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PA in September: PASA Blankets the Commonwealth in Support of Local Farms & Food

September 16, 2012 in Community Events, Community Resources, Community Support for PASA, Uncategorized

The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) announces an exciting array of events and opportunities to support your local farmer while enjoying the lovely fall weather in Pennsylvania. To celebrate the harvest season, PASA is hosting and attending farmer-focused and family-friendly events throughout the Commonwealth. Read on to find an event near you or mark your calendars for a PA road trip!

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South Central PA:

Join PASA at Farm Aid 2012 on Saturday, September 22, at Hersheypark Stadium. The concert will feature Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds, Kenny Chesney, Jack Johnson, ALO, Pegi Young & The Survivors and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. Farm Aid is much more than a concert – there are plenty of events leading up to the concert, including the following:

  • Farm Aid’s 2nd National Gathering of Farm Advocates on Thursday, September 20, is a working meeting that will bring together new and established farm advocates and financial, legal and farm policy experts for a day of training and skills development. Register at farmaid.org/advocates.
  • The Farm Aid Forum – Shale Gas Extraction & the Family Farm is an educational session provided to discuss the range of impacts, resources and protections for those facing unconventional natural gas extraction on their land or in their community. This open meeting will be held Friday, September 21st from 9:00am – 12:00pm at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg East (4752 Lindle Road, Harrisburg PA 17111). RSVPs are required – please email alicia@farmaid.org to RSVP.
  • Farm Aid’s HOMEGROWN Village is open from noon to 5:30pm on Saturday, September 22, and is a lively space where concert goers enjoy interactive and experiential exhibits about soil, water, family farmers and good food! Stop by and visit PASA’s three exhibits in the HOMEGROWN Village. Play ag trivia, help recreate a mural of the Buy Fresh Buy Local® logo, learn about backyard conservation and homesteading in the Skills Tent, try out our bicycle powered generator at our Good Food Neighborhood™ booth and enter to win amazing raffle prizes donated by PASA member farms and businesses.

For more information about these and other Farm Aid events surrounding the concert, visit farmaid.org/events.

ART on the FARM at Dickinson College Farm in Boiling Springs on Sunday, September 23, from 4:00pm to 8:00pm is a collaborative fundraiser to benefit PASA & the Carlisle Arts & Learning Center (CALC). Art on the Farm provides a unique opportunity for the Cumberland Valley to experience local flare through art, education and agriculture.

Area painters, ceramicists, fiber artists and performance artists will be engaged “en plein air” work from 4:00pm to 6:00pm. Guests will be given a map of the Dickinson College Farm for an opportunity to interact with artists in action. Educational programs will run concurrently with the “en plein air” sessions, allowing visitors to gain a deeper perspective and appreciation for key topics relating to sustainable land management and food production.

Hors d’oeuvres made by local restaurants will be provided along with samplings of craft beer and wines. This will be followed by a light dinner made with fresh, local ingredients. The night will culminate with a live and silent auction. The cost is $40 per Individual or $75 per couple. To purchase tickets visit carlislearts.org or call (717) 249-6973.

 

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Eastern PA:
PASA’s 5th Annual Bike Fresh Bike Local ride offers 25, 50 or 75 mile route options to make this the perfect ride for those who haven’t been on their bike in a while to cyclists looking for a challenge. Get your family, friends and co-workers out to appreciate the beautiful rolling hills of Chester County and see where our food comes from! The ride starts & finishes at event partner and Chester County’s famous beer destination, Victory Brewing Company. All participants receive a delicious locally sourced lunch and an award winning Victory draft beer (for riders 21+ years of age) after the ride!
Walk-in registration ($45) is available at the event. PASA also gratefully welcomes additional donations, which you can add at the time of registration. Register at pasafarming.org/bikefresh.

