June 2010

A monthly digest of food and agriculture news compiled as 

a service of the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group

T a b l e   o f   C o n t e n t s

1.) It Takes a Region 2010: A conference to build our Northeast food system

2.) Three stories on how cooking solves everything

3.) Three stories on meat processing news

4.) Two stories on herbicide-resistant super weeds

5.) Forest cover declining across New England

6.) USDA finds half of farm expenditures are spent locally

7.) Illinois Food, Farms and Jobs Act

8.) Food service staff benefit from farm-to-school

9.) "Is Local Enough? Some Arguments for Regional Food Systems"

10.) Three stories on changes in dairy business

11.) Brazil's victory in cotton trade case exposes America's wasteful subsidies

12.) New Farm Aid report on mid-sized farms and regional food systems

13.) Trends in hunger and household income in America

14.) In Maine, A Rural Coalition That Works

15.) Maryland governor signs agriculture bills into law

+ Job Listings...

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1.) It Takes a Region 2010: A conference to build our Northeast food system

November 12-13, 2010, Pre-conference training November 11
Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, Albany, NY
Save the date! This year we'll build from the success of NESAWG's 2009 "It Takes a Region" Conference. Once again, we'll look at exciting efforts underway in our region, including alternative supply chain networks, research and food system assessments, regional planning, infrastructure initiatives, and policy advocacy. We'll move our work forward and address pressing new issues in work groups, listening sessions, break-outs and open networking. We’ll continue to explore scale, size, geography and cross-sector partnerships. Watch for new features this year!

Become a conference sponsor. Sponsor funds go toward scholarships that make the conference inclusive. Contact Kathy for more information. Visit www.ittakesaregion.org or email Kathy Ruhf, NESAWG coordinator at nesawg@nesawg.org.
 

2.) Three stories on how cooking solves everything

Victual Vicissitudes: Consumer Deskilling and the (Gendered) Transformation of Food Systems
by JoAnn Jaffe and Michael Gertler, 2006
Many consumers have lost the knowledge necessary to make discerning decisions about the multiple dimensions of quality, including the contributions a well-chosen diet can make to health, planetary sustainability, and community economic development. They have also lost the skills needed to make use of basic commodities in a manner that allows them to eat a high quality diet while also eating lower on the food chain and on a lower budget. Read more...

"Changing Our Thinking About Food"
The Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity podcast of March 31st interview with author/journalist Mark Bittman where he explains how "cooking solves everything."

 

3.) Three stories on meat processing news

FSIS publishes draft compliance guide for mobile slaughter units
The agency is accepting public comments on the guide until July 24. NMPAN will host a one-hour webinar on Tuesday, July 13, 1 pm Eastern/10 am Pacific
Read more... 

"Movable Beast"
By Christine Muhlke, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, May 17, 2010
The kill trailer is 8 feet wide and 53 feet long. In that space a cow, lamb or goat is stunned, killed, bled, skinned and eviscerated. The organs are rolled into the adjoining inedible parts trailer, to be composted or picked up by a renderer for disposal. The carcass is sawed in half and washed with a lactic-acid solution before it’s moved to a chilling compartment. Later, it will be transferred to the connecting refrigerated delivery truck, which can drive off to the nearest “cut and wrap” facility, or butcher. During the entire process, a U.S.D.A. inspector stands in the kill trailer. Read more...

 

4.) Two stories on herbicide-resistant super weeds

Farmers cope with Roundup-resistant weeds
By William Neuman and Andrew Pollack, New York Times, May 3, 2010
“It is the single largest threat to production agriculture that we have ever seen,” said Andrew Wargo III, the president of the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts. The first resistant species to pose a serious threat to agriculture was spotted in a Delaware soybean field in 2000. Since then, the problem has spread, with 10 resistant species in at least 22 states infesting millions of acres, predominantly soybeans, cotton and corn. Read more...

Monsanto set to help fight spreading "super-weeds"
By Carey Gillam, Reuters, May 27, 2010
Monsanto said on Thursday it will restructure its herbicide products in an effort to help combat the spreading environmental woes of herbicide-resistant weeds, also known as "super weeds," which many critics have blamed on the chemical giant.Experts estimate glyphosate-resistant weeds have infested close to 11 million acres so far. More than 130 types of weeds have developed levels of herbicide resistance in more than 40 U.S. states, more resistant weeds than found in any other country, according to weed scientists. Read more...

