Or even...

FRONT

BACK

The Money Shot!

I hope you agree. I tracked down the photographer in Tampa Bay when Google failed to produce a high quality version, and he kindly e'mailed me a copy. You can view more of his work here and by clicking the post title. I'm entirely open to different slogans but strenuously advocate for this image. =*)
ps-you can double click on the photo for a larger version.

feel good!

"Whoever makes two ears of corn, or two blades of grass to grow where only one grew before, deserves better of mankind and does more essential service to his country than the whole race of politicians put togerther."

. jonathan swift.

This Just In...

"Blistering Drought Ravages Farmland on Plains" reports the New York Times, although from the looks of the University of Nebraska Drought Monitor it seems less widespread than in previous years.

Industrial Hemp...

Coming soon? Details here.

A Couple More Ideas Here

With and without slogan for your perusal.
dp

T-Shirt Ideas

Just had a bit of fun on photoshop over here. Am definitely open to different logos/slogans. I also vote for a small pic of the "Move This Way For More Action" sticker that's on the rolling cultivator either on the front or the sleeve. If you have a copy of that or better pictures/ideas, please e'mail them to CASFS2006@gmail.com.
dp

California's stealth initiative on land use: Proposition 90

Proposition 90 will destroy years of environmental progress, as well as destroy any meaningful local government control over land use within its jurisdiction. It is a stealth attack on our future. This article (the link) from the SF Chronicle discusses some of the implications of this developer/radical right wing attack on the environment.

Besides that, taking away zoning laws will end up DIMINISHING your property values. A gravel mine next to your farm? Think again.

This is nothing more than a huge greed-grab by a very powerful few to the detriment of entire communities and most individuals. It makes a mockery of local governments, long range planning, and of democratic processes. It needs to be defeated.

We Need Water...

This is a frightening snapshot of reality from this week's Financial Times. Fact is, we're rapidly depleting our sources of fresh water on this planet, and agriculture is currently a major factor fueling the problem. Some choice quotes below:
*Scientists had forecast in 2000 that one in three would face water shortages by 2025, but water experts have been shocked to find that this threshold has already been crossed.
*About a quarter of the world’s population lives in areas of “physical water shortage”, where natural forces, over-use and poor agricultural practices have led to falling groundwater levels and rivers drying up. But a further 1bn people face “economic water shortages”, because lack the necessary infrastructure to take water from rivers and aquifers.
*Farming uses up to 70 times more water than is used for domestic purposes.

2006 Tee Shirt

Hey all-
Announcing the upcoming creation of the 2006 Farm and Garden Tee-shirt!!
If you have ideas for designs, create a sketch by the end of this week and post it in the farm center for viewing. The community will then vote on a design or a few and Aaron or Molly will create a silkscreen that we can use to make shirts. People can of course make alternate tee-shirts with other designs as well, but I think it'll be nice to have one that everyone gets as a community thing. See Mike, Molly, Aaron or I with questions about silkscreening,etc peace, Rachel CP '06

Coke&Pepsi: what the **** is going on in this world!

After repeated discoveries of dangerously high pesticides levels in Coke and Pepsi products in India, six states have announced bans of the products in schools and hospitals. In response, the U.S. Under Secretary for International Trade, Frank Lavin, has threatened India with withdrawals of foreign investment. Although the Indian Centre for Science and the Environment have confirmed previous studies, and found levels of pesticides 24 times the legal limit in the Indian-made soft-drinks, New York-based spokesman for PepsiCo's international division, Dick Detwiler, said of the situation, "All of the data and all of the science point to the fact our products in India are absolutely safe."

