Action Alert 8/30/8

--RURAL VERMONT FALL EVENTS!!
--Take the Rural Vermont Consumer Survey!
--Other Upcoming Events

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RURAL VERMONT FALL EVENTS!!
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Please come out and support Rural Vermont, while meeting farmers, sampling local food, and enjoying our working landscape! Proceeds from these events will benefit Rural Vermont's work to achieve our vision for Food with Dignity.

**YES, YOU CAN! CANNING WORKSHOP**
Sunday, September 7, 2008
MONTPELIER Trinity Church (137 Main St)
2pm-4pm Sauce making
4pm-6:30pm Canning
Bring your own pint jars and tomatoes if you can (we have some extra available).
SPACE IS LIMITED TO 30 PEOPLE, so please RSVP to Natalia at fajardonatalia@hotmail.com if you are coming. If you can donate some produce (even if you can’t come), email fajardonatalia@hotmail.com We need peppers, garlic, squash, herbs, beets. For more information contact Natalia fajardonatalia@hotmail.com 802-262-6039.
Sponsored by Montpelier Community Garden, Central VT Localvores and Rural Vermont

see next item - consider making one jar for yourself and one for Rural Vermont!

** PRESERVING THE HARVEST **

While you’re preserving the bounty of summer in your kitchen, think about making an extra jar for Rural Vermont. We are collecting homemade preserves of all kinds for a fundraiser / display during Judevine's run at Lost Nation Theater in Montpelier from Sept 18th through Oct 5th. We will create what could be the pantry of the play’s main characters and envision it to include canned items, dried items, syrup, honey, dried beans, flour, condiments, garlic & onion braids, herbs, sauces, etc. etc. The donated items will be sold at the reception, and the proceeds will benefit Rural Vermont and Lost Nation Theater. We need YOUR homemade goods to make it successful! All donations must be received by Sept 17th and be clearly labeled with contents and your contact info. Everyone donating to this "home-canned food drive" will be entered to win one of five pairs of tickets to a Lost Nation Theater show! If you can make a donation, please drop it by the office (15 Barre St., Suite 2, Montpelier) or call us to make other arrangements (802-223-7222).

**NORTHEAST KINGDOM LOCAL FOOD DAY --- Tours & Tastings at NEK Farms! **

Saturday, September 13, 2008

1 pm - meet at the ST. JOHNSBURY Co-Op to tour the farms all together.

Suggested donation $12 per person

Rural Vermont and the St. Johnsbury Food Co-op are teaming up to host an afternoon of farm touring in the St. Johnsbury area. Sample seasonal snacks while learning about grass-fed beef at Badger Brook Farm in North Danville; fruits, specialty crops, turkeys & sheep at Too Little Farm in Peacham; and vegetable production at Old Shaw Farm, also in Peacham. Bring your friends, your questions, and your wallets --- farm fresh foods for sale at every stop! Rain or shine, suggested donation $12 per person. For more info or to sign up, call Rural Vermont at (802) 223-7222 or stop by the St. Johnsbury Food Co-op.

** TOUR DE FARMS **

Bike ride through Addison County
Sunday, September 21, 2008
10:30 am start
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.

** RAW MILK OPEN FARM DAY **

Sunday, October 5, 2008

11 am - 3 pm

STATEWIDE

$10 suggested donation per family

Plan to spend a lovely, fall afternoon with the farmers and dairy livestock in your community and beyond! Use our map and hop from farm to farm -- tour the fields and the barns, learn about farm fresh milk's community benefits, find out how you can purchase it from your local farmers, and indulge in farm fresh milk samples all along the way! A list and map of the participating farms will be available from Rural Vermont.

** FARMERS - want to be on the route? Call Rural Vermont at (802) 223-7222 or email shelby@ruralvermont.org by Friday, September 12 to sign up and be included on the map.

** RURAL VERMONT brings SALLY FALLON MORELL to Vermont **

Save the date!

