On August 6, 2009, New Entry's annual Farm Tour became our biggest public event ever. More than 100 visitors - ranging from World Peas CSA farm shareholders, other local agriculture producers, people interested in local sustainable agriculture, to curious neighbors - joined us at Richardson's Dairy for an insider's look at the New Entry fields and an introduction to our farmers.

The tour was led by New Entry staff, with personal experiences recounted by farmers currently involved in our training program, in order for visitors to understand the symbiotic relationship that exists here between the two groups.

To make the event even more special, food and refreshments were prepared and provided by Fresh Roots, a Lowell organization that focuses on empowering local youth with practical work experiences that revolve around sustainability and urban agriculture. The Fresh Roots team used fresh produce from our farmers to create an amazing summer spread.

If we didn't see you on the 6th, we hope to see you at next year's tour!

After a bit of technical confusion, the NESFP blog has photo capabilities once again! Here are some images of last month's Weed Management Training course, which was a blog feature on July 10th. Various techniques were taught, including flame weeding, cultivating, and tilling.

The importance of locally-grown produce is finally returning to the forefront of American consciousness, thanks in part to the new organic garden First Lady Michelle Obama has had planted at the White House. If you’re reading this blog, chances are that you already know about this garden, and are also well-aware of the benefits of sustainable agriculture. Still, I thought it would be nice to take a moment to acknowledge this action, which marks only the second time in history for such a feature to occupy the Presidential property - the first being Eleanor Roosevelt’s World War II victory garden.

The garden serves as both as a talking piece for the American public - with Obama admirers hopefully taking note of the First Lady’s decision, and starting to think about how they can incorporate gardening into their own lives - as well as an educational tool, as local schoolchildren helping to first dig and plant the garden, and are now returning to harvest the produce and learn about healthy eating by preparing the foods with the Obama’s chef in the White House kitchen.

In this era of industrial agriculture-induced environmental destruction, as well as nutrition-related chronic diseases that are ravaging the country, the First Lady should be commended for her efforts to illuminate how fresh produce, local agriculture, and organic practices are attainable means of working to combat these problems.

For more information about the White House garden, follow these links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/dining/20garden.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/food/2009/06/19/2009-06-19_first_lady_michelle_obamas_garden_growing_well_white_house_harvesting_plenty_of_.html

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/A-Healthy-Harvest/

Happy Gardening!!

Spring and Summer Field Training Courses are underway! On Thursday, June 25th, a dozen or so of our New Entry farmers and other would-be farmers joined Mackenzie at Richardson's Farm for a course in Weed Management. A bit of theory coupled with a lot of hands-on trial and error with farm equipment and tools made this two-hour session a great opportunity for students to first learn and then feel exactly what it's like to remove those pesky weeds from a patch of earth. Stay tuned to our blog to see some photos from this and other trainings!

These sessions have been happening every other Thursday since late-March, and have included such essential farming skills as: Equipment Use and Maintenance, Pest Management, Irrigation Setup, and Record Keeping.

There are still two trainings left in the series: a Cover Cropping field trip, and a session on Soil Testing and Nutrient management. If you'd like to join us, or just want a bit more information, head to our website:
http://nesfp.nutrition.tufts.edu/about/calendar.html

Greetings!

Harvest season has returned, and with that, so has New Entry Sustainable Farming Project's blog! We have lots to tell you about what we've been doing and what we have planned, but for now - just a quick heads up about a great campaign happening in honor of the 4th of July:

FoodIndependenceDay.org wants you to help celebrate America's sustainable food producers this weekend, by eating a locally-sourced holiday meal, or serving one at your backyard barbeque. Invite your friends and neighbors to join you, tell them about the great farmers' market where you bought your lettuce, the friendly farmer who sold you the beef for your burgers, and encourage everyone you know to explore the benefits of sustainable agriculture.

And if you have some free time before the fireworks, sign FoodIndependenceDay.org's petition, or send a letter to your local politicians telling them how important this issue is to you!

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Sign up for the World PEAS CSA, and receive 18 weekly distributions of fresh, seasonal vegetables grown by New Entry and other local farmers. The CSA also offers fruit and winter share options. To get a copy of the brochure, please click here: 2009 World PEAS CSA Brochure.

