Northeast Organic Farming Association of New YorkVOL. 33, NO. 1 • SPRING 2015

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LearningAbundanceFreshly back from our 2015 Winter Conference and heading quickly toour 2015 Organic Dairy and Field Crop Conference and the promise ofspring and summer Field Days, I find so many revelations, inspirations,and questions rumbling through my mind. It can be mind-boggling toprocess the range of educational programming, science, and creativitythat one can experience at a NOFA-NY conference or field day. Duringour recent conference, one minute I was listening to the legendary WesJackson, president of The Land Institute, discuss the science of soilhealth and propose a new paradigm in farming. The next I was walkingpast the display of wildly creative root vegetable creatures imagined bythe children. My favorite was a mermaid.At the Winter Conference alone, well over a thousand people attended

more than eighty-seven workshops and presentations over the course ofthree days. Someone suggested I should do the math on how manyperson-hours were involved in this conference. There were roughly46,000 person-hours of learning, sharing, and fun created by about18,000 person-hours of planning, preparation, teaching, and serving.Add to that our educational programming through the year, and youapproach 100,000 person-hours of learning every year! For the team thatbrings you this range of programming, it entails as much worry, care, and labor as nurturing a field of tender seedlings to a barn-bustingharvest. It is awe-inspiring and humbling. NOFA-NY conferences and field days are full of surprising learning

experiences. Did you know that sweet potato leaves are edible? I learnedthat while walking through the dining area during lunch one day at theWinter Conference. I stopped to chat with Scott Chaskey of Quail HillFarm, and he introduced me to a woman named Khadija who wasoriginally from Sierra Leone. She in turn told me about the loveliness ofthe sweet potato fields at Quail Hill and how delicious the sweet potatoleaves are to eat! This is a typical experience at one of our events. You willlearn amazing things at a formal workshop, and then you will have somesurprising discovery just talking to someone in the lunch line. And themore you share, the more you learn.Thank you to the NOFA-NY staff, board, and volunteers who worked

tirelessly to bring leading educational experiences to life for the farmers,gardeners, and consumers who count on us. And thank you to our manymembers, donors, sponsors, and supporters who help make NOFA-NYeducational programming possible. You are an inspiration to us all.

New York Organic NewsPublisherNortheast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY)EditorFern Marshall BradleyProduction DesignerDavid LembeckContributors:Phil Barbato, Fern Marshall Bradley, Krys Cail,Marne Coit, Jean-Paul Courtens, Kate Farrar,Richard Giles, Maria Grimaldi, Rebecca Heller-Steinberg, Matt Kelly, Suzy Konecky, DanaMatthews, Kate Melton, Brittany Mendez, Leah Penniman, Anu Rangarajan, Anne Ruflin,Maryellen Sheehan, John-Paul Sliva, JonahVitale-Wolff

Advertising Inquiries:Contact Sondra at Sondra@nofany.org or 585-271-1979 ext. 510.

Subscriptions:A subscription to New York Organic News is abenefit of membership in NOFA-NY. Formembership information, go towww.nofany.org/give or call the office at 585-271-1979.

Submissions:Send article queries, photos, letters to the editor,and suggestions to newsmagazine@nofany.org.

New York Organic News is published four timesa year by NOFA-NY, 1423 Hathaway Drive,Farmington, NY 14425. The views and opinionsexpressed here are those of the authors and notnecessarily those of the NOFA-NY Board ofDirectors, staff, or membership. No part of thispublication may be used without writtenpermission of the publisher.

NOFA-NY is a statewide organization leading a growing movement of farmers, consumers,gardeners, and businesses committed topromoting sustainable, local, organic food andfarming.

This publication is printed on recyclednewsprint.

Director’s OutlookANNE RUFLIN

Executive Director, NOFA-NY

Kate Farrar loves both farming and photography.She’s now starting her second season farming atHearty Roots Farm in Germantown. In 2013, whilefarming at Foxglove Farm in British Columbia, Katecaptured this image of her friend Flo Thomaspreparing a grain seeder for seeding corn. Photo by Kate Farrar

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FEATURES

Farming for the Love of ItSharon Nagle and John Caraluzzo have turned theirhome garden into a successful small businesssupplying high-quality produce to discerningrestaurant chefs. by Matt Kelly ......................... 13

Making ConnectionsA diverse range of opportunities are cropping upacross New York State to help farmers market theirproducts, develop new products, and learn new skills.by Richard Giles, Maria Grimaldi, AnuRangarajan, and Jean-Paul Courtens ............... 16

Living and Learning in OaxacaNew York State farmers traveling in Mexico describe their interaction with farmers, educators, and activists. by Leah Penniman and Jonah Vitale-Wolff ...... 22

COLUMNS

DIRECTOR’S OUTLOOKLearning Abundance

Notes from NOFA-NY Executive Director Anne Rufflin ...................................................... 3

FOOD ADVOCACYKeep on Winning!

With a ban on fracking now in place, there are four important next steps to keep toxic frackingwastes out of New York and point the way to a clean energy future. by Krys Cail ......................... 5

THE FARMERS’ ROUNDTABLEManaging Brassica Diseases andInsects

How to keep ahead of pests and diseases of all-important brassica crops. by Maryellen Sheehan ....................................... 6

ON THE FARMBeyond Milk and Cheese

The workings of a diversified dairy CSA.by Suzy Konecky ............................................... 9

IN THE KITCHENGratify the Urge for Greens

Now’s the time to enjoy the bounty of spring greensand some wild edibles too.by Rebecca Heller-Steinberg ............................ 11

WHY LOCAL ORGANICA Love of Farm Lifeby Phil Barbato, Biophilia Organic Farm .......... 32

DEPARTMENTS

NOFA-NY NEWS .............................................. 26Conference highlights, A Note from the Editor

NEWS FROM CERTIFICATION ...................... 28Introducing Lori Kenyon, new director of NOFA-NY Certified Organic LLC

NEWSMAGAZINE SURVEY ............................. 29

Contents

On the cover

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Food AdvocacyC

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SWhen Governor Cuomo and hiscommissioners of health and ofthe environment announced inDecember that New York Statewould ban fracking, the websitesyracuse.com ran a news story thatincluded a photo of NOFA-NY'sElizabeth Henderson addressing arally at the New York State Fair inAugust 2014. We greeted thegovernor and fairgoers alike withthe message that New York Statemust ban fracking in order topreserve our environment, climate,and rural/agricultural economy.The rally was one of many held onGovernor’s Day at the fair over theyears.The job was long and hard

for New Yorkers to convince ourgovernment to protect us and our environment from the toxicfracking industry, but our hard work has been rewarded.NOFA-NY co-sponsored manyimportant events and helped tospread the word and encourageattendance. NOFA-NY joined theirneighbors to pass local bans andstepped up and spoke out all acrossthe state. And we won a statewideban on hydrofracking. To use thewords of Dr. Alan Chartock, from acolumn in The Legislative Gazette,“I guess this all proves that whenthe stakes are high enough, thepeople will be heard. This was onefor the good guys.”In my neighborhood between

Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, thetoasting with Finger Lakes wineswent on all through the holidayseason and beyond. But so did theprotests, even in the snow andcold. Because, while we havesucceeded in keeping the toxicfracking industry from drillinghere, Cuomo and hiscommissioners still want to storemethane gas (fracked inPennsylvania) in unlined saltcaverns on the shores of SenecaLake, and they still want to dump

Keep onWinning!by Krys Cail

radioactive drill tailings in landfillsaround the state, and even spreadchemical-laced “brine” on ruralroadways. We have someunfinished business to attend to,in order to completely remove thisdirty industry from our beautifuland productive upstate New Yorkrural areas.Now that the tide has turned,

there are four more challenges weneed to work on for the good ofNew York State.Clean up. We need to take out

the dirty fracking laundry andclean up the mess. AlthoughCuomo banned fracking, New Yorkstill accepts the waste products offracking from other states. Wemust stop this.Prevent pipeline

proliferation. Many of theproposed gas lines and salt cavernstorage facilities are intended forthe purpose of moving gas fromshale gas fields in Pennsylvaniaand Ohio to gas exportcompression facilities for saleoverseas. It is not reasonable totake viable farmland for pipelinesfrom our farmers via eminentdomain, in order for shale frackingcompanies to sell extractedresources to the highest overseasbidder. There is no public benefit.And giant compressor stations andunlined salt cavern gas storageendanger entire neighborhoods

with fumes, brine spills, andpotential explosions. The threatsare not just to farmland and ruralplaces, either. The proposedCrestwood gas storage facility inWatkins Glen threatens thedrinking water supply for over100,000 people. The people of NewYork want clean energy!Promote renewable energy.

