All Blog Posts Tagged 'toronto' - The Co-op Underground2024-03-29T13:16:36Zhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?tag=toronto&xn_auth=noPowerful Net Advertising Equipmenttag:coopunderground.ning.com,2013-05-22:2899966:BlogPost:201762013-05-22T13:58:31.000ZJulianne Weaverhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/JulianneWeaver
I want to define the term Search engine optimisation in a a lot more common way by getting a really uncomplicated illustration. Suppose, getting developed a new web site for your organization or company, you must be in the illusion that a site by itself will give you improved market visibility and direct to business expansion, when really you are operating in the similar advertising surroundings as you beforehand were.<br></br><br></br>Search engine optimisation Stands for Research Engine Optimization…
I want to define the term Search engine optimisation in a a lot more common way by getting a really uncomplicated illustration. Suppose, getting developed a new web site for your organization or company, you must be in the illusion that a site by itself will give you improved market visibility and direct to business expansion, when really you are operating in the similar advertising surroundings as you beforehand were.<br/><br/>Search engine optimisation Stands for Research Engine Optimization and it is a process of acquiring site visitors from free and compensated listing on the research motor or in other terms, we can say that it is a procedure in which you can boost the visibity and website traffic on your web page with really effective and successful way.<br/><br/><img src="http://www.dallasmarketingdirectory.com/wp-content/themes/directorypress/thumbs//dallas-seo1.jpg" alt="seo" width="400" height="300"/><br/><br/>This is very similar to Google's established in that it assists webmasters make their web sites much more seen to the research engines. This one improves the site's relevance to Bing as an alternative of Google. Productive website owners want website traffic from as a lot of look for engines as possible. These Bing tools will make recommendations on enhancements in your site and assist you know specifically what individuals are looking for.<br/><br/><iframe width="400" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fHhgDRhEku0?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<br/><br/>There are rather a few <a href="http://yourdomain.com">marketing consulting services</a> Software program applications which would enable you put into practice reciprocal website link developing. But producing the decision as which Search engine marketing Software program instrument is correct for you is the Major query.<br/><br/>The earlier mentioned standard facts is fundamental to very good research engine optimization. It gives an exceptional platform from which you can commence developing an efficient and optimized internet site. Continue on constructing your know-how and capabilities and you will see beneficial outcomes in your webpage position and small business achievement.<br/><br/>This actually is simple things, but it truly is important for getting users to click by to your website once they stumble across it in the search outcomes. The title must be snappy and descriptive, as really should the meta-description. Remember to incorporate these keywords and phrases too for a small further lookup engine really like.2012 has been recognised as the International Year of Co-operatives by the United Nations.tag:coopunderground.ning.com,2012-01-19:2899966:BlogPost:94642012-01-19T18:14:25.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<h2 class="block-title"><span style="font-size: 21px;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3348332232?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3348332232?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></span></h2>
<p>2012 has been recognised as the International Year of Co-operatives by the United Nations. <a href="http://2012.coop/en" target="_blank">2012 has been recognised as the International Year of Co-operatives by the United Nations.</a> This is an acknowledgement by the international community that co-operatives…</p>
<h2 class="block-title"><span style="font-size: 21px;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3348332232?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/3348332232?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></span></h2>
<p>2012 has been recognised as the International Year of Co-operatives by the United Nations. <a href="http://2012.coop/en" target="_blank">2012 has been recognised as the International Year of Co-operatives by the United Nations.</a> This is an acknowledgement by the international community that co-operatives drive the economy, respond to social change, are resilient to the global economic crisis and are serious, successful businesses creating jobs in all sectors.</p>
<p></p>
<p><img src="http://2012.coop/sites/default/files/IYC-logo-variants_0.jpg"/></p>
<p></p>
<p><img src="http://2012.coop/sites/default/files/IYC-tag-line-variants.jpg"/></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>1942 movie clip about co-opstag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-12-28:2899966:BlogPost:90622011-12-28T20:45:21.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<p> </p>
<p> <iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zIl7_I1bPvQ?wmode=opaque" width="420"></iframe>
</p>
<p><span>The Cooperative movement's first sound motion picture, "Here is Tomorrow," was completed during the year and released for distribution January 1, 1942. The picture was produced by Documentary Film Productions, Inc., for The Cooperative League. The camera crew traveled 6,000 miles shooting cooperatives in action as the basis for the…</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zIl7_I1bPvQ?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</p>
<p><span>The Cooperative movement's first sound motion picture, "Here is Tomorrow," was completed during the year and released for distribution January 1, 1942. The picture was produced by Documentary Film Productions, Inc., for The Cooperative League. The camera crew traveled 6,000 miles shooting cooperatives in action as the basis for the movie.</span><br/><br/><span>A review of the film from a 1943 issue of Consumer Cooperation:</span><br/><br/><span>For the last five years, the first sound motion picture of the American Consumer Cooperative Movement has been "under consideration," "under discussion" or "in production." Today it is a reality. And those who have seen it have been unanimous in their conclusion that it was well worth waiting for.</span><br/><br/><span>"HERE IS TOMORROW" was produced by Documentary Film Productions, Inc. under the direction of Herbert Kerkow and Willard Van Dyke and is a dramatic story of common people who have met bitter economic problems and solved them. Congressman Jerry Voorhis said: "I only -wish everyone in America could see 'HERE IS TOMORROW' for it would give them renewed and substantial hope for the future."</span></p>A Quick History of the Supermarkettag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-10-24:2899966:BlogPost:74622011-10-24T18:23:53.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<div class="headline"><div class="headlineleft"><h1><a href="http://www.groceteria.com/about/a-quick-history-of-the-supermarket/" target="_blank">A Quick History of the Supermarket</a></h1>
</div>
<div class="headlineright"><p><a href="http://www.groceteria.com/about/a-quick-history-of-the-supermarket/printpage/" rel="nofollow" title="Printable version"><img alt="Printable version" class="WP-PrintIcon" src="http://www.groceteria.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-print/images/printer_famfamfam.gif" title="Printable version"></img></a></p>
</div>
</div>
<p align="left"><strong>The Beginnings:</strong></p>
<p align="left">Chain grocery retailing was a phenomenon…</p>
<div class="headline"><div class="headlineleft"><h1><a target="_blank" href="http://www.groceteria.com/about/a-quick-history-of-the-supermarket/">A Quick History of the Supermarket</a></h1>
</div>
<div class="headlineright"><p><a href="http://www.groceteria.com/about/a-quick-history-of-the-supermarket/printpage/" title="Printable version" rel="nofollow"><img class="WP-PrintIcon" src="http://www.groceteria.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-print/images/printer_famfamfam.gif" alt="Printable version" title="Printable version"/></a></p>
</div>
</div>
<p align="left"><strong>The Beginnings:</strong></p>
<p align="left">Chain grocery retailing was a phenomenon that took off around the beginning of the twentieth century, with the <a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/national-chains/ap/">Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company</a> (established 1859) and other small, regional players. Grocery stores of this era tended to be small (generally less than a thousand square feet) and also focused on only one aspect of food retailing. Grocers (and most of the chains fell into this camp) sold what is known as “dry grocery” items, or canned goods and other non-perishable staples. Butchers and greengrocers (produce vendors) were completely separate entities, although they tended to cluster together for convenience’s sake.</p>
<p align="left"><strong>Self-Service:</strong></p>
<p align="left">Clarence Saunders’ <a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/national-chains/piggly-wiggly/">Piggly Wiggly</a> stores, established in Memphis in 1916, are widely credited with introducing America to self-service shopping, although other stores (notably <a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/regional-chains/a-e/alpha-beta/">Alpha Beta</a> in Southern California) around the country were experimenting with the idea at about the same time. Self-service stores came to be known as “groceterias” due to the fact that they were reminiscent of the cafeteria-style eateries that were gaining popularity at the time.</p>
<p align="left"><strong>The Chain Store Explosion (1920s):</strong></p>
<p align="left">It was not until the 1920s that chain stores started to become a really dominant force in American food (and other) retailing. Small regional chains such as <a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/national-chains/kroger/">Kroger</a>, <a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/regional-chains/a-e/american-storesacme/">American Stores</a>, <a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/national-chains/national-tea-loblaws-and-related-chains/">National Tea</a>, and others began covering more and more territory, and A&P began moving toward a more national profile, operating over 10,000 of its “economy stores” by the end of the decade. Most of these stores remained small, counter service stores, often staffed by only two or three employees, with no meat nor produce departments. Some still offered delivery and charge accounts, although most chain stores had abandoned these practices.</p>
<p align="left">In 1926, Charles Merrill, of Merrill Lynch set in motion a series of transactions that led to the creation of<a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/national-chains/safeway/">Safeway Stores</a>, when he arranged the merger of Skaggs Cash Stores, a chain with operations in Northern California and the northwestern United States, with Los Angeles-based Sam Seelig Stores. In 1928, the new chain bought most of the west coast’s Piggly Wiggly stores, and later acquired Sanitary Stores in the Washington DC area as well as MacMarr Stores, another chain that Charles Merrill had assembled. Growth by merger became common in the late 1920s and 1930s, and led to numerous antitrust actions and attempts to tax the chain stores out of existence.</p>
<p align="left"><strong>The Supermarket (1930s and 1940s):</strong></p>
<p align="left">As early at the 1920s, some chain grocers were experimenting with consolidated (albeit still rather small) stores that featured at least a small selection of fresh meats and produce along with the dry grocery items. In Southern California, <a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/regional-chains/p-t/ralphs/">Ralphs Grocery Company</a> was expanding into much larger stores than had been seen before in most of the country. Los Angeles was also seeing the beginning of the “drive-in market” phenomenon, where several complimentary food retailers (a butcher, a baker, a grocer, and a produce vendor, for example) would locate within the same small shopping center surrounding a parking lot. These centers were often perceived by customers as a single entity, despite being under separate ownership.</p>
<p align="left">In 1930, Michael Cullen, a former executive of both Kroger and A&P, opened his first King Kullen store, widely cited as America’s first supermarket, although others have some legitimate claim to that title as well. King Kullen was located in a warehouse on the fringes of New York City, and offered ample free parking and additional concessions in a bazaar-like atmosphere. Merchandise was sold out of packing cartons and little attention was paid to décor. The emphasis was on volume, with this one store projected to do the volume of up to one hundred conventional chain stores. The volume and the no frills approach resulted in considerably lower prices.</p>
<p align="left">The supermarket, as it came to be known, was initially a phenomenon of independents and small, regional chains. Eventually, the large chains caught on as well, and they refined the concept, adding a level of sophistication that had been lacking from the spartan stores of the early 1930s. In the late 1930s, A&P began consolidating its thousands of small service stores into larger supermarkets, often replacing as many as five or six stores with one large, new one. By 1940, A&P’s store count had been reduced by half, but its sales were up. Similar transformations occurred among all the “majors”; in fact, most national chains of the time saw their store counts peak around 1935 and then decline sharply through consolidation. Most chains operated both supermarkets and some old-style stores simultaneously for the next decade or so, either under the same name (like Safeway, A&P, and Kroger) , or under different banners (such as the Big Star stores operated by the <a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/regional-chains/a-e/colonial/">David Pender Grocery Company</a> in the southeast).</p>
<p align="left"><strong>Suburbs and Shopping Centers (1950s and 1960s):</strong></p>
<p align="left">By the 1950s, the transition to supermarkets was largely complete, and the migration to suburban locations was beginning. Some chains were more aggressive with this move than others. A&P, for example, was very hesitant to expend the necessary capital and move outward, retaining smaller, outdated, urban locations for perhaps longer than was prudent. While the company tried to catch up in the 1960s, its momentum had vanished, and the once dominant chain eventually became something of an “also-ran.”</p>
<p align="left">The 1950s and 1960s were seen my many as the golden age of the supermarket, with bright new stores opening on a regular basis, generating excited and glowing newspaper reports, and serving a marketplace that was increasingly affluent. Standardized designs, in use since the 1930s and 1940s, were refined and modernized, creating instantly recognizable and iconic buildings such as A&P’s colonial-themed stores; the glass arch-shaped designs of Safeway, <a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/regional-chains/p-t/penn-fruit/">Penn Fruit</a>, and others; and the towering pylon signs of <a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/national-chains/food-fair/">Food Fair</a> and <a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/regional-chains/k-o/lucky/">Lucky Stores</a>.</p>
<p align="left"><strong>Discounters and Warehouse Stores (1970s):</strong></p>
<p align="left">As changing tastes and zoning boards forced exteriors to become more “subdued” in the late 1960s, interiors began to compensate, with colorful designs evoking New Orleans or the “Gay 90s” or old farmhouses replacing the stark whites common to many stores of the 1950s. Other new touches included carpeting, specialty departments, and more. Kroger’s new “superstore” prototype, introduced in 1972, was perhaps the peak of this trend, with its specialty departments and its orange, gold, and green color palette.</p>
<p align="left">Many shoppers, however, wondered what the costs of these amenities might be, and something of a backlash developed. This backlash was answered in the late 1960s with a new trend known as “discounting.”</p>
<p align="left">Numerous stores around the country embarked on discounting programs at about the same time, most of which centered around the elimination of trading stamps, reduction in operating hours, and an emphasis on cost-cutting. Lucky Stores of California simply re-imaged their current stores and kept using the same name, while others opted for a hybrid format, with some stores operating traditionally and others (such as Colonial’s Big Star stores and <a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/regional-chains/f-j/harris-teeter/">Harris Teeter</a>’s More Value in the southeast) open as discounters under different names.</p>
<p align="left">A&P, as was its custom at the time, arrived somewhat late and unprepared for this party. It attempt at discounting, WEO (Warehouse Economy Outlet) was something of a disaster, plagued by distribution issues and by the fact that its numerous smaller and older stores were not capable of producing the volume required to make discounting work (but were converted anyway). This was one of several factors that preceded A&P’s major meltdown of the mid-1970s.</p>
<p align="left"><strong>Upscale Stores, Warehouses, and Mergers (1980s and 1990s):</strong></p>
<p align="left">The market segmentation we see today grew out of the discounting movement as amplified in the 1980s. The middle range began to disappear, albeit slowly, as mainline stores went more “upscale” and low end stores moved more toward a warehouse model, evocative of the early supermarkets of the 1930s. Many chains operated at both ends of the spectrum, often under different names (Edwards and<a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/regional-chains/f-j/first-nationalfinast/">Finast</a> was an example, as were the many A&P brands, from “Futurestore” to “Sav-a-Center”). Others eliminated one end of the market completely, like Harris Teeter in North Carolina, which abandoned discounting entirely.</p>
<p align="left">The re-emergence of superstores, featuring general merchandise and groceries under one roof accelerated this trend. Many such stores had opened in the early 1960s, some of them operated by chain grocers themselves. Only a few survived, Fred Meyer in Oregon being a noteworthy example, and “one stop shopping” seemed a relatively new and fresh idea when Kmart and Walmart tried it again, with considerably more success, starting around 1990.</p>
<p align="left">The other big trend during this time was toward mergers and leveraged buyouts. This affected almost all the major chains. A&P was sold to German interests. Safeway took itself private in 1987 to avoid a hostile takeover, and lost half its geographical reach in the process. Kroger slimmed down somewhat in 1988 for the same reasons, while Lucky was acquired by American Stores the same year. Another round of mergers in the 1990s placed American Stores in the hands of <a href="http://www.groceteria.com/store/national-chains/albertsons/">Albertsons</a>, reunited Safeway with much of its former territory, and greatly increased the west coast presence of Kroger, making these three chains the dominant players in the industry, along with Walmart.</p>
