GGFN ANNOUNCEMENT: Gorge Grown Farmers' Market Update

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY: The Dalles Farmers' Market is Looking for Volunteers

JOB: Klickitat County Health Department is hiring!

EVENT: Half-Day Farm Life Summer Daycamp for Kids in Hood River

FARM TOUR: Conway Family Farms - Camas, WA - JUNE 12th

EVENT: Temple Grandin in Seattle - June 18

GRANT: Organic Transitions Grants Now Available

WORKSHOP: Planning for Profit:  A Self-Paced Workshop on Using Farm Financial Planning and Direct Marketing to Increase Your Bottom Line

REPORT: USDA Evaluating Small Meat and Poultry Processing Needs

ARTICLE: Local-foods movement gaining ground, but can it go mainstream?

ARTICLE: Rural Businesses Grow Faster Together

Summer is here and the produce is coming on!!  Come get some fresh asparagus, strawberries, salad greens and more at the Gorge Grown Farmers’ Market this week on Thursday from 4-7pm at the HR Middle School.  Hot tamales are back and will warm your belly as we get through this last bit of Spring showers.  Fresh pies, granola, spring rolls, breads, cut flowers and so much more are waiting for you also. 

The Gorge Grown Farmers’ Market is accepting SNAP Food Stamp cards again as well as Debit cards.  We have picnic blankets waiting for you and your family to come have a relaxing dinner on while you listen to some great live music and enjoy the Children’s Activity.  See ya at the Market!

This week:
Music – Paul Blackburn
Children’s Activity – Little Feet Co-op Preschool

Upcoming Music:
July 17- Jamba Marimba
July 24 – Market Music Jam
July 1 – Spruce Baugher

Do you love being at the market and experiencing the joy of our community coming together to celebrate the bounty of the season?  The market management is asking YOU to join a team of
dedicated volunteers to assist with the planning and operations of the market this summer.

The season will run from June 5 – Oct 9 every Saturday at the City Park in The Dalles (Union and E. 5th St, downtown) from 9am - 2pm .  Please contact the Farmers’ Market Manager, Audrey Roberts at thedallesfarmersmarket@yahoo.com with any questions or interest.  Thanks for making the 2010
season a fabulous one for the whole community!!!  See ya at the market...

Community Health Promoter position at the Klickitat County Health Department. This is an AmeriCorps position made available through the Washington Service Corps in partnership with the Washington Health Foundation. It is open to candidates available for full time work between September 1, 2010 and July 15, 2011.  Deadline to apply is July 15, 2010.

For more information and a full job description please contact Meghann Dallin at meghannd@co.klickitat.was.us or 509-493-6234.  http://www.klickitatcounty.org/Health

The popular Farm Life Programs continue with  Half-day Farm Life Summer Daycamp for Kids at The History Museum of Hood River County on fieldtrips in April, May, and June.  

535 kids visited
 
610 kids were visited by Museum volunteers in their classrooms. 
 
Why should YOUR kids miss out?  
  
Upcoming Educational Events:

Tasty Homemade Fun
1st  2nd graders
Tuesday, June 15

What About Dirt?
4th  5th graders
Wednesday, June 16
 
My Big Fat Green Thumb
4th  5th graders
Thursday, June 17
 
Quack-Quack Moo!
Kindergarteners
Tuesday, July 20
 
Creepy Crawlies
2nd  3rd graders
Thursday, August 5
 
Read more about these fun programs at: Farm Life Daycamp for Kids

Questions?  Call the Museum and ask for Ellie: 541-386-6772

Join us for a tour of Conway Family Farms (http://www.conwayfamilyfarm.com/) located in Camas on June 12th.  This lovely 5-acre farm is home to goats, sheep, and chickens and the wonderful Conway family.  Visitors will have the opportunity to see manure composting, rotational grazing, irrigated pastures, runoff management, and discuss with the landowners how they make it all work.  Additionally, you will be able to visit their lavender and blueberry fields, the farm store, and the new cheese making facility. 

We will also discuss the Conway's farm business and look at how they were able to generate income from their farm property.The tour begins at 10 am and runs until 12 noon and participants meet at the property in Camas.  Directions will be e-mailed after participants register.  The Small Acreage Program, co-sponsored by Washington State University Clark County Extension, the Clark County Clean Water Program, and the Clark Conservation District, will lead the tour with the landowners.
 
Registration is free, but tour size is limited.  Register online here: 
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/June2010tour  or by contacting Erin: e-mail erin.harwood@clark.wa.gov or call 360-397-6060 ext. 7720. 

Friday, June 18, 2010
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)
2700 24th Ave East, Seattle, WA   
 
Please join Food Alliance for a very special evening with Dr. Temple Grandin, whose insights into animal behavior are revolutionizing the livestock industry, from the farm all the way to the processing facility.

Program:
5:00 – Reception featuring Washington State wines and a variety of delectable  “small plates”  made with local Food Alliance Certified products

6:30 – Inspiration from Food Alliance Certified ranchers, farmers, processors, and distributors allied in values-based supply chains, featuring:
* Country Natural Beef (Food Alliance Certified producer)
* Fulton Provision (Food Alliance Certified processor and distributor)
* Pure Country Pork (Food Alliance Certified producer

* Wilcox Family Farms (Food Alliance Certified producer & processor)

* Special Guest: Laurie Demeritt, President, The Hartman Group
 

7:30 – Keynote presentation by Dr. Temple Grandin, followed by a book signing
8:00 – Special courtesy showing of the HBO film, Temple Grandin starring Claire Danes

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is pleased to announce the release of the FY 2010 Request for Applications (RFA) for the Integrated Research, Education, and extension Competitive Grants Program - Organic Transitions (ORG). The overall goal of the ORG is to support the development and implementation of research, extension and higher education programs to improve the competitiveness of organic livestock and crop producers, as well as those who are adopting organic practices.

