Who are YOUR favorite farmers?
I'd like you to meet Paula Disbrow of Feather Down Farms.
We've been corresponding by Facebook and here is what she wrote:
"Thanks so much for getting back to me, and for your interest in Feather Down Farms. This is why I love Facebook--it was fun to see that we have a lot of friends in common, then when I read your profile I learned that we also share professional passions.
For the last 15 years I've mostly been a food writer, but for the last year my husband David Norman (former head bread baker for Bouley Bakery) and I have been working to launch the U.S. outpost of Feather Down Farms an exciting farm stay concept (think farm camping in fabulous luxury tents) that's already a big success in Europe. We're passionate about the concept because it allows families the increasingly rare opportunity to slow down and reconnect with nature, their food sources, and each other. Best of all, they never need to disconnect from essential comforts because the spacious, custom tents (complete with wood floors, comfy beds, wood-burning stoves and fully equipped kitchens) are truly awesome.
And with the current back-to-the-land trend in tourism, we're convinced that Americans, too, are ready for an entirely new, less-is-more vacation experience.
In May we kick off our second season with two farms in Upstate New York and another outside of Chicago. In the next months we'll be adding several more farms, including some on in Oregon (Willamette Valley) and the Seattle area, and others in the Northeast. Our season is May-October but guests can book tents year round on our website. While our primary audience is urban families, we're finding the experience also resonates with foodies/farmer's market shoppers--as a stay on one of our farms is the ultimate way to eat local!
I'll actually be in New York next week to scout new farms on Long Island. My husband David will actually be in your neck of the woods later this month for our spring farmer's meeting. Perhaps you two could get together to discuss the details of potential farms in Connecticut.
Our concept is great for farmers, it integrates nicely with what they are already doing, and provides them the opportunity to make a significant supplemental income (sometimes they can better what they make farming). Farmers never buy anything from Feather Down Farms or owe us money, but they are responsible for a few initial things--setting up the septic to the tents, creating an animal paddock and hot shower facility (can be in existing outbuildings) and a farm store for guest to buy their staples. David can tell you much more about those details.
I'm attaching our latest brochure, as well as a document that tells a bit more about how we partner with farmers.
Thanks again for your interest, and please let us know if you have any questions. As we'd love to have a few farms in your area this spring, we would welcome any recommendations of special farmers/properties that would be a good fit--David could even visit them in a few weeks."
Isn't this AWESOME?
Let me know if you're interested and/or contact Paula directly!
Paula Disbrowe paula.disbrowe@gmail.com
US General Manager
Feather Down Farm Days
1503 W. 39 1/2 Street
Austin, TX 78756
http://www.featherdown.com/
512-524-1817 (office)
612-750-1506 (cell)
Who are YOUR favorite farmers?
Hi Nutmeggers!
I know that Harvesting CT is a video-centric blog of farms, farmers, farm markets, and other local and sustainable food initiatives in the state. I hope that I don't confuse you by adding a rare text-centric blog, but I felt that summarizing Maggie Gosselin's paper Beyond the USDA, How other Government Agencies Can Support a Healthier, More Sustainable Food System is in our best interest as a collective group.
Don't dismay! Our video blogs are under production with our first posting highlighting Mark Harran of Brookside Farms II in Litchfield. In the meantime, here is some really good information from Maggie Gosselin. First, let's start with some basic introduction to a few of our federal agencies. Let's understand who we're dealing with so that we can take a closer look at where other potential funding for Connecticut's local food and sustainable agriculture systems can come from. At the bottom of this article, I will highlight for you some areas for sustainable food systems funding that we should be utilizing in Connecticut.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
The USDA is in charge of the administration of commodity, conservation, nutrition programs, soil surveys, and the development of dietary guidelines. While they have their hands in MANY more food-related issues, they are primarily a MARKETING AGENCY, and NOT a regulatory agency, and the USDA is not the only federal body influencing what and how food is raised, consumed, or sold in the United States.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Their main role is protecting the health of Americans. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carries out most of HHS' food activities such as food safety, food labeling, and veterinary drugs. HHS also oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which conducts research and educates about food and diet related topics and health issues that affects policy reform and legislation. The Department of Health and Human Services is the strongest, most active player in our food supply. Any drastic changes we need to propose and lobby for should go through and to the HHS and not through our Departments of Agriculture or the USDA. Confusing, yes? We should start by demanding that the ecological impacts of food consumption and production should be a factor in developing the silly dietary guidelines - and NOT focus on special interest groups for agribusiness.
