Archive for May, 2010
FLPCI 2010 Permaculture Design Certification Course 7/23-8/8
The Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute
invites you to our 8th
PERMACULTURE DESIGN CERTIFICATION COURSE
July 23 – August 8, 2010
Our course equips students with the knowledge of whole systems and the principles, techniques, and challenges of permaculture as a system of sustainable design. Our learning community explores design topics such as soil regeneration, water conservation, building ponds and swales, managing wood lots, building natural and efficient homes, utilizing renewable energy, and designing gardens.
Our students follow a traditional permaculture curriculum with a bias toward the northeastern temperate climate. We teach though presentations, case studies, student design projects and hands-on design exercises. The course includes 84 hours of instruction plus a design practicum. Instruction is augmented by presentations from local experts, field trips, and games. This summer, learn to design for abundance in the beautiful Finger Lakes of New York. Our off-grid course is held at Cayuta Sun homestead, just 15 miles from Ithaca.
$1200 includes tuition, food, and camping
Sign up by July 1, 2009 and save $50
Register at http://www.FingerLakesPermaculture.org
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http://flxpermaculture.net
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Volunteer Opportunity
Volunteers Welcome at Goshala (Animal Haven) and Sustainable Farm in Southwestern NY
Activities at the farm include:
Hand milking two protected Jersey cows. Feeding and cleaning stalls for 7 cows and 6 goats. Morning and evening thanksgiving fire ceremonies. Learning compassionate animal training and healing modalities. Making milk products, such as yogurt, butter, cheese and ghee in small batches. Installing and maintaining electric fences for paddocks in a pasture rotational grazing system. Planning, planting, weeding and harvesting in an organic vegetable (and strawberry) garden. Baking bread. Selling farm products at a farmers market stand. Playing with kittens. Putting together newsletters, and videos of the animals and farm activities. Also included are washing dishes, pots and milking equipment. Mowing lawns and/or managing the animals who mow our lawns. Greeting Guests to the Goshala, (farm animal haven).
We are located 2 hours west of Ithaca and 35 min from Alfred University. It is a very rural area. There is a county bus system; the farm is about 1 mile from the bus stop. We need help at any time of year, summers especially.
Accommodations available in a solar guest house, (electric use is limited at this time). Expect adventures learning to live in a house run by an off grid solar electric system. Vegetarian meals only, (we do cook with the milk from our cows who receive lifetime protection, however we do not allow meat, fish or eggs). Family atmosphere. No drugs or alcohol use permitted on the property.
Qualifications:
Common Sense, Self Determination, Love of Animals and willingness to be ready to work by 6-7 am are of paramount importance. (Lots of free time during the heat of the day, work resumes again in the afternoon). Carpentry skills are a plus, but not necessary. Expect to help with, (or live around), some light construction this spring and summer in the solar guest house, (ie drywall, painting etc…) If you have construction skills, occasional employment opportunities available. References required.
Contact:
Jason Laracuente
whollycow
6/28 & 6/30: Small Scale Aquaculture (Tank Based Fish Farming)
| Would you know Jim Kennedy? I have worked with him for almost two years. He is a solid resource—he also loves this subject.
J> Jeffrey A. Snider (607) 594-2276 New York — On Thu, 5/27/10, Michael Burns <michael@fingerlakespermaculture.org> wrote:
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Valet Bike Parking at the Ithaca Festival
From: “Andy Goodell”
Hi all,
The Ithaca Festival is coming up soon on June 3 – 6! For the past several years, there has been valet bike parking available, and literally hundreds of people bike to the festival. In a nutshell, valet bike parking is a volunteer run part of the festival, which offers secure bike parking for Sunday June 6th at Stewart Park. There is a fenced in area where we set up rows of bike racks, and move bikes in and out as people come and go throughout the day.
Last year, volunteers graciously parked nearly 300 bikes last year of all varieties, including mountain bikes, city bikes, road racers, family tandems, folding bikes, kid trailers, and even an
electric-assist extended frame behemoth of a bike. We had a fun time chatting about bikes, drooling over the variety of interesting rides, and helping festival goers park their bikes.
