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September: Valley Organic Growers News and Information

September 12th, 2015

Filed under Community, Featured, Food and Wine, Hotchkiss, News, Paonia

Fork in fence post

September: Valley Organic Growers News and Information

USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) Grant and loan training

Sep 17, Meeker, 9am-1pm

From the USDA:

25% Grant for cost of purchase and installation of energy efficiency improvements or renewable energy improvements on a commercial building.

Loan Guarantees are also available.

Typical efficiency improvements may include:
HVAC
Lighting
Motors/compressors
Refrigerators/freezers/coolers
Windows
Insulation
Doors

Eligible applicants:
Small Businesses
Farmers and Ranchers
For-Profit Cooperative Organizations such as Rural Electrics, Credit Unions, or others

All improvements are to be made on commercial buildings or processes. Residential properties are not eligible in this program.

Project must be located in a rural area, population 50,000 or less. This is the link to the eligibility project location lookup:

Meeker Library
490 Main Street
Meeker, CO 81641

9 AM – 1 PM
Thursday, September 17, 2015
RSVP: Joe Livingston

This training is free, but space is limited, please RSVP so we can make the right amount of copies. If for some reason you cannot attend, then please cancel so someone else can attend.

RSVP with this information:
Name
Organization
Phone
E-mail contact

Grant/Loan Training

Biodynamic Farming Workshop

Sep 19, 10am-2pm, Sustainable Settings

Jim Fullmer of Demeter USA is coming to teach a special small intensive course on Biodynamic farming here on the 19th. He is looking for practitioners that are ready to look into this: farmers and ranchers, food processors, etc., less so folks that are “kind of interested” in the subject.

This is for cannabis growers too who are ready to shift to biodynamics and take advantage of the growing market for Demeter certified products.

Having Jim here for this emphasis is a rare opportunity for our area.

Tickets: $35 on Brown Paper Tickets.

Sustainable Agriculture, Razorback Style

Article by Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education

Eight extension educators were recently challenged to assess the strengths and weaknesses of sustainable agriculture practices on a tour of Arkansas farms sponsored by the SARE/NACAA Fellows program.

During the tour, SARE Fellows used the Reading the Farm training tool to conduct in-depth analyses on North Pulaski Farm, an organic vegetable and fruit farm north of Little Rock. Reading the Farm looks at farms as whole systems to assess how economic, environmental, and social factors interconnect and influence farmer decision-making.

“Even though I’m a livestock specialist, I could see how the concepts of sustainability apply across all types of agricultural enterprises,” said SARE Fellow Susan Kerr, northwest livestock and dairy regional specialist at Washington State University.

Hosted by the University of Arkansas, the tour also included visits to several other agricultural production systems.

“The Reading the Farm exercise completely changed my perspective relative to assessing the social and economic aspects of farming sustainability,” said SARE Fellow Patrick Byers, regional horticulture specialist with University of Missouri Extension. “This tool has already benefited me in my programming efforts with farmers in Missouri.”

The SARE/NACAA Fellows program—sponsored by USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) and the National Association of County Agricultural Agents(NACAA)—enables extension agents to travel nationwide to better understand sustainable agriculture and inform their programming back home.

Food Patriots

Sep 21, Paradise Theatre, 6pm – FREE

Food Patriots Documentary Trailer
Join Downtown Colorado, Inc. (DCI), the Colorado Health Foundation, VOGA, Slow Food Western Slope and Valley Food Partnership for a special, free screening ofFood Patriots!

Food Patriots begins with a wake up call: filmmakers Jeff Spitz and Jennifer Amdur Spitz’s son got sick eating chicken contaminated with a superbug, and antibiotics failed. The film chronicles the family’s newfound interest in food sources, getting outlaw chickens, and meeting people from all walks of life who are trying to change the way Americans eat food, buy food, and educate the next generation of consumers. They call the people who are doing this Food Patriots.

Event Details
6:00 – 6:30pm: Reception with Local Appetizers from the North Fork Valley
6:30 – 6:40 pm: Welcome and opening remarks by a representative from DCI
6:40 – 7:45 pm: Film Screening: “Food Patriots”
7:45 – 8:30 pm: Dessert and a Community Conversation with Moderators: Elaine Brett, President, Friends of the Paradise Theater and Michelle Amiott, Development Director, Valley Food Partnership featuring representatives from Slow Food Western Slope, Teens on Farms, Local Farmacy Rx and the Valley Organic Growers Association, Western Colorado Community Foundation

Let us know that you’re coming via this evite link!

spring 2015 flyer pdf

 

9-15 Gambles Setember Pumpkin.indd

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