September October 2004

Passages
Sustainable Food and Farming Systems
Newsletter of the
Pennsylvania
Association
for Sustainable
Agriculture
Serving the Community of Sustainable Farmers, Consumers and Businesses Throughout Pennsylvania and Beyond
Number 50
September/October 2004
September/October 2004
Pennsylvania Association
for Sustainable Agriculture
114 West Main Street
P.O. Box 419
Millheim PA 16854
Phone: (814) 349-9856 • Fax: (814) 349-9840
Website: www.pasafarming.org
Passages STAFF & OFFICE
Staff Editor: Michele Gauger
Layout: C Factor
Advertising Sales: Michele Gauger,
PASA office, [email protected]
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Kim Miller, Westmoreland County
Vice President: Kim Tait, Centre County
Secretary: Lyn Garling, Centre County
Treasurer: Chris Fullerton, Huntingdon County
Mary Barbercheck, Centre County
David Bingaman, Dauphin County
George DeVault, Lehigh County
Mena Hautau, Berks County
John Hopkins, Columbia County
John Jamison, Westmoreland County
Dave Johnson, Tioga County
Don Kretschmann, Beaver County
Brian Moyer, Berks County
Anthony Rodale, Berks County
Kim Seeley, Bradford County
PASA STAFF
Headquarters
Brian Snyder
Executive Director
[email protected]
Lauren Smith
Director of Development
& Membership Programs
[email protected]
Heather House
Director of Educational Outreach
[email protected]
Michele Gauger
Membership & Research Assistant
[email protected]
Brandi Marks
Office Coordinator/Bookkeeper
[email protected]
Regional Office
David Eson
Director of Western Programs
Phone: 412-997-2343
[email protected]
Passages is printed on recycled paper
3
Passages Celebrates 50 Issues
4
Food for Thought: Opinion
A Perspective on Farmland Preservation
5
Battle Thrips With Marigold and Orius
6
Director’s Corner
7
President’s Corner
8
Regional Marketing
5
10 Consumer News
12 Educational Outreach:
Local Farmers Train Penn College
Dining Services How To Use Grass-fed Beef
Summer May Be Ending,
But Winter Harvest Is Just Beginning
14 New PASA Membership Materials Available
15 Ideas to Increase PASA Membership
16 Annual Fund Update
10
18 Conference News
19 It’s Called AgriCulture
20 Community Building
22 Classified Ads
23 Calendar
24 Editor’s Corner: The Grapevine
27 Membership Contribution Form
20
Passages September/October 2004 Contributors
CONTRIBUTORS: Billy Connelly, George DeVault, David Eson, Chris Fullerton, Michele Gauger, Carol
Glenister, Mena Hautau, Heather House, John Ikerd, Lisa Kerschner, Moie Kimball Crawford, Kim Miller,
Eric Nordell, Cass Peterson, Joel Salatin, Lauren Smith, Brian Snyder and Kim Tait.
PASA’s Mission is…
PASA in the News
Promoting profitable farms which produce healthy
food for all people while respecting the natural environment.
PASA is an organization as diverse as the Pennsylvania
landscape. We are seasoned farmers who know that
sustainability is not only a concept, but a way of life.
We are new farmers looking for the fulfillment of land
stewardship. We are students and other consumers,
anxious to understand our food systems and the
choices that must be made. We are families and children, who hold the future of farming in our hands.This
is an organization that is growing in its voice on behalf
of farmers in Pennsylvania and beyond. Our mission is
achieved, one voice, one farm, one strengthened community at a time.
Have you seen articles about PASA in your local newspapers or other media? PASA is active across the state,
and we’d love to know what coverage we are getting
in your area. Please clip any articles you see on PASA
and mail them to our Millheim headquarters to the
attention of Office Coordinator Brandi Marks.
Do you have a great
article idea for Passages?
Want to share a farming practice with members? We’d
love to hear from you. Please contact the newsletter
staff at newsletter@ pasafarming.org.
Deadline for November/December Issue: October 30,
2004.
PASA is an Equal Opportunity Service Provider and Employer. Some grant funding comes from the USDA and
complaints of discrimination should be sent to: USDA Office of Civil Rights, Washington, DC 20250-9410.
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Passages Celebrates 50 Issues
P
ASA is marking a milestone with our newsletter publication Passages —
this edition marks the 50th! As the publication continues to evolve in
appearance and content we hope it is a useful tool for our entire readership
from farmers to consumers. In recent months we have gone from a quarterly
publication to a bimonthly format, added consumer-friendly pages and have
strived to stay atop the sustainable agriculture publication heap, all in an effort
their friendships; may your computers
be immune to illness; may your heads
brim with innovative story ideas; may
your dreams for a righteous food system
come to pass. Carry on, and may the
Passages torch light our bioregion for
another 50 issues.
— Joel Salatin, Polyface Farm
Swoope, VA
to benefit you — our PASA members.
As PASA began to look back at the last 49 issues, many began to recall
favorite or even disliked articles from past issues. In this thinking we thought it
would be appropriate to ask some of our PASA friends to give their thoughts on
Passages marking its 50th issue. We hope you enjoy reading these reflections
and a special reprinted article from Passages issue #30, as we hope to be around
another 50 issues.
Reflections for Passages
Of all the state sustainable-agriculture type support groups, PASA is a
queen, and Passages its crown jewel.
Always professional, always captivating
and always ready to question standard
agendas, Passages receives VIP (Very
Important Periodical) treatment at our
house.
Usually about halfway through an
issue, I am compelled to jump up from
the desk, go find Teresa (my wife) and
read a portion aloud. A newsletter
reflects the persona of its constituency.
The rough-and-tumble can-do spirit of
the PASA membership comes through
loud and clear in the newsletter and I
appreciate that.
Perhaps the single article I remember
most fondly is the one Cass Peterson (see
page 4) wrote about farmland preservation sans farmer preservation. Her perceptive arguments and bold audacity to
question one of the pillars of the sustainable ag-environmental farming agenda
had me doing emotional backflips — I
can’t do the physical kind. Having done
a bit of writing myself, I deeply appreciate the courage of the Passages editor to
print such hard-hitting, thought-provoking material. May it ever be.
Unlike many of its counterparts, Passages offers a can-do market-oriented
dirt-under-the-fingernails approach that
is both exhilarating and proactive. It
stands in sharp contrast to counterparts
that exude an air of helplessness without
government grants, programs, or taxpayer-funded solutions. While it carries an
appropriate amount of industrial food
and farming bashing, these sentiments
are balanced by spotlighting doers who
testify to the power of one.
Although not a Pennsylvanian, I find
most of the material applicable to my
region. We really are a lot more similar
than we are different. A willingness to
tackle government policy issues is definitely a strength, both to the newsletter
and PASA. Understanding that cultural
paradigm shifts requires movement at all
levels — producers, food buyers,
bureaucrats, politicians, infrastructure
suppliers — is key to moving the clean
food agenda forward. Passages targets
them all and does it well.
The key to any successful organization is communication, which maintains
the relationships that fuel the ministry.
PASA members are not only blessed to
have Passages out there faithfully proclaiming all the facets of the clean food
issue, but are also blessing countless others in the greater mid-Atlantic region
with this publication. To the editor, staff,
and PASA officers, you do your members and us hangers-on proud.
Now, a prayer for Passages: may the
people who create the publication guard
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They say The Wall Street Journal is
read by the people who run the country,
The Washington Post by people who
think they run the country, and The
New York Times by people who think
they should run the country, and also
happen to be very good at crossword
puzzles.
Obviously, “they” never read Passages,
which is putting the country back on the
road to common sense in all things agricultural. So, don’t forget to renew your
subscription (PASA membership) to
Passages. Better yet, become a Life Member, so you’ll never miss another thrilling
issue again.
— George DeVault
PASA Board Member
Contributing Editor
Pheasant Hill Farm
Passages — Like a Letter
From an Old Friend
For many years now, I have received
Passages in the mail and each time it feels
like I am getting a letter from an old
friend. My habit is to first flip through
the pages, see the faces and words of my
colleagues and mentors, and inwardly
know that there are still some things
right with the world. And at some later
moment in the day, week or month, I
will sit down and read all the articles.
This publication has served as a source
of camaraderie, information and inspiration for more years than I can count.
I consider Passages the hopeful voice
of Pennsylvania agriculture. It conveys
the message of an agriculturally healthy
present and future, even if it is one
chicken, pig or tomato at a time. And as
Continued on page 16
Food for Thought: Opinion
A Perspective on Farmland Preservation
By Cass Peterson
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared
in the fall 1999 issue of Passages.
Farmland protection is an issue that
has resonance with the general public. It
wraps food production, rural values, the
nation’s agrarian tradition, environmental protection, and the preservation of
the pastoral landscape all into one popular package. Supportive citizens have
approved bond measures in some states
and dedicated taxes in others, to demonstrate that they are willing to put money
into the goal of maintaining farmland
for the future.
I think it’s fair to say that most people who cast their votes in favor of financial packages to buy development rights
to do so in the expectation that the land
will be forever (or something close to it)
engaged in farming. They assume that
the land will be growing grain or vegetables, or pasturing cattle or sheep, under
the careful husbandry of a farmer.
To that extent, I think the people
who support farmland protection programs often cite statistics to demonstrate
the importance of agriculture to the state
economy. They talk about “irreplaceable
land that produces our food.” They warn
the loss of farmland puts local and
national economies at risk, threatens the
ready availability of fresh local produce,
and undermines rural communities. All
of this is true.
The problem is that saving the land
won’t reduce any of those risks. Farmland, if it is to remain farmland, needs a
farmer, and farmers are at a far greater
risk of extinction than the land they cultivate.
There are fewer than 2 million farmers in the United States now. A large
number of those are nearing the age of
retirement. Possibly an even larger number are nearing the brink of bankruptcy.
Who will farm all this land that is being
saved as farmland?
There are state to state variations in
farmland protection programs, but as I
understand the basic principles, the idea
Farmland, if it is to
remain farmland, needs
a farmer, and farmers
are at a far greater risk
of extinction than the
land they cultivate.
is to buy development rights — which
often give the current farmer the cash he
or she needs to stick it out a few more
years – and then place restrictions on the
land so that it can be used only for agricultural purposes. The notion is that
such restricted land will then be valued
at less money, and will be within the
financial reach of prospective farmers
who will buy it from the retiring farmer
and keep it in pastoral production for
another generation.
It isn’t going to happen. In some
areas, protected farmland goes begging
even for rental farmers. The financial
risk of farming is always high and in a
global economy it gets higher every year.
Wired magazine isn’t known for its
agricultural analysis, of course, but the
September 1999 issue has this telling bit
of prose in a featured entitled “The
Good News Is, You’ll Be a Millionaire
Soon. The Bad News Is, So Will Everyone Else.”