WE NEED YOUR HELP! If you would like to volunteer on this day to park bikes and join in on the fun, then please fill out our quick and easy online form. It works well to volunteer for a 2 to 4 hour block, although if you just have an hour as you’re passing by or want to stay all day then your help is certainly appreciated too!
If you’d like to help, then sign up online here:
http://www.doodle.com/ynd5hnyrkudqnmv8. Just put your name and phone number in the text box, and click the boxes for the hours you want to sign up for.
I am coordinating the valet bike parking this year, so if you have any questions, please contact me at andy@ithacacarshare.org or call my cell at 607-229-2641. We will also have the “Way2Go Depot” tabling next to the bike parking area with literature on biking, walking, TCAT and Ithaca Carshare, and welcome any other reasonable related promotion you want to do on your shift.
Thanks for your help and hope to see you there,
Andy Goodell
andy@ithacacarshare.org
607-229-2641
6/1: Share Tompkins 1 Year Anniversary Picnic
One Year Anniversary Picnic and Organizers Meeting
Its been one year since we started Share Tompkins! Were having a potluck picnic to celebrate and to plan for the coming months of events (including a Really Really Free Market on June 25th).
Feel free to come hang out even if you dont want to participate in the organizers discussion 
Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 6-8:30pm
Washington Park, Ithaca
At the corner of Park Place and W Buffalo St
Please bring
- Some food and/or drink to share
- A blanket
- A plate or bowl, cup, silverware and a cloth napkin
- Frisbee or any other games to play
- Musical instruments
If its raining, well be at 212 N. Plain St. #1.
RSVP on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122090047824342
Hope to see you there!
- Shira
Shira Golding
shiragolding@gmail.com
http://sharetompkins.wordpress.com
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http://FLXpermaculture.Net
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6/15: Fair Share Fiesta, Ithaca NY
FAIR SHARE FIESTA
Tuesday, June 15, 7:00pm-1:00am
Oasis Dance Club (formerly the Common Ground) at 1230 Danby Road, Ithaca NY
Mark your calendars for this Latin-themed local foods dinner and dance party to raise funds to support Healthy Food For All, a project that provides subsidized CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares for families with limited incomes.
* 7:00-9:00 pm – Dinner prepared by Chef Mandy Beem-Miller * 8:30 pm. – Latin Night club Survival Dance lesson
* 9:00 pm – 1:00 am – DJ Michael Luis spins hottest Latin night club music – salsa, merengue, bachata, reggeton, timba, cha cha…and more!
Dinner will feature tacos stuffed with local meats, smoked tofu and beans. Tickets are $15/person and include salads and dessert.
Cash bar – Oasis will be mixing Margaritas!
Purchase tickets online at http://www.freewebs.com/fullplatefarms/ and at selected local businesses (to be announced).
For more information about the event, please contact: Katie Church, Full Plate Farm Collective-CSA Coordinator, info@fullplatefarms.org or 607.342.7632.
Sponsored by: Oasis Dance Club, Pa’lante and the Healthy Food For All subsidized CSA program.
6/28 & 6/30: Small Scale Aquaculture (Tank Based Fish Farming)
Small-scale Aquaculture:
An Introduction to Tank-Based Fish Farming
Monday, June 28, 6:309:30 PM
(Part 1) Tanks, filters, and pumps.
Wednesday, June 30, 6:309:30 PM
(Part 2) Fish, water quality, and marketing
Offered at Cornell Cooperative Extension of
Ontario County- 480 North Main Street, Canandaigua, NY 14424
Scientists and food researchers are pointing out
the importance of aquaculture to meet the growing
need for healthy and environmentally sensitive
food sources. Farmers and others in the Finger
Lakes can take on small-scale aquaculture as an
alternative enterprise for local markets. This is
a special two-part introductory workshop that
will provide the fundamentals of setting up and
maintaining a farm-based tank system to raise
bass, tilapia, trout, panfish, or baitfish in a
recirculating system. Ted Universal of the NYS
Aquaculture Association will explain the key
elements of tank aquaculture, basic engineering &
plumbing, and setting up effective biofiltration
and aeration contols. Jim Kennedy of Willow Pond
Aqua Farm will review appropriate fish species
and water quality conditions, and share the
applicable marketing and regulations that come with
small-scale aquaculture.
Course fee: $25 per person, includes both
sessions and a detailed take-home information packet.