The 100 Mile Diet

The everyday-American meal contains an assortment of foods that have traveled an average of 2,000 miles to get from farm to fork. For those concerned about energy conservation, greenhouse gases, and oil dependence, the types of food we choose to eat are as important as the types of cars we choose to drive (or avoid). Industrial agriculture and long-distance food transportation generate between 20-25% of all climate destabilizing greenhouse gases in the U.S. Given this fact, buying food that is locally or regionally grown can dramatically reduce energy consumption and greenhouse pollution.. The local food movement has received a recent boost with the new trend of the "100 mile diet," the brainchild of Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon. "We're the kind of people that ride our bikes everywhere, so we wondered why we were going to all this effort when our food was flying around the world," says Smith. The diet trend, which requires participants to only eat foods grown within a 100 mile radius, is catching on across North America. Philadelphia journalist Elisa Ludwig took up the 100 mile diet for 12 days to learn more about the foods she eats. "If eating local is a moral imperative, then every meal is an opportunity to do the right thing," says Ludwig, who kept a daily journal of the experience.

Prom!

Hey Guys-
The official Farm and Garden 2006 Prom will be hosted Saturday September 9th!
(This is right after the fall plant sale. )
The Music committee will be headed by Kennon . The food/drink committee will be headed by Cat. Let them know if you want to help!
Still looking for heads for the decorations commitees--let me know if you're interested
love, your class president :)

CitySlicker Farm Apprenticeship

City Slicker Farms is proud to announce our Urban Farming
Apprenticeships and Internships for the 2006-2007 year.

-We have two year-long 35 hour per week Apprenticeships available
for room, board and a stipend. (Application deadline is October
1st).
-Volunteer Interns (unpaid) choose a project or area of their choice
and put in 5-8 hours per week.
-Apprentices and Interns work and learn along side experienced urban
farmers in West Oakland helping to grow organic food with and for
low income residents.
-We tailor the Apprenticeship/Internship to your learning needs and
a majority of tasks and projects are working directly with
participants rather than administrative work.

Please see the attached job announcements and applications. If you
or anyone you know is intersted please call 510-763-4241 or feel
free to send an application to:
City Slicker Farms
737 Henry Street
Oakland, CA 94607

Thanks!
Willow Rosenthal
Founding Director
City Slicker Farms

Organic Goat Dairy Farm

Fraga Farm Organic Goat Dairy is a farmstead cheese operation in Sweet Home, Oregon. We have 50 milking does, yearlings frolicking next door, and a flock of laying hens in a beautiful peaceful setting along the Sanitam River. We are looking for extra help this fall season with the Goats and in the Dairy. If this piques your interest, we would love to hear from you. Please check out our website, www.fragafarm.com, hope to hear from you soon!

BT Cotton Not So Eco Phriendly After All...

In some cases, Bt crops genetically engineered to produce their own insecticide require less pesticide than conventional crops, but scientists at Cornell University found that the effect can be short-lived. Their survey of Chinese farmers revealed that initially the farmers used fewer pesticide applications on Bt cotton. The Bt toxin killed the cotton's primary insect pest, bollworms. But soon the farmers had to apply pesticide to control unexpected outbreaks of other pests that were previously kept in check by both pesticides and an active bollworm population, and seven years after adopting the Bt technology they were using just as much pesticide as growers of conventional cotton. Since engineered seed costs two to three times as much as conventional seed, the renewed pesticide use meant the Bt cotton farmers' earnings fell below those of conventional cotton farmers. Read the study (pdf).

for those of you who VOTE in California

Environmental Voter's Guide to California Ballot Initiatives:
This November's ballot will be one of the most crowded in recent memory. In addition to the candidates, there will be at least fifteen ballot measures. Among the crowd are three initiatives that could dramatically affect California's environment and public health. Two of these measures would have a positive impact on key environmental concerns. The third will not only have a devastating effect on taxpayers' pocketbooks, but will also significantly undercut California's ability to carry out the environmental laws.

Proposition 84 (Support): "The Clean Water, Parks and Coastal Protection Bond" would authorize $5.4 billion for water quality and natural resources protection programs. Current funding for natural resources and environmental protection is critically low. Prop. 84 will invest in California's natural infrastructure to ensure that Californians have access to safe drinking water, are better protected from floods, and continue to have opportunities to enjoy parks, rivers, lakes, beaches, bays and coastline. Restoring the San Joaquin River and protecting coastal water quality and marine resources - top NRDC priorities - would get much needed funding.

