Valley Futures

A Valley Futures Network Task Team has been formed to look at the question: would a local entrepreneurial Food and Agriculture Business Initiative work in the Valley and if so what might it look like? The Team is sponsoring some upcoming talks in the next months that bring in people from other towns that are doing similar initiatives.

On February 10th Andrew Meyer from the Center for an Agricultural Community will talk about their initiative in Hardwick.
The event will take place at the Big Picture on 2/10 from 6:30-9pm with coffee/dessert.

Tags: Agriculture, Announcements by Joshua Schwartz
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Based on the success of this past fall’s MRV focused UVM course, Local Community Initiatives, instructor Chip Sawyer is planning a second round in the fall of 2010. Now is the time to start planning the course, and more importantly, brainstorming potential projects.

The UVM course Local Community Initiatives is a service-learning course that allows undergraduate and graduate students to contribute to community projects in the Mad River Valley.  This course will be held in the fall of 2010.  The course was very successful and valuable for both students and Mad River Valley residents, alike, in the fall of 2009.  The final project reports are available at the Mad River Valley Planning District website at http://www.mrvpd.org/DocumentsLibrary.php.

Please see attached the course description and the list of expectations for students and project partners.

During the first weeks of the course, the students will choose from among 3-5 projects in the Mad River Valley.  Now is the time for interested community members to propose projects.  The projects will be compiled by the Mad River Valley Planning District and the Valley Futures Network.  A steering committee made up the of the course instructor, the Executive Director of the Mad River Valley Planning District, members of the Valley Futures Network, and other Mad River Valley community members will consider the projects submitted and choose a list to be proposed to the students.

Projects will be chosen based on:

• the likelihood of a project to be completed by students in the fall and winter of 2010;
• the learning potential that a project presents to the students and community partners;
• the extent to the which the project will contribute to efforts and partnerships going forward; and
• the impact that the project could have upon the Mad River Valley.

The deadline for projects is March 15th.

UVM Project Submittal Form Fall 2010.doc

List of Projects (originally compiled for Fall 2009 class)

Tags: Agriculture, Announcements, Energy by Joshua Schwartz
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Here’s a good luck at the very first deer to be weighed at the Village Grocery in downtown Waitsfield. A beaut – shot up near the Moretown Common road. Be safe out there, everyone, and happy hunting!

Tags: Agriculture, Habitat by Rob Williams
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“NUMEN” FILM SCREENING!: Montpelier’s SAVOY at 7:00 on Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11.

I have sat through many “talking head” documentaries in my years as a film reviewer, but never before have I found so much to laugh, cry and think about as when I screened “Numen: The Nature of Plants” for the first time just a few days ago.

Terrence Youk and Ann Armbrecht’s wonderful new 95 minute film explores the world of plants, their healing powers, and their central importance (largely forgotten, in this day and age) in providing us with the very building blocks of human civilization, from sustenance to healing. The word “numen” refers to the animating spirit or power infused in an object, and the film makes an impressive argument for reconsidering just how significant “plant power” is. “Herbalism is our oldest system of healing on the planet,” observes rock-star herbalist Rosemary Gladstar (if you’ve never heard of her, get your head out of the drug store aisle and medicine closet and pay attention). “Most parts of the world where you travel today you’ll still find people practicing some remnant of traditional herbalism.”

And “Numen” seems to have found some of the most eloquent herbalist voices from around the world to speak on behalf of the plants, along with many other plant-loving people. Like any good documentary, “Numen” assembles an impressive cast of thoughtful characters: medical doctors like Larry Dossey (editor of EXPLORE: The Journal of Science and Healing); citizen activists like BIONEERS founder Kenny Ausubel; and even Maine-based herbal practitioners like Deb Soule. Youk and Armbrecht have done their research and their homework, capturing, in tightly-edited and thoughtful fashion, why plants matter so much.