Pre-registration is required by June 24, 2010 by
calling Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario
County at (585) 394-3977 x427 or e-mail Nancy
Anderson at nea8@cornell.edu;
class size limited.
For more information about this program, contact
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County at
(585) 394-3977 x427.
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http://FLXpermaculture.Net
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Free Screening of Living Downstream
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Upcoming Events in the Cayuga Lake Watershed
UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE CAYUGA LAKE WATERSHED
Late May to mid-June 2010
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EVENING COMMUNITY ECO-CRUISE ON CAYUGA LAKE
5:00 pm, Wednesday June 2
Wells College boat dock, Aurora
The M/V Haendel, home of the Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom, will depart from the Wells College dock for a 90 minute educational cruise of the deep lake waters offshore. Join Floating Classroom instructors for a casual yet purposeful cruise on Cayuga Lake. Hands-on demonstrations will include a plankton trawl, Secchi disk water clarity tests, and water quality testing. All are encouraged to participate! Storytellers are welcome, as we seek to bring the legend of Old Greenie, the Cayuga Lake monster, up to date!
A $10-$50 donation is requested to support the Floating Classroom’s educational programs. RSVP requested – Call (866) 846-4376. Find Us On the Web at
floatingclassroom.blogspot.com
The Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom is sponsored by local governments and community partners, and provides lake access and education for all residents. Cruises are available for classes, community groups and organizations from May to October.
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EXPLORE YOUR WATERSHED: A series of natural history walks at Six Mile Creek
May 29, 7am – 8:30am: Birds of Six Mile Creek
Led by Meena Haribal
June 19, 10am – noon: Geology and Stream Geomorphology
Led by Dan Karig
Most walks begin at the Mulholland Wildflower Preserve, located just off Giles St.
Future walks to be announced. More information at: http://sixmilecreek.org/ Alison Fromme, Chair, City of Ithaca Natural Areas Commission – alisonfromme@nasw.org
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2010 CAYUGA NATION PICNIC
Saturday June 12 from 10:00 AM-Dark Thirty PM
4061 Truesdale Road
Union Springs NY 13160
Music, Bar-B-Q, Fun & Games, Potluck.
Butch Mudbone, Paleface, Victor Penniman, John & Cheri Sardella, Croweaver and Native Earthlings.
Masters Lacrosse: Buffalo Old Sticks vs. Onondaga Redhawks.
Cayuga Nation Chiefs and Clanmothers
Arts and Crafts Vendors
Chinese Auction Raffle
Camping
Everyone welcome! More info 315-889-5120, ugieflute@netscape.net, cayugaconnect@netzero.net.
Vendors: $25 or art donation for raffle.
No drugs or alcohol.
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Please send me information about events around our lake that you’d like to share with others.
Hilary Lambert – steward@cayugalake.org
Dr. Hilary Lambert
Steward, Cayuga Lake Watershed Network
POB 348
Aurora NY 13026
steward@cayugalake.org
http://www.cayugalake.org
Expert to speak on Food Justice and Sustainability, 5/27 at Ithaca College
Nikki Henderson, Executive Director for the People’s Grocery in Oakland, California, will explore connections between Food Justice and Sustainability on
Thursday May 27, at 7:30pm in the Clark Lounge (Campus Center) at Ithaca College.
The wider Ithaca Community is warmly invited to this free event!
The People’s Grocery is a food-justice organization that has been using education and direct distribution to encourage healthy eating in West Oakland
since 2002.
Prior to joining People’s Grocery in 2009, Nikki worked with Green-for- All
founder Van Jones to develop national programs for people of color in the
environmental sector, and she has gained extensive exposure to the politics and
dynamics of national food and farming movements through work with the President of Slow Food USA.
As expressed on the organization’s website, “[People’s Grocery] wants to change the way the food system works. We believe everyone should have access
to healthy food, regardless of income. We call this ‘food justice’ – the belief that
healthy food is a human right. The food system is failing to provide low-income
people with the healthy foods they need to thrive. It is also failing to create
good jobs and support local food businesses in urban communities. So People’s
Grocery works toward creating a food system that centralize the needs of the
urban poor and develop programs and enterprises that produce and distribute
fresh foods, provide nutrition education, promote urban agriculture and create
local jobs.”
