Countryside Conservancy and the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) are offering a free webinar designed for specialty crop growers later this month. There is no charge to participate, but pre-registration is required.

On Wednesday, May 23 from 7:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. the webinar, “Building Relationships with Regional Grocers,” will be presented by Terry Romp.  Romp is the buyer for Heinen’s Fine Foods, a local chain of 17 grocers in northeast Ohio.  Romp has developed the local purchasing program at the store and has nurtured relationships with local and regional growers. Romp previously owned and operated the Danny Boy Farm Market in North Olmstead. A fourth generation produce marketer, Romp will discuss best practices for growers who want to sell to regional grocers, along with information about packaging requirements, billing, volume and delivery to help aid local growers who want to sell their products to grocery stores.

To register for the webinar, go to https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/664497294.

Archived specialty crop webinars in this series, “Improving Efficiency on Your Organic Farm,” “Building Mutually Profitable Relationships with Independent Chefs and Restauranteurs,” “Advanced Weed Management Techniques,” “A Systematic Approach for Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Quality on Your Farm,” and “Effective Cover Cropping Systems for Specialty Crop Farms,” are available to watch online at www.oeffa.org and www.cvcountryside.org.

Partial funding for this webinar series is provided through a grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the State of Ohio, and the United States Department of Agriculture under the provisions of the Specialty Crop Block Grant.

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About Countryside Conservancy

Countryside Conservancy advances the vision of a Northeast Ohio filled with thriving farming and food entrepreneurs: where farms are viable businesses, farmland is a treasured resource, and local food is commonplace. We support up-and-coming farmers, share innovative land-use and business models, facilitate networking opportunities and advocate community-based agriculture.  We connect communities and farmers, provide alternate market choices, and create venues that foster civic engagement through fun and informal education. To learn more visit www.cvcountryside.org.

About OEFFA

The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association is a non-profit organization founded in 1979 and is a coalition of farmers, gardeners, consumers, retailers, researchers, and educators who share a desire to build a healthy, sustainable food system. For more than 30 years, OEFFA has used education, advocacy, and grassroots organizing to promote local and organic food systems, helping farmers and consumers reconnect and together build a sustainable food system, one meal at a time. For more information, go to www.oeffa.org.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohioans have a chance see the ins and outs of some of the state’s finest sustainable and organic farms.
More than a dozen farmers are opening their gates to show people firsthand how food gets from the field to their dinner plate. The free public tours are offered as part of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s 2012 Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series.

OEFFA Spokeswoman Lauren Ketcham says the series offers a unique learning opportunity to see, taste, feel and learn what sustainable food and fiber production is all about from the farmers themselves.

“Consumers who are interested in local foods, farmers and market gardeners who want to learn more and network with other farmers, aspiring and beginning farmers, really anyone interested in learning more about the production and marketing techniques of sustainable farmers, are encouraged to attend.”

OEFFA has offered such tours for 30 years, and Ketcham says they are growing more and more popular as consumer demand for fresh, locally-produced food and farm products continues to grow.

“People are increasingly wanting to have that connection with the farm, and the more consumers know about how their food is grown, the better prepared they are to make choices that are right for themselves and their families about who to support with their food dollars.”

Children and families are welcome to the tours and workshops. Ketcham says it’s a great opportunity for kids to see what their food looks like before it gets to their dinner plates.

29 tours and workshops will be held from June through September as part of the series, 13 of them sponsored by OEFFA. They will feature a variety of topics and operations, including organic berry production, commercial composting, natural goat health, raw-milk cheese-making, and Ohio farm history. The schedule is available online at oeffa.org.

The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) has announced its 2012 Ohio Sustainable Farm Tour and Workshop Series, featuring free public tours of some of Ohio’s finest sustainable and organic farms. OEFFA has offered this series for the past 30 years, providing unique opportunities for Ohioans to see, taste, feel, and learn what sustainable food and fiber production is all about from the farmers themselves.

Consumers interested in local foods, farmers and market gardeners wanting to learn more and network with other farmers, aspiring and beginning farmers, and anyone interested in learning more about the production and marketing techniques of sustainable farmers, are encouraged to attend.

“Consumer demand for fresh, locally produced food and farm products continues to grow, along with the desire to understand how food gets from the field to the dinner table. Farmers are opening their gates this summer to show consumers how sustainably produced food is grown and marketed,” said Michelle Gregg, OEFFA’s Sustainable Agriculture Educator. “The more consumers know about how their food is grown, the better prepared they are to make informed choices about who to support with their food dollars,” added Gregg.

Thirteen tours and workshops are being sponsored by OEFFA and will be held between June and September. These tours feature: organic berry production; high tunnels and hoop houses; commercial composting; permaculture; natural goat health; raw milk cheesemaking; specialty grain production; produce auctions; institutional sourcing; Ohio farm history; fiber production; specialty crop production, and farmers using a wide range of direct-to-consumer marketing strategies, including farmers’ markets, restaurants, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs.

