Local Agriculture Events & Opportunities

Posted by farmfresh

Posted: January 19, 2009 - 1:43 pm

Comments (0) |

No one sent out the search party so I figured I had better motivate myself to write before I lost every last one of my readers. The whole holiday season threw me, I have been hibernating and I have been working out the details of a new business venture, Alaska Root Sellers: a delivery business linking Matanuska Valley Farmers with area restaurants, universities and hospitals. It feels really amazing to be weaving a thread of connection within the fabric of Alaska’s food system.

But back to the whole point of this blog….There are lots of exciting events on the horizon related to Alaska’s food system and the production of our food. So, I thought I would share. I hope you find the overview helpful and motivating.

Local food related events:

Alaska Forum on the Environment Anchorage Feb 2nd-6th LINK workshop/panel discussion Local Food Production and Food Security
Thursday, February 5th at 9:30 AM to Noon
Alaska is at the end of the supply chain, and with rising fuel costs, is an increasingly expensive destination for imported food supplies. This panel will address local food production and the opportunities for greater food security.

Presenters: Amy Pettit, Alaska Division of Agriculture; Arthur Keyes, Glacier Valley Farms; Milan Shipka, UAF Cooperative Extension Service; Kim Sollien, Anchorage Daily News blogger and local food activist; Heidi Rader, UAF Cooperative Extension Services. Moderator: Bill Hall, UAF Cooperative Extension Services.

The Annual Palmer Potato Vegetable Conference

February 10th -11th at the Palmer Depot
This conference is focused on topics related to commercial vegetable production in Alaska. However, as a local food interested person, I also found it quite interesting. Meeting the farmers who were there was also great. This year I believe there will be a panel discussion of consumers telling the farmers what they would like to see. Contact Steve Brown at the Palmer Cooperative Extension office for more information.

The 2009 Sustainable Agriculture Conference

March 17-18, 2009 (Tuesday and Wednesday) at the Fairbanks Princess Lodge, from 8-5 p.m. NATIONAL SPEAKER: George DeVault, farmer and new Executive Director of Seed Savers. There will be workshops for both the home and commercial gardener/farmer. Contact Michele Hebert, Land Resources Agent Cooperative Extension Service University of Alaska by Phone 907-474-2423

Classes with Alaska’s own Ellen Vande Visse sustainable agriculture instructor, Good Earth Garden School LINK and author of Ask Mother Nature, a Conscious Gardener’s Guide

Instructor Ellen Vande Visse, MS, has been teaching gardening courses through Mat Su College, UAA Anchorage, and her own Good Earth Garden School since 1987. For 12 years Ellen raised organic vegetables for market. For 6 years she grew vegetables for the kitchen of the National Outdoor Leadership School’s Alaska Branch, and sold fresh compost tea to farms and farmers markets. Her book, Ask Mother Nature, a Conscious Gardener’s Guide, will be available on this website starting in late March 2009. All of Ellie's spring classes are listed below.

Make & Take an Indoor Greens Garden Grow Your Very Own Baby Greens

When: Tuesday, February 17 and Wednesday, February 18, 10 am–Noon Create and take home a window sill garden with proper seed mix for flavor and color. Become the first kid on the block to savor your own succulent baby greens—before the snow melts outdoors! Learn about soil nutrition as well. Two identical, repeated classes. Room for 10 participants each. $25 for materials and instruction.
Register early.

Mat-Su Collage GRI A138 Organic Gardening

1.0 CR Grade Mode: Pass/No Pass
MSC Special Note: Students should be prepared to purchase approximately $15 worth of gardening supplies. This class introduces organic methods and materials for ecological agriculture covering soil management, crop rotations, weed control, pest management, garden planning, planting, harvesting, storage, French intensive methods, and compost. 50043 PM1 F 06:00P-08:30P SNOD 108 Vande Visse 02/20-03/27 and S 09:00A-02:00P OFF Vande Visse 03/28
Mat-Su College LINK

Shopping for Foods You Can Trust

When: Wed, February 25
Join us to sample fruits and vegetables grown chemically and organically. Taste ‘em. Compare ‘em. Hear their childhood stories. Find out…when to choose organic and when it is not so crucial how to shop for the highest nutritional density for the cost how to take control of your diet, nourishment, and health. Go home feeling empowered, no matter what your grocery budget.
When: Wed, February 25.
Time: 4-6pm (come hungry)
$16 or $12 ea for 3 or more signing up together.