For more information on The People’s Grocery, visit www.peoplesgrocery.org .
Ms. Henderson is in Ithaca as a keynote presenter at The Finger Lakes Project
Workshop, which aims to assist college-level faculty, staff, and students to
explore ways to integrate concepts of sustainability in education. The 2010
Finger Lakes Project Workshop will be held from May 26 to 28. Visit IC’s FLP workshop website for more information:
www.ithaca.edu/fingerlakes_project/FLP2010/
A map of the Ithaca College campus and parking lots is available at http://www.ithaca.edu/map/index.php
We hope to see you there!
For more information, contact Karryn Olson-Ramanujan at
kolsonramanujan@ithaca.edu
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Earn your permaculture design certificate.
The Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute
offers affordable local classes.
http://www.fingerlakespermaculture.org
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“Living Downstream” documentary 5/26/2010 I.C. Finger Lakes Project Workshop
Acclaimed “Living Downstream” documentary will kick off next week’s Ithaca College Finger Lakes Project Workshop
Raised in small-town Illinois, cancer seems to run in Sandra Steingraber’s family. Sandra was diagnosed with bladder cancer when she was just twenty years old. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when Sandra was in high school, and many of her aunts and uncles have struggled with the disease. One aunt even died from the same form of bladder cancer that Sandra had. But while cancer runs in her family, she cannot say that it runs in her genes. Sandra is adopted. This unusual twist led Sandra to ask what else families have in common besides their DNA. The answer is all around us: our environment.
Based on the acclaimed book by ecologist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., Living Downstream is an eloquent and cinematic feature-length documentary. This poetic and character-driven film follows Sandra during one pivotal year as she travels across North America, working to break the silence about cancer and its environmental links. At once Sandra’s personal journey and her scientific exploration, Living Downstream is a powerful reminder of the intimate connection between the health of our bodies and the health of our air, land and water.
The film will screen at Textor 101 on Wednesday May 26 at 8 pm. Sandra, who is an Interdisciplinary and International Studies Scholar- in-Residence at IC, will be present to introduce the film, which is free and open to the public.
Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact the Department of Environmental Studies & Sciences at 274-1822. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible
http://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20100520125552335#comments
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Support ShaleShock Outreach!
Dude … you guys should set up a paypal account .
It’s so easy .
I dont usually use checks ,
much prefer paypal – and – it encourages the "impulse buy"
do you need help setting one up?
I’d be happy to help,
but trust me, you can do it , it’s a cinch .
Ps- you got any cool plans for an ithaca fest float ?
R
On Tue, May 18, 2010 at 1:56 PM, Ryan Clover <clover56> wrote:
Hey Everyone,
In the past, we received generous donations to pay for the rent of the Shaleshock Office. We haven’t needed to ask for support this whole time, as it’s been covered. However, we’ve recently expanded the space, installed a workbench for storage and display, and rent is up from $63 to $126. In addition to rent, we’ve been providing copies for various working groups and distributing DVDs and pamphlets through tabling and forums. We’ve also been a location in Ithaca for people to get materials and yard signs.
The outreach working group needs your support to accomplish our goal providing resources and outreach materials about Fracking etc… Please help us cover our basic expenses (rent, printing, signs, etc…)
Here’s some examples of what your donation could fund:
$40 dollars helps sustain basic costs and office supplies
$75 helps to print 750 info pamphlets
$126 will pay one month rent (12 donors like this will cover us for a year!)
$350 would buy 100 yard signs and stakes for rallies and regional distribution!To donate to the Outreach Group, please write a check to Shaleshock with "outreach" in the memo line. Mail or drop off at:
Shaleshock Outreach Group
115 E. Martin Luther King St. (the commons)
Ithaca, NY 14850Thanks!
Ryan CloverRyan Clover-Owens
Shaleshock Action Alliance
Outreach Working Group
115 E. Martin Luther King St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
www.shaleshock.org
5/20 & 5/22: Master Gardener Plant Sale, Tompkins County
The Master Gardener volunteers of Tompkins County Cornell Cooperative Extensionwill have an "After-the-Sale Sale" of the plants remaining from their booth at the Annual Garden Fair & Plant Sale this past weekend. Here are the 2 times scheduled:
Thursday, 5/20, 4:00-6:30 pm
Saturday, 5/22, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon
Location: Tompkins County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 615 Willow Ave., Ithaca, next to the main parking lot.
