NOFA-NH E-Newsletter: September 2020

Join Us For Our 2nd Annual Share the Bounty Day

September is Hunger Action Month and we’re partnering with six local organizations in NH to raise money for our Farm Share Program. On September 19th, shop or dine with our partners and support food access for all in our community! Funds raised will go toward helping low-income NH residents purchase certified organic CSA shares next season.

2020 Partners: Concord Food Co-op, Revival Kitchen & Bar, Sweet Beet Market, The Works Café, Warner Public Market, Monadnock Food Co-op (*Round up at the Monadnock Food Co-op all month long)

Learn more

"Round It Up" for NOFA-NH at the Monadnock Food Co-op Throughout September

The Monadnock Food Co-op will be donating funds raised from their September "Round It Up" program to NOFA-NH. Customers will have the option to round up their change to the nearest dollar at the register, and the difference will be donated to NOFA-NH to support our 2020 Farm Share Program, and particularly to expanding the program within the Monadnock region. Thank you, Monadnock Food Co-op and your customers!

Work With Us: NOFA-NH Is Hiring a Finance Coordinator

We are seeking a Finance Coordinator to join our team! In addition to supporting organizational decision-making by ensuring that financial, insurance and tax records are collected, recorded and reported accurately, the Coordinator will provide basic office support and generate reports as requested for the Treasurer and the Board of Directors.

The position is part-time, 12-16 hours per week, with some flexibility in work hours.

Read More & Apply Here

2 More CRAFT Tours! Soil Health & Starting an Organic Farm

Our CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliances for Farmer Training) Program is a series of educational farm tours for beginning and experienced farmers, farm workers, and anyone interested in learning more about where our food comes from. There are two tours left in our 2020 Virtual CRAFT Program:

Sept 30: Starting an Organic Vegetable and Poultry Farm with Hop N Hen Farm
Oct 15: Managing Soil Health: Grazing and Specialty Crops with Stonewall Farm

Learn More & Sign Up

An Interview with Commissioner Jasper & New Deadlines for the NH Agriculture Relief Program

NOFA-NH thanks Governor Sununu, Commissioner Jasper and the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food for expanding the NH Agriculture Relief Program to include aid for any farmers who have lost revenue or incurred expenses due to COVID-19.

We recently spoke with Commissioner Jasper about the expanded NH Agriculture Relief Program, the impact of COVID-19 on the NH agricultural community, supporting organic farmers and small producers, the impacts of climate change and the importance of soil health, co-ops and food hubs, grants, resiliency, and the future of agriculture in NH.

Read the Interview

Reminder for Farmers: There are two more application periods for the Registered Farm and Expanded Farm Programs. These programs aim to “ease the burden of substantial new COVID-19-related costs like extra cleaning and sanitizing, ensuring social distancing, and lost sales, including $1.5 million for specialty crop producers that had at least $50,000 of 2019 gross sales, and $1 million for all other farms that, during any application period, have incurred average COVID-19-related expenses of at least $500 per month or average COVID-19-related lost sales of at least $1,000 per month…The New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food will administer these programs.” The Department urges applicants to track their income and expenses monthly for easier reporting.

Upcoming Deadlines Include:

October 15, 2020, for expenses and/or lost sales incurred during July 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020; and
December 10, 2020, for expenses and/or lost sales incurred during October 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020.

NSAC Farmer Climate Letter Delivered to House Committee

More than 2,100 individual farmers and ranchers signed onto the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s (NSAC) “Farmer Letter on Climate Change Solutions in Agriculture." The letter called for investments in soil health, on-farm renewable energy, farmland conservation, sustainable livestock production, and other agricultural solutions to the climate crisis. It was delivered to members of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis on August 27th.

Watch

National Organic Standards Board Fall Meeting in October

The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) typically meets twice per year in various locations around the United States. During meetings, the NOSB listens to public comments, discusses agenda items, and then votes on recommendations to the Secretary in a public forum.

With input from the NOSB and the organic community, the NOP (National Organic Program) has modified the NOSB Fall 2020 Meeting to be held live online, instead of in-person. The meetings are free and open to the public, and registration is not required unless you wish to provide public comment. On the agenda this fall is the continuation of refining the proposal to add paper-based crop planting aids (such as paper chain pots and seed tape) to the National List of allowed inputs.

More Reasons for Supporting / Purchasing Organic and Local Foods

What if eating organic food could reduce the pesticide levels in your body? According to a recent study by Friends of the Earth, it can. Participating families’ pesticide levels dropped 60 percent on average, after just one week on an organic diet.

Yet another reason why we need to know our farmers and buy local: If you want to avoid feeding your family GMO’s, obtaining product content information is about to become even more difficult at the nation’s supermarkets.

The Legal Battle Against Biocides & History of Public Resistance to Toxic Chemicals

The following is an excellent interview and analysis of thirty years of public resistance to toxic, industrialized agriculture and biocides in general. It reminds us of Rachel Carson’s recommended framing of herbicides and pesticides - and their planetary impact. (She called them “biocides.”) It concludes with an energizing call for organic, regenerative ways of farming and living. The author is Andrew Kimbrell, author, attorney, and Director of the Center for Food Safety.

Organic Mitigates Climate Change

Organic agriculture presents an opportunity to mitigate climate change; by using organic practices, farmers can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon in the soil. In its white paper, “Advancing Organic to Mitigate Climate Change,” the Organic Trade Association outlines the benefits of organic, highlights existing policy responses to climate change and agriculture, identifies opportunities for policy responses to support organic, and recommends policies to support organic as a solution to climate change.

City of Dover Commits to Organic Land Care

At the 2020 NOFA-NH Winter Conference earlier this year, we moderated a panel discussion on organic land care that included Seacoast officials. This summer the City of Dover announced that they would switch to Organic Land Care for their turf management! NOFA-NH congratulates the citizens of Dover, Non-Toxic Dover, NH, and StonyFIELDS (the latter funded an initial pilot site) for their positive contributions to promote the health of Dover’s children, the integrity of the water supply, and the well-being of birds, butterflies, fish, other ocean creatures, and more on the Seacoast and beyond.

Meet Our Members: Introducing Paul and Deb Doscher and Windcrest Farm

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 August 2020.

New Members:

Willa Coroka, Leah Gage, Geraldine Veroneau

Renewing Members:

Grounding Stone Farm, Jeff Mast, Mermaid Hill Vineyard

Classifieds

Hip Peas Farm Seeking Market Gardening Apprentice

Hip Peas Farm is looking for a Market Gardening Apprentice. $14/hr starting rate, March - November.

Requirements:

- Great attitude and work ethic, ability to work 35-40 hrs/week.

- Work in strenuous situations, including all weather conditions present in New Hampshire

- Viable Transportation.

Read the full posting here. Contact Dan B. – (603)-785-9510 or danb@hippeasfarm.com.

Stonewall Farm Seeking Crop Farmer

Stonewall Farm in Keene, NH is looking for a Crop Farmer to be responsible for growing certified organic crops on approximately 2.5 acres of land located at Stonewall Farm. This is a 40 hour a week position from February 1st through November 15th. The position is part-time from Nov. 16th through Jan. 31st, although additional hours may be added by working in other areas of the farm.

Read the full job description here.

Wanted: Sumac

Seeking farmers and landowners with sumac on their property. I am developing products from sumac fruit and am seeking sources. If you have sumac growing in your woods, field borders or unused fields, and are interested, please contact Stu at rhusjuice@gmail.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.