“Fast forward to 2020. After two
decades of ultra prosperity, the average
American household’s income is
$150,000 but milk still costs only about
$2.50 a gallon.”
That’s what we’ve groomed the public to expect of their food supplies. I
don’t know who’ll be producing that
$2.50 gallon milk in 2020, but it won’t
be an American family farmer.
So where will all the farmers to farm
these tens of thousands of acres of protected American farmland come from?
4
Most likely, in my view, is that
wealthy people will buy up the land for
the privacy it affords, and hire someone
to create a window-dressing of hay fields
and corn crops. It’s done now in Northern Virginia, where well-to-do landowners sell hay at a loss (in competition with
real farmers) to protect their agricultural
tax benefits. Here’s another example,
from the Aug. 8, 1999, New York Times
magazine, in an article describing the
multi-million-dollar makeover of a
country estate: “The property also
includes a meadow that Ruddick transformed into a boxwood farm; it provides
a cash crop that preserves the land’s agricultural status for tax reasons.”
There are plenty of wealthy people
who would not blink at paying $10,000
an acre for 150 acres of seclusion. Quite
ordinary houses on busy boulevards in
the Washington D.C. area routinely sell
for more than $1 million. What’s another half-million or so for 150 acres of
peace and quiet?
The second likely scenario is that the
land protected forever as an agricultural
resource will instead be found useful for
some other public purpose. It might
remain as open space, perhaps as parks
or wildlife preserves, maybe even a publicly supported “demonstration farm”
with a carefully maintained red barn and
a petting zoo. But developing and maintaining recreational or refuge areas costs
money, and the public pockets probably
aren’t deep enough to take over responsibility for all the land that has been or
will be restricted from development.
So it might be found useful, at some
future time, to use chunks of land for
sewage treatment plants, highway interchanges, or some other use of benefit to
the public. After all, the public has
already purchased the development
rights. If, despite diligent efforts, no
farmers can be found to take over the
land, wouldn’t it be fiscally prudent to
use it for some other public purpose?
I do not mean to suggest preserving
farmland is not a noble goal or an
important one. It is absolutely true that
the best and most productive farmland,
especially in the East, is in danger of
being lost forever from agricultural production. I further believe however that
the best, the cheapest and ultimately the
Continued on page 25
Battle Thrips With Marigold and Orius
By Carol Glenister,
IPM Laboratories, Inc.
One reason pest outbreaks are so
severe in greenhouses is the complete
absence of natural enemies. It’s analogous to fencing a rabbit family into a
garden and keeping the dog outside the
fence. A better option is to adopt a biocontrol program for the greenhouse;
something analogous to bringing the
dog (a friendly patrol) back into the garden.
Biocontrol is the use of a pest’s natural enemies to curb that pest’s population. Often called beneficials, these
natural enemies make food out of problem pests and can keep pest populations
so low that the pests are barely noticeable. In order to do this beneficials have
to choose to stay in the greenhouse.
Since dispersal of beneficials is directly
linked to food and habitat needs, it is
important to make your greenhouse as
beneficials-friendly as possible. This way
the good bugs will stick around.
With more than 20 species of beneficial insects, mites and nematodes in use
in greenhouses, there is no set rule concerning the environmental preferences
of various natural enemies. Some beneficials simply require the presence of their
prey, others require high humidity or
long days, and some species have preferences for certain plants. A beneficial’s
decision to stay in a crop or on a plant
can also depend on the presence of nectar and pollen, plant structure, and the
desire or abhorrence of plant hairs.
A good example of a predator that is
a little picky about its habitat is Orius
insidiosus, a highly predaceous and versatile pirate bug, valuable to greenhouse
growers for its effective biological control of thrips, aphids and mites. Orius
attacks all stages of pest development
(from egg to adult), and reacts rapidly to
any movement of its prey. Orius adults
and nymphs are predaceous, good fliers
adept at finding new concentrations of
prey, and prefer to colonize flowering
habitats that offer pollen and nectar. In
return Orius provides some insurance
against sudden pest outbreaks in such
settings.
© Property of IPM Labs
But not all flowers are equally desirable to Orius. Bedding plants in greenhouses can be havens for thrips simply
because these crops are missing the
flower habitat required by natural enemies like Orius. Orius will inhabit and
protect dwarf morning glory, lantana,
gerbera daisy, strawberry plants,
marigold and sweet pepper. But according to Ron Oetting, entomologist with
the Georgia Experiment Station, “The
Orius insidiosus won’t stay more than 5
minutes on a certain variety of rose.” So
it pays to know what it takes to keep this
hungry beneficial on patrol.
Another advantage to cultivating
Orius populations is that this beneficial
can, in the absence of prey, survive and
multiply on pollen alone. This is a boon
to the grower because it means that
when thrips arrive on the scene, a strong
Orius population can be ready to meet
them.
Want to Attract Orius?
Use Marigold as Banker,
Indicator and Trap Plant
Briefly stated, a “banker” plant
attracts and supports many greenhouse
beneficials and protects your assets,
while allowing your investment in beneficials to grow. Marigolds are useful as
“indicator” plants that entice beneficials
and pests to its leaves and blooms. It
concentrates the greenhouse’s insect
population in one location providing a
timely and accurate snapshot of the
entire greenhouse’s insect population.
Indicator plants measure pest and natural enemy presence often better than
sticky cards, enabling the grower to
detect pests and make prompt greenhouse-wide treatment decisions —
5
before valuable ornamentals are damaged.
A “trap” plant lures pests to its leaves
and blooms distracting them from valuable greenhouse ornamentals. The right
trap plant can attract your most annoying pests and “trap” them with its distinct offerings. Different from indicator
plants, trap plants provide the venue
where the grower can take action to control pests. One should never let pests use
trap plants as a reproductive base. Once
populated with pests, a trap plant offers
the grower a concentrated area where
biological and/or chemical controls can
be applied.
Why is Marigold
so Enticing to Orius?
1. It offers abundant pollen, on
which Orius can feed. Although potatoes
and tomatoes have pollen, the pollen is
not readily available in a form that Orius
likes. Orius-deficiency is not a general
problem of all the Solanaceae, however:
Orius readily colonizes blooming sweet
peppers, resulting in spectacular thrips
control.
2. It blooms all season long.
3. It has a head that is very tightly
packed causing a favorite habitat of both
Orius and thrips, which like to squeeze
into tight places.
4. Its blooms are bright yellow.
Thrips, especially flower thrips, are
drawn to these bright colors, hence the
Orius nymphs can dine on both pollen
and thrips.
As with all integrated pest management initiatives, timing is important.
Beneficial populations should be present
and active before pest populations can
effectively multiply. Growers should
establish banker, indicator and trap
plant systems early in the growing season
when pest populations are very low. This
way beneficial populations, slower to
reproduce than pests, can gain considerable ground and keep pest populations
in check. n
For more information about biocontrol
contact Carol Glenister, entomologist at
IPM Laboratories, Inc. by phone 315497-2063 or e-mail [email protected].
Director’s Corner
The Unfolding
Story of Raw Milk
By Brian Snyder
It has been a year since I first wrote to
inform our readers about the urgent
issue of raw milk sales in Pennsylvania.
Since then, the situation has been transformed from being an urgent problem,
to being an urgent opportunity for
smaller dairy farms across the state.
To review, the issue started when a
PASA member, who is a Lancaster
County dairy farmer, had his cheese processing permit repossessed by a representative of the Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture (PDA). This happened
less than 24 hours after that same farmer
hosted a meeting of raw milk producers
from around the state, the purpose of
which was to discuss rumors that raw
milk permits would soon cease.
This incident resulted in a flurry of
phone calls to PDA and other state officials, newspaper editorials and fears the
“crackdown” had begun. We soon found
ourselves fortunate, however, to have a
new Secretary of Agriculture in Pennsylvania who is also a dairy farmer. Almost
as quickly as the situation had escalated,
Secretary Dennis Wolff was able to bring
some respite with assurances the department had no plans to eliminate the practice of issuing raw milk permits. The
cheese permit was also promptly
returned to the farmer in question.
Since then, issues surrounding raw
milk marketing have continued to
progress, even if the pace seems slow for
many affected farmers. PASA hosted an
educational event last year that drew a
very strong crowd, with speakers from
Wisconsin and California as well as representation from PDA. And quite by
accident, Secretary Wolff later met the
Lancaster dairyman who was at the center of the original storm at PASA’s Farming for the Future conference in February,
where they exchanged cordial greetings.
This June, Secretary Wolff met with
this same farmer, me, three other farm-
ers, two representatives of the medical
profession and most of the PDA executive team. Our purpose was to help these
farmers expand their product lines to
include other items their customers are
demanding, including butter, yogurt,
cottage cheese and other soft cheeses.
To be clear, current regulations have
been designed to only allow the sale of
fluid raw milk as well as hard cheeses
made from raw milk that are aged for at
least 60 days. And there is certainly pressure from the Feds and some larger players in the dairy industry to eliminate this
practice. However, a careful reading of
the regulations would seem to allow
PDA the flexibility to determine procedures that can allow other products to be
brought to market in a way that includes
reasonable safeguards for public health.
I have been assured that discussions
will continue along these lines this fall,
with an eye to codifying some kind of
procedure for marketing raw dairy products other than fluid milk and hard
cheese. In the meantime, an interim procedure has been deemed acceptable that
many farmers are already implementing.
In addition to acquiring a state permit to
sell fluid raw milk, this system involves
the use of specific labor contracts established between farmers and individual
customers. By way of such contracts,
customers purchase milk in advance and
pay the farmer a price that includes the
cost of labor required to transform milk
into the desired products.
In its essence, this “labor contract”
system is the same procedure employed
by many farmers who operate a CSA
(Community Supported Agriculture) or
subscription farm with an important
caveat — careful recordkeeping. Farmers
using contracts have been asked to keep
a file of customer contracts current and
available for inspection on the farm.
Some farmers have also been asked to
label each product container with the
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name of the contracted customer. As this
will seem an annoyance to some farmers
and consumers, I have confirmed with
PDA that those who wish to comply
may do so by numbering the contracts
and using that number on labels instead
of customer names.
The labor contract system for production and sale of otherwise banned
raw milk products is working quite well
for many individual farmers, and some
retail establishments are now experimenting with a similar system that
allows such products to flow through
their shelves. It’s working well for many
customers as well, as my own family and
I can attest — everyone should try raw
cottage cheese made off the first grass of
spring! But to be honest, some farmers
are put off by the whole thing, favoring
instead a change in the law to exempt
farmers from regulations covering any
private transactions with individual customers. Such a change is possible, but
will be long in coming.
At this time, regulations around food
and public safety are tightening everywhere, with no immediate end in sight.
