Appetizers – May 1, 2013

Redifer Commons Local Foods Dinner – Media Pre-Coverage and Organizer Followup

(From Rachel Hoh)

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Local meal in the news!…Congrats, everyone! Looks like 101 students chose to purchase the local meal. A great success! We distributed surveys at the meal in regards to student interest in local food options in the dining halls and pricing they’d be willing to pay for such options. I’ll be working for the Sustainability Institute this summer and my first goal is to compile this data and preparing a report detailing this meal, summarizing the survey data, and discussing “lessons learned” and “plans for next year.”

May 1- Sign Up Deadline for State College Young Professionals May 4 Local Beer Tour

(From Jens Breffke of Centre County Black Hops Unit Homebrew Club)

The State College Young Professionals are organizing a bus tour that will hit Troeg’s, Lancaster Brewing,Appalachian Brewing Company and Al’s of Hampden on Saturday, May 4. Start will be 10 a.m. from the Weis’ parking lot on North Atherton and tickets are $40 ($35 for SCYP Members) and need to get purchased by May 1. More information and tickets available here.

May 2 – College Township Backyard Chickens Ordinance at Council Meeting

(From Scott Stilson of the College Township Backyard Hens Initiative)

We’re on the agenda at the Council meeting on May 2 at 7 p.m.! This meeting and the one after it are the one to attend. Please come if you want the ordinance to pass. And if you can’t make it…

1. If you know someone who legally keeps chickens in another local municipality, please invite them and their neighbors to come.
2. If you haven’t written Council yet on the subject of backyard hens, please do! Just send an email.
3. If you’ve already written Council on the subject but can think of another angle, write them again (briefly)!

May 2 – FossilFree National Day of Action

• More info about the fossil fuel divestment campaign, planned demonstrations, etc. Nothing is scheduled at Penn State yet, but information is available there about how to organize an event.

Thru May 3 – Online Forum on Vegetables, Flowers and Grains

(From Sophia Ackoff of National Young Farmers Coalition)

On our newly launched Farmer Forum, National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) is creating a space for conversation among farmers across the country to troubleshoot farm problems, discuss policy, and share information and opportunities.

This week (April 29 – May 3) Paul Gallione of Johnny’s Selected Seeds will be answering questions on the topic: Vegetables, Flowers and Grains. Head on over to the Forum here to ask any and all questions you have on seedling care, varieties, germination issues, planting, growing under cover, etc.

Paul has 40 years of farming experience, a degree in agronomy, and currently grows hoop house tomatoes, strawberries, and sweet corn, along with a mix of other vegetables and flowers in Waldo, Maine. He serves as Technical Services Technician at Johnny’s, (i.e. he responds to customer technical growing questions and maintains the technical information available to customers!) Paul will be first in a series of “experts” on the forum, bringing you diverse contributors to offer expert advice, in addition to the 24/7 experience and knowledge of your peers!

May 3 – Fun Spring Sewing Classes Starting at Contempo in Boalsburg

(From Amy Frank)

• The Studio at Contempo E-Newsletter – April 24 Edition - ”Frock in Four” and “Young Designers Club” starting soon.

News from PASA

PASA E-Newsletter – April 25 Edition:

• May 4 - Vegetable Growers Open House - North Central Region – Stillwater, Dancing Hen Farm
• May 18 - Stalking Wild Edibles - South Central Region – Boiling Springs, Dickinson College Farm

News from Way Fruit Farm in Port Matilda

Way Fruit Farm E-Newsletter - April 26 Edition, including:

• May 8 & May 9 – Kid’s Bakery Workshop for Mother’s Day. 5 – 7 p.m. in the Way Cafe. Cost is $10 per child. “You will get to measure, mix, stir and taste-test your way to homemade goodies for Mother’s Day.”
• May 11 – Apple Blossom Festival – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

May 11 – Wild Edible & Medicinal Herb Walk in Millheim

(From Kat Alden)