OEFFA’s events are:

• Sunday, June 10: Berry trellis systems and high tunnels tour and potluck—Brickel Creek Organic Farm, Jamestown, Ohio (Greene Co.)
• Saturday, June 24: OEFFA Athens Chapter compost tour—The Compost Exchange, Athens, Ohio (Athens Co.)
• Friday, July 20: Garden tour and permaculture lecture with Peter Bane—Shaker Heights, Ohio (Cuyahoga Co.)
• Saturday, July 21-Sunday, July 22: Advanced urban permaculture workshop with Peter Bane—Cleveland, Ohio (Cuyahoga Co.)
• Saturday, July 28: Natural goat health and raw milk cheesemaking tour—Blue Rock Station, Philo, Ohio (Muskingum Co.)
• Sunday, July 29: Garlic and hoop house season extension tour—Jandy’s Farm, Bellefontaine, Ohio (Logan Co.)
• Saturday, August 4: Grain Growers Chapter specialty grain workshop and potluck—Gregg Organics, Bellville, Ohio (Richland Co.)
• Friday, September 14: Produce auctions and the local food web tour—Owl Creek Produce Auction, Fredericktown, Ohio (Morrow Co.)
• Friday, September 14: Institutional sourcing of local food tour—Kenyon College, AVI Foodsystems, Gambier, Ohio (Knox Co.)
• Sunday, September 16: Sustainable living on an Ohio century farm tour—Carriage House Farm, North Bend, Ohio (Hamilton Co.)
• Sunday, September 16: 2012 OEFFA Stewardship Award winner tour—Peach Mountain Organics, Spring Valley, Ohio (Greene Co.)
• Sunday, September 23: Ohio farm history tour and potluck—Stone Garden Farm and Village, Richfield, Ohio (Summit Co.)
• Thursday, September 27: Alpaca fiber production tour—Alpaca Spring Valley Farm, Minerva, Ohio (Stark Co.)

The 2012 farm tour and workshop series is promoted in cooperation with partner organizations—the Athens County Convention and Visitors Bureau 30 Mile Meal Project, Innovative Farmers of Ohio, the Ohio State University Sustainable Agriculture Team, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, and Rural Action—who are sponsoring additional tours. In total, the series features 22 farms and food businesses, two university research centers and colleges, and five educational workshops.

For additional information and a complete list of all farm tours, including dates, times, farm descriptions, directions, and maps, go to http://www.oeffa.us/oeffa/pdfs/farmtour2012.pdf.

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The Ohio Ecological Food and 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, go to www.oeffa.org.

Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery started a farm on owner Art Oestrike’s land 14 months ago to further expand sustainability by growing its own crops to incorporate into the bar’s dishes and drinks. Jackie O’s hired an additional chef to create dishes surrounding the locally grown produce. (Sam Owens | Staff Photographer)

Known for handcrafted signature ales and pub-inspired dishes, Jackie O’s is taking the meaning of locally produced goods a step further.

The brewery, which is located at 24 W. Union St., started a farm 14 months ago to further expand sustainability.

Quality and the use of locally produced food has been a commitment for Jackie O’s owner Art Oestrike, who said the farm was always something he eventually wanted to start in partnership with the business.

“I thought it was the right time to grow our produce and incorporate our crops into our beer and dishes we serve here,” Oestrike said. “I wanted to know where my ingredients were coming from, and by using produce from our farm, the fresh ingredients will reflect in our dishes.”

Jackie O’s hired an additional chef to create dishes surrounding the locally grown produce.

Because it’s only the second growing season, the restaurant is still testing which crops grow best and which to use in the restaurant and brewery.
Melissa Christen, an agricultural expert and grower at the farm, said plants such as fruit and nut trees have to mature before there is a crop worthy of selling or incorporating into the menu.

“As of right now we are harvesting the cold crops that include broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, as well as hearty greens like spinach and kale,” she said. “I have planted them in six sessions so there will be a constant availability of produce we can use at Jackie O’s and sell at the market instead of relying on other farmers.”

Jackie O’s currently grows raspberries, lemon verbena and mint that are added during the brew process to give ales subtle hints of flavor.
“We just got approved to design a high tunnel, which is an unheated plastic structure that will help us extend our growing season without the cost of a greenhouse,” Oestrike said. “I’m excited to announce that we will have bees coming on May 14th that will allow us to decrease the amount of herbicides used.”

In partnership with the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, Jackie O’s Farm will provide a tour and potluck on Sunday to increase awareness about sustainability among farmers, educators and conscientious eaters.

