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ASAN Fall 2009
ASAN
The Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network Update
Fall 2009
The Town That Food Saved
Tom Stearns and Hardwick, Vermont
“Incredibly inspirational!” That’s what
one Alabama farmer said after hearing
Tom Stearns speak last year in
Georgia. Just the facts about Tom
Stearns might seem an incredible
bundle of contradictions. He’s a farmer
who is also CEO of a multi-million
dollar business, High Mowing Organic
Seeds, started by Tom as a backyard
business a little over a decade ago.
He’s a profit-minded entrepreneur
who is also president of a 501(c)(3)
non-profit called The Center for an
Agricultural Economy, and speaks
passionately about the benefits of
cooperation and collaboration, caring
and sharing. He’s also a Vermonter
with strong roots in Alabama – his
mother’s family lived in Birmingham
and he was named for a greatgrandfather
who was a prominent 19th
century Alabama pioneer entrepreneur
and (you guessed it!) philanthropist,
called in one biography “Alabama
spokesman of the New South.”
What Tom has helped accomplish in
rural Vermont (he’s a key player, but
one of several – remember,
“cooperation and collaboration”) is
also an almost incredible story. Less
than ten years ago the little town of
Hardwick, Vermont, was as run-down
a town as any you’ll see in rural
Alabama, with as many empty storefronts
and jobless citizens. The median
income in the area surrounding
Hardwick was only about half the state
average. Today, the new farms and agrelated
businesses that have sprung up
around Hardwick have created at least
100 new jobs. That may not sound like
a very large number, but in an area that
only had 500 jobs, it’s a huge boost!
Today, in the same storefront where
regular fist-fights at low-down Benny’s
Bar had not long ago typified the
town’s plight, Claire’s Restaurant is
able to source 70% of its ingredients
from farms within 15 miles, serves
delectable meals at prices locals can
afford, made Conde Nast Traveler’s
2009 “Hot List” and inspired Gourmet
Magazine to call Hardwick “the most
important food town in America.”
And this “food town” isn’t just for
foodies! The local chain supermarket,
the local independent food store, the
local food co-op (with 1,000 signed-up
members in an area with only about
8,000 people), and of course the local
farmers market all offer generous
servings of locally grown and locally
processed food.
Collaboration and mutual support have
been key ingredients fostered by Tom
and his friends at The Center for an
Agricultural Economy in pursuit of a
sustainable local food system. For
example, Claire’s serves pumpkin pies
with pumpkin from Pete’s Greens (a
local farm that also networks with
other local farms to serve a 250-
member CSA), and the leftovers from
Claire’s are composted by students at Highfields
Institute (a 10-year old compost and soils research
and educational non-profit, whose director serves on
The Center’s board), and the compost is used at High
Mowing Organic Seeds to grow pumpkin for seeds –
which Pete buys to grow pumpkins for Claire’s. A
philanthropic by-product: Pete has been successful
enough to install a commercial kitchen, and one of
the things he has done is take the pumpkin grown by
High Mowing and bake pumpkin pies to donate to the
local food bank.
Famed omnivore Michael Pollan has said he sees a
possible solution to the national economic dilemma in
“the Hardwick model,” calling it “an important
national test-case of the possibilities of relocalizing an
economy.” Bill McKibben says, “Hardwick has all the
pieces of a healthy food system connected and ready
to fall into place, and is as far ahead in sustainable
agriculture as any place in the country. Deep and
transformative things are happening here.”
Tom’s great-grandfather, the “spokesman of a New
South,” had the vision of an industrialized and
“modernized” South replacing the bad old Agrarian
South. Tom also has a vision, one that might be called
The New Agrarianism: “Our goal is to build upon our
regions' history and traditions and lead the way in
creating a food system that creates healthy people as
it creates healthy soil; that creates healthy jobs as it
creates healthy communities; that creates a healthy
economy and ultimately, creates a comprehensive,
healthy food system that inspires others in their
communities to do the same.”
