NOFA Gleanings Fall 03

NOFA BOOKS AND TEE SHIRTS Now available to benefit NOFA and our members: Organic Principles 100% organic cotton tee shirts Standards for and Practices with the new CT NOFA Organic Land Care: Handbook Series: Local/Organic logo in two colors. Practices for Design Handbook #1, Available in adult sizes M, L and and Maintenance of Organic Weed XL for $14 and in youth sizes Ecological Management, by M and L, for Landscapes, by Steve Gilman, $12. each. the NOFA 2001, 60 pages, Organic Land illustrated. $8 Care Committee, Third Edition 2004. $20.+ $3 s/h Real Dirt: Farmers Tell About Organic and Handbook Series: Low-Input Practices Handbook #2, in the Northeast, Organic Soil edited by Miranda Fertility A Citizen’s Guide to Smith and Management, by Organic Land Care members of NOFA Steve Gilman, by the NOFA and Cooperative 2001, 64 pages, Organic Land Care Extension, 1994. illustrated. $8 Committee. $2 $15.+ $4 s/h One year membership to Connecticut NOFA • Student - $25 • Regular Membership - $35 • Business/Institutional - $100 • Supporting - $150 • Lifetime- $1,000. Also – Give a Gift Membership. For shipping and handling, add $4 for each tee shirt or The Real Dirt, $3 for the Standards. Weed and Soil shipping and handling is included in price. Make your check payable to CT NOFA and send to Box 135, Stevenson, CT 06491 or visit our website – www.ctnofa.org The Northeast Organic Farming Association is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the practice of ecologically sound farming and gardening and to the development of local sustainable agriculture. Our efforts help consumers have increased access to safe and healthy food. Connecticut NOFA is one of seven state chapters that also include Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. Non-Profit Org U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 4 NORTHFORD, CT educational organization Box 386 • Northford, CT 06472-0386 203-888-5146 www.ctnofa.org CT NOFA Farm, Food & Land Care Guide 2004 Certified organic farms, sustainable growers, accredited organic land care professionals, restaurants and coops that support Connecticut farms. Box 386 • Northford, CT 06472-0386 203-888-5146 • www.ctnofa.org EDUCATION CT NOFA organizes farm tours, and presents workshops and conferences on organic and sustainable farming, gardening and land care. LAND CARE CT NOFA in conjunction with NOFA/MASS has developed Standards for Organic Land Care and CONNECTICUT NOFA trains and accredits Organic Land Care professionals. MISSION LEGISLATION CT NOFA monitors legislation Connecticut NOFA is a growing community of farmers, at the state and national level, acting when necessary to further gardeners, land care professionals and consumers that: and protect local organic and sustainable food production. • Encourages a healthy relationship to the natural world; OUTREACH CT NOFA publicizes the work • Promotes methods of farming, gardening and land care of NOFA, the produce of its member’s farms, and the that respect biodiversity, soil, water, air and the needs importance of organic and of future generations through education, sustainable agriculture through the media, exhibits, and support and advocacy; publications. COMMUNITY SUPPORTED • Encourages the growth of a sustainable, regional food AGRICULTURE (CSA) CT NOFA members are pioneers system that is ecologically sound, economically viable in this exciting way of connecting growers and and socially just; consumers in Connecticut. Consumers contract with a • Educates consumers about their power to effect positive farmer for a share in a season’s harvest of locally grown changes through their food and land care choices; produce. • www.ctnofa.org Increases the local and organic food supply and Please visit our website at maintains productive agricultural land by creating www.ctnofa.org for additional and updated information about opportunities for new and veteran farmers. CT NOFA, our farms, programs, and educational events. BOARD OF DIRECTORS CONNECTICUT The CT NOFA Board of GROWN Directors is a thirteen-member group, which meets monthly to conduct the business of the organization. CT NOFA members are always welcome to attend meetings. ~2~ 10 REASONS TO BUY LOCAL FOOD LOCALLY GROWN OR PRODUCED FOOD TASTES BETTER. In the week long (or more) delay from harvest to dinner table, sugars turn to INDEX starches, plant cells shrink and produce loses it vitality. LOCAL PRODUCE IS BETTER FOR YOU. Who is CT NOFA? ............................2 A recent study showed that fresh produce loses nutrients quickly. Why is Organic important?................3 LOCAL FOOD PRESERVES GENETIC DIVERSITY. Local farms grow a huge number of varieties to provide a long season of harvest, an Why is locally grown important? ......3 array of eye-catching colors and the best flavors. LOCAL FOOD IS GMO FREE. What does