Land Stewardship LIVE-WIRE, February 21, 2006
Hello:
This is the 32nd issue of "Land Stewardship LIVE-WIRE," the Land Stewardship Project's e-mail newsletter. We send this out periodically to provide an update on activities and information related to LSP's work. We hope you enjoy this service, and are looking for feedback. Please send your comments to Brian DeVore at bdevore@landstewardshipproject.org.
If you prefer not to receive this newsletter, please e-mail lspwbl@landstewardshipproject.org and write, "remove LIVE-WIRE" in the subject line.
IN THIS ISSUE
1) CSA Farm Directory Available March 1
2) Meet Legislative Leaders March 1
3) Citizens’ Day at the Capitol March 14
4) Local Food Forum & Expo March 10
5) Insider Tips Credit Workshop March 11 in Montevideo
6) ‘Voices’ Volunteer Training March 11
7) ‘Voices’ Showing March 14 in Saint Paul
8) Pride of the Prairie Local Food Meal March 16 in Morris
9) ‘What Will Be In The Fields Tomorrow?’ March 16 in Morris
10) Goat Workshop March 18 in SW Minn.
11) Food For Folk Dinner March 24
12) CSP Sign-up Until March 31
13) Midwest Organic Farming Conference Feb. 24-25
14) Volunteers Needed for Earth Day Wetlands Rally
15) Food & Farm Fest May 6-7
16) Check the Calendar
17) The Future of Ag Discussed on New Podcasts
18) Farmers Needed for 'Meet Your Farmer' Event
19) MISA Looking for Board Members
20) Worth Repeating
21) Worth Repeating II
22) Join LSP
1) CSA FARM DIRECTORY AVAILABLE MARCH 1
As the days get a little longer, spring must be in the offing. With spring comes fresh produce and one of the best ways to get that produce is through a share in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm. There are over two-dozen CSA farms serving the Twin Cities region alone. These farms sell "memberships," and in return farm members get a weekly delivery of fresh, organic produce
into the fall. LSP is currently working on its annual CSA directory, which should be available by March 1. In the meantime, you can view our 2005 listing of CSA farms at http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/csa.html.
2) MEET LEGISLATIVE LEADERS MARCH 1
The 2006 Minnesota Legislature goes into session Wednesday, March 1, and several issues related to the environment, local democracy and family farming are expected to be taken up by lawmakers. On the first day of the session, the Minnesota Environmental Partnership, a coalition to which LSP belongs, will give citizens an opportunity
to meet legislative leaders and educate them about the important issues that are expected to come up this session. The reception and forum will be held at the Science Museum of Minnesota in Saint Paul, beginning at 5 p.m. Tickets to this event are $20 in advance, and $25 at the door. To register, visit http://www.protectourwater.info,
or call 612-722-5355. For more on the upcoming legislative session, contact Bobby King in LSP’s Policy Program office at 612-722-6377 or bking@landstewardshipproject.org. You can also contact LSP’s Paul Sobocinski at 507-342-2323 or sobopaul@rconnect.com.
3) CITIZENS’ DAY AT THE CAPITOL MARCH 14
Speaking of the Minnesota Legislature, on Tuesday, March 14, LSP members and other citizens from across the state will converge on the Capitol to ask lawmakers to live up to their responsibility and pass “Protect Our Water,” a set of practical solutions and smart investments to protect clean water. This event will start out with a morning training session, and will be followed by
a rally at the Capitol rotunda and meetings with legislators. For more information, contact LSP’s Bobby King at 612-722-6377 or bking@landstewardshipproject.org.
4) LOCAL FOOD FORUM & EXPO MARCH 10
Signatures Restaurant in the southeast Minnesota community of Winona will be the site of a local food forum and expo on Friday, March 10. This event will bring together producers, processors and anyone who buys and eats food. The focus will be on exploring the needs and opportunities of a food system that feeds us all right here. Keynotes, panel discussions, displays and a locally-sourced lunch
will be featured. For more information, contact Caroline van Schaik in LSP's Lewiston office at 507-523-3366 or caroline@landstewardshipproject.org.
