Tag: local farmers

How Farmers Are Implementing a Sharing Economy

Posted on by robbie

From a young age, we’re taught to share. And now as adults, it seems like we’re really putting that lesson into practice — from ride shares to community gardens and even shared farm equipment.
That’s right, in Maine, local farmers are sharing efficient and costly equipment that most could never afford on their own — all thanks to the Shared-Use Farm Equipment Pool (SUFE).

Organized through the partnership of the Maine Farmland Trust (MTF) and the Maine Organic Farms and Gardens Association (MOFGA), the Pool was started after MTF staff member Mike Gold saw a discrepancy between the needs of farmers and the equipment available to them.

So, how does the program work? According to Modern Farmer, for an annual fee of $100, farmers have access these six tools: seedbed cultivator, two-shank sub-soiler, plastic mulch layer, strip tiller, ridge tiller and tine weeder. All of the equipment improves farming efficiency, but is so expensive that it’s unattainable for the average local farmer. For instance, the 1,200 pound plastic mulch layer retails for about $2,000.

“The equipment we choose is relatively simple, fairly easy to understand and operate,” Gold tells Modern Farmer. “They see the opportunity to use that one piece of equipment that they may only use one year or once every few years.”
After joining the Pool, farmers participate in a springtime orientation where they learn how to use all of the machinery. Following that, sharing and coordination is managed via a Google Calendar, which members check for availability.
Equipment can be rented for up to three days, and SUFE does charge members for anything that’s returned late or dirty. According to Gold, there have been very few problems, as most respect the system.
Right now, most of the members are newer vegetable farmers, but the Pool’s number of senior farmers is growing as well. And, with increasing membership, Gold hopes to add more equipment to the inventory also.
For now, though, these farmers are just taking advantage of a great opportunity and learning the value of sharing along the way.
MORE: ‘Uber for Seniors’ Helps the Elderly Get Around Town

Vermont Farmers and Citizens Provide Climate Change Research

Posted on by robbie

You’ve definitely heard stories about how, because the world is getting hotter, the polar ice caps are melting. And while you know that’s bad news, you don’t necessarily know how it affects you.
That’s the same exact thought that the state of Vermont had, which is why they conducted their own report on how climate change will directly impact their 630,000 residents.
Compiled by Gillian Galford, an Earth systems scientist at the University of Vermont, and seven graduate students, the study is the first to analyze the effects on an individual state. In the past 15 years, the U.S. has released three reports on how the nation will be affected, but Vermont is the first state to analyze the next 100 years of climate change’s effects on its own land.
With most climate change reports, top scientists are consulted, but Galford took a slightly different approach: going directly to the heart of the state. Instead of solely using scientists, Galford spoke with state officials, citizen scientists and local famers. Her data consists of an interview with a local apple farmer who keeps detailed records of every growing season as well as the results of the annual competition which guesses what spring day Vermont’s famous Joe’s Pond will melt, among others.
Galford wanted to see how rising temperatures, longer growing seasons and flooding would affect the state. What did she learn?
Perhaps not surprisingly, farmers and low income communities will be most affected. And interestingly, each climate change factor will have both positive and negative effects on the community. While longer growing seasons will boost fruit and vegetable production, higher temperatures will hurt the dairy industry. Hot weather means cows eat less, and consequently produce less milk. Increased rainfall will also yield some mixed results. One positive is that more rain will help with crop growth, but it wasn’t determined how that increase in precipitation will affect the dairy industry. The main negative consequence though is that flooding will ruin the mobile houses in Vermont’s flood plains — affecting thousands of the low-income residents.
Galford’s research adds that personal touch to a topic often viewed in such scientific terms. Hopefully other states will follow in this example and conduct similar research, as this could get more people on board with helping to save the planet.
MORE: The Top 5 Ways to Fight Global Warming 

How Do You Increase the Amount of Local Food Sold in Your Community?

