Action Alert 7/4/8

--Please complete Rural Vermont's CONSUMER Survey!
--Help to Survey Vermont FARMERS to get their input on Agricultural Policy Issues
--Upcoming RURAL VERMONT EVENTS
--Other Upcoming Events

Take Rural Vermont's CONSUMER SURVEY!
If you are an eater in Vermont, please take our Consumer Survey and tell us about what is important to you, what Vermont products you are purchasing, where you're having trouble, and what you think is important regarding food systems in Vermont. We want to hear from YOU! The survey should only take about 15 minutes. You can access it from our website: www.ruralvermont.org. It is completely anonymous - we won't know who gave us which answers. You will have a chance to give us your contact information at the end, but that information will be completely separate from the survey. Spread the word! The results of this survey will be for Rural Vermont to think about our next steps in terms of building local food systems, and the results will also be shared with Vermont policy makers and the public.

Help Rural Vermont to SURVEY FARMERS!
We are looking for a few good volunteers to help us to survey farmers. If you've been eating local food and have been looking for a chance to really get to know some farmers - this is it! Our goal is to visit 200 farms this summer to ask a series of questions about the farms, agricultural policy, and issues that farmers believe need to be addressed in Vermont. We are also sharing information about Catamount Health with farmers. In order to do these surveys, you MUST be willing and able to come to a training (1 hour) and to type up the results of the surveys within 1 week of talking with the farmers and send them in to the Rural Vermont office. You'll need a car and a pair of muck boots and one or two free days in August to do the surveying. We are asking each volunteer to commit to surveying at least 5 farmers. We have two trainings scheduled for survey volunteers. Both are on Tuesday, July 29th, from 7 pm - 8 pm. One will be in Brattleboro, and one in Montpelier. ALSO, if you can get a group of 5 people together in your community who are willing to do surveying, we'll bring the training to you. If you are interested in volunteering or organizing a training, please contact Amy at amy@ruralvermont.org or 802-223-7222 for details.

HELP KEEP RURAL VERMONT STRONG!
YOU can help to keep Rural Vermont strong, so we can fight for fair prices for family farmers, local food systems, and strong communities!
Join Rural Vermont today on our secure website: http://www.ruralvermont.org/becomeamember.html.
WE NEED YOU - any amount you can offer for your dues will help, and your contribution will go straight toward our work to build living soils, thriving farms, and healthy communities!

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RURAL VERMONT SUMMER EVENTS!!
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** FAMILY COW FORUM **
Thursday, July 10, 2008
1:30-4:00 pm
Sterling College, CRAFTSBURY COMMON (look for signs on campus)
Free and open to the public
To RSVP or for more info, JoAnne at 586-7711 or Julia at
jshipley@sterlingcollege.edu
Sterling College and Rural Vermont co-host a forum focused on keeping and milking a Family Cow. Family Cow Farmers from throughout the area will be available to answer questions for anyone curious about keeping a cow. There will be homemade ice cream followed by a slide show presentation about a Siberian village where each family hand milks their own cow. This forum marks the final class of a five week course offered at Sterling College, One Cow Revolution, in which students learned to feed, breed, milk and care for a Jersey cow named Winnie.

** Montpelier Seasonal COOKING CLASS SERIES**
Want to learn about cooking with grass-fed meats, and how to make your own sausage? How about substituting Vermont’s natural sweeteners for sugar? Or making herb-infused butters and salad dressings? Come join Rural Vermont for a series of cooking classes featuring Vermont’s bountiful summer offerings, and led by Montpelier chef Susan Reid! Cooking classes will be taught with a hands-on approach, and end with a sit-down, family-style meal. Limited space available and pre-registration required. Reserve now!
Sat July 19 (registration deadline Thurs July 17)
Sun Aug 17 (registration deadline Thurs Aug 14)
Sun Sept 28 (registration deadline Thurs Sept 25)
All classes from 5 – 8 pm in the private homes of Montpelier folks.
$20 per class (price includes ingredient fee) OR
$5 ingredient fee + 3 community credits per class for Onion River Exchange
members (http://onionriverexchange.wordpress.com/)

*** 2008 ICE CREAM SOCIALS!!! ***
DON'T MISS OUT! Come out and celebrate a successful legislative year for Vermont agriculture with Rural Vermont at this summer's ice cream socials! Rural Vermont is touring the state and scooping homemade, farm fresh ice cream at every stop! Come to the social nearest you to sample the freshest ice cream made with raw cream from local dairy farmers, meet and mingle with folks in your community, give us input about our work, and get updates on what's next for Rural Vermont. Join us!
July 8 – 95 Poplar Manor, BETHEL
July 15 – Stowe Free Library, STOWE
July 21 – Eastman Farm, ADDISON
August 6 – Rutland Masonic Temple, RUTLAND
August 11 – Putney Community Center, PUTNEY
August 18 – Dana Thompson Memorial Park, MANCHESTER
All socials are free, family-friendly, and open to the public.
All are scheduled from 6:30- 8 pm.
For more information, call Rural Vermont at (802) 223-7222 or visit www.ruralvermont.org.