<p align="left">All of which brings us to the present, which is not what this site is about, so I’ll leave any further mention of big box retailers, new players like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, and subsequent mergers to future historians, and invite you to continue exploring the past at Groceteria.com.</p>Cathy Speck's Davis High Hall of Fame Speech (VIDEO)tag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-10-13:2899966:BlogPost:69622011-10-13T18:27:44.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<div class="body article NS_1s79r3nhqa"><div class="user_content pie-clearfix"><h1>Cathy Speck's Davis High Hall of Fame Speech (VIDEO)</h1>
<p class="subhead">Speck, who is living with ALS, was inducted into the Davis High Hall of Fame on Oct. 8.</p>
<div class="column"><div class="column"><ul class="byline NS_2ft3852c7u">
<li><span class="date">10:43am…</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="spacer"></div>
<div class="column"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="body article NS_1s79r3nhqa"><div class="user_content pie-clearfix"><h1>Cathy Speck's Davis High Hall of Fame Speech (VIDEO)</h1>
<p class="subhead">Speck, who is living with ALS, was inducted into the Davis High Hall of Fame on Oct. 8.</p>
<div class="column"><div class="column"><ul class="byline NS_2ft3852c7u">
<li><span class="date">10:43am</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="spacer"></div>
<div class="column"><div class="clear legroom pie-clearfix wdgt_social_share_buttons NS_s7vlybuuv"><div class="facebook_like_wrapper"></div>
</div>
</div>
<a href="http://davis.patch.com/articles/cathy-speck-s-davis-high-hall-of-fame-speech-video#comments" class="go_to_article_comments encased_comment_bubble float-right btn green no-headroom"><span class="icon_small icon-comments_tail">&nbps;</span>0 Comments</a></div>
</div>
<div class="media_template template NS_1s79r3nhqa" id="article_template"><div class="asset_container"><div class="span-12"></div>
<div class="spacer"></div>
<div class="asset_block expanded patch-reset NS_2o46t4a4c7"><div class="flag slideshow"></div>
<div class="position"><span class="index">1</span> of <span class="total">1</span></div>
<div class="current_asset expanded">http://o1.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/PATCH/thumbnail/117x88/crop/88x88+15+0/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/patch/5dc85c89c53915db4fac48f323078f26","collapsed":"http://o1.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/PATCH/resize/273x203/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/patch/5dc85c89c53915db4fac48f323078f26","expanded":"http://o1.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/PATCH/resize/600x450/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/patch/5dc85c89c53915db4fac48f323078f26";},"youtube_id":"VpIGRj3PzB4"}" id="youtube_video_8100997"> <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id="patch_yt_player" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/VpIGRj3PzB4?enablejsapi=1&playerapiid=patch_yt_player&version=3" width="600" height="505"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param></object>
<div class="title"></div>
<div class="caption"><span class="credit metadata"> </span></div>
</div>
<div class="asset_browser expanded"><div class="float-right with-icon"><span class="icon_small icon-add"> </span> <span class="add_your_own"><a href="http://davis.patch.com/articles/cathy-speck-s-davis-high-hall-of-fame-speech-video#modal_dialog:add_asset_modal_dialog" class=" link_to_login_modal_dialog">Add your photos & videos</a></span></div>
<div class="spacer"></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="span-12"></div>
</div>
<div class="main_text"><p>Cathy Speck was inducted into the Davis High School Hall of Fame on Saturday.</p>
<p>"Speck, a member of the Class of 1977, was honored for her advocacy on behalf of those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as well as her efforts on behalf of the gay and lesbian community."</p>
<p>Read the full article in the <a href="http://www.davisenterprise.com/sports/blue-devils/six-honored-at-dhs-hall-of-fame-ceremony/">Davis Enterprise</a> and watch a portion of her speech above. Read her personal <a href="http://ipinion.us/columns/?cat=42">blogs on iPinion</a> as well.</p>
</div>
</div>Co-op Board Incumbents Roll to Victory; Measures Win Approvaltag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-09-11:2899966:BlogPost:65642011-09-11T02:03:59.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<h2 class="entry-title"><a class="entry-title-link" href="http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/57002/Coop_Board_Incumbents_Roll_to_Victory_Measures_Win_Approval" target="_blank">Co-op Board Incumbents Roll to Victory; Measures Win Approval</a></h2>
<div class="entry-title-go-to"><h2 class="entry-title"></h2>
</div>
<div class="entry-author"><span class="entry-author-parent">by <span class="entry-author-name">Steven Maviglio…</span></span><div class="entry-likers"></div>
</div>
<h2 class="entry-title"><a class="entry-title-link" target="_blank" href="http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/57002/Coop_Board_Incumbents_Roll_to_Victory_Measures_Win_Approval">Co-op Board Incumbents Roll to Victory; Measures Win Approval</a></h2>
<div class="entry-title-go-to"><h2 class="entry-title"></h2>
</div>
<div class="entry-author"><span class="entry-author-parent">by <span class="entry-author-name">Steven Maviglio</span></span><div class="entry-likers"></div>
</div>
<div class="entry-debug"></div>
<div class="entry-annotations"></div>
<div class="entry-body"><div><div class="item-body"><div><p>In a record turnout, Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op Board members Ann Richardson and Alicia Dienst were overwhelmingly re-elected, and two Board-backed ballot measures also won lopsided victories in a hotly-contested election where a proposed boycott of Israeli products was a major issue. The two board candidates elected had strongly opposed the boycott, proposed by the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) group of Sacramento.</p>
<p>Richardson received 1,338 votes and Dienst snared 1,328 ballots, far outpacing BDS-backed candidates Susan Bush (442) and Cody Potter (424). A fifth candidate, Phyllis Ehlert, received 251 votes.</p>
<p>Measure 2, which bans the Co-op from discriminating in its practices based on political opinion or the national origin of products, was approved by an 83.3-16.7 percent margin.</p>
<p>Measure 1, a technical bylaw change that will allow the Co-op to offer preferred shares, also won, approved by a 76-24 percent margin.</p>
<p>Both measures were supported by the Board of Directors and opposed by BDS.</p>
<p>The vote signals clear support for the Board's position to focus on the store's mission of providing natural foods, supporting local growers, encouraging the development of the cooperative movement, and community education.</p>
<p>On Friday, the Sacramento Superior Court dismissed a lawsuit against the Board by two BDS members.</p>
<p>The official results will be posted on the store's website, <a href="http://www.sacnaturalfoodscoop.com/" target="_blank">www.sacnaturalfoodscoop.com</a> and in the store near the customer service desk.</p>
<p>Disclosure: Steven Maviglio is President of the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Natural Foods Cooperative.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Sacramento food co-op becomes battleground over Israeli productstag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-09-09:2899966:BlogPost:65622011-09-09T18:36:45.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<h1>Sacramento food co-op becomes battleground over Israeli products</h1>
<h2>Some members seeking a boycott over treatment of Palestinians sought a referendum on the issue. When the board refused, the group launched a bid for some board seats and a political campaign ensued.</h2>
<div class="articlebody" id="story-body"><div class="thumbnail"><div class="holder"><table cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr><td><img alt="Food" border="0" height="385" src="http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2011-09/64590476.jpg" width="580"></img><p class="small">Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op general manager Paul Cultrera…</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h1>Sacramento food co-op becomes battleground over Israeli products</h1>
<h2>Some members seeking a boycott over treatment of Palestinians sought a referendum on the issue. When the board refused, the group launched a bid for some board seats and a political campaign ensued.</h2>
<div id="story-body" class="articlebody"><div class="thumbnail"><div class="holder"><table cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr><td><img src="http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2011-09/64590476.jpg" alt="Food" border="0" width="580" height="385"/><p class="small">Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op general manager Paul Cultrera reaches for a box of organic and vegan ice cream cones, which are among the Israeli products the store carries. <span class="credit">(<span class="photographer">Shane Goldmacher / Los Angeles Times</span>)</span></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
<div class="nextgen-share-tools"><ul class="nextgen-left">
<li><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-food-fight-20110909,0,3740232,email.story" target="win_64590464"><img src="http://www.latimes.com/hive/images/icons/email_icon.png" alt="Email" class="icon"/></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-food-fight-20110909,0,3407988,print.story" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.latimes.com/hive/images/icons/print_icon.png" alt="print" class="icon"/></a></li>
<li><span class="text nextgen-font-size"> </span><a class="arrow" href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-food-fight-20110909,0,1602821,full.story#" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.latimes.com/hive/images/icons/atools-uparrow.gif" alt="increase text size" class="arrow-img"/></a><a class="arrow" href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-food-fight-20110909,0,1602821,full.story#" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://www.latimes.com/hive/images/icons/atools-downarrow.gif" alt="decrease text size" class="arrow-img"/></a></li>
</ul>
<ul class="nextgen-right">
<li></li>
<li class="nextgen-sharethis-container"><span class="st_sharethis_hcount"><span class="stButton"><span><span class="stButton_gradient"><span class="chicklets sharethis">Share</span></span><span class="stArrow"><span class="stButton_gradient stHBubble"><span class="stBubble_hcount">100</span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li class="nextgen-comment-count"><div class="nextgen-comments-container"><div class="nextgen-comments-content"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-food-fight-20110909,0,1602821,full.story#tugs_story_display">Comments</a></div>
<div class="nextgen-comments-counter">33</div>
</div>
</li>
<li></li>
</ul>
<div class="clear"></div>
</div>
<div class="articlerail"><div class="articleRelates module"><ul>
<li class="relatedTitle">ALSO</li>
<li class="newRelatedItem"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-palestinians-un-qa-20110907,0,4589846.story"><img src="http://www.latimes.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-09/64531948-06184206-187105.JPG" alt="Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on statehood moves at U.N." width="187" height="105"/></a><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-palestinians-un-qa-20110907,0,4589846.story"><span> </span>Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat on statehood moves at U.N.</a></li>
<li class="newRelatedItem"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-rosenberg-israel-20110717,0,2484770.story"><img src="http://www.latimes.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-07/63279709-15203711.jpeg" alt="Israel: 'Delegitimization' is just a distraction" width="187" height="104"/></a><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-rosenberg-israel-20110717,0,2484770.story"><span> </span>Israel: 'Delegitimization' is just a distraction</a></li>
<li class="newRelatedItem"><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-marzook-palestine-20110612,0,4707176.story"><img src="http://www.latimes.com/media/thumbnails/story/2011-06/62303879-11194337.jpg" alt="Palestinian statehood: What is the U.N.'s role?" width="187" height="105"/></a><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-marzook-palestine-20110612,0,4707176.story"><span> </span>Palestinian statehood: What is the U.N.'s role?</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<span class="toolSet"><br />
</span><div class="byline"><span class="toolSet"><span class="byline">By Shane Goldmacher, Los Angeles Times</span></span><p class="date"><span class="dateString">September 9, 2011</span></p>
</div>
<div class="clear"></div>
<br />
<div id="story-body-text">Reporting from Sacramento -- Its aisles brimming with a rainbow of ripe organic produce, bins of grains and refrigerators stocked with soy everything, the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op has long been an oasis of civility in this combative city.<br/><br/><a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="ORGOV0000005" title="Democratic Party" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/parties-movements/democratic-party-ORGOV0000005.topic" name="ORGOV0000005">Democrats</a> and <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="ORGOV0000004" title="Republican Party" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/parties-movements/republican-party-ORGOV0000004.topic" name="ORGOV0000004">Republicans</a> may quarrel at the Capitol a few miles away, but here they break gluten-free bread, munch on kale chips and sip acai juice in blissful bipartisan harmony: "Peace, love and granola," said Republican strategist Donna Lucas, a proud co-op member.<br/><br/>But now politics has intruded on their sanctuary.<br/><br/>A small band of members pushed the co-op board to strip store shelves of Israeli-made items, arguing that <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="PLGEO0000010" title="Israel" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/intl/israel-PLGEO0000010.topic" name="PLGEO0000010">Israel</a>represses its Palestinian population and the co-op should take a stand. They collected signatures and demanded a referendum on the issue, but the board said no. So the activists launched a campaign to take over some board seats. Votes will be tallied Saturday.<br/><br/>Susan Bush, one of the rebel board candidates, says the battle is about more than Israel. The co-op is suppressing voices, acting corporate, she says. Soon it could be "selling <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="ORCRP003499" title="Coca-Cola Company" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/economy-business-finance/coca-cola-company-ORCRP003499.topic" name="ORCRP003499">Coca-Cola</a>, for God's sake."<br/><br/>The co-op's political elite has responded in rare bipartisan form and with all the trappings of a full-on electoral fight: membership drives, a get-out-the-vote operation, a <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="ORCRP006023" title="Facebook" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/arts-culture/computer-networking-internet/social-media/facebook-ORCRP006023.topic" name="ORCRP006023">Facebook</a> page, even phone banks.<br/><br/>"We know how to do elections," said Barry Broad, a Democrat and blue-chip union lobbyist by day, socks-and-sandals co-op member by night.<br/><br/>The brick-walled cooperative, with more than 12,000 member-owners, traces its roots back nearly four decades. It twice outgrew its confines and then landed in a quiet east Sacramento neighborhood in 1989. But with only about 50 parking spaces and $26 million in annual sales, it's almost bursting at the seams again.<br/><br/>Inside are floor-to-ceiling collections of rice cakes and <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="HEDI00004" title="Vegan Diet" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/health/diets-dieting/vegan-diet-HEDI00004.topic" name="HEDI00004">vegan</a> fare. The poultry comes fattened on<a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="HEDI00003" title="Vegetarian Diet" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/health/diets-dieting/vegetarian-diet-HEDI00003.topic" name="HEDI00003">vegetarian</a> feed. The stuff can be pricey, but people aren't here looking for bargains.<br/><br/>Standing in the wellness aisle, general manager Paul Cultrera couldn't remember which Dead Sea bath salts were which. Some are evaporated in Jordan, he explains. Those aren't troublesome. The ones dredged on the Israeli side are.<br/><br/>Cultrera said revenue from Israeli-produced goods is a relatively meager $15,000 annually. The products include ice cream cones (gluten-free, organic and vegan), two types of matzo and, during the Jewish holidays, some kosher wine.<br/><br/>Outside, the protesters and the political pros have been squaring off for months. On a warm summer day, protesters lined the sidewalk, tambourines in tow, making their case to the tune of "This Land Is Your Land."<br/><br/>"This is my co-op, this is your co-op, we are member ow-ners, our voices ma-tter," they sang. "This co-op belongs to you and me."<br/><br/>Maggie Coulter, a state retiree and organic gardener, spearheaded the call for a boycott. The financial stake may be small, Coulter said, but the symbolism is huge. It could even, she said, push Israel to change its policies, one American food cooperative at a time.<br/><br/>Similar battles have flared at co-ops across the nation: in <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="PLGEO100100802010000" title="Brooklyn (New York City)" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/us/new-york/new-york-city/brooklyn-%28new-york-city%29-PLGEO100100802010000.topic" name="PLGEO100100802010000">Brooklyn</a>, N.Y. (still going), Ann Arbor, Mich. (boycott rejected), Olympia, Wash. (boycott adopted). They're loosely linked through the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement modeled after the old anti-apartheid boycotts. The goal, says the group's website, is to pressure Israel to "end its occupation" of <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="PLGEOREG000001" title="Palestine" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/intl/palestine-PLGEOREG000001.topic" name="PLGEOREG000001">Palestine</a>.<br/><br/>"My hope is that we can have an end to human rights violations in the world," Coulter said.<br/><br/>The food fight has sometimes been less than peaceful. Coulter was scolded for harassing customers, and after a parking-lot scuffle with co-op president Steve Maviglio, the police warned her not to trespass.<br/><br/>"She's still a co-owner," Cultrera said, his lips curling into a small smile. "She just can't come to the store."<br/><br/>In her stead, Bush stood outside one recent day, handing out yellow campaign brochures. In blue sweats and her hair in two thin, gray pigtails, she peered across the parking lot at Maviglio and conjured up as strong a rebuke as she could: "They're downtown politicians."<br/><br/>It was scorching hot, and Maviglio, a Democratic strategist, was busy leafleting. He had spent 11 of his otherwise highly billable hours doing the same thing earlier that week. He'd be there again the next day, and the day after that.<br/><br/>He was new to foodie activism after a career spent advising Gov. <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="PEHST000519" title="Gray Davis" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/arts-culture/gray-davis-PEHST000519.topic" name="PEHST000519">Gray Davis</a>, two past Assembly speakers and presidential campaigns. He also served six years in the New Hampshire state Legislature. He assumed the co-op presidency earlier this year when his predecessor moved out of town.<br/><br/>Trying to quash the protest, he activated a network of political insiders. He crossed party lines to recruit Julie Soderlund, who helped manage Republican <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="PEPLT0007601" title="Carly Fiorina" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/government/carly-fiorina-PEPLT0007601.topic" name="PEPLT0007601">Carly Fiorina</a>'s run for <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="ORGOV0000134" title="U.S. Senate" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics/government/u.s.-senate-ORGOV0000134.topic" name="ORGOV0000134">U.S. Senate</a> last year and had worked for former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.<br/><br/>A longtime fan of the kale and beet salad, Soderlund joined to vote for Maviglio's side. The problem with boycotts, she and others said, is where to draw the line. At <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="PLGEO00000014" title="China" href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/intl/china-PLGEO00000014.topic" name="PLGEO00000014">China's</a> policies toward Tibet? Or Arizona's immigration laws? California's refusal to let gays marry?<br/><br/>Broad has scooped up supporters, too, recruiting 250 new members by canvassing from synagogue to synagogue. He has spent evenings phoning them with reminders to vote. And he orchestrated a "buycott" that emptied co-op shelves of Israeli goods. (The store, seizing on the rush of sales, quickly restocked, and Broad is stuck with a surplus of bath salts.)<br/><br/>The lobbyist has locked horns with big business, Republicans and even fellow Democrats. But they don't compete with the co-op's outliers, he says: "These people are more tenacious."<br/><br/>As he spoke, he pawed a copy of "Eve of Destruction," a novel he wrote about a fictional Iran American nuclear standoff. It features an Israeli Mossad agent who works to stop terrorists from detonating a dirty bomb in Los Angeles.<br/><br/>Vote-getting is an imprecise art, and Broad is nervous. He sees any toehold for the anti-Israel group — it's seeking two board seats now; the other five will come open later — as a major defeat.<br/><br/>Likewise Maviglio, who shakes his head at the irony of it all.<br/><br/>"I signed up to talk heirloom tomatoes," he said. "All of a sudden we're supposed to be the U.N?"<br/><br/><i><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=shane.goldmacher@latimes.com" target="_blank">shane.goldmacher@latimes.com</a></i></div>