Tom realizes that the Hardwick model can’t be
spread cookie-cutter style, because “it has to come
out of your particular soil and your history and
traditions.” He adds, “I do think the process can be
shared, though, and this is what I try to do, inspire
people to see in our model possibilities that they can
use to build a really healthy and sustainable
agricultural economy where they are.”
By all accounts, Tom Stearns is indeed inspiring in
urging others to share the vision and join in the work:
“You are invited and needed in this task, and it may
just be the most exciting thing you've ever done."
(from his welcoming letter on the Center’s website,
hardwickagriculture.org)
Thanks to Jim Allen, ASAN Board Member and regular
speaker on climate change vs. food, for covering this
story.
From the virtual office
Wow, what a year. A terrible economy seems to have inspired a whole new crop of small farmers, victory gardeners,
canners and freezers, urban growers and local eaters. Maybe it’s the economy, maybe it’s just an idea whose time has
come. Either way, it sure does look like a movement and it’s getting harder to keep up with everything that’s going on
around Alabama.
Everyone is going green. There are now more community gardens and youth education programs in Birmingham than I
knew of in the entire state a few years ago. Every town seems to want their own farmers market. So far our local food
guide for the Huntsville area lists 75 direct-marketing farms and it’s far from complete. We hope to see “Eating Alabama”,
a documentary on the joys and challenges of eating only Alabama-raised food for a year, in theaters soon. The
NRCS is providing funding to help farmers and ranchers transition to organic production and the Alabama Department
of Agriculture is helping cover the certification costs. Nationally, a USDA Deputy Secretary of Agriculture is writing
memos about how the department can support local and regional food systems. The Justice Department will start investigating
the consolidation of agriculture next year. Even Monsanto is committed to sustainable agriculture. We’ve
done it, folks!
Okay, maybe not. We are still dealing with a lot of farmers and ranchers working to make a decent income, rising rates
of obesity and diabetes among other things, a lack of healthy food choices in many neighborhoods, regular food safety
scares, rising energy prices and global temperatures… should I go on? Looks like we have a few things left to work on.
So if we are going to keep at it, please, let’s work on it together. We need to keep communicating, letting each other
know what we are doing, asking ourselves how we can collaborate, making connections, and figuring out how we best
fit into the new food system. I really hope you can make it to our 2009 Alabama Food Summit in November. We will
continue to open those lines of communication and set new goals for ourselves with an understanding of how they impact
other efforts. If you are not already in the middle of something, you will be by the end of the day!
Hope to see you there!
Karen Wynne
ASAN Executive Director
JOIN ASAN TODAY!
Support our efforts to promote successful sustainable farming and access to healthy food.
Sign me up! Membership level
Donations to ASAN are tax-deductible. If you are already
a member, your membership expiration date is included on
page eight next to your mailing address.
___ Basic $10
___ Supporting $25
___ More! ________
___ I can’t send any money right now, but please keep me
on your mailing list.
Please send a check or money order to:
ASAN
367 County Road 327
Flat Rock, AL 35966
Please email info@asanonline.org or call 256-751-3925
with any questions. Thanks again!
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____Please send me email updates on events and issues.
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ASAN will NOT share your information without your permission!
ASAN Highlights from the Past Year
Helped provide training and networking opportunities for hundreds of farmers, ranchers, eaters and
gardeners as a sponsor, scholarship provider, or planner, including the following meetings and workshops:
• Cultivating Collaborative Marketing Opportunities for Small Farmers. Tuskegee.
• Echo Farm Planning workshop with the Cottage House and North-South Initiative. Ariton.
• Alabama Organic Production Conference. Andalusia.
• Community Food Leaders Forum. Andalusia.
• Deep South Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference. Mobile.
• Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference. Chattanooga.
• Federation of Southern Cooperatives Annual Meeting. Epes.
• ASAN Northeast Alabama Potluck. Guntersville.
• Individual farmer-to-farmer mentoring around the state.
Publicized over 125 workshops, conferences and events happening around the state and region through
email announcements and our website.
Provided stipends for over 25 interns for farms, community organizations, and youth garden programs.