New Yorkers need to become activeleaders in the installation of clean,renewable energy generation.There is a clear understandingamong organic folk that growinggood food is not only about whatyou don’t do (use pesticides andartificial fertilizers), it is muchmore importantly about what youdo (restore and improve soil healthand provide a vital and diverseecological community on thefarm). The same can be said forgrowing a healthful energy system.Bring the conservation-and-renewables revolution to yourhome and farm!Grow organic! Let’s transition

more farms, yards, and gardens toorganic food production. Onereason so many conventionalfarmers favored allowing frackingin New York is because theartificial fertilizer that theydepend on as an expensive farminput is made from methane.When methane gas prices go down,

continued on page 12

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In October, NOFA-NY took partin a half-day intensive workshopfocused on organic brassicaproduction. Many New Yorkgrowers had seen the effects ofthree of the pests discussed—blackrot, flea beetles, and Swedemidge—during the 2014 growingseason and were eager forinformation on how to identify,prevent, and manage thesechallenges. Presenters includedBejo Seed’s Northeast ProductDevelopment Manager Jan van derHeide, Vegetable IPM Coordinatorand Cornell Extension EducatorAbby Seaman, Chris Smart of theCornell Department of PlantPathology and Plant MicrobeBiology, and Cornell Departmentof Horticulture’s ThomasBjorkman. Here are somehighlights of the advice and ideasthey shared at the workshop, alongwith some of my own experiencemanaging these pests.

Managing BrassicaDiseases and Insects

Black RotWet weather like that seen in

parts of New York in 2014 favorsdevelopment of this bacterialdisease. Black rot lesions formafter bacteria land on the leafedges at night. During cool nights,plants exude small, nutrient-richdroplets from their leaf margins,and the droplets are pulled backinto the plant when the leaveswarm up during the day. Thismoisture provides a point of entryfor black rot, which then spreadssystemically through plant veins,clogging them up (thus causing thedistinctive yellow V-shapedlesion). To prevent the spread ofblack rot, avoid walking throughwet fields in the morning, becausebrushing between plants canspread bacteria from one plant toanother. Any injury to the leaves(such as hail damage) can alsoprovide bacterial access. The best prevention for black

rot is the use of resistant varieties.On our farm, we noticed

significant variation in black rotpressure in our fall brassicaplanting—larger blocks of less-resistant varieties had more rotthan blocks of mixed-resistancevarieties. We plan to use moreintercropping of non-brassica-family crops to break up diseasepatches in the upcoming growingseason. Black rot can persist forthree years in the soil, so makesure you plan at least a four-yearcrop rotation. Copper products canprotect healthy plants, but blackrot is a systemic disease, and therearen’t any products you can useafter the infection has begun(though plants with minor blackrot symptoms can still beharvested and marketed). Bacterialdiseases such as black rot are notkilled by cold (though black rotdoes need plant tissue to surviveon), so they can be transmitted ongrowing materials and supplies.The workshop session includeddiscussion about row covers, whichmay transmit bacterial diseasefrom crop to crop. You may want to

NOFA-NY’s team of technical experts always enjoy answering questions from farmers at workshops,field days, and conferences as well as through e-mail orcalls to the NOFA-NY Technical Assistance Helpline (1-855-2-NOFA-NY).

In this edition of the Farmers’ Roundtable, OrganicFruit & Vegetable Coordinator Maryellen Sheehandiscusses three of the most widespread disease and insectpests of brassica crops in New York and how to minimizethe damage they cause.

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MARYELLEN SHEEHANNOFA-NY Organic Fruit & Vegetable Coordinator

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The Farmers’ RoundtableC

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Sconsider using new row coverseach year to avoid this risk. Or,rotate covers between cropfamilies from year to year.

Flea BeetlesThese suckers are a bane for

many a brassica grower and thenumber one issue I hear aboutfrom new growers each spring.Abby Seaman described theseinsects as particularly “recalcitrantpests in organic systems,” sincetheir two-generation-per-seasonlife cycle (with adultsoverwintering in hedgerows orfield debris) means the beetlesemerge from day one in their mostplant-damaging stage. This is theoverwintered generation thatemerges in spring, with theiroffspring, reaching adulthood andfull eating capacity between mid-June and mid-August. Seaman suggests that flea

beetle management fits into one oftwo management tacks: plantsurvival or crop aesthetics. In thecase of managing for survival(especially important with springbrassicas and overwinteredgreens), the goal is to keep yourplants healthy until they are wellestablished and can make it ontheir own. This works best for thelarger, waxy-leaved brassicas. Rowcovers can have a key place in thisstrategy, protecting transplantsuntil they size up, but covers areeffective only in a good fieldrotation system. (You need to besure that there aren’t any fleabeetles under the covers!) Somecrops may need hoops put in placeto support the covers and preventleaf-rubbing. Make sure plants staywell watered, because a wiltingplant is more attractive to fleabeetles. Some organic insecticidessuch as Entrust are effectiveagainst flea beetles, but it’s

important to apply themwith an effective stickermixed into the spray,because it’s hard for spraysto stick on the waxy leavesof brassica crops. Trapcropping might be aneffective part of a longer-term plan to slowly kill offyour farm’s flea beetlepopulation, but it is likelynot immediately effective inthe first season.For brassica greens and

larger brassica leaf cropswhere attractiveness isessential for marketabilityof the crop, row covers (orthe newer nettings) are theonly option to hold back thehordes of this difficult pest.Insect nettings have theadvantage of being coolerfor the heat-hating brassicacrops, but they are quiteexpensive. On our farm, weuse lightweight (.55

ounce/square yard) row coversthroughout the season (even in themidst of summer), removing themonly if there is a heat wave orevidence of plant heat stress (wedo have a fairly cool and breezysite). We also experience suchpersistent early-season flea beetlepressure at our place that we sprayPyganic one or two times under orthrough the row cover (when it’snot supported by hoops). Last yearwas the first time we triedspraying greens without removingthe covers (after reading an articleon this by MOFGA’s Eric Sideman).It seemed moderately effective ininstances where there was lots ofrow cover/leaf contact.

Swede MidgeBefore you think about

removing row covers from yourbrassicas at midsummer, youmight also want to scout and askneighboring growers for any signsof Swede midge in your town. TheSwede midge is a newer insect toour region. It has a wide range ofhosts and is likely present overmuch of the state, but I hope youhave not yet encountered this pest.Signs of damage are distinctive:broccoli or cauliflower plants thathave not developed any flowerheads, but instead a scarredterminal point; multiheadedcabbage; and crinkly, twisted kaleor collard leaves. Swede midges areincredibly small (which makestrapping something you need a profor), have four to five overlappinggenerations per year, and canoverwinter for two years beforeemerging! If you don’t currently have a

Swede midge problem,preventative management is thekey to avoiding them, Seamanemphasized during the workshop.Cultural practices to reduce habitatinclude immediately incorporating

This young cabbage plant shows the shot holedamage caused by flea beetles.

brassica crops after harvest so thatno food source is sitting around forthe midges to take advantage of,rotating brassica crops as far awayas possible each season (preferablyupwind), and avoiding usingcrucifer cover crops.If Swede midge is already a

problem on your farm, use culturalcontrols, which include growingeither early or late brassica crops,but not both, or using very tightlywoven insect exclusion netting. We first saw Swede midge on ourfarm this summer, but we werelucky to have received a heads upfrom a farm 10 miles upwind of us2 weeks beforehand. Since wealready had row covers in place onmost of our plantings, there wasn’tan issue, but every single plant atthe ends of the rows or where thecovers blew off (our site can besuper windy) ended up with midge

damage. We found a neem-pyrethrum spray to be fairlyeffective. Abby Seamanreported good control withweekly applications of Azerafrom transplanting until headformation (6 to 8 weeks), andthis year she will be trialingreducing the number ofapplications. Swede midgestruck us as a more frustratingpest to cope with than fleabeetles, because by the time younotice you have a problem, theterminal shoots of the plantshave already been damaged.I hope this advice helps you

prepare for a season of deliciousbrassicas. And if you are seeingany new insect or diseasechallenges that you want theNOFA-NY Education Team toaddress in future columns,please let us know!

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Twisting and crinkling of leaves on this collardplant is due to feeding by Swede midges.

On the FarmC

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SOne blustery autumn day, afarming acquaintance brought abig box of produce to my house. Itwas the kind of autumn day thatmakes you question whether it willbe possible to live through anentire northeastern winter. Assoon as he set down the box ofproduce on the big kitchen butcherblock, all the folks in the housegathered to pore over it likechildren picking up candy from abroken piñata. They could not bepeeled away from the big purplebeets, bright orange and yellowcarrots, basketball-sized cabbages,and onions so fragrant they madeour bellies ache for the next meal.The box of produce was a verywelcome delivery, and the fellowwho brought it was tickled at our

Beyond Milkand Cheeseby Suzy Konecky

delight. No money was exchangedat the time because the producehad already been paid for. Therewas just oohing and aahing overthe autumn harvest, mealplanning and scheming, andcomforting smells and textures.

