No Slow Food Events are scheduled at this time.
PCC Farmland Trust sponsors “Farming in the Winter”
Challenge of year-round farming is focus of day-long event in Sequim
The PCC Farmland Trust is sponsoring a tour, dinner and lecture on the
challenges of year-round farming and saving farmland from development.
The event will take place at the
Delta Farm in Sequim on Saturday, January 19. The Delta Farm is home to
Nash’s Organic Produce , and one
of four Washington state properties the Trust has secured for organic
production.
Event participants will tour Nash’s Organic Produce, viewing the entire 400+
acre operation, including the 97-acre Delta Farm purchased by the Trust in
2001. Owner and operator Nash Huber, and field production manager Scott
Chichester, will discuss the challenges they face in growing vegetables
twelve months a year, and the particular issues involved in winter vegetable
production.
A dinner prepared by Field to Fork, Nash’s catering team, will follow the
tour, along with acoustic mountain blues performed by local musicians. WSU
Clallam county extension director Dr Curtis Beus will discuss “Food from
everywhere and nowhere;” local farmland saving group,
Friends of the Fields, will
talk about land use issues on the Olympic Peninsula; and Trust
representatives will provide updates on their work.
Event cost is $45 and includes the tour, transportation between farms, meal,
one drink and evening entertainment. Tickets for children 4-12 are $20; 3
and under are free. A tour-only option is available at $15 for adults, $8
for children 4-12, 3 and under are free.
Online event registration available at
www.pccfarmlandtrust.org.
Important news from Slow Food Skagit:
Hello to our Slow Food Community,
Early this month, I watched the news coverage of the terrible floods in
southwest Washington, and was immediately concerned about the huge areas of
farmland that were being flooded, and the farmers and food producers who
would be devastated.
The next day, Laura Faley, of Hidden Meadow Ranch in Mount Vernon, forwarded
a message to me, telling the story of loss at the Black Sheep Creamery and
the Gregory family. As Laura said to me, "this is a tragic loss, and shows
how close to the financial edge small producers are. It is the years' work
that cannot be restored -- the selective breeding, and the aging of cheese,
and, of course, the financial losses are devastating."
I immediately circulated their story to a short list of friends, so that
they could pass the information on to others. I discovered that the Gregorys
were posting their story, day to day, on their website,
www.blacksheepcreamery.com. Go there, and click on "Musings 12-2007" then
scroll down to the bottom to read the story, beginning December 5.
We all know that this story is representative of the trauma and loss
suffered by food producers throughout the region. Their problems will not be
solved by the next sunny day, or by the generous work of their friends
during the first days after the flood. The flood waters recede, leaving dead
animals, destroyed homes, and fields buried in toxic mud.
So, thanks to my friends sending me helpful messages, I've been collecting
information to share with you, about how you can help our farming friends in
the flooded areas. If you can't help, please pass this message along to
others. This disaster could just as easily have happened here. The farmers
needing help could have been our friends, if the storm had taken a slightly
different track, so that the Olympic Mountains couldn't protect us.
I will offer you a variety of options for donations, including the Tilth
Producers of Washington, representing organic and sustainable farmers, the
Olympia Farmers Market, supporting many of the food producers in the flooded
region, and the Adna Grange, feeding the community 24 hours a day. First, I
will tell you how to help the Black Sheep Creamery.
The Regional Governors of Slow Food have set up a fund for the Gregory
family at the Black Sheep Creamery. Our representative, Gerry Warren,
writes, "Black Sheep Creamery, an artisan cheese producer near Chehalis,
lost 2/3 of its flock, some of their cheese in process, and had their farm
and lands devastated in the recent flooding. I have suggested that BSC be
the recipient of our donations because they are a farm family who, as an
artisan producer, are closely aligned with Slow Food principles, and because
our donations can have a direct impact on their recovery.... Since we do not
have a regional bank account, I have asked the treasurer and board of Slow
Food Seattle if we can use their account as a repository for this fund. We
will accumulate personal and Convivium donations until January 30th, at
which time I will forward the money to the farm, with full disclosure of the
donors who participated.... Collectively, we can make a small but
significant difference. Please make convivium and personal donations, which
can be tax deductable, payable to Slow Food Seattle/Flood Relief. Mail to
Gerry Warren, SF Regional Governor, 4825 Stanford Ave., N.E., Seattle, WA
98105. Please include an email address to which a receipt can be sent."
Our convivium will join other Slow Food convivia in the region, by sending a
donation to this fund.