Provided microloans totaling more than $8000 to small farms and community organizations, plus living
loans of plants, seeds, bees, and chickens.
Supported Alabama grassroots groups including the Clean Food Network, People Helping People Urban
Farm, River Road Agriculture, the Cottage House, A+ Alabama Goat Producers Coop, North Sand
Mountain Farmers’ Market, PEER/ Eastlake Farmers Market, the Madison City Farmers Market, and the Black
Freedmens’ Living Historical Farm for Children, The United Christian Community Association, the Wiregrass
Farmers Cooperative, and the Food Bank of North Alabama.
Represented Alabama’s sustainable farmers and ranchers as a member of a number of boards and
organizations including the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the Alabama Department of Agriculture
Specialty Crops Advisory Board. ASAN staff also worked with the NRCS and regional extension programs
to improve educators’ understanding of organic production methods.
In the works for the coming year:
2009 Alabama Food Summit and much more training and networking
Local food guides and an updated Alabama Farms Resource Guide
Demonstration farms highlighting organic production methods, alternative energy, grazing methods, & more
More delicious, healthy, local, fresh foods on plates around Alabama
ASAN Needs Volunteers!
We need your help to do more with less. Here are some things you could do to help influence the future of
food and farming while you meet other like-minded people in your community:
Host a fundraising dinner ▪ Write an article for the newsletter ▪ Represent ASAN at a meeting or conference
▪ Host a potluck dinner ▪ Act as an ASAN regional representative ▪ Serve as a volunteer
coordinator ▪ Keep ASAN members informed on local and national food and farm policy ▪ Serve on the
ASAN Board of Directors ▪ Help put together a local food guide for your area ▪ Host a workshop ▪
Make up your own volunteer project ▪ Make phone calls ▪ Write grants ▪ Become a mentoring farmer
Sound fun? Call Karen at 256-751-3925 to sign up!
How to Gain Local Support to Start a Local Farmers’ Market:
Donations From the Community, Not Government Dollars
Use the Farmers Market Development Manual. It shows that you are following a template that works. You
have used due diligence in your research. It’s at www.fma.alabama.gov/pdfs/MarketDevelopmentManual.pdf.
Pick board members who are involved in the community and know people in the community that will want
to support a market and have the means to do it.
Involve local papers, magazines and radio. Write press releases or public service announcements to announce
grower and sponsor meetings. Write press releases after planning meetings, grower meetings and
sponsor meetings so people are anticipating the opening of your market.
Have a grower meeting. Invite all the growers in the area and any growers who you have surveyed. Invite
all of the community through newspapers, radio and flyers. Give the results of the consumer surveys at the
meeting. Show proposed rules and fees. Show a proposed budget and ask for feedback. Help the growers
feel like the market is for them.
Have a sponsor meeting. Target people you already know will be supportive, including local political figures,
and invite them by letter. Invite all of the community through newspapers, radio and flyers. Have a market
set-up in the room with samples of local produce. Include a budget proposal and discuss the market’s
needs. Let them know what the board has been doing, what the growers think and what other members
of the community are involved. Have a donation card available at the meeting. The card can have different
levels with names: a low amount is a Friend of the Market up through $1000 for a Sustainer.
Use this invitation letter as an example: “We would like to announce the formation of the North Sand
Mountain Farmers’ Market. After five months of research, strategy sessions and meeting with local growers,
we feel confident there is both sufficient need and desire in our area to support this new venture. We
are writing to you as an active member of the North Sand Mountain community. In order to make this
farmers’ market a reality, our next step is to request financial support. We hope that you will join us to
bring a farmers’ market to our part of Sand Mountain.”
Send a follow up mailing about how great and productive the meetings were. Send one letter thanking the
farmers who signed up, one to sponsors who gave at the meeting, and a separate letter thanking the rest
for attending the meetings as a positive follow-up. Thank everyone
for attending and ask them to come to the market.
Meet with your community including all possible civic groups
and clubs. Board members should present to all of their connections.