“I want to convey the work that goes into planting produce in such a fluctuating climate while still growing a large amount of crops,” Christen said. “This farm is unique in the reason that unlike most farmers who have to find a business to sell to, we already have Jackie O’s.”

Shawn Fiegelist recently opened City Folk’s Farm Shop in Clintonville. The shop is geared to those interested in urban farming. The shop is at 4760 N.High Street.

WASHINGTON — Under intense pressure from individual farmers and rural organizations, the U.S. Department of Labor said Friday that it would be dropping an unpopular plan to prevent children from doing hazardous work on farms.

The proposed rules would have banned children younger than 16 from using most power-driven farm equipment; it would also have prevented those younger than 18 from working in feedlots, grain bins and stockyards.

Labor officials claimed the goal of the regulation all along was to reduce the fatality rate for child farm workers, but it had quickly become a popular political target for Republicans who called it an impractical, heavy-handed regulation that ignored the reality of small farms.

“It was a ridiculous regulation,” said Clarence Reilly, a farmer from lower Augusta Township. “Riding farm equipment is how I learned to farm and it’s how my son is learning. And by the way, he loves it.”

“Isn’t that the point?” said Mark O’Neill, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. The regulations would have jeopardized the role parents play in teaching children the value of on-the-farm work.

The decision is a major victory for farm families in Pennsylvania and across the nation, he continued. “The proposal brought into legal question whether children of farmers, whose business was part of a family partnership, LLC (Limited Liability Company) or family farm corporation, could allow their own children to perform typical farm chores, such as milking cows, if they were under the age of 16.”

PFB was also troubled by a proposed rule that would have severely restricted non-farm youth involved in FFA and 4-H programs from working with any livestock for the purposes of agriculture education.

Contact: MacKenzie Bailey, 203-545-3909, mackenzie@oeffa.org

As the Ohio legislature discusses proposals that address the controversial practice of “fracking” today, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) argues that the state needs strong regulations to protect the health and well-being of our rural communities.

Currently the legislature is considering Senate Bill 315, which modifies Ohio’s current shale gas drilling regulations. While the bill does make some changes, there is a need for improvement.  For example, the bill now requires a company to disclose chemicals; however, it is only required to report after the completion of a drilling operation and the company can withhold the names of proprietary components in the drilling fluid.

OEFFA, a 3,000 member food and farm advocacy organization, urges Governor Kasich and Ohio legislators to protect our growing sustainable farming communities, small business owners, and rural landowners by incorporating these three specific areas as it looks to regulate the industry:

• Requiring full public disclosure of chemicals by name used in fracking prior to injection in order to protect the health of Ohioans and help to establish clear lines of traceability if contamination were to occur;

• Establishing opportunities for citizen participation by making the permitting process transparent and giving landowners more advance notice and adequate opportunities to comment or appeal a decision; and

• Increasing control at the local level. Ohio law currently gives “sole and exclusive” authority to the state over permitting for oil and gas projects.  This undermines the rights of local government and property owners to determine the future of their communities.

“Sustainable agriculture supports the long-term economic health of our rural communities.  Opportunities for short-term economic prosperity should not and cannot come at the expense of our natural resources,” said MacKenzie Bailey, policy coordinator for OEFFA, “Ohio needs stronger regulations to protect our air, soil, and water and our communities to preserve the integrity of our food and farming systems for generations to come.”

Fracking is a process that uses water, sand, and toxic chemicals injected at high pressure into deep underground shale formations to create explosions that crack the rock and release natural gas.  It poses a potential risk of contamination to our natural resources, which are essential to a thriving food and farming community. Little is known about the long-term impacts of fracking.

Air pollution, and in particular increased levels of ozone, can result in lower crop yields in soybeans, spinach, tomatoes, beans, alfalfa, and other forages. Livestock are attracted to the toxic and salty brine used in fracking and are particularly vulnerable if there is contamination of soil or water.

There are nearly 600 certified organic operations in Ohio and much of the organic pasture and cropland is located in areas of the state containing shale deposits. Water and soil contamination resulting from fracking could jeopardize a farmer or rancher’s organic certification.

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About OEFFA

The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association is a non-profit organization founded in 1979 and is a coalition of farmers, gardeners, consumers, retailers, researchers, and educators who share a desire to build a healthy, sustainable food system. For more than 30 years, OEFFA has used education, advocacy, and grassroots organizing to promote local and organic food systems, helping farmers and consumers reconnect and together build a sustainable food system, one meal at a time. For more information, go to www.oeffa.org.

Battle Over Farmers’ Rights Against Monsanto Continues to Brew: Farmers File Appeal

On March 28, in Federal District Court in Manhattan, family farmers filed their Notice of Appeal to Judge Naomi Buchwald’s February 24th ruling dismissing Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association et al v. Monsanto. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will hear the farmers’ appeal, seeking to reinstate the case, which has received worldwide attention.

