Fertility Strategies for Organic Vegetables. Fall Field Day!

Fertility Strategies for Organic Vegetables
Fall Field Day
November 2, 2009 - 1:00 – 4:00pm
Spring Hill Community Farm Barron County, WI
Join fellow farmers and University specialists for an in-depth look at the fertility management strategies and practices at Spring Hill Community Farm. Mike Racette will discuss his use of cover crops, rotations, mulch, tillage, and purchased inputs. Spring Hill is a 20-year-old CSA farm growing a wide variety of vegetables on approximately 5 acres. University staff will be on hand to discuss the results of a survey of organic growers and their fertility management and to help answer questions. Please join us!
Spring Hill Community Farm 545 1-1/2 Avenue Prairie Farm, WI 54762 http://www.springhillcommunityfarm.com/
A beverage and snack will be provided Cost: Free! Please RSVP to John Hendrickson at jhendric@wisc.edu or 608-265-3704 Sponsored by the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Department of Human and Community Development at the University of Illinois Funded by the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program
Directions to Spring Hill Community Farm
From Eau Claire and points South and East Take I-94 West. Take exit 41 for Hwy 25. Turn right (north) on 25. At Hwy 64, turn left. At County Road F, turn right. Follow signs for County Road F to 1st Avenue and turn left. Follow 1st Ave to 6th St. Turn right on 6th and then left on 1½ Ave. Spring Hill Community Farm is the last (fourth) place on the road.
From Twin Cities and points West Take I-94 east and get off at exit #19, the Baldwin/Hwy. 63 exit. Go north (left) on 63 through Baldwin. Continue on 63 to Hwy. 64, about 15 miles. Go east (right) on 64 another 15 miles or so, just past Connorsville. Take County Road V north (left) for 4.4 miles to 1410. Turn left on 1410, then immediately veer to the right on 190th St. (Confusingly, "190th St." is called "4 3/4 St." at the other end.) Go 1.8 miles to a T in the road. Turn right on 1/2 Ave. Go 1.2 miles on 1/2 Ave. to 6th St. Turn north (left) on 6th St. and drive .7 mile to 1 1/2 Ave. Turn west (left) onto 1 1/2 Ave. Spring Hill Community Farm is the last (fourth) place on the road.
From points North From Hwy 8, take County Road F south to Prairie Farm. Continue on County Road F through town to 1st Ave. Turn right. Follow 1st Ave to 6th St. Turn right on 6th and then left on 1½ Ave. Spring Hill Community Farm is the last (fourth) place on the road.

Local Food Specialist Job in Eau Claire

Producers and Buyers Co-op

LOCAL FOODS SPECIALIST

(Part Time Employment Opportunity)

The Producers and Buyers Co-op (PBC) of Altoona, Wisconsin has an immediate opportunity for an LTE staff person to work twenty-five (25) hours per week through December 2009(training period). Hourly pay is $13.50. This position works under the direction of theCooperative’s Board of Directors.

The mission of the Producers and Buyers Co-op (PBC) is: operate a profitable and “values- based” business specifically for the exchange of sustainable goods between local farms,businesses, and institutions.

The employee will work independently to take product orders from buyers, verify orders, and arrange for product procurement, processing, transportation and storage. The employee will provide outreach to new and existing buyers interested in purchasing large volumes of local foods including fruits, vegetables, and value added products, as well as to producers interested in supplying these markets in an effort to increase local sales and sourcing.

The employee will develop content for the PBC website; conduct outreach and education; draftboard meeting agendas and take minutes, make site visits to potential co-op members; develop marketing materials; and perform other writing, research and outreach tasks related to the mission of PBC.

Position Requirements: A combination of training and experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, urban/regional planning, agricultural enterprise development, or closely related field with one to three years of related professional work experience.Demonstrated experience with Microsoft Office applications including MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Experience working with agricultural producers or a farm background is essential. This is a telecommuting position which requires access to a personal computer with Microsoft Office, high speed internet access, printer, scanner, and fax. The position has the potential to continue beyond December, 2009. Web development experience is helpful but not required.