But what really sets “Numen” apart is the balance of playfulness and candor with which the filmmakers approach their subject. “Numen” opens, for example, with a sped-up time-lapse sequence of plant shoots literally exploding from the ground, accompanied by a catchy funk-driven electric guitar. I was caught completely by surprise, and totally hooked. In another sequence, we see a sped-up “shopping cart camera” view of a modern grocery store, with harried consumers completely detached from the sources of their food. Refreshingly, there are some moving scenes, too – one researcher, for example, breaks down on camera as he reflects on the sheer beauty and mystery of the plant world. In another interview, a traditional herbalist from Hawai’i grapples with the “deep history” and cultural connections she shares with the plants. “Numen” is filled with powerful moments like these.

The special effects and animation work in “Numen,” too, is impressive – taking us on both a micro (inside the plants themselves) and macro (consider the planet from space) tour explaining why plants matter.

Perhaps the best part of the “Numen” experience, though, is how hopeful, positive, and forward-thinking a film it is. In an era when there is so much to be concerned about – peak oil, climate change, the endless “war on terror,” economic downturns, “too-big-to-fail” banksters, and that constant migraine headache that over-the-counter meds can’t quite chase away, “Numen” reminds us that the answers to many of these problems, magically enough, is growing all around us. It is our job, as 21st century citizens inhabiting a finite planet experiencing “limits to growth,” to reconnect with “plant wisdom.” If “Numen” provides the inspiration for us as audience members to root ourselves once again in the earth and amongst the plants, it will have provided an incredibly valuable service to our struggling 21st century world.

Tags: Agriculture, Arts and Media by Rob Williams
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Where does what we eat come from?

This seems like it ought to be an easy question to answer.

Not so, in this day and age, according to a new documentary film called Food, Inc.

“The way we eat has changed more in the past 50 years than in the last 10,000 years,” explains the film’s introduction, “but the image we see is still the image of agrarian America.”

Beyond the pretty but misleading pictures put forth by the corporate brand managers from Tyson, Smithfield, Cargill, ADM and Perdue– good-looking farmers, happy animals, clean and green landscapes– is a disturbing and largely untold story about the nature of the United States’ 21st century industrial factory food system. Director Robert Kenner has served up one of the most vital and provocative new documentaries of this year. In Food, Inc, he assembles an all-star cast – Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser, Omnivore’s Dilemma author Michael Pollan (hero to localvores everywhere), and a variety of farm folks who are doing the hard work at ground zero of our modern “farming” system.

Uniformity, conformity, and cheapness are the 3 words that define our early 21st century food system, according to Schlosser.

And wheat, corn, and soybeans, Pollan tells us, are the three commodity crops that drive the 21st century U.S. farming system, producing food that is high in unhealthy fats and high fructose corn syrup, but very cheap at the pump, cash-wise, for the consumer.

But let’s not call it farming, oh no. To call it “farming” is to make a mockery of the term.

It is an industry.

Like any other factory, the goal of our 21st century industrial food system is simple: mass production to maximize profit at the cheapest consumer price per unit as possible, while externalizing all other social values – humane treatment of animals, equity for workers and farmers, and the health of both the land and the human body. “Our food is coming from enormous assembly lines,” Pollan observes, “and both the animals and the workers are being abused.”

Food Inc. is full of fascinating facts – “the modern American supermarket has on average 47,000 products” – as well as Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser’s trademark well-researched wit and wisdom.

Pollan’s assessment of corn as the uber-element of your typical 21st century American’s diet, for example, is as fascinating as it is disturbing. “Cows are not evolutionarily designed to eat corn,” Pollan wryly observes. “The only reason we feed cows corn is because corn is really cheap, and it make cows fat quickly.” Lots of American cows. Millions, in fact. And, oh, by the way – only 13 slaughterhouses, according to Schlosser, process the majority of beef in the United States. Can you say “Let us render Mad Cow”?

And a high corn diet – think “fructose” and then check the ingredients in just about any packaged supermarket item – makes American people fat, too, as well as exposing them to E Coli and other pathogens that lead to national health scares, illness, and death. But the factory system has a “solution” – cleanse processed meat with ammonia to try and kill the E Coli. Um, genius.

And, as Schlosser explains, the USDA and other federal agencies, charged with looking out for Americans’ food safety, have become little more than “captive regulators,” run by individuals from the very industries these agencies are supposed to be watch dogging. “We put our faith in the government to protect us,” observes one tearful mother, who lost a son to a food outbreak and has since become a dedicated citizen activist working to pass Kevin’s Law, calling on the USDA to shut down meat factories who continually produce contaminated meat. “And the very agencies charged with doing so don’t help us.”