The USDA and the HHS have joint responsibility for the dietary guidelines issued to the public. There is much speculation that because the USDA is responsible for marketing US Agriculture commodities, they have trouble producing dietary recommendations free from the influence of agribusiness interests. The HHS' Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is the lead federal agency in education such as the "5 A Day" fruit and vegetable program. The HHS is the primary collector of statistical health information about Americans such as obesity, micronutrient deficiencies, and dietary diseases, determines which statistical data we as consumers have access to, and works with the FDA to advertise drugs to combat nutrition-related diseases. Why doesn't the HHS advocate to actually prevent nutrition-related diseases instead?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
While the FDA regulates most of the food safety issues of our food supply, they also are in charge of approval and regulation of all drugs which directly affects our livestock industries. The USDA monitors veterinary medicine and the FDA monitors and approves antimicrobials and growth hormones as "therapeutic" to the raising of animals and the increased speed in production of animals on industrial farms. The FDA also mandates Food Labeling laws which determine which products are considered FOOD (subject to labeling laws), which products are considered NON-FOOD (such as supplements and vitamins which are NOT subject to labeling laws), and which ingredients in food that are mandated to be listed on the labels. Keep in mind that most FDA regulatory rules of thumb state that if it is not digestible by the human body or if it is not "from nature" it doesn't get listed on the label. This is true for flavor additives, chemical additives, and other man-made chemicals and coloring that are in 98.7% of our food supply. The FDA should implement a ban on sub-therapeutic use of antibiotics in our livestock and energy production.
Fifteen separate agencies administer the 30+ laws that affect food safety. Although the FDA regulates 80% of the food supply, they only spend 24% of their budget doing so. A greater portion of the FDA budget goes to working with the USDA to market antibiotics and hormones for large agribusiness.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The EPA regulates most agricultural practices that involve pesticides, fertilizers, soil tillage, and animal confinement as potential sources of water and air pollution. An independent government body, the EPA does research related to climate change and implements the Renewable Fuels Standard. The EPA could play a major role in helping us create more sustainable food systems by establishing better over site of pollution and green house gas emissions generated by CAFOs.
The Department of the Interior (DoI)
The DoI manages more than 10% of the land in the US and houses the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) which is in charge of managing freshwater fisheries and hatcheries. Their Fisheries Program, National Marine Fisheries Service and Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Partnership Program (AADAP) main functions are "to ensure continued progress towards obtaining FDA-approved and EPA-compliant drugs for use in federal, state, tribal, and private aquaculture programs." Nepotism? YOU BET! Additionally, the DoI's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) allows livestock grazing and issues permits and leases held by ranchers to send their animals to graze. The Grazing Permits are subsidies which allow operations on BLM lands to produce animals for sale to feedlots. The Department of Interior should create new rules for livestock grazing on public lands that rewards environmental stewardship and prevents environmental degradation, charge fair market price for grazing permits, and ensure that both large farmers out west benefit proportionally to small farmers out east.
The Department of Defense (DoD)
Among many duties, the DoD feeds over 1.5 million active service personnel, supplies food to federal programs, feeds the Veteran's Administration hospitals, prisons, and yes . . . oversees the National School Lunch Program. The DoD purchases more than $5 billion in food each year. Their Defense Logistics Agency's Defense Supply Center in Philadelphia (DSCP) has been serving the USDA as the procurer of fresh fruits and vegetables for the National School Lunch Program. Since 2006, the DoD produce procurement program's massive overhaul, states and school districts are severely limited and often outright restricted from sourcing locally produced foods using the DoD's mandated program. The DoD should allow school food authorities to use Section 32 funds to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from those other than the DoD itself.
Sustainable Food Systems Funding Options from Federal Agencies
Think the deck is stacked against Connecticut's desire to create more state-wide sustainable food options? It is. Having said, each of the agencies listed above do provide funding options for us. We should collaborate, work together, apply, and win these federal dollars to boost Connecticut's local food supply, farmers, and sustainable agriculture systems. Here are some options:
These are just a few of the resources that Maggie Grosselin has brought to our attention.
Let's join together to make Connecticut the leader in local food and sustainable food & agriculture systems.