Join PASA from 11:00am – 3:00pm on Saturday, September 22, for an amazing event celebrating the official Grand Re-Opening of Kimberton Whole Foods’ Downingtown store in its new location! Come for the expanded organic produce section, the larger selection of great healthy groceries, the green building features throughout the store and the free samples, bike raffle, kids activities and food demos! The new Downingtown store is 2 doors down from the previous Downingtown location in the Milltown Square Shopping Center.  Directions to Kimberton’s store in Downingtown can be found by visiting kimbertonwholefoods.com/stores/downingtown.

 

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Western PA:
September is Local Foods Month in Western PA, and to add to the fun and celebration, PASA is hosting a Farmer Olympics at the Mother Earth News Fair! The Farmer Olympics brings local farmers and their supporters together for some friendly competition in fun, farming-inspired challenges. Teams of farmers and community members will test their skill, agility, teamwork and knowledge in competitions like the potato harvest scramble, tomato-trellising relay, box building, fence moving and farm trivia. Teams receive free admission to the Mother Earth News Fair on Sunday, September 23. Fun for all, and prizes to the winners!

The Mother Earth News Fair at Seven Springs Mountain Resort is a fun-filled, family-oriented sustainable lifestyle event. The Fair features practical, hands-on demos and workshops on topics like renewable energy, small-scale agriculture, livestock, gardening, green building, and natural health in addition to vendors of organic food and drink, books and magazines, tools, seeds, clothing and more. In 2011, over 9,000 people attended the Fair, and this year the event has been extended from two days to three. Look for today’s interview with Mother Earth News Fair keynoter and author of The Art of Fermentation, Sandor Katz on the Good Food Neighborhood blog!

 

Also, don’t forget about these upcoming Sustainability Schools workshops:

Potluck & Recipe Swap
Saturday, September 22
Longview Center for Agriculture
Collegeville, Montgomery County
In partnership with Greener Partners

Saving Tradition by Saving Seed
Saturday, September 29
Dickinson College Farm
Boiling Springs, Cumberland County
In partnership with Dickinson College Farm

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About PASA:

With over 5,000 members, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) is one of the largest and most active sustainable agriculture organizations in the U.S. Through educational programs and regional marketing assistance for farmers, advocacy, and public outreach, PASA seeks to promote profitable farms that produce healthy food for all people while respecting the natural environment. PASA’s hallmark event, the Farming for the Future Conference, draws thousands of participants from more than 30 states and six countries each February. For more information, visit pasafarming.org.

 

Megan Epler
(814) 349.9856 x15
megan@pasafarming.org

“Promoting profitable farms that provide healthy food for all people while respecting the natural environment.”

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PA: Carlisle – Annual Local Food Dinner with Ben Hewitt

February 14, 2012 in Community Events

When: March 24th at 6:30pm (immediately following the winter Farmers on the Square market!)
Where: Dickinson College Social Hall, Holland Union Building (HUB), Carlisle, PA
Keynote Speaker: Ben Hewitt, author of The Town that Food Saved
All proceeds benefit Farmers on the Square market. Help support local farmers and enjoy a delicious dinner, too!

About the Keynote Speaker

Ben HewittBen Hewitt was born and raised in northern Vermont, where he currently runs a small-scale, diversified hill farm with his family. He lives with his wife and two sons in a self-built home that is powered by a windmill and solar photovoltaic panels. To help offset his renewable energy footprint, Ben drives a really big truck. His work has appeared in numerous national periodicals, including the New York Times Magazine, Wired, Gourmet, Discover, Skiing, Eating Well, Yankee Magazine, Powder, Men’s Journal, National Geographic Adventure,and Outside. His latest book is Making Supper Safe: One Man’s Quest to Learn the Truth about Food Safety.

Listen to an interview with Ben Hewitt on NPR’s Think Radio with Krys Boyd: “Is Our Food Really Safe?”

LA Times: “Frontlines of a Food Revolution”

Ben Hewitt’s Website

How to Purchase Tickets: Tickets go on sale for all community members on March 12th. If you would like to receive a reminder when ticket sales go live, please sign up for the Local Food Dinner email list using this form.