Plants include hardy perennials and a few shrubs, flowering annual vines, dahlias, and cannas.
Support ShaleShock Outreach!
Hey Everyone,
In the past, we received generous donations to pay for the rent of the Shaleshock Office. We haven’t needed to ask for support this whole time, as it’s been covered. However, we’ve recently expanded the space, installed a workbench for storage and display, and rent is up from $63 to $126. In addition to rent, we’ve been providing copies for various working groups and distributing DVDs and pamphlets through tabling and forums. We’ve also been a location in Ithaca for people to get materials and yard signs.
The outreach working group needs your support to accomplish our goal providing resources and outreach materials about Fracking etc… Please help us cover our basic expenses (rent, printing, signs, etc…)
Here’s some examples of what your donation could fund:
$40 dollars helps sustain basic costs and office supplies
$75 helps to print 750 info pamphlets
$126 will pay one month rent (12 donors like this will cover us for a year!)
$350 would buy 100 yard signs and stakes for rallies and regional distribution!
To donate to the Outreach Group, please write a check to Shaleshock with “outreach” in the memo line. Mail or drop off at:
Shaleshock Outreach Group
115 E. Martin Luther King St. (the commons)
Ithaca, NY 14850
Thanks!
Ryan Clover
Ryan Clover-Owens
Shaleshock Action Alliance
Outreach Working Group
115 E. Martin Luther King St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
www.shaleshock.org
Finger Lakes Earth First! Mobilizes to STOP DRILLING!
you guys have plans for a spot in the ithaca fest parade???
- you could make an impression, I bet .
R
On Fri, May 14, 2010 at 3:12 PM, Ryan Clover <clover56> wrote:
**Please Forward Widely**
Announcing FINGER LAKES EARTH FIRST!
The land and water cannot depend on the hollow promises of politicians and corporations. Over and over, regulations fail to protect the land and water that gives us life. Counting on the government to protect us is no safer than counting on the oil and gas companies to drill safely. That’s why we started Finger Lakes Earth First! To make space in the gas drilling debate for those of us that are ready to take action to defend our home.
NO DRILLING! NO COMPROMISE!
May 15th – Come to the Fingerlakes EF! Cookout & What not.
At 4pm, Saturday 5/15 at Stewart Park, Ithaca, NY, we’ll be gathering to celebrate the beginning of a Finger Lakes Earth First! Movement. Bring food for the grill. Games to play. Things to talk about. Friends and family. This is a space to hang out and meet other people in the movement, and to get involved yourself. When you get to the park, look for the black & green flag by the lake
May 17th – FORUM “Guns for Global Warming” Talk by Peter Gelderloos
Monday 5/17 at 7pm, Peter Gelderloos, author of How Non-Violence Protects the State and Consensus, will be presenting an informative and igniting talk called “Guns for Global Warming” Hosted by Fingerlakes Earth First! at the Silent City Distro in Ithaca, NY. 115 E. MLK Street (the commons) www.silentcitydistro.org
May 28-30 – MARCELLUS REGIONAL GATHERING TO RESIST GAS DRILLING!
This campout will be from May 28-30 with the welcome tent/check-in opening at 4pm Friday. The campout will bring together folks from all over the Marcellus Region and beyond who want to take action to stop gas drilling. There will be workshops, presentations, and games during the day (each one teach one), and performances after dinner. Gatherings like this strengthen our community and give us time to be outside and enjoy the land we’re rising up to defend.
Some workshops/trainings include: Direct Action 101, Medicinal Plant Walk, Earth First Movement Then & Now, Treesits and Climbing. To present a workshop or get more info, visit fingerlakesEF
http://fingerlakesearthfirst.org/marcellus-regional-campout/
Finger Lakes Earth First! Mobilizes to STOP DRILLING!
**Please Forward Widely**
Announcing FINGER LAKES EARTH FIRST!