Proposition 87 (Support): "The Clean Alternative Energy Act" would create a portfolio of clean fuels, clean-fuel vehicles and clean-fuel infrastructure that could cut California's annual petroleum needs by 4 billion gallons (equivalent to about 25 percent of current consumption), with cumulative reductions over the next decade of 10 billion gallons. Funding for these clean-fuel projects would come from a modest extraction fee on oil from California lands. Currently, California is the only oil producing state that does not levy a fee on oil extraction - Alaska, Louisiana, Florida, and Texas all require a certain percentage of oil revenues in exchange for access to oil resources. The California Attorney General has determined that the initiative specifically prohibits oil producers from passing the fee on to consumers. The measure would raise at least $4 billion to promote commercialization of biofuels, efficient vehicles and technology research, without increasing energy costs to consumers or adding new demands on California's general fund.

Proposition 90 (Oppose): The falsely named "Government Acquisition, Regulation of Private Property" constitutional amendment would throw California's system of environmental protection into chaos. It's a "Taxpayer Trap" that would force taxpayers to pay for basic protections for our environment and communities. Prop. 90 would make pollution and other damaging human activities a property right, and would force taxpayers to pay to stop the damage. Prop. 90 will result in thousands of lawsuits, increased red tape, and enormous costs to taxpayers. Furthermore, this measure would undermine the State's ability to enforce many of the environmental protection laws that environmental groups and other organizations have fought so hard to establish. Funded by property rights extremists, Prop. 90 is part of a national assault on environmental regulations. For an excellent background article, please see the High Country News feature Taking Liberties.

interesting article: german farm, solar energy use, value added...

Hot German July Doesn't Faze Farmer Who Reaps the Sun
By Mark Landler
The New York Times
Friday 28 July 2006

Buttenwiesen, Germany - Surely Heiner Gärtner is one of the only farmers in Germany, if not most of Europe, who greets the dawn of yet another cloudless day with anticipation rather than angst.

As Germany sizzles through what is expected to be its hottest July on record, crops are shriveling and farmers are growing desperate. Some have petitioned the European Union to allow sheep and cattle to graze on land normally off limits, because their own fields are scorched.

Here on Mr. Gärtner's 200-acre farm, however, the fields are covered with 10,050 solar panels, which soak up the sunshine and convert it into electricity. The ambient hum in the air is not the sound of insects but of transformers carrying a high-voltage current to the villages nearby.

"We've had so much sun," said Mr. Gärtner, 34, a wide-brimmed hat shielding his face from the rays. "It would be better if we could have this much sun with less heat. But you can't have everything."... read on at website...

Vote For Rachel!!

slow food dinners... just to see what's happening in this big wide world

Just wanted to post this so you have an idea of something going on at my uncle's farm in Point Arena, Mendocino. He's coming to speak for next Wednesday's salon on the small business reality of a farm, value added aspects such as "agrotourism" and sustainable timber harvest. He just started these slow food dinners:

On Saturday August 26th, Pangaea Chef Aaron Peters and OZ Farm manager Patrick Cordrey are collaborating on the first of a series of "slow food" farm dinners. Eating fresh produce from the farm, including our own free range poultry, and enjoying local wines and other local delicacies, guests are invited to take a relaxing afternoon farm tour and enjoy an unforgettable evening.

Please join us for the first of what we hope will become a regular event! farm tout at 4 PM ad dinner at 6:30 PM

OZ Farm
attn: Slow Food Dinner

Chemicals, Insects & Animal Parts="Food"

This is a crazy slideshow/article about food additives and factory farming practices. Who knew grapefruit juice wasn't always vegetarian?

Money Quote:
Bugs go into many things that you pop into your mouth -- from Hershey's candies to Tropicana grapefruit juice to Yoplait strawberry yogurt. They all use red coloring derived from crushed bugs, specifically female cochineal beetles and their eggs.

On The Horizon...