Recruitment ends when the Cooperative’s hiring needs are satisfied. Please submit a resume and cover letter to: Producers & Buyers Co-op at PO Box 207, Altoona, WI 54720-0207. An Affirmative Action Employer.

http://www.producersandbuyers.com/

The vegetable gardeners of Havana

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8213998.stm

Eau Claire te acompanya!

WIC Nutrition

NUTRITION EDUCATOR 50% (20 Hours Per Week)

Eau Claire County

LOCATION:

Eau Claire County Nutrition Education Program is located in Western Wisconsin in theUW-Cooperative Extension (CE) Western District. The Eau Claire County Extension Office is located at 227 1st Street West, Altoona, WI 54720.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Eau Claire County Nutrition Education Program is a major effort with Cooperative Extension’s Family Living Program. The purpose of the Nutrition Educator position is to provide basic nutrition and food budgeting education to individuals and families living with limitedeconomic resources in Eau Claire County community settings. The Educator is accountable to the Eau Claire County Nutrition Education Program Coordinator. A detailed position description including identified ADA essential job functions is available upon request. The 50%time (20 hours per week) position is not set hours. It is the responsibility of the Nutrition Educator, with the support of the Program Coordinator, to develop a weekly work schedule that meets the demands of the program, yet maintains 50% time work status.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school graduate or G.E.D.
• Demonstrated ability to prepare and teach nutrition and food budgeting to individuals or small groups at community sites.
• Ability to teach and communicate ideas effectively verbally, in writing and through educational technology to adults and youth
• Experience with socially, economically and ethnically diverse populations
• Ability to work independently and keep accurate work records
• Access to transportation adequate to fulfill position responsibilities

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS;

• Volunteer or paid experience related to food and nutrition education
• Volunteer of paid experience with families living with limited economic resources
• Group leadership and/or informal teaching experience
• Knowledge of and demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with other agencies, community-based services and organizations, and within a team
• Residence in the geographic area served

APPOINTMENT TYPE:

University of Wisconsin-Extension academic staff appointment

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

Benefits package includes Wisconsin State Retirement; life, medical and hospital insurance; vacation and sick leave.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE AND DEADLINE:

Contact Karen Blaeser by phone at 715/839-4712 or email, Karen.Blaeser@co.eau-claire.wi.us for an application and complete job description. Email Nancy Coffey atnancy.coffey@ces.uwex.edu for additional job details. Submit application and names, addresses and phone numbers of three references to Eau Claire County UW-Extension, Attn. Karen Blaeser, Eau Claire County Extension Office, 227 1st Street West, Altoona, WI 54720.Applications must be received at the Eau Claire County Extension Office by 4:30 on Friday, September 18, 2009. Interviews will be held in early October at the Eau Claire CountyExtension Office. Criminal records review conducted prior to employment. In compliance withthe WI Fair Employment Act, convictions & pending charges considered only as they relate to this position.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY:

UWEX is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. We promote excellence through diversity and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. Materials will be made available in alternative format upon request. For hearing and sight impaired assistance call 711.

Direct inquiries concerning Equal Opportunity to the UWEX Equal Opportunity Office, Room 501,

432 N. Lake Street, Madison, WI 53706.

Under Wisconsin Statutes, if asked, UW-Extension is required to provide a list of all nominees and applicants who have not requested in writing that their identities remain confidential. The identities of all finalists must be released upon request.

UW-Extension provides affirmative action and equal opportunity in education, programming and employment for all qualified persons regardless of race, color, gender/sex, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, age disability, pregnancy, marital or parental status, arrest or conviction record, or veteran status. An offer of employment is contingent upon establishment of identity and verification of employment eligibility as required by the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

POSITION VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENTNUTRITION EDUCATOR 50% - 20 hrs/wkEau Claire County Originally Posted: August 14, 2009Refer to: PVL# C10002Final Deadline: September 18, 2009

Nancy Coffey

Eau Claire County UW-Extension

WI Nutrition Education Program Coordinator

Congressman Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) introduces the Community Gardens Act of 2009

Congressman Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) introduces the Community Gardens Act of 2009

Today, Congressman Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) introduced the Community Gardens Act of 2009 with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) The bill creates a grant program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture to compensate community groups for up to eighty percent of the costs associated with starting and maintaining a
community garden.

