The Farm on St. Mathias –Newsletter May --Volume 3, Issue 3
Oh…snow! We are fortunate that we did not, of course, put many things in the ground yet, but we are concerned that the early spring tricked apple trees to believing that it was time to blossom, and the frost will kill the stamen beneath the blossom and the tree will not have a chance to set fruit. We are confident that the decision to plant many varietals will make a difference. The difference is that if one variety should succumb to frost, there are other varieties that have not blossomed yet.
The Farm on St. Mathias has been very busy participating in a variety of community events:
April 7, 2010: Farm to Cafeteria. Arlene was a member of the core workgroup who brought this
event to Baxter. Participation was excellent with farmers, food service directors, community leaders, teachers, religious organizations, restaurateurs and more with participant level at approximately 130.
The outcome of this event are new relationships between farmers and decision makers, creating viable opportunities to bring locally grown, fresh, sustainably produced products into the lunchrooms of our schools, hospitals, nursing homes and more. Communication is happening!! Arlene is set to meet with the core workgroup soon and will provide updated information at that time. This initiative is taking shape not only locally…but also in the United States House and Senate.
FARM TO SCHOOL IN THE HOUSE - On February 26, 2010, Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) introduced H.R. 4710: The Farm to School Improvements Act of 2010, a bill requesting $50 million (over five years) in MANDATORY funding for farm to school programs. Download the fact sheet.
FARM TO SCHOOL IN THE SENATE - On March 16, 2010, Senator Patrick Leahy (VT)
introduced S. 3123: Growing Farm To School Programs Act, a bill requesting $50 million in mandatory funding for farm to school programs. Download the fact sheet.
The following link is the current status of this bill:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-4710
April 10, 2010: The Crow Wing County Master Gardeners “Ready, Set, Grow” was held at Central
Lakes College. Bob and Arlene are both certified Crow Wing County Master Gardeners and participated in the level of volunteer and also hosted a booth for The Farm. This year’s event had over 230 participants and was a very successful event for the Master Gardeners.
April 10, 2010: Crow Wing County Daycare Association’s “Day of the Young Child” was held at
Forestview. Our daughters (true and “adopted”) hosted The Farm booth while we did the Master Gardener event. Arlene did manage to sneak over and take a few pictures and gleefully gaze at the small children gathered in the booth while Amanda and Sarah cleverly crafted animal balloons for them. Many of these children have been to the farm, are the children of CSA customers or farmer’s market customers and it is always a pleasure to participate in this event.
April 22, 2010: Central Lakes College Earth Day Celebration. This was our first opportunity to
participate in this event. What a great day! There were many exhibitors and this event allowed us to reach a younger audience in CLC students who are eager to learn about The Farm, sustainable farming practices and how they can participate. It is also a great way to network with like-minded community businesses and reconnect with most before the height of the season takes hold.
Upcoming events include:
May 12, 2010: Brainerd Lakes Area Women’s Fund at The Northland Arboretum with the theme of
“Go Green.” Expect many vendors from the surrounding communities with businesses and booths associated with all things local, environmentally friendly and more. The Farm on St. Mathias will be there representing local foods and sustainable farming.
June 26, 2010: The Farm on St. Mathias Second Annual Celtic Festival, 11 AM to 4 PM. Music by
Rumgumption – www.Rumgumption.com; Celtic Dance, sheep shearing, spinning and weaving,
blacksmithing, traditional stone cutting, food by Prairie Bay and more. If you know any vendors who fit the theme (clothing, music, crafts), please have them contact Arlene at 612-695-2721.
Click For More Information
July 4, 2010: Brainerd Lakes 4th of July Celebration: The Farm on St. Mathias and Prairie Bay will
team up for the 4th of July Parade. The theme for this year’s floats is TOP SECRET, but we guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised and adequately compensated for your participation. Parade begins at 5 PM!!
July 10, 2010: Sustainable Farming Association’s SFA Central Chapter “Festival of Farms.” We are
looking at other area St. Mathias SFA member farms to co-host this regional farm event and are working on a “farm crawl” through the St. Mathias area. This is a great way for area residents, farmers and non- farmers, to have a look-see at other area operations, learn about sustainable farming techniques and eat a great locally produced meal.
Aug 3-7, 2010: Crow Wing County Fair. You will find us at the fair this year. We truly enjoy this
event as it allows us time to visit with many area residents and we absolutely feel that the Crow Wing County Fair is one of the grandest of fairs throughout Minnesota.