That day stands out in my mindas one of the most importantfactors that influenced thedirection I wanted to take infarming. My agriculture educationhas spanned the academic and thepractical: I studied agriculture at

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9A week’s offerings from the Cricket Creek Farm Diversified CSA. Photo by Suzy Konecky

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Cornell University, and I spentover 2 years as a farm apprentice.As an apprentice, I worked at manyfarmers markets. I looked forwardto those weekly markets andreveled in all of the silly, quirky,sometimes awkward, sometimeschallenging, but mostly rewardinginteractions I had there. Themarket customers were alwaysgrateful for our produce, but thedynamic of selling food to peoplefelt tangibly different than theexchange of food in the absence ofmoney. When I flash back to that day,

now almost a decade ago, when thefarmer brought the box of storagecrops into our house, I alwaysassociate it with a feeling oflonging. I long to be someone whobrings a bounty of food to people,especially food that makes them asgleeful as everyone felt on thatautumn day. This longing was oneof my motivations to start a CSA,even though I grow no produce. Cricket Creek Farm is a small

dairy farm; we milk about 30 cows,sell raw milk, and make artisanalcheese. Prior to starting the CSA,we sent most of the cheese off thefarm to a farmers market, aswholesale orders, or via sales inour small on-farm store. As ourcheese production expanded, weattempted to hone in on the bestoutlets for the cheese. As part ofmy thought process, I decided tolist my marketing goals, and Iidentified six:

u income generation

u labor savings and transferability

u local distribution

u diversification

u streamlining

u predictability

The first goals, incomegeneration and labor savings, areobvious ones, but what about theothers?

Local distribution was a goalbecause it related closely to mypersonal values of ecological care,community connections, andquality of life. Local distribution offood is personally rewarding, helpsto strengthen the food system ofthe Northern Berkshire region, isless reliant on outsideinfrastructure, is simpler to handlefrom a management perspective, iseasier for quality control, andhelps to build multiple aspects ofthe business at once. Diversification means that

there are multiple investors in anygiven produce. I had observed thevulnerability of this farm withrespect to wholesale customers(i.e. investors). A single wholesaleoutlet reliably purchases largeorders of cheese for a few weeks,and then changes their menu andsuspends (or, worse, stops)purchasing. This had been atrend—new customers croppingup, old customers dropping off.But overall there were too few, andthe changes in their orders made abig impact. This made me realizethe benefit of multiple smallercustomers and fewer largercustomers. Streamlining and

predictability are critical for abusiness with a small crew and notmuch discretionary time. It helpsus in planning for the future and,similar to diversification, adds tothe stability of the business. TheCommunity Supported Agriculturemodel is the best way to worktowards these goals. I would knowexactly how much cheese would bemoving off the farm through theCSA on a given week. (Wholesalecustomers who buy from usregularly also help us to reach thisgoal.) Farmers markets have a lowlevel of predictability, as sales tendto vary greatly based on weather,vacation season, etc. Wholesalecustomers who buy once in a while

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do not help us reach this goal.This decision process is what

led me to start the dairy CSA atCricket Creek Farm, and and thesefactors likely play into manyfarmers’ analysis of marketing andsales outlets. Unlike a vegetableoperation, which has dozens andsometimes hundreds of differentitems available through the CSA,all we had was milk and a fewkinds of cheese. This is whatinspired the idea to diversify theCSA: to offer everything that ourcustomers couldn’t get throughtheir vegetable CSAs. We eventually came to offer

other kinds of dairy products(butter, buttermilk, whey), meat(ground beef, steaks, sausages),eggs, and fresh bread. Over a fewyears we went through manyiterations of price structures andspecifics of the offerings. But wealways kept the emphasis on theCSA model of pre-payment and thediversification of the variousanimal products (and bread) thatwe produce at Cricket Creek.The beauty of the CSA

resonates through so many partsof a farm and community, and thebenefits to a small business areprofound. Finding a way toincorporate those benefits into asmall dairy farm has been alearning process, but one that Iknew from the start was going tobe part of whatever food I wasproducing and distributing.

Suzy Konecky manages the creameryat Cricket Creek Farm inWilliamstown, MA—cheeseproduction, marketing, inventory, andsales. When she’s not chees-ing, shelikes to dance to ‘80s music, doceramics, spin yarn, go for runs in thewoods, and pick flowers.

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In the KitchenC

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SSometime in late winter or asspring is just beginning, I startgetting desperate for fresh greenthings. I know I’m not the onlyone; there’s often a mad dash atthe farmers market to buysprouts, spinach, and othergreens before they’re sold out. Ifyou’re not one of the early birds,or if you’re not lucky enough tohave a nearby winter farmersmarket, you might think you’reout of luck, but there are otheroptions for satiating the springgreens urge.If you have a garden, you can

start sowing hardier greens assoon as the soil can be worked inthe spring. Early sowings ofarugula, mizuna, radishes,scallions, and cilantro grow moreslowly and may not yield as muchas plantings during the maingrowing season, but they’re stillworth it. As you thin yourradishes, save the thinnings andeat the green tops. You can alsotrim greens selectively from theradish plants you leave in theground to mature. If you don’thave a garden, or if the ground istoo cold or wet to plant, trystarting herbs and greens in awindow box or planter. Someperennial herbs like an early starttoo, such as garlic chives andlovage.I’ve started going on foraging

walks in the early spring to searchfor wild greens, too. My stomach iswhat motivates me at first, butonce I’m out tromping through thewoods, I love the feeling of sun onmy skin, mud on my boots, andfresh air in my lungs after beingcooped up so much of the winter. Ihunt for anything fresh and green,but some of the best finds areyoung stinging nettles, ramps (thegreens are ready first, then thebulbs), and ostrich fernfiddleheads. If you decide to tryharvesting wild edibles and you’re

Gratify the Urge for Greensby Rebecca Heller-Steinberg

not already familiar with them, it’simperative to consult a reliableidentification guide to wild edibles(The Forager’s Harvest by SamuelThayer is a great one).While it feels great to roam in

the woods, you probably don’tneed to leave your neighborhood,or even your yard, to find tastygreens. One of the most commonweeds—dandelion—is also a verynutritious edible green, and springis the time to eat it. I prefer to eatthem raw in salads. When I wasgrowing up, my mom would chopdandelion leaves into small pieces,mix them with some mild greens,then top the mixture withquartered hard-boiled eggs,homemade croutons, maybe somegoat cheese, good olive oil,balsamic vinegar, and salt.Dandelions taste very bitter laterin the season, but in spring they’reonly mildly bitter. That flavorquality is just what your bodyneeds—dandelion and otherplants with bitter flavors can helpto stimulate digestive enzymes andimprove digestion. Especially afterall the heavy foods of winter, bitterflavors can be good for us. They’realso reputed to help regulateappetite, keep blood sugar stable,

and improve liver function (a goodresource for learning more aboutbitter plants is The Wild MedicineSolution by Guido Masé).Other edible spring weeds you

might find include sorrel,wintercress, and violets. Whilesorrel and wintercress can have abite, heart-shaped violet leaves arenutritious but not particularlyflavorful. I like mixing milderflavors with sharper ones toachieve just the right balance. Lotsof these flavors are delicious insoups and pesto—last year I madea creamy nettle and radish topsoup, as well as a spring pesto froma mixture of ramp leaves andbulbs, radish greens, lovage, violetleaves, garlic chives, and nettles. Ifreeze the pesto and enjoy itthroughout the year on pizza, ineggs, and on sandwiches.I thought I was an adventurous

eater, but the book Wild Flavors:One Chef ’s Transformative YearCooking from Eva’s Farm by DidiEmmons showed me there’s alwaysnew territory to explore. The bookis organized by season, and in thespring I consult my copy to nudgemyself to explore some new foods,including spruce shoots and youngJapanese knotweed (used similarly

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In the Kitchen

to rhubarb). Chew a raw spruce shoot for anintense tart flavor or make it into a compoteand use it on roasted meat.So enjoy those farmers market greens when

you can get them, but don’t worry if there’snot enough to go around. Fresh greens arewithin your reach. Happy hunting, and goodeating!

Rebecca Heller-Steinberg gardens, forages, eats,plays word games, knits, and does Acroyoga inBinghamton. She also works for NOFA-NYCertified Organic, LLC. You can reach her atrhellersteinberg@gmail.com.

so also do artificial fertilizer costs. But,fossil fuel-based farming is surely notsustainable. Just as we must continue tolead our communities by example in theacceptance of solar, wind, geothermal, andconservation measures to protect ourenvironment and climate, we must alsocontinue to lead in the area of best practicesfor farming and gardening. Clean food, cleanenergy, healthy environment, healthyclimate: we can address them all byspreading the practice of organic growing.

Krys Cail is an agricultural developmentconsultant and is an active member on NOFA-NY’s Policy Committee.

Keep on Winning!continued from page 5

Firefly Farm is a farmer’s farm.Two people working a modest acre and

a half, producing an incredible abundanceof vegetables that supply some of the bestrestaurants in the Rochester area. And thesoil. Folks who know Firefly Farm alwaystalk about how unbelievably beautiful thesoil is.“It wasn’t always this way,” says farmer

Sharon Nagle. “It’s a heavy clay. Previouslyused for pasture and hay, not vegetables.”But Sharon and her husband, JohnCaraluzzo, have spent close to twentyyears working that soil. Because all they’veever wanted to do is produce good food.With a smile, Sharon recalls a day when

John was out running the tractor,carefully tending and amending the soil.Bringing it closer to what they want it tobe. A young woman working on the farmwas in the field with them. She took onelook at the soil and scooped it into herhands, pressed it to her face. “Oh myGod! This is the most beautiful soil I have everseen!” The young woman was beside herself with joy.“Just bury me in this!”Out of context, this might seem a bit creepy. But

the excitement was entirely Wendell Berry, not WesCraven. And this seems to be what happens toeveryone once they visit Firefly Farm and spendtime with Sharon and John. Excitement takes hold;people feel fired up. Just like Sharon.“I love growing root vegetables,” she says.

