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Columbus Monthly Magazine Features Urban Farmers

The November issue of Columbus Monthly Magazine includes an article on several urban farmers in Columbus.  The article highlights the backyard chicken movement in urban areas and the emergence of small farms on the near fringes of the city.

The magazine is available at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Barnes and Noble and other newstands around town. Visit the magazine’s site for a list of newstands.

ECDI Launches Kitchen Incubator Program

The Economic and Community Development Institute has been helping entrepreneurs in Columbus to start up and grow their businesses for the past five years. ECDI is now currently rolling out a new program to provide a wider range of development assistance. Their new Growing Entrepreneurs Initiative is launching with a focus on food-related industries and provides assistance to folks looking to take their kitchen ideas and turn them into a full time business.

Columbusunderground.com interviews Bob Leighty and Amy Szabo recently to talk about this new “Kitchen Incubator” program and what it can mean both for entrepreneurs as well as the community as a whole.

http://www.columbusunderground.com/ecdi-launches-kitchen-incubator-program

Opportunity for Ohio Produce Growers to Learn About Food Safety Issues

Ohio producers of fresh fruits and vegetables have an opportunity to attend a Listening Session to hear about the various groups who are working to address the proposed changes to how local food is produced in Ohio.  This listening session provides the opportunity for growers to hear from experts in the food safety arena.  Speaker will include researchers for Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center (OARDC), The Ohio Produce Growers and Marketers Association (OPGMA), and Dr. Karl Kolb, Chief Science Officer, The High Sierra Group.  Participants will hear from these experts information about current regulations and the proposed changes to these regulations.  Information will also be shared about what Ohio is doing to ensure the sustainability of Ohio’s produce growers.  The Listening Session will be held on Oct. 19, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Ohio Department of Agriculture in Reynoldsburg.  For more information please contact Christie Welch, Farmers’ Market Specialist with the Ohio State University South Centers via e-mail welch.183@osu.edu or via telephone to 740-289-2071 ext. 234.

Winter Farmers Market Season is Coming

You can still enjoy great locally produced food direct from the farmer or artisan this winter.  Plan to visit Columbus’ 3 winter farmers markets. There’s one near you or better yet visit all of them.

Columbus Winter Farmer’s Market will be held selected Saturdays 10 am – 1 pm.  Opens Nov. 14, 2009 to April 17, 2010 in the Fellowship Hall at 93 West Weisheimer Rd. Columbus 43214. See their schedule at http://columbuswinterfarmersmarket.com

The winter Pearl Market will be held every Tuesday and Friday from 10:30am-2pm Opens November 3 through February 26 on the first floor of 20 E. Broad St. downtown.
http://www.downtowncolumbus.com/pearlmarket

Olde Worthington Indoor Winter Farmers Market
Opens Saturday, November 21, 2009,  10 am – 1pm held at
Griswold Center 777 High Street, NW corner of Rt. 161 & High Street
http://www.owba.net/winter_farmers_market.htm

Ohio Issue 2 – Livestock Care Standards Board

In considering how to vote on Issue 2 (on creating a Livestock Care Standards Board for Ohio) I initially felt that a constitutional amendment was inappropriate for an issue that should be dealt with by the Ohio Legislature and the U.S. and Ohio Departments of Agriculture. According to an article in the  Columbus Dispatch:

Columbus Nourishing Connections Group

The newly formed Columbus Weston A. Price Chapter is organizing. Meet others in the Columbus area and surrounding counties who want to become more educated on the nutritional benefits of eating whole foods and how to prepare and preserve them. This includes locally and naturally grown, organic meat, vegetables and dairy and where to find this food.

via Columbus Nourishing Connections (Columbus, OH) – Meetup.com.

Support the Next Generation of Sustainable and Organic Farmers and Ranchers!

Support the Next Generation of Sustainable and Organic Farmers and Ranchers! Tell USDA to Stop Delaying Implementation of the CRP Transition Option for Beginning and Minority Producers! Change happens at the transition.  An aging farmer population, a new generation of farmers desperate for access to land, 4.2 million acres of land about to come out of the Conservation Reserve Program, and a growing consumer demand for  food grown by sustainable and organic producers, together present a tremendous opportunity to transform our food system.

FARRMS Grant for organic and transitioning farms

FARRMS Grant
This grant can be used for a variety of projects or expenses, but should be directly related to the farming operation, including but not limited to: fencing, computers, seed, irrigation, equipment, etc. The program is available to farms that are certified organic or actively transitioning into organic production; Non-certified projects on the organic farm – for example a free range poultry operation that isn’t certified; Growers whose gross sales are under $5000 who meet the NOP organic rule but do not need to be certified. http://www.farrms.org/prog.html

Guide for Opening Farmers’ Markets on Federal Property

Guide for Opening Farmers’ Markets on Federal Property
The U. S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service released “Opening a Farmers Market on Federal Property: A Guide for Market Operators and Building Managers” (PDF/262KB). The publication was jointly published by the Urban Development/Good Neighbor Program of General Services Administration, which administers most federal buildings. This publication discusses the issues involved in locating a farmers’ market on federal property: security, insurance needs, parking, the use of utilities and amenities, and all the other things you need to consider. It tells who to contact for information, points to some helpful government Web sites and offices, and offers case studies of successful farmers’ markets on public property. http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5079490&acct=wdmgeninfo