February 2015 Newsletter

Northeast Organic Farming Association/ Massachusetts Chapter

Inside this Issue:

NOFA/Mass launches organic system plan

experts program

pg 9

GMO labeling bill starts with majority support

pg 5

Give chickweed another shot

pg 3

www.nofamass.org 2 February 2015 Newsletter

Northeast Organic Farming Association/ Massachusetts Chapter, Inc.

411 Sheldon Road Barre, MA 01005 978-355-2853 (p) 978-355-4046 (f)

nofa@nofamass.org www.nofamass.org

NOFA/Mass Board Meetings are open to all members.

For more information please contact: Executive Director, Julie Rawson

julie@nofamass.org978-355-2853

© 2002-2015 NOFA/MassachusettsNOFA/Massachusetts is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Contributions are tax-

deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Not a member yet? CLICK HERE

The NOFA/Mass Newsletter is published eleven times per year by the Northeast Organic Farming Association/

Massachusetts Chapter, Inc. Circulation: 5,000

Newsletter Editor: Nicole BelangerCirculation: Christine RainvilleSubmissions: Nicole Belanger

nicole@nofamass.orgAdvertising: Bob Minnocci

bob@nofamass.orgDesign: Nicole Belanger

From the EditorNicole Belanger, NOFA/Mass Communications

Director & Public Relations Coordinator

Hope you’re faring ok out there in snowy New England. Between shoveling, clearing off hoop houses, making sure the animals are fed, and trying to think of

creative uses for yet more root veggies, I trust you’ve been putting this precious indoor time to good use.

Besides my usual NOFA/Mass communication work of putting together this newsletter, keeping up with social media, and helping with outreach for our workshops and conferences, I’ve also been learning some of the ins and outs of organic certification. We were awarded a contract to work with Baystate Organic Certifiers to create a video debunking myths and highlighting resources available for certification. The script is done, and I look forward to getting out to some farms and processors this spring and summer to talk shop and document stories and lessons learned.

As part of the same contract, we are also testing a pilot program, partnering experienced organic experts with those who would like to become certified. Coordinator Laura Davis is looking for a food processor or farm that would like to certify one of its products. Read more about this project on page 9.

Our staff share best practices and tips for making creative use of pesky “weeds” and, um… “waste”. Julie Rawson shares her love of and uses for chickweed, which often competes with spinach in her hoop house (page 3). Sharon Gensler offers the wisdom of experience and necessity in her homesteading column this month. Step by step, Sharon describes how she built and uses the products of her composting toilet (page 14).

Enjoy this issue! Nicole

www.nofamass.org 3 February 2015 Newsletter

Give chickweed another shotJulie Rawson, Farmer

This winter I am infatuated by a new book, “The Wild Wisdom of Weeds” by Katrina Blair. I will give a full review of it in the upcoming edition of The Natural Farmer, but wanted to share some thoughts about chickweed here.

Anyone who has tried to raise winter greens in a hoop house knows what grows there best at this time of the winter–chickweed! The problem, of course, is that it can choke out the more demure spinach and lettuce plants. And, alas, we, in our assumed wisdom will go to great ends to eradicate it. Perhaps the adage, “if you can’t beat em, join em” is appropriate here. Did you know that chickweed tones the skin, helps in reducing weight and toxins? It can be made into salves, oils, poultices, lotions, teas, and juices. A poultice can be made by chewing the greens into a pulp and then adding them placing the mass on skin blemishes, sunburns and sunspots. Traditional Chinese medicine values it as especially useful in wound healing.

Chickweed is loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants. It is a very tasty salad green that is plentiful, mild in flavor, and succulent. It is also a good addition to a morning green drink. When I harvest it (from around my spinach plants) I gently rip it away from the soil so that I get the tender greens and leave the roots to regrow. At this time of year its production outstrips any “tame” green that you might have planted in the unheated hoop house.

Chickweed’s vitamin and mineral content reads like a who’s who. It contains generous amounts of Vitamin C, A, D and the B complex, and minerals including iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, manganese, copper, selenium and silica. Its seeds, produced in the fall, contain 17% protein and 5.9% fat.

Eating chickweed in its fresh form helps remove congestion and infection. Fresh juice and tea

assist in eliminating gas and indigestion. The chlorophyll makes it good for dissolving inferior proteins in the body such as tumors. The fresh juice should be used consistently to gain this effect. Tinctures of chickweed can assist in relieving congestion. Chickweed oil is good for relieving skin rashes.

In December I sold a “super greens mix” to our accounts, which included lettuce, spinach, arugula, parsley, Asians and chickweed. Now it is the major component of our salads along with sprouted seeds (raised in the house) for this slow salad time of year. In years past when I had large quantities of the herb, I would feed it to our cows at winter’s end. They almost knocked down the fence to get at it. Chickens, of course, relish it.

Lately I have been drying it in our Excalibur dryer. Everyday I put a small handful of my mixed dried “weeds” (comfrey, nettles, chickweed, plantain, dandelion greens, raspberry leaves) in our morning kefir drink and I also put them into our fermented pancake batter. My next batch of salve will include it. I encourage you to get Blair’s book and read about this plant and 12 others that we generally consider weeds. It might open up a whole new way of looking at life and plants, and food and nutrition, and farming, for you, as it has for me.

Chickweed and spinach at Many Hands Organic Farm

www.nofamass.org 4 February 2015 Newsletter

Help NOFA/Mass reach new peopleSharon Gensler, NOFA/Mass Outreach Program Coordinator

It was great talking with so many of you at the Winter Conference. Thanks for stopping by the NOFA/Mass table! We reach new audiences and expand NOFA/Mass’ work by tabling at events and conferences throughout the state and region.

We always welcome new volunteers to help cover these events. Tabling is a great way to connect to others with shared interest and to help NOFA/Mass expand our reach. We also offer a $25 discount on an event, conference or membership to those who volunteer.

Here are the events we have been invited to attend (check www.nofamass.org/content/outreach for updates).

Interested in helping? Contact me to find out more at outreach@nofamass.org.