Many other farmers also need our help. A comprehensive list of organizations
collecting relief funds for farmers, sent to me by Crystine Goldberg of
Uprising Organics, can be found at
http://southern-washington-flood-relief-2007.blogspot.com. Tilth Producers
of Washington has updated information and a discussion board at
www.tilthproducers.org. To help organic and sustainable farmers within the
Tilth Producers community, send checks to Tilth Producers of Washington Farm
Relief Fund, P.O. Box 85056, Seattle, WA 98145, or donate online at the
above website. To support the farmers and food producers who sell at the
Olympia Farmers Market, such as the goat cheese farm mentioned in the recent
Skagit Valley Herald article, go to www.olympiafarmersmarket.com, to donate
online, or mail to 700 Capitol Way South, Olympia, WA 98501.
The Southern Washington Flood Relief 2007 blog (address above), says, "Many
farmers in southwest Washington State just lost everything they owned in one
of the most devastating floods this area has seen. The farms are dealing
with immense losses. Along with the monumental task of cleaning up the mud
(which is now toxic), ruined machinery, dead animals, damaged homes, barns
and production facilities, they are contending with lost income, debt,
housing, and starting all over again."
"Both Bellingham and Olympia Food Coops are accepting donations at all Co-Op
registers. Donations will be directed to the Olympia Food Co-Op Farm Relief
Fund, set up to help organic and sustainable farms affected by the
flooding." (Our Skagit Valley Food Co-Op also has donation containers at
their registers.)
"What is most needed right now is money to buy necessities, as well as OLD
clothes, towels, power tools, lumber, extension cords, gloves, boots,
respirators, etc....the clean up is immense."
For a complete list of funds, go to the website/blog (address above). The
top 3 funds suggested there are, the Olympia Farmers Market, Tilth
Producers, (both listed above) and the Adna Grange (Karen Kerr). Adna Grange
offers "direct assistance and food for Adna area farms and families (not
limited to farms).... The Adna Grange is serving food 24hrs/day. Cash
donations will go towards both food and to those in need directly. Cash is
needed for basic things like diesel, to run generators, and loads of gravel
to access houses, barns, etc. Mail donations to P.O. Box 63, Adna, WA 98522,
or simply call Karen's cell, which is strapped to her body! 360-807-9282."
I know I've included a lot of information in this message. I hope I've made
it easy for you to find one place to send some money, or easy for you to
learn more about this terrible situation, and help in a variety of ways. If
you follow up by reading the Black Sheep Creamery website, or the list on
the Flood Relief blog, you will find many ways to offer your services and
time, as well as money.
If you want to read more, please continue below, and read the latest Black
Sheep Creamery update I've received, through Rhonda Gothberg of Gothberg
Farms, and Joan R. DeVries, the WSU Livestock Advisor Program Assistant at
WSU Skagit County Extension, from Gretchen Wilson, who has been a tireless
supporter and organizer for the Gregory family. This message is an example
of where things stand for many farmers just beginning their recovery.
Whether you send a check to the Slow Food Flood Relief fund for BSC, donate
to one of the farmers assistance groups I've mentioned, line up a car pool
and a work party and dive in to help with the muck, or simply pass this
message on to someone more able to help than you, we at Slow Food appreciate
your interest and concern for our food producing neighbors. Thank you.
Carol Havens
Slow Food Skagit River Salish Sea
360-293-4525