Turn your weeding time into a foraging feast! Penns Valley Learning Garden will present a workshop on “Weed Identification and their Edible and Medicinal Uses” Saturday May 11 from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm. Join renowned herbalist Jennifer Tucker as she walks you through the Penn’s Valley Learning Garden’s herb beds identifying common garden weeds that are edible, medicinal or both. Bring your garden weeds for identification. You may be able to harvest a crop before you plant your first seeds! Jennifer Tucker has been studying and teaching wild edible and medicinal workshops for over three decades. This workshop is free and open to the public and is the first in a monthly series focusing on medicinal plants. The Penns Valley Learning Garden is located at the American Legion Post 444 on Route 45 in Millheim. For more information, contact Kat Alden.

May 11 – Orders due for Chilean Wine Grapes

(From Darrell Furfaro at Nittany Valley True-Value in Bellefonte)

Attached please find an order sheet for several varieties of Chilean Grapes and Juice. Wine Grape Order Form. If I have sufficient orders, I will make the trip to provide you with these quality imported products. Juices will be in sealed 6 gallon containers.  Fresh grapes will be in 18 lb. lugs. Frozen Grapes are also available in 55 lb. lugs – these are crushed and destemmed.  Prices include transportation cost.

I will be picking up Grapes and Juices sometime between May 15 and May 31 (they will be arriving in port approximately May 15.)  I will call you with the pickup date of your order.  All orders must be prepaid by May 11! (Note: 15 pounds of grapes yields approximately 1 gallon of wine.)

May 18 - The Science of Soils Workshop in Millheim

(From Kat Alden)

The Penn’s Valley Learning Garden will present this workshop on Saturday, May 18 from 11:00 a.m.  to 12:00 p.m. at the Millheim Outdoor Farmers Market, located at the American Legion Post 444 on Route 45. Join soil scientist Yuri Plowden and Master Gardener Warren Leitzel as they team up to bring you the research and practical knowledge needed to locate, test and prepare your garden for a bountiful harvest. Learn how to access soil maps online and why and how soils are formed. Learn how to test for soil acidity and take home a Ph test kit.  Get answers to your questions on how to have healthy, fertile soils for gardening. At 12:30 kids and parents are invited to see what a soil scientist sees when she digs a hole. Come prepared to get your hands dirty as we dig for clay and make clay balls. For more information, contact Kat Alden.

June 7 – Silvopasture Field Day in McVeytown

(From Tracey Coulter)

9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, June 7, 2013 at Wahler Farm, 1384 Sugar Valley Rd. McVeytown, PA

Silvopasturing is an important new agroforestry system for the Northeast that allows for the sustainable production of timber, forages and livestock on the same land.  Silvopasturing differs from past grazing practices in wooded areas in that the livestock and timber are intensively managed to achieve the desired objectives in a sustainable manner.  New fencing systems, a better understanding of animal behavior, and the evolution of “management intensive grazing” practices have enabled the successful implementation of silvopasturing in the Northeast to provide significant environmental and economic benefits.

In this intensive one-day course, Brett Chedzoy, and Peter Smallidge will teach participants the basic steps and skills needed to evaluate, plan for and implement silvopasture projects on their own land or land that they manage for others. Throughout the day, Norm Conrad and Christopher Lent with the National Center for Appropriate Technology will provide an on-site demonstration of solar- powered fencing and pumps, and information about how NCAT can assist farmers with Sustainable Energy, Farm Energy, Sustainable Agriculture, Information Technology or Business Services needs.

The workshop offers a full day of hands-on instruction and will begin at 9:00 AM and adjourn at 4:00 PM. A registration fee of $10 is payable by check to the Mifflin County Conservation District. Registration includes lunch and training materials.  The course will be taught outdoors rain or shine, in silvopasture settings, so please dress for the weather.  Graziers, foresters and agency personnel are especially encouraged to attend. 5.0 Category 1 CEU credits pending for SAF Certified Foresters™. Silvopasture Registration. Participants are encouraged to watch the archived webinar on silvopasturing prior to the course.