February 7, 2015: Climate Action Brookline

February 20, 2015: Bio4Climate Conference. Bristol Community College

February 25-26, 2015: Harvest New England, Sturbridge

March 15, 2015: Local Environmental Action, Northeastern U

March 21. 2015: Mass Land Conservation Conference, Worcester & Master Gardener Symposium, South Deerfield

March 28: Mass Urban Farming Conference, Worcester

March 28-29, 2015: Just Food? Forum on Justice in the Food System, Harvard Law School

March 31, 2015: Mass Ag Day at the State House

April 11, 2015: Master Gardener Symposium, Lenox

April 16, 2015: MAPHN (Public Health Nurses) Conference, Brewster

April 24, 2015: Earth Day at the Franklin Park Zoo

Support NOFA/Mass’ work

Here’s a simple way to support our work. Buy local when you can, but if you do use Amazon, they will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to NOFA/Mass whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.

To sign up, visit www.smile.amazon.com/ch/22-2987723.

Thank you for your support!

www.nofamass.org 5 February 2015 Newsletter

GMO labeling bill starts with majority supportJack Kittredge, NOFA/Mass Policy Director

Many NOFA/Mass members responded to our Action Alert last month and contacted their legislators to ask them to co-sponsor HD 369, the new GMO labeling bill (the number may change soon as it goes from a House Docket number to a House Bill number). You will be pleased to hear that your work, plus that of the other members of our coalition – MASSPIRG, MoveOn.org, and MassRight2KnowGMO, has resulted in a majority of members of the Massachusetts Legislature, both House and Senate, having cosponsored the bill! In a Great and General Court with 160 Representatives and 40 Senators, we have as co-sponsors 125 Representatives and 29 Senators!

Thanks greatly for you help! This puts the bill in a special position, going into the new legislative session with a lot of energy and visibility.

And if your education in civics stopped at high school you may be forgiven for believing that a bill with majority support from members of both houses of the legislature has a pretty good chance of passage. But remember the old adage: There’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.

What that means here is that many things can go wrong. If the legislative leadership does not want a bill to pass, there are many ways to stop it. We will need your help in the coming months—to turn out at the initial hearing to tell your story and why labeling is important to you, to then help us move the bill out of some obscure committee where it will next be assigned, to write a letter to your town newspaper’s editor or pass out leaflets on GMOs at your farmers’ market or sponsor a local showing of “Genetic Roulette” followed by a Q&A with one of our trained presenters, or finally to call your rep and urge him or her to help pry the bill out of Ways and Means or Third Reading, two final burial grounds for bills which rock too many boats.

The GMO labeling movement, while led from the Northeast, is gaining ground all across the country. We are a threat to the multi-billion dollar chemical industry and also to much of conventional industrial agriculture. They are not without means to fight back, of course. We will learn about that fight and how desperate our opponents are this year, both locally with HD 369 (or whatever its number becomes) and with the federal DARK Act (Deny Americans the Right to Know), which has been filed by Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo and would preempt the ability of states to require such labels at all.

But ultimately our country is still founded on the will of the citizens working its way into policy. We will win this with your help. (And participating is a great exercise for home schooled kids whose parents want them to learn a bit more about civics than what is taught in high school.)

So expect to hear from us, and keep the faith!

www.nofamass.org 6 February 2015 Newsletter

Starting on March 22nd at Brix Bounty Farm in Dartmouth, MA, Derek Christianson will host a season long, three workshop series focused on growing vegetables for health, quality and profit.

There is tremendous amount of value in seeing a process in its entirety, from start to finish. A growing season is no different. I’m thrilled that we are able to bring this type of value to 2015’s education programming, through the lens of Derek’s work at Brix Bounty Farm. Participants can see Brix Bounty in various stages throughout the growing season and will learn a tremendous amount from the series as they see the direct benefit of the early season preparations later in the summer and fall. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Derek.

Glenn Oliveira (GO): What are the benefits of having a season long series at one farm, opposed to a one off event or multiple events at multiple farms throughout the season?Derek Christianson (DC): Over the years I’ve tried to make an effort to visit farms throughout the growing season. Obviously that can be a difficult thing for a lot of commercial growers to

schedule time into their busy schedules to get out and see other operations. Clearly, if you visit a farm once, it’s a snapshot in time. I think there a couple of things going on. One, if you’re on

a diversified operation it can take a bit of orientation time to take in all of the sensory information, so from an education standpoint anytime that you do a one off workshop, there is a bit of that, before you get into the heart of the matter. What we’ve found

out over the years we’ve offered a workshop series, both for home gardeners and commercial growers, there are a couple distinct benefits. It creates a learning community where people get to know each other, that creates a more dynamic environment, less of a lecture series and more of two-way street if you think of all the value there is in participants sharing their knowledge with each other. But the other thing going back to that first element, seeing the same space at different points in the season you can get a much better idea than what that one snapshot provides. So if we’re talking about systems for planting and for fertility for example. You get to see how we do that and then you get to see the benefits or the what worked and what didn’t from those actions, so it’s a much more dynamic learning environment, much more so than a static one time event. We are excited to bring that type of series type of learning environment to NOFA/Mass

Interview with Derek Christianson: Growing vegetables for health, quality, and profit - a season long series