Master Gardeners, homemaker clubs, 4H parents,
PTO/PTA, extension agents, ASAN, or Rotary Club are possible
sponsors or at least future customers of the market. Get
the talk out there.
Give each presenter a “script” to use as a basic outline for
group presentations. Include the market’s mission statement.
The idea is to be sure the important items are presented to
each group.
Our Fish Fry Fundraiser brought awareness to the
new market and additional donations above the
price of the meal were made at the dinner. Posters,
pictures and articles were displayed to promote Buy
Fresh, Buy Local. We had three, which overall doubled
our funds.
Les Rivett and her husband Jay manage Jay’s Garden
Variety in Henagar, Alabama, and she is chair of the
North Sand Mountain Farmers Market.
Mark your calendar, send in your registration, write down all your best ideas and get ready for:
Featuring:
Tom Stearns, High Mowing
Seeds & The Center
for an Agricultural Economy
Melanie Payne, Bulger
Creek Farm & Opelika
City Schools
Jeff Poppen, The Barefoot
Farmer
Susana Lein, Salamander
Springs Farm and Susana’s
Organics
Edwin Marty, Jones Valley
Urban Farm
Ama Shambulia, West End
Community Garden
Ron Morse, Virginia Tech
Seed Swap
Community Garden Bike
and Bus Tours
Local Farmers, Ranchers,
Foods, Chefs, and Eaters
Lots of opportunities for
discussion and networking.
Come prepared to
share your ideas and set
goals for yourself, your
community, the state, and
beyond!
Details and registration on
the next few pages.
Mark your calendar, send in your registration, write down all your best ideas and get ready for:
Bringing together Alabama's emerging leaders to envision a new food system.
Program: The Alabama Food Summit 2009: “Food Matters”
Program is subject to change
Thursday, November 12
10:30 am Registration and exhibits open
Noon Lunch (all meals will feature local foods and local chefs)
Welcome
Sally Allocca, PEER and East Lake United Methodist Church
Success Stories from the Greater Birmingham Area
Edwin Marty, Jones Valley Urban Farm, and Ama Shambulia, West End Community Garden
2:00-3:45 pm Breakout Sessions
Eating Alabama • Working with Youth in Agriculture • Organic Farming: Cover Crops • Health and Nutrition
• Food Insecurity and Advocacy
4:00-5:15 pm Roundtable Discussions
5:30-7:00 pm Seed Savers Meet and Swap plus Alabama snacks and drinks in exhibit hall
7:00 pm Dinner
The Town the Food Saved: How a rural community in Northern Vermont is rebuilding both
its food system and its economy.
Keynote Speaker: Tom Stearns, President, High Mowing Organic Seeds and the Center for an Agricultural
Economy
Friday, November 13
8:00-9:45 am Breakout Sessions
Biodynamics • Cultural and Traditional Foods
10:00-11:45 pm Breakout Sessions
Biodynamics • Improving Access to Local Foods in Low-Income Neighborhoods
Noon - 1:30 pm Lunch
Making the Farm to School Connection
Melanie Payne, Bulger Creek Farm and Opelika City Schools
2:00-3:30 pm Breakout Sessions
Cooperative Marketing • Program Needs for Farmers • Future of Seeds • Permaculture • Community
Food Assessments
3:45 - 4:45 pm Regional breakouts and next steps
5:00 - 6:00 pm Wrap-up and goal-setting
Saturday, November 14 (at Jones Valley Urban Farm)
9:00 am Bus and Bike Tours to Greater Birmingham Community Gardens: Exhibiting how
challenged communities are making their communities better through community gardens
Please note: Bike tour participants must bring own bike and helmet!
1:00 - 4:00 pm Growing Together Community Gardens kick-off
Registration Form
TheAlabama Food Summit 2009:“Food Matters”
At East Lake United Methodist Church, Birmingham,AL
Preregistration is required! One form for each registrant, please.
If you would like to register online, please go to: www.gbcfp.org
We will send you a confirmation, directions, and additional information upon receipt of this form.