The land and water cannot depend on the hollow promises of politicians and corporations. Over and over, regulations fail to protect the land and water that gives us life. Counting on the government to protect us is no safer than counting on the oil and gas companies to drill safely. That’s why we started Finger Lakes Earth First! To make space in the gas drilling debate for those of us that are ready to take action to defend our home.
NO DRILLING! NO COMPROMISE!
May 15th – Come to the Fingerlakes EF! Cookout & What not.
At 4pm, Saturday 5/15 at Stewart Park, Ithaca, NY, we’ll be gathering to celebrate the beginning of a Finger Lakes Earth First! Movement. Bring food for the grill. Games to play. Things to talk about. Friends and family. This is a space to hang out and meet other people in the movement, and to get involved yourself. When you get to the park, look for the black & green flag by the lake
May 17th – FORUM “Guns for Global Warming” Talk by Peter Gelderloos
Monday 5/17 at 7pm, Peter Gelderloos, author of How Non-Violence Protects the State and Consensus, will be presenting an informative and igniting talk called “Guns for Global Warming” Hosted by Fingerlakes Earth First! at the Silent City Distro in Ithaca, NY. 115 E. MLK Street (the commons) www.silentcitydistro.org
May 28-30 – MARCELLUS REGIONAL GATHERING TO RESIST GAS DRILLING!
This campout will be from May 28-30 with the welcome tent/check-in opening at 4pm Friday. The campout will bring together folks from all over the Marcellus Region and beyond who want to take action to stop gas drilling. There will be workshops, presentations, and games during the day (each one teach one), and performances after dinner. Gatherings like this strengthen our community and give us time to be outside and enjoy the land we’re rising up to defend.
Some workshops/trainings include: Direct Action 101, Medicinal Plant Walk, Earth First Movement Then & Now, Treesits and Climbing. To present a workshop or get more info, visit fingerlakesEF
http://fingerlakesearthfirst.org/marcellus-regional-campout/
Edible Mushroom Workshops 5/22 & 23, 2010
Only five all-weekend enrollments left before the class is full…
FINGER LAKES PERMACULTURE INSTITUTE
presents
5th Annual
MUSHROOM WORKSHOP WEEKEND
May 22 & 23
Our annual mushroom weekend is back and expanding to include more on the fascinating world of fungi. Workshops will cover the basics of both wild and domestic mushroom production and harvesting with local grower Steve Sierigk and special guest Rafter Sass.
CHOOSE TO:
(a) Join us SATURDAY, May 22 (9 a.m. to noon) at the sugarbush of Sapsquatch Maple Products (http://www.sapsquatch.com) in Enfield, NY where local artist and mushroom grower Steve Sierigk will cover the basics of shiitake log cultures; species to harvest, when and how to prepare wood, and a hands-on demo of the process inoculated with sawdust spawn. FEE: $30
(b) Join us for the ENTIRE WEEKEND (Sat & Sun, 9 5 p.m.), where in addition to the Saturday inoculation, well dive deeper into the potential of mushrooms with guest instructor Rafter Sass. Discover how we can incorporate delicious, nutritious fungi in our veggie gardens, backyards, lawns, landscaping, balconies, window boxes, and more. Sundays workshops will be at Cayuta Sun (http://cayuta.org) in Cayutaville, NY. Limited camping is available for a donation. FEE: $100-300 (sliding scale)
Everyone takes home an inoculated log. No previous experience is necessary for any of these workshops.
Please register to attend. A limited number of scholarships are available. Please fill out an application.
MORE INFORMATION & REGISTRATION: http://www.fingerlakespermaculture.org
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Apply for the Environmental Leadership Program(ELP) Fellowship by June 1
From: “Diane Traina”
For the past 10 years ELP has been providing leadership training to emerging and innovative environmental and social change leaders from academia, business, government and non-profit sectors. Past
participants include Rev. Fletcher Harper of GreenFaith, Michelle Knapick of the Dodge Foundation, Taneshia Laird of the Trenton Downtown Association and Ben Spinelli, Former Executive Director of the Office of Smart Growth for N.J.
Each year, ELP selects 15-20 individuals to participate in a series of three retreats (totaling 11 days) which focus on the core competencies of public leadership: working across difference, effective
communications, strategic partnerships and collaborations and high engagement leadership. Fellows also complete a personal leadership plan which provides them with a road map to achieve both their personal and professional goals.