Glenn Oliveira, NOFA/Mass Education Director and Education Events Organizer

Derek Christianson leading a workshop

www.nofamass.org 7 February 2015 Newsletter

GO: You mentioned the heart of the matter, what is the heart of this series and the goal of it?DC: Well folks who’ve heard me speak before know that soil fertility is something that I put at the core of our farm planning and the emphasis of the how and why of what we do on the farm. So inevitably any thing that we are talking about at Brix Bounty is going to have a lot to do with soil fertility. But what this series will do is ground that in real practical information. So we’re going to spend some time with a couple different crops as a lens into that fertility conversation. Be very practical instead of just in the ethereal, not just this is what you need to do, but this is actually what you’re going to do. We’re going to talk about some of those production practices, demonstrate some of those production practices so participants will get a good idea about what that looks like in real experiences. We will be looking at the idea of profitability and what it means to run a sustainable, profitable farm business. So in everything we are doing, we will talk about the economics, the cost not just in dollars but in labor and all the other costs we are putting into the operation. GO: Is that something that participants usually would have access to through education events - that lens on profitability? What roles will enterprise budgets and budgets in general play a role into this.DC: We do have some folks to thank here in Massachusetts. Chris Yoder has done a budget workshop for craft farmers for well over a decade and has done a great job of helping some people who are just starting out get a handle on what it looks like to do a farm budget. More recently, Richard Wiswall’s book, that was published a few years back, has helped increase the level of conversation about looking at numbers. But I think there is still hesitation about farms being open and candid about what those numbers are and what exactly makes them profitable, what opportunities lie within each operation. I think that what we can do by sharing what our numbers look like, and where we spend time and energy when we look at our budgets, we hopefully will give participants an opportunity to reflect the lens back on their own operations and see if there are some opportunities. I’ve always said that is one

of the reasons I like to do farm visits, if you visit a neighboring farm and pull off one really good idea that you can use on your scale of operation you can easily pay back the time that you invest traveling to and from and taking that time out of your production work to go do that education experience. This will have that same idea, but it will force people to keep in mind that if we want farms to be sustainable over time they need to be financially sustainable as well. GO: The first workshop is at the end of March, and I know you’ll be focusing on crop enterprise budgets, overall planning for the season and “bio-builder” field sprays. Can you elaborate a bit on that first in the series workshop and the “bio-builder” field sprays aspect of it?DC: Sure, we will spend a little bit of time looking at our greenhouse production schedule and talk about how we’ve, over the years, come up with what we think is an effective and efficient season. We do a little over 1,000 flats a year, we’re cropping anywhere between 4-7 acres, depending on how ambitious we get during the growing season, some of that double cropped. We do rely a lot on transplants; we’ll talk about what’s worked for us in the past and what sorts of things we’re looking to try in the future. We’ll talk about enterprise budgets, get people familiar with that if they aren’t already. And hopefully make sure that people can spend time with that in between workshops and revisit those as the season progresses. And one of the big focuses of the workshop will be to talk about these “bio-builder” field sprays that we’ve been utilizing in the late winter/early spring the last five or six seasons. “Bio-builder” field sprays have an application whether you’re doing production crops and vegetables, field crops, pasture lands; what they’re really intended to do is stimulate biological activity that can be sluggish in the spring time and hopefully ramp that biological activity up more so we can do a better job of capturing the solar energy in the early parts of the season. We’ll talk about what ingredients we put into our field sprays, the timing in those, the why we choose those ingredients, and what might be a better solution for folks in different locations. We use a lot of fish in our field sprays because we’re right outside New Bedford and it’s an easy ingredient

www.nofamass.org 8 February 2015 Newsletter

to access. We use other types of ingredients like molasses. We’ll talk about the various biological inoculants, compost teas, things like that we’ve selected for that.

GO: What should participants expect as they go through this series throughout the season - what are some of the main drivers that they will come away with?DC: I would say there will be 3 major things. One, some observational experience on efficient systems on the small-scale farm. We are relatively non-mechanized, we tend to do a lot of work on the farm and hopefully we can show participants some shortcuts we’ve found so we are utilizing our labor in the best possible means. The second is some of those crop enterprise budget tools that we have for farmers can be a little spooky when you first get exposed to them. Hopefully, through the course of the season we can really get participants more comfortable with looking at numbers and figuring out what data is the most important. We are almost a guiding hand to encourage them to do some of that work on their own operation throughout the growing season. The third is some of the fertility knowledge that we work with on the farm. Like some of the trace minerals and sub-trace minerals

that people have started to hear about in the last few years like molybdenum, which can help play a role in nitrogen utilization, or cobalt, which can play a role in building essential oil content. Get people to understand and actually see what those materials look like and what application rates in real time look like. I find that sometimes if people haven’t been exposed or haven’t had a past history with certain types of fertility practices, then it can seem a bit confusing or it’s just a foreign thing that the comfort level isn’t there. So, bringing people closer to that comfort zone can help people apply those practices on their farm if appropriate.

GO: Great. I have to imagine that at the end of the series there will be a great network of people established than can help each other quite a bit.DC: Yes. We certainly have seen that. Last time we did a series with Dan (Kittredge) down at our place was 2009 and we still run into people who were a part of that, it’s sort of like this old family coming back together.

To find out more, or to register for the season-long series, visit www.nofamass.org/events/growing-vegetables-health-quality-and-profit-season-long-series

www.nofamass.org 9 February 2015 Newsletter

Farmers who follow organic farming techniques and want to take the next step to gain organic certification often find themselves wondering how to get started. I was a sitting board member of NOFA/Mass when I started my agricultural business in Massachusetts, but the organization did not have any resources to help me navigate the process. I muddled my way through the paperwork and gained advice from other certified farmers. Another certified farmer shared her Organic System Plan (OSP) with me, to which I referred for the questions that stumped me. I also used resources online from various websites. This path was not the most efficient and involved a great deal of perseverance to find the information I needed. Over the course of a year, I became a member of the NOFA/Mass staff as the Certification Assistance Coordinator and now find myself trying to solve this problem for other farmers.

So why not just call a third party certifier for help with certification? Would they not be the most knowledgeable of people when it comes to the certification process? Unfortunately, certifiers hands are tied and can not give advice as they must abide by a conflict of interest clause in the National Organic Program standards.

This is a sensible approach to avoid conflict of interest. But, it is unfortunate that those with so much knowledge are not able to help those that need it most. Before the NOP went into effect in 2002, NOFA/conducted certification of farms. I spoke to Jack Kittredge, Policy Director, NOFA/Mass and editor of The Natural Farmer, about his nine years sitting on the NOFA/Mass Certification Committee, starting in 1986. “At that time a committee member and one inspector would go to the farm for inspection. There was no real training; it was self-training. They could consult with the farmer to help them get their techniques in order and tell farmers what they should do to follow organic practices. We also had one person who was one of those that helped farmers to get their paperwork in line before presenting to the certification committee.” So I asked, “what

happened that NOFA/Mass is no longer involved in certification nor giving the farmer help to get their techniques in order?” Jack replied, “In MA, the NOFA/Mass board decided to separate entirely once the USDA’s official standards came to be, as it might compromise us to be agents of the federal government.” The responsibility of organic certification was spun off from NOFA/Mass and became Baystate Organic Certifiers, who now certifies farms and food businesses in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. There are many other certifiers that certify farms in businesses in these states as well.