5.) Forest cover declining across New England

By Steve LeBlanc, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, May 2010
Less than 20 percent of New England's 33 million acres of trees, waters and wetlands are permanently protected from development. David Foster, director of the Harvard Forest program, said that the turning point for New England forests came about 20 years ago when the area once again began to lose forest cover. That shift has happened more rapidly in densely populated southern New England states, but even more sparsely populated Vermont and Maine – particularly southern Maine – have seen troubling signs, he said.  Read more...

6.) USDA finds half of farm expenditures are spent locally

Timothy Wojan and Dayton Lambert, Amber Waves, June 2010
Total farm business operating expenditures amounted to more than $187 billion in 2008. A recent ERS-supported study found that about half of all farm input and equipment expenditures were made locally in 2004. Researchers examined the purchasing patterns of farmers to determine the likely impact of farm spending on various types of local economies, from highly urban to totally rural. Read more...

7.) Illinois Food, Farms and Jobs Act

8.) Food service staff benefit from farm-to-school

by Betty T. Izumi, Katherine Alaimo, Michael W. Hamm, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, March-April 2010
The current popular wave of farm-to-school programs has obvious benefits for schoolchildren but another group also is advantaged:  school food service professionals.   A study by researchers at Michigan State University, published in the March/April 2010 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, found that farm-to-school programs motivated food service personnel to do a better job. The study noted that, “A ‘trickle-down effect’ was found for [school food service professionals] being proud to serve high-quality products that students were excited to eat.”  Read more... 

9.) "Is Local Enough? Some Arguments for Regional Food Systems"

by Kate Clancy and Kathryn Ruhf, Choices, The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues
Regionalism is particularly relevant to food systems. Unlike in the manufacturing and services sectors, which are less dependent on the natural capital and resource bases of particular regions, agri-food systems are characterized by “the geographic fixity of primary factors in production, including suitable farmland, regional climate conditions, natural resource base, and proximity to primary upstream industry” (Canning and Tsigas, 2000). As we argue below, topography, water availability, land and other inputs, farm scale, crop options, and market proximity are operable at the regional level. Read more...

10.) Three stories on changes in dairy business

Changes in dairy safety net expected
By Marc Heller, Times Washington, May 22, 2010 
Ag Committee chief, Rep. Collin C. Peterson, D-Minn., said he believes the past year's deep decline in milk prices will result in momentum for fundamental changes in dairy policy when Congress considers the five-year farm bill in 2012. He outlined his expectations in an interview at his Capitol Hill office in which he also disputed widespread criticism that the dairy industry is plagued by price manipulation, and discussed the role Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh-NY, may play on the committee, to which he was named two weeks ago. Read more...

Organic Valley lays down the law on raw milk
by David Gumpert, NODPA.org, June 7, 2010
Last week, the board of directors of Organic Valley voted four to three to prohibit its member dairies from selling raw milk. "It's not a fun issue here," says George Siemon, the CEO. "Everyone on the board drinks raw milk." It's been the most bitter dispute in the enterprise's 22-year history, he says. The decision threatens to tear Organic Valley apart, or at least hamper its business effectiveness, by raising two major risks. Read more...

Dean Foods Accused, as Dairy Farmers Say They Are Getting Milked
By Alison Fitzgerald, Bloomberg.com, May 27, 2010
Along with the USDA, Justice Department officials will hold a June 25 hearing in Madison, Wisconsin, on dairy market concentration. Meanwhile, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is reviewing complaints of price manipulation in the spot cash market for cheddar cheese, which also affects the price of milk. Two big players, Dallas-based Dean Foods Co. and the Dairy Farmers of America, a cooperative out of Kansas City, Missouri, are the target of pending federal class actions, one filed in 2008, the other in January, in which they are accused of colluding to control market access and suppress milk prices. Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, a big dairy state, has urged the Justice Department to investigate the antitrust allegations outlined in the two cases. Read more...

 

11.) Brazil's victory in cotton trade case exposes America's wasteful subsidies

Washington Post, June 3, 2010
Brazil's case laid bare the truth about the U.S. cotton program: Not only is it a wasteful sop to special interests, but it's also an obstacle to free and fair trade that needlessly complicates U.S. relations with the rest of the world. Reform – or, better, repeal – is long overdue. Read more...

