NEWS RELEASE

For immediate release: 1/27/12
Contact: Rachel Firak, New Farmer Training Coordinator, rfirak

Groundswell’s Sustainable Farming Certificate Program now accepting applications
New Farmers: Apply online for the 100-hour, April-November program

Ithaca, NY – This spring, the Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming will again offer its full-season training program for aspiring and beginning farmers and market gardeners. Running April 18 to November 14, the Sustainable Farming Certificate Program provides 124 hours of classroom training, hands-on workshops, farm visits, and supervised work experience on sustainable farms.

Trainees can choose to concentrate their studies on the management of vegetables and fruits, livestock and poultry, or pursue a diversified curriculum. Each trainee will have an individualized Learning Contract, and will be evaluated on the basis of that contract before being awarded Groundswell’s Sustainable Farming Certificate. Instruction will be provided by experienced farmer mentors, as well as subject matter experts from our partner institutions such as Cornell University, USDA, and Cornell Cooperative Extension. Trainees who complete 100 hours of training or more are eligible to receive Groundswell’s Sustainable Farming Certificate.

Groundswell is committed to the vision of a regionally self-reliant food system that provides good food and economic opportunities for everyone. The Sustainable Farming Certificate Program, like each of Groundswell’s New Farmer Training Programs, seeks to engage trainees from diverse cultural, racial, and economic backgrounds to participate in a supportive, trainee-driven learning environment. People of color, new immigrant and limited resource trainees are especially encouraged to apply. Tuition for the Sustainable Farming Certificate Program is on a sliding scale and ranges from $125 to $800, with substantial support offered to people of color, new immigrant and limited-resource trainees.

Applications for the Sustainable Farming Certificate Program are now online. Visit www.groundswellcenter.org to learn more and apply today.

The Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming is an initiative of the EcoVillage Center for Sustainability Education/Center for Transformative Action. Support for Groundswell comes from individuals and businesses who believe in the importance of strong local food systems, and from the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture-USDA, Grant #2010-49400-21799. For more information, visit www.groundswellcenter.org.

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Groundswell is an initiative of the not-for-profit Center for Transformative Action, Tax ID: 16‐0990318

“For the first time, the map is available as an interactive GIS-based map, for which a broadband Internet connection is recommended, and as static images for those with slower Internet access. Users may also simply type in a ZIP Code and find the hardiness zone for that area.

“No posters of the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map have been printed. But state, regional, and national images of the map can be downloaded and printed in a variety of sizes and resolutions.”

And an article on the new map in the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/plant-hardiness-map-revealed/2012/01/25/gIQANAxtQQ_story.html?hpid=z4:

“The new map is generally one 5-degree Fahrenheit half zone warmer than the previous map throughout much of the United States,” said Kim Kaplan, of the Agricultural Research Service.

“She said that in spite of the zone creep, the new map is not meant to validate climate change, and that the changes are driven in part by more sophisticated and fuller data collection. Using new technology, the map makers have been able to assess the effects of elevation, prevailing winds, bodies of water and urban heat islands in a way the old map could not, she said. Viewers can now type in their ZIP codes to get zone information.”

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Earn your Permaculture Design Certificate
with the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute
http://www.fingerlakespermaculture.org
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My name is Stefan Senders, and I am a baker. Beside me are Thor Oechsner, an organic farmer, and Neal Johnston, a miller. We work together.

Today we bring bread to Albany to intervene in the self-destruction of the great State of New York. We come, Farmers, Bakers, and Millers, to remind our state and our Governor, Andrew Cuomo, that despite the promises of industry lobbyists, the exploitation of Shale Gas in New York is bad and broken economy of the worst kind.

This bread is the product of our community and our farms. The wheat, grown, tended, and harvested by our local organic farmers, is fresh from the soil of New York. The flour, ground in our local flour mill, is as fine as concerned and caring hands can make it.

To resurrect a term long since emptied by advertisers, the wheat, the flour, and the bread are ‘wholesome’: they bring our communities together, give us work, nourish us, please our senses, and make our bodies and our land more healthy.

This is good economy. It is wise economy. It is a steady economy that nourishes the State of New York.

We know that for many New Yorkers,Fracking sounds like a good idea. We have all heard the fantastic tales: Fracking, it is said, will save our state from financial ruin, release us from our dependence on foreign oil, and revive our rural economy by bringing cash, if not fertility, to our once vibrant farmland.

For politicians, these stories of money and growth are hard to resist: the numbers are large, deficits are unnerving, and elections are expensive.

For many farmers and land-owners, the promises of cash are dizzying, and to risk the lands fertility to extract gas is only one step removed from risking the lands fertility to extract a few more bushels of corn or soybeans.