Since 2002, NOFA/Mass has offered workshops on organic farming techniques, but has not been involved in assisting farms and businesses in gaining organic certification.

In December of 2013, NOFA/Mass and Baystate Organic Certifiers came back together to talk about the needs of the farming community as it pertained to organic certification assistance. Don Franczyk mentioned Baystate received many calls from farmers and processors that needed help. Baystate could not help them because they are not allowed to offer consultancy services. After receiving a donation from a member interested in helping beginning farmers with organic certification, NOFA/Mass Certification Assistance was born.

In early 2014, Don Person from Baystate conducted five days of training for Suzy Konecky and myself. We prepared mock OSPs for Crops, Livestock and Dairy, Cranberries, Mushrooms, Maple Syrup, Wild Crops and Processing. We went through these plans and learned the nuances of the standards through the requirements for each section of the OSP. This was a good first step in acquiring the knowledge to enable NOFA/Mass to help inquiring applicants.

Last summer the USDA sought applications for their Sound and Sensible program, which sought

NOFA/Mass launches organic system plan experts programLaura Davis, Certification Assistance Coordinator

www.nofamass.org 10 February 2015 Newsletter

to remove barriers to certification. Don Franczyk led a team from Baystate Organic Certifiers, New England Small Farm Institute (NESFI) and NOFA/Mass to develop a proposal for the USDA’s program. The proposal was approved and enables NOFA/Mass to deliver the Organic Experts Program and a video that will bust preconceived myths about organic certification. NESFI is working on a program that will train compost experts on the requirements of the Organic Standards concerning compost production. Baystate Organic Certifiers, in addition to coordinating the work of the contract, will be authoring training manuals and “how to modules” for the Organic Experts Program. NOFA/Mass is proud to announce the launch of the OSP Experts program.

NOFA/Mass is now doing something completely different from holding workshops about organic certification. We are working on a program to write OSPs from beginning to end, taking certification assistance to a whole new level. After an initial orientation visit to the farm that is interested in certifying, I save the certification application and associated forms to a file sharing drive in Dropbox. As the Organic Assistance Coordinator I share the files with the certifying farm. This enables the farmer and me to see and complete the questions independently or together, streamlining the work. In the case where the farmer needs time to list out equipment, Dropbox sends me a notice when the file has been updated. This way I know that we are ready

to move on to the next step. If there are any questions that I might need a certifier to answer, I can ask those questions confidentially to the certifier without naming the farm. This protects the integrity of the farm application as well as the certifying agent. This year NOFA/Mass will assist one livestock farm, one farm raising crops and one food processor complete their OSP. We have identified the livestock and crop farm that will be submitting an OSP. We are looking for a farm processor or food business that would like to gain organic certification for one of their products.

If you are a food processor or a farm that produces a product that you want to certify organic, we hope that you will participate. You will receive help from me to complete your OSP so that you can submit for certification. This is almost as good as having your own secretary for free! Certification fees are still applicable through the certifier of your choice. Please contact me at lauradavis@nofamass.org if you are interested in exploring this opportunity.

More questions? For additional resources on where to start if you want to get certified visit www.nofamass.org/content/organic-certification.

Laura Davis is a Board Member and the Certification Assistance Coordinator for NOFA/Mass. Laura operates Long Life Farm, a certified organic diversified vegetable farm in Hopkinton, MA.

www.nofamass.org 11 February 2015 Newsletter

At the occasion of his award of the “NOFA/Mass Person of the Year,” I wanted to take this opportunity to bring Bob into your lives in a more meaningful way. Presently Bob brings in about $110,000 in marketing revenue to NOFA/Mass and has been the major push behind the vibrant exhibit halls at our events and our advertising-packed newsletter and conference program books. I hope you enjoy this Q & A.

Julie: Tell me about your upbringing and how it helped you end up at NOFA.

Bob: I am from Clarksburg, WV. I can remember back when I must have been five years old my brother and I saw an ad on TV for baby chicks. I came home at lunchtime from school. My mother was sleeping as she worked the night shift at the glass factory. I asked her if I could order some baby chicks. She responded in her sleep, ‘Yes’. So I sent a letter to the hatchery and said we would have our uncle who has a farm raise them for us. I think I said to send me 4 baby chicks. They sent 100 baby chicks COD for $4.56. I came home from school and my bother told me the post office had called and that they had baby chicks for me. And my cousin who was there went with me downtown to the Clarksburg post office. We picked up the baby chicks and took the taxi home. We just put them in a bunch of boxes all over the house. I think we were feeding them oats and water. My mother came home from work at 11pm. I was sleeping. She hit the ceiling. My brother told her to let me sleep. Eventually we found a farm to take most of them but I kept some and raised them in the basement.

As time went on I really just kept my focus on eggs and chickens. My grandmother allowed me to build a small chicken house on her property. I was able to raise some there. I got some Vantress Cross. The woman who owned the hatchery befriended me and she advised me. She started a hatchery in the Great Depression.

She became quite wealthy over the years. They grew broilers and had growers grow broilers for them. From that point I wanted to sell baby chicks. So I bought and resold chicks from the hatcheries to the 2 dime stores. I sold about 5,000 chicks every Easter. There is a special dye that

came out of Texas. You open 5 colors and dye 50 chicks blue, then 50 orange, 50 green, and so on. These were Leghorn cockerels. They charged $.01 each. Then I bought and resold ducklings too. The white Pekin ducklings were $.29 off-season and $.79 at Easter. I didn’t color ducklings. They make better pets.

I learned about drop shipping and I figured out how hatcheries could use my label. I put ads in little farm journals and state agricultural bulletins. I would get orders for RI reds, or white rocks or barred rocks.