June 22 – Spring Creek Homesteading Tabling at Summer’s Best Music Fest in State College

(From Josh Lambert)

Spring Creek Homesteading Fund will have a table at this year’s Summer’s Best Music Fest.  We would like to invite former workshop instructors, former workshop students, and others that have participated in a homesteading event to help us table.  The event runs from 12 pm – 8 pm on June 22.  Our table will be part of the Calder Way “Community Corridor” which highlights organizations that support the local community.

We would like to get pairs of volunteers to sit for two-hour shifts.  The idea would be for you to help us hand out SCHF literature, answer questions based on your experience, and basically help us show others in the community the impact that SCHF is having toward furthering local community resilience, and having fun doing it.  There is no hard sell.  If you are interested and can help out, that would be great.  Please contact Josh Lambert (237-0996) to sign-up for a time slot.

April 29 – Green Leases Project Update Given to Borough Sustainability Committee in State College

(From Rob Andrejewski)

Undergraduate students in Penn State’s Green Leases Project (Geog 493) presented their findings on energy efficiency in rental units in the State College Borough at a meeting in the Borough Building on April 29. The presentation was framed as the following landlord-tenant conundrum: while many landlords and tenants are interested in improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emission, tenants are reluctant to invest in rental property and landlords are reluctant to invest when their tenants pay the energy costs. The presentation described the activities of the students in the project during this term, the greatest challenges to reform, and presented recommendations moving forward for the tenants, landlords, the Borough and the University. This was the first semester of a four semester project to address this issue.  (Blog Editor’s Note: More info to be posted when available.)

Michele Marchetti on CSAs

• StateCollege.com: Go to the Farm, Learn the Benefits of Community Supported Agriculture

Spring Creek Homesteading News

• Spring Creek Homesteading E-Newsletter – April 24 Edition

County Community Bill of Rights Passed in Mora County, New Mexico

(From CELDF)

NEW MEXICO: The County Commission of Mora County, located in Northeastern New Mexico, became the first county in the United States to pass an ordinance banning all oil and gas extraction. Drafted with assistance from CELDF, the Mora County Community Water Rights and Local Self-Government Ordinance establishes a local Bill of Rights – including a right to clean air and water, a right to a healthy environment, and the rights of nature – while prohibiting activities which would interfere with those rights, including oil drilling and hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” for shale gas. Read more.

JOB: Part Time Job Opening at Tait Farm

Part-time retail sales position at Tait Farm Harvest Shop: Flexible schedule, including weekends. No evenings. Call 814-466-3411 or e-mail  for more details.

JOB: Community Garden Manager at University of Maryland

(From Mark Stewart, Senior Project Manager at the UMD Office of Sustainabilty)

The Community Garden Coordinator, with a coalition of community partners, will facilitate the creation of an intergenerational training ground for small-scale, intensive, sustainable agriculture. Working with a dynamic team of project leaders, the VISTA will transform an abandoned parcel of land into a garden bursting with nutritious vegetables grown by refugee families, middle school students, and other neighborhood residents.

The Coordinator will:

1. Collaboratively develop a concept plan for the garden with input and approval from neighborhood residents and partner agencies.
2. Coordinate the building and development of the garden.
3. Fundraise $2,000 for garden materials and coordinate installation with volunteers.
4. Recruit 150 partner agency representatives and neighborhood residents to participate in workdays, educational workshops, and ongoing garden maintenance.
5. Develop a system for measuring impacts of the garden on participants.

More information.

Sarajane Snyder on PASA’s Northcentral Region Potluck

(From Sarajane Snyder)

Thanks to the 50+ folks from 7 Pennsylvania counties (+ Arkansas!) who, with delicious food in tow, showed up at Jeremiah’s in Williamsport and made a potluck happen. I hope everyone had a great time with the feasting, chatting, old friends, new friends, delicious beer, cool maps, etc. Bradford County actually edged out Union County for most seats at the table. 11! Congratulations!