Name:
Farm/Organization:
Address:
City: State: Zip:
Phone(s):
E-mail: Website:
Briefly describe the food and/or farm work you are doing. May we include this and your contact information
in the forum materials? Please circle one. Yes No
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________
The scholarship request deadline is October 23, all other registrations must be received by November
4. Thank you for helping us prepare by getting your registration in early!
Please don’t forget to fill out the back of this page!
Send this form (2 pages!) to the address below with a check or money order, made payable to Magic City
Harvest, or your scholarship request.
If you would like to pay by credit card (Visa or MasterCard), please call Magic City Harvest at: 205.591.3663
Magic City Harvest
Food Summit 2009
P. O. Box 11292
Birmingham, AL 35202
Questions? Call 205.591.3663
Visit us on the web: www.gbcfp.org or www.asanonline.org/forum
Registration Fees
________ Check here if you are requesting a scholarship. Please fill out the scholarship request below and send this
form in to be received by October 23.
Basic Registration (check one) Registration total ________
Thursday and Friday $25 ________
Meals (check all that apply) Meal total ________
____ Thursday (Lunch) AND Friday (Lunch) Included in Basic Registration
____ Thursday (Dinner with Keynote Speaker, Tom Stearns) $25, Suggested Donation
Please let us know about any dietary restrictions________________________
Saturday, Optional Excursions Excursions total ________
____ Growing Together with Jones Valley Urban Farm Free, but pre-registration is required!
____ Community Garden Tour, by bus $1, Suggested Donation
____ Community Garden Tour, by bike $1, Suggested Donation
ASAN membership (optional but appreciated) Membership ________
____ $10 basic
____ $25 supporting
____ $_________ other
____ I can’t send any money right now, but please put me on your mailing list.
GBCFP Donation and membership (optional but appreciated) Membership ________
____ $10 basic
____ $25 supporting
____ $_________ other
____ I can’t send any money right now, but please put me on your mailing list.
TOTAL PAYMENT $________
Need a scholarship? Priority will be given to beginning, limited-resource and minority farmers, ranchers,
and community organizers.
Are you (check any that apply):
________Limited-resource ________Minority ________Female ________Beginner
Please tell us why you are requesting a scholarship and what you hope to get out of this meeting.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
What is the best time and number to reach you if we have any questions?
GBCFP –WhoWe Are
The Greater Birmingham Community Food
Partners’ Mission Statement says: The GBCFP
works to promote access to all community residents
to a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally
adequate diet through a sustainable food
system that maximizes community self-reliance
and social justice.
But what does it mean? Let’s take a closer look.
Access to all community residents:
All people living in Birmingham’s 99 neighborhoods
safe:
Fresh food sold that won’t make us sick like
spinach, tomatoes or peanut butter contaminated
with salmonella
culturally acceptable:
Food that people in Birmingham actually want to
eat. For example, collard greens are probably
more widely popular than arugula. And though it
will be good to work to expand the variety that
people are comfortable with, we need to start
where they are, now.
nutritionally adequate diet:
Fast food is readily available and cheap in Birmingham
but serves up a lot of empty calories.
The food available and affordable to all community
residents should be good for us, too.
through a sustainable food system:
With concerns like food borne illnesses and
fluctuating gas prices, having access to locally
grown food assures us that we will have access
to food sources even in the midst of national
food system break downs.
that maximizes community self-reliance:
When we support our local farms and community
gardens, we can take care of each other and
grow our local economy at the same time.
and social justice:
The idea that everyone should be able to live
with dignity.
More about us:
The GBCFP membership includes food recovery programs,
urban farms, local churches, faith-based organizations,
community development organizations, health care
professionals, educational institutions and interested individuals
like you!
Our goal is to be a resource for community residents and
groups while supporting the development of local community
food efforts. We support the development and
enhancement of sustainable, community-based strategies
to improve access to and use of healthy nutritious food
(particularly in low income areas).