Tickets will also be on sale in theHolland Union Building on the following dates & times:

Week of March 5th (Dickinson Students Only):
11:30-1:30 and 5:00-7:00 Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri

Week of  March 12th
11:00-1:00 Mon, Wed, Fri

Week of March 17th
11:30-1:30 and 5:00-7:00 Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri

Getting to the Local Food Dinner: 

Map of Dickinson Campus – Holland Union Building is #16. Directions to Dickinson
Parking is available on the street and in campus lots. Carpooling is encouraged!

If you cannot make the dinner, we still encourage you to attend the indoor farmers’ market in the Holland Building on March 24th from 3:00pm-6:00pm.

Check out some pictures from the 2010 Local Food Dinner!

About the Local Food Dinner

Since 2005, the Dickinson College Farm has worked hard to organize our region’s local food celebration. By contacting local farmers and charging the College’s Dining Services with the task of developing a seasonal menu, we have succeeded in drawing a crowd of 200 each year for a feast that is one of a kind.

We have been fortunate to have leaders like Anna Lappe, co-founder of Small Planet Institute and a widely respected author and educator, renowned for her work as a sustainable food advocate; Kim Tait, owner of Tait Farms food activist, and agricultural entrepreneur; Nina Planck, Farmers’ Market organizer, food activist, and author; Kim Seeley, PA Dairy Farmer, President of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA); Anthony Flaccavento, founder and executive director of Appalachian Sustainable Development as keynote speakers.

Our Local Food Dinner is held on campus in the Holland Union Building (HUB) Social Hall every spring.

Past Speakers

April 9, 2011: Keynote Speaker: Anna Lappe, daughter of Frances Moore Lappe and international advocate on issues relating to “sustainability, food politics, globalization, and social change”.Anna Lappe founded the Small Planet Institute.

March 27, 2010: Keynote Speaker: Tim Stark, farmer and author of “Heirloom”, a memoir of over fifteen years of growing heirloom vegetables on Eckerton Hill Farm.
The Examiner: “Successful Tomato Farmer Tim Stark Details the Ironies of his Job”
2009-2010 Local Food Dinner Pictures

April 4, 2009: Keynote Speaker: Lyle Estill, author of “Small is Possible: Life in a Local Economy”; “Biodiesel Power; the Passion, People, and Politics of the Next Renewable Fuel”; and “Industrial Evolution; Local Solutions for a Low Carbon Future”.

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PA: Boiling Springs – PASA Sustainability Schools: Seasonal Planning

January 16, 2012 in Sustainability Schools, Uncategorized

Summer Dreamin’: Planning for the Coming Season

January 28, 2012
Starts: 2:00 pm
Ends: 4:00 pm
Location: Dickinson College Farm, 553 Park Drive, Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania 17007
Description: FREE Event.
Despite the cold weather outside, let’s talk summer! The winter months provide us with time indoors to start planning for the gardening season ahead. This workshop will discuss how to start a backyard garden, from designing garden beds and soil preparation to starting seeds and planning for continual harvests throughout the growing season! We will also share strategies for healthy crop rotations, disease prevention and lessons learned from last year!
Register: http://goo.gl/gaOGa

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2012 Sustainability Schools

January 3, 2012 in Sustainability Schools

INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS
BRING “SUSTAINABILITY SCHOOLS” TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Look for homesteading, homemaking, and backyard conservation courses
to come to your local community soon.

The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), already at the forefront of farm-based education in Pennsylvania, today launches a new effort aimed at providing courses for consumers interested in living more sustainably. Through its Good Food Neighborhood program, PASA is partnering with organizations, groups and individuals to provide “Sustainability Schools” throughout the Commonwealth and bordering states.