** TOUR DE FARMS **
Sunday, September 21, 2008
10:30 am
Shoreham, VT
Pre-registration: $15/adult, $8/kid (15 and under)
Addison County is home to some of our state's most beautiful and diversified family farms, and on Sunday September 21st, many of them will be open to the Tour de Farms cyclers! Choose among 10, 25, and 30-mile routes. Then take your time and enjoy the beautifully bucolic landscapes of Shoreham, meet the farmers who are producing some of the finest foods in the state, and - perhaps most exciting of all - sample lots of
these amazingly wholesome farm fresh foods, including apples, pesto, cheese, wine, cider, milk, bread and cookies! The Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition, the Addison County Localvores (ACoRN), and Rural Vermont are partnering to host this event. For more info or to register, contact shelby@ruralvermont.org, or call (802) 223-7222.

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OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS
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FOOD WORKS at TWO RIVERS CENTER
GARDENS FOR LEARNING – MONTPELIER SUMMER DAY CAMP

Food Works at Two Rivers Center is Central Vermont's hands-on food and agricultural education center working to strengthen local food systems and empower people to grow, prepare, eat and preserve their own foods. For 20 years, Food Works has been at the forefront of addressing the root causes of hunger and cultivating food security through hands-on education. This summer for the 13th year in a row, Food Works at Two Rivers Center is offering a summertime Gardens for Learning Camp for area children to grow, cook and eat healthy, local nutritious food. Held at twelve sites throughout the state, the Montpelier program takes place at our Two Rivers Center on Route 2 behind Cabot Creamery offices and has been a huge hit with kids ages 4 to 14.

2008 Montpelier Camp Sessions – Mon-Thurs 9-1 (aftercare available 1-4:30)

For Ages 5-6: July 7-10, and July 21-24

For Ages 7-9: July 14-17, July 28-31, and Aug. 4-7

For Ages 10 & up: Aug. 11-14

Cost is $100 per week. Scholarships are available. FREE admission for children qualifying for the free/reduced priced lunch program!

To register, please call (802) 223-1515 or email Carolyn@tworiverscenter.org

For more information please visit our website: www.tworiversventer.org

THE HIGHFIELDS INSTITUTE ON-FARM COMPOSTING 101 WORKSHOP

Date: July 9, 2008

Time: 9:00-3:30

Location: The Highfields Institute West Hill Farm Compost Demonstration and Research Site Hardwick, VT

The Highfields Institute Composting 101 Workshop involves classroom, hands-on and demonstration components covering recipe development, feedstock mixing, pile formation, monitoring, management, and site development. Make composting work for your farm by understanding the science of composting and effective management strategies. Please register by July 1st: 802-472-5138 june@highfieldsinstitute.org

High Mowing Organic Seeds Field Day

Wednesday, July 30th, 3 – 7:30 PM

HMS Trial & Showcase Gardens, Wolcott, VT

Visit High Mowing Seed’s Trial & Showcase Gardens to see side-by-side comparisons of over 700 vegetable, herb and flower varieties, including new, up-and-coming varieties, and to learn about seed production at Vermont’s only organic seed company!

NOFA-VT’s SUMMER WORKSHOP SERIES

NOFA-VT’s Summer Workshop Series provide the tools for farmers, gardeners, cooks, homesteaders, localvores, and eaters to continue to grow Vermont’s food future. All are invited to attend these workshops whether geared for the commercial dairy farmer or the backyard gardener. The 2008 Summer Workshop Series features workshops from The Family Cow, Making Home Dairy Products to Cooking with the 10 Best Herbs to Hands-On Stone Wall Building. For those wanting to cut their food bills and become more self-reliant, NOFA-VT offers the Grow Your Own Organic Garden series, offering the back-yard gardener an introduction to basics of growing vegetables. For descriptions, schedule, and directions, please visit the NOFA-VT website, www.nofavt.org. All workshops are held rain or shine. Workshops are $10 for NOFA members, $15 for non-members unless otherwise indicated. Pre-registration is required for workshops marked by an *. To pre-register call the NOFA-VT office at 802-434-4122 or email info@nofavt.org.

**2nd Annual Northeast Animal Power Field Days

September 26 – 28, 2008
Tunbridge Fair Grounds, Tunbridge, VT
The Northeast Animal Power Field Days is a celebration of sustainable farming and renewable resources promoting conservation, stewardship, small farms, healthy forests, and the roles that they play in vital communities. This 3-day conference will feature working animal and equipment demonstrations in field and forest settings, workshops, exhibits, networking sessions, and an auction and swap meet on Sunday. Workshop topics will include grazing management, working with draft animals, livestock health, getting started with animal power and more. For more information, go to: www.animalpowerfielddays.org or contact Carl Russell and Lisa McCrory, info@animalpowerfielddays.org, 802-234-5524. Join our discussion forum; www.draftanimalpower.com .