NOFA-NH E-Newsletter: January 2021

Winter Conference Is Less Than One Month Away!

Our 19th annual Winter Conference, “Cultivating Stewardship: Health, Harmony and Resilience,” held virtually this year, kicks off in just under a month!

Join us on Saturday and Sunday, February 13-14, 2021, for 12+ workshops on healing the land, soil health, ecosystem balance, food justice, organic seeds, farmland access, social justice, and more; a keynote address by Mukhtar Idhow of the Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success; and a virtual green market fair!

Learn More

Save on Supplies Through NOFA-NH's Bulk Order Program

Our Spring Bulk Order Store is live! Save on farming and gardening supplies and support NOFA-NH at the same time. No shipping charges, and no order is too small.

Place your order online or by mail by February 28, 2021. Pick up in Andover or Weare on March 20th or in Rochester on March 21st.

Learn More / Shop

"Feeding the Family" Organic Gardening Series Kicks Off in February

Our Organic Gardening Series with Ron Christie, organic farmer and former NOFA Board Member, starts on February 23rd! Weekly workshops from February to April will cover everything from planning your garden to healthy soil, pests, diseases, and more. New this year: we’re also offering 5 additional workshops held monthly during the growing season focused on a combination of technical instruction and personal assistance to help guide you as issues come up. Attend 1, 2, 3, or all 15!

Scholarship tickets available! Thanks to grant funding from the New Hampshire Electric Co-op Foundation, NHEC members in need can access the entire series for free. Please contact us for more information.

Learn More & Sign Up

Winter Book Club for NOFA-NH Members

Join other NOFA-NH members for an online, 5-part book discussion of "Who Really Feeds the World?" by Vandana Shiva, every other Thursday from January 14 to March 11, 7:30-9:00 p.m.

It's not too late to sign up! Register now and join us for the second meeting on January 28th.

$5 for NOFA-NH members, $10 for non-members.

New Scholarship Memberships Available

New in 2021! NOFA-NH added another membership level: the Scholarship Membership! Low-income community members can now join NOFA-NH for the low cost of $20. Available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Learn More

Many thanks to all our current members who have donated to our Scholarship Fund! You can contribute to the fund when you renew your membership, or at any time throughout the year.

Watch the "Why Organic Now?" Fall Panel Event Recording

If you missed the “Why Organic Now? Linking Social Justice to Personal and Planetary Health” panel event in November or want to watch it again, you can now view the recording on our YouTube channel.

Hear from Diana Carpinone of Non-Toxic Dover NH and Non-Toxic Communities, Marita Canedo of Migrant Justice, and Jameson Small of ORIS and Fresh Start Farms as they discuss how localized, organic, regenerative growing and eating can contribute to the repair of unjust social structures, personal health, and the environment that sustains us.

Watch

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Toward More Just and Climate-Supportive Federal Food Policies

In an opinion piece published last month, Ben Lilliston at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy outlines a concise, yet wide-ranging prescription for more just and climate-supportive federal food policies. It would focus funding and attention on farming and eating practices that lead to a healthier, more resilient, less monopolized food system, as well as ecological restoration and enhanced biodiversity. It would advance small-scale farms and dairies (including BIPOC-owned endeavors) and their immediate communities by consciously reining in some of the unfair financial and legal advantages of the very large farms and multi-national corporate players.

USDA Food Box Program Not Without Challenges

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families program distributed food boxes to families in need starting in May and it went really well at the start. It was a different story in the fall, however. In New Hampshire, a different company in Delaware was awarded the contract to distribute the food boxes in the fall; the quality was very poor, from rotting vegetables to week after week of hot dogs and scrapple, reported The Union Leader. Program funds dwindled as the year went on and in some regions of the country the program ended a month earlier than expected.

Can Organic Farming Solve the Climate Crisis?

As its title suggests, this well-researched article from Civil Eats explores key issues related to organic agriculture and climate crisis mitigation. The damaging and long-lasting atmospheric impact of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers (which are already ruining fisheries and aquifers) is detailed here, along with many other aspects of this predicament.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and NOFA-NH

NOFA-NH is committed to creating an inclusive culture where all forms of diversity are seen and valued within our organization and the greater organic agriculture community. You can read our new DEI statement here. We look forward to delving deeper into this work, continuing to reflect, and furthering the conversation with our community.

If interested in joining our DEI Committee, please contact us.