Certified Organic mean? 4 Small and local farms are less likely to use genetically engineered seeds. What is the Farmer’s Pledge?..............4 LOCAL FOOD SUPPORTS LOCAL FARM FAMILIES. Local farmers who sell direct to customers get full price for their food. What is an Accredited Organic LOCAL FOOD BUILDS COMMUNITY. Land Care Professional? ....................4 When you buy direct from the farmer, you are re-establishing a time-honored connection between the eater and the grower. Farm, Food & Land Care Listings LOCAL FOOD PRESERVES OPEN SPACE. When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive about Litchfield County ........................5 preserving the agricultural landscape. Fairfield County............................5 LOCAL FOOD KEEPS YOUR TAXES IN CHECK. Farms contribute more in taxes than they require in services. New Haven County ....................6 LOCAL FOOD SUPPORTS A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT AND BENEFITS WILDLIFE. Middlesex County ........................7 A well-managed family farm is a place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued and the perfect environment for many species of wildlife. Hartford County ..........................8 LOCAL FOOD IS ABOUT THE FUTURE. Tolland County ............................9 By supporting local farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow. Windham County ........................9 Adapted from the MFA Digest. New London County..................12 10 REASONS TO EAT ORGANIC FOOD Statewide Map ............................10-11 PROTECT FUTURE GENERATIONS Farmers Markets ..............................14 The food choice you make now will impact your child’s health in the future. PREVENT SOIL EROSION CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture)15 Soil is the foundation of the food chain in organic farming. Product Index..............................16-17 PROTECT WATER QUALITY Water makes up two-third of our body mass and covers three-fourths of the planet. Upcoming Special Events ................18 SAVE ENERGY Organic produce also tends to travel a shorter distance from the farm to your plate. Join CT NOFA ................................19 KEEP CHEMICALS OFF YOUR PLATE Now the EPA considers that 60 percent of all herbicides, 90 percent of all fungicides Items for sale from CT NOFA ........20 and 30 percent of all insecticides are carcinogenic. PROTECT FARM WORKER’S HEALTH An estimated 1 million people are poisoned annually by pesticides. HELP SMALL FARMERS Most organic farms are small independently owned and operated family farms of less than 100 acres. SUPPORT A TRUE ECONOMY Conventional food prices do not reflect hidden cost borne by taxpayers, including nearly $74 billion in federal subsidies in 1988. Other hidden costs include pesticide regulation and testing, hazardous waste disposal and clean up, and environmental damage. PROMOTE BIODIVERSITY Biodiversity is nature’s way of creating resilience. Organic methods encourage a diversity of crops, soil organisms and beneficial insects. TO TASTE BETTER FLAVOR There’s a good reasons many chefs use organic foods in their recipes. They taste better. AND THIS JUST IN, ORGANIC FARMING HELPS COMBAT GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE! ~3~ WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CERTIFIED ORGANIC? A Certified Organic farm is in compliance with the National Organic Program (NOP) standards and has been inspected and certified by an accredited USDA Farmer’s Pledge 2004 (United States Department of Agriculture) certifying agent. WE PLEDGE THAT IN OUR FARMING, PROCESSING, Certified Organic products have AND MARKETING WE WILL: been grown/raised without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, • Reject the use of synthetic insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and growth hormones, irradiation, or fertilizers; genetic engineering. The certification process is rigorous • Reject the use of GMO’s, chemically treated seeds, synthetic toxic and requires extensive record materials, irradiation, and sewage sludge; keeping, payment of an annual fee, • Treat livestock humanely by providing pasture for ruminants, access to and an annual inspection. For additional information on the outdoors and fresh air for all livestock, banning cruel alterations, and NOP, please visit the USDA at using no hormones or antibiotic in feed; www.ams.usda.gov/nop • Support agricultural markets and infrastructures that enable small farms WHAT IS THE FARMER’S PLEDGE? to thrive; The Farmer’s Pledge is a • Maintain healthy soils by farming practices that include rotating crops commitment to farming, annually, using compost, cover crops, and green manures, and reducing marketing, and farm management tillage; in accordance with the set of sound ecological

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