“Living more sustainably is something we can all do to contribute not only to the viability of our own families, but increasingly of our local communities,” says Hannah Smith who heads up PASA’s community outreach efforts. Smith designed the program which parallels PASA’s very popular peer-to-peer farmer education program. “PASA is well-known for its farm-based education programs which highlight the skills and experience of our farmers to farm sustainably. Likewise, our local communities are gaining strength by the networking of folks who have much to offer in the way of living sustainably. Our Sustainability Schools draw on these community resources.” Smith points to a wide range of courses available from composting to backyard poultry and beekeeping, from home energy efficiency to food preservation, and even home brewing and fermentation. She also notes that a taste of Sustainability School subject matter will be available during the Good Food Neighborhood (GFN) workshops at PASA’s 21st Annual Farming for the Future Conference in State College, PA, February 1-4, 2012 (see registration information below).

PASA is currently partnering with Dickinson College Farm (Carlisle, PA), Greener Partners (Collegeville, PA), the Spring Creek Homesteading Fund (State College, PA), and The Home Grown Institute (Philadelphia, PA), and is in negotiations with other potential partners to bring Sustainability Schools to every region of the Commonwealth and surrounding states (contact Hannah Smith if you or your organization might be a good fit for the program).

Katherine Watt, an organizer with Spring Creek Homesteading, offers, “These courses are about learning how to do more things for ourselves. In this time when families are feeling so stretched from a contracting economy, rising energy prices and the impacts of extreme weather conditions, building a safety net using local resources of time, skill and land can make all the difference.”

More information about PASA’s Sustainability Schools program is available on the Good Food Neighborhood website at www.goodfoodneighborhood.org/sustainabilityschools.

About the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture:
PASA is the only statewide, member-based, sustainable farming organization in Pennsylvania and is one of the largest in the nation at over 6,000 members. Consistently, about two-thirds of PASA members are farmers. Additionally, PASA reaches over 25,000 people nationally through its Good Food Neighborhood program. Its mission is “to promote profitable farms that produce healthy food for all people while respecting the natural environment.” Look for the Good Food Neighborhood (GFN) thread in this year’s conference programming, available at http://www.pasafarming.org/conference2012/workshop.htm

About Dickinson College Farm:
The Dickinson College Farm is a 180-acre working farm and educational resource that provides Certified Organic and Food Alliance Certified produce to Dickinson College’s dining hall and the local community through Community Supported Agriculture programs and food bank donations. Located six miles from the Carlisle, PA campus, the farm uses state-of-the-art sustainable operations, such as solar-electric and solar-hot-water systems. The current partnership with PASA is running under the “Sustainability Series” title and will be held at Dickinson College Farm in Boiling Springs, PA.

About Greener Partners:
Greener Partners offers programs and projects aimed at increasing public access to local foods, training new farmers in resilient farming techniques, and educating people about the origins of their foods and empowering them to create healthy communities. The current partnership with PASA is running under the “Farmer Mark Series” title and will be held at the Longview Center for Agriculture in Collegeville, PA.

About Spring Creek Homesteading Fund:
Spring Creek Homesteading Fund is organized to support local self-sufficiency within the Spring Creek Watershed of Central Pennsylvania by supporting food gardens and orchards, urban farms, community greenhouses, kitchens, bakeries, farmers markets, and workshop programs in the homesteading arts. The current partnership with PASA is running under the “Reskilling Workshops” title and will be held primarily at the Friends Meetinghouse in State College, PA.

About The Home Grown Institute:
The Home Grown Institute has as its mission to energize the community – through skill building and community connection – to move forward, each on our own personal path of sustainable practice. The Institute is Community-Centered, Skills-Focused, and Action-Driven. The current partnership with PASA is running under the “Springing Good Intention Into Action” title and primarily serves residents of the Wissahickon Watershed and Metropolitan Philadelphia, PA.

For more information about PASA’s Good Food Neighborhood and our Sustainability Schools program or to schedule an interview, please contact Hannah Smith at hannah@pasafarming.org, @goodfoodhood, or 717-250-0725.

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Give a gift to PASA today and your gift will be matched! http://t.co/5BSFV0PFOd @pasafarming @pasabrian2 days ago