</div>Reasons to Choose Organic and Local Foodstag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-09-08:2899966:BlogPost:64652011-09-08T15:47:48.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<h2 class="sifr"><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/reasons-choose-organic-and-local-foods" target="_blank">Reasons to Choose Organic and Local Foods</a></h2>
<div class="node clear-block" id="node-3254"><div class="content"><p class="submitted">added 09/08/11</p>
<p><em>by Mary Saucier Choate, M.S., R.D., L.D.</em><br></br><em>Dietitian and Co-op Food and Nutrition Educator</em></p>
<p><img align="right" height="173" src="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/files/saucier_choate.gif" width="124"></img></p>
<p>There are many important reasons to choose organic and locally grown foods to eat.…</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2 class="sifr"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/reasons-choose-organic-and-local-foods">Reasons to Choose Organic and Local Foods</a></h2>
<div id="node-3254" class="node clear-block"><div class="content"><p class="submitted">added 09/08/11</p>
<p><em>by Mary Saucier Choate, M.S., R.D., L.D.</em><br/><em>Dietitian and Co-op Food and Nutrition Educator</em></p>
<p><img src="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/files/saucier_choate.gif" align="right" width="124" height="173"/></p>
<p>There are many important reasons to choose organic and locally grown foods to eat. I’ve listed just ten for each kind of farming, but there are many more. Supporting this kind of agriculture, even with just a few purchases a week, keeps these farms thriving and supports their wide-ranging beneficial effects.</p>
<h3>Ten Reasons to Go Organic</h3>
<p>1. Organic practices mean fewer pesticide illnesses and injuries for farm workers and their children.</p>
<p>2. Animals raised on an organic farm must be fed organic feed and given access to the outdoors. The animals are not fed animal by-products, so have a lower risk of mad cow disease.</p>
<p>3. Organic livestock practices do not contribute to the creation of dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria, since antibiotics are not allowed in organic production. (Sick animals may be given antibiotics, but then may not be sold as organic.)</p>
<p>4. The use of hormones, such as rBST, used to boost milk production in cows, is prohibited.</p>
<p>5. No cloned or genetically engineered animals or plants are allowed to be called organic, and irradiation of any organic food is forbidden.</p>
<p>6. Organic practices can help reduce ground and surface water contamination and can safeguard drinking water supplies.</p>
<p>7. Organic farming practices maintain and build soil quality and minimize soil erosion. During rain storms, more water is absorbed into organic soils, and less will run over the surface and out of the field. his means that in years of drought, organic systems can actually out-produce conventional systems.</p>
<p>8. Organic crops are raised without the use of synthetic nitrogen-based fertilizers, municipal solid waste or sewage sludge-based fertilizers, or conventional pesticides, so they save the energy resources needed to manufacture, process, transport, and apply these treatments.</p>
<p>9. Organic practices conserve wildlife and encourage biodiversity. Studies have shown that organic farms can have significantly more wild plants in arable fields, more species of plants, more birds and higher breeding rates, more invertebrate arthropods (wild bird food), more non-pest butterflies, spiders and spider species, along with significantly decreased aphid numbers.</p>
<p>10. Organic producers also must follow a National List of Acceptable and Prohibited Materials concerning pest control treatments, fertilizers, and seed treatments that they use. All agricultural materials must be evaluated for their long-term effects on the environment and not simply whether they are synthetic or natural.</p>
<h3>Ten Reasons to Buy From Local Farms</h3>
<p>1. Large-scale organic farmers are sometimes like large-scale conventional farmers in that they may focus on producing just one crop (also known as monoculture), which defeats many of the ecological advantages that traditional, diverse organic farms provide. Local farms are generally small and must diversify to survive.</p>
<p>2. Eating local means more dollars stay in the local economy. This money circulates in and strengthens the local economy. When businesses are not owned locally, money leaves the community.</p>
<p>3. Locally grown produce is fresher. Food purchased from a local farmer has often been picked within 24 hours of your purchase. Fresh food tastes great!</p>
<p>4. Locally grown fruits and vegetables can include delicate and hard-to-find heirloom varieties that don’t ship well but are delicious and bred for flavor, not sturdiness or “ship-ability”.</p>
<p>5. Buying local food is seasonal. By eating with the seasons, we are eating foods when they are at their peak taste, are the most abundant, and the least expensive. We learn to look forward to spring fiddleheads and asparagus, summer peaches, fall apples, and comforting winter squashes and root vegetables.</p>
<p>6. Buying locally grown food means knowing exactly where your food comes from. This connection is important for children to learn and adds to the pleasure of family meals.</p>
<p>7. Local food is more interesting. Try finding purple carrots or specialty heirloom apples from a giant agribusiness farm. Local farmers can cater to adventurous local customers instead of a mass market.</p>
<p>8. Do you enjoy our northern New England landscape of farms, fields, and forests? Buying from local producers supports this kind of land use.</p>
<p>9. Local farmers often use organic practices, even though they may not be organically certified. The nice thing is, you can ask them face-to-face how they farm!</p>
<p>10. Preserving local farms helps us work toward regional self-sufficiency. While our local farms may not be able to feed us year-round, they are an important part of making sure our region has a supply of accessible food no matter what.</p>
<h3>For More Information:</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop">The National Organic Program</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ota.com/">The Organic Trade Association</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/faq/BuyOrganicFoodsIntro.shtml">Alternative Farming Systems Information Center</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.csrees.usda.gov/integratedpestmanagement.cfm">Integrated Pest Management</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>of the people, by the people, for the peopletag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-09-07:2899966:BlogPost:64622011-09-07T21:10:00.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<h1><a href="http://petescully.com/2011/08/30/lets-draw-the-co-op/" target="_blank">of the people, by the people, for the people</a></h1>
<div class="post-info"><p><span class="time">AUGUST 30, 2011</span> <span class="author">BY <a href="http://petescully.com/author/petescully/" rel="author" title="Posts by pete scully">PETE SCULLY</a></span> <span class="post-comments"><a href="http://petescully.com/2011/08/30/lets-draw-the-co-op/#respond">LEAVE A COMMENT…</a></span></p>
</div>
<p></p>
<h1><a target="_blank" href="http://petescully.com/2011/08/30/lets-draw-the-co-op/">of the people, by the people, for the people</a></h1>
<div class="post-info"><p><span class="time">AUGUST 30, 2011</span> <span class="author">BY <a href="http://petescully.com/author/petescully/" title="Posts by pete scully" rel="author">PETE SCULLY</a></span> <span class="post-comments"><a href="http://petescully.com/2011/08/30/lets-draw-the-co-op/#respond">LEAVE A COMMENT</a></span></p>
</div>
<p><a title="davis sketchers by petescully, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/petescully/6087577797/"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6206/6087577797_f83cd7c504_z.jpg" alt="davis sketchers" width="620" height="378"/></a></p>
<p>Saturday was another hot day, but another day of sketching in Davis. We held the latest “Let’s Draw Davis” skecthcrawl, this time in old North Davis, outside the Co-Op on G Street. I don’t go to the Co-Op very often (I just don’t get over there, though I used to be a member) but I really like the place, and they have great seating outside for a group of sketchers to converge and start drawing Davis. I took as always the opportunity to draw some of the sketchers before moving on to the more architectural items. There were about twelve of us total, a pretty good showing for what was going to be a hot day (about half braved it all the way to the end, where we met for a cold drink and ice cream outside Dairy Queen, a block away). It was fun chatting to other sketchers about sketching, materials, techniques, and I was excited to report all about Lisbon.<br/><a title="Davis Co-Op by petescully, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/petescully/6088123598/"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6088123598_d31eddf1ef_z.jpg" alt="Davis Co-Op" width="562" height="596"/></a></p>
<p><a title="co-op clock by petescully, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/petescully/6088123434/"><img class="alignright" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6069/6088123434_f56bfcd0d3_z.jpg" alt="co-op clock" width="226" height="543"/></a>The <a href="http://daviscoop.com/">Davis Food Co-Op</a> is one of those beloved local institutions, fully owned by its shoppers, having grown out of a living room in 1972. Being completely owned by its members, it is another example of the way the Davis community works together, promoting sustainability, healthy living and education. It started out of a living room in the early 1970s, and is now a full-service grocery store. To find out more about the Davis Food co-Op, check out the <a href="http://daviscoop.com/faq.html">FAQs on their website</a>.</p>
<p>On the right is the clock that sits outside. There’s fellow Davis sketcher Allan (Numenius) sitting in front, I caught him in the above sketch as well.</p>
<p>Below, the <a href="http://daviscoop.com/classes.html">Davis Food Co-op Teaching Kitchen</a>. They offer classes in cooking here to people of all ages (including young kids). It’s right across from the Co-Op on G Street. This in fact is the last page of my<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/petescully/sets/72157626894670419/">eighth watercolour moleskine</a> (though I still have several sketches from that book yet to post). This moley took only two months to complete!! Sketching old north Davis is nice as the leaves start to change colour. It’s still the height of summer, but as we get into autumn it becomes gorgeous around here. Fall is the best season in Davis, with clear sunny days and crisper mornings, but on Saturday it was getting into the big nineties so after spending about an hour sketching below, we went to the Dairy Queen to cool off and check out each other’s sketchbooks. Another great sketching day!</p>
<p> <a title="G St, Davis by petescully, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/petescully/6088123726/"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6086/6088123726_ef54d711c7_z.jpg" alt="G St, Davis" width="620" height="412"/></a></p>
<p>The next Let’s Draw Davis day will be <strong>Saturday September 17</strong>, on the UC Davis campus. The next after that will be on October 15; I am starting to plan ahead, and I have started a new website for information about the sketchcrawls (it’s still pretty bare, and will be an information site, rather than overloaded with blog posts):<strong><a href="http://letsdrawdavis.wordpress.com/">http://letsdrawdavis.wordpress.com</a></strong>. Check it out, and I’ll see you at the next one!</p>
<p><em>Flickr group: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/letsdrawdavis/">http://www.flickr.com/groups/letsdrawdavis/</a></em></p>A very sad day in the Co-op worldtag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-08-10:2899966:BlogPost:62622011-08-10T22:32:23.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<h2 class="entry-title"><a class="entry-title-link" href="http://davisfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2011/08/very-sad-day-in-co-op-world.html" target="_blank">A very sad day in the Co-op world</a></h2>
<div class="entry-title-go-to"><h2 class="entry-title"></h2>
</div>
<div class="entry-author"><span class="entry-author-parent">by <span class="entry-author-name">The Big Tomato…</span></span><div class="entry-likers"></div>
</div>
<div class="entry-debug"></div>
<div class="entry-annotations"></div>
<h2 class="entry-title"><a class="entry-title-link" target="_blank" href="http://davisfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2011/08/very-sad-day-in-co-op-world.html">A very sad day in the Co-op world</a></h2>
<div class="entry-title-go-to"><h2 class="entry-title"></h2>
</div>
<div class="entry-author"><span class="entry-author-parent">by <span class="entry-author-name">The Big Tomato</span></span><div class="entry-likers"></div>
</div>
<div class="entry-debug"></div>
<div class="entry-annotations"></div>
<div class="entry-body"><div><div class="item-body"><div>Last month I blogged about <a href="http://davisfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2011/07/whats-your-co-op-done-for-our-community.html" target="_blank">the good our Co-op is doing in our local community</a>, but today I'd like to point out that we are also part of a national and even global community, which is to say, the Co-op community. As diverse as we are, and distant as we may be from our food co-op neighbors throughout the US, co-ops everywhere are connected by our common principles and values. Today, food co-ops across the nation are joined together in mourning the loss of our colleague Michael Martin of <a href="http://www.brattleborofoodcoop.com/" target="_blank">Brattleboro Food Co-op</a> (one of DFC's P6 sister stores) in Brattleboro, Vermont yesterday. <br/><br/>The tragedy surrounding this loss is as heartbreaking and senseless as I can imagine. <a href="http://vtdigger.org/2011/08/10/more-details-of-brattleboro-food-co-op-shooting/" target="_blank">Michael was fatally shot</a>at the Co-op and one of his coworkers has been charged with first-degree murder. It is a story that rattles everyone who hears it; I know this because as the details have been unfolding since the shooting was first reported, I have been following the developments and telling this story again, and again, to anyone who will listen, even though they didn't know Michael and had maybe even never heard of Brattleboro. Maybe I've been sharing the story because it's a way to relieve some of the burden of the grief; maybe with hopes that it will start to make sense. Can it ever make sense? <br/><br/>I met Michael five months ago at a P6 meeting in Lawrence, Kansas. We talked over drinks at the hotel bar at the end of the first day of meetings. I sat next to him at our group dinner at Free State Brewery. I have a hard time reconciling those memories with the news of his tragic death. It is a very sad story, indeed. <br/><br/>An outpouring of love and support from the national Co-op community has been directed Brattleboro's way, along with prayers and wishes for peace and healing in the face of such immeasurable grief. Comments on postings on BFC's facebook page have been coming in since the news first dropped, and one BFC member's <a href="http://thisvtlife.wordpress.com/2011/08/10/even-the-potatoes-are-sad/" target="_blank">lovely blog post</a>talks about how the only saving grace of this trauma in what we thought was our safely insular co-op world is that we have the mutual support of our co-op network to share our grief with. <br/><br/>On behalf of the Davis Food Co-op, we want to extend our condolences, love, and wishes for healing and hope, from our Co-op to Brattleboro's. We cannot be there for the peace vigil in Brattleboro tonight, but our thoughts are with their entire community. Thank you for taking this time to read this.<div><img width="1" height="1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/2288061818068993737-8492483123662466169?l=davisfoodcoop.blogspot.com"/></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Group Wants Park Slope Food Coop to Consider Boycott of Israeli Productstag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-08-10:2899966:BlogPost:61632011-08-10T17:16:56.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<div class="article-headergroup"><h2 class="title">Group Wants Park Slope Food Coop to Consider Boycott of Israeli Products</h2>
<p><a href="http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2011/aug/10/israeli-boycott/">http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2011/aug/10/israeli-boycott/</a></p>
<h3 class="date">Wednesday, August 10, 2011</h3>
</div>
<div class="article-description"><p class="byline">By <a href="http://culture.wnyc.org/people/luna-lin/">Luna Lin</a></p>
</div>
<p>A group aligned…</p>
