Archive for October, 2009
Scaling Up Workshops: How to grow more, sell more and make more
Post Date: Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
Consumer demand for local foods is growing and Farm to Table, NMDA, and NMSU and University of Arizona Coop Extension are teaming up to offer a series of two workshops that will help farmers and ranchers in the Middle Rio Grande Valley and the Four Corners area to expand their businesses and meet this demand. The theme of the workshops is “Scaling Up: How to grow more, sell more and make more.”
In the first workshops, successful farmers from the area and beyond will present on their experience with:
- Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs),
- Selling to restaurants and institutions,
- Season extension for year round production and sales,
- Livestock marketing, and
- Diversifying product mix.
The workshops will also provide farmers and ranchers with the opportunity to meet in small groups with these farmers to think about which production and marketing improvements will work best for their own farms or ranches.
Workshop participants will be eligible to receive free, one-on-one consulting about their farm and ranch business.
The workshops will be held in the following three locations:
FARMINGTON
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
3pm to 8pm
First Presbyterian Church
865 North Dustin Avenue
SHIPROCK
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Shiprock Chapter House
US 64
10 am to 3 pm
BELEN
Saturday, November 14
Belen Public Library
333 Becker Ave
10am to 3pm
A $5 registration fee covers lunch or dinner and refreshments. To eat, YOU MUST RSVP one week before the workshop. For more information or to RSVP, contact Ilana Blankman at (505) 473-1004 x 12 or ilana.blankman@gmail.com.
Topics: Farm To Table Conferences, Workshops, and Trainings, Uncategorized |
Southwest Marketing Network Hosts Utah Urban Farming Conference
Post Date: Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
November 16, 2009
Utah Cultural Celebration Center
West Valley City, Utah
Are you an urban farmer along the Wasatch Front, or are you interested in producing, processing, distributing, buying or supporting local foods along the Wasatch Front? Then join us for an opportunity to network and strategize. Click here for more information and online conference registration. Register today!
Topics: Farm To Table Conferences, Workshops, and Trainings |
Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Alliance for a Healthier Generation Release Book Showcasing Moms’ Creative Ways to Fight Childhood Obesity in Their Homes, Communities
Post Date: Tuesday, October 6th, 2009A new book featuring smart tips from moms on tough topics like cutting down screen time, getting your kids to eat more vegetables and increasing physical activity is available to any parent in the U.S. at low or no cost. The book is a product of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. Susan Dell — healthy living advocate, co-founder of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and wife of tech legend Michael Dell — narrates the book. Be Well: Messages from Moms on Living Healthier Lives features the stories of 15 moms who are creatively finding ways to fight childhood obesity in their homes and communities.
Be Well is available free or at low cost online at www.BeWellBook.org, in English and Spanish versions, and through local schools and community centers around the nation. The aim of the book is to make it accessible to any parent who wants to start their children on a healthy path.
“Obesity crosses all socio-economic lines, but the moms featured in Be Well don’t have the resources that many other moms do,” said Susan Dell, co-founder and chairman of the board of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. “What they do possess is the creativity and determination to guide their children toward the healthiest lives possible and show us all that healthy living can be easy and inexpensive. I hope women across the country find a story in this book they can identify with and are inspired to jump-start healthy habits in their own homes, or even share their own personal story on the www.BeWellBook.org Web site.”
“We want to enable parents to take an active role in creating healthy lifestyles for their families, as it is an important piece of the puzzle in the fight against childhood obesity,” said Ginny Ehrlich, executive director of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. “It is our hope that the book will not only inspire families to create a healthier environment for their children at home, but that they will become active in creating healthy communities by joining the Alliance’s Healthy Schools Network.”
The foreword is written by Dr. William H. Dietz, M.D., PhD, Director, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The moms’ creative strategies in the book map to five levers Dr. Dietz attributes to preventing childhood obesity: 1) decreasing screen time, 2) decreasing high-energy density foods, 3) decreasing sugar-sweetened beverages, 4) increasing physical activity and 5) increasing fruits and vegetables.
A flavor of the moms and tips featured in Be Well: Messages from Moms on Living Healthier Lives:
–Debra in Harlem takes care of not only her own children, but also feeds upwards of 10 children on her own dime to ensure they have access to healthy food. She also finds creative serving techniques like “turkey hotdog necklaces” and “broccoli forests” to make healthy fare appealing to little ones.
–Ashley in Houston runs with her two young sons for at least 60 minutes each night to teach them the importance of physical activity and setting goals. Her eldest son’s grades and behavior improved since starting their nightly routine.
–Jamilia in Oakland had a family history of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. As a 26-year-old mother of four, she made great efforts to cut out fast food by involving her kids in planning the weekly menu and rides the bus 30 minutes each week to buy fresh produce at a farmer’s market.
–Andrea in Tucson recognized the need to improve her family’s habits but wanted to honor her Mexican heritage and ancestors with her cooking. She adapted her culture’s traditional recipes and makes them healthier without sacrificing taste. Instead of frying beans and meats, she uses a slow cooker. Resources Behind the Book
The book was developed by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The Dell family foundation advocates the need for childhood obesity prevention strategies to intervene at all levels of a child’s environment, including at the individual level, within families, within schools, and in the community. The foundation’s Health Portfolio reflects the passion of book narrator, Susan Dell, the co-founder and chairman of the board and the driving force behind the foundation. An accomplished athlete, Susan was a member of the President’s Council for Physical Fitness and Sports and is a board member of the Cooper Institute in Dallas. In the U.S. she is specifically focused on encouraging kids to be more physically active and promoting healthy eating. Dell also has four children of her own.
To obtain a copy of the book, go to www.BeWellBook.org. Parents can also submit their personal stories or the story of someone they know–and help others develop lifelong, healthy habits. Stories submitted may be published on www.BeWellBook.org.
Topics: Education, Resources and Publications |