We got a little conversation going at the end on the topic of “Awards Banquets and Help Wanted Ads in the Northcentral Region.” People highlighted some of the good projects going on in their areas and we also talked about
challenges that we could use some more help with.

Here’s a little list of all the award-deserving things in our area that people highlighted:

1. Kathy Straub at Susquehanna University, pulling together an active working group on sustainable food systems, starting a buying club, university garden, etc.
2. Susquehanna Valley Beekeepers! Last meeting had 48 people. Great resource.
3. Bucknell’s Environmental Center working to develop a sustainability center.
4. Lewisburg’s Community Garden. Now in its second year and going strong.
5. Joe and Jackie’s Dreamcatcher Farm as a resource and hands-on experience for Bucknell students
6. Bloomsburg University: farmers market on campus, sustainability initiative, building an “outdoor learning center” (aka a farm). Don Hess working a lot with them.
7. Upcoming PASA field day at the Hess’s Dancing Hen Farm, where you can learn more about their relationship building with Bloomsburg University, as well as talk vegetable growing.
8. Spring Creek Homesteading‘s resource-rich blog and real-world good activity out in State College area
9. Yo! Community, a Union County-based blog that writes a lot about food and food-related activity and music and art. For families! Looking for contributors.
10. Potential for Geisinger as a customer (Don Hess knows more about this.)
11. May 4 – Livestock Breeds Conservancy Chicken/Poultry Auction 8 a.m. at the Bloomsburg Fairground. “Enough chickens to make anyone happy.”
12. PASA’s Second Barter Fair coming this November! Ask Leah Tewksbury for details.
13. Bradford County Agricultural Coalition working on education, marketing, and farmland preservation in Bradford County, creating a resource for farmers in the area, and people wanting to move to the area. Website forthcoming.
14. Pine Run Farm, the first Community Supported Agriculture farm in Lycoming County
15. John Esslinger of Penn State’s Extension Service, cited as a very excellent resource for a “10-county area”

I’m sure we could easily get to 50 if we wanted to. There are so many people, institutions, projects, resources, etc. to whom we can give the award of our thanks and recognition.

The highlight of my evening was pointing out to young Cameron, son of Dave and Christy of Hughesville, that indeed there was also a whole county in Pennsylvania named with his name! He seemed able to recognize his name on
the map when i showed him & was very excited. Maybe he will be PASA’s emissary to Cameron County to try and rouse a few members…

I also greatly appreciated the photo book of the beautiful highland cattle next to the delicious beef stew.

Thanks again,

Sarajane

Tuesday Farmers Market Previews – April 30, 2013

State College Downtown Farmers Market – 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Locust Lane

(From Betsy Green)

April 30 is OPENING DAY for the Tuesday Downtown State College Farmers’ Market 11:30 A.M. – 5:30 P.M.  on Locust Lane….RAIN OR SHINE!!

Come on down and check out the new vendors and say hello to the ‘old timers.’ Joining us for this year will be:

• SAMANTHA DOAN from COTTAGE CONFECTIONER:  Samantha will be bringing tea cookies, breakfast bars, baked goods…ALL VEGAN!
• TAMMY WOLFE..SUN & MOON CREATIONS:   Featuring handmade soaps and soy candles….and would you believe….ALL HER PRODUCTS ARE VEGAN!
• KARLA CALDWELL of CAFÉ KARLA:  Karla will be making hummus, salsas, breakfast tacos and beverages of all kinds.
• Our Amish friends AMOS & SUSANNE KING will have onions, potatoes, luscious honey, beeswax candles, cupcakes (carrot & pumpkin -yum), and awesome pies (apple & oatmeal).
• Also RAYMOND FISHER from SPRING BANK ACRES will be joining us again with his ‘totally’ delicious yogurt, cheeses and other daily products.  He’ll also be bringing first-of-the-year cut greens.
• SARAH BERNDT from LARKSMIRTH MANOR will be bringing along her perennials, houseplants and if weather permits, cut flower arrangements.
• BARRY & MANDY MOSER of MOSER’S GARDEN PRODUCE  will be supplying the market with vegetable plants and potted & cut herbs.
• DAN LOWENSTEIN of the famous RED HAWK PREMIUM PEPPERS will, as always, have his gourmet hot sauces; mustard, relish & pepper jams, pepper seeds & pepper plants.  Yep…everything PEPPER!
• TONY from GEMELLI BAKERS bringing his beautiful breads and baked goods AND the Latin Kitchen will be joining us also.
• DESSIE from Dn’D FARMS will be along again this year with her eggs, beef, pork, veal, lamb…*offering meat shares…check it out!  Also, goats milk soaps & lotions made from their own goat’s milk.
• BETSY GREEN: EGG HILL GARDENS bringing potted perennials, herbs, French Breakfast radishes, Spring Salad Mix and a few other surprises.

