The Dirt

Many of you may already know that Spread the Harvest is the gardening and food-sharing program through which SFC provides free seeds, seedlings, and compost to low-income gardeners to empower more Central Texans to grow, eat, and share our own fresh, nutritious produce. What many folks don’t know is that this program also strives to help all gardeners share your harvest with food pantries, soup kitchens, senior centers, and other facilities that help children and adults find a meal when they are facing tough times. Because these facilities are often short on fresh produce, your home-grown fruits and vegetables are much-needed and always appreciated. As a member of Spread the Harvest, you’re welcome to collect gardening resources if you need them, or to simply join forces in the effort to share our harvest with those in need.

 

When you join Spread the Harvest, we’ll send you a packet of information that includes a list of all the food pantries in Travis County that accept donations of fresh produce, along with instructions for dropping donations off at each facility. Grow Local is trying to expand this part of Spread the Harvest, so please tell your friends to sign up, too! To learn more and download an application, click here. Let’s show that home, school, and community gardeners can make a huge difference for Central Texans in need!

 

Gardeners at the Reagan Community Garden join forces to cultivate food in their donation plot especially for the St. John’s Community Center. Reneé Lake facilitates this plot, and signed the donation plot team up for the Spread the Harvest program. Between July and December of 2011, the team donated 17 meal equivalents, or 22 lbs of food!

On February 7, Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chair of the US Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee announced a planned schedule for hearings related to the 2012 Farm Bill. On the House side, the “mark up” of the bill by Ag Committee members is set to begin soon.  Senate hearings started February 15, but there is still time to have your voice heard.  SFC has followed some of the key elements of this year’s Farm Bill that will help advance sustainability in our food system and support great access to healthy food for all.  For more on the 2012 Farm Bill, including detailed information on specific Farm Bill components and guidance on how you can get involved, click here…

 

Farm Bill Hearings Get Underway

On February 7, Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chair of the US Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee announced a planned schedule for hearings related to the 2012 Farm Bill. On the House side, the “mark up” of the bill by Ag Committee members is set to begin soon. 

 

While Texas is a major agriculture-producing state, we have no members on the Senate Agriculture committee.  The House committee includes three Texas representatives, Randy Neugebauer, K. Michael Conaway, and Henry Cuellar.  We strongly encourage individuals to contact their lawmakers and get involved in the 2012 Farm Bill.

 

SFC has followed some of the key elements of this year’s Farm Bill that will help advance sustainability in our food system and support great access to healthy food for all.  These issues are detailed below, along with additional information for contacting your lawmakers.

 

Farm Bill 2012 Issues list

1. Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act

 

2. The Local Farm, Food, and Jobs Act

 

3. Limit direct farm subsidy payments, close loopholes in the cap on other farm payments, and re-align subsidies to reward farmers for climate friendly methods

 

4. The Expanding Access to Farmers Markets Act to increase purchases of local and healthy foods through the SNAP program

 

5 Authorize both WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program and increase funding to $100 million annually and eliminating the state match requirement for both programs

 

6. Ensure that effective conservation programs remain in place, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program Organic Initiative and the Conservation Stewardship Program.

 

7. Bar federal crop insurance and disaster payments for conversion of native sod and fragile lands to cropland.

 

 

Farm Bill 2012 Issues details

1. Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act

The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2011 [H.R. 3236] highlights federal programs that help support economic opportunities for young and beginning farmers and ranchers.  The bill addresses many of the barriers that new agriculture entrepreneurs face such as limited access to land and markets, hyper land price inflation, high input costs, and a lack of sufficient support networks. Some of the specific proposals that are included in the Beginning Farmer bill are:

 

• Individual Development Accounts (IDA) and FSA Microloans
• Loans and set asides for conservation programs
• Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program
• Agricultural opportunities for military veterans

 

From: Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, http://www.ssawg.org/home/2011/10/27/beginning-farmer-bill-introduced-in-congress-for-inclusion-i.html, with additional information from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition at http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/lffja-introduced/

 

2. The Local Farm, Food, and Jobs Act

This act will improve federal farm bill programs that support local and regional farm and food systems.  The legislation will help farmers and ranchers engaged in local and regional agriculture by addressing production, aggregation, processing, marketing, and distribution needs and will also assist consumers by improving access to healthy food and direct and retail markets.  Of utmost importance, this legislation will provide more secure funding for critically important programs that support family farms, expand new farming opportunities, and invest in the local agriculture economy.