<div class="article-headergroup"><h2 class="title">Group Wants Park Slope Food Coop to Consider Boycott of Israeli Products</h2>
<p><a href="http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2011/aug/10/israeli-boycott/">http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2011/aug/10/israeli-boycott/</a></p>
<h3 class="date">Wednesday, August 10, 2011</h3>
</div>
<div class="article-description"><p class="byline">By <a href="http://culture.wnyc.org/people/luna-lin/">Luna Lin</a></p>
</div>
<p>A group aligned with <a href="http://www.bdsmovement.net/" target="_blank">the B.D.S. movement</a> wants Brooklyn's <a href="http://foodcoop.com/" target="_blank">Park Slope Food Coop</a> to consider a move toward a boycott of Israeli products.</p>
<div class="article-longimage"><img src="http://media40.wnyc.net/media/photologue/photos/cache/coop_long_image.jpg" title="Park Slope Food Coop" alt="Park Slope Food Coop"/><span class="caption">Park Slope Food Coop</span> <span class="credit">(Luna Lin/WNYC)</span></div>
<div class="article-description"><p>Opposing opinions on issues around Israel and Palestine have long been exchanged in the coop's in-store newspaper, the <em>Linewaiters' Gazette</em>. But on July 26, the group <a href="http://psfcbds.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Park Slope Food Coop Members for Israeli Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions</a> proposed that the coop's board vote on whether or not to hold a referendum to poll the coop's 15,000 plus members on the issue.</p>
<p>"I think that's a peaceful way to get the message across," said member Brenda Iijima. "It's controversial and I understand everyone's sensitivity. But I think what's happening in Palestine is just unconscionable and sad. We are directly responsible for it in the United States."</p>
<p>Member Jeffrey Goodman disagreed.</p>
<p>"I'm against boycotting," he said. "I feel Palestinians should have their country. But at the same time, boycotting Israeli food is not the answer."</p>
<p>A blog for those opposing the B.D.S. endorsement has sprung up called <a href="http://stopbdsparkslope.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Stop BDS at the Park Slope Coop</a>. Rabbi Andy Bachman of Park Slope's Congregation Beth Elohim also posted a response to the referendum discussion <a href="http://www.andybachman.com/2011/07/official-statement-on-park-slope-food.html" target="_blank">on his blog</a>.</p>
<p>Member Miwa Yokoyama said that the coop shouldn't get involved.</p>
<p>"It is a hot divisive issue," Yokoyama said. "I just feel it's not in the mission of the co-op though to really be taking political stands on these types of issues. I, myself, might have my own opinion, but I don't think it should really affect the coop."</p>
<p>Other members said they needed more information about the B.D.S. before considering a referendum.</p>
<p>"My first reaction is that I probably would support it," said member Stephen Twilley. "But I would like to first hear intelligent people debate the pros and cons of such a move because maybe it would or maybe it wouldn't be the best way to protest the government's policies."</p>
<p>At press time, there was no item on the referendum on the coop's next Aug. 29 general meeting agenda. But Park Slope Food Coop Members for Israeli Boycott, Divestment, & Sanctions said it would submit a proposal to the agenda committee asking it to consider a vote on the referendum.</p>
<p>The most popular Israeli product that the Park Slope Food Coop stocks is an electronic device for making seltzer water called the Soda Stream Seltzer Maker, according to the coop's general coordinator Ann Herpel. Other items from Israel that the coop stocks are couscous, paprika, vegan marshmallows and Masada dead sea bath salts. The coop does not stock Israeli produce.</p>
<p>The Park Slope Food Coop isn't the only food coop to consider a B.D.S. endorsement. The <a href="http://www.olympiafood.coop/" target="_blank">Olympia Food Co-op</a>'s board voted to institute a B.D.S. boycott last year. But the membership of the <a href="http://www.peoplesfood.coop/" target="_blank">People's Food Co-op</a>in Ann Arbor, Michigan voted down a motion to support the B.D.S. movement in 2007 by a ratio of 3 to 1, as did the <a href="http://www.foodcoop.coop/" target="_blank">Food Co-Op Port Townsend</a> in Washington because its rules don't permit the coop to boycott products from an entire country.</p>
<p>Doug Walter, who has been the membership director at the <a href="http://www.daviscoop.com/" target="_blank">Davis Food Co-op</a> in California for 22 years, said his coop's board voted down the endorsement because only 15 percent of its members supported the move.</p>
<p>"A grocery store may not be the best way to affect international relations," he said.</p>
<p>Walter added that although the Park Slope Food Coop is larger and more member-driven than most other coops in the U.S., he would be watching whether or not it would vote to hold a referendum.</p>
<p>"It's going to be tremendously interesting to see what happens," he said.</p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p>The Park Slope Food Coop was founded in 1973 by young men and women supportive of social movements of the late '60s and early '70s who wanted to make healthy, affordable food available to everyone.</p>
</div>
<ul class="storylinks">
<li><a href="http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/03/food-coops-popular-not-easy-open/">Food Coops Popular, But Not Easy to Open</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2011/aug/10/israeli-boycott/">http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2011/aug/10/israeli-boycott/</a></p>Food Coops Popular, But Not Easy to Opentag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-08-10:2899966:BlogPost:58642011-08-10T17:11:12.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<div class="article-headergroup"><h2 class="title">Food Coops Popular, But Not Easy to Open</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/03/food-coops-popular-not-easy-open/">http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/03/food-coops-popular-not-easy-open/</a></p>
<h3 class="date">Wednesday, November 03, 2010</h3>
</div>
<div class="article-description"><p class="byline">By <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/people/ashley-milne-tyte/">Ashley Milne-Tyte…</a></p>
</div>
<div class="article-headergroup"><h2 class="title">Food Coops Popular, But Not Easy to Open</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/03/food-coops-popular-not-easy-open/">http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/03/food-coops-popular-not-easy-open/</a></p>
<h3 class="date">Wednesday, November 03, 2010</h3>
</div>
<div class="article-description"><p class="byline">By <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/people/ashley-milne-tyte/">Ashley Milne-Tyte</a></p>
</div>
<div class="article-audioplayer clearfix"><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" id="audioplayer_100087" name="audioplayer_100087" data="http://www.wnyc.org/media/audioplayer/red_progress_player_no_pop.swf" width="515" height="29"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><param name="wmode" value="opaque"></param></object>
<div id="audioplayer_100087_buttons" class="media_buttons"><a class="Listen button first" href="http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/03/food-coops-popular-not-easy-open/#" title="Listen">Listen</a><a class="Add button" href="http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/03/food-coops-popular-not-easy-open/#" title="Add">Add</a><a class="Download button" href="http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/audio.wnyc.org/news/news20101103_food_coops_milne_tyte.mp3" title="Download" target="_blank">Download</a><a class="Embed button" title="Embed" href="http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/03/food-coops-popular-not-easy-open/#">Embed</a></div>
<p class="downloadlink"><a title="Stream m3u" href="http://www.wnyc.org/audio/m3u/100087/" class="Stream no-rule">Stream m3u</a></p>
</div>
<ul class="story-sidebar">
<li class="image"><div class="mediumimage"><div class="enlarge_div"><a href="http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/03/food-coops-popular-not-easy-open/#"><img src="http://media40.wnyc.net/media/photologue/photos/cache/Park%20Slope%20Food%20Coop%20sign_medium_image.jpg" id="imghttp___media40_wnyc_net_media_photologue_photos_Park_Slope_Food_Coop_sign_jpg" title="Brooklyn's Park Slope Food Coop Sign" alt="Brooklyn's Park Slope Food Coop Sign" name="imghttp___media40_wnyc_net_media_photologue_photos_Park_Slope_Food_Coop_sign_jpg"/></a><a class="enlarge_link" href="http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/03/food-coops-popular-not-easy-open/#">Enlarge</a></div>
<p class="image-caption"><span class="caption">Brooklyn's Park Slope Food Coop Sign</span><span class="credit">(Ashley Milne-Tyte/WNYC)</span></p>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="article-description"><p>New York City is home to three food coops -- member-owned, member-run grocery stores that aim to sell fresh food at reasonable prices. Right now there’s one in Manhattan and two in Brooklyn.</p>
<p>But several more coops are in start-up mode around the city, writing up business plans and looking for members.</p>
</div>
<div class="article-description"><p>The Park Slope Food Coop is the most popular in the city, with nearly 16,000 members. Its entire inventory, from organic vegetables to locally raised beef, flies off the shelves more than once a week. Many products are 20 to 40 percent cheaper than elsewhere. That’s because the coop’s business model differs from a regular grocery store’s.</p>
<p>General manager Joe Holtz points to the people stacking shelves and working the cash registers. “Ten out of the 11 checkouts are going,” he says. “There’s people on the phone, there’s people at the entrance, people at the exit. There’s not a staff person in sight.” </p>
<p>In fact, members do 75 percent of the work at the coop. And if you want to shop here, you have to be a member.</p>
<p>On a typical Saturday afternoon, there are 65 members doing everything from unloading deliveries to running the childcare center. Holtz says all that unpaid member labor is the main reason for the low prices. And unlike regular grocery stores, coops aren’t in business to make a profit: this coop has a markup of 21 percent, about ten percent lower than most supermarkets.</p>
<p>Joe Holtz says there are smaller economies too, like buying in bulk.</p>
<p>“We can save people a lot of money on raisins by buying a 30 pound box of high-quality Thompsons Seedless Raisins instead of buying them in little packages, if we do the packaging ourselves,” says Holtz.</p>
<p>Some members spend their shifts stuffing small bags with olives or dried fruits.</p>
<p>Membership at Park Slope has almost tripled since 2001, as interest in local and organic food has shot up. Some members come from as far away as Westchester. That growing food consciousness, combined with a lack of fresh food in some areas, has spurred seven groups in parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Jersey City to form their own coops.</p>
<p>But even with plenty of enthusiasm and good will, opening a coop isn’t easy. DK Holland is a founding member of the Greene Hill Food Coop in Brooklyn.</p>
<p>“You know it takes three years to start a coop,” she says, adding she’s not sure she would have embarked on the project if she’d realized how long it would take.</p>
<p>The Greene Hill Coop just secured a space for their store in Clinton Hill. Getting this far has taken almost three years of volunteers working on the business in their spare time. They hope to open next year. But they need to raise more money, to renovate the space and buy key items like walk-in refrigerators. Initially the goal was $600,000. But Holland says once they found a space, they changed their minds.</p>
<p>“We’re not going to open as the ideal store,” she says. Instead, they plan to open as what she calls “a prototyped store.” Instead of having architects complete a major renovation before opening, Holland says they’ll spruce up the store in stages.</p>
<p>They now hope to raise $80,000, then start renovating. Most of that money will need to come from memberships. Twenty-five-year-old Anna Muessig is the coop’s outreach coordinator. At one of the coop’s monthly meetings, she tells newcomers that the joining fee is $150. Members can pay that all at once, but the coop also gives them the option to pay over a six-month period. And if they’re on income assistance, they can pay it over five years.</p>
<p>Greene Hill is determined to serve low-income residents who have little access to affordable, fresh food. The Park Slope Food Coop says food stamps account for around three percent of sales. But new coops like Greene Hill want to recruit many more low-income members. Muessig has spent weekends knocking on doors in Clinton Hill, explaining how the coop will work. She’s also talked to local community organizations about spreading the word about the coop, and says they’ve been receptive.</p>
<p>But these efforts are still at an early stage. Health-conscious foodies are natural recruits whenever Muessig and her colleagues set up a booth at the Fort Green Farmer’s Market or the Brooklyn Flea. Attracting people outside that group takes more work. Of the 115 members who have signed up, only a couple receive income assistance.</p>
<p>Founding member DK Holland knows the coop is far from achieving their mission. She says when she looks around the room at their meetings, she sees they are “way too middle class to be doing what we need to be doing.”</p>
<p>Still, she says, a lot of highly educated, energetic, middle class people helped get the food coop to where it is now. They just want to make sure they’re not the only people shopping there.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/03/food-coops-popular-not-easy-open/">http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2010/nov/03/food-coops-popular-not-easy-open/</a></p>
</div>The co-operative economy 2011 Annual reports co-operativestag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-07-19:2899966:BlogPost:57622011-07-19T16:05:55.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<h1 class="title">The co-operative economy 2011</h1>
<div id="inner_section"><div id="content-area"><div class="node clear-block" id="node-10895"><div class="meta"><div class="terms terms-inline"><ul class="links inline">
<li class="taxonomy_term_13981 first"><a href="http://www.uk.coop/tags/resources/Annual%20reports" rel="tag" title="Annual reports and half-yearly reports from Co-operatives UK and its members">Annual reports…</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h1 class="title">The co-operative economy 2011</h1>
<div id="inner_section"><div id="content-area"><div id="node-10895" class="node clear-block"><div class="meta"><div class="terms terms-inline"><ul class="links inline">
<li class="taxonomy_term_13981 first"><a href="http://www.uk.coop/tags/resources/Annual%20reports" rel="tag" title="Annual reports and half-yearly reports from Co-operatives UK and its members">Annual reports</a></li>
<li class="taxonomy_term_49"><a href="http://www.uk.coop/tags/term/co-operatives" rel="tag">co-operatives</a></li>
<li class="taxonomy_term_85"><a href="http://www.uk.coop/tags/term/Co-operatives%20UK" rel="tag">Co-operatives UK</a></li>
<li class="taxonomy_term_2204"><a href="http://www.uk.coop/tags/term/economy" rel="tag">economy</a></li>
<li class="taxonomy_term_13998"><a href="http://www.uk.coop/tags/resources/Event%20resources" rel="tag" title="Resources related to events held by Co-operatives UK or supporter organisations.">Event resources</a></li>
<li class="taxonomy_term_61"><a href="http://www.uk.coop/tags/term/reports" rel="tag">reports</a></li>
<li class="taxonomy_term_13983 last"><a href="http://www.uk.coop/tags/resources/Reports%20and%20white%20papers" rel="tag" title="Reports published by Co-operatives UK, or of relevance and interest to our members">Reports and white papers</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="content"><div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-doc-img"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item odd"><img src="http://www.uk.coop/system/files/imagecache/Resource_img/docs/images/economy2011.jpg" alt="Cover of the Co-operative Economy 2011" class="imagecache imagecache-Resource_img imagecache-default imagecache-Resource_img_default" width="160" height="227"/></div>
</div>
</div>
<p>The UK co-operative economy 2011 offers a unique assessment of a growing sector – which, because it is mutually-owned rather than stock market listed, traditionally tends to be neglected by market analysts and the financial press. Drawing on published accounts for co-operatives, the conclusion is clear: the UK is beginning to co-operative once again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It has been a year of resilience and growth for the co-operative sector in 2011. In an environment of cuts and diminishing budgets, the economy has shown steady progress against a more turbulent wider economy. Of even greater significance is the renewed interest from and engagement with the co-operative sector from all areas of the UK. From those responsible for establishing national policy, to villagers wishing to take control of their own shops and services, the co-operative sector is being turned to.</p>
<p>Having a clear mission, better services and products, giving consumers power, providing a nice place to work and having engaged staff is not only business excellence, they are all co-operative advantages.</p>
<p>Download your copy here.</p>
<div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-doc"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item odd"><div class="filefield-file"><img class="filefield-icon field-icon-application-pdf" alt="application/pdf icon" src="http://www.uk.coop/sites/all/modules/contrib/filefield/icons/application-pdf.png"/><a href="http://www.uk.coop/system/files/docs/the%20co-operative%20economy%202011.pdf" type="application/pdf; length=1436382" title="the co-operative economy 2011.pdf">The co-operative economy 2011</a></div>
<div class="filefield-file"></div>
<div style="text-align: center;" class="filefield-file"><img src="http://www.uk.coop/sites/default/files/cukzen_logo.jpg" alt="Home"/></div>
<div style="text-align: center;" class="filefield-file"><a href="http://www.uk.coop/economy2011">http://www.uk.coop/economy2011</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>USDA Launches Online Food Hub Resourcetag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-07-15:2899966:BlogPost:56622011-07-15T18:13:51.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<h1><a href="http://www.foodandtechconnect.com/site/2011/07/14/usda-launches-online-food-hub-resource/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to USDA Launches Online Food Hub Resource">USDA Launches Online Food Hub Resource</a></h1>
<small><a href="http://www.foodandtechconnect.com/site/category/foodtech/" rel="category tag" title="View all posts in Food+Tech">FOOD+TECH</a> — BY <a href="http://www.foodandtechconnect.com/site/author/food-tech-connect/" title="Posts by food tech connect">FOOD…</a></small>
<h1><a href="http://www.foodandtechconnect.com/site/2011/07/14/usda-launches-online-food-hub-resource/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to USDA Launches Online Food Hub Resource">USDA Launches Online Food Hub Resource</a></h1>
<small><a href="http://www.foodandtechconnect.com/site/category/foodtech/" title="View all posts in Food+Tech" rel="category tag">FOOD+TECH</a> — BY <a href="http://www.foodandtechconnect.com/site/author/food-tech-connect/" title="Posts by food tech connect">FOOD TECH CONNECT</a> ON JULY 14, 2011 6:16 PM </small><a class="addthis_button_expanded" title="View more services" href="http://www.foodandtechconnect.com/site/2011/07/14/usda-launches-online-food-hub-resource/#">10</a><a class="atc_s addthis_button_compact"><span class="atc_l">Share</span></a><br />