And this is only the beginning folks…more vendors arriving next week.

Hope to see you there!

Boalsburg Farmers Market – 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Boalsburg Fire Hall

(From Jim Eisenstein)

Early greens are in full swing, and you can find spring salad mix, tender young kale, baby kale, spinach, green garlic, spring onions, and probably other nutritious green stuff.

Kats Raw Foods will be a guest vendor featuring cookies, kale chips, spreads, crackers, and fresh juice.  Several vendors will have rhubarb.  Byler Goat Dairy has goat milk yoghurt in three flavors along with its other raw goat milk products, and Clover Creek has its usual selection of raw milk cheeses (as does Stone Meadow) along with raw milk from cows on fresh grass pasture.

Eden View Organics has beets, garlic, and sprouted breads.  Tamarack Farms has lamb sausage.  Way Fruit Farm still has four varieties of apples plus cider.  Bee Kind Winery will bring a new supply of its Rails to Trails wine.

You can get tongue, ground veal (with the veal fed by mom), and hot dogs from Stone Meadow Farm.  Bill Callahan’s succinct message to his customers is “Fresh Cheeks,” and he suggests you try to guess just what that means.

Wild For Salmon will soon sell out of salmon and head back to Alaska for this year’s fishing season.  Their salmon is a real treat and one of our most popular items.

This week music will be provided by Picker and Papa (from 4:00 to 5:30).  The market is open from 2:00 to 6:00.

A final note:  This week’s market is the second to last before we move outdoors on May 14. Hooray!

Spring Farmers Market Openings

Bellefonte Saturday Farmers Market will open April 27 and run Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Gamble Mill parking lot until fall.

State College Tuesday Farmers Market will open April 30 and run Tuesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 on Locust Lane until fall.

State College Friday Farmers Market will open May 3 and run from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. every Friday on Locust Lane until fall.

Millheim Saturday Farmers Market will open May 11 and run from 10 a.m. to 1 pm. every Saturday at the American Legion Pavilion until fall.

North Atherton Saturday Farmers Market will open May 11 and run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday at the Home Depot parking lot until fall.

Boalsburg Tuesday Farmers Market will open May 14 and run from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. every Tuesday at the PA Military Museum in Boalsburg until fall.

Lemont Wednesday Farmers Market will open on May 22 with new hours from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and will run Wednesdays at the Granary on Mount Nittany Road until fall.

Patchwork – April 23, 2013

April 24 – Local Foods Dinner at PSU’s Redifer Commons 

(From Alyssa Kalter)

Are YOU interested in WHERE your FOOD comes from? Is it LOCAL, ORGANIC, OR SUSTAINABLE?

If so, please come to the upscale dinner at The Southside Buffet at Redifer Commons on Wednesday, April 24 from 5-8:30 pm. The upscale meal will feature a menu sourced by all local food from Centre County and surrounding counties. Come out and experience what real, local food tastes like and support your local farmers. This event was organized by students dedicated to local foods in the State College area. Coming to this event will help their efforts in bringing more of these kinds of foods to YOU!

