyer, who encourages farmers and local foods proponents to tell their stories.
“Determine what media outlets do you need to be connected with,” she said, “whether it’s the local chamber of commerce’s e-newsletter or national publications like the Washington Post.”
Start by offering oneself as a resource to the media, supplying them with timely story ideas that haven’t been covered and offering to put them in contact with credible sources.
“With media outlets, it takes time to build the relationships that lead to news coverage,” said Eschmeyer, who added that FoodCorps’ story has been covered in many major media outlets.
“Make the reporter your friend, and invite them to your farm to showcase all the good things going on.”
She noted that FoodCorps leaders met with New York Times columnist Mark Bittman more than four times before they received coverage, but the results were noteworthy.
In his 2011 piece entitled “Food’s New Foot Soldiers,” Bittman wrote, “FoodCorps is symbolic of just what we need: a national service program that aims to improve nutrition education for children, develop school gardening projects and change what’s being served on school lunch trays.”
Policy. Eschmeyer encouraged people to support common-sense, public policy solutions that benefit agriculture and food systems.
These can range from local ordinances to the farm bill. Influencing public policy can also include running for office.
“We need to be in positions of power, and we must never take for granted all the hard work that has been done previously,” Eschmeyer said.
Perseverance. Change takes time, sometimes years, said Eschmeyer, who encourages people to take the big-picture view.
She said that there were only two farm-to-school programs in the country in 1996, but that has soared to 2,000 programs today.
“Remember, we’re not in this alone. That’s why it’s so important to make connections and stick together.”
Membership grows
Eschmeyer emphasized that organizations like WFAN are “great places to make connections with other like-minded people.”
Leigh Adcock, executive director of WFAN, said the organization’s membership has exploded from 300 to 2,000 in just three years and shows no signs of slowing down.
“We were so pleased to have Deb as our keynote speaker,” Adcock said, “because she exemplifies the women who make up WFAN.
“She is passionate about healthy food and farming, and embodies that passion by raising and selling good food for her family and community, and by advocating for the movement on the national level through her involvement in FoodCorps.”
Eschmeyer said she is excited about the potential for healthier school foods and encourages ag leaders to embrace change.
“Map out what you’d like to see happen, review the Silent Ps and realize that we have the power to transform the landscape.”
Learn more
For more information on WFAN, log onto www.wfan.org.
February is here, which means the annual Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) conference is approaching! OEFFA expects a sellout, and only Sunday and the pre-conference workshops have space left. Sowing the Seeds of our Food Sovereigntymarks the 33rd installment of this important statewide gathering (it also features a fantastic poster by Kevin Morgan – possibly the best EVER designed for an agriculture conference!). On February 18th, approximately 1,000 members of Ohio’s sustainable agriculture community – including farmers, artisans, grocers, chefs, policy leaders, gardeners, and many others – will convene in Granville for a robust weekend of dialogue, networking, professional development, and good times with colleagues!
The keynotes are fantastic, as usual. Slow Money Alliance Chairman, Woody Tasch, will discuss Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Matter, while leading environmental attorney and executive director of the Center for Food Safety, Andrew Kimbrell, will share his thoughts on The Future of Food. Green B.E.A.N. Delivery is really excited to see everyone, talk shop, and engage the issues facing Ohio’s sustainable food movement!
For those unfamiliar with OEFFA, they are a coalition of passionate people who “share a desire to build a healthy food system that brings prosperity to family farmers, helps preserve farmland, offers food security for all Ohioans, and creates economic opportunities for our rural communities.” A few farmers founded the organization in 1979 while rediscovering a way of growing food that the United States had largely lost in the transition to an industrial agriculture paradigm. Those were the days when mentioning the word “Organic” elicited laughter. Today, OEFFA’s membership is 3,000 strong and Green B.E.A.N. Delivery is a proud member business!
OEFFA is extremely important to sustainable agriculture in Ohio. They are the state’s largest and oldest Organic certifier. In fact, their Organic Certification program predates the USDA’s, making them one of the longest operating certifiers in the country. They certify over 700 farms and processing facilities throughout the Midwest and approximately 550 in Ohio, which encompasses between 70 to 80 percent of organic operations in the state. So, if you frequent a Buckeye State farmers market, there’s a good chance your favorite organic grower is certified by OEFFA!
Organic Certification is just one facet of OEFFA’s work. They engage in multiple programs and initiatives that build their grassroots networks and empower farmers. In addition to their certification program, they coordinate the annual conference; host a series of public workshops, free farm tours and webinars; maintain the Good Earth Guide, which lists over 300 farms and food businesses; support and connect the state’s agriculture community through educational resources, an apprenticeship program and a comprehensive listserv; and advocate for sustainable farm friendly policies at the state and federal level (Advocacy is particularly important in 2012 with the FarmBill up for reauthorization). Yeah, they’re pretty busy folks, especially these days with the conference looming.
Speaking of the conference… it features many great workshops on a variety of topics, a screening and discussion of The Greenhorns, Contra Dance with the Back Porch Swing Band, and big exhibit hall packed with businesses, nonprofits and government agencies. And, if you can’t make it this year (or – since you are only one person – you can’t make it to everything) OEFFA sells recordings of the whole thing on cd or mp3. Registration remains available for the pre-conference workshops with Woody Tasch and Jeff Moyer of the Rodale Institute until Friday, February10th or until sold out. But those spots, as well as remaining Sunday spots, are going quickly and they do not accept walk-in registrations; so if you are interested, do not delay, register ASAP! ! If you want to learn more about Slow Money, the winter Edible Columbus contains a great interview with Mr. Tasch. Check out the conference website for more information on the weekend’s activities!
If you are as passionate about sustainable food as we are, we really encourage you to learn more about OEFFA. They do great work. Important work. And we thank them.
On Tuesday, January 31, family farmers from around North America filled Federal Court Judge Naomi Buchwald’s courtroom in Manhattan. The topic was the landmark organic community lawsuit OSGATA et al v. Monsanto and the oral argument for Monsanto’s pre-trial motion to dismiss which it filed last July. Plaintiffs from at least 21 states and provinces were in the courtroom including Oregon, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Saskatchewan, Missouri, Iowa, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine.
The session lasted over an hour and the judge indicated she will issue her ruling within two months.
Check out this video from outside the courtroom, where crowds gathered in support of family farmers:
A few farmers founded the organization in 1979 while rediscovering a way of growing food that the United States had largely lost in the transition to an industrial agriculture paradigm. Those were the days when mentioning the word “Organic” elicited laughter. Today, OEFFA’s membership is 3,000 strong and Green B.E.A.N. Delivery is a proud member business!