Applications for the 2010 Eastern Regional Network (NJ, NY, DE and eastern PA) will be accepted until June 1. I am hopeful you will be able to share this with your colleagues as well as your
greater network. More information about our program, including retreat dates can be found at www.elpnet.org/about-fellowship
slaughterhouse shortage threatens local meat markets
In case you missed this Ithaca Journal story:
Finger Lakes livestock farmers cope with shortage of slaughterhouses
By Karen Miltner May 4, 2010
In some respects, John Bermon’s livelihood as a small-scale livestock farmer hangs on a thread.
The owner of Aberdeen Hill Farm produces pasture-raised pork, lamb and beef in Gorham, Ontario County. Before he can sell his meat at nearby farmers markets or deliver it to customers in the Rochester area during winter months, he drives his animals more than 80 miles to Troy, Pa., where they are slaughtered and processed in a small, family-owned facility that is inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Depending on the time of year, that trip can be a weekly occurrence.
If the Leona Meat Plant gave up its USDA inspection or went out of business, Bermon’s business model would fall apart.
So too would a lot of other livestock farmers in the Finger Lakes who rely on small-scale USDA-inspected slaughterhouses to move their meats from pasture to plate.
The demand for locally grown, pasture-raised niche meats is soaring, thanks in large part to the local foods movement, the concern over foodborne outbreaks and media focus such as the Oscar-nominated documentary Food, Inc. There are many small, sustainably bent livestock farmers such as Bermon at the ready to meet that demand.
“The bottleneck in the process is the lack of USDA slaughter facilities,” said Jim Ochterski, agriculture economic development specialist at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County.
The Pennsylvania facility, for example, already is booked through 2011.
“As each of these operations close, it is one step closer to a service that the community can’t get locally,” said Greg Atwood of Copper Creek Farm in Farmington.
After the Macedon, Wayne County, slaughterhouse he used shut down, Atwood shifted his beef farm to a cow-calf operation, selling weaned calves to a finisher. He still sells some of his grass-fed beef to local consumers, taking some of his animals to Joe’s Meat Market in Ontario, Wayne County, the closest USDA-certified slaughterhouse for Finger Lakes farmers.
While other parts of the state show signs of change, Ochterski and area farmers are unsure of any single solution to the shortage here in the Finger Lakes. They have formed a task force at the ready to assist any investors who might want to build a new facility, but maximizing other selling options appears to be the most immediate way to alleviate the shortage.
Shortage
In the early 1980s, there were about 150 slaughterhouses throughout New York that carried USDA inspection; now there are fewer than 40, according to Marty Broccoli’s estimates. He is the agriculture development specialist at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County. Ochterski believes the number of such facilities in the Finger Lakes area dwindled from about eight to one during the same time period.
The shortage is not unique to New York. According to a 2009 report by Food & Water Watch, the number of state and federally inspected facilities nationwide shrunk 20 percent between 2002 and 2007.
Consolidation is one big reason for the national decline. As of 2005, nearly 85 percent of the beef in this country was being processed by the four top companies. Ditto for pork, with the top four processors dominating more than 60 percent of the hogs.
Other factors also contribute to the shrinkage. Slaughterhouse work is hard and dirty, the hours are long and the profit margin is slim. As owners approached retirement age, family members or other interested parties have not stepped up to take over the business, Broccoli said.
And unlike the mega assembly line slaughterhouses of the Midwest, smaller facilities need more highly trained workers who understand the entire process from start to finish. In recent years both skilled workers and training to develop them have diminished.
HACCP, which stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, a management plan to address hygiene and food safety risks, became mandatory in 1998, and are especially onerous for small-scale facilities.
“It’s hard for the little businesses to comply with all the paperwork,” said John Pagliuso, owner of Joe’s Meat Market in Ontario, Wayne County.
HACCP record-keeping requires so many steps to be recorded that Pagliuso has to pull administrative staff from their desks to monitor and verify what workers on the kill floor are doing, which slows down work flow considerably, he said.
“We consider (forfeiting USDA inspection) every day. But most of the people we butcher for need that federal sticker,” said Mike Debach, co-owner of Leona’s Meat Plant, where Bermon and some other Finger Lakes livestock farmers take their animals.