<div class="addthis_toolbox addthis_default_style"><div class="atclear"></div>
</div>
<br/>
<p>Just because a producer works at a smaller operation doesn’t mean he or she can’t sell on a bigger scale. And the size of a farm shouldn’t limit a producer’s ability to feed local foods to local people. But how can such an operation connect the dots to successfully market its products?</p>
<p>One answer lies in a new kind of business model known as food hubs, which are emerging as critical pillars for building stronger regional and local food systems. A food hub centralizes the business management structure to facilitate the aggregation, storage, processing, distribution, and/or marketing of locally/regionally produced food products.</p>
<p>Small and mid-size producers often don’t have access to their own processing, aggregation, distribution, or storage facilities. They might not be able to develop relationships with critical buyers or have the resources to develop strong marketing campaigns. This sort of infrastructure is necessary to growing businesses, not to mention the ability for regional food systems to thrive.</p>
<p>That’s why the USDA is investing in food hubs and food hub research. The new online <a href="http://www.ams.usda.gov/foodhubs" target="_blank">food hub resource, </a>part of the <a href="http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/" target="_blank">Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) website</a>, contains the USDA’s latest findings, funding opportunities, a list of operational food hubs, and a library of other relevant resources, articles and materials about food hub development. USDA is also preparing a comprehensive Resource Guide for Food Hubs to be released in the fall. It will serve as a <a href="http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateU&navID=&page=Newsroom&resultType=Details&dDocName=STELPRDC5091973&dID=151961&wf=false&description=USDA+Launches+Online+Resource+to+Help+Producers+Get+Products+to+Market%2C++Bolster+Local+and+Regional+Economies&topNav=Newsroom&leftNav=&rightNav1=&rightNav2=" target="_blank">useful online tool for anyone interested in food hub development</a>—whether they are producers, buyers, consumers, researchers, academics, or policy makers.</p>
<div><p>In Charlottesville, Virginia, the Local Food Hub is building a distribution system to benefit local food producers, buyers and consumers.</p>
<div id="attachment_3513" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://www.foodandtechconnect.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/In-Charlottesville-Virginia-the-Local-Food-Hub-is-building-a-distribution-system-to-benefit-local-food-producers-buyers-and-consumers.jpeg"><img class="size-full wp-image-3513" title="In Charlottesville, Virginia, the Local Food Hub is building a distribution system to benefit local food producers, buyers and consumers" src="http://www.foodandtechconnect.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/In-Charlottesville-Virginia-the-Local-Food-Hub-is-building-a-distribution-system-to-benefit-local-food-producers-buyers-and-consumers.jpeg" width="500" height="335"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">In Charlottesville, Virginia, the Local Food Hub is building a distribution system to benefit local food producers, buyers and consumers.</p>
</div>
</div>
<p>The USDA isn’t the only one committed to food hub success. Just last month, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, under the leadership of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, adopted a proclamation in support of food hub development across the country. This week, President Obama invited members of the newly formed <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/06/09/obama-administration-establishes-white-house-rural-council-strengthen-ru" target="_blank">Rural Council</a> to meet “Champions of Change” at the White House, which included Deborah Kane, Executive Director of <a href="http://www.food-hub.org/" target="_blank">Food-hub.org</a>, a successful online food hub servicing the Pacific Northwest. Food hubs are clearly taking hold all over the country and are business models to watch. Follow their progress at <a href="http://www.ams.usda.gov/foodhubs" target="_blank">www.ams.usda.gov/foodhubs</a>.</p>
<p>USDA’s work is part of the National Food Hub Collaboration, a partnership among USDA, the <a href="http://wallacecenter.org/" target="_blank">Wallace Center at Winrock International</a>, <a href="http://www.ngfn.org/" target="_blank">National Good Food Network,</a> <a href="http://www.napmm.org/" target="_blank">National Association of Produce Market Managers</a>, and <a href="http://www.pps.org/" target="_blank">Project for Public Spaces</a>. The Collaboration collects and analyzes the latest data, research and activities related to food hubs and works to ensure the success of existing and emerging food hubs in the United States. More information is available at <a href="http://www.ams.usda.gov/foodhubs" target="_blank">www.ams.usda.gov/foodhubs</a>.</p>
<p>This post was written by <a title="Posts by Arthur Neal, Deputy Administrator, Transportation and Marketing Programs" href="http://blogs.usda.gov/author/bfrank/" target="_blank">Arthur Neal, Deputy Administrator, Transportation and Marketing Programs</a> and originally appeared on<a href="http://blogs.usda.gov/2011/07/12/online-resource-helps-producers-get-products-to-market-bolster-local-and-regional-economies/" target="_blank"> USDA’s blog</a>.</p>Rising Stars 1 Our Original Seminar Experiencetag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-07-05:2899966:BlogPost:55622011-07-05T14:55:35.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="600">
<tbody><tr><td align="left" bgcolor="#8C1C2F"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr><td align="left" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" colspan="2" width="100%"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
<tbody><tr><td align="left"><p><span><b>Rising Stars Leadership Seminar News…</b></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table bgcolor="rgb(237, 131, 17)" border="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table cellspacing="0" width="600" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="left" bgcolor="#8C1C2F"><table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="left" colspan="2" width="100%" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="left"><p><span><b>Rising Stars Leadership Seminar News</b></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0" bgcolor="rgb(237, 131, 17)">
<tbody><tr><td align="left" width="50%"><p><strong>Natural Foods Leadership Development</strong></p>
<p><strong>Devoted to Department & Store Managers</strong></p>
</td>
<td align="right" width="50%"><p><strong>July 5, 2011</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="left" width="150" valign="top" bgcolor="#8C1C2F"><table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="left" width="100%" valign="top"><table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><b>In This Issue</b></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="center"><p><b><br/><span>Quick Links</span></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="center"><br/><div><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eK1MN8gaUsQrDwKqkrPgadtADIrsD1G_cOLu4Oy3lnOrnZXx1neoxlHE__irms8mut_B70YZz7mZp3xXUoyyoZVHArf367_kJw0twNJFriHgbA4IY12k4CaeVAx1d3sZaXEqCEykn_um10uMUwq4kOLs1yVzabRuLw=" shape="rect">More Info: Albuqerque Seminar</a></div>
<br/><br/>
<div><a target="_blank" shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eKzhGs-iCu9GW8D331tbFIFX_JE9OPozV1pT5GltnRBIwaJNp9I0NL1ks6bUnTxPIXHSQyMwVvrsGaVV4q9gYlSs0fMFBEY8viHsq95bUScV0EDQ0XUjEbGNvi3LPDuMq_z1s82Ym54jiLsIbayf-sOH4AAdmd9AwA=">More Info: Toronto Seminar</a></div>
<br/><br/><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eLgTMvcXNFPGKTkpGP3midH5A20nXaadAQtCnD-7xpcZEbG2tPBJ7pYQxjd6bUiUMNG6GPdsA4sVCaL-1u7FL7YHdhacE_U5vAYsnBcVpL8tbTTPO9SRNlD" shape="rect">Rising Stars Seminar</a><br/><br/><br/>
<div><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eL0-h0F8P9WFBU_BK8JiPXPfkXcdyRPUnOGgtRALynIKTB52pH-5TAAWvsw0mmcDHH_wOioY08Dzi7i_Raufd4PonSiUQGD5yhvgFogJyJbJu6pt7SaVipqWExk56dv7sJ87E2rPSivuBiQhFLvsTHx" shape="rect">Testimonials</a></div>
<br/><br/>
<div><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eJ2a4KagkJlxlmt7B8aErG9Fk6aVlHAo4_kvb5qQsWF377OXG06Ke-9ECGv5QC1v_zP3yJeaooUUlaImoHSO9kXCNUEML45IV9YB0yof0P7mWahT4Ml9p32WsSRDYRsdQohBHLpde5HqV_TNjMgyPTi" shape="rect">More On Us</a></div>
<br/></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="center"><a target="_blank" href="http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1103617399119" shape="rect"><img src="https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/letters/images/1101093164665/jmml_1a.gif" width="116" hspace="0" border="0" vspace="0" height="35"/></a><br/><br/><a target="_blank" shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eImunb-BcGkVkc8XYzBaHRBYEJp-B5JKnAjtixICrKqepZb7VZT8Tkv37HPV5wtty7prAquaSd19ba-6ZSKAjarxHRlhIuRX7CvJe8vOOpU_GcBxDT6R7hhJdjE4CNTV3riXVsDiHIn8g=="><img src="https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/ui/images1/ic_fbk_36.png" title="Find us on Facebook" alt="Find us on Facebook" border="0"/></a><br/><br/></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<a name="130fabecf628d344_LETTER.BLOCK8"></a><br/>
<table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="center"><a target="_blank" shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eK26OFdtqpE1ZDhpWNPPQqBXwz4LNQXkybJAElULXvy3yTpIHk6QzCCqi33ecx_9efdEscCYTPIshd8T4tUoA0OkczQPs84xKiZF_tp3RX9RhKI606x1FshGAG0tx0gvD8frtbzkI1tfWZoNJNsVRJ3"><img src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs020/1103617399119/img/24.jpg" alt="mulcahy_headshot" width="100" border="0" name="130fabecf628d344_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.24" height="100"/></a></td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="center"><b>Featured Website:<br/></b><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eKF8FLcQFByVbwR5QsU02CeHXm6UI4Yi7kPci3LzzyJNVcr0fMChY_ebYPrAOZ0LYm-Ea2zBPNT5PzQnUIICqWMDXYqR8-HRc5SVmpcntVBKGJSLyHciQecjDYtdHQxAIlYCpbxbjA0zpkJ_xT8MKdtSfDN4poOiKuUQfp-icUVoQ==" shape="rect">Organic Conversation</a><br/></td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="center"><span><br/></span><p><span><strong>A blog featuring</strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong>news and insights about organic</strong></span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span><strong>Produce: The Perfect Picnic Partner</strong></span></p>
<p><span>What's a picnic without a few delicious dishes like pasta, potato, and fruit salad? For a stand-out potato salad, you have to choose the right potato. While organic russets are great for baking and fries it isn't the best potato for making into salads. The best salad comes from potatoes with high moisture content, otherwise known as waxy potatoes.</span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<a name="130fabecf628d344_LETTER.BLOCK7"></a><br/>
<table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="center"><a target="_blank" shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eLjB9e5j1XurqNM5RW4K0tmIL6QTgUUrQFZLv6KkifnKO4SP6JRM8LSjr0KEtQ4tE9Ax6pE9RPR954FnjVURqEemHenPKcTZ5hGZIYMcY1q9HCq6sUt9TLX7FHVOPBvMimcqSVP1EAbnG11LgjwH4Wk"><img src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs020/1103617399119/img/25.jpg" alt="colter_headshot-1" width="100" border="0" name="130fabecf628d344_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.25" height="100"/></a></td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="center"><b>Featured Article:<br/></b><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eL4r7SZU6KRN1gPHSo2xdyGLEKryQjM5ae4VnfZsTP86EGIUxjMpqbpW_-0_UZH92gphpj1u7wYS91a51uXMJFHZQfDGq-YC7Bq0qsKLsS6WYKKBJzIJEL3RbWCSZfKp6tk8f_7O9UFVdKhr8PdRwxTEEUX-MEJlT4=" shape="rect">Hiring for Motivational Fit</a><br/></td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="center"><span>Why do some people enjoy a job and stay with it for years while others seem unhappy and leave-or stay on but complain, come to work late, and call in sick more than others?<br/><br/></span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<a name="130fabecf628d344_LETTER.BLOCK16"></a><br/>
<table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="center"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eJOavMMYrBb7bH8Q7NPeimEnkmze0ppk5PXeGcnum_Uu6yfyFlEl2joAlEokUxN6vqs-Z5ZXrmUXZtdp1QLApSHFEEcTHmv75QABH0Gd_u481LXMFOgQLWfFCINuR17mJ95m__VPS4AkaD0fAvQENAa" shape="rect"><img src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs020/1103617399119/img/26.jpg" alt="Seidner_headshot" width="100" name="130fabecf628d344_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.26" border="0" height="100"/></a></td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="center"><b>Featured Article:<br/><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eKX0LPSSrT0fwlVuz_eUmKpKC7zGiJKJ26_1ro1JPxHbyPAUvYewLwGas1ipU2pt_jpgzHlyXfAgCaR45Ra0hFIg6n6cXaOML7H6xcdzcLQJwwqFvDO8hhqfccML6xqCA4sKYu_wgWKgZO7nJfR_5Ms77QRrYpjVnlyi7Arq5BMoQ==" shape="rect">3 Tips for Dynamic Deli Sales</a></b></td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="center"><span>Are your deli sales flourishing or floundering? There are many ways to turn your store's foodservice operation into a magnetic and exciting customer destination. Here are a few ideas to whet your creative palate.</span></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
<td align="left" valign="top" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><table cellspacing="0" width="450" border="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<tbody><tr><td align="left" width="100%" valign="top"><table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="left"><a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eI1XNkz62WLjDKgQM7eNl5wHQblqQJhd8NtPxPCsr7w0ZFvUmdIpdpYqjSqvBnFkTz6K-G7X5zMoYkmWgh9MAbExqJ2dJjniatmdPpPh7BCMmI0ll2DlQbN24G4LAFBhCU9-Or8wSyJVg==" shape="rect"><img src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs020/1103617399119/img/1.jpg" alt="Rising Stars Logo Alpha Low-Res" width="452" name="130fabecf628d344_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.1" border="0" height="175"/></a><br/><br/></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<a name="130fabecf628d344_LETTER.BLOCK18"></a><br/>
<table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="left"><div align="center"><div><div><span><b>Rising Stars 1</b></span></div>
<div><span><em><b>Our Original Seminar Experience</b></em></span></div>
<div><span><b>Albuquerque, Sept 27-29</b></span></div>
<div><b> </b></div>
Seats on sale Tuesday, July 12 <span><b><br/>
</b></span><div><div><p><span><b><em>at 9 am Pacific Time</em><span> </span></b></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<tbody><tr><td align="left"><b>Dear Mike,</b> <br/><br/><div><div>Pssst! Many of you have asked to know in advance when we're about to sell seats to a new seminar. So here's a heads up about our last seminar of the year!</div>
<div><strong>Seats go on sale Tuesday, July 12 at 9 a.m. Pacific Time for our next seminar, Sept 27-29 in Albuquerque.</strong></div>
<div><strong><br/></strong></div>
<div><strong><img hspace="5" height="112" align="right" alt="rs1star" border="0" vspace="5" width="100" name="130fabecf628d344_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.3" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs020/1103617399119/img/3.jpg"/></strong></div>
<div><div>Rising Stars is a 3-day intensive leadership and retail training seminar devoted to natural foods department and store managers.</div>
<br/>
<div>More than 1,000 natural foods leaders have attended our seminar from large and small natural foods stores across the U.S., Canada, Australia and the U.K. </div>
<br/>
<div>From assistant department managers to general managers and owners, their testimonials consistently speak to the highly relevant content we present and the spirited experience we create. Over the past decade, dozens of stores have sent multiple members of their department and store leadership teams. </div>
<br/>
<div>To ensure a top-quality seminar experience, we limit seating to 40 participants. We typically register to capacity within the early registration period, which ends Saturday, July 30. We offer a $100 discount for each early bird registration, and an additional discount for sending multiple attendees. Please see our <a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eKzhGs-iCu9GW8D331tbFIFX_JE9OPozV1pT5GltnRBIwaJNp9I0NL1ks6bUnTxPIXHSQyMwVvrsGaVV4q9gYlSs0fMFBEY8viHsq95bUScV0EDQ0XUjEbGNvi3LPDuMq_z1s82Ym54jiLsIbayf-sOH4AAdmd9AwA=" shape="rect">Albuquerque Seminar Website</a> for details. </div>
</div>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0" bgcolor="#8C1C2F">
<tbody><tr><td align="left" height="1"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<a name="130fabecf628d344_LETTER.BLOCK12"></a><br/>
<table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="left"><div><b>Raves for Our Original Seminar Experience</b></div>
<div><em><b>The Galaxy of Rising Stars Participants Share Their Feedback</b></em></div>
<div><b><br/></b></div>
<img hspace="5" height="125" align="right" alt="bruce_martin" border="0" vspace="5" width="100" name="130fabecf628d344_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.27" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs020/1103617399119/img/27.jpg"/><br/>
<div><p><span> </span></p>
<p align="left"><span>"We searched for the educational tools to fuel our growth, and we found it in Rising Stars. Since sending our team of 20 managers our growth has accelerated to double-digit rates, with no end in sight. Customer counts are up, too, and our payroll rates are down. Most of my managers said they were inspired by this seminar series -- and that's what sets this course apart from others."</span></p>
<p align="right"><span> </span><i><b>Bruce Martin, General Mgr, Calgary, AB </b></i></p>
</div>
<p align="right"> </p>
<p><img hspace="5" height="133" align="right" alt="lindsay_bullock" border="0" vspace="5" width="100" name="130fabecf628d344_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.30" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs020/1103617399119/img/30.jpg"/></p>
<div><p><span>"All of the material was relevant to our business and our roles in them. I couldn't believe you engaged us all so well for three 9-hour sessions! </span><span>The segment regarding staff education and development was like GOLD! I can really see the progression I can take to implement these methods and see successful results. </span><span>The 3 presenters gave so much of themselves to us, inspiring anyone who participates to do the same with their own staff.<b><i>"</i></b></span></p>
<div><p><span><span><strong><i>Lindsay Bullock, Asst Front End Mgr, Minneapolis </i></strong></span></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p><img hspace="5" height="125" align="right" alt="travis_keith" border="0" vspace="5" width="100" name="130fabecf628d344_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.29" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs020/1103617399119/img/29.jpg"/></p>
<div><p align="left"><span><i><b><span> </span></b></i></span></p>
<p align="left"><span><i><b><span>"I am impressed with the amount of material we covered, and with the different and often fun ways you used to show us. I was interested always and never wanted to lose attention. You are all inspiring speakers and your words and wisdom are appreciated."</span> </b></i></span></p>
</div>