About High Mowing Organic Seeds
High Mowing Organic Seeds began in 1996 with just 28
varieties. After tilling up a portion of his backyard and
turning his shed into a seed packing area, founder Tom
Stearns had no trouble selling the seed he grew that first
year. Suddenly, what had started as a hobby became a
practical business pursuit, as Tom realized the growing
and unmet demand for organic seed. This demand allowed
Tom to expand the business beyond his backyard,
renting parcels of land to produce the seed he was selling
through a hand-made catalog. By 2001, business had
grown to such an extent that Tom began to contract
with other local farms to grow seed, in addition to continuing
to produce seed himself on High Mowing's own 5
acres.
High Mowing Organic Seeds has grown exponentially, and
what started as a one-man operation is now a thriving
business making available to home gardeners and commercial
growers nearly 400 heirloom, open-pollinated
and hybrid varieties of vegetable, fruit, herb and flower
seed. True to our roots, High Mowing Organic Seeds
continues to grow many of the varieties we sell on our
40 acre farm, setting us apart from the majority of other
seed companies.
As we've grown, we have continually worked to
produce, develop and sell only the best quality organic
seeds for varieties selected for their exceptional
performance in organic conditions. We have
expanded the selection and availability of organic
seeds, we've reached out to other farmers, locally
and across the country, to produce seed for us, and
we've established partnerships with wholesale seed
companies that have made commitments to develop
and produce organic seed. In our own operation,
we’ve implemented the highest quality standards for
seed testing and invested our on-site lab and Quality
Control department, we have purchased stateof-
the art seed cleaning and sorting equipment, we
have built a knowledgeable customer service team –
many of whom are or were farmers – to answer
customer questions, and we have created a trials
and breeding program to assess and develop varieties
that thrive in organic conditions.
Thanks to High Mowing Organic Seeds for sponsoring
our 2009 Alabama Food Summit!
UPCOMING EVENTS
October 3. Sylvania, AL. Pancake Breakfast at North
Sand Mountain Farmers’ Market. 8-11 am.
www.northsandmountainfarmersmarket.org.
October 3. Blountsville, AL. Solar Home Tour. 9 am
and 2 pm. Sponsored by Energize Alabama. See passive solar
building designs that heat in the winter and cool in the summer
including photovoltaic systems for generating electricity
and solar thermal for hot water. Join us for a brown bag lunch
(12-2). Registration is essential. For registration and directions
contact 205-429-4120 or greenworks@juno.com (be sure to
say “home tour” in the subject line).
October 10. Birmingham, AL. Second Saturdays at
Jones Valley Urban Farm. Soil Testing and Amendment.
10.00-12.00. www.jvuf.org.
October 14. Jasper, AL. Weeds GoneWild. A workshop
focusing on invasive species management will be hosted by the
Walker County Soil & Water Conservation District. 9 am -2
pm. Free but reservations required. Call 205-387-1879.
October 15. Online. National Good Food Network
Cluster Call: NGFN and Food Safety. 3:30-4:45 PM ET.
http://ngfn.org/resources/ngfn-cluster-calls.
October 15. Clanton, AL. Fall Fruit Harvest in AlabamaWorkshop.
3-5:30 pm. Chilton Research and Extension
Center. Plots will be visited and muscadine, bunch grapes,
kiwifruit, satsumas, oriental persimmons, and fall blackberries
will be featured. Please pre-register at 205-646-3610 by October
7th.
October 17. Sylvania, AL. Cooking Demonstration at
North Sand Mountain Farmers’ Market. 8-11 am.
www.northsandmountainfarmersmarket.org.
October 18. Birmingham, AL. Urban Harvest Twilight
Supper at Jones Valley Urban Farm. 5-7 pm.
www.jvuf.org
October 24. Albertville, AL. Sand Mountain Seed Bank
Annual Fundraising Dinner. 6 pm. Details at 256-891-
9856.