The farmers and organizations involved, including the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA), are determined to move forward with their lawsuit challenging Monsanto’s patents on genetically engineered seed technologies in order to continue their pursuit of Declaratory Judgment Act court protection from Monsanto’s claims of patent infringement should their crops become contaminated by Monsanto’s seed.

“Farmers have the right to protect themselves from being falsely accused of patent infringement by Monsanto before they are contaminated by Monsanto’s transgenic seed,” said Dan Ravicher, Executive Director of the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT), a not-for-profit legal services organization based at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law that represents the plaintiffs. “Judge Buchwald erred by denying plaintiffs that right and they have now initiated the process of having her decision reversed.”

The original complaint in OSGATA et al v. Monsanto was filed on March 29, 2011. In July, Monsanto filed a motion to dismiss. Plaintiff lawyers at PUBPAT then filed a rebuttal brief on August 11, 2011. Judge Buchwald called for oral argument on the motion to dismiss, which was held in Manhattan on January 31, 2012.  The judge’s dismissal ruling was issued February 24th and plaintiffs were given thirty days in which to file their Notice of Appeal.

The plaintiff/appellant group is comprised of individual family farmers, small and family-owned seed companies, and agricultural organizations. They are all organic or committed to farming without using genetically engineered seeds, and have no desire to ever farm with Monsanto’s patented GMO technology.  However, they are fearful that Monsanto seed will trespass onto their farms and that the resulting contamination of their crops will be viewed by Monsanto as illegal ‘possession’ resulting in patent infringement allegations.

Monsanto’s harassment of family farmers is well known in farm country, the biotech seed and chemical giant has one of the most aggressive patent assertion records in U.S. history. Between 1997 and 2010, Monsanto admits to filing 144 lawsuits against America’s family farmers, while settling another 700 cases out of court for undisclosed amounts and imposing gag orders on farmers. The farmers’ fears were heightened when Monsanto refused to provide a legally binding covenant not to sue, signaling Monsanto’s intention to maintain their option to sue innocent family farmers in the future.

The appellants in the suit represented by PUBPAT are: Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association; Organic Crop Improvement Association International, Inc. (OCIA); Food Democracy Now!; The Cornucopia Institute; Demeter Association, Inc.; Navdanya International; Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association; Northeast Organic Farming Association/Massachusetts Chapter, Inc.; Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont; Rural Vermont; Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association; Southeast Iowa Organic Association; Mendocino Organic Network (California); Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance; Canadian Organic Growers; Family Farmer Seed Cooperative; Sustainable Living Systems (Montana); Global Organic Alliance; Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund; Weston A. Price Foundation; Center for Food Safety; Beyond Pesticides; Northeast Organic Farming Association of Rhode Island; Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire; Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut; Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York; Western Organic Dairy Producers Alliance; Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (Wisconsin); Midwest Organic Dairy Producers Alliance; Florida Organic Growers; Peace River Organic Producers Association (Alberta and British Columbia); FEDCO Seeds, Inc. (Maine); Adaptive Seeds, LLC (Oregon); Sow True Seed (North Carolina); Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (Virginia); Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds (Saskatchewan); Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., LLC (Missouri); Comstock, Ferre & Co. LLC (Connecticut); Seedkeepers, LLC (California); Siskiyou Seeds (Oregon); Countryside Organics (Virginia); Cuatro Puertas (New Mexico); Seed We Need (Montana), Wild Garden Seed (Oregon); Alba Ranch (Kansas); Wild Plum Farm (Montana); Gratitude Gardens (Washington); Richard Everett Farm, LLC (Nebraska); Philadelphia Community Farm, Inc. (Wisconsin); Genesis Farm (New Jersey); Chispas Farms, LLC (New Mexico); Midheaven Farms (Minnesota); Koskan Farms (South Dakota); California Cloverleaf Farms; North Outback Farm (North Dakota); Taylor Farms, Inc. (Utah); Ron Gargasz Organic Farms (Pennsylvania); Abundant Acres (Missouri); T & D Willey Farms (California); Quinella Ranch (Saskatchewan); Nature’s Way Farm, Ltd. (Alberta); Levke and Peter Eggers Farm (Alberta); Frey Vineyards, Ltd. (California); Bryce Stephens (Kansas); Chuck Noble (South Dakota); LaRhea Pepper (Texas); Paul Romero (New Mexico); Donald Wright Patterson, Jr. (Virginia); Common Good Farm; LLC (Nebraska); American Buffalo Company (Nebraska; Full Moon Farm, Inc. (Vermont); Radiance Dairy (Iowa); Brian L. Wickert (Wisconsin); Bruce Drinkman (Wisconsin); and Murray Bast (Ontario).

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The Ohio Ecological Food and 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.