12.) New Farm Aid report on mid-sized farms and regional food systems

Read Farm Aid Report "Rebuilding America's Economy with Family Farm Centered Food Systems"

13.) Trends in hunger and household income in America

Foodlinks America June 4, 2010
SNAP Participation Tops 40 Million
Compared to February 2010 figures, SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) caseloads increased in every state except New Jersey and Washington.  Nine states experienced increases above 30 percent over the past year.  The largest participation gains were in Idaho (42.5 percent), Nevada (41.7 percent), Rhode Island (41.6 percent), Utah (39.6 percent), Wyoming (38.6 percent), South Dakota (36.1 percent), Florida (35.9 percent), Wisconsin (34.2 percent), and Connecticut (32.6 percent).

Shifts in wealth from 2002 to 2007

• The rich get richer I:  Between 2002 and 2007, the wealthiest one percent of U.S. families scooped up two-thirds of America’s total income gains. 
• The rich get richer II:  By 2007, the top one percent controlled 34 percent of the country’s wealth (cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, cars, etc.).
• The rich get richer III:  The next richest nine percent owned 38 percent of the nation’s wealth, meaning that 72 percent of the country’s assets were controlled by one-tenth of the population. 
• Taking stock:  The richest one percent of Americans owns 90 percent of all stocks and bonds in the nation.
• The poor get poorer I:  The number of Americans in poverty increased from 31.6 million people in 2001 to nearly 40 million in 2008.
• The poor get poorer II:   The bottom half of the U.S. population owned only 2.5 percent of the nation’s wealth in 2007.

14.) In Maine, A Rural Coalition That Works

By Rep. Nancy Smith and Rep. Leila J Percy, The Daily Yonder, May 5,2010
The lesson learned is this:  when farmers and fishermen band together to address common rural challenges, even from their different home fronts, great things can be accomplished. Read more...

15.) Maryland governor signs agriculture bills into law

By Ike Wilson, News-Post, May 10, 2010
Gov. Martin O'Malley on Tuesday signed into law 12 agriculture-related bills, culminating the legislative session for the farm community. The new laws define the terms "locally grown" and "local" for agricultural product sales, reduce the regulatory burden for farmers selling at farmers markets, reform Maryland winery laws, authorize a nutrient credit trading program and provide more opportunities for landowners to preserve their farmland. Read more...

JOBS   JOBS   JOBS   

Summer Program Facilitator
Brooklyn, NY
Application Due June 14th
The Summer Program Facilitator will join Added Value staff, Youth Leaders, and
Interns in facilitating our Summer Youth Program.  In this program,
approximately 25 to 30 Brooklyn teens are employed to grow food from seed to
sale, and are introduced to urban agriculture and the intersections of food,
health, and social justice.  The Summer Program Facilitator will work along
side an AV staff member to manage the implementation and evaluation of daily
programming—leading teens in farm work and community-building activities.

This position is an intensive two-month commitment, Tuesdays through Saturdays
from June 28th through August 25th, 2010.  This is a 40-hour per week position.
Compensation will be between $2,000-$2,500 for the summer.  Please send resume
and cover letter to Jonah Braverman (jbraverman@added-value.org) or to 370 Van
Brunt Street, Brooklyn NY 11231.

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Summer Program Intern 2010
Brooklyn, NY


Application due June 14th
The Summer Program Intern will join Added Value staff, Summer Program
Facilitator, Youth Leaders, and our Summer Youth Program.  In this program,
approximately 25 to 30 Brooklyn teens are employed to grow food from seed to
sale, and are introduced to urban agriculture and the intersections of food,
health, and social justice.  The Summer Program Intern will take part in the
implementation and evaluation of daily programming—leading teens in farm work
and community-building activities. The internship is an intensive two-month commitment, Wednesdays through
Saturdays from June 28th through August 25th, 2010.  This is a 35-hour per week
position.  Compensation will be based on experience. Added Value will also
gladly help students receive school credit for this position. Please send
resume and cover letter to Jonah Braverman by email
(jbraverman@added-value.org) or to 370 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn NY 11231