 

From: The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, http://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/lffja-introduced/

 

3. Limit direct farm subsidy payments, close loopholes in the cap on other farm payments, and re-align subsidies to reward farmers for climate friendly methods.

Unlimited subsidies are the single most wasteful and counterproductive feature of current farm policy. Enough money could be saved by these reforms to reduce the deficit and invest in the future of family farming, land conservation, and in building a bright future for our small towns.

 

The Committee should start with federal crop and revenue insurance subsidies to mega farms. They are the most expensive element of farm programs, costing $7 billion annually. If one big corporation farmed all of America, USDA would pay 60 percent of its insurance premiums on every acre for protection from low prices and crop failure. Why should the federal government pay 60% of crop insurance premiums on every acre of the largest farms and richest landowners in America in the midst of record high farm income and record federal deficits?

 

The Committee should also close loopholes in the cap on other farm payments. Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Tim Johnson (D-SD) have again introduced legislation to close those loopholes, but it is not incorporated in either the President’s proposal or any of the budget proposals introduced in Congress.

 

Many policy makers and agricultural organizations have called for eliminating the direct payments made every year when prices are high, in return for stronger protections against falling prices and failing crops. We agree. However, the protection should be aimed at family size farms. There should not be a safety net to protect against the risk of farming the whole county and driving the neighbors out of business. [bm1] 

 

From: Center for Rural Affairs, http://www.cfra.org/ and http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2715/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8383

 

4. The Expanding Access to Farmers Markets Act to increase purchases of local and healthy foods through the SNAP program

The bill amends the Food Stamp Act to include 'wireless' access, creating an automatic mandate to support farmers markets and farm stands with access to EBT technology for SNAP (formerly food stamps).   The act would provide an Amendment to the Food Stamp Act, as the term 'wireless' does not currently exist in the Act but is essential to authorize the expansion of EBT to more farmers’ markets.  The bill would also support statewide networks for the effective and efficient promotion and implementation of EBT at the community level.

 

There are already 30 FMC members signed on as organizational supporters of this ground-breaking legislation, but more are needed. Simply reply to this email to offer your organization name, city, and state so Sen. Gillibrand's staff may include your organization in a letter used to inform other legislators about the bill. Today is the last day, so don't delay! Let us know if you have any questions.

 

From: Center for Rural Affairs, http://www.cfra.org/ and http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2715/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8383; and additional information from the Food Research and Advocacy Council, http://frac.org/leg-act-center/farm-bill-2012/strengthening-snap-in-the-2012-farm-bill/

 

5 Authorize both WIC Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program and increase funding to $100 million annually and eliminating the state match requirement for both programs

 

From: The National Association of Farmers’ Market Nutrition Programs, http://www.nafmnp.org/featured/2012-farm-bill-proposal

 

 

6. Ensure that effective conservation programs remain in place, including the Environmental Quality Incentives Program Organic Initiative and the Conservation Stewardship Program.

 

7. Bar federal crop insurance and disaster payments for conversion of native sod and fragile lands to cropland.

 

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program Organic Initiative helps producers transition into organic production systems. It also helps those who are already organic add additional conservation practices. The 2012 Farm Bill should maintain this support.

 

The next farm bill should make better use of the Cooperative Conservation Partnerships Initiative to bring conservation and rural development together as compatible goals. Uncrowded natural space is a key environmental amenity that many farm and ranch communities could provide. This program could give priority and bonus payments for enrollments that allow public access as part of a community development plan.

 

Last but not least, the new farm bill should bar federal crop insurance and disaster payments for conversion of native sod and fragile lands to cropland in response to high grain prices. The consequences of lost grassland are a significant step backwards in conservation.

 

Congress should remember that while we have a moral obligation to leave the land better than we received it, the public has an obligation to protect the land and water on which all of us – current and future generations – rely for survival. With continued pressure to reduce spending and bring our budget in line, important conservation programs that provide public benefits need not be sacrificed.

 

From: Center for Rural Affairs, http://www.cfra.org/ and http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2715/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8383

 

 

Steps to contact your members of Congress:

 

Steps to contact your members of Congress:

1. Identify your Senators and Representatives at www.congress.org (enter your zip code to find your Reps and Sens)

 

2. Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121; ask to be connected with your Member of Congress.

 

3. Tell them your name, and that you are a constituent calling about the 2012 Farm Bill, and that you support access to healthy food and a sustainable food system. 

*You may choose to include a bit about why you care – for example, “I am a parent and I want healthy food for my family” or “I am a family farmer and I make my living by raising healthy food for my community.”