There are heroes in this film, too – notably farmer Joel Salatin of Virginia’s Polyface Farms, who runs a grass-fed farm operation that has become quite well-known in agricultural and foodie circles, thanks to Pollan’s writing and Salatin’s own combination of outspokenness and smarts, as a farmer, a businessman, an author and a citizen.

“Our system has been built on faster, fatter, bigger, cheaper, and we have allowed ourselves to become so disconnected and ignorant about something so important as the food we eat,” Salatin says while processing chickens in a tent on his farm. “The FDA tried to shut our open-air operation down because they claimed it was unsanitary. What is that about?”

Point(s) taken.

So what’s a concerned American citizen to do? Grow your own food as you can. Buy local whenever possible. Get to know your food, and the farmer who produced it. Invest your money locally as often as you can. Educate yourself about your food choices. And throw yourself into the fight for a more humane food system.

For we are, quite literally, what we eat.

Tags: Agriculture, Arts and Media, Business, Energy by Rob Williams
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Time is running out to get in on our semi-annual Quebec Oat Order.  The next order will not be until early winter!  $22 for a 25 pound bag.  Pick up in Addison County, Essex, Waitsfield or Montpelier.  To learn more and to order go to:  http://www.vermontlocalvore.org/foodsources/oats.html.

Tags: Agriculture by Robin McDermott
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Hi Everyone!

I have been perplexed about how I was going to get to the Farmers’ Market AND the parade this weekend.  Perhaps you are perplexed too??Robin McDermott
Mad River Valley Localvore Project
 
So, I checked with several of the farmers and here is what they have said about the market this coming weekend.
 
————————————————————————————-
Gaylord Farm:  We will be there early and stay as long as we continue to have customers and veggies and meat.  Our farm stand will be open on Friday and we will stock it with vegetables as well.
 
Hartshorn/Santa Davida:  I am always at the market early.  We will sell till we sellout on Saturday.  The farmstand will be open on Saturday only for PYO strawberries.
 
Tunbridge told me last Saturday that they will be there early and will be at the market until the regular ending time of 1pm.  Both Wendy AND Jean will be there!
 
Old Shaw Farm:  We will officially be at the market from 9 to 1, but we are usually there, ready to go, about 8am.
 
Frozen Butcher:  I plan to be there early (6:45 am), all set up and ready to boogie about an hour after that. Staying later, if there is business, is NO PROBLEM.  I also will be having a sale on ground beef and sirloin tip
 
Three Shepherds Cheese:  We are definitely staying late and may come early as well.
————————————————————————————-
 
It sounds to me like there will be ample opportunity to get to the market this Saturday – either before or after the parade!
 
Enjoy the holiday weekend!

Tags: Agriculture by Robin McDermott
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Richard Czaplinski generously shares knowledge from 30 years of homesteading. Produced as part of PocSun’s, (Post Carbon Sustainability Network), a two year project to encourage the building of individual and community root cellars in Central Vermont. Richard would like to thank Scott Sawyer for his fine work formatting and adding photographs.

Click here to download the PDF.

Tags: Agriculture by Craig Goss
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From the Twitterverse – some 140 character summaries of the Round Barn “Tweet Up” held last night. Thanks to Candace Page at the Burlington Free Press for her coverage, as well.

Signgal@roundbarnfarm Fantastic tweetup! I expected hors d oeuvres, you fed us dinner! With table linens and $1 ginger ales. Thank U!!!22 minutes ago from web

SigngalMet the @bobbin Mama’s at @roundbarnfarm last night, too.They sew, they craft, they make shopping bags out of t-shirts. Terrific!12 minutes ago from web

likebeer@roundbarnfarm If you think you can help with our wedding you can DM or email me what you have in mind, maybe you can cut me a deal?11 minutes ago from Tweetie in reply to roundbarnfarm

