February 22, 2014 / by mcufone / Make A Comment / Filed under Organizational
Wow – today was amazing! We had 28 people come out on a beautiful Saturday morning in New Orleans, Louisiana to help us clean up the future site of our food and farm center, Growing Local NOLA. Working with New Orleans Food and Farm Network and NOLA Trash mob – we collected 14 bags of trash, 8 bags of recycling, 11 tires and a wide array of very unique objects – pulled from dirt piles and around the lot.
Our contest for most interesting item was won with an almost entirely intact clarinet – each of the 3 pieces were found separately!
Runners up included a “treasure box”, a whisk, 2 matching boots, remnants of an electric beater, a carpet, a 
pedicure set, and a 1979 Zulu doubloon (for those of you unfamiliar with Mardi Gras terminology – this is a colorful wooden or metal coin each “Krewe” makes to commemorate their annual participation in Carnival).
Winner of the largest piece of trash went to Jordan Bantuelle of the Urban Farmstead – he found a giant (and we mean GIANT) realtor sign. Debra Surtain, master gardener, also won a prize for helping to recruit the most people for the event.
We had an abundance of healthy snacks to fuel our cleanup team – fresh fruits, granola bars and yogurt, along with plenty of beverages to keep everyone hydrated – all natural orange and apple juices and LOTS of cold water.
Many thanks to everyone who participated – we are so grateful for your support!
February 5, 2014 / by mcufone / Make A Comment / Filed under In the News
Both the House and Senate of the U.S. Congress have now passed the same version of the Agriculture Act of 2014, the reauthorization of the law commonly known as the Farm Bill. President Obama is expected to sign the legislation, making it law soon. The new Farm Bill comes with changes not just for farmers, but also for children, low-income communities and many others nationwide on food access and quality.
While the Bill includes some important provisions, after a more than 2-year wait for its finalization, it is not what it could or should be. Among its weaknesses is the failure to formally recognize recirculating farming as an expanding part of U.S. agriculture. Farmers who use recirculating hydroponic, aquaculture and aquaponic methods for growing are building an innovative, eco-friendly industry to supplement other sustainable growing practices and transition our country from factory farming, back to a local food based system.
The Recirculating Farms Coalition is greatly disappointed that Congress missed this easy opportunity to acknowledge recirculating farming as a notable and meaningful contribution to U.S. agriculture and our food systems. We hope that President Obama will revisit this and other critical issues before the end of his final term in office, and show a type of forward-thinking leadership that is necessary for the U.S.
Read more about the 2014 Farm Bill.
January 30, 2014 / by mcufone / Make A Comment / Filed under In the News
The world’s biggest salmon farmer, Marine Harvest, will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, joining other companies that raise animals for food, like Tyson and Sanderson Farms. The company says the move is designed to help them attract more interest in aquaculture. “We want to grow even faster,” Marine Harvest Chief Executive Alf-Helge Aarskog said.
Norway’s fish-farming industry has seen rapid growth over the past 40 years, becoming the second-largest fish exporter after China as of the beginning of this decade. However, the company has seen many challenges – diseases, fish escapes, concerns with pollution – all problems associated with open water fish farming.
Interestingly, the Norway company’s news follows close behind an announcement from a new Canadian fish farm leading the way for the country to transition from open water salmon farming, toward land-based recirculating aquaculture because it is more sustainable.
Globally, open water aquaculture has been the subject of heated debate, including in the United States. Hawaii and the Gulf of Mexico in particular have seen battles over permits being considered under questionable legal circumstances (there is no regulatory regime in place in federal waters to allow fish farming). U.S. Congress had several bills introduced over time to set up a permitting structure for ocean aquaculture, but none of them made it out of committee, largely due to the strong public opposition from diverse interests.
The most current issue is that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (the government agency tasked with oceans management) is poised to approve regulations that for the first time would allow commercial ocean aquaculture permits to be issued in federal waters. People in the Gulf, still recovering from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil platform explosion and following massive oil spill, are understandably nervous about this. The idea of giant floating pens filled with fish eating, excreting and growing out in an already weakened and fragile Gulf where violent storms are not uncommon, seems unwise. It is easy to envision the waste, excess feed and the fish themselves, along with their structures strewn throughout the Gulf following even a mild hurricane. Commercial and recreational fishing groups, conservation and consumer organizations among others have all lodged their displeasure. Some plan to challenge the regulations when they are announced.