 

4. Deliver this message: I encourage (Sen.___ or Rep.___) to support healthy food and food systems, too, by co-sponsoring particular bills or supporting these key issues:

* Mention all of some of the issues from the list above or other specific priorities you have identified, along with the reason that you are in favor of them.

 

5. Ask if they have any questions for you, and thank them for their time.

 

Things to remember:

• Letters are very effective, but phone calls also work, especially compared to the countless emails they receive.
• Be courteous and respectful
• Be clear and concise
• Take notes, including the name of the staffer you speak with, in case you’d like to follow up with them later.

 

Zumba-inspired workouts are becoming an increasingly popular way to exercise, and now one of SFC’s Sprouting Healthy Kids schools is taking part. A group of mothers at Walnut Creek Elementary is running their own dance-exercise class. The most impressive part? They are monolingual Spanish-speakers and they arranged the entire class themselves.

                           

Sprouting Healthy Kids, SFC’s project to support and improve health and wellness in Austin elementary and middle school communities, has many components. These can include free Happy Kitchen classes, basic organic gardening classes, school garden support, and farm-to-school ordering in the cafeteria. These schools also have the advantage of working with AmeriCorps VISTA community health organizers from SFC and Marathon Kids who direct people interested in wellness to available resources.

At Walnut Creek, after meeting twice with the community health organizer, the interested mothers set out to find an instructor, location, speakers, and music. Within four weeks, they held their first class.  Now, the class meets three times a week in the cafeteria and is led by a mother who one day hopes to be a professional instructor.

This class exemplifies the goals of Sprouting Healthy Kids and its parent project Cultivating Health Communities. It was organized by parents, to serve parents. It is self-sustaining, and it creates an opportunity for parents to engage in physical activity and be active role models for their children.

Combined with SFC’s basic organic gardening class held in November, the school garden, and a current 6 week-long Happy Kitchen cooking course for ESL parents, this exercise class helps the Walnut Creek Elementary community improve its health through a focus on healthy eating and physical activity.

Sustainable Food Center’s work to organize school wellness teams and link the teams to health resources is conducted in partnership with Marathon Kids.  Learn more about Marathon Kids at http://www.marathonkids.org/ 

Sustainable Food Center (SFC) and AISD Food Services present “Local Chefs, Local Fresh” with Chef Jack Gilmore of Jack Allen’s Kitchen at Pickle Elemenary School on January 17, 6:15pm. Along with First Lady, Michelle Obama, “Let’s Move!” campaign and the “Chefs Move to Schools” program, Austin Independent School District Food Services is partnering with Sustainable Food Center to introduce our own initiative with a decidedly local flavor-–“Local Chefs, Local Fresh.”

The purpose of this project is to involve our community of talented local chefs in the efforts of AISD Food Services and accomplish the goal of educating the students and our broader school community about the importance of eating healthy. Sustainable Food Center and AISD Food Services Executive Chef, Steven Burke invite you to be a part of this meaningful movement.    

"Local Chefs, Local Fresh," our Austin-based Chefs Move to Schools project, includes a dual-pronged opportunity to help inform recipe development in AISD kitchens while also providing a community-outreach component at CATCH nights and other gatherings at schools where SFC's Sprouting Healthy Kids project is in full swing.

 

We began this initiative in November 2011 at Jordan Elementary School with a CATCH night recipe demo by Chef Nadine Thomas of Trace, followed by a December demo by Chef Alma Alcocer-Thomas of El Alma Café y Cantina at Webb Middle School.

Chefs Nadine Thomas of Trace and Steven Burke of AISD Food Services

Details for CATCH night “Local Chefs, Local Fresh” demo with Chef Jack Gilmore: Jan. 17, 6:15-6:45pm Pickle Elementary School, 1101 Wheatley Avenue 78752

Sustainable Food Center is proud to announce that staff member Andrew Smiley has been named the agency's Deputy Director. Andrew has nearly 20 years experience working in sustainable agriculture and food systems, including on-farm production, agricultural marketing, micro-enterprise development, food journalism, farmer training and technical assistance, and even food-service management. Andrew received his B.A. in political science from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He is the former Executive Director of Baton Rouge Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance, Inc. (BREADA). Andrew is an active supporter of sustainable food systems throughout Texas and the U.S. both professionally and as a volunteer with the several organizations. He has applied his passion for gardening, sustainable food systems, small-scale farming, and healthy cooking to his work with Sustainable Food Center in Austin, Texas since 2005.

