Extension recognizes GardenShare

Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County recognized GardenShare with the 2016 Friend of Extension Award at the Association's Annual Dinner Meeting on October 13th.  Extension Director, Patrick Ames, sited Gardenshare's unwavering commitment to fight hunger and improve local access to healthy foods across St. Lawrence County.  

Pictured from left to right is Patrick Ames, Carol Pynchon, Gardenshare Board President, Carlene Doane, GardenShare Associate Director and Sandy Stauffer, GardenShare Board Member.

HALLOWEEN FACTS FOR TRICK OR TREATERS

41.1 million: The estimated number of potential trick-or-treaters in 2015 — children ages 5 to 14 — across the U.S.

37,128: The number of people employed by U.S. manufacturing establishments that produced chocolate and cocoa products in 2014. This industry’s value of shipments totaled $16.0 billion, up from $15.2 billion in 2013.

17,815: The number of people employed by U.S. manufacturing establishments that produced nonchocolate confectionary products. This industry’s value of shipments totaled $8.2 billion in 2014.

40,900: The number of acres of pumpkins harvested in the U.S. in 2015, with a total estimated production value of $90.2 million. Of the top six pumpkin-producing states, Illinois led the country by producing an estimated 318.0 million pounds of this vined gourd, followed by California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York.

Sustainable food and farming online classes

Study Sustainable Food and Farming at UMass Amherst

Registration is now open for our winter online classes in Sustainable Food and Farming.  These college credits may be used to meet the requirements for our 15-credit Certificate or our 60-credit fully online Associate of Sciences degree in Sustainable Food and Farming.  UMass credits also transfer to other colleges.   

Here are the courses we are offering during the 4-week winter term. 

Winter Term (December 27 - January 21, 2017)

• STOCKSCH 100 – Botany for Gardeners 
• STOCKSCH 119 – Backyard Homesteading
• STOCKSCH 297 FL – Intro to Food and Agricultural Law (new)
• STOCKSCH 355 – Community Food Systems
• STOCKSCH 354 – Non-profit Management for Community Food Programs
• STOCKSCH 397FV – Post-harvest Handling of Fruits and Vegetables

For information about the online degree programs, see: 
https://stockbridge.cns.umass.edu/SFF-Certificate

Farmers Market Fridays

A guest blog post today from SLU student, Julia Callahan, who has been interning at GardenShare this fall, on the last day for the Canton Farmers Market...

"Fridays are for farming and the farmers market. After a morning of harvesting a littleGrasse Foodworks bounty for the Friday CSA share, I hop on my two wheels and head to meet Jen at the farmers market. I delight in the transition of a harvest morning into an afternoon of vibrant vegetable displays, the farmers who created it, and the people who come to interact with their farmers and vegetables. It is weekly reminder of the importance of the North Country Community.

"I have been working at the farmers markets on Fridays through a Gardenshare internship. My job is to convert SNAP benefits or debit/credit money into EBT chips or 5$ debit/credit coins. This transaction has allowed me to interact with many people who share in the same appreciation for the farmers markets. When you choose to go to the farmers market, you are choosing an experience. When you exchange money for a butternut squash or a bundle of kale, you are buying a dinner that will be thoughtfully prepared and very humbly eaten. Gardenshare allows for the farmers market to be a CHOICE and an option for people due to the doubling of SNAP benefits. Because of this, the market can be accessible to a spectrum of community members.

"I remember one day I turned to Jen after a pleasant conversation with a community member and thought 'No one is ever upset or stressed or rude at the farmers market.' This space, created by a community of farmers, volunteers, and community members who support it, fosters such a positive environment. I love when people come back to the tent, elated by a purchase of a quart of ground cherry tomatoes, or bag donuts, or some white raspberries and we can share in this excitement. I understand! I get excited about good vegetables too! These are a few of my favorite farmers market things!"

Livestock conference in two weeks

Thoughts from a local farmer

A guest blog entry today, from Dan Kent of Kent Family Growers, with some thoughts on farming...

"Words are perceived to be stolen sometimes. Some small farmers feel that 'Organic' has been purloined by certified mega-farms who have perverted the word to meet their evil corporate needs. I don’t feel this way, but discussions around this issue have posited a thought-worthy idea, where small, 'real' organic farmers abandon 'organic' and adopt a more meaningful word. 

"'Durable' was suggested. Though you’re not going to catch me saying, 'Me? I’m a durable farmer' or 'Yup, all our produce is certified durable,' I find the word to be packed with layers of meaning worth digging into. A close cousin to another word that gets tossed around in our world, 'sustainable,' durable connotes something about the people involved in keeping a small farm going through the years. Two stories have developed here this year that highlight this.

"I sold our draft horses earlier this year. After several years where I was using our horse team less and less for farm work, allowing tractors to replace them, I managed to find a young, idealistic vegetable farmer to buy them and put their unique skills to use on a farm in the Rochester area. Great, until an e-mail arrives after only three months where the fellow says, 'I’m selling the horses, the equipment and getting out of farming, do you want them back?' (after answering no, he then finds another young, idealist to take them). On the heels of this exchange comes a call from the family to whom we sold our previous farm in Depeyster, NY. This family bought our old farm six years ago with a great deal of back-to-the-land fervor motivating them. Our organic certification, our use of horses, the orchard we had planted, all gave them the idea that they could step in and carry on what we had begun and realize their dream of being self-sufficient rural folk. After a bit of perfunctory small talk, the caller says, “We’re selling the farm. Do you know anyone who wants to buy it?”. The difficulties associated with heating with wood, weeding a home garden, snow removal, etc. had worn them out in 6 years and they were hoping to flee to the Albany area before snowfly.

"I would love to see some numbers on how many small farm enterprises begin, versus how many last for more than a few years. It likely compares well to the rate at which many types of rural enterprises succeed and fail. However, I feel that there is something different with the would-be farmers where their bright, shining idea of agriculture runs into the hard realities of actually doing it. To put it as simply as possible, I think it's the way their ideals overpower the need for a business plan. Idealism is a powerful force in America. We celebrate many great advances in our society borne of those with with high ideals. Less acknowledged are the many ideals that lie dead or dying along the trail to a more perfect union. Let’s give these folks a hand for trying though. I think they serve us all by keeping a general spirit of advancement alive and end up giving real support to those of us who do manage to be durable."

POLICY CHANGES COULD REDUCE CHILDREN’S FOOD INSECURITY

Replacing the maximum SNAP allotment with a benefit that reflects the real cost of a healthy diet, expanding WIC eligibility to age 6, and maintaining the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the National School Lunch (NSLP) and Breakfast Programs (SBP) may effectively address the needs of many families who experience food insecurity and increase access to healthy options, according to a new policy brief released by Children's HealthWatch. Using simulation modeling techniques, researchers looked at three policy changes currently being debated in Congress. By replacing the Thrifty Food Plan with the Low-Cost Plan, they found that 5.3% of SNAP-participant families with children who are currently food insecure would become fully food secure over the course of one year. If WIC’s age eligibility rose to 6, food insecurity among WIC-eligible 5-year-olds and their families would drop by 1.5% reduction; this means 13,208 families would become fully food secure in the first year of the study.

Source: Children’s Health Watch,  10/10/16, Children's Food Insecurity