Learn more about open water aquaculture here.
January 22, 2014 / by mcufone / Make A Comment / Filed under In the News
Amid an enormous crowd of people gathered to celebrate the 8-year post Katrina reopening of the famous Circle Grocery in the 7th Ward, owner Dwayne Boudreaux, dressed in a bright yellow suit, asked, “Who would ever think that some crazy folks down in New Orleans would come out and be so excited about the opening of a grocery store?”
Lots of us, that’s who. In a city of approximately 369 thousand people, there are now just about 25 full service grocery stores, with several opening in recent years. If you do the math, that means nearly 15,000 people served per store; this is practically double the national average.
It’s ironic that a city so renown for it’s fine culinary traditions (think Cafe Du Monde beignets and chicory coffee, Creole and Cajun specialties, and that NOLA is home to well-publicized chefs like Emeril Lagasse and John Besh) also is one of the worst food deserts in the U.S. At a time when 1 of every 5 people nationwide say they struggle to afford food (and this doesn’t necessarily mean healthy fresh food), it’s again become a priority in many communities to create ways to better feed themselves. Various efforts throughout the Big Easy are now focused on this:
Hollygrove Market and Farm – this unique combination of community garden and market lives uptown off Carrollton Ave., one of the most traveled thoroughfares in the city. In addition to providing plots for people to grow their own gardens, staff collects fresh produce from various farms and brings it to the Hollygrove market for sale to the public.
Crescent City Farmers Market -is run by marketumbrella.org, a non-profit organization founded in 1995 as a part of the Twomey Center for Peace Through Justice at Loyola University New Orleans. The group hosts 3 weekly farm/fish markets in various locations throughout the city.
Grow Dat Youth Farm – is a farming youth training program that uses agriculture to inspire people to undertake personal, social and environmental change in their own communities. The farm produces healthy food for sale to local residents.
and several other in-progress projects:
HECK of a Neighborhood Grocery – (short for: The Health Education Center, Organic Farm And Neighborhood Grocery) is a vision for a fresh, affordable and healthy food grocery store in Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. The founders plan to establish a farm that would help to supply the store.
Develop Abundance – a planned aquaponic farm (raising fish to provide nutrients to grow various leafy greens) in the Lower Ninth Ward.
and our own Growing Local NOLA – an urban food and farm center located in Central City. The facility has two pieces – one a public campus for farmer training and other educational classes like farm to table health supportive cooking, activities such as yoga in the garden, and areas for neighbors to grow their own food; and a second, separate area, for a full commercial hydroponic and aquaponic farm that will grow products for sale to businesses and the public.
The reopening of Circle Food Store marks an important milestone in the rebuilding of New Orleans, and also shines a light on other meaningful projects in the City.
December 5, 2013 / by mcufone / Make A Comment / Filed under In the News, Organizational
In recent months, there have been so many happenings in food policy – from genetically modified foods studies to questionable permits issued for ocean aquaculture in Hawaii. As each new occurrence was announced, we thought – more people need to know about what’s happening with our food system and speak out for affordable healthy food produced in a sustainable way. So this December, Recirculating Farms Coalition is asking for more people to get involved in the good food movement! All of you supporters who are committed to fresh, local food, please join our Coalition – and ask your family and friends to join us too!
From December 4th through the end of the year, we’re launching the “Member in December” drive: and we’re asking you to help us spread the word about the Recirculating Farms Coalition. Whoever recruits the most new members (at least 10!) will win a fantastic pack of prizes and a special profile on our blog. Click here for membership sign-up.
Be sure to tell all your friends and family to let us know who connected them to us when they sign up. Tell them to write the name of the person who invited them to become a member on the membership form, in the box that says “tell us about your farm if you have one.”
And if you are already a member and want to further support the Coalition, please consider making an end-of-the-year donation so we can keep on doing important things to support recirculating farming!
THANK YOU for all you do!
Our contest for most interesting item was won with an almost entirely intact clarinet – each of the 3 pieces were found separately!
pedicure set, and a 1979 Zulu doubloon (for those of you unfamiliar with Mardi Gras terminology – this is a colorful wooden or metal coin each “Krewe” makes to commemorate their annual participation in Carnival).
Winner of the largest piece of trash went to Jordan Bantuelle of the Urban Farmstead – he found a giant (and we mean GIANT) realtor sign. Debra Surtain, master gardener, also won a prize for helping to recruit the most people for the event.