At 13 I wanted to start an egg business. I would take orders for various folks. I would buy them from a farmer and then deliver to people. A year later or so a major egg producer went out of business and I took over his egg route. I was not old enough to drive. I hired a driver and we delivered eggs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I made $150 per week and that was a lot of money and adults were always trying to borrow money to rid themselves of gambling debts. That was around 1969- 1971.

I ran that business for several years and then I went to college at 17 and became very politicized. I remember that Nixon was president. I remember passing around

Little known facts about Bob MinnocciJulie Rawson, NOFA/Mass Executive Director

Bob Minnocci

www.nofamass.org 12 February 2015 Newsletter

petitions for his impeachment. That process started and I never thought there was hope that he would leave office. When he left office I became convinced that you must never underestimate the power of the minority voice to change the world. All change begins with the minority voice. That is why NOFA has had such an impact. It is bringing to bear the lack of integrity in the food system and the over-riding injustice that results from that.

I became an investigative reporter. I helped out the United Farm Workers. I ran the support committee at the U of WV to boycott grapes and lettuce. I got more political and wanted to be a reporter. I wrote stories for a number of local newspapers, covered speakers and was getting into the writing more and more – a major switch to journalism. I felt that was a way you could make a difference. When I was a senior in college, I had myself committed to a mental hospital - Weston State Hospital - to investigate the rights of mental patients. I went on a Friday afternoon and told them I had been having nightmares. I had a number of people on the outside who knew what I was doing (as it was harder to get out than it was to get in!). I stayed 5 days. I wrote a 4 part series which the Charleston, WV Gazette published. I wrote a follow up series for the school newspaper on community mental health. The Charleston Gazette hired me after college. I worked for 4 years for them.

Then I flipped and went into corporate public relations for Columbia Gas Corporation for 7 years. Then I managed political campaigns and had an antique business which I ran from home. Then I moved to Boston to help handle a crisis PR project at the Christian Science Church. When that was over I worked for a number of non-profits raising money and I worked for the Friday Night Supper Program – a part time position - one of the oldest meals programs in Boston. I always had an extra fundraising job for somebody else.

Ultimately I was offered a full time job and had to give up the Friday Night Supper. I took it and was absolutely miserable. I Googled and joined NOFA. One night I was so ill with stress related pain. I didn’t know you could have that. I remember reading something spiritual at the time. The thought came to me to pick up the NOFA/Mass newsletter on my night stand and read it. And therein was a your (Julie) column saying, ‘if anyone knows how to grow this org, please be in touch.” That is when I sent a cover letter and resume. I got a call back from you the day you received it inviting me out to an organic lunch.

That is when the conversation began. It took 6 months until I came aboard. We were trying to think out a deeper logistics of development. I somehow morphed into marketing rather than development. The board was in a different place. We have members now who have done real development work.

NOFA has for years been in an enviable position with its major donors. They have come aboard organically. Many organizations really struggle to make that happen. I think it is the integrity of NOFA that has drawn these people and the good strong sense of humility.

I have been here already 7 years. My words of wisdom for the organization are that it needs to expand its umbrella, even though it is a very tolerant group. It is very easy for a group to be parochial. It is always important to be open to new groups while we continue to retain our integrity and stay committed to advocate and educate about organic growing.

Bill MacKently said to me once that the reason that the organic movement is so strong in the Northeast is because of the NOFAs. They have really moved the whole process forward and caused people to raise their standards about what food should and shouldn’t be.

www.nofamass.org 13 February 2015 Newsletter

McCusker’s Market3 State Street, Shelburne Falls

Open Daily 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (413) 625-9411

Across from the Bridge of Flowers

Green Fields Market144 Main Street, Greenfield

Monday - Saturday 8 to 8 p.m.Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

(413) 773-9567Two blocks from the Energy Park

Local, Organic Produce!Meat & Cheese, Grocery & Dairy Vitamins & Supplements Local SpecialtiesBulk SpicesBakery & Delifree WiFi

www.franklincommunity.coopEvents calendar, sales specials, menus, and more on our website:

“Like” on FACEBOOK too!

One Co-op...Two Great Stores:

Serving our community for over 35 years.

Vendors at the 2015 Winter Conference

www.nofamass.org 14 February 2015 Newsletter

Homesteading observations: Composting toiletsSharon Gensler, Homesteader and NOFA/Mass Outreach CoordinatorBecause it seems like I haven’t focused on anything concrete in a bit in this column, I decided to talk about one of our compost toilets. It is located in our guest/intern cabin and has been in use for over a year now, so I can share preliminary results.

Pru and I are always seeking ways to be more sustainable and increase soil fertility while importing less material. We try to keep the nutrients we grow on the homestead, by composting our chicken manure, household and human waste. One way to do this is by using a compost toilet with a urine diverter. The finished compost adds fertility and organic matter to the soil. Per year, one person’s urine alone produces over eight pounds of nitrogen, one pound of phosphorus, as well as potassium. In healthy people, urine is sterile and can be further sanitized by long term storage.

We have a twelve by fourteen cabin that we lived in while we built our house. To start, it was very basic with no water or electricity. We did add electric power soon after starting to live in it but we carried water in and greywater out and used an outhouse. We rigged an on-demand propane water heater to a hose so we could take outdoor showers year round. Easy to drain by disconnecting the hose and invigorating to take winter showers on sunny days!

The cabin became our studio/office where I did massage and Pru her counseling practice. We used the 5-gallon bucket waste composting system for many years. Regularly, one of would say, “we need to build a composter for this space” and then life would intervene and keep us busy elsewhere. Last year we made it a priority, since we wanted a more livable space for a year round intern.

We have had experience with several composting

systems and decided to build a model that incorporated ideas from several of these. It is really a “moldering” rather than compost toilet, in that the waste is deposited and left to compost

on its own with no turning or other intervention. Science tells us that there are no human pathogens that can survive outside our bodies more than a year. With this system, we needed a way to easily move a filled container and replace it with an empty one.