This will be true regardless of which candidate or which party wins local, state
and federal elections this fall. In fact, following recent epidemics in Pennsylvania
of disease brought on by contaminated
green onions (Hepatitis-A at Chi Chi’s
restaurants) and uncooked tomatoes
(Salmonella at Sheetz stations), even
vegetables may someday be irradiated, or
“cold pasteurized” as the industry prefers
to call it. Unfortunately, the prevailing
trend is toward more control, not less.
However, I truly believe that a more
subtle revolution in the way food is perceived, produced and procured is already
underway. Positive change may be slow,
but it is coming. Farmers who are able to
work within the system, and think
beyond its current inflexibilities, will be
in a position to profit significantly. This
goes not only for current dairy farmers
who need to make some adjustments to
remain viable, but perhaps even more for
those who are just thinking of starting a
dairy, whether with cows, goats or sheep.
We need more innovative dairy
farmers right now, to keep this revolution going! If you would like to know
more, please give me a call. n
President’s Corner
Plenty of Work
To Do
By Kim Miller
It is wonderful to reach a milestone
and that is what this 50th issue of Passages represents. Still, I would rather
receive congratulations from others
while we focus on the tremendous
amount of work yet to be done. To begin
I think we need to inventory the tools
that we possess as an organization. We
can then decide what we hope to accomplish as an organization and match our
tools to the job at hand, developing new
tools as the job demands.
PASA is a grass roots organization of
nearly 3,000 members with a paid staff
of six. Under the leadership of Brian
Snyder, PASA has developed and instituted a great fiscal accounting system
and organizational structure. The staff is
second to none when it comes to competence and hard work. But PASA is
kind of like a yearling steer right now. It
has a well-developed frame but needs to
put some meat on that frame. And here
is why.
Pennsylvania is an enormous state
with a vast and varied agriculture. I
would argue that PASA’s long-term goal
is a complete transformation of the agricultural system. The new system must
provide more nutritious food, enhance
the environment in which it is produced, provide economic opportunity
for all farmers and strengthen human
relationships by building strong local
communities. Now that is a tall glass of
tea. The thing that makes this transformation so daunting is that it must occur
one farmer at a time and one eater at a
time.
I think we can all agree that six staff,
no matter how competent, cannot
achieve our mutual goal. Nor can 3,000
members. But what we can do is facilitate change. And herein lies our great
strength. When I went looking for an
alternative to the dysfunctional conventional agricultural system, I found there
We have come a long
way, but we need to go
a whole lot further.
PASA needs you,
whether farmer or
eater, to join us.
were (and are) other folks who were further down the path than me that were
willing to freely share their knowledge
with me. They were able to lead me by
putting my interest ahead of their own
immediate self-interest. This is a very
powerful kind of leadership that I have
recently discovered is called “serving
leadership.” I believe that we are an
organization of nearly 3,000 such leaders.
Our programmatic interests are driven by the nature of our membership and
include education, advocacy, and
research. We work at education on the
farm, at the Farming for the Future conference, in Passages, and by advocating
for sustainable agricultural curriculum at
our universities. PASA advocates for sus-
tainable farmers by working with political leaders to create policies that benefits
family farms and local production rather
than maintaining the status quo. Marketing cooperatives, producer cooperatives, farmers markets, and sales of
locally grown food to institutions are
other advocacy efforts. And PASA supports both on-farm and institutional
research that will lead us to grow more
nutritious food while increasing the tilth
of the soil and economic wellbeing of
the farmer.
Back to the organization…each
member is another sustainable agricultural leader, a person who advocates for
better food and healthier people, a person who works on personal as well as
societal transformation. Further, each
member provides membership dues to
PASA every year (and many members
make additional contributions). These
are funds that can be used to hire staff to
pursue programs that we believe are
essential in the transformation of agriculture. And every additional member
strengthens our position as advocate for
sustainable agriculture. PASA does not
have a single programmatic effort that
will not be strengthened by increasing
our membership.
We have come a long way, but we
need to go a whole lot further. PASA
needs you and more leaders like you.
Please encourage those with an interest
in the transformation of the agricultural
system, whether farmer or eater, to join
us. By serving each other we can leave a
transformed agriculture as a legacy to
our children. Any other alternative is
just not palatable. n
APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE FOR
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE GRANTS FOR FARMERS
The Northeast Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE) has now released application materials for its Farmer/Grower grant
program. These grants support Northeast farmers who want to explore innovative
sustainable practices on their farms. The Farmer/Grower Grant program allows
farmers to conduct experiments, try new approaches, and test emerging ideas
about agricultural sustainability. The deadline for the 2005 grant round is December 7, 2004 and applications can be downloaded from the Northeast SARE web site
at www.uvm.edu/~nesare. Farmers can also request a printed application by calling 802-655-0471 or by sending an e-mail to [email protected].
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Regional Marketing
WESTERN
“In the Works”
Western Regional Meetings: In
October we are planning to host the second PASA membership meeting for the
western region. This meeting will be
held for all PASA members living south
of PA Rt. 422. The first meeting (for
members living north of PA Rt. 422)
was held in early July on the farm of Mik
and Maggie Robertson. Nearly 30 members came and we all enjoyed a wonderful summer evening, good food and
discussion. For more information about
the October meeting, please call David
Eson at (412) 697-0411 or [email protected]
PASA Western Regional Office: In
July the western office moved its location to downtown Pittsburgh. The new
contact information for the office is:
PASA
650 Smithfield Street, Suite 210
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
porting local farms are also listed.
Guides are available to members to pass
out to friends, neighbors, customers,
and others. Please contact Staci Richards
at 412- 697-0411 or [email protected] to
request a copy.
Our new office number is 412-6970411 and our fax number is 412-2323115. David Eson can still be reached on
his cell phone at 412-997-2343.
Buy Fresh Buy Local: The 2004
Farm Fresh Guide was published in late
July and distributed throughout the
western region in August. The guide lists
PASA farmers and businesses along with
area farmers’ markets. Businesses sup-
“Local Foods Week” Launched Centre County’s Buy Fresh Buy Local Campaign in August
Above: PASA’s Executive Director Brian Snyder begins the press conference
kicking off “Local Foods Week” in Centre County recently. Participants
included all three Centre Co. Commissioners and Cheryl Cook from the
PA Dept. of Agriculture.
Left: Local residents were able to sample the bounty from each of the three
Centre County farmers markets during “Local Foods Weeks.”
8
The Board and Staff Wish to Thank These Recent Volunteers
Sally & Bob Ambrose
Susan Beal
Georgia Berner
Dorothy Blair
Vance Booher
Denise & Bill Brownlee
Martha Burkholder
Jane & Dick Burlingame
Bill Callahan
Noreen Campbell
Sam Cantrell
Tom Carey
Gene Chenoweth
Dave Chirico
Eileen Clark
Chef Eben Copple
Chef Sam DiBatitista
Chef Douglas Dick
Chef Eddie
Mike Eisenstat
Murrie Emamzadeh
Suzanne Ewing
Matt Ferut
Chef Bill Fuller
Lynn Gelston
Patti Olenick
Kevin Paul
Chef Ton Pias
Wes Ramsey
Thomas Reynolds
Chef Craig Richards
Maggie & Mik Roberston
Marina Rossow
Lori Sands
Mindy Schwartz
Randa Shannon
Louise Schorn-Smith
Ian Smith
Julie Speicher
Barbara & Charlie Gerlach
Susan & Rob Haney
Danny Harter
Frank Higdon
Chef Steve Hill
Bernie Hoffnar
Chef Bill Hunt
Joyce Jones
Moie Kimball Crawford
Art & Larry King
Chef John King
Barb Kline
Jason Lally
Gary Lambert
Cindy & Mike Latchaw
John Laughner
Ragean & Clayton Lee
Dorothy & Barry Leicher
Kim Lucchini
Steve Marks
Tom Maurer
Heather Mikulas
John Muth
Anne & Eric Nordell
Karen Novak
Barbara Songer
Chef Leonard Spampinato
Betty & Tom Stevenson
Chef Martin Thomas
Chef Steve Thompson
Nancy Thompson
Renee Troutman
Amy Trauger
George Vahoviak
Jodie & Evan Verbanic
Rebecca & David Vines
William Wise
Alma Wynne
The 2005 conference planning committee is a wonderful
demonstration of volunteerism!
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9
Consumer News
Local Author Book Signing
Field Guide to Produce offers tips for selecting,
storing and preparing more than
200 fruits and vegetables
Recently at the Glenside Farmers’
Market, local author, chef and teacher
Aliza Green was on hand signing her latest book Field Guide to Produce: How to
Identify, Select and Prepare Virtually
Every Fruit and Vegetable at the Market.
Jim Kenney, the Glenside Farmers’ Market organizer explained “I was thrilled to
have a local talent like Aliza Green at our
market. It was a great opportunity to
educate our customers on the various
types of seasonal produce our farmers
bring to market. In return, we can support a local resident.”
In the Guide, you’ll learn when the
produce is in season, how to identify the
different varieties, how to select ripe produce and what to avoid, and preparation
and storage tips. Detailed recipe ideas
and flavor affinities round out this comprehensive volume. But that is not all —
a 64-page color insert contains more
than 200 photos of each fruit and vegetable for easy identification. With this
AVAILABLE FROM
LOCAL GROWERS NOW
Beans, Lima ............................ July to Oct
Beans, Snap ........................... July to Oct
Beets ....................................... July to Dec
Broccoli ................................... July to Oct
Cabbage, green ................... July to Oct
Cabbage, red ....................... July to Oct
Cabbage, chinese ................ July to Oct
Cantaloupe/musk melon
.............................................. July to Sept
field guide in hand there is no longer any
excuse for not eating our fruits and veggies!
Here are a few sample tips found in
Field Guide to Produce:
• When purchasing asparagus —
give it a squeeze, if the bunch squeaks,
it’s fresh.
• Steep cherry pits in scalded milk
overnight, then use the strained milk to
make a cooked custard ice-cream base,
folding in pitted cherries near the end
of freezing. n
Carrots .................................... July to Dec
Cauliflower
.................... June to July/Sept to Nov
Celery ..................................... June to Feb
Corn-pop .............................. Sept to Dec
Corn-sweet ............................ July to Oct
Cucumbers .......................... July to Sept
Eggplant ................................. July to Oct
Gourds .................................. Sept to Nov
Greens Collards, Kale, Mustard
............................................. June to Oct
Indian Corn .......................... Sept to Nov
1 Tbs organic extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
3 Tbs slivered garlic (about 9 cloves)
3 jalapeno peppers, minced
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, seeded
and minced or for a meat version use
spicy sausage
11⁄2 pounds all-purpose potatoes,
peeled, quartered lengthwise, and
thinly sliced crosswise
11⁄4
tsp salt
2 bunches kale (24 oz),
tough ends trimmed, finely shredded
(about 20 cups loosely packed)
1 can (8 oz) no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 Tbs organic balsamic vinegar
In nonstick Dutch oven or stockpot, heat
oil over low heat. Add onion, garlic,
jalapenos, and chipotle and cook 7 min-
utes, stirring frequently, until onion is
tender. Stir in 8 cups of water and bring
to a boil. Add potatoes and salt, return to
a boil, and cook 5 minutes. Add kale and
return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook 10 minutes or until
kale is tender and potatoes are cooked
through. Stir in tomato sauce and cook 5
minutes. Stir in vinegar and serve.