Free Movie! Saturday MatineeCancer, Nutrition, and Healing,

When: Saturday, March 21
Come watch and then discuss the film: with Ellie Vande Visse. More than 7 years ago, eco-consultant Jerry Brunetti received word that without aggressive chemotherapy treatment he would be dead in as little as
six months from an aggressive form of lymphoma. He opted not to travel that route, and instead embarked on his own journey seeking advice, treatments,
alternative protocols and hands-on care from a wide variety of sources. The result has been depth of understanding that is almost beyond compare,
steady improvement in his own overall health, and a return to normalcy of the affected lymph nodes. Oh, and he’s very much alive. Learn about: strengthening immunity, holistic treatment protocols,
health-boosting recipes, supplements and detoxification, supplementing conventional therapies, foods to eat, and foods to avoid.
Time: 4-6 pm. Cost: free!

CO-CREATIVE ORGANIC GARDENING
With the Joyful Spirits of Nature

Feb 28th & March 1st or March 7th & 8th
YOU'LL LEARN:
a. the science of organic methods of growing, plus
b. the spiritual methods to consult nature directly about pests, soil fertility, pruning, etc.
At the end of the weekend, you’ll feel proficient in the scientific and the spiritual methods of sustainable agriculture. You’ll know how to choose and customize a seed, soil, and pest plan for your garden. You’ll gain a working experience in conversing with the Devas and Nature Spirits to solve problems and truly co-create a place of beauty, balance, and bounty.
THE SCIENCE: Methods for Organic Eco-Gardening
• Selecting Organic Fertilizers
You’ll learn exactly how to apply a foundation of balanced nutrition in your soil to boost yield, taste, and pest protection. Handouts and lecture de-mystify amendment choices like guano, greensand, and rock phosphate.
• Non-toxic pest management
You’ll learn kinder, gentler, safer ways to deal with aphids, cutworms, root maggots, slugs, and disease without poisons. You’ll learn specific, effective pest prevention and suppression methods.
• Perfecting your Alaskan compost pile
By actually building an outdoor compost heap, you’ll learn how to produce “black gold” in 6-8 weeks, and how to diagnose and fix problems in your pile. Finally, you’ll gain competence in the best ways to deploy the finished compost – how much, where, and when.
• Brewing Actively Aerated Compost Tea
You’ll find out why compost tea is causing a horticultural revolution and what it can do for you. Learn the secrets of brewing your own compost tea in 24 hours to suppress disease, unlock nutrients, and build healthy soil.
THE SPIRITUAL: Methods for Co-Creative Gardening
• Meet the joyful Nature Intelligences of soil, plants, and animals
• Experiment with techniques of kinesiology, pendulum, and attunement
• Consult with spirits of nature for specific answers to your questions
• Discover ways to deal with pests by cooperation rather than warfare
• Apply practical spirituality to pruning, planting, and problems
Best of all, the class helps you gain confidence in communicating techniques. Here you have the luxury of practice and group confirmation. By the end of the day, you’ll know how Devas and Nature Spirits speak to you. You’ll feel confident and competent to continue on your own.

ADVANCED CO-CREATIVE GARDENING
Deeper Work with Devas & Nature Spirits

March 14, 2009 Palmer, Alaska
How do we apply consciousness rather than warfare to our horticultural challenges? Come join us for in-depth conversations with nature about:
• Slugs, root maggots, aphids, white flies, and blights
• Chickweed, quack grass, dandelions, and other pesky/invasive weeds
• Pruning and felling trees and shrubs
• Cosmic energizing of fertilizers, composts, and tea applications
• Cleansing and balancing energy on your land
• Creating a natural refuge for Nature Spirits in your yard

This course is for graduates of the basic Gardening with Nature courses taught under various titles by Ellen, and for those who have worked with Perelandra/Findhorn techniques and who have basic organic gardening experience. Time: Saturday March 14th, 2009, from 10 am - 6pm Location: Palmer (map comes when you register) Tuition: $75. Some work-trade available.
For more than seven participants, only $60.
Reduce tuition by recruiting a friend! Rebates made in class. Information: Tammy Moser, 907-745-5248 tammy@yogainthevalley.com Registration: Please register on line to hold your place at LINK

Deadline: Register by March 5th

login or register to post comments