The main component of this system is having 3 or 4 large bins, which can be rotated as needed. Good moldering is similar to good composting in that you need to keep a carbon to nitrogen ratio of approximately 25:1, allow for air circulation and keep it moist but not wet. After using the facility, adding a scoop of carbonaceous material (wood chips are great as they allow more air movement than sawdust) helps keep this balance.

Our bins are heavy-duty rectangular wheeled trash containers with covers. For air circulation we drilled a 1½” hole two inches from the bottom in the side of each bin, and inserted plumbing fittings to allow for a short stub of plastic pipe

Rich compost being removed from the house’s dual-chamber type moldering toilet

www.nofamass.org 15 February 2015 Newsletter

covered in insect screen. Next I used four 4” lengths of 4” plastic pipe to hold a rigid screen off the bottom of the bin thus allowing a space for air movement and excess water to pool. On top of this we put several inches of composted wood chips, a shovel of good compost and a handful of garden red wriggler worms. Now the bin is ready for placement, without the lid, which is saved to cover the resting bin.

Next we needed a space to house the composter, so we added on a 5’X5’ insulated room to the cabin by removing a window and turning it into a door. We framed the addition to allow for an airtight, vector-proof box, sized to hold the bin. This container rests on the ground (we placed a piece of cement board between the plywood and the earth) and protrudes above the interior floor. It was 10” taller than the bin with just a few inches of leeway on each side. The compartment has a toilet seat on top and a small exterior door to allow for bin removal. We added a small step up to make it easier to sit on the seat.

This container had to have a way to encourage air circulation through the waste material and a drain for diverted urine (more later). We have a 4” vent pipe with a low voltage fan that comes out of this box 18” above the roof line. Air is pulled into the 1½” bottom pipe through the waste pile out the top of the bin and into the 4” vent pipe. This also helps keep odors from entering the room when the toilet lid is raised. The air moving through the pile helps decomposition allowing microorganisms to do their work.

The moisture content of the pile is another consideration. A pile too wet will stagnate and smell bad; to0 dry and the microorganisms won’t be able to flourish. We chose to use a urine diversion system, which keeps the pile from getting saturated and allows us to save the urine. Occasionally we might need to add some moisture directly to the pile if it seems too dry. We’ve built our own diverters for other composters, but this time bought a Scandinavian one that fits the toilet seat and does a great job. It must have a hose attached to it, which exits the airtight container to either a bucket or a greywater system. In summer we use the bucket to save urine and dilute it 5

times with water and use it to water the fruit trees. This is a great source of free nutrients. In winter we run it into a massive pile of woodchips, which we’ll then use later for mulch in the orchard.

To the top platform under the toilet seat we secured a sort of curtain of stiff yet pliable dark plastic fabric, which hangs down almost to the top of the bin underneath. This serves as a “splash-guard” and helps make things a little less unsightly. The toilet seat should be secured tightly to prevent air leakage and vectors.

Now you’ve got a functioning waste facility! We had a single person using this pooper for over a year before changing out the bin. We unscrewed the rear door and wheeled the bin to a sunny location, replaced the lid and tied it to the bin securely. It will remain there for at least a year (we might check its moisture level a couple of times) until it’s safe to empty. The product from our other moldering toilets has been a rich, cocoa brown, crumbly, sweet smelling compost. We put ours around our fruit trees and then cover with composted wood chips.

Hope this has been helpful to those of you contemplating ways to stop flushing and keep your nutrients on the homestead. I’d be happy to talk with you if you need more details.

Building bridges between those who care

The State Agriculture Councils of The Humane Society of the United Statesseek to ensure that animal production is

humane and environmentally sustainable.

To learn more, visit humanesociety.org/agcouncils.

www.nofamass.org 16 February 2015 Newsletter

Looking for local, organic produce in season?

Check out the NOFA/Mass Organic Food and Products Guide!

Find farms and businesses all across the state selling the products you want!

(You can search by region or product.)

theorganicfoodguide.com

www.nofamass.org 17 February 2015 Newsletter

Donegan Family Dairy, VT. One of the Organic Valley family farms that supply milk for our yogurt

www.nofamass.org 18 February 2015 Newsletter

Looking for help? Have something to sell? Have land to lease? Place a classified ad!

Find out more at www.nofamass.org/classifieds

CLASSIFIEDS

Getting Started with Backyard Poultry; Raising Egg and Meat BirdsContact Name: Sharon Gensler; wildbrowse@yahoo.comTuesday February 23, 2015- 7-8:30 pm; Wendell Free Library, Wendell, MA. Sharon Gensler & Pru Smith will cover the basics to help you determine if raising poultry is for you and what are the next steps. We will facilitate a bulk order of poultry for spring delivery with a follow up workshop in April. Free. Sponsored by the Wendell Agricultural Commission.

Seeking Operations Manager for Organic Landscaping Company in Central Vermont Contact: Sarah E Holland; sarah@riversbenddesign.com River’s Bend Design is an organic design/build/maintain landscaping company in Moretown, VT. Our mission is to offer an alternative landscaping product that is conscientiously created, mindful of soil health and ecological balance. RBD is accredited by NOFA through the Organic Land Care Committee, and is a Vermont leader in creating beautiful landscapes for residential and commercial properties, ensuring that they are healthy and safe. We are seeking a highly qualified, committed individual to take on the role of Operations Manager. If you are passionate about following ecological principles of soil and plant health in the design, construction and maintenance of ornamental/edible landscapes, this is a unique opportunity for you.

Boston-based restaurant seeks strategic partnership Contact: Emily; emilyfrenchdumont@yahoo.com Well-known, Boston-based chef, along with a restaurant investment group, is looking to create a strategic partnership with a local organic farm. They are seeking a site to build one of New England’s leading destinations for wedding receptions, special occasions and corporate events. The site will also serve as a production kitchen and the headquarters for the restaurant/farm’s nonprofit organization.