“They’re little mysteries. You get to know the tops,you get to know the leaves. But then you pull themout of the ground, and every time, it’s a surprise.Like opening little gifts.” (Now I want to grow rootvegetables too.)

Farming for the Love of Itby Matt Kelly

Sharon Nagle holds plastic buckets full of freshly clipped field greens fromher growing beds at Firefly Farm. Photo by Kate Melton

Starting OutSharon and John found this plot of earth when

they moved to the Finger Lakes in the late eighties.They had come here to attend a conference anddecided to stay when John got a teaching position atFinger Lakes Community College. “It’s just where welanded,” she says.They both have backgrounds in producing their

own food and feeding others. Earlier in the eighties,the two met at Ramapo College in New Jersey in—appropriately enough—the community garden.They were counting peppers together when Johnoffered Sharon one to eat. A hot pepper. “I don’tthink she appreciated it at the time,” John says,slyly. “But I did get her to remember me.”

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Which is good, because together Sharon and Johnform the sort of dream team that is essential tomaking a small farm—a microfarm—successful.They complement each other in skills and demeanor,but they share a common vision for making theirslice of earth as productive as it can be. Sharonhandles the field work and focuses on sales. Johndoes the tractor work, tinkers, makes things go.The farm has always been a cottage industry for

Sharon and John; John’s teaching is the significantsource of income. They’ve never worked to make thefarm big or flashy or popular. No website, noFacebook. They’ve just worked to grow good food ata scale that makes sense to them.“You can go at microfarming in a couple of ways,”

says Sharon. “You can pick a few crops and sell tomany places. Or you can grow a diverse range ofvegetables and sell to a few places.”

When she started growing for more than just thefamily, Sharon had a sense that diversity was herthing. Three-season planting, plot rotation,sometimes replanting a bed three times: FrenchBreakfast radishes in the spring, Swiss chard in thesummer, and arugula in the fall. This was good forthe soil, great for the scale they wanted to work at,and excellent for sales.

“To be successful, you have to know your market,”says Sharon. “Pay attention before you jump in andfigure out how to fill in the gaps.” But Sharon alsogrows varieties she’s really interested in. “Then Ipitch it,” she says. “This is how I got chefs interestedin Hakurei turnips.”Of course, this makes it sound like there was

always a grand plan for Firefly Farm. Which therewasn’t. In the late nineties, when the CanandaiguaFarmers Market was being brought back to life,someone approached Sharon about becoming avendor. Just because she had a garden. Her kidswere grown, and her daughter was old enough tohelp out. So Sharon agreed.

Making ConnectionsThen one day, after Sharon had harvested all her

vegetables in the morning and hauled them to themarket booth, a big storm threatened. Market wascancelled, and she stood to lose the sale of alleverything she’d harvested. Sharon started callingaround, looking for options. A friend told her theremight be a chef who would be interested in herproduce. A guy named Dan Martello, who iscurrently head chef and an owner at both Good Luckand Cure restaurants in Rochester. But at the time,he was the head chef at the New York Wine andCulinary Center in Canandaigua. And he was on thelookout for locally produced food.As Sharon tells it, she packed up a little basket of

her best vegetables and brought them to Dan, whohad agreed to meet on short notice. “I think he wasimpressed with what I brought,” Sharon says.As Dan tells it, it wasn’t what was in Sharon’s

basket that impressed him. “It was the way shetalked about everything in the basket,” he says. “Youjust knew this is the kind of person you want towork with.”The chance meeting was the beginning of a

relationship that has lasted for nearly fifteen years.Sharon and Dan meet every winter to plan thecoming year of collaboration. Sharon brings her seedcatalogs, Dan brings his menu plans. They talk aboutthe previous season, what worked and what didn’t.They dream big.

Staying CommittedAt the farm’s peak, Sharon was selling produce to

seven different restaurants in the Finger Lakesregion, as well as to customers at the Canandaiguamarket. Now that the children are out of the house,Sharon and John have scaled back to just fourrestaurants, and they no longer take produce tomarket. It‘s what makes sense for them. But Sharon

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Sharon Nagle confers with Chef Dan Martello as shepacks an order of produce for him. Photo by KateMelton

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continues to work with Dan.“How many chefs make the time to meet with a

farmer, to source things locally? Who brings all theirchefs to the farm for regular field trips?” she says.“Who does that?”Then Dan tells his own story. Of the time he had

the honor of cooking at the James Beard House inNew York City. He wanted to feature Sharon’sgreens. The two went back and forth about how toget the freshest greens down to the event. Finally,Sharon made the decision: she would harvest thegreens the morning of the dinner and drive the sixhours to deliver them just in time to go on the plate.“Who does that?” says Dan.“You have to love what you do,” says Sharon. And

this is the secret to Firefly Farm. It’s what Sharonand John add a little bit more of every year, to maketheir soil so beautiful you want to be buried in it.Amendments better described by poetry than byreports or charts.Commitment. Love. Passion. It’s amazing what

will grow from just a little bit.

Matt Kelly is a writer living in the Finger Lakes, slowlyturning his home into a self-sufficient, food-independent,backwoods place of his own. He currently works withFruition Seeds in Naples and Small World Food inRochester. Matt writes regularly at BoonieAdjacent.com.

The washing shed at Firefly Farm serves dual duty. Here, Sharon washes field greens next to a table where seedlings forfall crops are awaiting planting. Photo by Kate Melton

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Food Hub Helps FarmersReach Marketsby Richard Giles

Lucky Dog Local Food Hub started operationnaturally, almost accidentally. For many years, acrew from Lucky Dog Farm in Hamden has driven toNew York City to sell our NOFA-NY CertifiedOrganic vegetables at two Greenmarkets. We makethe three-and-a-half hour run from our farm in theWestern Catskills in a refrigerated truck, andoccasionally one of our neighbors would ask us todeliver a few split pigs or a couple wheels of cheeseto a customer of theirs in the city. We also sell someof our own crop wholesale to NYC restaurants, andchefs would often ask me what other good local foodI might be able to bring them. “What else do youhave that’s special?” they’d say. We have a lot that is special. Delaware County is a

landscape of mountains and small farms, mostlydairies, but increasingly diversifying into value-added dairy, vegetables, meat animals, and poultry.It is a county of careful farmers. And almost thewhole county is contained in the watershed of thetwo immense New York City water-supplyreservoirs. There are real incentives to keep thatwater clean. Farming well is a good way to do that.And sharing transportation is an essential part of

farming well onthese small farms.That’s why westarted the foodhub, to turn theinformal sharinginto an organized,reliable network,

one with potential for growth and innovation.A growing network. Still, I’ve been surprised at

how quickly our hub network has fallen together. I shouldn’t have been. One of the farms that shipson the Lucky Dog Local Hub has been operated forseven generations by the same family. Several othersare farmed by farmers with only a few years’experience. But because each of us is working tobuild his or her own small farm (and providing achunk of the labor for that farm), we are quick tonotice community that can help to lighten the load,to broaden our markets, and to cut us loose toreturn to our farming tasks. Each of the farms in ourhub community has reached a point whereincreasing production is needed to meet demand.Farm production growth is a topic for a separatediscussion, but this fact makes me very happy, thispotential we have to feed so many more people fromthese narrow valleys and small meadows.Another surprise to me is the continuing hunger

in our city markets for what we grow—not justcontinuing, but growing demand for the best local

MakingConnectionsAt NOFA-NY, we know that the movement for

sustainable, local, organic food and farming is growingand thriving. We see the evidence at all of our educationalevents, especially our Winter Conference, which recentlymarked its thirty-third year of providing a wealth ofinformation, inspiration, and new connections forfarmers, consumers, gardeners, and businesses (for moreabout the conference, see page 26). All around New York,other organizations, agencies, and individuals are

working to create marketing, training, and educationalopportunities for farmers.

Here we’ll take a look at a well-established farm hubthat helps farmers share transportation to get theirproducts to market, a new shared-used kitchen whereentrepreneurs can work to develop value-added products,and a farm hub still in development that will offer a widerange of educational and training opportunities.

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food. Our hub farm sales are mostly to chefs. That’sa hungry bunch. They know good food and theyknow—also surprising to me—that they’ll have topay a bit more for the best local goods. We’ve madethese chef connections one at a time, face to face.We’ve shared our lists. And we’ve taken farmer tripsto the city to tell what we have and to ask what theywant. We’ve been fortunate to receive grant fundingfor some of this development. Strangely enough,good restaurants often feel that they areunderserved by larger local distributors, whosometimes can’t afford to make small-volume stops.New partners. We’re fortunate to have found

good partners to work with. I began by making allthe deliveries myself, driving into the city at nightand dropping bushel boxes into basement kitchenhatches, carrying dripping lettuce boxes throughdining rooms where a few straggler customers werelingering, sometimes stacking an order on the barwhere the kitchen staff had gathered to close thenight and have a drink. I still do as much of this as Ican. It’s how I stay in touch. But the night is only solong. So now some kitchens send staff to my marketbooths to pick up their wholesale orders. And manyof our deliveries are made by a last-mile deliveryservice called The Fresh Connection. The FreshConnection crew picks up orders from my truck,aggregates them with other deliveries they havegoing to the same venues, and makes the final drop.