<p align="left"><span><i><b> </b></i></span></p>
<p><span><i><b>Travis Keith, Meat & Seafood Mgr, Northampton, MA </b></i></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img hspace="5" height="125" align="right" alt="alice_rubin-3" border="0" vspace="5" width="100" name="130fabecf628d344_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.31" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs020/1103617399119/img/31.jpg"/></p>
<div><div><p align="left"><span> </span></p>
<p align="left"><span>"To learn retail at this level; is not easily found, and the survival of co-ops needs this. It was all as good as I expected and more than relevant to my job."</span></p>
<p align="left"><span><i> </i></span></p>
<p><span><i><b>Alice Rubin, General Manager, Willimantic, CT </b></i></span></p>
<p><span><span><strong><i> </i></strong></span></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img hspace="5" height="133" align="right" alt="patrick_conner" border="0" vspace="5" width="100" name="130fabecf628d344_ACCOUNT.IMAGE.28" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs020/1103617399119/img/28.jpg"/></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>"Coherent, compassionate and engaging -- exceeded expectations. Covered a broad range of topics with a single focus. And encouraged me to think in a different way about obstacles."</span></p>
<div><p><span><em><strong><span> </span></strong></em></span></p>
<p><em><strong><span><strong><i>Patrick Conner, PR Coordinator, Toronto, ON </i></strong></span></strong></em></p>
<div><span><i> </i></span></div>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p align="center"><a target="_blank" shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eL0-h0F8P9WFBU_BK8JiPXPfkXcdyRPUnOGgtRALynIKTB52pH-5TAAWvsw0mmcDHH_wOioY08Dzi7i_Raufd4PonSiUQGD5yhvgFogJyJbJu6pt7SaVipqWExk56dv7sJ87E2rPSivuBiQhFLvsTHx">Read more testimonials</a></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0" bgcolor="#8C1C2F">
<tbody><tr><td align="left" height="1"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="left" width="100%" valign="top"><table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0">
<tbody><tr><td align="left"><div>Presenting our series of Rising Stars leadership development seminars is among the most rewarding work experiences we've ever shared. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming seminars!</div>
<p> </p>
<div>Sincerely,</div>
<p> </p>
<p><span>Carolee Colter, Mark Mulcahy and Allen Seidner<br/>The Rising Stars Leadership Group</span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="left" width="100%" height="10"><table cellspacing="0" width="100%" border="0" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<tbody><tr><td align="left" valign="top"><b>Save $100 <br/><span>per person</span></b></td>
<td align="left"><div>Register for the Albuquerque presentation of <span>Rising Stars 1: Our Original Seminar Experience</span> by Saturday, July 30 and save $100 per participant with Early-Bird Registration. </div>
<div>And, you may combine this discount with our multiple participant discount to save even more on your second, third and additional attendees.</div>
<div>Visit our <a target="_blank" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=pkgsl9dab&et=1106401277066&s=911&e=001DkwN-aYH7eK1MN8gaUsQrDwKqkrPgadtADIrsD1G_cOLu4Oy3lnOrnZXx1neoxlHE__irms8mut_B70YZz7mZp3xXUoyyoZVHArf367_kJw0twNJFriHgbA4IY12k4CaeVAx1d3sZaXEqCEykn_um10uMUwq4kOLs1yVzabRuLw=" shape="rect">Rising Stars Albuqueque Seminar Website</a> for details. </div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="left" colspan="2"><b>Offer Expires: July 30, 2011 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time</b></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>NCBA Member Benefit - Receive up to 60% off of Prescriptionstag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-21:2899966:BlogPost:52642011-06-21T19:45:20.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<p>Dear Cooperators,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For those of you that I had the opportunity to meet at CCMA thank you! You made my first CCMA a memorable and amazing one and I look forward to connecting with you all again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As you may or may not know, one of the benefits of your NCBA membership is the option to distribute NCBA or cobranded discount pharmacy cards to your members and/or staff for free! These cards provide members and their dependents with some of the lowest prices on…</p>
<p>Dear Cooperators,</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For those of you that I had the opportunity to meet at CCMA thank you! You made my first CCMA a memorable and amazing one and I look forward to connecting with you all again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As you may or may not know, one of the benefits of your NCBA membership is the option to distribute NCBA or cobranded discount pharmacy cards to your members and/or staff for free! These cards provide members and their dependents with some of the lowest prices on prescription drugs, averaging savings of between 10-60% on most medications from more than 50,000 pharmacies nationwide! These cards could also be a great way for you to promote your food co-op and your value and service to your members by giving away these cards at your registers for free. Also did you know that every time that someone swipes your card, your cooperative will receive a cash incentive!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We think this is a very special and unique aspect of your NCBA membership. In the coming weeks, please expect a call from Christian Brower to help further explain this great feature and answer any individual questions that you may have.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thank you for choosing membership with NCBA and I look forward to seeing you all again at our Annual Meeting in MN!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>In cooperation,</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Brianna Gianti, Director of Membership Development & Services<br/></b>National Cooperative Business Association</p>
<p>1401 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20005-2160<br/>Phone: <a target="_blank">202-383-5484</a> | Cell: <a target="_blank">845-283-4919</a> | Fax: <a target="_blank">202-628-6726</a></p>
<p><a href="mailto:bgianti@ncba.coop" target="_blank">bgianti@ncba.coop</a> | <a href="http://www.ncba.coop/" target="_blank">www.ncba.coop</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>The Co-op Newstag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-20:2899966:BlogPost:53622011-06-20T18:36:19.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<h2 class="sifr"><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/news" target="_blank">The Co-op News</a></h2>
<div class="view view-consumer-news-current-issue"><div class="view-header view-header-consumer-news-current-issue"><blockquote><p><em>Want to sign up to have the digital version of the Co-op News delivered by email right to your inbox? <a href="https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:49829">Join our list!</a> Five times a year, members of the Co-op receive the Co-op News from our Education…</em></p>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<h2 class="sifr"><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/news" target="_blank">The Co-op News</a></h2>
<div class="view view-consumer-news-current-issue"><div class="view-header view-header-consumer-news-current-issue"><blockquote><p><em>Want to sign up to have the digital version of the Co-op News delivered by email right to your inbox? <a href="https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:Join/signupId:49829">Join our list!</a> Five times a year, members of the Co-op receive the Co-op News from our Education Department. Because news doesn’t stop between issues, our staff also writes consumer news and information articles on a wide variety of topics and publishes these directly to the Co-op website. Click the links at left to browse the database of articles, or check out the table of contents below for the most recent issue of the Co-op News.</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p><img height="35" width="480" src="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/files/classesline.jpg"/></p>
</div>
<div class="view-content view-content-consumer-news-current-issue"><div class="node teaser clear-block" id="node-3080"><div class="meta"></div>
<div class="content"><div class="image-left"><img title="May 2011 Co-op News" alt="May 2011 Co-op News" src="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/files/imagecache/150/files/cn_issue_images/cnsummer2011.gif"/></div>
<p><strong>COVER DATE: </strong><br/><span class="date-display-single">05/01/2011</span></p>
<p>Download a <a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/files/MayJuneJulyCoopNews_Web.pdf">PDF version of this issue</a></p>
<p><strong>At the Co-op </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/celebrating-75-years-0">Celebrating 75 Years</a></p>
<p><strong>At the Co-op </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/help-co-op-help-listen-0">Help the Co-op Help Listen!</a></p>
<p><strong>At the Co-op Miscellaneous </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/thank-you-helping-co-op-help-haven-0">Thank You for Helping the Co-op Help the Haven!</a></p>
<p><strong>Board Report </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/it-takes-village-co-ops-one-turn-75">It Takes a Village of Co-ops for One to Turn 75</a></p>
<p><strong>Community Partners </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/summer-2011-community-partners">The Listen Food Drive is Going On Now</a></p>
<p><strong>Employee Spotlight </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/moving-cause">Moving for a Cause</a></p>
<p><strong>Better Eating for Life Nutrition with an Attitude </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/food-allergy-food-intolerance-or-food-dislike">Food Allergy, Food Intolerance, or Food Dislike?</a></p>
<p><strong>General Manager's Report </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/investments-white-river-junction">Investments in White River Junction</a></p>
<p><strong>Miscellaneous </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/correction-long-overdue">A Correction Long Overdue</a></p>
<p><strong>Miscellaneous </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/co-op-voting-wrap">Co-op Voting Wrap-Up</a></p>
<p><strong>Miscellaneous </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/dairy-day-2011">Dairy Day 2011</a></p>
<p><strong>Miscellaneous </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/listening-deeply">Listening Deeply</a></p>
<p><strong>Miscellaneous </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/members-remember-kathy-baker">Members Remember: Kathy Baker</a></p>
<p><strong>Miscellaneous </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/kids-club-corner-celebrate-nature-summer-hike">The Kids Club Corner: Celebrate Nature with a Summer Hike!</a></p>
<p><strong>Sustainability Report </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/co-op-launches-green-energy-fund">Co-op Launches Green Energy Fund</a></p>
<p><strong>At the Co-op Sustainability Report </strong><br/><a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/content/zero-waste-dairy-day">Zero-Waste Dairy Day</a></p>
<p>Or search our back issue archive by <a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/news/archive/issues">date</a> or <a href="http://www.coopfoodstore.coop/news/archive/by_topic">article topic</a></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Pesticide Dogstag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-19:2899966:BlogPost:52622011-06-19T15:07:42.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<img src="http://dissidentvoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Pesticide-Dogs.jpg"/>
<img src="http://dissidentvoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Pesticide-Dogs.jpg"/>Learning from the Community of the Landtag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-18:2899966:BlogPost:51622011-06-18T15:42:43.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<h1 class="title"><a href="http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/06/learning-from-the-community-of-the-land/" target="_blank">Learning from the Community of the Land</a></h1>
<p class="byline">by Shepherd Bliss / June 18th, 2011</p>
<div class="entry"><p>While recently shoveling aged horse manure around berry vines on my small organic farm to fertilize them, which gives me great pleasure, I thought about what I have learned about the community of the land by farming over the last two decades. I…</p>
</div>
<h1 class="title"><a target="_blank" href="http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/06/learning-from-the-community-of-the-land/">Learning from the Community of the Land</a></h1>
<p class="byline">by Shepherd Bliss / June 18th, 2011</p>
<div class="entry"><p>While recently shoveling aged horse manure around berry vines on my small organic farm to fertilize them, which gives me great pleasure, I thought about what I have learned about the community of the land by farming over the last two decades. I noticed how spreading brown gold–to which I add the green manure of decaying plants–utilizes waste to transform plants and help them grow. The animal-plant connection is essential to life.</p>
<p>“The Life of the Mind” is the motto of the University of Chicago, where I earned my doctorate. It was a good book-based education. But after a couple of decades teaching college, I felt something missing. So I left full-time teaching, bought rural land, and established a farm outside the small town of Sebastopol in Sonoma County, Northern California. I want to communicate some of the things I have learned from agri-culture–the basis of culture and community. “You are what you eat,” as the saying goes.</p>
<p>Farming has moved energy from my brain into the rest of my body. I enjoy this regular manual labor, which provides health insurance as important as my insurance policy. I read fewer books than before, but I learn a lot from plants, animals, soil, water, wind, and what eco-philosopher David Abram describes as “other-than-human” in his book <em>The Spell of the Sensuous</em>.</p>
<p><strong>Farming with Nature in Mind</strong></p>
<p>I farm with nature in mind, rather than against it. Permaculture is a helpful design system for this kind of agriculture. It teaches placing cardboard, burlap bags and newspapers around the berries, on top of which I put composted manure. This fertilizes, reduces weeds, and keeps moisture in the ground, as well as builds soil. The Earth does not want to be bare, so when factory farms strip it with chemical herbicides, it throws up a new covering, called “weeds,” not wanting to be naked, seeking protection.</p>
<p>The boysenberries with which I share this land are the under-story within a forest. That diversity provides beauty and protects my main crop from pests, as well as providing fallen leaves for mulch. The redwoods, oaks and other tall trees draw moisture from the atmosphere onto the farm. I put large, flexible used flour bags as bedding for the chickens, which catch their manure. I then put those manure-enriched bags around the berries and add other compost.</p>
<p>By the words “the land” I mean more than just the surface. It includes the entire community that makes that land from below, on the ground, and from above. This includes four-legged creatures and those that crawl and fly, those that are feathered, horned, big/small/hidden, hairy and slimy. Gophers on my farm can be pests, but they also aerate the soil; poison oak is inconvenient to humans, but it could also be considered a forest guardian, keeping human predators out, who can do a lot of damage, which we are doing to our planet. The many gophers in our area carry a message—better to plant perennials like berries and trees than annuals like vegetables. Listening to the land where one lives, rather than trying to make it something it is not, is key.</p>
<p>Glorious raptors circle above, including screeching hawks, as do graceful turkey vultures, adding to the community. Humorous wild turkeys and busy bees pollinating berries as I reach in to tend them, never getting stung, are members of our diverse community. Yellow jackets are another thing; when I accidentally get too close to their nests, I am stung and swell up. “Beware,” certain creatures communicate, including those cute skunks. Streams on the other hand, seem to beckon humans into the water, which connects us all, the blood of the community.</p>
<p>Much is ongoing, only some of which is visible. Together, this is the community of the land, of which humans are only a part. We too often over-play our role and under-estimate the importance of other community members. Among the good writers about such “land” are Aldo Leopold, Wendell Berry, and Mary Oliver. Land communicates. Years ago I spoke at a “Language of the Land” conference which met on an active volcano in Hawaii. Our job is to listen to the land.</p>
<p>Land has become my primary teacher, as it has been for most people over most of history. We need to return more to the land’s inherent wisdom, if we are to survive the multiple problems caused by chaotic climate changes, thawing ice caps, rising sea levels, the diminishing supply of oil, and other crises. Books are important, but most come mainly from human minds, rather than from the more diverse and abundant land of which humans are an integral, though sometimes damaging, part. Words are important, but knowing in the body can transcend what can be put into human words. Most of my words here were first written longhand with a pen on page on an outside picnic table while taking breaks from farming. Only eventually did I transfer this to a computer, for editing. Machines can get in the way.</p>
<p>Land is both inclusive and specific. My Native Hawaiian teacher Manu Meyer took a group to experience an elder who lives on a wild Big Island coast. He explained that the Hawaiian word “aina,” which is usually translated as meaning “land,” is quite specific. He had us stand in one spot and notice a strong wind, whereas a few feet away there was no wind. The presence or lack of that wind defined the aina in those distinct spots.</p>
<p>The Hawaiian elder expressed what the Welsh language has a specific word for, which means “love of the land.” Ancient Greek has words for distinct forms of love—eros, agape, and philia, all of what are person-centered. “Don’t ever sell the farm,” my Uncle Dale in Iowa would say, thus expressing his intense love of the land on which he lived for decades and died in his 80s. After that, following his will, his house was burned to the ground, part of the aina, and went with him.</p>
<p><strong>Farms Create Relationships</strong></p>
<p>Communities are based on relationships. Good farming requires creating and maintaining good relationships—with people, plants, animals, the soil, water and other elements.</p>
<p>Developing loyal customers and co-workers is essential to the stability of small-scale farms. In Sonoma County we have a helpful group called Farm Trails, which makes a map to guide people coming directly to farms to purchase their food and fiber.</p>
<p>Some of our farms have a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) component, where families pay the farm in advance and come weekly to receive a box of fresh food. Laguna Farm, for example, has over 500 families that it feeds. Part of the motivation of some CSA members is to have on-farm experiences. Laguna hosts harvest dances and meetings of groups such as Transition Sebastopol, Sonoma Beyond Oil, and the Grange. Farms can be important gathering places within nature to learn about humans and the rest of nature. Another local farm, Singing Frogs, hosts art shows.</p>