Menu:

• Crispy Pork Shank with Pineapple/mustard glaze (Pork from Hog’s Galore)
• Firecracker Apple Sauce (Apples from PA)
• Roasted Russian Banana Fingerling Potatoes (Organic potatoes from Green Heron Farm)
• Green Spring Salad—Baby Mixed Greens (Organic from Tait Farm); Pea Shoots and Baby Chard (Organic from Green Heron Farms, with Ginger Vinaigrette Dressing from Tait Farms
• Vegetarian Option: Organic Fettucini with basil pesto (From Fasta & Ravioli Co.)

Pricing:

• For students with a PSU meal plan, the meal price is the regular buffet dinner price plus a $7 upscale charge.
• For students without a meal plan, the meal price is $13.25 (regular buffet price for cash) plus a $7 upscale charge.

April 24 – Renewable Energy in Central America – Talk at PSU

(From Jillian Zankowski)

RECA program students reporting on their spring break experience in Honduras, Wednesday at 5 p.m. in Kunkle Lounge in Hammond Building. More info.

April 25 – West Campus Steam Plant Conversion – Debate/Forum Organized by Society of Energy Engineers 

(From Evelyn Bateman)

This Thursday, April 25 at 4 p.m., the Society of Energy Engineers is hosting a coal plant debate/forum in 157 Hosler. The purpose of this debate is to inform on the ins and outs of the proposed natural gas retrofit of the coal-fired West Campus Steam Plant, as well as discuss alternatives and opportunities for student advocacy or involvement.

If you’re interested in participating in the debate, presenting ideas and relevant information, contact JP Milton. More info on Facebook. This is arguably one of the most important decisions Penn State will make regarding our energy future. Don’t believe me? Read. Research. Reflect.

Now Organizing – Summer Democracy School

Organizers are scheduling a Democracy School for sometime in early summer. If you’re interested in learning more about the State College Community Bill of Rights and how it can be used to build a sustainable energy future for the Borough, contact Joe Cusumano to sign up. (Goal is at least 10 people; five already interested).

More info from the CELDF website:

• “Democracy School explores the limits of conventional regulatory organizing and offers a new organizing model that helps citizens confront the usurpation by corporations of the rights of communities, people, and the earth. Lectures cover the history of people’s movements and corporate power, and the dramatic recent organizing in Pennsylvania by communities confronting agribusiness, sewage sludge, and quarry corporations.”
• “Democracy School was a mind-blowing experience. During the School, I was forced to come to grips with the understanding that I really knew very little about the true structure of law that controls our activism. Democracy School is a must for everyone who seeks to be liberated from our defensive, after-the-fact reactive organizing strategies.” -Krishnaveni Gundu, ’05, Calhoun County (TX) Resource Watch

News from the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture

PASA E-newsletter - April 18 Edition, including upcoming workshops:

• April 26 - Sustainable Charcoal Production for Power & Fertility
• June 6 - Microhydro as a Reliable, Low-Cost Energy Solution

News from Centre County Buy Fresh Buy Local

• CCBFBL E-Newsletter, including spring farmers market opening dates.

News from Good Food Neighborhood

(From Hannah Smith-Brubaker)

Good Food Neighborhood E-Newsletter, including upcoming workshops:

• April 26 - Spring Sustainability Intensive: Shiitake & Oyster Mushrooming,
  Quiet Creek Herb Farm & School of Country Living, 93 Quiet Creek Lane Brookville, PA
• April 27 - Backyard Fruit Trees Series – Spring, at Greener Partners: Longview Center For Agriculture, Stump Hall Road, Collegeville, PA

Spring Gardening Workshops at Tait Farm in Centre Hall

Saturdays 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., $5 per person. Register by email or phone: 814-466-3411.

• April 27 – Backyard Strawberries with Jackie Bonomo - If you have ever dreamed of picking your own fresh strawberries each morning for your cereal, or to embellish your bowl of ice cream at the end of the day, then this class is for you! Join Jackie to learn the best way to plant, care for, and harvest your very own crop of this delicious fruit.
• May 4 – Totally Tomatoes with Pat Winterrowd - Heirloom or hybrid, beefsteak, plum or cherry tomatoes, let us help you choose which tomatoes are perfect for you and how to grow them. Pat is our resident tomato expert and will share her abundant experience and enthusiasm – don’t miss it!