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Slow Food USA
Brooklyn, NY
Programs Manager
We are seeking a motivated, strategic and highly skilled Program Manager who will be responsible for overseeing Slow Food USA’s youth work, leading the development of innovative projects and campaigns that move towards good, clean, and fair food practices. The Program Manager also works in collaboration with the program staff to strategize, develop, and implement national grassroots campaigns that engage our network and the broader public to bring about change in the food system. Areas of work include staff supervision, workplan implementation, budget, and alliances. You can download a complete description for the Programs Manager position here. 
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/downloads/Programs_Manager.pdf


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Slow Food USA
Brooklyn, NY
Programs Manager, Slow Food in Schools
Slow Food In Schools is a national network of local (community-based) projects that address issues related to the food system within K-12 public education institutions. These projects range from school gardens, cooking classes and curriculum development, to advocacy for improving federally funded school meals. We are seeking a motivated, strategic and highly skilled Program Manager who will lead strategies to support the current projects, help build new projects, and ensure that the collective work is improving the conditions for students, teachers, and parents, particularly in the communities most impacted by a broken food system.

You can download a complete description for the Programs Manager Slow Food In Schools here. 
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/downloads/Programs_Manager_-_SFIS.pdf

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Slow Food USA
Brooklyn, NY
Membership Manager
The Membership Manager is a new position created to develop and grow the Slow Food USA membership in order to achieve these goals, and the Membership Manager will have responsibility for creating a structured and sophisticated annual fund/membership giving program. The position is focused on maximizing membership revenue, though because membership at Slow Food USA sits at the nexus between the development, communications and program departments, the successful applicant will work closely with staff in all three areas to achieve a wide array of goals. You can download a complete description for the Membership Manager here. http://www.slowfoodusa.org/downloads/Membership_Manager.pdf 

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Part-Time Program Assistant with a focus in Marketing in the Western Regional Office
Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture
For information email jobsearch@pasafarming.org

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Heifer International
US Country Program Project Manager 
(3 positions)
Heifer International, a global, dynamic, non-profit org w/a compelling mission to alleviate world hunger & poverty is seeking three individuals to provide leadership & strategic direction in the development & coordination of a large, integrated, & impactful regional program, identifying & collaborating w/multiple local, regional & national stakeholders to promote food sovereignty & strengthen local (and regional) food systems through integrated programming in sustainable livelihoods, education & advocacy. There are three regionally focused positions. The territories are the Appalachia Region, Delta Region & Southwestern US/Northern Mexico Region. Positions will remain open until filled. For more info about our org, this & other positions as well as online application visit www.heifer.org/careers ;

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Executive Director
Common Good City Farm
Washington, DC
http://commongoodcityfarm.org/jobs
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter along with their resume, two writing samples and three references along with their salary requirements tojobs@commongoodcityfarm.org

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Nutrition Educator
DC Central Kitchen
Washington, DC
http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/employment.php#nutrition
DC Central Kitchen provides meals to youth and adult clients at about 100 social-service agencies. The nutrition educator will promote healthy eating by teaching classes and providing other resources to DCCK cooks, clients and staff members at partner agencies, and students in the Kitchen’s Culinary Job Training class. Please email resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to hr@dccentralkitchen.org. Cover letter must address the following questions: why are you interested in this position at DC Central Kitchen, and how do you think your experience will be beneficial to our organization and mission? Applicants who do not send all of the requirements will not be considered.

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CEO
Rodale Institute
Kutztown, PA
www.rodaleinstitute.org
The Rodale Institute seeks a dynamic, creative leader who, in conjunction with the Board of Directors, will envision and implement the future direction of the organization. CONTACT: Suzanne Scherr, 212.851.6212, suzanne@pbrsearch.com

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AmeriCorps VISTA position
CitySeed 
New Haven, CT 

We are a community based non profit organization in New Haven, CT that works to engage the community in creating an equitable, local food system that promotes economic development, community development and sustainable agriculture. For more on CitySeed and our work, please visit our website at www.cityseed.org. ;

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Program Assistant (Part-Time) at Union of Concerned Scientists
Washington, DC
Under the direction of the deputy director, provide administrative, outreach, communications, and research support to the department. Working closely with the outreach coordinator, aid in outreach and communication activities. Conduct research and helps with special projects as requested.  Send a cover letter referencing where you learned of this job opening,
résumé, and salary requirements via email before June 9 to jobs@ucsusa.org;
please write “F&E Program Assistant” in the subject line. Electronic
submissions only. No phone calls.