Their service is a sort of mirror image of our hubcommunity in the Catskills. All the wheels turn, andthe good food goes to town.

Richard Giles is the owner, manager, and director ofLucky Dog Organic Farm. To view an ongoing photobook project featuring Lucky Dog Organic Farm, go totinyurl.com/luckydogfarmbook.

From Kitchens to Marketsby Maria Grimaldi

Are you a farmer who would like to branch outinto selling a packaged food product or two at yourfarmers market stand? Or a creative cook with agreat recipe you’d like to develop as a small businessventure? Or, do you operate a food pantry and facechallenges because of the dearth of fresh, nutritiousfood available for distribution? Kitchen incubatorsmake it financially possible for start-up foodmanufacturers and community organizations to takeadvantage of available professional kitchen spacewhile they work together to develop businesses andfood security. Most start-up food enterprises beginin a home kitchen. Once the final recipe is ready forthe marketplace, though, business owners mustmanufacture their products from a professional,inspected kitchen.Assisting aspiring entrepreneurs. This is

where shared-use kitchens such as the EaT

(Entrepreneurial & Teaching) Kitchen at CornellCooperative Extension (CCE) Sullivan County inLiberty (Catskill/Hudson Valley region) enters toassist aspiring food entrepreneurs. Foodentrepreneurs become “legal” by working in aprofessional space that can be inspected byinsurance companies and the NY State Departmentof Agriculture and Markets.Teaching, research, and extension programs are

integrated at the CCE Sullivan and the EaT Kitchenin Liberty to support food manufacturing andbusiness development centered on food programs.Partnering with the college at SUNY Sullivan, theseincubator programs help aspiring foodentrepreneurs negotiate the steps to developing acommercial product and help in developing the skillsto launch a specialty food business.The EaT Kitchen provides professional steam-

injection ovens, refrigerators, freezers, mixers, foodprocessors, work tables, and commercial vacuumpackaging equipment. In addition, by working withthe New York Small Scale Food Processors

On a summer morning at Lucky Dog Organic farm, Ashley Joslinpacks freshly harvested produce into crates. After being cooled,the produce will be loaded onto a truck for transport to citymarkets. Photo by Dana Matthews.

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Association (NYSSFPA) of New York and theNortheast Food Venture Center at CornellUniversity in Geneva, educators can assist farmers,chefs, and other food entrepreneurs in the correctprocessing and packaging of value-added food andoffer tips on marketing as well.Several classes on business development and food

preservation were offered last summer to farmersand food entrepreneurs like Cheyenne Zigmund ofRoot ‘N Roost Farm in White Sulphur Springs. Root‘N Roost recently added jams and jellies to its CSAdistribution, farmers market, and farm standoperation. Cheyenne is exploring the production ofpickles and other products, which will require theuse of the EaT Kitchen and technical assistance fromthe Cornell Food Venture Center for futureproduction.Kai Brothers and Jen McGlashen of Channery

Hill Farm in Callicoon Center have beenexperimenting in their home kitchen with producingbottled condiments such as specialty mustards andketchups. This year they will apply for a 20-C foodprocessors license, which will require that they aretrained in developing a “scheduled process” that willbring their products in compliance with FDA andUSDA standards for resale in retail food stores.This year Channery Hill is planning to send

recipes to the Northeast Center for FoodEntrepreneurship at the New York State FoodVenture Center in Geneva to undergo the necessaryscheduled process, which assures the product willhave a safe, shelf-stable life in retail stores thatmeets FDA standards. Food kits for food pantries. Last summer

Anna Dawson from the NYSSFPA and owner ofHometown Foods LLC in Kinderhook came to theEaT Kitchen to explain an idea she has been“incubating” for years. Her idea was linked with myobservations at the Sullivan County Federation forthe Homeless. During food distribution day, Irealized that a good portion of fresh produceintended for distribution was being thrown out.There was more fresh produce on hand than couldbe distributed during one day, and a lack of aprocessing facility for the excess produce tweakedmy imagination for a possible project for the CornellEaT Kitchen. Dawson came to the Federation with agreat program concept of vacuum-packing freshvegetables, freezing them, and creating food kits fordistribution through food pantries. Later CCE andthe Federation were inspired by Dawson’spresentation. The Federation for the Homeless andCornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan Countyare planning training sessions in the EaT Kitchen in

In the EaT Kitchen, Katherine Humphreys of Cornell Universityexplains food dehydration techniques to Nicole Slevin of CCESullivan County. Photo courtesy of Sullivan County CCE

the production of vacuum-packed and frozen mealkits. Volunteers and staff from the Federation forthe Homeless will learn the techniques in the EaTKitchen and plan to startup their own production inthe Federation’s kitchen by 2016.

Maria Grimaldi is Cornell Cooperative Extension SullivanCounty Special Projects Coordinator, Board co-chair ofthe SSFPA, and a longtime member of NOFA-NY.

A New Learning Hub forNY Farmersby Anu Rangarajan, Director, Hudson Valley FarmHub (HVHF) and Jean-Paul Courtens, AssociateDirector, Farmer Training, HVHF

In December of 2013, the Local EconomiesProject of the New World Foundation (LEP)facilitated the purchase of Gill Farms in Hurley witha far-reaching vision: to create a regional centerdedicated to resilient agriculture and to building avibrant food system in the Hudson Valley. This newcenter, the Hudson Valley Farm Hub, has beenestablished to serve as a resource for farmereducation, demonstration, and research on over athousand acres of uncommonly fertile land that hasan agricultural history reaching back hundreds ofyears. The Farm Hub also operates a farm stand onRoute 209 that is open to the public from Maythrough October.

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Programs are currently under development, andwill include professional farmer training andcontinuing education, crop research, anddemonstration of innovative farming techniques.Programs will target farmers who wish to acquirenew skills and information they need to besuccessful growers, land stewards, business people,relationship builders, and life-long learners.Professional farmer training program. The

Farm Hub approach will combine classroom, science-based education with practical on-the-job training invegetable and grains production. The corecurriculum is currently in the development stageand will likely include resilient growing methods,soil and water management, climate adaptationstrategies, effective communication, marketing, andbusiness development.A unique aspect of the Farm Hub is its capacity to

provide learning opportunities around mid-size,wholesale-ready farming. Our research tells us thatmeeting the growing consumer demand for localfood will require more Hudson Valley farmers whohave the capacity to sell to wholesale andinstitutional clients. Because mid-sized farms arekey to a robust regional food system, this intensiveprogram is being developed with a degree ofemphasis on farming at that scale. Continuing farmer education. Farming as a

livelihood demands ongoing adaptability tochanging conditions: volatile weather patterns, cropdiseases and pests, fluctuating finances, and shiftingmarket demand. At the Farm Hub, we are

collaboratingwith researchersand educatorsfrom partnerorganizationsincluding CornellUniversity,CornellCooperativeExtension, andothers to explore

innovative growing methods and infrastructure withwhich farmers can meet the challenges of a globaleconomy and changing climate. Demonstrations,gatherings, field days, and project summaries will bejust a few of the ways we hope to invite HudsonValley farmers to benefit from the work happeningat the Hub in the years to come. We welcome abroad-based community of farmers to learnwith us.In this way, we aspire to create a true “hub” for thesharing of information and knowledge.Farm employee training.We have put together

a terrific core staff at the Farm Hub, all of whomattended NOFA-NY’s winter conference. With thestart of the new year, we initiated a staff trainingprogram designed to be both well-rounded andinclusive — office staff, managers, mechanics, andfield staff come together to learn in all aspects offarm operations. Safety and emergency training,shop evaluation, tractor operating and minorrepairs, greenhouse work, and field skills are all partof the curriculum. Because communication is

Working in the field at the Hudson Valley Farm Hub in Hurley. Photo courtesy of Local Economies Project

integral to a positive work environment, ourapproach emphasizes the energetic sharing of ideasand expertise amongst coworkers. Creating long-term change in the local food

system is truly an ambitious task that will require acomprehensive approach, and it can’t be done by oneorganization alone or by strengthening just one linkin the chain. We’re fortunate to be part of the LocalEconomies Project and joined in our efforts by somany dedicated farmers, educators, andorganizations working in the Hudson Valley.Together we can support the deep and continuallearning process that is more critical than ever to thesustainability of a truly resilient farmingcommunity.

The Farm Hub’s mission is to: Provide training for newand established farmers in resilient agriculture; supportresearch and demonstration of new technologies andpractices that promote resiliency; assist farmers as theyestablish and grow their enterprises; conduct appliedresearch, with field studies tailored to area growingconditions; and serve as an educational resource foradvances in local food and farming in the Hudson Valley.