Lettuce ................................... May to Oct
Recipe courtesy: www.wholefoods.com/recipes
Pumpkins,pie, sugar ............. Sept, Nov
Parsnips ................................. Sept to Dec
Peppers, sweet ..................... July to Dec
Peppers, hot .......................... July to Oct
Pumpkins .............................. Sept to Oct
Squash, summer ................ June to Oct
Nutrition Facts
Per serving: 257 calories, 4.2g total
fat, 0.6g saturated fat, 1.8g monounsaturated fat, 1.1g polyunsaturated
fat, 7.5g dietary fiber, 11g protein, 51g
carbohydrate, 0mg cholesterol,
594mg sodium. Good source of: betacarotene, thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin
C, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium,
potassium, lutein & zeaxanthin,
quercetin, indoles, capsaicin.
10
Squash, winter .................... Sept to Dec
Sweet Potatoes .................. Sept. to Oct
Tomatoes .............................. June to Oct
Tomatoes, cherry ............... June to Oct
Tomatoes, greenhouses
....................... April to July, Oct to Dec
Turnips ................................... Sept to Jan
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Educational Outreach
FARM TO SCHOOL:
Local Farmers Train Penn College
Dining Services How To Use Grass-fed Beef
Ann Seeley trains PCT dining service employees how to cook grass-fed burgers.
By Heather House
The Pennsylvania College of Technology recently awarded Northern Tier
Sustainable Meats Cooperative, Inc., a
local cooperative of grass-fed beef farmers, the school’s 2004–5 ground beef
contract. The cooperative will supply the
college with approximately 20,000
pounds of bulk ground beef and hamburger patties. Linda Sweely, Director of
Food Services at Penn College said,
“Penn College has decided to use Northern Tier beef for the 2004–5 school year
because we feel that the product is a better quality and more nutritious option
for our student body.”
Three representatives of Northern
Tier spent a recent morning educating
around 80 Penn College dining service
employees about the fundamentals of
grass-fed beef. The program, part of an
in-service training offered by Penn College Food Service, included a discussion
of the benefits of grass-fed meats and a
cooking demonstration.
Northern Tier’s President Dale Harper opened the program with a bit of history. “It wasn’t that long ago that the
producer-consumer connection was
tight,” Dale said. “A man might have
shoed your horses in exchange for a
bushel of tomatoes. Today, we are completely divorced from the source of our
food.” Harper told dining service
employees that he was there to “put a
face on the ground beef you’re getting
this year.”
Northern Tier currently has four
members, all of whom farm in Bradford
County. Harper told dining service
employees that to raise meat for the
cooperative, the animals’ diet must be
85% grass-based, and farmers cannot
use any chemical wormers, hormones or
antibiotics. “We were all already producing beef this way, so forming a cooperative was easy,” Dale said.
Dale’s wife Pam, a schoolteacher and
mother of four, gave personal testimony
for why they choose to raise food naturally. The Harper’s fourth child has
marked behavioral and learning disabilities. Pam told the group, “When you
have a child that is so different, you ask
yourself, ‘Where did I go wrong?’” Doctors suggested medicating the child, but
Pam “didn’t want to raise a zombie.” She
turned instead to nutrition, and got
results. “When I learned how conventional meats are produced and
12
processed, I said, ‘No more!’ We haven’t
bought meat from a grocery store in 20
years.”
As Pam pointed out, every time animals are packed together for transportation or confined feeding, the risk for
disease is increased. To combat this risk,
animals are given regular doses of antibiotics. Another concern the Harpers
expressed is the industry’s increasing use
of growth hormones to fatten animals
quickly to save money. “Our meats contain no hormones and no antibiotics.
The meat Penn College is getting this
year is going from our family farms in
Bradford County to Leona Meat Plant
in Troy for packaging then to Penn College,” said the Harpers.
The relationship between Northern
Tier and Leona Meat Plant is significant.
According to a USDA Food and Rural
Economics Division report, by 1992 the
four largest meatpacking firms in the
U.S. accounted for 71 percent of industry output. The trend toward consolidation continues, forcing smaller, locally
owned packinghouses to go out of business. By establishing a relationship with
a local processor, Northern Tier not only
gives Leona Meats a substantial share of
business, they ensure for themselves a
local packer with whom they can work
to develop products.
One of the products Northern Tier
and Leona Meats have developed together is a quarter pound hamburger patty.
Ann Seeley, who, together with husband
Kim and son Shon, also raises beef for
the cooperative, gave a cooking demonstration. Because grass-fed beef tends to
be leaner, cooks need to learn how to
handle it.
“Overcooking the burger will make it
tough and dry,” said Seeley. “Don’t push
on the burger with your spatula to
squeeze the fat out. It’s a hard habit to
break, but you want those delicious
juices to stay in the burger. The difference is in the fat!” said Seeley.
In fact, the fat of a grass-fed burger
Continued on page 21
Educational Outreach
Summer May Be Ending, But
Winter Harvest Is Just Beginning
By Michele Gauger
The days are growing shorter and
temperatures cooler as summer wanes
into fall. Soon many of the farmers’ markets and CSAs will be closing for the season, leaving most of us to dream of fresh
peaches and crisp green beans until next
year.
One program that is working to continue offering fresh, locally produced
foods even while the snow may be falling
is Winter Harvest. Begun in 2001 by
Philadelphia–based Farm to City, Winter Harvest is a web-based buying club
from which to order locally produced
foods. Farm to City’s goal is to unite
communities, families and farmers
through coordination of farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture
and the Winter Harvest program.
Farm to City Program Director, Bob
Pierson says Winter Harvest was created
in response to Philadelphia area farmers’
market customers and CSA members to
answer demands for a steady stream of
local food items though the winter and
early spring months.
“The first year the Winter Harvest
program started it had about 60 members who ordered $15,000 worth of
locally-produced items. In the third season, ending in April of 2004, Winter
Harvest reached over $55,000 in sales to
180 members, who selected from a
product list of over 260 locally produced
food and skin care products. Over 20
producers supplied the 14,000 plus food
items,” according to Bob Pierson of
Farm to City. Visit www.farmtocity.org
to view an example of the variety of
products Winter Harvest offers.
Many members of the Winter Harvest program say it didn’t take a lot of
convincing for them to join. Michael
Hesson has been a member for two years
and says “Winter Harvest offers a wonderful array of products and I rely on it
for a large part of my grocery shopping
during the winter months.”
A program like this in the suburban
Philadelphia area presents an opportuni-
The first year Winter
Harvest had about 60
members who ordered
$15,000 worth of
locally-produced items.
ty to support local farmers and benefit
the community. The quality of the products available is another reason membership continues to rise. “After joining
Winter Harvest I am spoiled with the
quality of products offered, which I can’t
find anywhere else. This is in addition to
them being so healthful and tasty!” said
Beth Phillips Brown of Media.
Winter Harvest selects produce,
meat, dairy, poultry and egg producers
based on the quality of their products.
Quality for these items is defined as
organic produce, pastured and/or organic animal products. Suzanne Milshaw,
Winter Harvest and PASA member says
“The product offerings are really broad.
I especially appreciate the root vegetables, which I can’t store large amounts of
in my apartment.” For Janet Chrzan of
Havertown, Winter Harvest is her only
source of grass-fed meats and organic
milk during the winter months.
Many of the farms supplying the program are smaller operations in southeast
Pennsylvania. Angela Evans of Oley Valley Mushrooms said “Winter Harvest is
good for our operation because our main
production is in the winter. We supply
mainly restaurants and are able to drop
off the Winter Harvest orders while in
the Philadelphia area. Working with Bob
and the Winter Harvest program has
made more people aware of our product.”
Although Farm to City charges a fee
included in the price of items listed, far
more of the members’ food dollar goes
to the producer than in regular retail
13
stores, so the farmers are the principal
beneficiaries of the program. Certainly
the members benefit by having access to
high quality locally and sustainablygrown foods not typically available in
other food outlets in the Philadelphia
area.
Mike Kauffman, owner of Kauffman’s Fruit Farm has seen the program
evolve since the first year. He helped Bob
Pierson get the program started and says
“ It is nicely organized. It is a little more
work for us to fill individual orders in
smaller numbers, since we generally sell
more in larger, bulk quantities, but it is a
good program.”
Many of the members also admire
Bob’s dedication. Beth Phillips Brown
says “Bob goes the extra mile to solve
problems in ways that work for everyone. His passion for his work is inspiring!”
Bring Winter Harvest
to Your Community
Currently PASA and Farm to City are
seeking organizations and individuals
interested in learning how to establish a
buying club for locally produced food
items modeled after Farm to City’s Winter Harvest program. Farm to City
received support from PASA and the
Small Farm Success Project (University
of Maryland) to define, plan, and
improve Winter Harvest. For each dollar
of support from these sources, Winter
Harvest created nearly $10 in new sales
for the food producers.
Workshops on how to create your
own Winter Harvest program will be
held January 13–14 and February
24–25, 2005 in Philadelphia. Each
workshop will be a day and a half, where
participants will learn how to plan and
implement a Winter Harvest program
for their communities. Discussion will
include farmer and member recruitment, routing, and finding drop off
locations.
Tom Javian and Bob Pierson, developers of the web-based ordering system
Winter Harvest utilizes, will also explain
how participants can opt to set-up their
own buying club through the Farm to
City website. They will also provide
technical assistance needed for groups to
Continued on page 25
Membership Report
New PASA Membership Materials Available
PASA’s Board of Directors’ Membership Committee and Membership Department
have some new exciting materials available to our members to help spread the word
about your organization. Last fall readers may recall the board of directors
announced our membership goal for 2004 (Passages 46) to reach 4,000 members by
the 2005 annual conference. Since then we have been busy developing new outreach materials for our members to help reach our goal.
PASA’s mission of promoting profitable, sustainable farms, which provide healthy
food, is a philosophy we have all adopted as our own. Looking at the state of agriculture in Pennsylvania, you begin to realize that we are at a crossroads in achieving
this mission. As we look to change the future of agriculture in this state and beyond,
we must build on PASA’s mission and our membership. The key to our success lies in
the hands or our members.
PASA draws its strength from the collective energy, vision and dedication of each
and every member. We hope that you will help us take on the challenge, as your
leadership can inspire others in your region to dedicate efforts to increasing membership.