"Locally, the City of Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods maintains almost two thousand community garden plots on 23 acres of land, which serve almost four thousand urban gardeners in the area," said Inslee. "With this legislation, we can help programs like the ones in Seattle and at 21 Acres in Woodinville, and we can expand opportunities
to all American households to share in the numerous benefits of local gardening."

continued at http://www.cityfarmer.info/congressman-jay-inslee-d-wash-introduces-the-community-gardens-act-of-2009/#more-1908

Producers and Buyers Cooperative

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/jul09/jul09.pdf (See pages 37-38 of Rural Cooperatives Magazine!)

Wisconsin co-op to link local farms and institutions The Producers & Buyers Co-op was launched June 12 with an event at the Eau Claire County Exposition Center in Wisconsin. The co-op, which links local farms with institutions, shared an information booth with its business partner, Sacred Heart Hospital. The co-op facilitates buying and selling for farmers in Eau Claire, Chippewa, Barron, Dunn, Pepin, Trempealeau, Buffalo, Clark, Jackson, Polk, Pierce and St. Croix counties.

Sacred Heart Hospital is a founding partner in the project and committed 10 percent of its $2-million food budget to purchasing local food products to help the organization get off the ground. “Having a stable market price allows me to do more long-range planning with my farm operation,” says Darrel Lorch of Lorcrest Farms Inc., in Blair, Wis. Lorch also serves as an ad hoc member of the co-op board.

The co-op intends to bring new buyers on board as more products are sourced. It serves institutions such as: schools, universities and colleges, hospitals and businesses that provide cafeteria services. The co-op is working to facilitate the production and purchase of locally produced: meats (beef, buffalo, pork, chicken and fish); fruits and vegetables; dairy and eggs; other locally produced food and dry goods.

“Co-op stocks are an opportunity to invest in the local community and to support sustainable products, local farms and jobs,” says co-op coordinator Mary C. Anderson, a value-added farmer with extensive direct sales experience. “Support of the co-op also helps rebuild the local processing infrastructure (for processing meats, dairy, etc.), and to expand local food production by providing a stable market.”

The idea for the co-op began in January 2008, when representatives from River Country RC&D and Sacred Heart Hospital met with area farmers at the Midwest Value Added Agricultural Conference and Wisconsin Local Food Summit. Barriers to purchasing local food (including seasonal production, quantity, transportation, processing, pricing and delivery) were discussed, and subsequent meetings focused on how to overcome these barriers.

In June 2008, Sacred Heart Hospital’s CEO Steve Ronstrom pledged to buy more local food for the hospital. A month later, Governor Jim Doyle visited Sacred Heart Hospital to announce the statewide “Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin” (BLBW) grant awards. Doyle chose Eau Claire to announce the grants due to the innovative local food partnership between the hospital and River Country RC&D Council. A BLBW grant was awarded to River Country RC&D to pioneer the best way to get local food to local institutions.

After many planning meetings with local farmers, articles of incorporation were filed last March, creating the Producers & Buyers Co-op. To date, the co-op facilitated the purchase over 26,000 pounds of locally grown product from over 14 local rural communities. “There have been profound changes over the past century for farm families and rural communities; in the 1990s alone, Wisconsin lost almost 40 percent of its dairy farms,” says Rick Beckler, co-op organizer and Sacred Heart Hospital’s director of hospitality services. “It’s our responsibility to buy local food to support our local agriculture industry. We have had an outpouring of warm compliments on our food from patients, our “Meals-on- Wheels” patrons and employees.”

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/pub/jul09/jul09.pdf (See pages 37-38 of Rural Cooperatives Magazine!)

also...
http://www.producersandbuyers.com/

a P&B Coop brochure:http://www.sacredhearthospital-ec.org/Choose/GreenHealthcare/Documents/BuyerAndProducerMembershipBrochure.pdf The

news release about the launch is:http://www.sacredhearthospital-ec.org/Choose/GreenHealthcare/Documents/PBCoOpNewReleaseBreakfastintheValleyLaunch.pdf

Vancouver FarmCityBoy

http://www.kitsilanofarms.com/