SigngalJesse, aka @chelseagreen, gave us the lowdown on how to us Twitter at the @roundbarnfarm Tweetup.He’s a good person to follow. #VT #BTV4 minutes ago from web

http://twitpic.com/63850 – crowd watching demo by @thebobbin (fabric recyling)about 10 hours ago from TwitPic

http://twitpic.com/637r5 – #VT Tweetup agenda… (food, IMO, better draw than ’social media’)about 10 hours ago from TwitPic

http://twitpic.com/637jy – Back from the #VT tweetup at Round Barn. The food line (I got there late)about 10 hours ago from TwitPic

Just got home from Round Barn Tweetup. My belly is full of great local food and my mind is inspired-one of my favorite combinations. Janiipeterson

tweeting up at the Round Barn in Waitsfield with other localvore tweeters. great local food, great music, wonderful peeps priruda

tweeting up at the Round Barn in Waitsfield with other localvore tweeters. great local food, great music, wonderful peeps feedmenow

http://twitpic.com/62sqp – nice turnout for the vt localvore tweetup – music, food, prizes & lots of tweeting the 2 story round barn … innkeepers

Here we are at the great Vermont locavore tweetup. The round barn farm is gorgeous! chelseagreen

Great Tweetup last night hosted by @roundbarnfarm!! Food was awesome! Thanks! Met some terrific folks and thought the format was inspired!
vtpcwizard Thu 28 May 06:26 via web

@roundbarnfarm So who ARE the hunky guys in your avatar? They ain’t you owners. ‘Fess up, please. We all want to know.

follownathan@roundbarnfarm – the tweetup was a smash! worked out perfectly for me and my journey! I look forward to staying in touch! I love #VTabout 7 hours ago from TweetDeck

edwardshepardrt: @hellosmalldog Thank you to @roundbarnfarm for an awesome gathering! Classiest tweetup ever. (I was there, it truly was fun!)about 8 hours ago from web

hellosmalldogThank you to @roundbarnfarm for an awesome gathering! Classiest tweetup ever. Also great to meet other #VT people & businesses!about 8 hours ago from web

north100RT @VermontCanoe: @roundbarnfarm We’re here. Serious food on the table from local farms & restaurants. Good live trio. Life is good. & yummyabout 8 hours ago from TweetDeck

JambutterThree cheers for Charlie (@roundbarnfarm), @hellosmalldog, @chelseagreen and @americanfbread for a great night at #VT tweetup. Great time!about 8 hours ago from Power Twitter

sryusenThanks 2 @roundbarnfarm for the amazing evening, @hellosmalldog for the fab goodies and 2 all for making me feel lucky to love where I live.about 9 hours ago from TweetDe

VTFlame@roundbarnfarm thanks so much for hosting – great to see old and new friends tooabout 9 hours ago from web in reply to roundbarnfarm

GrunbergHausVTMany thanks to @roundbarnfarm for an outstanding tweetup tonight. Very generous of you to share your beautiful facility.about 9 hours ago from web

north100Big thanks to @roundbarnfarm & all the folks who put together a great Vermont Localvore Tweetup event & to @cocodowley for the ride!about 9 hours ago from TweetDeck

SustainableComm@roundbarnfarm Thank you!!about 9 hours ago from web in reply to roundbarnfarm

DeepDishCreates@feedmenow Great chatting with you @roundbarnfarm Tweetup! Keep an eye out for: http://www.bakonvodka.com/about 9 hours ago from TweetDeck

likebeer@roundbarnfarm Had an amazing time at the Locavore Tweetup thanks for hosting it, met some very interesting Tweeps.about 9 hours ago from Tweetie in reply to roundbarnfarm

LifelineReaderthanks to the staff @hellosmalldog for providing computers for the tweetup @roundbarnfarm AND for answering my questions about my new I-Mac!about 9 hours ago from web

LifelineReaderJust met some real nice people at @roundbarnfarm localvore tweetup. @VermontCanoe @cocodowley @north100 and many other great tweeple.about 9 hours ago from web

Fiestavus@vtherbandsalad good to catch up with you guys at the @roundbarnfarm tweet-up, let’s do dinner SOONabout 10 hours ago from TwitterGadget

FiestavusThanks 2 @roundbarnfarm for the gr8 tweet-up, good to see the local tweeps #vt http://trunc.it/ac2babout 10 hours ago from TwitterGadget

north100The Vermont Localvore Tweetup @roundbarnfarm was just wonderful! Gorgeous setting, incredible food, & awesome ppl that make VT so special!about 10 hours ago from web