Present to Groups in Your Region
We have also developed a PowerPoint presentation that can be used for
presentations at potlucks, community groups and businesses. Entitled
“Food for Thought: How You Can Help Reshape the Future of Agriculture,” this presentation highlights the state of agriculture and how actions
to support sustainable agriculture and
PASA can change the course of our
future. A copy of this presentation along
with an example script to use when presenting are available upon request. Contact Michele Gauger at PASA
Headquarters for more information.
PASA VHS or DVD
Another tool that can be used for presentations is the
new PASA video. It is a moving tribute by real farmers,
giving real advice and facts about the joys and challenges
of sustainable agriculture. Five farms share why they do
what they do, and the rewards they receive along the way
— including a greater connection to their community
from practicing sustainable farming methods. This 15minute presentation premiered at the 13th annual
PASA Conference to rave reviews, and is a great piece to show to a wide
variety of audiences. Contact Michele Gauger at PASA Headquarters to
borrow a copy from the PASA library or purchase a copy of your own.
14
So How Can You Help?
Help Us Distribute
Materials
The Membership Committee has
developed two new PASA brochures
geared towards our two largest audiences — farmers and consumers. These
“specialized brochures” incorporate
issues and decisions facing the specific
groups and let them know how PASA
is trying to make a difference. These
new brochures and our standard “Meet
PASA” brochure are available with an
accompanying lightweight, durable
brochure holder. These are perfect to
take with you to farmers’ markets, pass
out to friends and neighbors, or display
at your business.
Member Benefits
on the Web
Ideas to Increase PASA Membership
As every region is unique geographically and economically, we
feel it is important to work together with other members in your area
to develop ideas on how to best go
about recruiting new members.
Becoming active in your area will
foster partnerships to brainstorm
events and activities to help spread
the word about PASA.
Here are a few ideas the Membership Committee came up with:
n Establish a regional goal for
membership numbers
n Come up with a local message,
targeted at key food
system/farm issues in the region
n Provide a service at the regional
level to sweeten the pot to
attract members
- Organize informal farm field
days
- Form a marketing network
(to entice new farmers, conventional included)
- Form regional bartering network(s)
- Host fun activities (benefit
auctions, have something at
the county fair, etc.)
n Form a speakers bureau for your
area (use the PASA PowerPoint
or video)
- Audiences: Rotary, local chamber of commerce, farm groups,
school groups, etc.
n Distribute PASA promotional
material at any good venue, esp.
CSAs & farmers’ markets
n CSA farmers and direct mar-
keters — consider providing discounts for PASA member
customers
- Identify target audiences
unique in your area and strategize how to reach them with
information about PASA such
as — students, farmers, businesses, consumers, restaurants,
environmental and conservation groups
Remember all membership
materials are available to members
free of charge and may be requested by contacting Michele Gauger
at PASA headquarters.
For those “connected” in this world of technology, PASA has
established regional email listservs for PASA’s four Pennsylvania
membership regions. The Southeast region was the first to use
the listserv as another tool for members to communicate about
various activities, issues, and events in the area.
These listservs are available to PASA MEMBERS-ONLY. An initial e-mail was sent to all PASA members with e-mail addresses
inviting them to join in mid-June. If you would like to join your
This summer we have made some
significant improvements to our website
www.pasafarming.org. Beyond the improved
navigation system, there are a number of new
features that will benefit the membership.
n To help promote our valuable Business
Members, we have made a new section on
the website that lists all Business members
with brief description and link to their
website.
n Our new and improving www.buylocal-
pa.org website has current information on
all the Buy Fresh Buy Local campaigns in
the state, and plans are underway to add
the database of PASA Member Farmers
that we have been promising.
n As an offspring from Passages, the online
Events Calendar now lists many sustainable agriculture related events. This is an
opportunity for our members to list
events you may be hosting. If you have an
event you would like added, contact
Michele Gauger at PASA Headquarters.
n Do you have employment opportunities?
Another springboard from Passages, members can list job, intern, and volunteer
opportunities on the website too! Contact
Michele Gauger at PASA Headquarters
for more information.
regional listserv and have not yet been invited, please send an
e-mail message to one of the subscription e-mails listed with
the regional contacts. Remember you must be a member to
join.
REGIONAL CONTACTS
Western
[email protected]
David Eson: 412-697-0411 • [email protected]
Southeastern
[email protected]
Brian Moyer: 610-944-9349 • [email protected]
Mena Hautau: 610-378-1327 • [email protected]
NorthCentral/Eastern
Southcentral
[email protected]
Matt Steiman: 717-709-1995 • [email protected]
Western
Southcentral
Southeastern
15
NorthCentral/Eastern
[email protected]
Leah Tewksbury: 570-437-2620 • [email protected]
PASA News
More than $5,000 in Contributions
Helps the PASA Beanpole Grow
$100,000
$90,000
August 31, 2004
➡
➡
➡
$80,935
$80,000
$75,690
June 30, 2004
$70,000
$62,000
March 31, 2004
$60,000
$50,000
$40,000
$25,000
$30,000
$20,000
$15,000
$10,000
$5,000
$1,000
Graphic courtesy of Phyllis Kipp.
By Chris Fullerton
Since we last reported our progress in Passages, over $5,000 in
contributions were made from members to PASA’s annual fundraising appeal during July and August. This new investment in your
organization’s mission and programs brings our total for the year (as
of August 31st) to nearly $81,000 — 81% of our $100,000 goal.
This revenue has come from personal gifts (including a generous
$50,000 gift from Rodale, Inc. and the Rodale family), silent auction proceeds, the direct mail appeal and other fundraising activities.
Much heartfelt appreciation from PASA’s board and staff to all
who have helped bring us this far toward our goal! We are counting
on our members to contribute the remaining 19%, or $19,000 by
the end of the year. (For your convenience, a remittance envelope is
included in this issue).
This year’s fundraising efforts are part of an aggressive three-year
plan by the PASA Board of Directors to diversify our group’s revenues, especially focused on raising more unrestricted funds. Our
goal is to secure the necessary resources to guarantee that PASA’s
core expenses are met through 2006, while gradually building a contingency fund for the lean times that will occasionally come to any
organization.
To donate over the phone, please call Lauren Smith at PASA
headquarters at 814-349-9856. Watch the beanpole in each issue of
Passages as we approach our $100,000 goal.
Passages Celebrates 50 Issues
Continued from page 3
is often the case with any worthy endeavor,
our path towards sustainability on our
farms, in our communities and around the
state is not an easy one. There are hard
choices that have to be made and often
unpopular truths that need to be expressed,
but I always trust that whatever might
appear in Passages it is of the right spirit and
intent. I fundamentally believe that what is
true for all of us is that when we know better, we can then do better. For me, Passages
provides the information that lets us know
of the better being done, and in turn,
inspires us to continue doing the best we
can do. I would expect nothing less from an
old friend.
— Kim Tait,
President Tait Farm Foods
Vice President of PASA
Congratulations Passages, on publishing
your fiftieth issue. I have been a member of
PASA for the last dozen or so issues and
have found everything in Passages that one
could hope to find in a premier newsletter
of a premier organization. A newsletter is
the heartbeat of an organization, periodically pumping out information and inspiration to keep the organization alive and
healthy. The members of any organization
must work in harmony if the organization is
to fulfill its purpose. Members of a voluntary organization associate as a matter of
choice, not of necessity. And, if an association is to be worth its members’ time and
effort, it must help them share their ideas,
their experiences, and their passions. They
must be able to communicate, with each
other and with their chosen leaders. In this
regard, Passages serves its members as well as
any newsletter I have seen.
Passages gives voice to PASA leadership
through regular articles by the Executive
Director, President, and members of the
Board. Passages gives voice to the membership through member profiles and reports
from field days, workshops, and confer16
ences. Book reviews, resource references,
calendars of events, and opportunities to
learn and grow help members stay informed
and connected. Perhaps even more important, a good newsletter allows an organization to regenerate and renew itself to sustain
itself. Continual renewal of leadership and
membership, without loss of identity or
purpose, is an essential characteristic of
organizational sustainability. Passages plays
this important part well in the sustainability of PASA.
Keep up the good work.
— John Ikerd,
Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics
University of Missouri
PASA WELCOMES OUR
NEWEST BUSINESS MEMBERS
Briar Patch Achers
Manure Removal & Delivery
Macungie, PA
Eat N’Park Hospitality Group
Pittsburgh, PA
Stewartstown Alliance
for Community Action (SRACA)
Stewartstown, PA
Hungry
Parasites,
Predators
on Patrol
26110 Nanticoke Road
Salisbury, MD 21801
Ph/Fx: 410-546-8480 • Cell: 410-430-8100
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• Growers of quality vegetable & herb transplants
for market gardeners & large scale growers.
• Ability to custom-grow your variety choice
for your planting date. Ideally suited to start-up
CSAs.
• Certified organic by MD Dept. of AG.
“Flying Mother Nature’s Silver Seed To A New Home
In The Sun.” Neil Young, after the goldrush
Use Biocontrol
in the Field
to Control
• Corn Borer
• Mexican Bean Beetle
• Manure Flies
Use Biocontrol
in the Greenhouse
to Control
• Aphids • Whiteflies
Spider Mites • Thrips
• Fungus Gnats
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www.ipmlabs.com
[email protected]
Healthy Beneficials Guaranteed
Conference News
Farming for the Future Conference 2005
Reclaiming Health: Nourishing Our Farms and Families
Meet Our Keynote Speakers
O
pening Keynoter Allan Savory is one of the world’s true visionaries. He has the ability to motivate those in his company to become “whole systems” problem-solvers, while encouraging all of
us to be leaders in the global change in world agriculture. Allan was born in Rhodesia, southern Africa.
In the 1960s while working on the interrelated problems of increasing poverty and disappearing
wildlife, he made a significant breakthrough in understanding what was causing the degradation and
desertification of the world’s grassland ecosystems. He went on to work as a resource management consultant, eventually on four continents, to develop sustainable solutions. He served as a Member of Parliament in the latter days of Zimbabwe’s civil war and leader of the opposition to the ruling party
Allan
headed by Ian Smith. Exiled in 1979 as a result of his opposition, he immigrated to the United States
Savory
where he co-founded the Center for Holistic Management (now called The Allan Savory Center for
Holistic Management) with his wife, Jody Butterfield in New Mexico. Their most recent book, Holistic Management: A New
Framework for Decision-Making (Island Press, 1999), describes his efforts to find workable solutions that ordinary people
can implement to overcome many of the problems besetting communities and businesses today.