Just wanted to remind folks that Earthdance is coming up September 15th-17th in Laytonville, CA. Earthdance, the "Global Dance Festival for Peace," has grown to become the world's largest simultaneous music and dance event with 222 locations in 50 countries participating in 2005, up from 22 cities and 18 countries at its founding in 1997. Every year, in alignment with the International Day of Peace, over 200,000 people unite in dance with hundreds of thousands more joining online in support of global peace and humanitarian aims. The defining moment of each Earthdance event is a synchronized link-up, (4pm Pacifc Standard Time) when every event around the world plays a song called "The Prayer for Peace."

happy this time

BEYOND McFOOD: HOSPITALS MOVE TOWARD NATURAL & ORGANIC

Two thousand hospitals across the U.S. are finally slamming the door on junk foods and low-grade institutional grub. Hospital cafeteria and room meals across the U.S. are notoriously tasteless and nutritionally deficient. After hearing from their doctor or nurse that it's best to stay away from trans-fats, excessive salt, and high sugar foods, a patient can then typically visit the hospital's own cafeteria and chow down on a meal of french fries, chicken nuggets, soda pop, jello and cheese pizza. But this longstanding tradition may gradually be changing. Last week, MedAssets, a leading group purchasing organization for the health care industry, struck a deal with United Natural Foods Incorporated (UNFI), the largest wholesale distributor of natural and organic foods in the country. The deal will bring natural and organic foods into more than 2,000 hospitals in the U.S.

oh milk! and soy! and tofu!

ORGANIC OUTLAWS LABELING FACTORY FARM MILK AS "USDA ORGANIC"

In April Organic Consumers Association (OCA) launched a boycott of two leading organic dairy brands and distributors, HORIZON (a division of Dean Foods) and AURORA, for mislabeling their products as "USDA Organic." All of Aurora's and much of Horizon's "organic" milk is coming from factory farm feedlots where the cows have been brought in from conventional farms and have little or no access to pasture. After three months, thousands of consumers and a number of co-ops and natural food stores have joined the boycott. Now it's time to expand the boycott to five grocery chains selling bogus organic milk from Aurora Organic:

Costco's "Kirkland Signature"
Publix’s “High Meadows"
Safeway's "O" Organics brand
Wild Oats' organic milk
Giant's "Nature's Promise."

In addition OCA is calling for a boycott of Horizon's sister soy brands--SILK SOYMILK and WHITE WAVE TOFU--which have begun turning away from U.S. organic farmers and instead importing cheap organic soybeans from China and Brazil, where labor rights and environmental standards are routinely violated.

Please send an email message to the Shameless Seven, telling them to stop violating organic standards and to source certified organic foods and ingredients from North American family farmers.

EPA UPCOMING RULING on PESTICIDE CARBOFURAN on THURSDAY!

This week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to rule on the fate of CARBOFURAN, a deadly pesticide that has killed millions of birds and poses significant human health risks. With so much at stake, now is the time to take action.

The pesticide carbofuran is highly toxic to birds. Carbofuran has killed millions of birds, including hundreds of bald eagles and thousands of waterfowl. Birds from more than 100 other species have also been killed, including eastern bluebirds, northern pintails, American robins, owls, swallows, grackles, killdeer and kestrels.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has told EPA for decades that carbofuran poses an unreasonable hazard to birds. Yet EPA has failed to act, even after Fish and Wildlife Service biologists have stated, "There are no known circumstances under which carbofuran can be used without killing birds." Carbofuran doesn’t kill just birds. It can contaminate water and kill fish and mammals that ingest contaminated prey.There is no reason to be using this toxic pesticide when safer alternatives exist. Isn’t it time for EPA to finally do the right thing?

This week, the agency will decide whether to get this out-dated pesticide off the shelves and out of our drinking water. Call now to ensure the agency stands up for our wildlife and our environment.


Call EPA official James Gulliford at (202) 564-2902 and encourage to immediately ban carbofuran.

All you have to do is speak this message:
“Hello, my name is [YOUR NAME] and I live in [YOUR STATE]. I’m calling to urge you to do everything in your power to ban the pesticide carbofuran.”

somebody wants to go to kenya?

JOB POSTING:

COORDINATOR: SEED SECURITY / ALTERNATIVES TO GENETIC ENGINEERING FOR THE ABN
African Biodiversity Network
Kenya
Salary: Salary will be commensurate with experience
http://www.idealist.org/en/jobs/151770-190/186292-35