DeepDishCreates@vtexchange Great chatting with you on the way out the door @roundbarnfarm Tweetup! Next one: http://twtvite.com/d4ixbrabout 10 hours ago from TweetDeck

happyhollowvt@roundbarnfarm Thanks for a fun evening! Just joining the twitter world and learned lots. I missed the yak sausage, though, bummer!about 10 hours ago from web in reply to roundbarnfarm

callmelou@roundbarnfarm Had a wonderful time at tonight’s locavore tweetup! Thanks so much for hosting.about 10 hours ago from twhirl in reply to roundbarnfarm

amykirschnerhttp://twitpic.com/638lk – Lilacs still in bloom @roundbarnfarm in Waitsfield. GREAT localvore tweetup tonight!about 10 hours ago from TwitPic

VTExchangehttp://twitpic.com/638h2 – A foggy night @roundbarnfarm for localvore tweetupabout 10 hours ago from TwitPic

DeepDishCreates@roundbarnfarm GREAT Locavore Tweetup tonight – you’ve raised the bar for tweetups – thanks!about 10 hours ago from TweetDeck

VTExchangehttp://twitpic.com/638au – Great localvore tweetup @roundbarnfarm tonight. The agenda…about 10 hours ago from TwitPic

innkeepershttp://twitpic.com/634ev – just got to see the grounds @roundbarnfarm from the secret top of their silo… very cool #paiiabout 11 hours ago from TwitPic

MadmotionIs sorry to miss the @roundbarnfarm Tweet Up.about 11 hours ago from web

follownathanAt the @roundbarnfarm tweetup in #vt wearing dark flannel and black @TOMS shoes – 1st one to find me gets a free drink on me!about 12 hours ago from web

thisisjaceWishing I was able to make the Tweetup @roundbarnfarm, tonight. I’m at the next one, def!about 12 hours ago from web

mstonervt@roundbarnfarm Just landed SFO, thinking of Tweetup. Have a great time!about 12 hours ago from txt

AndreaLearned@roundbarnfarm, great tweetup! w/@monkeyhousemama @sryusen@kilgoreleslie. Who knew #vt has so many tweeters?about 12 hours ago from web

jkvt@roundbarnfarm any photos from the TweetUp for those of us still stuck at work?about 12 hours ago from web in reply to roundbarnfarm

augustfirstat Localvore Tweetup @roundbarnfarm. Great meal of fiddleheads, misty knoll chicken… Nice to see faces behind tweets! #btvabout 13 hours ago from web

laurzRT @theshorehaminn: Feeling quite sad about missing the big tweetup @roundbarnfarm. Can almost hear the fun from here. (Me too)about 13 hours ago from UberTwitter

JaneLindholmAt the TweetUp @roundbarnfarm in Warren. What a place! And as a Twitter neophyte (still), quite an event!about 13 hours ago from web

theshorehaminnFeeling quite sad about missing the big tweetup @roundbarnfarm. Can almost hear the fun from here.about 13 hours ago from TweetDeck

thebobbin@roundbarnfarm for the Tweet up. It’s so cool to meet the peeps behind the tweets!about 13 hours ago from Tweetie

BirdDivaKickin’ it at localvore tweetup @roundbarnfarm WOW!

hellosmalldog@roundbarnfarm tweetup! http://yfrog.com/0xt7ujabout 14 hours ago from Tweetie

VermontCanoe@roundbarnfarm We’re here. Serious food on the table from local farms and restaurants. Good live trio. Life is good..and yummy.about 14 hours ago from web in reply to roundbarnfarm

e_to_the_m@roundbarnfarm Good luck with the tweet-up tonight. Wish I could be there.about 14 hours ago from Tweetie in reply to roundbarnfarm

jacksonlatka@roundbarnfarm Wish I could be there. Sounds great!about 14 hours ago from web in reply to roundbarnfarm

innkeepershttp://twitpic.com/62pcf – just checked into Joslin room @roundbarnfarm – beautiful! check out the bath! about to check out their great …about 14 hours ago from TwitPic

swichi293Headed to the waitsfield #tweetup @roundbarnfarm #btvabout 15 hours ago from Tweetie