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Living andLearning inOaxacaby Leah Penniman and Jonah Vitale-Wolff

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We are falling in love all over again with the earthand the people of the earth. It’s a fierce andempirical love, a nourishing longing, an anchor line,a web of moral responsibility, and a desperate,beautiful opening.We spent our first week in San Cristóbal, Chiapas,

attending the Festival Mundial de las Resistencias yRebeldías contra el Capitalismo, put on by theZapatistas and the Congreso Nacional Indígena orNational Indigenous Congress (CNI). Our first day inattendance was held in Oventik, an hour’s ride intothe misty mountains outside of San Cristóbal.Oventik is an autonomous indigenous communitythat operates independent of the Mexicangovernment. We had tender and beautifulconversations with the farmers there. Most speakindigenous languages primarily, and so we shared atentativeness with Spanish that made mutualunderstanding much easier. We found that weshared a common understanding that the earth is

sacred and specifically that “maize has a heart andsoul.”The remainder of our time at the conference was

spent at CIDECI UniTierra—University of theEarth—an impressive campus with naturalbuildings, greenhouses, and steeply terraceddemonstration gardens. It was the first time we wereable to take off our shoes and connect our feet withsoil. The conference coordinators reported thatthere were over 4,000 people registered from 49countries, all in the struggle for sustainability andjustice. The guests of honor were the parents andsiblings of the 43 disappeared Ayotzinapa studentsfrom Iguala. Their disappearance and murders werenot apolitical, rather a targeted crime againstindigenous sovereignty. As the parents prepared toleave, the thousands of attendees stood and countedin unison from 1 to 43, fists raised, and thenchanted, “You are not alone! The struggle lives!”Incredibly powerful and heartbreaking. It was the

It is an uncommon and precious thing for a farmingfamily to be able to leave behind the beloved duties thatcome with life on the land in order to travel abroad. It iswith gratitude to our Hebrew ancestors for the concept ofShmita, the agricultural Sabbath, and to the Fulbrightprogram for the gift of a teaching and research fellowship,that we are able to spend these five months in Oaxaca,Mexico and Leogane, Haiti learning about traditionalfarming practices. As part of the Fulbright, Leah iswriting a curriculum on the relevance of indigenous

farming methods to a sustainable global food system andoffering university classes on the theme. As a farmingfamily, we are engaged in exchanging agricultural bestpractices with other campesinos, so as to improve oursystems at Soul Fire Farm in Grafton and share ideas withlarger organic farming community. What follows here isexcerpts from the blog we are keeping during our travels,which can be read in its entirety at Soul Fire's website,soulfirefarm.com/category/newsletter/.

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popped (palomera), as fungus (huitlacoche), andmany other ways we are yet to discover. As wediscover maize, we discover the heart and soul ofthis land. We were blessed to be able to visit Teotitlán del

Valle and connect with the Vida Nueva weavingcooperative. This powerful group of women createintricate weavings using wool and all-natural plantdyes and have achieved economic self-sufficiencyand community respect, despite strong initialresistance to female entrepreneurship. We talkedwith Pastora, who explained that the cooperativealso uses its resources to coordinate a communityproject each year, from reforestation to compostingtoilets. When we asked whether she could teach ourdaughter Neshima how to weave, she explained thatthe community has guidelines that only childrenborn into the pueblo learn the art. This is how theypreserve their tradition, which extends back to pre-Hispanic generations.

Meeting Farmers and ActivistsNorthwest of Oaxaca City lies the lush pueblo of

San Agustín Etla. We did not fully appreciate howdry the land is around Oaxaca until we experiencedthe contrast of flowing streams and turgid greenery.In Etla we explored the hillside gardens of elderDoña Maria, who was teaching a workshop on

birthday of one of the children who is missing, andthe father broke down in tears along with all the restof us.

In Oaxaca CityWe then moved “home” to our modest casita in

Oaxaca City. Here, Jonah has been reverentlycapturing the murals and street art which speak tothe struggles for political freedom of the people ofthis land. The public school teachers and those insolidarity have taken to creating much of this art.They are currently on strike and have set up anencampment in Oaxaca’s central square, protestinggovernment involvement in the disappearance ofthe Ayotzinapa students and the generally corruptpolicies undermining education and equity. Thisencampment might resemble that of an Occupycamp, until you read further into it and realize thatthese teachers are part of a 20-year history ofresistance manifested in these protests and strikes.The markets themselves are resistance art, from thefarmers with myriad varieties of peppers and beansfrom their land to the women’s textile cooperatives,to the detail with which food is prepared. We did notrealize how many ways there are to eat sacred maize:fried (tostado); heated on a comal, or griddle(memela); as a drink (champurrado and pozol),boiled (tamale), in soup (esquite), on the cob (elote),

Leah learns about the Zapotec systems of planting by the lunar cycle from a community elder. Photo by Jonah Vitale-Wolff

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met, and also the most committed.” We attended hisseminar at UniTierra debriefing the Festival de lasResistencias. UniTierra has projects all over thecentral valley of Oaxaca related to sustainableagriculture and community autonomy. We offered tohelp with those initiatives as well. If all of our offersare accepted, we may get busy.Leah took a solo trip to Zimatlán District,

rumored to be some of the most productiveagricultural land in the Valley. From the taxi driver,Leah came to understand how migration to theUnited States to work on large farms is an almostuniversal rite of passage for young Mexican men.The driver said that, as a teen, he worked on anorganic lettuce farm in California for three years.The farm boss promised him an education, but neverdelivered. The migration of young folks across theborder and to the cities is resulting in pueblosfantasmas (ghost towns) where it is difficult tomaintain agricultural self-sufficiency andcultural/social institutions. (More reason to beskeptical that the organic label relates in any way totrue justice.) In Zimatlán, Leah met a farmer on thepath who asked for her story. When she shared thatshe is also a farmer, interested in an exchange ofideas, he began a rough inspection of her hands andarms. Seeing them sufficiently strong and calloused,he declared her story true and told her about theagricultural methods of the region. Leah is also building a friendship with Mexico’s

growing oyster mushrooms. There we met ourkindred farming nerds, Lupe and Fredy, who invitedus down to their microfarm. We spent a couple ofhours discussing their intercropping of tomatoesand garbanzo, best methods for increasing soilmicronutrients, and long-term greenhousemanagement. Deliciously geeky! They are teaching aworkshop on biointensive farming next month.Leah's hands were aching with the desire to hold ashovel, and she offered to help dig the beds.We also connected with fellow activists in our age

group—Kiado, Aerin, and Yeyo. Kiado is a Zapotecindigenous man who has written beautiful articlesabout the inseparability of maize and his people inmaterial and spiritual terms. He divides his timebetween his family’s cooperative coffee farm inSierra Norte and his government job in Oaxaca City.Aerin and Yeyo have their hands in just about everyproject related to justice and sustainability in theregion. They narrated a long list of contacts to usover ice cream and then invited us to a super-funcollage night where we created bowls and mobilesout of paper. We marvelled at the myriad ways theyuse reclaimed materials. They gifted us some nativeseeds of maize, beans, and amaranth that we areexcited to cultivate back on the farm. We are now building a relationship with Gustavo

Esteva at Universidad de la Tierra. This powerfulelder is, to quote the director of Leah’s departmentat the university, “the most radical man I have ever

The town of Yaviche in Sierra Norte is carved into the hillside. The single central road is flanked on one side with cafetal(coffee plantation) and the other with huertas (home gardens). Photo by Jonah Vitale-Wolff

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top researcher on agrobiodiversity, Dr. JoseLuis Chavez Servia, a sweet and humble manwith a deep reverence for the material andspiritual aspects of traditional farming. Heexplains that every farmer has his ownuniquely adapted variety of maize, beans,squash, etc. and that each is “the best” forthe particular microniche. Further, that truewealth is defined by the health of the harvestrather than the cash economy. “If you havemaize and beans, what else is there?’