M
arion Nestle is a clear and courageous voice for the truth about food industry manipulation of
both our food habits and government policy. Her book, Food Politics: How the Food Industry
Influences Nutrition and Health (Univ. of California Press, 2002), details the legal means used by food
lobbyists to affect food policy and the corporate marketing techniques influencing the way the public
thinks about food. Her work is even-handed, intensely political, and fearless. Referring to her new
book, Safe Food, Michael Pollan writes that Marion Nestle has emerged as one of the sanest, most
knowledgeable, and independent voices in the current debate over the health and safety of the American food system. Marion Nestle received her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Masters in Public Health
Marion
Nutrition from Berkeley, spent 10 years as Associate Dean and directing a nutrition Center at the UniNestle
versity of California San Francisco School of Medicine, and spent two years as Senior Policy Advisor in
the Department of Health and Human Services, where she was managing editor for the 1988 Surgeon General’s Report on
Nutrition and Health. She serves on Food and Drug Administration and American Cancer Society advisory committees. Dr.
Nestle recently stepped down from 15 years as Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies of New York University, where she remains as a highly regarded professor and internationally known writer.
S
pecial Thursday evening presenter Jerry Brunetti is a highly esteemed speaker at many sustainable
agriculture and health conferences, and is internationally renowned for his motivating and inspirational presentations on health, wholeness and community. His message is fresh, yet imbued with wisdom from past ages as his presentations successfully connect human, animal, and ultimately the health
of the planet, to the health of the soil. Jerry holds a degree in Animal Sciences from North Carolina
State University and served several years as Dairy Director of the National Farmers Organization. In
this position he was involved in quality control and screening of antibiotic residues, which led him to
begin investigating alternatives to allopathic drugs. In 1979 he founded and is currently managing
Jerry
director of Agri-Dynamics — a company which produces natural feed additives and holistic remedies
Brunetti
for livestock and pets, plus ecological-friendly pesticides and bio-stimulants for the horticultural industry. Jerry currently serves on the steering committees of the Eastern PA Chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation and the
Lower Mt. Bethel Environmental Advisory Council.
18
Conference News
It’s Called AgriCulture
By Moie Kimball Crawford
The farm feeds our imaginations no less than our bodies.
How do you express creativity at your farm (either after
hours or all the time)? Do you make instruments and play
music, draw or paint pictures of the world around you?
Maybe you like to tell stories or write essays about farm life.
Or perhaps you weave blankets or sculpt farm machines and
materials into new shapes for new spaces.
For the 2005 Farming for the Future conference we’d like
to tap into the cultural side of farm life and sponsor workshops and exhibits centered on various expressions of the
farm experience.
These are some things we’re considering:
• Exhibiting members’ works (paintings, photographs,
crafts, sculpture) throughout the conference center — on
workshop walls, in the lobby, near the elevators, etc. In
conjunction with this we will compose an ‘art catalog’ of
all the works, making it easy to have a self-directed tour.
• Recognizing the graphic arts with a show of T-shirts, caps
and other memorabilia with farm logos.
• Presenting a reading of “Good Will,” a novella written by
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley. The story
takes place on a subsistence farm on the outskirts of State
College, Pa.
• Playing homegrown music or demonstrating the crafting
of a particular musical instrument.
• Reading aloud original works by PASA members and
other agriculturists.
• If enough interest emerges on this project, we will consider making it a complete Thursday Pre-Conference
track, as well as making the show and performances last
throughout the Friday and Saturday Conference.
Thoughts on that would be appreciated.
We are now working on particulars and will keep the
PASA membership informed of what’s happening through
Passages and the PASA website.
We welcome your participation — specifically with help
planning the event, loaning or sharing your work with all of
us for the show, or offering new and further ideas of what we
might do. Also, we are looking into what organizations may
want to help fund this effort, and I would appreciate hearing
of any leads on that as well.
I hope to hear from you! Please get in touch with me
through email [email protected] or by calling 814448-0150. n
Two Reminders:
ination suggestion with brief biographical
information by December 15, 2004 to the
Nominating Committee Chair John Jami-
SUSTAINABLE AG LEADERSHIP
AWARDS REMINDER
One of the most anticipated moments
of PASA’s annual conference is the naming
of new award winners. From the beginning, the Sustainable Ag Leadership Award
has honored those people who are among
the most notable sustainable ag leaders in
Pennsylvania and, indeed, the country as a
whole. Most, but not all recipients have
been farmers. And last year, we instituted a
new tradition by naming another nationally recognized Pennsylvanian, Judy Wicks of
the White Dog Café in Philadelphia, as the
first recipient of our Sustainable Ag Business Award.
We are now seeking nominations for
both the next Leadership and Business
awards, and are eagerly anticipating our
members’ ideas. PASA Award Committee
Chair Lyn Garling is accepting nominations
for either award until December 15, 2004.
Please contact Lyn at Penn State University, Dept. of Entomology, 501 ASI, University
Park, PA 16802, phone 814-863-8884 or
email [email protected].
PASA will present these awards along
with other festivities at the Farming for the
Future conference in State College, February 3–5, 2005.
son by mail, 171 Jamison Lane, Latrobe, PA
15650-9400, email at john@jamisonfarm.
com or phone 800-237-5262.
Terms of the board are for three years,
and board members are allowed by the
bylaws to serve as many as three consecutive full terms at a time. Nominations are
made by Nominating Committee, taking
into account the suggestions of members.
Elections will be held during the annual
PASA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OPENING REMINDER
As is the case each year, five seats on
PASA’s board of directors are up for election at the Farming for the Future conference in February 2005. If you or any PASA
members you know would be interested
to serve in this manner, please send a nom-
19
meeting at the conference in February.
Nominations for either of the two
awards discussed above, or suggested
names for the board of directors, may also
be communicated to the respective committee chairs through Brian Snyder at the
PASA office, 814-349-9856 or [email protected].
Community Building
A Market Where
Friendships Bloom
Produce is for Sale and Connections are for Keeps
By Lisa Kerschner, North Star Orchard
Ah, the sights and sounds of the
farmers market: the reds, yellows and
greens of heirloom tomatoes and specialty greens, the snippets of conversations
between friends, the fragrance of perfectly ripe peaches and herbs, the whisperings of “secret” recipes and serving
suggestions for lesser-known fruits and
veggies.
I look around from behind the table
at my own stand and marvel at the hustle and bustle: the happy faces and the
sense of community. The farmers happily greet the regulars, perhaps pointing
out a new variety of produce or catching
up with the little bits of life they share
with each customer. The shoppers, in
turn, greet the farmers, asking how
recent weather will affect crops, how to
best prepare a particular vegetable or
fruit, or how we plan to spend our winter “time off.”
As I watch, I also think back to this
same spot, 10 summers ago, when the
West Chester Growers’ Market was new.
Back then there were no producer markets in the area — in which the person
selling the produce also grew the produce. At the time there were only markets where someone else sold the farmers
produce and customers never had the
opportunity to meet the grower.
Having previous experience with producer-only markets in New York City, I
knew that such markets were great for a
community. Linking farmers directly
with the people who buy and use their
produce is a great way to encourage the
preservation of farmland. It also allows
the farmers to earn a living wage, provides a variety of fresh produce to the
increasing number of people concerned
about where their food comes from. I
routinely see people either coming to the
market after having breakfast downtown, or visiting with friends for lunch
after meeting each other at the market.
When we began North Star Orchard
in 1992, however, I mostly thought
about the sales aspect of the farmers
market. It was our means of earning a
living, and not much more than that.
How naive I was. Yes, the market provides us with income and shoppers with
food. But the rewards are even greater. In
this era of high-speed Internet and cell
phones, being able to meet people faceto-face is important. To be able to talk
with, and get to know the people who
are selecting, buying and enjoying the
food that we grow is invaluable. T he
customers we have met over the years
have come to feel like family. Friendships have been formed, whether they
are “market-season” friends we see every
week for short periods of time, or the
loyal customers who later became parttime employees. We’ve made friends like
Martha, who taught me how to knit,
and young Kai who shares our son’s love
of Legos. Discussions in the market
include not only what’s in season, but
also such subjects as the latest Harry Potter film or a science subject we will be
covering in our home school.
The value of the market poignantly
hit home during the aftermath of Sept.
20
11, 2001. I doubted that people would
even come to the market that week. It
was hard to go about normal life. But
what we saw was astounding. People
were subdued, to be sure, but they came
more for community than for produce.
All those snippets of life we had shared
over the years brought a familiarity that
made it possible to share our feelings
about such a tremendous tragedy. There
were hugs and tears to be seen, and stories to be shared. It was truly amazing.
The colors and sights at the market
continually change, over a season and
even day to day. Tables overflowing with
a rainbow of colors at the beginning of
the day look decidedly less vibrant as
they empty. The crowd of customers
dwindles, and we hear calls of “See you
next week!” from both shoppers and
farmers. Customers look satisfied, and
farmers look tired. Another market day
is done, and it’s time to pack up.
I’m already looking forward to seeing
the colorful, fresh bounty of produce,
and the faces of familiar and new
friends, that will arrive next week. n
The West Chester Growers’ Market, at
the corner of Church and Chestnut Streets,
is open 9 am to 1 pm every Saturday, rain
or shine, from May through November.
For more information on North Star
Orchard, visit www.northstarorchard.com.
This article was first printed in the July
25, 2004 edition of the Philadelphia
Inquirer, Chester County edition.
WENDELL BERRY
COMES TO PENNSYLVANIA
Ursinus College in Collegeville,
Montgomery County is hosting
author, essayist and poet Wendell
Certified by PCO
Berry for a lecture entitled,“The Purpose of a Coherent Community,” on
Tuesday, November 30 at 8:00pm.
Knowing this event will be extremely popular with the
PASA membership, our friends at Ursinus College have
generously set aside 50 tickets exclusively for PASA members! (Other tickets are no longer available.) These tickets
are free and available on a first come, first served basis, one
ticket per member please (multiple tickets are available to
family memberships). To request a ticket, PASA members
should send their name as it appears on their membership
materials, along with a self addressed stamped envelope,
to: PASA Berry Ticket, P.O. Box 419, Millheim, PA, 16854. The
first 50 requests received will be honored, all others will be
notified that tickets are no longer available.
Also, earlier that day from 12:00–1:30pm,Wendell Berry
will conduct a reading from That Distant Land and other
works of fiction. Additional details concerning reading
location and tickets are available by visiting www.ursinus.edu, or by contacting Rich Wallace at rwallace@ursi-
POULTRY MAN
nus.edu or (610) 409-3000 x2645.
Eli M. Reiff 570-966-0769
922 Conley Road • Mifflinburg, PA 17844
Local Farmers Train Penn
College Dining Services How
To Use Grass-fed Beef
Continued from page 12
really is different from its conventional counterpart. Grass-fed
burgers are high in conjugated linoleic acids, or CLA. Studies
have suggested that CLA enhances immune function, acts as
an antioxidant, and even lowers the risk of cancer. CLA may
also play a valuable role in changing body composition by
helping to decrease fat while maintaining or gaining muscle.
“This is the good fat that won’t raise your cholesterol,” said
Pam.