5) INSIDER TIPS CREDIT WORKSHOP MARCH 11 IN MONTEVIDEO
An “insider tips” workshop on successful farm credit will take place Saturday, March 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the western Minnesota community of Montevideo. The workshop will address aspects of record keeping, credit cards and loan applications, with a goal of better preparing farmers to manage their farming as a business and feeling confident when they enter a bank. This workshop
is a combination of hands-on learning and discussion. To register, contact Michele Skogrand in LSP’s Montevideo office at 320-269-2105 or lspwest@landstewardshipproject.org.
6) ‘VOICES' VOLUNTEER TRAINING MARCH 11
LSP is scheduling spring showings and discussions of the film “Voices of Minnesota Farm Women,” and is seeking volunteers to help lead these programs. A training for volunteers will be held Saturday, March 11, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Faith Lutheran Church in Hutchinson, Minn. For more information, contact LSP’s Dana Jackson at 651-653-0618 or danaj@landstewardshipproject.org.
7) ‘VOICES’ SHOWING MARCH 14 IN SAINT PAUL
Haven’t seen “Voices of Minnesota Farm Women” yet? You’ll have a chance Tuesday, March 14, beginning at 7 p.m., at Trotter’s Café, 232 North Cleveland Ave., Saint, Paul, Minn. Dana Jackson, Director of LSP’s Farm and City Food Connections Program, will introduce the film and lead a discussion following the showing. For details, contact Jackson at 651-653-0618
or danaj@landstewardshipproject.org.
8) PRIDE OF THE PRAIRIE LOCAL MEAL MARCH 16 IN MORRIS
The Pride of the Prairie’s eighth semi-annual local foods meal will be at the University of Minnesota-Morris on Thursday, March 16. This meal will highlight food produced in the Upper Minnesota River Valley. For more information, contact LSP’s Terry VanDerPol at 320-269-2105 or tlvdp@landstewardshipproject.org. Details on the
Pride of the Prairie local foods initiative are at http://www.prideoftheprairie.org.
9) ‘WHAT WILL BE IN THE FIELDS TOMORROW?’ MARCH 16 IN MORRIS
The March 16 Pride of the Prairie local foods meal (see item 8) will feature a special presentation of “What Will Be In The Fields Tomorrow?” This is a performance where local people will read from a script developed from over 200 hours of oral history interviews with American farmers. Following the performance, Julie Avery of Michigan State University, documentary filmmaker Cynthia
Vagnetti and LSP’s Dana Jackson will participate in a panel discussion. This program is being presented by LSP in collaboration with the VOICES Project, an initiative that is engaging farmers, agricultural educators, community leaders and consumers in conversations about farming issues and the direction of our future food and agriculture system. For details, contact Jackson at 651-653-0618
or danaj@landstewardshipproject.org.
10) GOAT WORKSHOP MARCH 18 IN SW MINN.
A meat/dairy goat production workshop will be held Saturday, March 18, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the American Legion Hall in Marshall, Minn. The cost is $20. For details, contact Amy Bacigalupo in LSP’s Montevideo office at 320-269-2105 or amyb@landstewardshipproject.org.
11) FOOD FOR FOLK DINNER MARCH 24
Teacher, activist and writer Kamyar Enshayan will speak about “Locally Grown Food Security” at the Food For Folk Project benefit salmon dinner Friday, March 24, at St. Mark’s Catholic Church, 1983 Dayton Ave., in Saint Paul, Minn. The cost is $20 in advance and $25 at the door ($5 for children under 12). All money raised will go to the Food For Folk Project, which helps get
fresh organic food to low income, working poor and homeless people. Tickets are available by calling 612-330-1624, or by stopping by Trotter’s Café at 232 North Cleveland Avenue in Saint Paul. For more on Food For Folk, see the April/May/June 2005 issue of the Land Stewardship Letter.