Visiting Mountain CommunitiesDespite all of these beautiful connections,

we yearned to get out of the Valley and intothe more remote agricultural communities. Ittook a few weeks of cold calls and small talkover coffee to build relationships with thepeople here who have their hands on the landand the hearts and minds in the movementfor food sovereignty—and at last, we are sograteful to be welcomed in. The mostdelicious connections in the past weeks werein the rural mountain community of Yavichein the Rincon region of the Sierra Juarez. Wewere invited as guest facilitators andevaluators by Escuela para el Bien Comun(EBC), a community organizing trainingprogram for indigenous leaders from ruraltowns across the state. The five-hour journey fromOaxaca on windy one-lane roads etched into themountainside was made memorable not only by theenveloping cloud forests and cascading water, but bythe thoughtful conversations with one of EBC’strainers, Jutta, who has retained humility and alearner’s mind even after decades of organizing withsome of the world’s most notable social movements.Our host Valdu (Oswaldo), has lived his entire life

in Yaviche. Now university educated, Valdu hasreturned to his community, dedicated to integratingmodern and traditional farming practices inculturally appropriate ways, ultimately ensuring hispeople’s survival. With his three-year-old daughterhanging onto his leg, he spoke passionately aboutthe need to learn the Zapotec language tounderstand where his people come from and thesubtle difference in the villages. He created a radiostation that transmits to 30 pueblos in the Rinconregion and organized a grassroots cell phone servicein the face of government ridicule that “Indianscould never accomplish that.” The hope in his eyeswas tangible and infectious.On the final morning in Yaviche, we were invited

to lead a dinamico to energize the group of nascent

community organizers. Leah offered a singing gamefrom Ghana called “Osami na” which involvespassing stones in a circle to the rhythm of the song.It felt whole and complete to bring our love for ourAfrican ancestors to this new land in song. On the return we had a sweet family sharing

about the lessons we wanted to take home with us:an inspiration to produce more of our soil fertilityand our own seed; an assuredness that living close toothers and also on the land makes sense; anawareness of the biogeological similarities betweenupstate New York and Rincon; a reaffirmation thatWestern ideology de tener (to have) and the Originalideology de ser (to be) are out of balance in ourAmerican lives in a way that is, ultimately,unsustainable; and a desire to for more convivencia—existing together in mutual support.

Leah and Jonah farm at Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, aCertified Naturally Grown and NOFA-NY Farmer'sPledge family farm, community resource, and vessel foreducation.

Holding handfuls of frijol seeds (beans) during processing in a communityin Yaviche. Photo by Jonah Vitale-Wolff

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NOFA-NY News

her contributions to the organic farmingcommunity. Posthumous Golden Carrots were alsoawarded to the late Steve Porter and Jack Porter ofPorter Farms in Elba.

Inspiring Keynote SpeakersThe legendary Wes Jackson, president and

founder of The Land Institute, was the keynotespeaker on Friday. Wes discussed how theconverging forces of climate change, food insecurity,and health are demanding that we rethink ourapproach to farming. His keynote was a fascinatingreview of the science of annual and perennial plantgrowth and preliminary results of early trials ofperennial grains and field crops, along with excellentdoses of humor. Wes discussed how genetics andplant breeding, ecology, evolutionary biology, soilscience, plant pathology, and modern computationalpower are now being combined at The LandInstitute and elsewhere to meet the goal of solvingthe 10,000-year-old problem of agriculturaldegradation of the land base. A paradigm shift isnow in the cards, making it possible to imagine theend of annual grain production, soil erosion, fossilfuel dependency, and chemical contamination ofland and water.Perennial grains alone represent new “hardware,”

but when these grains are grown in mixtures,ecology and evolutionary biology can enter themanagement of grain production in a major way forthe first time. The global distribution of germplasmdeveloped by Land Institute scientists is now beinggrown by their colleagues in Asia, Africa, Australia,Latin America, and Europe, as well as NorthAmerica. We can begin to imagine an agriculturebased on the principles of nature’s ecosystems.Wes Jackson is famous for saying “If your life’s

Thinking Big at the NOFA-NY Conferenceby Brittany Mendez, Education Team Assistant, and Anne Ruflin, Executive Director

Hotel rooms at the Saratoga Hilton were bookedsolid for our thirty-third annual Winter Conferencefrom January 23 through 25 in Saratoga Springs.The hotel bustled with nearly eleven hundredgrowers, educators, students, researchers,entrepreneurs, and others interested in increasingand sharing their knowledge of organic andsustainable food systems.The conference began with a preconference Field

Day, farm tour, and lunch at Pleasant Valley farm inArgyle. Paul and Sandy Arnold hosted an energetictour group through their unheated high tunnels,demonstrating their methods of cultivating andharvesting greens for market during winter.The main event spanned three days and included

more than eighty workshops in the tracks of Dairyand Grazing, Livestock, Fruits, Vegetables,Beginning Farming, Urban Farming, Marketing andBusiness, Grains and Field Crops, Gardening andHomesteading, and Policy and Community.

Conference attendees admire dyed cloth during theNatural Dye Garden workshop (left). A workshoppresenter and conference volunteer assemble a modularcathedral tunnel during Saturday’s constructiondemonstration (right). All photos by John-Paul Sliva

Keynote speaker Wes Jackson encourages conference attendees toenvision a paradigm shift in agriculture during his Friday address.

Attendees learned about diverse topics includingfarm finances, milk chemistry, modular cathedraltunnel construction, the maintenance and uses of anatural dye garden, earthen construction, livestockmineral balancing, hop production, and therestoration of contaminated soil and water throughmycoremediation.June Russell, Director of Greenmarket’s Regional

Grains project received a Golden Carrot Award for

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work can be accomplished in your lifetime, you are notthinking big enough.” His life’s work is an inspirationto us all.Saturday’s keynote speeches began with NYS

Commissioner of Agriculture Richard Ball, whofondly recounted his transition from farmer tocommissioner and discussed his recent andupcoming motions to elicit change for New YorkState’s food system. Klaas and Mary-Howell Martensfrom Lakeview Organic Grain in Penn Yann followedwith their Farmer(s) of The Year award acceptancespeech. Their farming values and enthusiasm hithome with the crowd as they commented on theopportunities of today’s grain markets and the valueof technology in organic agriculture. Theyencouraged farmers to treat their employees andland as they would like to be treated and remindedus all of our ability to create real, lasting, small-scalechange.

Annual Meeting ReportAt the 2015 annual meeting of the membership

on Saturday, NOFA-NY Board President MaryroseLivingston chaired the meeting and 82 votingmembers attended, along with many guests andsupporters. During the meeting, the membershipapproved the reappointment of two board members,Karen Meara and Anu Rangarajan, to a second three-year term on the board. Five policy resolutions werediscussed and passed, including banning nanotechmaterials in organic production, encouraging fairpractices in food hubs and food procurement,supporting traditional cheese making, encouragingGMO education, and banning synthetic biology inorganic production. The membership also approvedby-laws updates in compliance with the NonprofitRevitalization Act of 2013. In other business, a special meeting of the

membership was announced for Wednesday, March4, 2015, to address an update to the quorumrequired to conduct the business of theorganization. Members were provided with proxyvote forms to complete in the event they would notbe able to attend the March meeting. At the end ofthe meeting, a drawing was held for a “do ityourself” hoop house that was donated by Johnny’sSeeds. Gordon Thompson of Binghamton was thehappy winner of the hoop house.

Making ConnectionsDuring their downtime, conference attendees had

a chance to meet with authors through booksignings by Tradd Cotter, Jean-Martin Fortier, Paula

Marcoux, Ken Mudge, and Steve Gabriel. A tradeshow of diverse vendors provided information oneverything from organic seed supply and mushroomcultivation to alternative energy solutions. TheRusset Trio and Mulberry Soul provided lively musicfor mingling and contra dancing.Mealtimes buzzed with new connections;

attendees went out of their way to sit next to newfaces and hear fresh voices speak in high spirits oftheir passion for cultivating a sustainable future.Producers found distributors and processers,researchers found inquisitive individuals, and thenext generation of farmers absorbed expertisethrough the knowledge and generosity of those whohave already been at it for years.Each NOFA-NY conference proves to be an

inspiration for everyone involved as they encounterand re-encounter the skilled, confident, and focusedcommunity that helps drive the growth ofsustainable organic agriculture in New York State.

A Note from the EditorThis is my final issue as editor of New York

Organic News. I’ve enjoyed the opportunities I’ve hadas editor to get to know the wonderful staff ofNOFA-NY and many insightful, talented, andvisionary NOFA-NY members, as well as manybusinesspeople, researchers, and activists whosework supports the organic farming and gardeningcommunity.I’m leaving this editor role to step into a new one,

as a member of the staff of Chelsea GreenPublishing. Chelsea Green’s mission to publishfoundational books on the politics and practice ofsustainable living is one I greatly admire, and I’msure many of you have Chelsea Green books in yourcollections.I’d like to thank all the writers and photographers

who have contributed their expertise and talents toNYON. In particular, the NOFA-NY staff have beenthe most faithful contributors to NYON, stepping upevery issue to supply ideas, contacts, text, andphotos. Many thanks as well to designers David Fordand Dave Lembeck, whose high standards anddesign expertise give NYON its crisp, professionalappearance and easy readability.This is not a good-bye letter! I’ll still be a

NOFA-NY member and supporter, and I lookforward to continuing to cross paths with you atNOFA-NY field days and conferences.

—Fern Marshall Bradley

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of the strictest certifiers,” Lori says, and that’sactually a good thing for New York’s organic farmers.Paying careful attention to applications andinspections helps to protect the certified farmers byensuring that they’re in compliance with NOPregulations. “Dealing with growth is our greatestopportunity,” Lori says, noting that the certificationprocess involves deadlines, and the staff has to besure the necessary inspections and paperwork arecompleted on time. “We also need to make surewe’re not bogging down the farmers with too muchdata collection.” Certification requires record-keeping for verification, and it’s important to strikethe right balance to be fair to the farmers but alsoensure that the staff receives the informationneeded to make sound decisions. In her time on the job so far, Lori says what she’s

enjoyed most is the sense of community among theorganic farming community in New York. “It’s a verypositive surprise,” she notes. “It’s wonderful to seepeople helping other people and sharing ideas.”