 

"I am confident in Andrew's programmatic guidance and look forward to our strategic partnership as SFC continues to grow and flourish. He is a true leader in the good food movement - I'm thrilled to have him serve in this new role with our agency," stated Ronda Rutledge, Executive Director. Andrew worked with SFC as Farm Direct Projects Director through 2011, which included management of public policy, farm marketing, and food systems education initiatives, including Sprouting Healthy Kids - SFC's farm-to-school project. Andrew is currently the Deputy Director of SFC, providing guidance, oversight and support for the organization's programming and policy advocacy work.

You might have heard the shocking news recently released by the Environmental Working Group that many children’s cereals have too much sugar. In fact, some cereals have as much sugar per serving as cookies or twinkies. Shocking, again, I know! I’m proud to say that Sustainable Food Center’s The Happy Kitchen/La Cocina Alegre was way ahead of its times—teaching participants how to understand nutrition facts labels and ingredient labels—especially in cereal boxes—has been a staple in the curriculum for years now. In the 2^nd class of our 6-week series, we teach participants to look for cereals that have no more than 6 grams of sugar per serving and at least 2 grams of fiber per serving. When comparing cereals, it’s pretty amazing just how many cereals fail this test. In fact, I’ve nearly stopped buying cereals all together. Rather, I rely on oatmeal (rolled or steel-cut), yogurt + granola, or muffins (I just made Cranberry Walnut Muffins from The Happy Kitchen cookbook this weekend). Muffins are super convenient because they can be made ahead of time and then frozen. Makes for a fast, inexpensive and nutritious breakfast!

Class participant learning just how much sugar is in a bowl of cereal.

Do you know what Sustainable Food Center does to directly support family farmers like me in Central Texas? My name is Sonny Naegelin, and I am writing today in the midst of a drought that has set us back for the past 18 months. Our family’s business, Naegelin Farms in Lytle, Texas, is the place where my wife Doris and I have raised our seven children. Our oldest son Johnny has his own farm now, our son Kevin works with us full time, and our other sons, Denis and Marvin, help work the farm too. Besides providing meaningful work for our own family, we’ve provided steady jobs in our community for other families.

For ten years, our family farm has relied on SFC’s marketing projects, and they’ve helped us become profitable. We’re suffering from the drought right now, like most farmers, but we will really need the markets and other projects once we get through it. Your support will help make sure those markets are there for us and for other farmers in the future.

Naegelin Farms first partnered with the SFC Farmers’ Market Downtown when it started, then as the first farmers with SFC’s Farm Direct program to do Farm to Cafeteria, selling to the hospitals and universities in Austin, and then we helped launch SFC’s Farm to Work program with the Texas Department of State Health Services.  We were the first farm to participate in SFC’s Sprouting Healthy Kids farm to school program, too.  SFC works very hard to make all these programs run so smoothly, and sometimes I don’t know how they can do it all.

We’ve really enjoyed meeting all the customers at the markets, and have learned that people want cleaner food. Because of the customers we have through SFC, we decided to switch to using all organic methods on our farm, which has also been good for our own family.  We’ve met chefs and others who have encouraged us to grow different crops! We’ve learned everything we know about farmers’ markets from the staff at SFC.

Due to the drought, production is way down and we haven’t been able to sell to the hospitals and universities much this year.  I never thought I’d have to borrow another nickel, but I’ve had to hock a couple of tractors for this year’s operation.  Things are tough right now, but we are sticking with it, and will count on SFC to be there when we’re able to increase our production again - we’ll need SFC’s markets and their other Farm Direct projects! Getting back into all these markets is one of the most important things for our family farm to start making money again.

With their farm-to-consumer projects, community and school gardening programs, and cooking and nutrition education classes, SFC hasn’t left anything out – they have our whole food system covered.  There are no lazy bones in this outfit, but it takes money to do all the work that SFC does. 

We encourage you to help make sure SFC can keep doing what they’re doing – and to find ways to do it even bigger and better – for us, for other farmers and for the entire community.  Keep shopping the farmers’ markets, growing some of your own food, and cooking healthy.  And if you haven’t already, please make your donation to SFC today!

Sincerely,

Sonny Naegelin, Local Family Farmer

We've been on a media blitz promoting Edible Austin Eat Drink Local Week benefiting SFC and Urban Roots. Last Saturday's "24-Carrot Salute" was a hit, followed by the Urban Farm Bike Tour, Pig Roast and Harvest Dinner and Sunday's Coffee and Chocolate Festival. Add in TWO appearances by Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson, and we could have called it a week--but we didn't! Alamo Drafthouse held a BeneFeast featuring Moonstruck on Monday evening, and last night Better Bites of Austin and fans enjoyed a shop and stroll Holiday Gift Fair.

