Local Food Columbus » Archive
Confusion Over Issue 2
Saturday at the Clintonville Farmers’ Market, one of my customers said she was surprised to see so many yard signs in Clintonville in support of Issue 2. She reached the same conclusion I did: most of these people have probably fallen prey to the misleading advertisements in support of Issue 2. I’d like to clear up some of the confusion by responding to some of the talking points I’ve heard from supporters. Issue 2 would establish a Livestock Care Standards Board. It’s about time we had some standards for livestock care! Do you know what horrible things they do to animals on those factory farms? That’s just the point. It’s those factory farms that want Issue 2 to pass. They’ve seen voters in California and elsewhere outlaw the use of battery cages … Read entire article »
Filed under: News, Policy and Regulation
USDA-APHIS Holds NAIS Listening Session in Harrisburg
Some of you may have noticed we weren’t at the Westerville Farmers’ Market last Wednesday. Instead, we were in Pennsylvania. I have family there, and it was nice to visit, but the real reason for going was that I attended the NAIS Listening Session in Harrisburg. (There’s another one in Louisville this Friday if anyone with the inclination to go reads this in time.) I had pre-registered online, and got an email telling me that while my pre-registration was confirmed, there was still a limit on the capacity of the room, so even among pre-registered attendees, it would be first-come-first-admitted. They advised I show up early if I wanted to get in. I didn’t show up early, but it didn’t matter. The parking lot was mostly empty other than several fire … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Co-op canneries…where’s the meat?
I was really excited about this message (below) until I read further into it. “…for the production of a premium brand of creatively designed fruit based preserves.” Farmers can already make their own jelly at home. It’s covered under the cottage food exemption. You’ll find fruit preserves at every farmers’ market in Ohio. What our farm needs is a cannery that will do meat, broth, soups, and other meat-based products. We’ve made inquiries to ACENet and the ODA–even looked into starting our own facility–and all we heard was “You have to have a big industrial cannery to do meats.” After more than a year of searching, we finally found Keystone Meats in Lima, Ohio. They charge $1.35 per 28 oz. can, and the minimum amount they’ll process is 2000 lbs. of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured Articles, Local Food Processing, Urban Chickens
How do we move farming to the cities?
This was originally posted as a reply to Sam Rose’s question on Ohio State University’s Local Food Systems network. “So, the question is: how can we plausibly increase the amount of farmers? The answer seems to be to take farming to where most of the people are at: in the cities.” –Sam Rose I very much agree. In bringing farming to cities, we face two major obstacles, neither of which are insurmountable. The first is that, even with intensive models such as Square-Foot gardening, Grow Biointensive, or SPIN, farming still requires land. A person aiming only to feed his or her own family might find a backyard sufficient, but someone trying to grow enough to earn a living is going to need either a lot of land on which they can grow during … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured Articles, New Farmers, Urban Farming
Farmers Markets Under the Microscope
Today is a gorgeous day, perfect for planting, but I took time to come home and watch my son so my wife, Mayda Sanchez, Secretary of the Farmers’ Market Management Network, Inc., could attend a meeting. The meeting (that she missed due to some scheduling confusion) was about a planned study of farmers’ market food safety. It’s being done through OSU in collaboration with the Columbus and Franklin County health departments. From what I understand, they plan to look for pathogens in samples taken from farmers’ fields both before harvest and either at the time of harvest or immediately afterward (I’m not sure which). They also plan to take samples after the produce has been out on display at a farmers’ market, where it will have been handled by customers. As a … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
New CSA
Frijolito Farm is offering a CSA this year running from the beginning of June through the middle of November. Vegetables, eggs, chicken, bread, sweets, and a limited selection of fruits will be available. For full details and to order online, visit the CSA page at frijolitofarm.com … Read entire article »
Filed under: Local Food & Recipes, Urban Chickens
Don’t Cuss the Farmer With Your Mouth Full
Spring is officially here. We received our annual visit from the Health Department. No, I don’t mean the inspection for my mobile food vending license. I still need to schedule that. I’m talking about the follow-up on an anonymous complaint about the chickens that’s become something of an annual ritual here, typically about this time of year. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
New Community Garden Seeking Participants
Are you an apartment dweller looking for a place to garden? A gardener looking for more space than you currently have? Art Yoho has generously volunteered his front yard for the site of our new community garden. The space is about one acre on Maize Road, just a bit north of Cooke Road. We’re looking for interested people to participate. There is no fee for participation in the 2009 season. Wayne Shingler of Frijolito Farm will be available to help those new to gardening. Whether you’re looking to make a dent in your grocery bill or just want to give away your crop to neighbors or a food pantry, come out and play in the dirt with us this year! Plots will be ten feet by ten feet, but if we have … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Bill Moyers interviews Michael Pollan
PBS recently aired an interview with Michael Pollan about American food policy, changes he’d like to see the Obama administration make to localize agriculture, and the wishes of some that Pollan be appointed Secretary of Agriculture. The video is in two parts and also features farmers markets and community gardening in New York City. Part 1: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/11282008/watch.html Part 2: http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/11282008/watch2.html … Read entire article »
Filed under: Farmer's Markets, Food Pantries, New Farmers
Moving from Philosophy to Function
Initially, we had set out to come up with a plan that would feed the poor, train and employ aspiring farmers, contribute to the rise of urban agriculture, increase the availability of local food, persuade conventional farmers to switch to more sustainable methods, and generally address environmental and social justice issues. Trying (and failing) to envision how all this would fit into a single business plan, I was reminded of a proverb: “If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both.” At our last meeting (Thursday, Sept. 18), we discussed how to narrow our focus to a single project, and came up with the idea to buy a vacant lot from the Columbus city land bank, build a greenhouse there, and produce mixed salads throughout the winter (and presumably the rest of the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Meetings & Events, New Farmers, Uncategorized