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Sustainable Environment Entrepreneurs (SEE)
AmeriCorps Member
Positions
at the Center for Sustainable Agriculture (Pending Funding)

2 positions at the Center for Sustainable Agriculture will entail work with the Local Food Program, the Beginning Farmer Program, the Pasture Program, and work with our community partners including the Burlington School Food Project, the Center for Rural Studies, and more. Each member will serve for 11 months/1700 hours at a participating college or community organization. The nature of the service will entail a combination of direct and indirect service.  For more information about the positions, go to:

https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?fromSearch=true&id=36277
https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?fromSearch=true&id=36278  ; To apply, please email (preferred), fax, or mail a cover letter, résumé, and three references to: Kathy Sims,ksims@middlebury.edu

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Nutrition Education Assistants

Stellar Farmers Market Program
Physical Activity and Nutrition Program
New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
The Nutrition Education Assistants will work directly with a Nutrition Education Consultant (Registered Dietitian) in the preparation and delivery of nutrition education and cooking demonstrations at farmers markets. Workshops will be implemented outside at farmers markets in select high-need neighborhoods with a range of audiences (adults, seniors, parents, and youth). The position is seasonal to coincide with the market growing season and is full-time (~35/wk) during July and August and part time (~20hrs/wk) during September through mid-November.

PREFERRED SKILLS: Spanish Fluency; Experience in nutrition education and/or cooking; Experience working in multi-cultural settings with diverse populations; Knowledgeable about community food security issues in New York City; Excellent interpersonal and communications skills. Each Nutrition Education Assistant will provide the above services for $12.50/hr. The term of this contract will be June 21, 2010 to November 15, 2010. Please send a resume and cover letter to: Alyson Abrami, Farmers Market Nutrition Education Coordinator: aabrami@health.nyc.gov

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Nutrition Education Consultant
Stellar Farmers Market Program
Physical Activity and Nutrition Program
New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
The selected consultants will be required to deliver nutrition education and cooking demonstrations at farmers markets. Workshops will be implemented in select high-need neighborhoods with a range of audiences (adults, seniors, parents, and youth). The nutrition consultants will also be expected to assist with the development and implementation of point-of-purchase nutrition information and social marketing activities. The position is seasonal to coincide with the market growing season (June 21st through November 15th) and full-time (~35hrs/wk) and part-time positions (~20hrs/wk) are available. Each selected consultant will provide the above services for $25/hr. The term of this contract will be June 21, 2010 to November 15, 2010. Please send a resume and cover letter to: Alyson Abrami, Farmers Market Nutrition Education Coordinator: aabrami@health.nyc.gov 

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Part-Time Basis Farm to Chef Delivery Associates
New York, NY 
We’ve got good food, now we need good people to deliver it! We are looking for part-time and full-time Basis Delivery Associates to pick up food from local farms and make deliveries to restaurants and retail stores in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Candidates should have driving experience and must be passionate about and interested in learning more about good food. Interested candidates should know this is an entry-level position, with great potential for advancement over the coming months as our business grows. If you are interested in being part of the Basis team, please submit your resume and a brief cover letter via email (with the title of the position you are applying for in the subject line) to: careers@basisfoods.com

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VISTA position
State University of New York at Delhi
The State University of New York at Delhi is seeking applicants for a one year full time VISTA position.  The VISTA member will help coordinate a collaborative effort between the college and agricultural and social service groups to increase access to healthy locally grown foods, “Strengthening Rural Economies and Communities through Locally Grown Foods”. Job description and online application can be found at https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?fromSearch=true&id=4012

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Volunteer Coordinator
Gaining Ground 
Concord, MA
Gaining Groundis a small non-profit based in Concord, MA that grows organic produce for hunger relief with the help of community volunteers.  We are looking for a part-time Volunteer Coordinator interested in sustainable agriculture, food security, and meaningful community service to work 10-12 hours per week in our busy office during the growing season (now through October).  The position pays $10 per hour, and starts immediately. To apply, send a cover letter and resume to office@gainingground.org (put “Volunteer Coordinator” in the subject line).  Application deadline is June 25.  No phone calls, please.