TONIGHT is Drink Local Night at the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center from 6:30-9:30pm, featuring The Official Drink of Austin Contest! A few tickets remain--buy now!

SATURDAY from 1-5pm please join us for Local Brew Fest presented by Black Star Co-op and Wheatsville Food Co-op. Tickets here!

See and hear some of this week's media coverage:

 

Austin's Eat Drink Local Week: MyFoxAUSTIN.com

KLBJ FM:

http://www.newsradioklbj.com/Blogs/Blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10321349

Someone recently shared an interesting article about school lunch program published December 4, 2012 in the New York Times.

The article is a pretty sweeping critique of contract school food service.  I should remind folks that the Austin Independent School District is fortunately not managed by a contract company.  AISD operates all their own food service, maintains scratch kitchens at every campus, and even has an executive chef who works to create flavorful, nutritious recipes that students like.

AISD Nutrition and Food Services is under the same financial restraints as other districts, but has been able to feasibly reach – or, in most cases, exceed – the minimum nutrition standards set at federal and state levels.  In fact, the district has moved to all fresh or fresh-frozen veggies, whole grains, and low-fat meats and dairy and is partnering with Sustainable Food Center to pilot a local version of Chefs Move to Schools called Local Chefs – Local Fresh as an extension of our collaborative Sprouting Healthy Kids farm-to-school efforts. The chefs from our community who get involved in Local Chefs – Local Fresh conduct a healthy cooking demonstration and food sampling at school events, and work with AISD’s Executive Chef Steven Burke to develop even more healthy, tasty foods.

At one recent Local Chefs – Local Fresh event at Jordan Elementary, Chef Steven engaged a couple of kids in a conversation about school food.  The students shared their suggestions and questions, and Chef Steven shared some very helpful insight – you just don’t get that sort of exchange with a profit-driven national food service corporation!

The information in this article is one reason that I, as a member of the AISD School Health Advisory Council, and Sustainable Food Center, as an organization, can be appreciative of our district’s self-operated food service system, and should do whatever we can to keep it that way.

 

Does FREE, $1, or $5 sound better for parking? FREE parking for the SFC Farmers' Market Downtown is available, despite the recent change to start charging for parking at the State Facilities Commission Garage N near the market.     FREE - City Hall parking (until 5 pm on Saturdays) enter by way of Lavaca northbound, just north of the intersection of Lavaca and Cesar Chavez, on the left.  Map here.   FREE - 1/2 of the PSA parking lot block nearest to the market. We have a monitor there to check that you are truly a shopper and not a person going elsewhere. From 9 am - 1 pm.   FREE - City parking meters surrounding the park and at adjacent blocks, up until 11 am. Then they start charging $1 for each hour you plan to be there.     AND, Don't Forget: Edible Austin Eat Drink Local Week is here! Dec. 3- 10, 2011 by Edible Austin Magazine   Benefiting Sustainable Food Center and Urban Roots!  Various locations, see website for event listings    Sample locally sourced menus at our supporting restaurants all week long; explore Austin's urban farms and community gardens on our Urban Farm Bicycle Tour produced by Bicycle Sport Shop; meet our local coffee roasters and chocolatiers at our Coffee and Chocolate Festival hosted at Texas Coffee Traders; swoon over Cher and Nicolas Cage at the Alamo Drafthouse's Benefest showing of Moonstruck; sample and shop for local food artisan holiday gifts at our Better Bites of Austin Local Holiday Fair at the Domain II; help us select the Official Drink of Austin, produced by Tipsy Texan and meet our Central Texas distillers, hosted by The Carillon at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center Grand Ballroom at our best-ever Drink Local Night; and celebrate the explosion of Texas Craft Brewers at our Local Brew Fest, hosted at Black Star Co-op with Wheatsville Food Co-op.   New this year! Online Chef Dinner Auction kicks off 2011 Edible Austin Eat Drink Local Week!    Bid now! Don't miss this exciting opportunity to bring a celebrity chef into your home or private venue for an unforgettable culinary experience for eight guests. This is a first-ever fundraising component of our Edible Austin Eat Drink Local Week. Click herefor dinner details and access. http://www.edibleaustin.com/auction