October 24. Spring Hill, TN. First Annual Southeast
Dairy Goat Conference. Topics will include forages and
nutrition for dairy goats; dairy goat selection criteria; dairy
goat facility and processing regulations; 4-H goat programs
(dairy and meat), value-added products; equipment sanitization
and care; dairy goat business and facilities start-up; and an internal
parasite management discussion, including a FAMACHA
training. Pre-registration is required. Contact 615.963.5539 or
apeischel@tnstate.edu.
October 28-29. Bessemer, Alabama. 2009 ClearWater
Alabama Seminar and Field Day. Bessemer Civic Center.
The event is offered by the Alabama Erosion and Sediment
Control Partnership to help planners, designers, contractors,
inspectors, and others learn more about erosion and sediment
control practices and products. More information at 205-424-
9990, Ext 101 or katie.heath@al.nacdet.net or visit
http://www.alchapterswcs.aces.edu/fielddays2009.htm.
October 31. Sylvania, AL. Pumpkin Festival at North
Sand Mountain Farmers’ Market. 8-11 am.
www.northsandmountainfarmersmarket.org.
November 7. Birmingham, AL. First Saturday at Jones
Valley Urban Farm. Holiday Cooking - fresh healthy
cooking for new traditions. 10.00-12.00. www.jvuf.org.
November 12-14. Birmingham, AL. Alabama Food
Summit 2009: Food Matters. Bringing together Alabama's
emerging leaders to envision a new food system. See page 5-8.
November 14. Birmingham, AL. Growing Together
Orientation. Sponsored by Jones Valley Urban Farm and held
in conjunction with the Alabama Food Summit. www.jvuf.org.
November 20-21. Huntsville, AL. The Small Farms Research
Center’s 7th Annual Risk Management & Community
Outreach Conference. 256-372-4970.
November 21. Madison, AL. Madison City Farmers
Market Thanksgiving Market. 8 am to Noon.
www.madisoncityfarmersmarket.com.
December 3-4. Mobile, AL. Deep South Fruit and Vegetable
Growers Conference. http://deepsouthfruitveg.com/
December 6-8. Tuskegee, AL. Professional Agricultural
Workers Conference: The Color ofWealth in the
Green Economy: Best Practices, Programs and Policies.
www.pawc.info.
December 10. Livingston, Alabama. 2009 Alabama Forage
and Grassland Conference. Grassroots Opportunities:
Taking Science to Livestock Farms. Bibb Graves
Auditorium, University of West Alabama.
http://www.al.nrcs.usda.gov/about/so_sect/tech/graz/forg_grassl
and_conf_12-10-09.html.
January 20-23, 2010. Chattanooga, TN. Southern
SAWG Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining
Family Farms conference. More information will be at
www.ssawg.org. ASAN has a limited number of scholarships
available, call 256-751-3925 for details.
Details and more events can be found at
www.asanonline.org/future_events.html
Thanks to Sondra Zalewski of Designz (and
Karen’s sister-in-law) for designing ASAN’s
new brochure and updated logo! Check out
her other work at www.designzstudio.com.
Alabama Sustainable
Agriculture Network
P.O. Box 18782
Huntsville, AL 35804
www.asanonline.org
256-751-3925
The ASAN Update is usually published
twice a year. Please contact us to be
added to our mailing list or if you
would like to receive information via
email.
Approaching deadlines:
Deadline September 30. NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program 2009
Sign-Up. http://www.al.nrcs.usda.gov/
Due October 5. SARE Sustainable Community Innovation Grant. http://
www.southernsare.uga.edu/callpage.htm
Deadline October 23. Scholarship requests for the 2009 Alabama Food
Summit (see page 7).
Deadline November 4. Registration for the 2009 Alabama Food Summit
(see page 7).
Due November 15. SARE On-Farm Research Grant. http://
www.southernsare.uga.edu/callpage.htm
Due November 15. SARE Producer Grant. http://
www.southernsare.uga.edu/callpage.htm
Due November 30. USDA Value-Added Producer Grant. http://
www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/vadg.htm
Deadline December. Organic certification cost share: reimbursement of
75% of certification costs up to $750. Contact the Alabama Department
of Agriculture at 334-240-7250.
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