Free Screening of Shadows Fall North Film

Shadows Fall North explores how New Hampshire can understand its participation in slavery, segregation, and the neglect of African-American history as two historic preservationists and activists seek to "recover the stories of people who have been rendered nearly invisible in the historical record."

The UNH Sustainability Institute and NH Food Alliance are hosting a screening of the film on January 27th from 6:00-8:00 p.m., in partnership with NOFA-NH and other organizations from around the state.

Opportunity to Support NOFA-NH's Farm Share Program

Round up to the nearest dollar at the Concord Food Co-op in Concord and New London, NH! This month, proceeds from the Round-It-Up program will go to support NOFA-NH's Farm Share Program.

Our Farm Share Program helps low-income NH residents access a season’s worth of organic produce from participating farms. Stay tuned for more information! Farmer applications will open in February and Farm Share applications will open in April.

Learn More

Supporting a Partner in Local Food

Revival Kitchen & Bar is a farm to table restaurant located in Concord and is home to award-winning chef and owner Corey Fletcher. In December, amidst an already tough year for restaurants due to the pandemic, Revival sustained considerable damage from a burst heating pipe. Not only does this impact the restaurant, its owner/manager and its employees, but it affects local farmer suppliers as well. Please consider purchasing a gift card or finding other ways to help support this establishment as they work to recover, and buy local whenever possible.

Opportunities for Farmers and Landowners

Value-Added Producer Grant: Helps agricultural producers enter into value-added activities related to the processing and marketing of new products. Applications due March 22, 2021.

Conservation Opportunity Fund: Provides funding for owners of small tracts of land who are interested in improving the wildlife habitat on their property in Cheshire County. Applications due March 1, 2021.

Welcome to the Board, Jennifer Robinson!

Jennifer Robinson joined NOFA-NH's Board of Directors at our December meeting. Jennifer runs The Kailyard, a small market farm in Peterborough, NH. She discovered small-scale organic agriculture while in college and has been working on small farms off and on for the past fifteen years, mostly in New England and the Midwest.

Invitation to Join NOFA-NH's Board Committees

Passionate and enthusiastic volunteers are invited to join our Board Committees! You do not have to be a Board Member to join. Prospective committee members are welcome to join a meeting — contact us for more information.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: *New Committee, Time TBD
Education & Outreach: 4th Wednesdays of the month, 7-8 pm
Finance: 4th Thursdays of the month, 4-5 pm
Governance: 3rd Tuesdays of the month, 10-11 am
Fundraising & Marketing: 3rd Thursdays of the month, 1-2:30 pm
Membership: 4th Thursdays of the month, 1:30-2:30 pm
Policy: 4th Wednesdays of the month, 8-9 am
Quality Assurance: 1st Thursdays of the month, 4:15 pm

Meet Our Members: Introducing Margaret Witham & Backyard Garlic

NOFA-NH's knowledgeable and passionate members make our organization great. That's why we offer our members with farms and farm-related businesses eligibility to be featured in the 'Meet Our Members' e-news column. Each month, we make our community a little closer by introducing you to someone new. Featured members are chosen by random lottery.

Welcome New & Renewing Members

Thank you to our NOFA-NH Members who became new members or renewed their memberships in December2020.

New Members:

Anthony Rosa Jr, Susan Skinner

Renewing Members:

Amy Agostino, Sharon Akers, Amy Antonucci, Cheshire Garden, Tom and Suzanna Faber, Fat Peach Farm, David Foster, Anthony and Glynn Graham, Hungry Bear Farm, Lost Nation Orchard, Frank Miles, Kristina Pastoriza, Matthew Silvestro, Shirley Sullivan, Nancy Voorhis, Windcrest Farm

Classifieds

Piglets or Feeder Pigs WANTED

First time raising hogs looking for 4 to 6 to start with. Anyone out there willing to sell / teach a young farmer the ways of the HOG? Contact William Goulding 603-930-8199 or William@GateCityFarms.com.

NOFA-NH Members may post 1 free Classified per month on our Classifieds page and in this newsletter. Not yet members may post a Classified in the e-news and on our website for $45 per Classified per month. To inquire about this program and to share your Classified with our community, please contact info@nofanh.org.

Please Note: The views and opinions expressed in these classifieds are those of our members and sponsors, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NOFA-NH, its staff, or Board of Directors. We reserve the right to reject content deemed unsuitable or inappropriate for our readership and distribution.