DeepDishCreatesHeading out to the Locavore Tweetup @roundbarnfarm. http://bit.ly/7p6hNabout 15 hours ago from TweetDeck

VoicesVTWhat does a healthy watershed mean 4 good food? Tell me 2nite @roundbarnfarm Tweetup! http://bit.ly/7p6hN #vtabout 17 hours ago from TwitterBerry

augustfirstHappily heading to the Valley tonight to meet up with locatweeetavores! @roundbarnfarm pingg.com http://bit.ly/169z03about 17 hours ago from bit.ly

Signgal@roundbarnfarm Fantastic tweetup! I expected hors d oeuvres, you fed us dinner! With table linens and $1 ginger ales. Thank U!!!22 minutes ago from web

SigngalMet the @bobbin Mama’s at @roundbarnfarm last night, too.They sew, they craft, they make shopping bags out of t-shirts. Terrific!12 minutes ago from web

likebeer@roundbarnfarm If you think you can help with our wedding you can DM or email me what you have in mind, maybe you can cut me a deal?11 minutes ago from Tweetie in reply to roundbarnfarm

SigngalJesse, aka @chelseagreen, gave us the lowdown on how to us Twitter at the @roundbarnfarm Tweetup.He’s a good person to follow. #VT #BTV4 minutes ago from web

Tags: Agriculture, Arts and Media, Business by Rob Williams
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Got Twitter? – Round Barn Chef Charlie Menard Hosts the Very First “Tweet Up” in Mad River Valley’s History

Ashton’s doing it.

Oprah’s doing it.

Britney’s doing it.

And more and more Vermonters are doing it.

The “it” in question is “Twitter,” of course, a new, popular and free Web 2.0 micro-blogging application that allows its users to build networks of “followers” who email each other 140 character messages about a whole range of topics of their choosing, ranging from the now-cliched “I had pancakes for breakfast – yum!” variety to breaking news about swine flu (“Hamthrax,” in one Twitter-led joke) and the latest local and national events (Seven Days journalist Shay Totten “tweeted” the entire legislative gay marriage hearing a few months ago, allowing his followers easy access to up-to-the-minute debates as they unfolded).

Critics are quick to call Twitter an epistemological train wreck, the latest example of a culture that has lost its mind to simplistic and silly trivialities. But Twitter users will tell you that the application is simply another fun and creative way to communicate, something the human animal never tires of doing.

One devoted Twitter user is Round Barn chef Charlie Menard (http://twitter.com/roundbarnfarm), who has organized the Mad River Valley’s very first “Tweet Up,” a fun foodie-driven event organized entirely through Twitter, to be held at the Round Barn on Wednesday, May 27 from 5-8 p.m.

“My interest in Twitter at first was pure curiosity,” explains Menard. “Once I started to find people with similar interests and to follow their tweets, I began to realize the power of community building that Twitter and social networking in general has.”

A “tweet” is simply a 140 character message send through Twitter. Popular “tweets” are “re-tweeted” by other Twitter users in their networks, amplifying the power of the message – in some cases, exponentially.

But of what value is Twitter to a Vermont chef?

“The Food community on Twitter is fantastic in general, and the Vermont “foody” presence is really amazing,” Menard explains. “You can get all sorts of news by following foodies—restaurant reviews, what a chef has just prepared for tonight’s special, what produce is coming out of gardens across the state, and of course the latest minute-by-minute news from events like the James Beard Awards.”

So what exactly is the purpose of a “Tweet Up”?

“The Tweet up is a mixer of sorts, an opportunity for our community to build and strengthen ties to our online neighbors, and a chance to meet the Tweeps behind the Tweets,” says Menard. “I know that there are some people that believe the future of Vermont is in its food. If we’re going to achieve that potential, we need to be a competitive presence in people’s lives and we also need to find a way to keep our young people in Vermont. I am truly inspired by the online community and I think that embracing the possibilities it offers will help us move forward.”

Find out more about Twitter at www.twitter.com.

Tags: Agriculture, Arts and Media, Business by Rob Williams
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