<p>The Grange is the United States oldest farm organization, going back 140 years. It has been experiencing a renaissance the last year or so as long-time Grange families have recruited new members into their communities. The Sebastopol Grange, for example, has been hosting breakfasts that draw over 100 people. Much of the food for these breakfasts is donated by local farmers, who then even cook and serve it. The Grange Hall is a popular place that hosts speakers such as author Richard Heinberg talking about Peak Oil and his recent book <em>The End of Growth</em>. We have even hosted an old-fashioned barn dance.</p>
<p>Brock Dolman of the long-time local intentional community the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center recently brought a group of permaculture students to the Sebastopol Grange to re-design its two and a half acres. Their plans were posted in the hall and discussed at meetings. Implementation has begun, which may include adding a playground for the many children who come to events and add their play.</p>
<p>Each kind of plant requires a particular relationship and care in order to be nurtured to produce its best crop. Some, for example, need irrigation, whereas others are better if dry farmed. Water management is an essential element of permaculture, since much water that is often wasted can be put to good use.</p>
<p>Chickens can appear batty and loony, but one human trying to catch a chicken is likely to fail, unless he or she has a tool. Chickens have mastered the martial art of aikido, knowing to avoid direct contact with more powerful forces and go to the sides. I also must establish relationships with many wild animals, including gophers, feral cats, deer, many kinds of insects and birds, snakes, raccoons, possums and many four-leggeds. Otherwise some will eat my chickens and berries.</p>
<p>A farmer’s relationship to dirt is important. I remember enjoying playing in the dirt, mud, and puddles as a boy. Farming gives me an excuse to continue such play. Though difficult work, farming is rewarding—being outside and able to observe how things change. The composted manure that I regularly spread is transformed into life-giving soil.</p>
<p>Soil is precious, as the recent documentary <em><a href="http://www.dirtthemovie.org/">Dirt! The Movie</a></em> reveals. Much of my activity throughout the year is to build soil and retain the topsoil, so it does not wash away during the rainy season down the gentle slop and become sediment in the Cunningham Marsh. Weeds can help one’s crops compete, up to a certain point. Then one needs to know when to remove them. I tend to do so by hand, though I do have a self-propelled mower that I use between the berry rows, bagging the cuttings, which I then compost, to spread later.</p>
<p>I prefer simple hand tools to motorized machines. I enjoy pruning and then sculpting berry plants and trees to improve their appearance and production. My approach to so-called weeds is not conventional. I learned from master farmer Bob Cannard, Jr., that weeds are not always the enemy that some think. The aesthetics that guides me would not be described as tidy. I do not mind the look that some would describe as “weedy.” California’s Mediterranean climate of winter rains and summer heat means that most grasses tend to die back over the summer. So I let that seasonal reality save me the labor of too much time weeding.</p>
<p>A “farmer’s shadow” refers to the farmer regularly walking the land and noticing what is happening. I have lists of things to do when I go on these saunters, to use the word of Henry David Thoreau. However, as I meander observe things that are not on the list, but need to be prioritized. By circling her or his farm, a farmer stays in touch with the community of the land and how it is evolving, which it does seasonally and otherwise. One of the many joys of farming is watching things grow, both those one has planted, as well as volunteers.</p>
<p>Farms do far more than just produce food. For example, they can be healing places. I have published chapters in various books describing agrotherapy, which is an example of ecotherapy. Nature can heal, as can farms. Two such books are the Sierra Club’s <em>Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind</em> and<em>Enduring War: Stories of What We’ve Learned</em>.</p>
<p><strong>Kokopelli Farm</strong></p>
<p>I named the pace where I live Kokopelli Farm, after the legendary humpbacked flute player of the pueblo peoples of the Southwest. A wounded healer, he is also known as the Great Sprinkler and Great Fertilizer, a man of the ground who went peacefully from village to village and was accepted even by people who were warring against each other. Kokopelli could be described as a “trickster,” an important figure to many indigenous peoples.</p>
<p>The hump on Kokopelli’s back may also have been a bag of seeds. He is an agrarian figure, what one might consider a “god of the ground,” rather than a sky deity atop Mt. Zion or Mt. Olympus. Kokopelli’s antenna reveals that he is a member of the lowly insect clan; I wanted the blessings of the insects. Most are beneficial, not pests. I explain to new workers at the farm that the many spiders are helpful to my crops, as are gopher snakes.</p>
<p>The farm is on the edge of wild land. It includes redwood and oak stands. Trees are celebrated by Mary Oliver in her poem “Sleeping in the Forest.” She begins, “I thought the earth remembered me,/ she took me back so tenderly.” By living on, caring for, and working on a small acreage my life is filled by visible and mysterious energies that guide my thinking, learning, writing, and teaching.</p>
<p>The two-year-old son of one of my Sonoma State University colleagues on a recent farm tour started picking up little sticks from the ground and breaking them in two. I followed Evan, which stimulated him to laugh. Other adults were soon breaking sticks. The boy felt empowered and lead us out of the redwoods into the field and the chicken village. He later led us on a hike into the wild area.</p>
<p>Evan fell down frequently, laughed, and jumped right back up, with the help of his flexible spine. Environmentalists could benefit from more such flexibility. He became our teacher, as chickens and plants are teachers. Children often have more immediate and intimate relations with nature, I’ve noticed here at Kokopelli, before they assume adult work and responsibilities.</p>
<p>The Cunningham Marsh–in whose uplands my farm rests–provides mystery and magic to the farm. It has a different order, more natural, than that of the built zone and the farmed zone. I hear sounds made by Great Horned Owls, coyote, migrating birds, and even a mountain lion down there, especially when I sleep out beneath the redwoods and under the stars on the soft forest ground.</p>
<p><strong>Thinking Like a Chicken</strong></p>
<p>In his classic essay “Thinking Like a Mountain” ecologist Aldo Leopold tells the story of hunting and killing a wolf. He later noticed how the exploding deer population, without that predator, ravaged the mountain. Those lovely deer think roses are candy and make decades-old oaks look like bonsai.</p>
<p>When I take guests onto the land that I share with farm animals by day and wild animals by night, I ask them to “think like a chicken” and “think like a berry.” I request that they observe, perceive and adapt to the animal or plant with which they can communicate. We could all benefit from an animal of choice and a plant of choice. Mine are the chicken and the boysenberry.</p>
<p>“Chicken Wisdom” titles an essay I wrote in the psychology book <em>Held In Love</em>. Chickens are prey, whereas humans are predators. Humans have much to learn from this other two-legged creature, including how to be alert and survive. Too many humans, on the other hand, are not doing such a good job in those areas, as we further pollute our air and water and cause chaotic climate change. Among the many things that chickens teach are the following: greet each day with enthusiasm, enjoy the flight, delight in simple things, jump for joy, keep dancing, recycle, snuggle into the Earth, cuddle at night, be a companion, persist and endure, show gratitude, and be prepared to surrender and let go.</p>
<p>By twenty years of preparing the soil that feeds berries with chicken, cow, horse, lama and goat manure (“shoveling shit” farmers call it), as well as the green manure of decaying plants, the soil at my farm is rich with life-giving vitality. Life goes on all around us, and it is good.</p>
<p class="author">Shepherd Bliss is a former Army officer and member of the <a href="http://www.vowvop.org/">Veterans Writing Group</a>. He currently teaches part-time at Sonoma State University, has operated a farm in Northern California since 1992, and has contributed to over two dozen books. He can be reached at:<a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=sb3@pon.net" target="_blank">sb3@pon.net</a>. <a href="http://dissidentvoice.org/author/ShepherdBliss/">Read other articles by Shepherd</a>, or <a href="http://www.vowvop.org/">visit Shepherd's website</a>.</p>
<p class="postmeta">This article was posted on Saturday, June 18th, 2011 at 8:01am and is filed under <a href="http://dissidentvoice.org/category/agriculture/" title="View all posts in Agriculture" rel="category tag">Agriculture</a>, <a href="http://dissidentvoice.org/category/environment/" title="View all posts in Environment" rel="category tag">Environment</a>. </p>
</div>This Week At the Co-op by Julie Crosstag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-13:2899966:BlogPost:50622011-06-13T22:09:54.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<p align="center"><b>This Week At the Co-op</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<h2>Special Board Meeting</h2>
<p>Monday, June 20, 6:30 PM to accept Election Results</p>
<p>See the Agenda <a href="http://davisfood.coop/directors.html#board_meetings" target="_blank">here</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Preliminary Election Results:</b></p>
<p>We counted 971 ballots, from 8,890 eligible voters: 10.92% turnout.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Elected to three-year terms as Directors:</p>
<p>Janie Booth, 760 votes</p>
<p>Stacie…</p>
<p align="center"><b>This Week At the Co-op</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<h2>Special Board Meeting</h2>
<p>Monday, June 20, 6:30 PM to accept Election Results</p>
<p>See the Agenda <a href="http://davisfood.coop/directors.html#board_meetings" target="_blank">here</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Preliminary Election Results:</b></p>
<p>We counted 971 ballots, from 8,890 eligible voters: 10.92% turnout.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Elected to three-year terms as Directors:</p>
<p>Janie Booth, 760 votes</p>
<p>Stacie Frerichs, 727 votes</p>
<p>Ben Pearl, 572 votes</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Elected to one-year terms as Alternate Directors:</p>
<p>Franklin D. Fox 1st Alt., 392 votes</p>
<p>Travis Breckon 2nd Alt., 41 votes</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not elected:</p>
<p>Sarah J Palmer, 32 votes</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Prop. 1, Initiatives passes:</p>
<p>Yes, 805 votes 92.2%</p>
<p>No, 68 votes 7.8%</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>Beer </b><b>Tasting</b></p>
<p>Caldera and Oskar Blues</p>
<p>Friday, June 17, 6-8 pm</p>
<p>Profits to benefit Acme Theatre Company</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>Just a few seats left for</b></p>
<p><b>C</b>o-op <b>H</b>ands <b>O</b>n <b>W</b>ork Training (CHOW) for Teens</p>
<p>Session 2, June 20-24</p>
<p>1-5 pm, plus one evening or Saturday cooking class</p>
<p>A hands-on, 22 hour program designed to give teens (age 15-18) the skills needed to volunteer or work in almost any situation. Cost is $50; need-based scholarships are available. Contact Julie Cross for more information. Program is limited to 14 students. To enroll, the teen must come <u>in person</u> to the Co-op and talk to Julie Cross in the Administrative Office, Monday-Friday Noon-6pm.</p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<h1>Classes</h1>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>The Summer Schedule is out! See it <a href="http://davisfood.coop/classes.html" target="_blank">Right NOW!</a></b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>
<p><b>This Week:</b></p>
<p><b>GF Breakfast Breads</b><b> </b><b><br/></b>Monday, June 13, 6:00 pm</p>
<p>Prepared gluten-free scones, muffins, and coffee cakes are hard to come by—so join us to learn how to make your own from scratch. You and your family will never know these goodies aren’t made from wheat flour!</p>
<p>Amy Radbill $25</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Ice Cream</b></p>
<p>Tuesday, June 14, 6:00 pm</p>
<p>Do you have an ice-cream maker languishing in your cupboard? Get it out and get ready to use it! Amy Radbill will teach you to make a range of frozen desserts, from simple sorbets and ice milks to rich ice creams with a cooked custard base. (Recipes from this class will be suitable for gluten-free diets.)</p>
<p>Amy Radbill $25</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Hands on Meatless Grill</b></p>
<p>Wednesday, June 15, 6:00 pm</p>
<p>Move over meatloaf and step aside Sirloin! These vegan ‘meat’ grill options will have your mouth watering even if you are a carnivore. We’ll prepare grilled nutloaf, southwest bean burgers and “Portobello pretending to be Filet Mignon”. <br/>So versatile, you can even cook these over the stove (which we will!). </p>
<p>Rebecca R Tryon $30</p>
<p><br/><b>South Indian Cooking 101</b></p>
<p>Thursday, June 16, 6:00 pm</p>
<p>In Southern India, rice is a staple along with lentils, dried red chillies, green chillies, coconut, tamarind and plantain. Recipes include Lemon Rice, Kootu, Green Beans Pallya, Rasam, and Carrot Pickle.</p>
<p>Instructor: Viji Gururajin $25</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>In Good Taste: Hard Cheeses</b></p>
<p>Friday, June 17, 6:00</p>
<p>Hard cheeses are perfect for summer, shaved on to salads, grated over a quick pasta or even grilled on a pizza. Join us for a tasting of delicious cheese choices!</p>
<p>Staff $7</p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Solar Cooking</b></p>
<p>Saturday, June 18, 2:00 pm</p>
<p>With summer here, it's time to discover how to cook a variety of healthy foods (from dinners to desserts) using the sun. Solar cooking is easy, enjoyable and considerate to the planet. Learn about the types of solar ovens as we cook vegetarian chili, cornbread and brownies. Class is held outdoors.</p>
<p>Dennis Zanchi $25</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><b>New Parent Network</b></p>
<p>Every Tuesday at 11:15 am</p>
<p>in the Teaching Kitchen</p>
<p><b>Free & open to everyone</b></p>
<p><b> </b></p>Organic standards for animal welfare and additives?tag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-13:2899966:BlogPost:49662011-06-13T15:55:44.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<h1><a href="http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/sc/1106/nosb_meeting.html" target="_blank">Organic standards for animal welfare and additives?</a><img alt="PCC Natural Markets" src="http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/images/logos/pcc/pcc_logo_125.gif"></img></h1>
<p>by Trudy Bialic, Director of Public Affairs</p>
<p>(June 2011) — A string of staff and board trustees testifying before the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) represented PCC Natural Markets’ bench strength, passion and knowledge at the first NOSB meeting ever in Seattle.</p>
<p>Five staff and two trustees spoke for three minutes…</p>
<h1><a target="_blank" href="http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/sc/1106/nosb_meeting.html">Organic standards for animal welfare and additives?</a><img src="http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/images/logos/pcc/pcc_logo_125.gif" alt="PCC Natural Markets"/></h1>
<p>by Trudy Bialic, Director of Public Affairs</p>
<p>(June 2011) — A string of staff and board trustees testifying before the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) represented PCC Natural Markets’ bench strength, passion and knowledge at the first NOSB meeting ever in Seattle.</p>
<p>Five staff and two trustees spoke for three minutes each in April before the 15 NOSB members, U.S. Department of Agriculture staff, and about 150 other organic stakeholders. PCC representatives put our consumer-owned and consumer-operated business on the public record, calling for higher animal welfare standards than an NOSB committee had recommended. We expect improvements to meet organic consumers’ expectations and we believe we can get them!<img class="align-right" src="http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/images/misc/seattle_nosb_200.gif" alt="seattle & apple"/></p>
<p>We also asked for a species-specific approach to certifying farmed fish. We said organic consumers don’t want any synthetics in organics — that any synthetic additives should be the rarest exceptions, not business as usual. We said consumers absolutely expect the NOSB to review each and every synthetic from a precautionary approach.</p>
<p>We urged the board to remember that its authority to review and reject synthetic additives was hard-won and should not ever be surrendered, as one proposal now withdrawn would have done for anything deemed a “nutrient.”</p>
<p>A PCC highlight: two articulate teenage PCC shoppers who raise chickens took the stand and shared their knowledge of what makes chickens happy and healthy. They earned loud applause for what some called the best testimony of the week.</p>
<p>In the end, decisions on many minor materials used in organic production were made — ethylene gas still may be used to induce pineapple flowering, but sodium nitrate (a mined nitrogen that boosts leafy green growth) is sharply restricted. Action on animal welfare, aquaculture and synthetic additives is postponed until the November meeting in Savannah.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, we’re developing an organic consumer survey that we’ll tell you about in a coming issue. NOSB members asked a few questions that are best answered with real data. We plan to gather your opinions to present at the NOSB’s fall meeting.</p>Beyond Whole Foods: 5 Green Grocery Stores In Los Angelestag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-12:2899966:BlogPost:47682011-06-12T15:01:48.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<h1 class="title-news">Beyond Whole Foods: 5 Green Grocery Stores In Los Angeles</h1>
<div class="margin_bottom_10 relative"><img alt="Green Grocer" id="img_caption_872660" name="img_caption_872660" src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/287738/thumbs/r-GREEN-GROCER-large570.jpg" width="570"></img></div>
<div class="comments_datetime relative v05"><p><b><a href="http://www.citysbest.com/" target="_hplink"><img src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/256504/CITYSBEST.jpg"></img></a></b></p>
</div>
<p>Keep the green in your wallet flowing through the local economy by shopping for your greens, and other assorted natural items, at these Los Angeles independent health food stores.</p>
<p><strong>Erewhon:</strong> From…</p>
<h1 class="title-news">Beyond Whole Foods: 5 Green Grocery Stores In Los Angeles</h1>
<div class="margin_bottom_10 relative"><img width="570" src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/287738/thumbs/r-GREEN-GROCER-large570.jpg" alt="Green Grocer" id="img_caption_872660" name="img_caption_872660"/></div>