But farmers might know better.

Farming has not always been, and need not be, an extractive industry. There was a time when farmers worked with a longer view, keeping in mind their role as stewards and caretakers of the land. That long view is the farmers wisdom, and it is as good and wise today as it ever was.

The promises of the gas industry are demonstrably false, and they miss what farmers know well: There is no independence that does not demand care and responsibility. There is no quantity of cash that can restore fertility to a poisoned field. There is no adequate monetary compensation for poisoned water. There is no payment, no dollar, no loan, that can restore life and community to a broken world.

Our work and the work we provide otherson the farm, at the mill, and at the bakerydepends on fertile soil, pure water, and a viable community. All of these are put at risk by Fracking.

What happens to our land in an economy bloated by gas exploitation? Prices rise, rents rise, and good, arable land becomes scarce as acres once leased to farmers are set to quick development schemesflimsy housing, storage barns, parking lots, and man-camps.

And what happens to our water when gas exploitation takes over? Storage pools, as safe as Titanic was unsinkable, overflow, contaminating the soil; inevitable leaks in well-casings allow gasses and Frack-fluids to pass into our aquifers, into our bodies, and into the bodies of our children.

And what happens to communities held in thrall to gas exploitation? As we have seen in other parts of the country, the boom-bust cycle of the petroleum economy fractures communities, undermining our capacity to act wisely and civilly.

With every boom, a few get rich, a few do better, but all are impoverished. For every hastily built motel there are dozens of apartments with rising rents; for every newly minted millionaire there are many dozens who see nothing but the pain of rising costs and receding resources. For every short-term dollar there are hundreds in long-term losses that can never be recouped.

To go for gas is to go for broke.

With this bread we are here to remind you that there is another economy, one that works.

This bread symbolizes a commitment to the health of New York State. It embodies the knowledge that good work, not a gamblers dream, is the basis of a sound and sustainable economy.

This bread symbolizes the farmers simple truth that without fertile soil, without pure water, and without strong community, we go hungry.

This bread reminds us all that the promises of gas exploitation are empty: What are we to grow in fields broken by the drill and tilled with poison? What are we to feed our children when our water and wheat are unfit? Shall we grind money to make our bread?

We do have a choice. We need not poison our land to live. We need not taint our water to drink. We need not sell our future to finance our present. These are choices, not inevitabilities.

With this bread we say: take the long view; pay attention to the health of the soil and nourish it; treasure pure water; remember the value of your community and keep it whole.

If something must be broken, let it not be shale. Let it be this bread.
]]> http://flxpermaculture.net/2012/01/25/bread-bakers-statement-on-fracking-in-albany/feed/ 0 michaelgburns http://flxpermaculture.net/2012/01/24/fixers-collective-an-idea-for-ithaca/ http://flxpermaculture.net/2012/01/24/fixers-collective-an-idea-for-ithaca/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:08:57 +0000 michaelgburns http://flxpermaculture.net/2012/01/24/fixers-collective-an-idea-for-ithaca/ ]]> From: “Marian Brown”

I noted this on the Center for a New American Dream e-newsletter today…. I LOVE this idea of a “fixers collective”… where people bring their “tired, their poor, their huddled masses yearning to” be repaired….

http://www.newdream.org/blog/fixers-collective

Is this something we could do here….? We do have some specialized repair groups locally, like RIBS for bikes and the Computer
All-Stars/Finger Lakes ReUse for computers… but it would be great to have a place where folks who know how to rewire old lamps, or fix that finicky toaster, or what-have-you could assemble and fix one another’s stuff and keep it in service….

Whaddaya think….? Perhaps this is something the Ludgate’s working group could consider….?

Marian Brown

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http://FLXpermaculture.Net
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Earn your Permaculture Design Certificate
with the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute
http://www.fingerlakespermaculture.org
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Friday, February 10th
4:00-8:00 PM
Union Hall, 100 Civic Center Plaza, Corning

- Meet farmers – Taste samples – Learn about local farms – Purchase local products – Recipies & Demonstrations -

The public is cordially invited to a unique tasting experience. Sample locally produced meats, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, wines, and other farm products!

Meet dozens of Finger Lakes farmers! Learn how and where to buy fresh, healthy, local foods.

Visit and learn about more about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

The event will feature several different CSAs that offer a variety of shares for sale.

$5.00 per person $10.00 per family

Register at the door or in advance at:
https://secure.qgiv.com/for/cornellce/event/4188/

Cornell University
Cooperative Extension
Steuben County
Recipes and Demonstrations
Contact 607-664-2300
for more information

Cornell Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities. CCE does not endorse or recommend any specific product or service. Please contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension office in your county if you have any special needs.