If you are interested in volunteering to establish a "CSA cluster" in your workplace, home, or community where a minimum of 25 shares can be delivered, please e-mail Matthew Himmel.

It may seem that just because it is the dead of winter, there is not much going on at New Entry. It is quite the contrary! New Entry staff is keeping busy preparing for the next growing season, working on expanding the CSA, and conducting the second Farm Business Planning Course.

The World PEAS CSA has welcomed 9 new growers this season, all of whom completed the Business Panning Course last fall. McKenzie and Matthew now have the fun challenge of making decisions on all the crop bids for the upcoming season.

The second intake of the Farm Business Planning Course is in session. One of the requirements for graduating from the course is a completion of a business plan. With 15 business plans completed this winter, we will have 30 graduates from the Farm Business Planning Course this year! We hope to celebrate all New Entry graduates in late March. We'll keep you posted.

Matthew is also hard at work on expanding the CSA for this coming season. With a new brochure and flyer, he's ready to reach more people who may be unaware that World PEAS CSA exists! While the World PEAS CSA had 100 members last year, the goal this year is to double the membership to 200 shareholders. We are looking to expand the neighborhoods we deliver to and would love your input on where you would like to see a CSA drop. The Andover and East Boston drops will continue, and we hope to deliver to Tufts University - Boston, and possibly to neighborhoods in Lexington and Medford in the future. Are you interested in getting a drop in your neighborhood? Please feel free to contact Matthew.

Winter is a busy time for learning and sharing ideas on farming, sustainability, and all things food. This weekend, Matthew will be attending Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) CSA Conference in Unity, Maine. This conference will feature speakers Jill Perry (Author of Local Harvest: A Multifarm CSA Handbook) and Elizabeth Henderson (CSA pioneer and author of Sharing the Harvest: a Citizen's Guide to CSA). A few Friedman students will also be attending the 2nd Annual NE Real Food Summit in Amherst, MA. We hope to come back re-charged with fresh ideas to help the local food movement grow!

The second Farm Business Planning Course in preparation for the 2009 growing season will begin on Monday, January 26th. Classes will meet for six weeks, each Monday evening from 6-9 pm in our Lowell office. There is still room for additional students! To register, please contact Matthew, at mhimmel@comteam.org or call 978-654-6745.

This 6-week course is offered twice every year, beginning in October and again in January. Fees range from $50 to $150, depending upon income. The course covers:

Business plan and budget development
Identification of market demand
Promotion of farm products
Crop planning
Evaluation of the materials, equipment, and additional resources needed to run a successful farming business

Here is news first published in the New Entry Newsletter and re-broadcast for our internet community:

Farmer Seona Ban (New Entry class of 2006) recently joined New Entry's ever-growing crop of independent farmers. After farming at the Richardson's Dairy training site for three seasons, she has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with a local landowner - an important next step that enables her to continue to farm on land independent of New Entry's incubator training sites.

The land owner is Don Couture, New Entry's Farm Manager. Don Couture has worked for New Entry for two seasons, and during this time, has come to know Seona well. Don and his family live on 19.5 acres of property, which is located 4 miles from Richardson's Dairy. Don has five tillable acres prepared, one of which will be farmed by Seona this season.

Seona is excited to continue her vegetable farming, and expand her corn production. She says that her new farm has fewer rocks, and is drier than her plot at Richardson's Dairy. The recently signed agreement represents an important step for Seona's business enterprise, as it represents a break from dependence on New Entry for farmland. However, this move does not translate to a departure from the New Entry community. Seona will continue to receive as-needed individual technical assistance from New Entry in her production and marketing operations as she farms and expands production on her new plot.

We wish many years of success to Seona on her new farm!

Have you heard of change.org's Ideas for a Change in America? This is your chance to vote on issues you'd like to see on the new President's agenda. Polls close Thursday, 5pm EST and the top ideas will be presented to the administration before inauguration day.

New Entry has endorsed Eat the View's White House Victory Garden. Eat the View is a campaign to urge the First Family to replant a large organic garden on the White House Lawn with the produce going to the White House kitchen and to local food pantries.

For more on the campaign to grow some organic food at the White House, see: www.EatTheView.org and www.TheWhoFarm.org.

If you also feel strongly about locally grown, sustainable food, please vote here!