mofga charcuterie workshop

Join Andy Smith of Smith’s Smokehouse and delve into the basics of charcuterie through a series of four workshops. Learn how to create your own charcuterie goods, and potential business, and then dig deep into a variety of curing processes including bacon, bresaola, beef jerky and more!

Don’t forget to register for this course, there are only 10 spots available. The complete series is $350 for MOFGA members and $400 for non-members. Each course will take place at Smith’s Smokehouse; bring your own lunch.

Click HERE to register and please contact Anna Mueller at events@mofga.org if you have any questions.

haydens harvest for the year ahead

credit: Hayden Stubbins – Forest and Feast at Yale

It’s been a busy year for Hayden Stubbins from Hayden’s Harvest. He hosted forage and feasts, plant walks, mycology talks and herbal classes in North America, from NYC to coastal Maine. Check out his cool video about Forage and Feast that has over 1 million views HERE

Hayden has been involved with some really interesting projects on subjects such as Lyme Disease and invasive species over the past year:

Japanese Barberry: A story of Lyme Disease, invasive species, medicine, and scarves

Japanese Barberry creates ideal habitat for ticks, and has been attributed to the rise in Lyme Disease. More barberry = more ticks = more Lyme Disease. I have shifted my winter focus to finding products using Japanese Barberry with the hopes of decreasing its population in our woods with the aim of decreasing rates of Lyme Disease. These products include potential medicine (type II diabetes, fatty liver disease, statin-resistant high cholesterol, digestive issues), as a dye, bitters, and more to come. If you are interested in Japanese Barberry removal, any of the products listed above, or a monograph, please contact me.

He is currently taking booking for his spring teaching schedule, so if you or any organizations you know are interested in hosting a Forage and Feast, plant walk, mycology talk, herbalism event. These events are perfect for public and private schools, universities, youth groups, farms, community centers, and private residences alike. Many people have celebrated their birthdays at a Forage and Feast, so why not book a private Forage and Feast for you and your loved ones to celebrate a special day?

If you have any questions, are interested in getting involved with any of the above projects, or if you would like to host an event, please be in touch with Hayden at haydenstebbins@gmail.com.

farm-based education network national gathering

The 6th Farm-Based Education Network National Gathering is coming to Concord, MA, November 4-6, 2016. The event will bring together educators, farmers, nonprofit organization staff, parents, nutrition practitioners, policy makers, students, and more to share skills, build relationships, and celebrate the vibrant field of farm-based education.

The workshop submission period is open through May 6, and I’m writing to see if you would consider submitting a proposal about your work in farm-based education, or circulate this announcement to others who have demonstrated strong programming and leadership in the field.

At the least, please save the dates – November 4-6, and stay tuned to the website for updates!

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usda to offer apple and grape grafting demos at empire farm days

Scientists from the Agricultural Research Service Plant Genetic Resources Unit, Geneva, NY, will demonstrate grafting techniques used with apple trees and grapevines daily at 11 am at the August 11–13, 2015 Empire Farm Days at Rodman Lott and Son Farms, 2973 State Route 414, in Seneca Falls, NY.

The ARS scientists will show how rootstocks affect fruit quality, change the shape and productivity of the tree scion, or top, and how scion traits can be modified by different rootstocks.

read up on bio nutrient dense farming techniques, monitoring and thinking

http://bionutrient.org/

 

guerilla propagation workshop in oakland, ca!

April 25th! 2015 *11-2pm*–

Grow your own! Guerilla Propagation Workshop Seed and Crop Swap, Free Live Juice Shots and Live DJ

Join us for this lively street party in partnership with Destiny Arts Center celebrating food traditions, resistance, and culture.

Every month features a workshop, DJ and/or Live music, free tastings, and a potluck cook off alongside the farmers market.

Learn to propagate (multiple/grow) edible plants from simple cuttings found around your neighborhood. Participants will leave with a homemade propagation kit and cuttings ranging from tree collards to thyme to pepino dulce.

Ruckus n’ Resiliency! Workshop Series and Street Festival

11-2pm *Last Saturday of the Month*

970 Grace Ave@ Feel the Beet! Farmers Market

Oakland, Ca. 95608

Free- RSVP Here

*Bring your seeds, cuttings, and extra garden starts and plants to share with your neighbors.  There will be plenty of free kale,

collards, and tomato starts from Phat Beets Produce to be potted up and given away.  Also bring your extra backyard produce to share!

build farmer collaborations with cornell cooperative extension: april 9 & 10

Extension Workshops to Build Farmer Collaborations for Sales, Marketing and Delivery of Local Foods

Many farmers are teaming up to develop, market, and deliver multiple products to meet the needs of buyers interested in purchasing local foods. Cornell Cooperative Extension will hold workshops in Burrville, Canton and Plattsburgh to help farmers develop formal partnerships, cooperatives, and corporations.

The workshop agenda features Bobbie Severson of the Cooperative Enterprise Program of the Cornell Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and panels of three farmers explaining their experiences with working together and the pro and cons of their particular systems.

‘These Extension workshops in Northern New York are timely as farmers there begin to look at developing food hubs. The option for building collaborations between farmers to market and deliver products can be attractive for implementing that type of project, and cooperative, group-action businesses not only strengthen farmers but enhance the local food sector and add vigor to local economies,’ Severson says.

‘Informal agreements or a memorandum of agreement may work for a while, but over time joint purchases of equipment and sharing income can lead partners to wanting more formal strategies. These workshops will help farmers develop those strategies,’ says co-organizer Anita Deming, executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Essex County.

The Farmer Strategies for Working Together workshops have a $5 fee and are set for:

Thursday April 9, 1-3 pm, CCE Clinton County Meeting Room, 6064 State Route 22, Plattsburgh, to register: CCE Clinton County: 518-561-7450 or CCE Essex County: 518-962-4810 x0

Thursday April 9, 7-9 pm, CCE St. Lawrence County Extension Learning Farm Classroom, 2043 State Highway 68, Canton, to register: CCE St. Lawrence County: 315-379-9192

Friday April 10, 1-3 pm, Farm Credit East Office, 25417 NY Route 12, Burrville, to register: CCE Lewis County, 315-376-5270 and CCE Jefferson County, 315-788-8450.

skill share workshops in oregon

A group of farmers and food advocacy groups have come together to plan a free summer workshop series for farm interns in the Southern Willamette Valley. Come learn from experienced, knowledgeable farmers and connect with other farm interns in the area.  This is a unique opportunity to tour different farms and learn from other farmers about how they do things. Workshops include instruction in IPM, biodynamic farming, seed saving… attend ’em all!

Here are the workshops!