Qualifications: In FY 2010, ORG will focus on environmental services provided by organic farming systems that support soil conservation and contribute to climate change mitigation. Practices and systems to be addressed include those associated with organic crops, organic animal production (including dairy), and organic systems integrating plant and animal production.

<http://www.nifa.usda.gov/fo/organictransitionsprogram.cfm>

Deadline: July 1, 2010 at 5pm EST.

If you are a farmer or rancher looking to increase your farm profitability, expand into new direct or semi-direct markets or increase your existing direct market sales, this workshop is for you! 

How the workshop works:
· Participants Register for the Workshop On-Line or by Mail
     ($10 for RR members; $15 non-members)
· Participants receive, by mail, workshop educational materials
· Participants receive workshop instructions, presentations and assignments
     via the web (for those with high speed internet)
     or on CD-rom (for those with dial-up or slower internet service)
· Participants can request up review of assignments and feedback from trainers (up to one hour of assistance) between June 15 - Sept. 1, 2010.

Topics covered in presentations, assignments and educational materials:

Components of a Successful Farm Business
· Goal-Based Decision Making
· Identifying and Addressing the Weakness in your Farming Operation
· Developing a Financial Plan
· Monitoring to Ensure Profit

Tools for Successful Direct Marketing
· Profitable Marketing Strategies
· Assessing the Market Potential of Your Product
· Maximizing Your Sales
· Identifying and Managing Legal Risks

Understanding the Regulatory Environment
· Food Safety & Good Agricultural Practices
· On-Farm Labor

Workshop Trainers: 
- Diane Green, Greentree Naturals, Sandpoint Idaho (Direct Marketing, Understanding the Regulatory Environment)
- Craig Madsen, Healing Hooves, Edwall, WA (Financial Planning, Holistic Management)

Cost:  $10 for Rural Roots members; $15 for non-members.  Registration fee includes all workshop educational materials (valued at over five times the price of the workshop!); presentations, assignments and up to one hour of assistance from workshop trainers (via email).

Registration is by farm/family/business and fee is the same regardless of number of participants registering from a particular farm/family/business.  One packet of educational materials will be sent the registration address. Please indicate names of all people who will be participating in the workshop on the registration form.  Thank you!

Register Now for this Self-Paced Workshop <http://www.ruralroots.org/Programs/PlanningForProfitForm2010.aspx>

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a preliminary study revealing
existing gaps in the regional food systems regarding the availability of
slaughter facilities to small meat and poultry producers. The study by
USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is a first attempt to
identify areas in the U.S. where small livestock and poultry producers are
concentrated but may not have access to a nearby slaughter facility. The
data creates a county-by-county view of the continental United States,
indicating the concentration of small farms raising cattle, hogs and pigs,
and chicken, and also noting the location of nearby state slaughter
facilities and small and very small federal slaughter establishments.

The presentation "Slaughter Availability to Small Livestock and Poultry Producers - Maps" may be found at:  http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/KYF_maps-050410_FOR_RELEASE.pdf."

By: Christina Le Beau May 31, 2010
Source: ChicagoBusiness.com

Agriculture is Illinois' largest industry, generating more than $9 billion a year from commodities like corn, soybeans and hogs and another $13.4 billion in food processing, which happens to be the state's largest manufacturing activity. So why does 96% of the food eaten in Illinois come from elsewhere?

That's the question at the core of legislation signed by Gov. Pat Quinn last year. The Local Food, Farms and Jobs Act is basically a stimulus package aimed at increasing the amount of local food bought and consumed in Illinois.

The legislation — via a series of new state purchasing rules and other incentives — seeks to increase local-food purchasing to between 10% and 20% of total food consumption by 2020 and to recruit and train 20,000 state residents to work in agriculture.

"This is not about being a radical locavore or being a survivalist. It's about looking at every possible opportunity to enhance the local-food economy," says Wes Jarrell. A fruit and dairy farmer and natural resources professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he chaired the task force behind the legislation. "You can keep regional and national and global lines open, too. You just shouldn't assume you have to get all your food from somewhere else."

Continue reading here: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/article.pl?articleId=33464

Rural businesses grow bigger and faster when they are closer together. In Vermont, a cluster of food-related businesses is thriving. The state needs to make sure this group of businesses has access to skilled workers.

By Stuart Rosenfeld, 06/07/2010
Source: DailyYonder.com

We all know about the farms and ranches in Iowa, California and Texas. But you don’t have to be in Vermont for too many days before realizing that this state has a substantial cluster of businesses that raise, process, package and sell local foods.

Though the second smallest state in population, Vermont stands head and shoulders above every other state based on its per capita concentrations of local farms, CSAs (community supported agriculture), organic farms, and farmers markets. This is important because groups of related businesses — clusters — are now thought to be essential for economic growth.

Continue reading here:                                                                          http://www.dailyyonder.com/rural-businesses-grow-faster-together/2010/06/06/2780