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.

Our site has moved to a new and improved location. Please go to http://localfoodcolumbus.org/

See you there!

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

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.

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

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:

“The board would have far-reaching powers to set standards for livestock and poultry care, food safety, supply and availability, disease prevention, farm management, and animal well-being. It would have minimal legislative oversight.”
Read the Full Story

That’s too much power for a single entity and it would circumvent the democratic public comment process we are used to in regulation of this type.

Regardless of how you feel about specific standards for raising livestock. There are some good reasons why supporters of sustainable agriculture and transparent,  accountable government should vote against Issue 2.

Upon reading the position of OEFFA (Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association) I was glad to see they had a similar reason for opposing it. Here is OEFFA’s statement:

Vote No on Issue 2!
OEFFA affirms the importance of livestock in sustainable agricultural production systems and in providing prosperity for Ohio’s farm families. OEFFA equally affirms the ethical imperative and economic rationality of the humane treatment of farm animals. As an accredited
organic certifier under the U.S.D.A., OEFFA Certification is responsible for the enforcement of standards for the humane treatment of livestock and poultry, as detailed in the National Organic Standards.

OEFFA does not support Issue 2, which will, by constitutional amendment, create a Livestock Care Standards Board for Ohio. We urge our members and voters to vote “No” on Issue 2.

Our opposition is based on the following points:

* The Ohio Constitution should not be used to create a Livestock Care Standards Board. This is not the role of the state Constitution, which exists to establish the structure and rules of our government. Agricultural operations are already subject to the jurisdiction of State
and Federal Departments of Agriculture.

* The proposed constitutional amendment would give the Livestock Board the ability to make wide-ranging decisions related to farms and food in Ohio that have the force of law. Any future changes to the Livestock Board would require a new constitutional amendment.
We instead encourage a process that promotes citizen input, transparent debate, flexibility, and accountability.

* The amendment serves the economic interests of factory farms,1 opening the door for the proliferation of these Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in Ohio. We oppose such facilities due to resulting air and water quality degradation from handling massive quantities
of manure. These operations encourage the routine use of antibiotics in livestock, which threatens the preservation of antibiotics for human use.

* The amendment emphasizes the need of the livestock industry to provide “affordable food,” yet ignores its hidden costs, including environmental contamination, human health impacts, and the loss of rural communities. Given that today’s farmers receive only about 20 cents
from each dollar spent on meat or poultry, our efforts are better spent controlling costs after the product leaves the farm, thereby benefiting both farmers and consumers.

For all these reasons, OEFFA opposes Issue 2. We applaud our members and others who produce livestock and do so using practices that allow them to safeguard the health of their animals, the environment, and Ohio’s citizens.

For more information about Issue 2, go to http://www.ohioact.org

Know How and Where to Vote
Here’s some helpful information from the Ohio Secretary of State that will help you navigate the voting process:Registering to Vote
In order to be eligible to vote on November 3, you must register to vote no later than October 5. A completed voter registration form must be postmarked or submitted in person to your Board of Elections, the Secretary of State’s office, any public high school, or any public library by October 5. A voter registration form is available at http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/upload/publications/election/VRform.pdf.

Ways You Can Vote
Voting on Election Day—As always, you can vote in person on election day with a valid form of identification. To find your polling place, go to http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/pollinglocation.aspx?page=361

Early Voting—You can vote in person with a valid form of identification from September 29-November 2 at your local County Board of Elections. To find your County Board of Elections, go to http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/elections/boeDirectory.aspx

Absentee Voting—You can vote by mail through October 31. To request an absentee ballot, to go http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/upload/elections/forms/11-A.pdf

For more information about voting, contact the Ohio Secretary of State’s office at (877) 889-6446 or visit their website at http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/

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.

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
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