The alternative is losing a local source of meat altogether. That happened to Elizabeth McInerney of Brighton, who was buying Katahdin lamb from a Brockport farmer. He stopped selling meat when the slaughterhouse he relied on closed, McInerney said. “I really liked that kind of lamb. Now I buy less lamb,” she said.
Some locally raised meats are sold in area natural foods stores as well as at farmers markets and farm stores. But area livestock farmers don’t produce enough volume to supply large chains such as Wegmans Food Markets.
In order for New York farmers to sell meat from so-called amenable species (such as beef, lamb, pork or goat) either directly to consumers or to other retailers, restaurants or wholesalers in or beyond New York state, the animals must be slaughtered in a federally inspected plant and the meat must bear the USDA stamp.
These facilities must follow strict federal standards, keep a USDA inspector on hand and have a CQHACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) management plan in place to address hygiene and food safety risks. Other ways to sell meats
Small-scale livestock farmers do have other selling options, but they are not always convenient for the average household.
One of them is to sell a live whole, half or quarter animal directly to the consumer, who then, as the animal’s owner, takes on responsibility for arranging slaughtering and processing.
The practice is commonly known as the freezer meat trade. As long as the meat is to be consumed exclusively by the owner and will not be resold, it can be processed at a USDA custom-exempt slaughterhouse, which operates with fewer requirements than a USDA-licensed facility. A USDA custom-exempt facility must be inspected on a regular basis, but each meat order is not.
Although she does not have an exact number, there are far more USDA custom-exempt slaughterhouses in New York state than USDA-licensed facilities, said Martha Goodsell, a deer and poultry farmer in Candor, who is part of NY Small Farms Work Team on Livestock Processing Issues.
Angela Bedient of Bedient Farms Natural Beef in Potter, Yates County, sells a small portion of her naturally grown beef by the half or whole. She would like to sell more animals this way as there is less handling on her part, but she understands that fewer households have the cash upfront, which could run $900 to $1,200 for half a cow.
“Anyone who is familiar with buying off the farm knows that is it not an issue of whether the butcher is USDA or not” because hygiene and butchering finesse, not USDA inspection, are what really matter, said Bedient, who also sells her meats by the cuts at farmers markets.
However, Bermon feels more confident being able to offer meat that carries the USDA stamp; he dreads the thought of going back to the bulk freezer trade.
“The profit margin was smaller and cash flow was far worse for selling live animals,” he said.
Looking for solutions
Though the shortage of USDA livestock processing facilities is hampering farmers who are trying to meet the growing demand for niche meats, “for the first time in the last 20 years, things are starting to reverse themselves,” particularly in the eastern part of the state, said Kathleen Harris, processing and marketing coordinator of the Northeast Livestock Processing Service Co. in Sprakers, Montgomery County.
In Washington County, a custom-exempt slaughterhouse recently transitioned to USDA inspection. Meanwhile in Oneida County, a temporarily closed USDA-inspected plant will soon open under new ownership, and things look hopeful for a full-service organic slaughterhouse to open sometime in the near future as well, noted Broccoli.
The Glynwood Center, a farmland preservation organization in Cold Springs, Putnam County, is overseeing the state’s first mobile slaughterhouse that will service livestock farmers in the lower Hudson Valley. Similar red meat mobile processing units are already being used in a handful of states including California, Washington and South Dakota.
Goodsell is a strong proponent of using the existing custom-exempt and USDA-inspected slaughterhouses more effectively by encouraging livestock farmers to extend the window in which they take their animals to slaughter. This would reduce the backlogging that occurs during the peak livestock harvesting season of October and November.
Other advocates push the need for more warehouse space for the carcasses to alleviate the bottlenecking.
Ochterski’s Ontario County-based USDA Livestock Facility Task Force has determined that an investment of $1.4 million to $1.6 million is needed to build a small-scale slaughterhouse in this region. So far, no serious investors have stepped up to the plate.
His optimism lies in the swelling number of consumers who are willing to forfeit USDA inspection and invest in a whole or half animal.
“There is no USDA stamp there so you have to trust the farmer and processor. The benefit is you get the meat cut up exactly the way you want it, and it creates is a much deeper relation with the farmer and processor,” he said.
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