12) CSP SIGN-UP UNTIL MARCH 31
The 2006 sign-up for the Conservation Security Program (CSP) runs until March 31. Several Midwestern watersheds are eligible for the program this time around. For details, including fact sheets on how to sign-up and prepare for the program, click here. LSP organizer Adam Warthesen (612-722-6377 or adamw@landstewardshipproject.org)
can also help with questions you may have about CSP. By the way, Warthesen and other LSP staffers will be at the LSP booth during the Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference (see item 13) to talk about CSP and other issues.
13) MIDWEST ORGANIC FARMING CONFERENCE FEB. 24-25
LSP is helping sponsor the 17th annual Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference, Feb. 24-25, in La Crosse, Wis. Over the years, this conference has evolved into one of the nation's premier gatherings for organic agriculture. For more information, call 715-772-3153 or visit http://www.mosesorganic.org. For a little background on the history
of the conference, see page 9 of the Oct./Nov./Dec 2005 issue of the Land Stewardship Letter.
14) VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR EARTH DAY WETLANDS RALLY
The second annual “Ducks, Wetlands & Clean Water Rally” will be held on Earth Day (Saturday, April 22) at the Minnesota Capitol in Saint Paul. Like last year, LSP will have a booth at this event, which is a great opportunity to educate hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts about the need to support sustainable farming and agricultural policy reform. If you would like to volunteer
to staff the booth, contact LSP’s Bobby King at 612-722-6377 or bking@landstewardshipproject.org.
15) FOOD & FARM FEST MAY 6-7
The 2006 Community Food and Farm Festival will be the weekend of May 6-7 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. This annual event gives consumers a chance to meet farmers and learn how they produce food using sustainable methods. LSP is looking for volunteers to help staff our booth at the Festival. For more information, see http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/cfff/cfff.html.
16) CHECK THE CALENDAR
Pretty soon they’ll need to extend winter into May to make room for all the cold weather meetings. Check out the LSP calendar for the latest activities. Details on events can also be found on our Press Releases page.
17) THE FUTURE OF AG DISUCUSSED ON NEW PODCASTS
What is the future of agriculture? Sustainable farming leader Fred Kirschenmann addresses that question in two recent installments of Ear to the Ground, the Land Stewardship Project’s audio magazine podcast. For details, see http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/pr/06/newsr_060216.htm.
18) FARMERS NEEDED FOR 'MEET YOUR FARMER' EVENT
St. Martin's Table (2001 North Riverside, Minneapolis, Minn.) will be hosting a "Meet Your Farmer" open house on Saturday, April 1. This should be a great opportunity for farmers and consumers to get together and learn how they can support each other. Organizers of the event are still looking for farmers to participate. If you're interested, call Dave Anderson at 612-339-3920.
19) MISA LOOKING FOR BOARD MEMBERS
The Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA) at the University of Minnesota is seeking people who would like to serve on its board of directors. Applications or nominations for the board will be accepted until Friday, April 7. For more information, visit http://www.misa.umn.edu, or call 1-800-909-6472.
20) WORTH REPEATING
"I wanted to get out on a farm as soon as I was old enough to move out of the house." -- Farm Beginnings™ graduate Leslea Hodgson (http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/fb/profiles/hodgson.htm)
21) WORTH REPEATING II
"It seems to me that the fundamental change we need to make is we have to shift from an energy-intensive agricultural system to a knowledge-intensive system.” -- Fred Kirschenmann, speaking in Ear to the Ground No. 12 (http://landstewardshipproject.org/rss/podcast.php)
22) JOIN LSP
The work of LSP, including the LIVE-WIRE, is supported by the donations of people like you. To become a member, give a gift membership, or donate an extra gift above your membership, see http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/index-joinus.html. If you have
questions about membership, contact cathye@landstewardshipproject.org.
LSP_LIVE-WIRE is Land Stewardship Project's e-mail newsletter. To unsubscribe or to change your options or password visit: http://www.communityforum.net/mailman/listinfo/lsp_live-wire.
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