Valley Futures

How can Vermont build strong local and regional food systems, create jobs in the food and farm economy, and improve access to healthy local food? The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund has laid out an impressive road map for the next 10 years of agricultural development with the release of the Farm to Plate (F2P) Strategic Plan in January 2011. Ellen Kahler, Executive Director of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, will lead this presentation to discuss the findings of the Initiative’s exhaustive 18-month research project and present their strategies to increase jobs and enterprises in the farm and food sector and ramp up local food production and consumption in Vermont and regions beyond our borders. Current Mad River Valley initiatives will be discussed. Go to the project website (here) to read the report in advance of the meeting. This presentation is cosponsored by the Mad River Valley Localvore Project and the Mad River Valley Planning District.

Tags: Agriculture, Announcements, Business by Joshua Schwartz
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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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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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For several months, our 16-year-old neighbor Dan O’Shaughnessy has been crafting a magnificent 500 tap sugaring operation in the woods on and adjacent to our little 3 acree homestead property – historically, a rich area full of maples ripe for tapping. Two weeks ago, the sugaring began in earnest, and Dan has already collected more than 2,000 gallons of sap, boiling off the excess for more than fifty gallons of the sweet stuff.

It is a wonderful success story – Dan is a focused and hard-working young dude with a vision, he’s had plenty of support from a whole extended family and community here in Mad River, and even the Harwood Union High School up the road a few miles is giving him some academic credit for his work after school out in the land.
In a praiseworthy article, the New York Post just celebrated our local sugarmakers, in a recent article about "Sugaring," profiling both Dave and Paul Hartshorn and Dan’s operations. It’s sugaring time! Here’s a quick 6 minute look at Dan’s whole operation…

Tags: Agriculture, Arts and Media, Business by Rob Williams
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Author and analyst Michael Shuman gave a provocative talk on relocalizing businesses at the Vermont Statehouse on Tuesday, November 18.

His lecture is full of useful ideas – follow the link below to the whole talk.

Tags: Business by Rob Williams
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