Posted on by robbie

With supermarkets offering countless food options, those selling locally-grown food have to be organized and have a good business plan in order to make a go of it.
In Mad River Valley — an area comprised of multiple small farms, small communities, and tourists looking for skiing and summer bliss — is the perfect place to create a facility dedicated to the growth of the local food movement.
And that’s exactly what a 4,000-square foot building in Waitsfield, Vermont provides. The former warehouse is now the Mad River Food Hub, a gathering and storage point for farmers and food processing businesses in Mad River Valley. Founded by British entrepreneur Robin Morris, the Food Hub is now entering its third year with big rewards and high hopes for the future.
So how did a British entrepreneur with a background in finance end up in Vermont? Morris originally worked as the CEO of Systems Union, Inc. (a financial analyst company) in New York, but then switched to work as the CFO of American Flatbread, a wood-fired pizza company. During his time there, Morris discovered a love of food, and, when his company outsourced, the warehouse became available and he pounced on it.
Now, three years later, the food hub has 50 clients, some of whom are nearby, while others drive an hour to take part. The first year the facility housed $800,000 worth of food, but its second year saw a jump to $1 million. It is currently only operating at 60 percent capacity, but Morris hopes to see a boost to 80 percent this year.
The idea and operation of the food hub is simple: The warehouse is divided into different areas with 1,600 square feet dedicated to freezer and cooler space, another 1,600 square feet for processing rooms and 800 square feet of dry storage and loading docks. Local famers and processing companies bring their products to the food hub, and store it all in there. Morris also delivers the produce for customers in the form of his 26-foot-long refrigerated truck.
In addition to storage and delivery, Morris provides mentoring and consulting for clients interested in increasing their knowledge and businesses.
Funding comes from Morris and foundations and government grants, but the hope is to become independent from government money. That isn’t Morris’s only goal for the upcoming years, however, as he plans for the growth of the hub. Not only does he want the hub to provide 10 percent of the food supply in the area, but also expand to more hubs to truly make food local for the communities in the area.
Morris’ food hub is dedicated to the creation of a community food source and environment. With a little storage space, green thumbs, and dedication from residents, it’s clear that other communities across the country could do the same.
MORE: No Soil? Or Sun? This Urban Farm is Raising Fresh Food in a Whole New Way

A Beer Company Focuses on Donations, Not Profits

Posted on by robbie

Walk down any busy street of a city, and you’ll hopefully find a food truck that best fits your appetite. Becoming increasingly popular among urban dwellers, these mobile restaurants serve everything from burgers and fries to tacos and nachos and even lobster rolls.
However, one food truck won’t serve meals to their customers — but they’ll graciously accept them.
Finnegans beer launched their “Reverse Food Truck” in March to help feed the hungry. Their plan? To travel around Minnesota in their green vehicle until October, with the goal of collecting $50,000 worth of cash or credit card donations and non-perishable items. But that’s not all.
According to their Facebook page, the beer company (which sells a blonde ale and an Irish amber) says 100 percent of their profits will go towards feeding the hungry. They also began a social media campaign to keep people in the loop as to where the food truck will be stationed every day, according to ABC News.
The Reverse Food Truck has also created campaigns to increase its donations among passersby. One photo that Finnegans tweeted conveyed the message that you could win free beer for a month if you made a donation.
Jacquie Berglund, CEO of Finnegans, Inc. says the organization is not only pushing to increase its donations, but they are also partnering up with farmers in the area.
“In addition to raising funds, and collecting non-perishables, we’re also supporting local growers to get organic produce to those in need — and we have a lot of farmers in the area!” she tells ABC News. “So the wealth that we create in the community goes back to the community.
In partnership with the Emergency Foodshelf Network’s Harvest for the Hungry Program, Finnegans beer’s Reverse Food Truck has raised approximately 5,700 pounds of produce that’s already been delivered to the hungry.
But even if you can’t run to the Reverse Food Truck in time, you can always make a difference by donating using a virtual food menu. The Finnegans website provides a menu that shows you how much of a difference your gift will make. Donate $10 and you’ve just provided someone with food for five days; donate $100 and you can feed a family of four for two weeks.
How are local patrons reviewing the Reverse Food Truck? “This is a new thing for me, but as soon as I saw it, I came right up and [threw] some money in it,” Jacob Ciuraru told NPR. “A little bit goes a long way sometimes.”
MORE: Food Cowboy: Teaching Truck Drivers ‘Nothing Goes to Waste’
 
 

Why One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Fertilizer

Posted on by robbie

Hello Compost, a new initiative preparing to launch in (where else?) New York City, wants to give people fresh produce in exchange for their food scraps. Here’s how it works: Hello Compost will give participants freezable bags to collect their food scraps, which can then be exchanged for credits toward buying fresh produce from local farmers. The food scraps will then be used to create compost to grow more plants. The idea is to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills, while making healthy food less expensive for low-income communities, and increasing the supply of compost to improve the quality of future crops.