Introducing CertificationDirector Lori KenyonIn stepping into the role of certification director

of NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC, “I felt like I wascoming full circle,” says Lori Kenyon. Lori grew up inCooperstown, and working on her grandparents’farm in nearby Middlefield was an important part of

her life as a childand young adult.“I grew upunderstandingthe importance offarms,” Lori says.“I knew that foodcomes fromfarms. We have alarge vegetablegarden, and ourchildren grew upunderstandingthat too.”In her career,

Lori gainedsignificant

experience in the accreditation process in thehealthcare industry while working as operationsmanager for Northeast Rehab, Inc., a provider ofdurable medical equipment located in Binghamton.Overall, Lori has more than 20 years of managementexperience, including a long and successful tenurewith Dick’s Sporting Goods, where she held variousmanagement positions in purchasing anddistribution. Lori brings extensive experience insound financial responsibility, organization andemployee development, deadline management, andcustomer service all within a rapid growingenvironment. She is committed to using herexperience to advance organic agriculture in NewYork and the region.Overseeing the accreditation process required by

the National Organic Program will be a key part ofLori’s role as certification director. As part ofmaintaining accreditation, “the NOP audits ourrecords to make sure we are following their rules,”Lori explains. The NOP doesn’t have the staff orresources to actually inspect farms, and thus theNOP approves agencies such as NOFA-NY CertifiedOrganic LLC to do so.Managing the application and inspection

program is the other key component of Lori’s job.“NOFA-NY Certified Organic is known for being one

Lori Kenyon

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NOFA-NY New York Organic News SurveyAt NOFA -NY, one of our goals is to communicate news and information about organic food and farming that is valued byour members and supporters. The purpose of this survey is to understand your satisfaction with our quarterly newsletter,New York Organic News (NYON) and how we can serve you better. You may complete this survey by going online towww.surveymonkey.com/s/L65K88D, or by filling out this paper version and mailing it back to us at NOFA-NY, 1423Hathaway Drive, Farmington, NY 14425 by May 1st, 2015. Thank you for your feedback.

Please complete other side.

1. Which of the following categories best describes you?

Farmer Gardener Consumer Business owner or representative

2. How often do you read the New York Organic News magazine?

Never Rarely Sometimes Frequently Always

3. Please indicate the degree to which you agree with the statements below. Disagree Somewhat Somewhat Agree completely disagree agree completely

NYON is interesting to me.

NYON is too long.

NYON is relevant to me.

I value NYON as a NOFA- NYmembership benefit.

I don’t have time to read NYON.

I regularly receive NYON.

4. Please indicate your satisfaction with the following aspects of NYON. Neither dissatisfied Dissatisfied nor satisfied Satisfied

Content

Look and feel

Length

Frequency received

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5. About how often do you view or access NYON on line via our website, www.nofany.org?

Never Sometimes Frequently

6. If you have accessed NYON via www.nofany.org, how would you rate your experience?

Poor Fair Good Excellent

7. Please rank each part of NYON in order of its importance to you, with “1” being mostimportant and “10” being least important.

Director’s Outlook In the Kitchen

Farmers’ Roundtable NOFA-NY News

Featured Articles On the Farm

Food Advocacy Organic Bites

In the Garden Why Local Organic

8. Please indicate your primary source of information about NOFA-NY news and events.

New York Organic News magazine Facebook

Written letters Email

NOFA-NY website Other (please specify)

9. Overall, how satisfied are you with NYON?Somewhat Neither dissatisfied Somewhat

Dissatisfied Dissatisfied nor satisfied Satisfied Satisfied

NOFA-NY New York Organic News Survey

10. How can we improve NYON?

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A Love of Farm Lifeby Phil Barbato, Biophilia Organic Farm

The word biophilia, coined byauthor and biologist E. O. Wilson,means the love that humans havefor all the other forms of life. Goodname for an organic farm.My career pathway may be

different from that of otherorganic farmers. Born and raisedon a conventional mixed vegetablefarm in Smithtown, about 40 mileswest of Biophilia Organic Farm, Ialways wanted to be a farmer. Myfamily’s farm was an 80-acre child’sparadise, surrounded by nativeforest, creeks, ponds, and wildlife,as well as my immediate family ofgrandparents, uncles and aunts,and cousins. Growing up on thatfarm, I learned all the basics ofplant biology, farm equipment useand maintenance, management ofcrops and fields, planting,weeding, cultivating, irrigation,fertilizing, pesticide application,harvesting, personnelmanagement, and the ways inwhich the work followed the cycleof the seasons. I will always begrateful to my father and uncles aswell as the men I worked with inthe fields for the values theyinstilled in me. They taught me thevalue of a hard day’s work welldone. I’ve always loved being in the

natural world, working with myhands, and growing good food. Iworked on the farm throughoutmy teen years and into my earlytwenties and thought I wanted tocarry on the family tradition andbecome a full-time farmer. But myfather advised against it, sayingthat the work was too hard and thefinancial rewards too low. Herecommended that I become anengineer. I took his advice, and itworked out very well for me. Istudied engineering and receivedbachelor’s and master’s degrees inenvironmental engineering. Thenit was on to the US Air Force (as a

Starting AnewSadly, my family’s

old farm was sold inthe mid-1980s. Then,when I was in my earlyfifties, I had theopportunity topurchase thisbeautiful farm I’mworking now—Biophilia OrganicFarm, an organicallycertified mixedvegetable, fruit, herb,and tree farm. All theskills learned on myfamily’s old farm werea great starting pointfor my next careermove—becoming acertified organicfarmer. I started outpart time, and I’vebeen farming full timefor the past nineyears. I was fortunate

enough to be able toretire early from my previous jobin 2006 and devote all my energyand skill to raising my youngestdaughter and pursuing organicfarming. Our farm has become agathering place for my family andalso a location for our annualfamily reunion, in addition to aplace to grow healthy produce. Of course, when I returned to

Phil Barbato and daughter Clare love the annualBiophilia Tomato and Garlic Tasting, a major CSAevent that features 9 garlic varieties and over 40 tomato varieties along with plenty of relaxedconversation, children playing, and live music. Photo courtesy of Biophilia Organic Farm

bioenvironmental engineer), publicservice (NYS Department ofEnvironmental Conservation), andprivate industry (environmentalprotection and employee safety).There was a common thread tothese jobs—a desire to protect andpreserve the natural world and toenhance the health and welfare ofthe humans who depend on it.

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farming, Dad thought I was crazy,especially to be farming usingorganic methods. But, gradually,he came around and reveled in theorganic method and lifestyle. Hebecame my biggest supporter. Hewould come out to the farm to help(and teach) me, well into hiseighties. I will be forever gratefulfor those days we spent together.(My Dad passed almost five yearsago.)

Multiple BenefitsOrganic farming bestows so

many benefits to human health:nutrient-dense food, no chemicalresidues, no GMOs, and a way tocounteract the US obesity problem.The benefits to the environmentinclude decreasing the generationof greenhouse gases whileincreasing carbon sequestration;reducing pesticide, herbicide, andfertilizer usage; improving soilhealth; and improving waterquality. The benefits to societyinclude aiding the creation ofsustainable communities,increased crop yields in thedeveloping world, increasedresiliency to weather variations(climate change), and providing amethod to feed the world withoutthe pollution.But why did I choose organic

farming? As the saying goes,“There are many ways to bewealthy, and only one of them isprimarily money.” Like many of myorganic farming colleagues, I choseorganic farming because of a desireto be part of building a local andsustainable community. I alsowanted to pursue a lifestyle ofphysical and outdoor activity. Butperhaps the most rewarding aspectof this vocation is the contact withintelligent and caring people(neighbors, farmers, customers)who truly understand the intimateconnection between humans andthe rest of life on our fragile

At this point in my life, it feelslike I’m firing on all cylinders,using everything I’ve learned,enjoying my family and providing abeautiful space for them to gather,growing healthy food and being anintegral part of my community.Not too bad for an old farmer.

Biophilia Organic Farm in Jamesport ispart of the Farmland PreservationProgram that began in Suffolk Countyin the 1970s. The basics of theprogram are to purchase thedevelopment rights of a piece offarmland and retire them forever. Theland can be bought and sold, but itcan never be used for anything otherthan agriculture and it cannot besubdivided into smaller parcels anddeveloped.

planet.Biophilia Organic Farm markets

its produce through a CSA(community supportedagriculture) and a local farmersmarket. In this way, we maintaindirect contact with our customers.Growing a wide variety of produceis necessary under this model, butvery interesting and rewarding aswell. We also hold CSA events suchas our annual greenhouse opening,potluck lunches, and an annualtomato and garlic tasting. OurYoung Farmers program teacheschildren and grandchildren of ourCSA customers to start plants inour greenhouse, transplant intotheir own plot on our farm, tendtheir crops, and harvest them fortheir family. And our apprenticeprogram has helped severalexcellent people get a start on theirown farming careers.

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Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Inc.1423 Hathaway Drive Farmington NY 14425www.nofany.org

Photo by Alison Smith