Penn College has been purchasing from local farmers for
several years. The culinary school at Penn College uses a variety of local produce, meats, and dairy products in their restaurant, Le Jeune Chef, and for special events. For over four years,
the student dining halls have featured milk from cooperative
members Ann and Kim Seeley’s Milky Way Dairy Farm. In an
age where fast food and junk food have displaced nutritious
meals in schools, Penn College’s efforts to offer more nutritious, healthy options should be applauded. n
Scalder — (above center) 42 gallon rotary, gas fired with auto control temp timer. 60,000 BTU, all stainless steel.
3
Mechanical Plucker (above right) — ⁄4 HP motor, motor totally
enclosed. 10:1 Gear reduction, 27” diameter, stainless steel with
shower.
ALSO AVAILABLE
Manual Scalder — Hand dunk birds. 42 gallon, 45,000 btu.
21
PROPERTY SEARCH — PASA member in
search of a farmette/land (zoned ag.). I
would like it to be within an hour of Philadelphia and be able to keep small animals and
poultry, while growing produce and flowers.
An old house or barn would be nice. So
maybe your neighbor is thinking of retiring
PROJECT MANAGER — For the Buy Fresh
Buy Local (BFBL) campaign in western Pennsylvania. Responsible for day-to-day operations of the BFBL campaign in western PA.
College degree and experience in the field
of advertising or communications required.
Please contact David Eson, Director of Western Pennsylvania Programs, 412-697-0411 or
[email protected] for a complete job
announcement. Applications are due
November 1, 2004.
MARKETING PROJECT COORDINATOR
— Responsible for coordinating direct marketing activities in western Pennsylvania.
College degree required. Experience with
direct marketing preferred. Please contact
David Eson, Director of Western Pennsylvania Programs, at 412-697-0411 or
[email protected] for a complete job
announcement. Applications are due
November 1, 2004.
22
PASA 1/4 hor. page Ad
C
FARM MANAGER/CARETAKER — Resident farm couple to manage diversified 870acre farm utilizing & committed to
sustainable/organic practices. Requirements
for one or both members: College degree in
animal science and/or knowledge & experience caring for cow/calf, hogs, & chickens
(layers) & pastures utilizing amongst other
practices MIG, haying, & no-til. Proper use &
preventative maintenance of equipment &
structures. Computer literate. Outgoing &
positive personality interacting with customers at on-farm retail store. Part-time
housekeeper for owner’s home. Honesty,
loyalty, thoroughness & neatness. Position
offers excellent housing, benefits, schooling
nearby & fine quality of life. Send resume to:
P.O. Box 7641, Charlottesville, Virginia 22906.
FOR RENT — Plum Bottom Farm in the
heart of “Big Valley”, Belleville, PA. Includes
100 acres of rotationally grazed land
(8years), with no fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides for the last 5 years. 65 acres of cropland in contour strips and barn with 20
milking stalls with milk pump, etc. House
with 3 bedrooms, garage underneath
included. If interested contact John Rodgers
at 717-935-5242.
G
DIS
WANTED — Organic Farmer Extrordinaire.
Tait Farm Foods is looking for an experienced organic grower to manage agriculture. The farm provides certified
organic vegetables and fruits to a 125+
member CSA, an on-farm retail store and a
specialty food manufacturing facility. The
farm is located 7 miles east of State College,
PA and has been in business for 25 years.This
is a full-time, year round position with salary
and health benefits. The current farmer is
staying on into 2005 to assure a smooth
transition for the business. For more information, please call Kim Tait at 814-466-2386.
APPRENTICESHIP — The University of
California Santa Cruz is offering a farm & garden apprenticeship.This is a 6-month course
in organic gardening & small-scale farming,
beginning in April 2005, with applications
due November 1, 2004. For further information, contact CASFS, UCSC 1156 High Street,
Santa Cruz, CA 95064, phone 814-459-3695
or e-mail [email protected] or visit
www.ucsc.edu/casfs.
W
R O E R’
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O
S
AVAILABLE — Certified organic dairy has
eggs available from pasture-raised hens.
Farm fresh produce in season, including
heirloom tomatoes, Candy onions and red
potatoes. On farm sales. Green Valley Organics, 279 Maple Shade Road, Christiana, PA
17509 or call 717-529-2898.
SHARED BUSINESS VENTURES — We
own and operate a start-up organic farm in
Berks County, PA, initially focused on grassbased livestock. We’re interested in speaking
with folks who have strong, creative interests in developing or being part of a sustainable agriculture business, but who may lack
the farm or resource base to do so. We
believe a diversified and integrated farm
business furthers sustainability and
improves the likelihood of business success.
We’re open to shared business ventures,
cooperatives, lease arrangements, etc. Contact Lou Chiesa, 610-756-3910 or email
[email protected].
Passages Ad Rates and Policy
Advertising Inquiries: Please call or write
the PASA office for full advertising package and rate card information. Special
rates available for PASA Business Members and multiple advertising packages.
Contact Michele Gauger at the PASA
office, 814-349-9856 or [email protected] for more information.
LS
HOUSE FOR SALE — in Crafton Borough,
just outside of Pittsburgh city limits. Onethird-acre lot including house, with vegetable/flower beds certified organic by PCO.
Convenient to downtown/airport bus way.
Perfect for the sustainable urban gardener!
Call 724-796-2441 for more information.
or selling some land 10 -plus acres. If you can
help in the search, call Tony Giunta at 215336-3660.
BE
Classified Ads
FOR RENT — 2 fields; one 44 acres the
other 37 acres. Located in New Smithville in
Lehigh County on old route 22. Owner wishes to rent fields to someone willing to raise
organic crops. No livestock. Contact Benson
Stettler 610-285-6432.
UNT LA
Reap profits
from direct
marketing with
our labels!
We design and print labels
for berries, vegetables,
sauerkraut, soap, lip balm,
yoghurt, cheese, meat, eggs,
pastured poultry —
labels for almost anythingg!
SERVING GROWERS
SINCE 1975
request a free catalog
1-800-693-1572
[email protected]
1
2/9/04, 2:09 PM
Calendar
NEW FEATURE:
PASA now offers an events calendar on
our website www.pasafarming.org. Check
it out today and if you have an event you
would like listed, please contact Michele
Gauger at PASA headquarters.
October
OCT 1 | PASA Intensive Learning Program:
Raising Standard Turkeys for the Holiday
Market with Frank Reese, Bill Yockey and the
American Livestock Breed Conservancy,
Townline Farm Poultry Reserve, Crawford Co.
Contact PASA at 814-349-9856 or
www.pasafarming.org for more information.
OCT 1–2 | Wise Traditions 2004, The Weston
A. Price Foundation 5th Annual Conference,
Sheraton National Hotel, Arlington, VA.
What’s Happened to the U.S. Food Supply?:
Problems and Solutions. World-renowned
experts on diet and health explain the dangers of industrialized foods and how to
avoid them! A showcase for delicious traditional food. A unique opportunity for health
professionals and layment interested in diet
and health. To register visit www.weston-
aprice.org/conference/index.html or questions call 202-333-HEAL.
ence schedule go to www.uvm.edu/
~nesare.
OCT 2 | PASA Intensive Learning Program:
Your Best for Breeding: Criteria for Choosing
Breeder Turkeys for Your Flock, with Frank
Reese, Bill Yockey and the American Livestock Breed Conservancy, Townline Farm
Poultry Reserve, Crawford Co. Contact PASA
at 814-349-9856 or www.pasafarming.org
for more information.
OCT 28–30 | 2004 National Rural Women’s
Health Conference, Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, Hershey, PA. Sponsored by
the National Institute of Mental Health. For
more information visit www.hmc.psu.edu/
ce/rwh2004.htm or call 717-531-6483.
OCT 10 | Commercial Potential of Old and
New Fruit Crops for Small Farms, Lee Reich,
New Paltz, NY. For more information contact
the Regional Farm & Food Project at 518217-0744 or [email protected].
OCT 11 | PASA Field Day: Special Small
Group Tour for Interns with Anne & Eric
Nordell, Beech Grove Farm, Lycoming Co.
Contact PASA at 814-349-9856 or
www.pasafarming.org for more information.
OCT 20–21 | Setting the Table:Tools and Techniques for a Sustainable Food System Conference, sponsored by the Northeast
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program to be held in Burlington, VT. Farm tours will precede the
conference on October 19. To see a confer-
23
November
NOV 12–14 | A Conference for Community
Supported Agriculture, Growing Together,
Strengthening the CSA Movement, Kettunen Center, Tustin, MI. Contact CSA-MI,
3480 Potter Road, Bear Lake, MI 49614, at
231-889-3216 or [email protected].
FEBRUARY 3–5 | PASA’s 14th annual
Farming for the Future Conference, State
College, PA. “Reclaiming Health: Nourishing our Farms and Families.”Keynote
speeches by Allan Savory, Marion Nestle, and Jerry Brunetti (see page 18).
Please join us! A complete brochure
will be mailed to PASA members in
November and posted on our website
(www.pasafarming.org).
Editor’s Corner
The Grapevine
by Michele Gauger
OFRF Releases
Survey Results
The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) recently released results of
the Fourth National Organic Farmers’ Survey. The detailed data highlights organic
farmer perspectives on the organic marketplace. Organic products produced by
the farmers surveyed include vegetables,
livestock, field crops, fruits, nuts and valueadded items. The key results included:
n Organic markets: Organic farmers
reported steady and expanding markets.
33% of respondents noted that their markets had held steady. 44% reported market expansion.
n Organic prices: 26% of survey
respondents indicated an increase in
prices received for their organic products.
52% reported that prices held steady,
while 15% noted a decrease in the price
received for their organic products.
n Organic price premiums: 92% of
respondents obtained organic price premiums on some portion of their organic
products. 41% obtained organic price premiums on all their products. 30%
obtained organic premiums on at least
half the volume of their organic product.
The survey results in booklet format
are available to the public for a suggested
donation of $10 to cover printing and
postage. The complete results have also
been posted on OFRF’s website at
www.ofrf.org.
Pennsylvania Lawmakers
Argue Over State Soil
In early July the PA House voted
177–22 to designate Hazleton soil as the
official state soil type. The soil named for
the city in Luzerne County is found in 34
counties across the state and harbors
much of our forestland and agricultural
fields.
The Pennsylvania Association of Professional Soil Scientists pressed for the
designation to encourage protection of
this natural resource. Opponents however
feel the best way to protect valuable soil is
to provide more funds for the state’s farmland preservation program.Hazleton’s
“official state soil” designation now awaits
Senate approval.
The PA House is now debating over
designation of the official state cookie:
chocolate chip, oatmeal chocolate chip or
Nazareth sugar cookie.
Guide to Cooperative Development
Resources Available from Keystone Development Center.