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http://FLXpermaculture.Net
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Earn your Permaculture Design Certificate
with the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute
http://www.fingerlakespermaculture.org
###

Cornell Garden-Based Learning (CGBL) is pleased to announce a new professional development approach called Take Root! A Training for Garden Educators. We are looking for partners in New York State to host and facilitate these trainings with us. Partners may include Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) County offices and non-profits or community organizations that are interested in garden-based learning program development or expansion.

In 2012 CGBL would like to hold at least eight trainings in groups of counties across the state. By partnering with a local organization that has a strong knowledge base of local programs and community needs, we can broaden the reach of marketing this opportunity and we can offer a workshop most suited to the needs of the attendees.

Take Root! trainings are open to educators and youth workers from the region interested in, or already implementing, garden-based learning. Attendees from organizations and CCE offices are encouraged to bring along at least two other staff and/or volunteers. The objectives of these workshops are to:

• Promote our garden-based learning resources with a positive youth development focus.
• Bring together CCE and community educators to develop an ability to incorporate gardens into their scope of work, to make gardens projects successful and sustainable, and to facilitate more lead educators on these topics in each region.
• Gather information about local projects to determine and demonstrate effectiveness, as well as better understand areas of improvement.
• Foster community partnerships, coalition building, and linkages to other programs.
• Grow significant youth and adult leadership in local food systems, “green,” and garden-based learning movements.

The partner organization is asked to:

• Provide a workshop host site. (Most often this includes a large room to comfortably accommodate participants, however, when possible, access to an outdoor space for hands-on activities is encouraged).
• Contact other educators in the region to determine the most pressing program development needs as they relate to garden-based learning, using Session 1-3 (below) as a guide.
• Communicate needs to CGBL.
• Carry out advertising and registration for event.
• Food and beverage snack for participants.
• Access to audio-visual equipment.
• Summary of training feedback.
• Assessment of future training needs.
• Cover transportation costs for CGBL staff person (and lodging, if applicable).

What CGBL is offering: Half- to full-day sessions including theory and skill building centered on garden-based learning principles and practices, and gardening techniques, from basics (Session 1) to more advanced (Session 3). In some cases we can offer an extended workshop to cover multiple sessions and can be held over two-consecutive days.

CGBL will:

• Organize and conduct a one-time workshop on most pressing topics as communicated from partner organization, with a follow up via webinar or in-person if possible. (Partner organization(s) are encouraged to assist with workshop instruction).
• Provide tangible tools and techniques to ensure feasible implementation.
• Provide a comprehensive picture, connecting gardens to all facets of programs, spend time exploring the linkages to current programs, and demonstrate how the garden can enhance any educational approach.
• Provide case studies for inspiration.
• Familiarize participants with CGBL on-line resources.

Proposed Training Topics (described generally to allow for expansion and specification to educators needs):

Session 1 – Plant a Seed, Inspire Interest. This is an introduction to garden-based learning; what is it, why is it important (researched based findings), and connecting gardens to all sectors of work. We will begin to develop a garden program that promotes positive youth development, opportunities for leadership and community & volunteer participation, and review tips on effective teaching methods. An in-depth overview of CGBL and other resources will be reviewed. Groups new to garden-based learning or groups struggling with community involvement and program structure will particularly benefit from this session.

Session 2 – Tend the Garden. This session focuses on developing a more intentional, longer-term approach to garden-based programs, expanding existing programs deeper into a school or community, fostering a commitment to yearlong food systems. Using a logic model as a tool, we will introduce methods to create project sustainability both in the garden and with the program itself, fundraising, building capacity and forming collaborations. Groups with an existing garden program hoping to expand and increase project sustainability are a good fit for this session.

Session 3 – Building Capacity/Train-the-Trainer. This session digs deeper than session 2, with a focus on, for example: evaluation, more extensive information on program and garden sustainability, ecological design, increasing yields and season extension, and building leadership of involved participants, including youth apprentice programs, teaching effectively, and mentoring. Groups are a fit for this session if they have an existing project underway, have already taken some steps towards enhanced sustainability but want to go further both programmatic ally and ecologically.

Other topics CGBL offers, for which an additional program fee will be required:

How to construct living sculpture such as sod furniture

The garden as a gateway to environmental awareness

Aquaponics

Intensive introductions to our curricula, such as Dig Art!, Discovering our Food System, and Seed to Salad

Visit efalk.

And, stay up to date as Take Root! trainings are scheduled by joining CGBL on Facebook and our subscribing to the CGBL Blog.

Look forward to working with you,

Liz Falk

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