Riverland Farm is hiring several 2015 positions Contact: Rob Lynch; info@riverlandfarm.com Riverland Farm in Western Massachusetts is an established 35 acre diversified vegetable operation marketing through a robust CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program as well as several wholesale accounts. Our Certified Organic farm is seeking highly motivated and eager individuals to fill key positions for the 2015 season. Please send resume detailing any relevant experience, employment references, and which position you are applying for to Rob Lynch at info@riverlandfarm.com. Now Hiring for Full Time Field Worker Positions (2 available); Part Time Washroom Manager; Part Time CSA Distribution Manager; Part Time Delivery Driver

Harvest Coordinator for Robin Hollow Farm Contact: Polly Hutchison; polly@robinhollowfarm.com Robin Hollow Farm is a busy flower farm using sustainable/organic methods in Saunderstown, RI. We are looking for a person to assist with greenhouse mgmt, manage harvests with the farm owners to provide sufficient crops for events and markets, supervise staff among other duties. Full description provided for serious inquiries. Let us know why you want to be part of our team!

www.nofamass.org 19 February 2015 Newsletter

Events

Community Happenings

Reversing Global Warming: Carbon Farming for Food, Health, Prosperity and PlanetFriday, February 20, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PMBristol Community College, 777 Elsbree Street, Fall River, MA, Auditorium H 210

This one-day conference is sponsored by the Institute for Sustainability and Post-carbon Education and organized by Biodiversity for a Livable Climate. An exciting line-up of scientists, farmers, ranchers - and more - will present on topics of interest to gardeners, park and forest managers, land stewards, nursery and landscape professionals, government officials, civic leaders, educators... and all other folks concerned about health, economic well-being, and our ecological future. Prominent climate activist and Fall River Mayor Sam Sutter will be offering welcoming remarks to attendees. Tickets are $5-$35 (sliding scale). Registration at: www.eventbrite.com/e/reversing-global-warming-carbon-farming-for-food-health-prosperity-and-planet-registration-15263657009. Contact: info@bio4climate.org

Harvest New England Agricultural Marketing Conference & Trade ShowWednesday & Thursday, February 25 & 26 Sturbridge Host Hotel, Sturbridge, MA

One of New England’s largest agricultural marketing conferences. Find out what will work well for your farm business; from direct marketing to diversified wholesale opportunities! This year’s conference highlights include two keynote speakers: Jonathan Raduns & Nancy Clark! Registration and more: www.harvestnewengland.org/events

Learn more and sign up at

BostonOrganics.com

We partner with local

farmers to bring organic produce to the

people of Boston.

www.nofamass.org 20 February 2015 Newsletter

NOFA/Mass Workshops & Events

Visit nofamass.org/events for workshop additions and updates.

Winter Greens Workshop Series: Producing Greens for a Winter CSA Sunday, February 22 - 9am to 12pm Freedom Food Farm, Raynham, MA Cost: NOFA/Mass member $25; Non-member $31The workshop will include discussions on marketing of winter CSA, low-till winter management, timing of crop rotations between successive harvest seasons, managing crop residue, timing of irrigation and mulching for adequate moisture for seeding/transplanting, and the use of row covers. This is one in a series of workshops on winter greens production. Presenter: Chuck Currie.

Winter Greens Workshop Series: Growing Greens on a Homestead ScaleSunday, March 8 - 10am to 1pm Noonday Farm, Winchendon Springs, MA Cost: NOFA/Mass member $25; Non-member $31This workshop will be divided into two parts. First, Bob will cover the designs of the greenhouse attached to the home and the root cellar. Participants will learn all the structural and design components, including orientation, materials, glazing, insulation, thermal mass, and hot air transfer. Uses include climate manipulation for plant growth and heating the home and domestic hot water. Second, Beth will discuss crops in the greenhouse and in the kitchen: including her choices for greens, salad, oriental greens and cole crops. She will discuss preparation techniques like braising, wilting and flash-cooking. They will cover root cellar storage, lacto-fermentation, and creating a rhythm to this style of living. This will be a great learning opportunity for current and aspiring homesteaders/home gardeners. Participants are welcomed you to stay for a potluck lunch, from 1 to 3PM. This is one in a series of workshops on winter greens production. Presenters: Bob Jennings & Beth Ingham.

Fruit Growing Series: Principally PeachesSunday, March 22 - 2pm to 4pm Old Frog Pond Farm, Harvard, MA Cost: NOFA/Mass Member $25; Non-member $31Peach trees are both beautiful and generous. With a little care peach trees are delightfully delicious, early bearing and relatively easy to grow. During this hands-on, interactive workshop, we will look at peach varieties and practical care of trees. We will review borers, pruning, and tell-tale mineral deficiencies. We will also discuss irrigation and some recipes for foliar spraying, as well as briefly discuss other members of the Prunus family, namely nectarines and almonds. Presenter: Charlotte Trim

Growing Vegetables For Health, Quality, and Profit - A Season Long SeriesSunday, March 22 - 2pm to 6:30pmSunday, June 14 - 2pm to 5:30pmSunday, September 13 - 2pm to 5:30pmBrix Bounty Farm, Dartmouth, MACost: Entire Series: NOFA/Mass Member $90; Non-member $112Individual Workshop: NOFA/Mass Member $36; Non-member $45

www.nofamass.org 21 February 2015 Newsletter

Learn about profitable, small-scale vegetable production throughout the 2015 growing season at Brix Bounty Farm. Participants will see and experience how Brix Bounty’s production evolves from early season fertility and plant propagation to mid-season management and fall harvest rhythms. The workshops will focus on the practices and key information essential to grow and sustain this commercial farm. Each workshop will build on information presented in previous sessions. Attendees are highly encouraged to register for the full series.

Workshop 1: March 22 - Finding Your Niche and Honoring Your Passion: Crop Enterprise Budgets; Planning the Season; Greenhouse Seedling Production; and “Bio-Builder” Field Sprays - a focus on alliums, lettuce, and tomato starts in the greenhouse.