Date to be determined: Farmer’s Market Wine Dinner by Prairie Bay. We are working with Matt
and Nick on this. Last year’s event was fabulous and we are looking forward to this year.
August 28, 2010: The event is hosted by Farm Bureau and FFA and many area chapters participate.
The target this year is 300 people. Last year, Prairie Bay catered the event with live music performance by Hans Blix and the Weapons Inspectors. Be looking for more information on that event as well. As most of you faithful newsletter readers are aware, The Farm is an approved SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits vendor. We absolutely are proud of this accomplishment and are proud to say that we believe we are the first farm in the local region to achieve this. This is our second year providing this service and we cannot state our position strong enough on how this can provide opportunities for all persons to purchase locally grown, sustainable fruits and vegetables, directly from the farm. This is a huge step in the right direction considering that one of the greatest predictors of obesity is poverty and that the cheapest food is industrial production of engineered food. We continue to work with the farmer’s market programs in our local area to expand this program.
We are also continuing to work with the U of MN Central Region Partnership to create a system
where local chefs have greater access to local foods, farms, and farmers. This process is moving along nicely with vendors participating in Local Dirt. Check it out at www.localdirt.com.
Our trip to Europe was not as planned. Mother Nature has a way of representing herself in ways
which we cannot control. The Icelandic Volcano prohibited Bob and Arlene from making it to Ireland together. Arlene was “stranded” in Dublin for six days with her mother and Bob was never able to get a flight out of the United States. Although not the trip she had planned, Arlene did spend some time researching Celtic traditions and sightseeing places that will contribute to our Celtic Festival experiences. Additionally, touring a few farm sights and many things local, we have seen firsthand the benefits of labeling all foods for origin, including if the food contains any genetically modified contents. All foods in the European Union are labeled. There is currently no requirement for this level of transparency in the United States; it is voluntary. There is actually opposition by the FDA and USDA on labeling for GMO. You can read more about this topic at http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/04/genetically-engineered-food-labeling-fight-
.html It is noted that this meeting, representing the United States, The Institute of Food Technologists commented that further discussion on this topic be discontinued. We’d love to hear any comments.
We are members of many organizations, but the following links come from Organic Consumers
Association, one from which we truly learn many things, About twice per month we receive the updates via email and this past week, Arlene spent considerable time researching the truth about genetically modified sugar beets (you need to pay attention to this) and a great visual on Monsanto.
Follow the links:
http://truefoodnow.org/2010/03/16/court-rules-in-gmo-sugar-beet-case/ and
http://www.organicconsumers.org/Monsanto/ten-things-monsanto.pdf
At the last monthly meeting for the Sustainable Farming Association Central Chapter, we spent
substantial time talking about GMO corn and soybeans, and the case now before the Federal Supreme Court on GMO Alfalfa. This is also worth reading. http://www.celsias.com/article/ex-monsanto-lawyer-clarence- thomas-hear-major-mons/
Justice Thomas heard the case; Justice Breyers took no part. The case was argued on April 27, 2010: There is no decision as of yet. If you’re interested in viewing the actual docket, which includes other organizations supporting Geertson Seed Farms, go to this link: http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/09-475.htm
The Farm on St. Mathias adamantly supports NO GMO agricultural applications and is following
these cases. We already know the facts about Monsanto owning 95% of the soybean seed and 87% or more of the seed corn. The cases regarding the GMO alfalfa and then, sugar beets, could be disastrous. It is important to remember that CANE sugar is not made from sugar beets, and there is no GMO in CANE sugar.
We have slightly expanded our 2010 CSA due to many participants choosing half-shares due to the
large volumes of food in a full share. You can visit our website at www.thefarmonstmathias.com for all details. We have a great incentive program for joining, joining a friend and for picking up your shares at The Farm.
Google earth has updated its imagery. You can now see the small specks of apple trees, the pumpkin
patch road and much more! Check it out at http://www.thefarmonstmathias.com/visit.html
As always, don’t forget to support your local businesses, your food co-ops, practice good stewardship, and always be mindful of your neighbors! Eat local. Know your grower and processor. Shake the hand that feeds you. Find us on facebook @ stmathiasfarm@gmail.com.
In thankful gratitude,
The Farm on St. Mathias
Seriously Local Food ™
Don’t forget the 2nd Annual Celtic Festival at The Farm on St. Mathias on June 26th
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