October 26, 2008

BELLOWS FALLS

Sally Fallon Morell, author of Nourishing Traditions and president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, is coming to Vermont for a special event. The WAP Foundation is dedicated to restoring nutrient-dense foods to the human diet through education, research, and activism. They are strong proponents of raw milk, grass-fed meats, and traditional diets, and strong allies of Rural Vermont. More details to come ...

**RURAL VERMONT 2nd Annual HALLOWEEN PARTY**

Save the date and join the fun! On All Hallow's Eve, October 31, 2008, come to the Rural Vermont Halloween Party. Enter the costume contest - dress up like "Rural Vermont" and win prizes. $10 will get you in and allow you to vote for the best costume - bring your friends. We'll have games and activities. It's a potluck party. All proceeds will benefit Rural Vermont. More details to come...

**RURAL VERMONT CONTRA DANCE!**

Saturday, November 8, 2008

SHELBURNE Town Hall

details coming soon...

**VOLUNTEERS NEEDED**

Want to volunteer at any of the following events?

We need folks to help staff our information tables! Attend these great events and help us out!
- Tunbridge Fair, Thurs Sept 11 - Sun Sept 14, Tunbridge

- Tour de Farms, Sun Sept 21, Shoreham

- Animal Power Field Days, Fri Sept 26 - Sun Sept 28, Tunbridge

- Raw Milk Open Farm Day, Sun Oct 5, statewide (farm closest to you)

* For more info or to sign up, call us at 802-223-7222 or email liz@ruralvermont.org.

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RURAL VERMONT CONSUMER SURVEY

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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!

**NOTE: If you tried to take the survey and the link wasn't working, please try again. We fixed it! Thanks to the folks who let us know.**

THANK YOU to the 150+ folks who have taken the survey! It has been really informative to read your answers, and we are looking forward to sharing the information we are gathering soon! 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 (we're not tracking in any way!). 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!

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OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS
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RARE SEEGER FAMILY CONCERT TO BENEFIT FARM MICROLOAN PROGRAM
September 13, 2008
In a rare public appearance, legendary folk singer Pete Seeger will perform, together with his grandson Tao Rodríguez-Seeger and blues artist Guy Davis, in a fund raising concert on September 13th at Brattleboro, VT's Latchis Theatre, co-produced by Strolling of the Heifers and Twin Cloud Concerts. The event will benefit a new microloan program to help New England farmers, which is being established by Strolling of the Heifers, Inc. in partnership with The Carrot Project. Strolling of the Heifers is best known for its Strolling of the Heifers parade, held each year in June, in which dairy cattle and other farm animals lead an agriculturally-themed parade along Brattleboro’s Main Street to an all-day “dairy fest” on the grounds of the Brattleboro Retreat. Tickets for Brattleboro may be obtained at the Latchis Theatre box office, at Vermont Artisan Designs, or at Baker’s, all on Main Street, downtown Brattleboro. Or get tix online: http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheCarrotProject/dec3ba59e8/68f6f71581/08a661edf1

Vermont Earth Institute's Fourth Annual Sustainable Living Celebration**

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Join VEI for their annual celebration, complete with workshops on local foods and many other local topics. The celebration will take place at Knoll Farm in Fayston, from 9:15am – 4:15pm. For more information contact Barbara Duncan at vei@valley.net and or see www.vtearthinstitute.org for a full listing of workshops and presenters.
Registration deadline: September 12th. Cost: $25 for VEI members and $35 for non-members (VEI membership is $30.) Register by sending a check to VEI at POB 466, Norwich, VT 05055.

Vermont's Environmental Regulations Explained - FREE
9/11 - White River Jct./Wilder (CCV)

9/16 - Williston (VTC Blair Park),
9/17 - Newport (CCV - Emory Hebard State Office Bldg.),

9/23 - Manchester (Inn at Willow Pond),

9/24 - Montpelier (National Life Bldg),
1:00 - 3:30pm Free.