April 28 – Dinner & A Movie – YERT Screening & Local Foods Meal in State College

(From Kat Alden)

Join Sierra Club Moshannon Group for a Sunday night dinner and a movie at the State College Friends Meeting House, 611 E. Prospect Ave. Feature movie is YERT (Your Environmental Road Trip). Movie starts at 4 p.m. Dinner starts at 6 p.m. - Dinner and Dessert w/ El Gringo’s Taco Carne: Chile, Marinated slow-cooked Cow-A-Hen Pork with roasted vegetables, cheese, greens and salsa. Vegan options available. Suggested donation is $12/person. For tickets or to RSVP, contact Steve.

April 28 – PASA North-Central Region Potluck at Jeremiah’s in Williamsport

(From Sarajane Snyder)

We invite all North Central Region PASA members, friends and family to join us for fine food to eat, as well as fine food for thought as we embark on another growing season! Our annual spring potluck celebration is always a great time to reconnect with other producers & members in the region and see what’s going on in our neck of the woods. Potluck starts at 5 p.m. at Jeremiah’s (above the Bullfrog Brewery) at 224 W. 4th Street, Williamsport (Lycoming County).

We’d love to have a great mix of “old” and “new” PASA members for this year’s potluck and have a conversation focusing on some of the great community+food happenings in our region–community gardens, co-ops, farmers market models, food banks, community dinners, study groups, educational events, farm tours, etc.

Please bring a dish to share with a card to label it–extra points for homegrown & local fare AND your own table service. This is a free event – PASA members in the region are encouraged to attend and bring a friend to introduce them to the PASA network! RSVP to Sarajane Snyder, 570-768-8105.

If you live in Pennsylvania and care about local food systems, ecologically healthy farming, and a farming culture that can help revive our rural areas, then you might want to consider yourself a friend of PASA, whose mission is ”promoting profitable farms that produce healthy food for all people while respecting the natural environment.”  Many of PASA’s members are farmer and producers but there are many business members, non-profit members and consumer members, the awesome folks who keep the system running by depending on it. PASA is truly a member-based organization and their work depends on the support of those of us who share their values. By becoming a member of PASA, especially as a “consumer-member” you will be making a statement–both to PASA and to all the folks who pay attention to what PASA says–that their work matters and that local food systems are worth developing and supporting.

May 29 – Animal Handling Workshop for New and Beginning Farmers in Bradford County

• Info & Registration

June 10 – Value-Added Farming Mentor Workshop in Brookville

(From Ann Stone at PA-WAgN)

In March, the Pennsylvania Women’s Agricultural Network launched a women farmer mentoring program to connect established farmers with new and beginning farmers, aspiring farmers, and seasoned farmers. The mentor program encourages women farmers to support each other through shared learning and exchange of experiences in workshops and online forums focused on five topic areas: fruit and vegetable cultivation, dairy and cheese production, urban agriculture and nutrition, on-farm education and value-added products, and livestock production.

The mentoring program values women farmers as leaders of change by providing educational opportunities to foster healthy food systems; promote farming livelihoods; expand and strengthen networks; foster stewardship of land, people, and resources; and support financial and environmental sustainability.

Women farmers in Pennsylvania are encouraged to join the mentor program by participating in various events scheduled during the 2013 growing season. These events are designed to expand participants’ farming potential through on-farm educational gatherings, farminars, workshops, networking events, and one-on-one communications with mentors delegated to the five specialty areas.  The program began in March 2013 and will continue with the  following on-farm educational events:

• June 10 Value-Added Farming at Quiet Creek Herb Farm and School of Country Living (Jefferson County)
• June 26 Urban Farming at Joshua Farm (Dauphin County)
• July 12 Transitioning to Mob Grazing at Yeehaw Farm (Perry County)

Details and online registration. For more info, contact Ann Stone, 814-863-4489.