Korean Natural FarmingApril 26, 2015 - 9:30am to 4:30pmMany Hands Organic Farm, BarreNOFA/Mass Member - $48 Non-member - $60Korean Natural Farming (KNF) is an agricultural method that encourages self-sustaining, closed loop systems through minimizing external inputs. Developed by Master Han Kyu Cho in South Korea, KNF echoes many of the principles central to Masanobu Fukuoka’s Natural Farming technique as well as Permaculture. This all-day, hands-on workshop will focus on both the philosophies and the practices of KNF. Workshop attendees will learn to make various KNF inputs such as Indigenous Microorganism (IMO) soil inoculant, Fish Amino Acids, Water-soluble Calcium, and Oriental Herbal Nutrient. KNF is applicable to many types and scales of farming, from backyard veggie gardening to larger scale livestock operations. Students will walk away from the workshop equipped with the knowledge to implement KNF practices on their own farm or garden.

2015 NOFA Summer Conference – Save the date!Friday, August 14 – Sunday August 16, 2015UMass Amherst2015 NOFA Summer Conference keynotes confirmed: Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride is a medical doctor and nutritional consultant, and Ronnie Cummins is a consumer activist and regenerative agriculture advocate.

www.nofamass.org 22 February 2015 Newsletter

Carolyn AlbrychtChris AllaireCynthia BarberChristine BarensfeldSherrie BassignaniFred BeddallSharon BegleyNicole Belanger and David MaciewskiAileen BellwoodGregory BinghamTim BirnstielJohn BolandBrian BoucherDarlene BourdeauJessica BowenSarah BradleyLois Breault-MelicanBrookfield FarmGiulio Amerigo CaperchiPaula and Kenneth ChauvinWade ClementKevin CocklereeceMark and Theresa CohenShared Living CollaborativeTed D. ConnaShawn CooneyLinda CraginJason CucchiaraDarren CugnoBruce Davidson and Linda ReimerLaura DavisMark DeFeoJudy DesrochersJames and Elisabeth DiMaioMargaret Donahue-LynchJane DuderstadtDiane Dumanoski and Carlo ObligatoAlicia DwyerJannette and John ElliffeRaymond EllsworthDiana EngelbartMidori EvansAnne FarrellLew Finfer

Rebecca FoxEllen GallantSarah GantTim GarboskiRachel GonzalezChristopher GrantElisabeth GreenDaniel GreeneSean GreenhowBen Grosscup and Janna Walters-GidseyMaleah GustafsonChristie HigginbottomLynette HirschmanLise HoldorfSarah HollandWilliam D HowattJason HurdJean IversenAndrea JacobsonKamal Jain and JoAnn RobichaudJody JessJan JohnsonLiz JosephDeborah Judd and Hank KeatingMaryanne JuleIlsa JuleEmily Kay-FrenchMeredyth KilgoreEllery KimballDan KingCharles KittredgeBenjamin KleschinskyJonathan KobeyAnne KonetznyClaire KozowerDale LaBonte and V. IrvineMeryl LaTronicaJim LaurieJosh and Lauren LevequeJohn LlodraNico LustigDon MacFarlaneAbigail MacNeillCrystal Maloney

Geoff MamletNina MarcinowskiJeremy MarinAnn MarriottTara MasonKaren MastersonMaura MastrogiovanniLisa MatteiAnna Maunz and Christopher ReidLinda Maznick and Peter CromwickMelinda McCallSarah McCleanJames MeadMedway Community Farm, Inc.Mill City GrowsMelanie MorgonAndrew MorleySidney MorrisSally MoultonSusan MurrayStephen MurrayLiz NolanElizabeth O’NealDonald O’NeilDiane Oliver-JensenRachel OnufVivian OrlowskiAnne M. OrmsbeeGail OswaldKevin OvershinerTeleia PastoreTracey PattendenJamie PaxtonLinda PelletierRich PernaBruce QuevillonPaul and Christine RainvilleJohn RiceDeborah RichardsLawrence RobergeRichard RobinsonKristy RoseLorraine RuddTammy Toad RyanJan Sacks and Marty Schafer

New and Renewing NOFA/Mass Members in January

www.nofamass.org 23 February 2015 Newsletter

Thank you to Fall Appeal Donors in JanuaryPaul BertlerBarbara BockbraderBetsy A ColburnDave ConnaLeslie CoxJoe and Deb D’EramoPhyllis Damon KominzSue and Scott DanielsCharles Gamble and Susan

MakiJamie HallDave HopkinsSteve and Marie LaneHenry LappenMichel OhlyCaroline RoszellHale Sofia SchatzBurd Schlessinger

Robin SilvaKaren Subritzky and Neal KatzPauliina SwartzRichard and Christine Van HooftFan WatkinsonTom Yelton and Leslie Lowe

Chanya Sae-EawTrish SafnerRebecca SandersPatrick SassoJosh ScottJudith SeeligCraig SelfAmina SilkLynda SimkinsDiana SimonMark SiposTimothy SmithTricia SmithHelen SnivelyMaureen SperryKathleen St. Martin

Peter StaeckerPatti StankoCasey SteinbergGuy SteucekSteve StodolaLee StrombergKelley SullivanSharon Lovely TaubertElizabeth TaylorAdam TedeschiRichard TracyHannah TraggisLee TrippIrischa M ValentinMaria Van DusenElexis Vesely and Joshua

JacksonJoseph VirbasiusJonathan VoRyan and Sarah VoilandPeter WackernagelKathleen Walker and Mike LallyJulie WeitekampOrion Z. WeldonBob WellsMichelle WhelanNicole WhitePriscilla WilliamsPeggy WolffDiane WoodwardJim and Joan Wright

www.nofamass.org 24 February 2015 Newsletter

www.nofamass.org 25 February 2015 Newsletter

www.nofamass.org 26 February 2015 Newsletter

NOFA/ Massachusetts411 Sheldon Road Barre, MA 01005

FARMER-OWNED

Check the website to learn about the store,products offered through our members and information on becoming a member www.greenfieldfarmerscoop.com

Member owners include more than 700 people who are now or have been involved in agriculture from Franklin, Hampshire and Berkshire Counties in Mass.Windham County, Vt. and Cheshire County, N.H.

269 High St. Greenfield, MA (413) 773-9639

Feed, Fertilizer, Pet Food, Farm Supplies Many Organic Products