New Publication:
Guide to Cooperative
Development Resources
The Keystone Development Center, a
nonprofit corporation dedicated to forming and enhancing cooperatives in rural
areas, recently released the Pennsylvania
Guide to Cooperative Development
Resources. The 40-page guide provides
detailed information and lists of resources
for individuals and groups who are looking to form or sustain a cooperative. For a
copy of the guide, visit the center’s website at www.kdc.coop, call 215-292-1461
or e-mail [email protected].
Useful Resources
n Consumer Perceptions of PastureRaised Beef and Dairy Products: An
Internet Consumer Study (43 pages),
www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/staff/pas-
24
ture/pasture.htm; or contact Rich Pirog,
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, 515-294-1854.
n Directory of Student Farms —
Web-based guide to on-campus farms in
U.S. featuring small-scale and organic
farming (some with public programs),
www.newfarm.org/features/0104/studentfarms/directory.shtml; or contact
Greg Bowman, Online Editor/NewFarm.
org, [email protected]
n Improving Whole Farm Planning
Through Better Decision-making —
Case studies by Northeast educators
working with new and established farmers, supported by Northeast SARE program and Growing New Farmers project,
www.holisticmanagement.org/oll_whole
farm.cfm; print copy is $10 from Savory
Center 505-842-5252; savorycenter@
holisticmanagement.org
Note to Readers:
A full report on PASA’s 3rd Annual
Harvest Dinner will be included in
the November/December issue of
Passages.
“Green up” your energy
and reduce your global
warming impact —
It’s easier than you think
By Billy Connelly, NativeEnergy
While most of us can’t stop using energy, we can certainly reduce our use to do
something about our contribution to
global warming. Generating electrical
power produces more pollution than any
other single industry in the United States,
but different ways of producing electricity
have vastly different impacts on our environment.
National energy marketers have made
participation in green energy programs
easier for demanding consumers. Consumers do not have to switch energy suppliers or install any equipment to
inexpensively convert renewable electricity. Environmentally friendly energy
programs are growing and energy consumers are using energy more efficiently
and signing up for green power every day.
“Now everyone across the country can
take responsibility for their contribution
to global warming no matter where they
live or work,” says Tom Boucher, NativeEnergy’s President & CEO.
As new renewable energy generators
come on-line, their energy replaces electricity that would otherwise have to come
from power plants on the regional grid
that burn fossil fuels. These fossil fuelpowered plants will reduce their output,
so they will emit less CO2 pollution into
the air as a result. The positive environmental attributes associated with energy
generated from a renewable source
rather than from a conventional energy
source are called Renewable Energy Credits or “Green Tags.”
In addition to statewide green power
programs there are also national programs that allow consumers to participate in green energy programs regardless
of whether their state or utility offers environmental options. Consumers in Pennsylvania, for example, can match all or a
portion of their kilowatt hour (kWh) electricity use with renewable energy from
projects within the state. Those concerned about the impact their heating
and other fossil fuel has on the environment can calculate the tons of CO2 they
are responsible for generating and,
through Green Tag purchases, offset their
CO2 footprint ton-for-ton, for about 35¢
per day.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
offers information online for consumers,
educators, and kids about a wide range of
energy subjects, including tips, lesson
plans and science projects, and a downloadable energy savers booklet.The DOE’s
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy lists “Green Tag” (renewable energy certificates) products available to retail
customers nationally and regionally along
with specific price information. That table
is available online at: www.eere.
energy.gov/greenpower/markets/certificates.shtml?page=1
The Power Scorecard (www.powerscorecard.org/index.cfm), which was created by a group of six well-known
environmental organizations, grades the
types of generation resources used to
produce electricity according to their
effects on the environment. By selecting
both state and service territory consumers can view clear, accurate, and reliable information to help them better
understand the real environmental differences among electricity products as well
as ratings of green energy products available in their area. Consumers can determine what level of purchase makes sense
for them and for their operation, ask more
detailed questions, and sign up online
from national green energy marketers like
NativeEnergy.
Stay
connected!
Visit PASA online at
www.pasafarming.org
25
Food for Thought:
Opinion
Continued from page 4
only successful way to protect that farmland for future generations is to make it
possible for a farmer to make a living
farming it. Without some expectation of
profit, no one will farm. Without farmers,
there is no farmland.
Some state programs appear to recognize this problem, and have included
some provisions for marketing in their
farmland protection programs. Those provisions should be strengthened and actively pursued. It may be too late for many of
the existing farmers and that too is a profound loss to society. Those men and
women collectively hold multiple generations worth of knowledge and understanding of the land and what it takes —
physically, emotionally and financially —
to live and work on it. Without them, it
will be difficult to pass that knowledge to
another generation of farmers.
But if we don’t start creating and supporting that next generation, and if we
don’t start soon, even the best farmland
protection program is doomed to failure. I
wouldn’t even give a fig for the chances of
most of them to preserve large quantities
of open space. Once the fields of corn and
scenic groups of grazing sheep, the red
barns and the picket fences are gone, the
countryside will start to look a lot like a
vacant lot, empty, unkempt and start to
sprout brambles. The public may not feel
so sentimental about it then. n
Winter Harvest…
Continued from page 13
create web-based ordering systems. Participants will also have the opportunity to
meet Philadelphia-area Winter Harvest
members, farmer suppliers, and the delivery personnel on pickup day.
If you are interested in attending a
Winter Harvest workshop, please contact
Heather House at PASA headquarters for
an application. Applications are due
October 31, 2004, when 10 people will be
selected for each workshop based on their
ability and commitment to replicate the
program in their own communities.
Those selected will be notified by November 15, 2004. n
Winter Harvest workshops are offered
with funding via the SARE program.
ADVERTISEMENT
Please clip this application and return with payment to:
PASA Membership, PO Box 419, Millheim, PA 16854
or join online at pasafarming.org
P
ASA is a nonprofit membership based organization working
á
to enhance the positive social and economic impact of agriculture and food systems in Pennsylvania. We work with
farmers, consumers, and those concerned with the ecological well-
being of our environment and natural resources. PASA works to
increase the number of farms and the economic viability of existing
farms in Pennsylvania, maximize consumer awareness and access to
About You
PASA Membership
& Contribution Form
to be a member of PASA. We all have a stake
in making sure agriculture has a healthy
join today!
$ 15
Student
$ 35
Individual
$ 55
Family/Farm Please complete field below
Nonprofit
Please complete field below
$ 100
Business
Please complete field below
$ 150
City
State
ZIP+4
County
Work Phone
Web Address
Are you farming:
NO
YES — how many acres:
How did you learn about PASA:
SUBTOTAL $
Consider lending extra support to these two PASA funds. The
Annual Fund supports PASA’s basic operations, and the Arias M.
Brownback Scholarship Fund helps those wishing to learn about
sustainable agriculture attend the annual conference regardless of
financial position.
n Annual Fund
$ ...................
n Brownback Scholarship Fund $ ...................
PASA is a registered 501 (C) 3 organization and contributions are tax exempt.
Family/Farm or Sustaining Lifetime Membership
Please list all names for this Family/Farm membership. You may include
children between the ages of 14–22, and also multiple generations
directly involved in the farm.
Payment
PASA Memberships
future — Be a part of PASA!
Address
E-mail
Donations
a thriving agrarian culture. Everyone is invited
Company/Farm
Home Phone
safe and healthy food that is locally grown, and develop a strong
constituency for preserving farms, farmers, and
Name
Nonprofit or Business Membership
Please list up to two additional people associated with your business to
receive individual membership privileges.
á
Check Make check payable to PASA
Credit Card Complete below
Total amount due
$
Card No.
VISA
MasterCard
Exp. Date
Cardholder Name
Signature
Gift Membership
Lifetime Membership
In addition to your own membership, you may give PASA membership
to a good friend, family member, business associate or other worthy
recipient on an annual or lifetime basis…a gift that keeps on giving!
special
extras
Student
$ 15
Individual
$ 35
$ 55
Family/Farm
$ 700
Lifetime Sustaining Member
All of us at PASA are proud of the growing roster of lifetime members.
Contributions for lifetime membership will be managed with care as
part of the PASA Founder’s Fund, sustaining both ongoing membership as well as the long-term future of PASA. There are few things a
member could do to symbolize their lifelong commitment to sustainability than to place such confidence in the value and viability of PASA
itself.
$ 700
Sustaining Lifetime Member
Please complete field above
SUBTOTAL $
Name(s)
Address
City
State
Telephone
ZIP+4
E-mail
27
SUBTOTAL $
A N N UA L
PA S A’S 1 4 th
Farming for the Future Conference
February 3, 4 & 5, 2005
Penn Stater Conference Center
State College, PA
Consider these Creative Ways to Support the Conference. Contact PASA for more information.
Sponsorship
PASA’s commitment to convening
Farming for the Future remains
strong, but support from the business community is key to its success. We have a variety of
Conference Sponsorship levels
available and invite you to explore
your options. As a Conference
Sponsor, you will receive recognition through promotional materials distributed to a huge audience
of people, both in print and on
the Internet. Sponsorship also
carries wonderful perks such as
conference registration & exhibiting, membership in PASA, and
much more. Demonstrate your
support for strengthening farms
in your community while increasing the visibility of your business!
Join PASA and other progressive
members of the business community in this worthwhile opportunity today!
Silent
Auction
Now a proven winner, we are busy
organizing our third annual Silent
Auction! Great excitement was
generated at the auction tables
last February as guests bid on a
unique array of items including
original art, weekend getaways,
creative food packages, autographed books, our second timber frame building, a CSA
subscription, and more! Help us
assemble some terrific items to be
auctioned off for 2005. If you have
contributions for the Silent Auction, we would love to hear from
you.
Food
The conference is renowned for
its extraordinary meals, made possible by farmers, manufacturers
and distributors throughout the
region. High-quality, regionally
produced products are in the
spotlight at each and every meal.
Our menus require meats, dairy
and soy, eggs, fruits & vegetables,
honey, syrups, snacks, juices,
sodas, teas, and coffees. The list
goes on. All donations are
acknowledged in a special program listing the dishes, ingredients and donors. Please consider
joining PASA in this unique venture in community — food contributions are important to Farming
for the Future and help demonstrate the PASA mission in a very
special way. Special thanks goes
out to Chef Ken Stout for his continued willingness to engage in
this unique farmer to chef relationship.
Scholarship
Fund
In an ongoing effort to provide
educational opportunities for
those wishing to learn sustainable
agriculture techniques and methods regardless of financial position, PASA has established the
Arias M. Brownback Memorial
Scholarship Fund. This important
fund will help to ensure the success of the Farming for the Future
conference well into the future,
and encourage us to keep the
focus of the conference on those
participants who wish to initiate
or improve their own farming
operations. Support new and
aspiring farmers who could not
otherwise afford to attend the
conference by contributing to this
important fund.
Non Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
State College, PA
Permit No. 213
Pennsylvania
Association for
Sustainable Agriculture
114 West Main Street • PO Box 419 • Millheim, PA 16854
28