Ever have difficulty determining what environmental regulations your business needs to comply with? Environmental compliance comes with its own terminology, detailed regulations and challenges. This overview seminar will cover basic environmental compliance for air, water and waste regulations, including stormwater, hazardous, solid and universal waste (It's Everywhere! Come find out what this is). The seminar will be conducted by compliance assistance specialists from the Vermont Dept. of Environmental Conservation's non-regulatory Environmental Assistance Office, who will be available to provide risk-free answers to any questions you may have regarding environmental compliance in Vermont. Included will be resources to help your business
stay in compliance with environmental regulations, and hands-on interactive learning opportunities. To register or for more information go to: www.vtsbdc.org (training tab)

RARE SEEGER FAMILY CONCERT TO BENEFIT FARM MICROLOAN PROGRAM
In a rare public appearance, legendary folk singer Pete Seeger will perform, together with his grandson Tao Rodríguez-Seeger and blues artist Guy Davis, in a fund raising concert on September 13th at Brattleboro, VT's Latchis Theatre, co-produced by Strolling of the Heifers and Twin Cloud Concerts. The event will benefit a new microloan program to help New England farmers, which is being established by Strolling of the Heifers, Inc. in partnership with The Carrot Project. Strolling of the Heifers is best known for its Strolling of the Heifers parade, held each year in June, in which dairy cattle and other farm animals lead an agriculturally-themed parade along Brattleboro’s Main Street to an all-day “dairy fest” on the grounds of the Brattleboro Retreat. Tickets for Brattleboro may be obtained at the Latchis Theatre box office, at Vermont Artisan Designs, or at Baker’s, all on Main Street, downtown Brattleboro.

**Women’s Agricultural Network Course Helps Ag Entrepreneurs Plan for Success**
This fall, the University of Vermont Extension Women’s Agricultural Network will offer in-person and on-line sessions of Growing Places, a non-credit course for people interested in starting or expanding an agricultural business. The in-person course will start September 23 in Berlin. The on-line course will start the week of October 13.
Growing Places is open to anyone. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
The two fall 2008 course schedules are: Berlin on six Tuesday evenings beginning Sept. 23; and online beginning the week of October 13. Tuition is $125, but there is a $25 discount for people who register by the early bird deadline. The discount registration deadlines are: Aug. 29 for the Berlin class and September 23 for the Middelbury Class. The regular registration deadlines are September 12 for the Berlin class and Sept. 27 for the online class. Additionally, limited scholarship assistance is available to qualified individuals. For more information and to obtain registration materials, visit WAgN’s website at www.uvm.edu/wagn. Or, contact WAgN Outreach Coordinator Beth Holtzman at 802-223-2389 or toll-free in Vermont at 866-860-1382.

**2nd Annual Northeast Animal Power Field Days**
September 26 – 28, 2008
Tunbridge Fair Grounds, Tunbridge, VT
Time: General Admission: Friday noon – Sunday 5 PM
NEW: Intensive all-day workshop on Friday, 9 am – 4 pm, ($40, must pre-register).
Featuring working animal and equipment demonstrations in field and forest settings, workshops, exhibits, networking sessions and more. This will be a Zero Waste Event! Music and educational films in the evening. Admission is $35 for all 3 days or $10 Friday, $20 Saturday, $15 Sunday. Children 12 and under free. Camping available on the fairgrounds. For more information, go to: www.animalpowerfielddays.org, email: info@animalpowerfielddays.org, Phone: 802-234-5524. To Volunteer, contact Kristen Gage: Kristengage@comcast.net, Phone: 802-431-1029.

**Local Food Buyers, Sellers, Distributors Matchmaking Event**

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

3 Stallion Inn, Randolph, VT

Workshops: 8:00 - 10:00 AM

Matchmaking: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

A chance for Vermont food producers to meet one-on-one with buyers interested in sourcing local foods. The matchmaker event is a series of 10-minute conversations. Buyers will provide information on the types of products they’re looking for prior to the event, and sellers will sign up for meetings based on whose need they can match.

Optional morning workshops will cover topics of distribution, regulation, tracking local foods sales and pre-season planning. If you are interested in receiving more information, please contact Helen Labun Jordan at Helen.jordan@state.vt.us or (802) 828-3828. This event is free, but reservations are required. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture thanks the Vermont Fresh Network, Vermont Grocers Association, and Vermont Hospitality Council for their help in organizing this event.