<div class="comments_datetime relative v05"><p><b><a href="http://www.citysbest.com/" target="_hplink"><img src="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/256504/CITYSBEST.jpg"/></a></b></p>
</div>
<p>Keep the green in your wallet flowing through the local economy by shopping for your greens, and other assorted natural items, at these Los Angeles independent health food stores.</p>
<p><strong>Erewhon:</strong> From bulk bins to natural wines, this massive mid-city natural food market is all about healthy, albeit slightly pricey, options. Erewhon offers more than 200 varieties of grains, nuts, beans and snack mixes in addition to an international selection of cheeses, oils and pastas. They also have bars of the sushi, elixir, and salad varieties, and Erewhon’s in-house macrobiotic expert is there to assist with all raw food related questions.<br/><em>7660 Beverly Boulevard, at North Spaulding Avenue, (323-937-0777 <a href="http://www.erewhonmarket.com/" target="_hplink">www.erewhonmarket.com</a>)<br/></em><br/><strong>One Life:</strong> It’s all about the juice bar at this friendly little Santa Monica health food market. Try One Life’s apple/ginger/kale concoction. It’s got major zing and enough vitamins to get the body through any illness or, uh, hangover. Don’t forget to go upstairs for herbs and supplements. <br/><em>3001 Main Street, at Pier Avenue, Santa Monica, (310-392-4501)<br/></em><br/><strong>Rainbow Acres: </strong>The locally owned Rainbow Acres offers organic fare, natural beauty products and a bevy of supplements to wash down with a selection from the store’s juice bar. Try the Thai Coconut smoothie and a vegan oatmeal carob banana cookie, while chatting with the in-store nutritionist about what vitamins and minerals will do your body best. The store has two locations in Culver City and Marina del Rey. <br/><em>13208 West Washington Boulevard, at Tivoli Avenue, (310-306-8330 or <a href="http://rainbowacresca.com/" target="_hplink">rainbowacresca.com</a>)<br/></em><br/><strong>Co-opportunity:</strong> As the name makes clear, this natural grocery store is a co-op, but you don't have to be a member to shop there. If you do decide to join, the benefit of the $25 a year registration fee is owning a share of the store’s stock of gorgeous produce, hot deli items and gluten-free snacks. Co-opportunity is involved in a number of community outreach programs and also hosts free health-based lectures at the nearby Santa Monica Synagogue. <br/><em>1525 Broadway Street, at 16th Street, Santa Monica, (310-451-8902 or <a href="http://coopportunity.com/" target="_hplink">coopportunity.com</a>)<br/></em><br/><strong>Follow Your Heart: </strong>Although this Canoga Park natural food store does not sell meat, poultry or fish, the charming Follow Your Heart keeps a healthy supply of organic produce, supplements, kombucha and other earthy odds and ends. Follow the beverage aisle to the back corner of the store and you’ll find Follow Your Heart’s café, which has been serving its juicy Wheatmeat reuben since 1970. <br/><em>21825 Sherman Way, at Vassar Avenue, Canoga Park, (818- 348-3240 or <a href="http://www.followyourheart.com/" target="_hplink">www.followyourheart.com</a>)<br/></em></p>
<p><em>*This entry has been edited to correct facts about membership to Co-opportunity.</em></p>
<p> </p>When Food Killstag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-12:2899966:BlogPost:49642011-06-12T13:18:12.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<div class="meta"><h2><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/12/984435/-When-Food-Kills" id="titleHref" name="titleHref">When Food Kills</a><span> </span></h2>
<p class="author"><span>by</span><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/user/teacherken">teacherken</a></p>
<div class="utility" id="mutility"><table class="stats">
<tbody><tr><td class="statpermalink"><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/12/984435/-When-Food-Kills?detail=hide">PERMALINK…</a></td>
<td class="statcomments"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
<div class="meta"><h2><a id="titleHref" href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/12/984435/-When-Food-Kills" name="titleHref">When Food Kills</a><span> </span></h2>
<p class="author"><span>by</span><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/user/teacherken">teacherken</a></p>
<div id="mutility" class="utility"><table class="stats">
<tbody><tr><td class="statpermalink"><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/12/984435/-When-Food-Kills?detail=hide">PERMALINK</a></td>
<td class="statcomments"><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/06/12/984435/-When-Food-Kills#comments" class="total">5 <span>COMMENTS</span></a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
<div class="article-body"><div id="intro"><p>is the title of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/opinion/12kristof.html?_r=1&ref=opinion">this column by Nick Kristof</a>. I put up a comment in the Pundit Roundup, but thought I would put up a diary to make more people aware of the column, which I urge people to read and pass on.</p>
<p>For example: </p>
<blockquote>Every year in the United States, 325,000 people are hospitalized because of food-borne illnesses and 5,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s right: food kills one person every two hours.</blockquote>
<p> That is almost twice as many people a year killed by food as were killed on 9-11, and yet agribusiness continues to successfully fight laws and regulations that would make our food safer.</p>
<p>As for antibiotics, consider this: </p>
<blockquote>The single state of North Carolina uses more antibiotics for livestock than the entire United States uses for humans.</blockquote>
<p>That is because NC is factory farming hog central.</p>
<p>Please keep reading. . .</p>
</div>
<p class="divider-doodle"> </p>
<div id="body" class="article-body"><p>Our overuse of antibiotics leads to rapid spread of resistant strains - </p>
<blockquote>An article this year in a journal called Applied and Environmental Microbiology reported that MRSA was found in 70 percent of hogs on one farm.<p>Another scholarly journal reported that MRSA was found in 45 percent of employees working at hog farms. And the Centers for Disease Control reported this April that this strain of bacteria has now been found in a worker at a day care center in Iowa</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As I said, an important column. Read it, pass it on. And think about the implications of how you eat and how you shop for food.</p>
<p>Peace.</p>
</div>
</div>
<h4>ORIGINALLY POSTED TO <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/blog/teacherken/">TEACHERKEN</a> ON SUN JUN 12, 2011 AT 05:12 AM PDT.</h4>
<h4>ALSO REPUBLISHED BY <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/blog/Envirofood/">ENVIRONMENTAL FOODIES</a> AND <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/blog/Meatless%20Advocates/">MEATLESS ADVOCATES MEETUP</a>.</h4>Se Necesita Chica Urgente: Help Wanted Signs in Coffee Landtag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-10:2899966:BlogPost:49622011-06-10T18:15:30.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<div class="postnav"><div class="alignleft">« <a href="http://smallfarmersbigchange.coop/2011/06/07/the-true-cost-of-bananas/" rel="prev">The True Cost of Bananas</a></div>
<div class="alignright"></div>
</div>
<div class="post-3975 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-uncategorized" id="post-3975"><div class="posttitle"><h2><a href="http://smallfarmersbigchange.coop/2011/06/10/se-necesita-chica-urgente-help-wanted-signs-in-coffee-land/" target="_blank">Se Necesita…</a></h2>
</div>
</div>
<div class="postnav"><div class="alignleft">« <a href="http://smallfarmersbigchange.coop/2011/06/07/the-true-cost-of-bananas/" rel="prev">The True Cost of Bananas</a></div>
<div class="alignright"></div>
</div>
<div class="post-3975 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-uncategorized" id="post-3975"><div class="posttitle"><h2><a target="_blank" href="http://smallfarmersbigchange.coop/2011/06/10/se-necesita-chica-urgente-help-wanted-signs-in-coffee-land/">Se Necesita Chica Urgente: Help Wanted Signs in Coffee Land</a></h2>
<p class="post-info">June 10, 2011 by <a href="http://smallfarmersbigchange.coop/author/eecampaign/" title="Posts by Phyllis Robinson">Phyllis Robinson</a></p>
</div>
<div class="entry"><p>The last part in Tom Hanlon Wilde’s series from Cuzco, Peru</p>
<div id="attachment_3976" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="http://eecampaign.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/se-necesita-chica-urgente.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3976" title="Se Necesita Chica Urgente" src="http://eecampaign.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/se-necesita-chica-urgente.jpg?w=300&h=253" width="300" height="253"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Help Wanted Sign, Pezo Suero family</p>
</div>
<p>Q: What has been the extremely significant change in the last ten years for the farmers in Aguilayoc? A: The role of off-farm income.</p>
<p>All too often, small scale farmers in coffee areas had no other ways to generate meaningful income: outside jobs were nonexistent, while the prices of other crops were abysmally low. With coffee as the only source of monetary income, and that income fluctuating wildly, farmers needed to grow virtually all their own food. That reality, combined with growing populations and no realistic income opportunities for the extended family, often caused acute poverty.</p>
<p>In contrast, off-farm income has increased dramatically for the farmers of Santa Ana district in which the Aguilayoc Co-op is located. During our visit, farmers mentioned two main sources of off-farm income — professional jobs their children have and local government public works projects — and both of these are a result of the groundwork laid by the fair trade partnerships over the past 20 years.</p>
<p>In older reports on small scale farmers, we frequently mentioned their use of the increased incomes to invest in their children’s education. For many of the farmer members, that education has been complete and their children now have full-time jobs. Juana Pezo Suero’s oldest son, Robert and youngest daughter, Vanessa completed their post-secondary studies to become licensed teachers. Robert is in his third year as a teacher, choosing to serve a very remote and isolated village in Vilcabamba. Vanessa didn’t apply to return to teach this term because after last school year, she landed an interesting and well paying job in a notary office. Enrique Mellado’s two eldest sons work together in a construction and building supply store. Elias and Yolanda’s 3 eldest children also finished their post-secondary studies (thanks in part to extra income from fair trade) and now all three work in the city of Cuzco. Many, like Carlos Huillca, are farming land inherited from their parents, but we met families where typically one child chose to farm and the other 1-3 kids moved into other kinds of work.</p>
<p>All of those farmers are proud to have raised children who are now pursuing their own professions. And when those same farmers need to travel to town, or need to buy farm equipment or building supplies, it’s their adult children who pay for those things. So those off-farm salaries are lowering the percentage of household income that comes from coffee exports even at a time of higher coffee prices.</p>
<p>The second major phenomenon increasing off-farm income is due to the co-op’s successful efforts to get local and provincial government agencies to provide services for coffee farmers. COCLA has pushed hard to get authorities to understand the importance of coffee farming and to have the public sector invest in agricultural extension services, road improvements, regional irrigation systems, and reforestation systems to benefit COCLA members and their neighbors. Those investments are now happening. One of the three staff agronomists for Aguilayoc is paid for by the municipal government, which is also building an irrigation system throughout the community. Whereas 10 years ago our travel to Aguilayoc was delayed by road washouts and mini landslides, this time the delay was due to new culverts and bridges being installed on the route. In the area of another co-op, Huadquina, the municipal government is paying farmers to re-forest a large section of land.</p>
<p>Farmer members of Aguilayoc complained that municipal government public works projects had driven up the cost of hiring day laborers. The going day labor rate in Aguilayoc was $2.50 per day in 2001, but had jumped to $9.25 now. “The municipal government is paying $9.25 a day, so we can’t get anyone to work unless we pay that now” was a frequent lament we heard by growers. However, that sword cuts both ways. If a farmer or, for instance, his grown son, is looking to supplement his income, he can work on such projects during times when crops need less attention. Also, the vibrant agricultural sector combined with active government spending (fueled largely by taxes on mining activities) has increased employment in the cities and increased food prices. Higher food prices mean growers can get meaningful prices for the plantain, citrus, and livestock they keep integrated into their coffee crops.</p>
<p>Poverty is tenacious, and the rural areas around Quillabamba still report rates of child undernourishment, maternal and infant mortality, and low life expectancy that are alarming by U.S. standards Farmers organizing to improve life for their families, to gain better access to the consumer, and to advocate for public resources are, however, having a notable effect in Aguilayoc. Ten years ago the dominant theme was “good man needs work”, but this year the theme is “help wanted.”</p>
<p>Our Help Wanted sign is up too. We need you as a consumer, an advocate, an investor and a community leader in furthering support for small scale farm families. As the signs say, “Se Necesita Chico” (need a good man) and “Se Necesita Chica Urgente” (need a good woman, right away!)</p>
<div id="attachment_3977" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="http://eecampaign.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/juana-pezo-suero-center-yellow-shirt-and-family-and-friends.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-3977" title="Juana Pezo Suero (center yellow shirt) and family and friends" src="http://eecampaign.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/juana-pezo-suero-center-yellow-shirt-and-family-and-friends.jpg?w=300&h=193" width="300" height="193"/></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Juana Pezo Suero (center yellow shirt) and family and friends</p>
</div>
</div>
<p class="postmetadata">Posted in <a href="http://smallfarmersbigchange.coop/category/uncategorized/" title="View all posts in Uncategorized" rel="category tag">Uncategorized</a> | Leave a Comment</p>
</div>2011 Eat Local Farm Tourtag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-10:2899966:BlogPost:47662011-06-10T16:37:24.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<h2><a href="http://themix.coop/?q=node/953" target="_blank">2011 Eat Local Farm Tour</a></h2>
<div class="node"><div class="content"><p><em><span class="inline inline-left"><img class="image image-thumbnail" height="100" src="http://themix.coop/sites/default/files/images/FarmToursLogoSmall.thumbnail.jpg" width="83"></img></span> Experience the Story Behind Your Meal</em></p>
<p>The stories behind your food can be a powerful part of enjoying your meal. The Twin Cities food co-ops’ first-ever 2011 Eat Local Farm Tour on Saturday, July 30th will make these stories come alive for free. On this day only the general public can…</p>
</div>
</div>
<h2><a target="_blank" href="http://themix.coop/?q=node/953">2011 Eat Local Farm Tour</a></h2>
<div class="node"><div class="content"><p><em><span class="inline inline-left"><img src="http://themix.coop/sites/default/files/images/FarmToursLogoSmall.thumbnail.jpg" class="image image-thumbnail" width="83" height="100"/></span>Experience the Story Behind Your Meal</em></p>
<p>The stories behind your food can be a powerful part of enjoying your meal. The Twin Cities food co-ops’ first-ever 2011 Eat Local Farm Tour on Saturday, July 30th will make these stories come alive for free. On this day only the general public can experience first-hand what local sustainable farming is all about. The event features tours of Minnesota farms, allowing people to meet directly with producers.</p>
<p>The tour kicks off the Twin Cities food co-ops’ August <a href="http://www.eatlocalamerica.coop/">Eat Local America! Initiative</a> presented by the National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA). Each summer Eat Local America! encourages people to visit their participating co-op to experience the flavorful, healthful and economic benefits of eating local. The nine Twin Cities area food co-ops sponsoring the tour are: Eastside, Lakewinds, Linden Hills, Mississippi Market, River Market, Seward, St. Peter, Valley Natural Foods and The Wedge.</p>
<p>“The Twin Cities food co-ops have led the way in connecting consumers with fresh, local foods,” says Liz McMann, Consumer Affairs Manager at Mississippi Market. “We also provide our customers with information about our growers, makers and farmers. Now we want to deepen that farm to table tie by giving the general public the opportunity to meet with and tour the operations of their favorite meat, vegetable and/or dairy producer(s).”</p>
<p>The 2011 Eat Local Farm Tour highlights 11 Minnesota farms in four geographic regions within a 100 mile radius, north, west, southeast, and southwest of the Twin Cities. All tours will be self-guided, meaning tour goers must provide their own means of transportation, whether by car or bicycle. Self-guided tours allow people to visit the farms that they are most interested in. The only cost will be time and gas!</p>
<p>Cedar Summit Dairy Farm in New Prague, MN will be featured on the southwest leg of the tour. Tour goers will be able to meet owner Dave Minar along with visiting the creamery and production facility, including viewing cows, pigs, and chickens at pasture.</p>
<p>“Our population today is far removed from agriculture,” says Minar. “We need to educate our next generation on the importance of sustainable local land development and how it can benefit our local food system. Local food doesn’t have to travel far, helping us conserve our resources. Moreover, it is about getting to meet the farmer and seeing what his operation is all about. It helps build trust and a positive relationship, which is key to selling any product.”</p>
<p>The hours of tour operation on Saturday, July 30th will differ from farm to farm. Starting June 20th, look for a free, detailed guidebook complete with maps, hours, and tour activities at any of the participating co-op locations. In the mean time, tour information and maps will be available on co-op websites beginning June 1st. The guidebook will also outline suggested tour routes that would make fun, easy day trips within each geographic region.</p>
<p><strong>About the Eat Local Farm Tour:</strong></p>
<p>The 2011 Eat Local Farm Tour is sponsored by nine of the area Twin Cities food co-ops: Eastside, Lakewinds, Linden Hills, Mississippi Market, River Market, Seward, St. Peter, Valley Natural Foods and The Wedge. The July 30th tour will highlight 11 Minnesota farms, allowing the general public to meet directly with local producers to learn more about our local food system and its importance. The farms participating include Eichten’s Hidden Acres in Center City, MN (bison & cheese), Big River Farm (vegetable) in Marine on St Croix, MN, the Women’s Environmental Institute (vegetable) in North Branch, MN, Ferndale Market in Cannon Falls, MN (turkeys), Thousand Hills in Cannon Falls, MN (beef) Shepherd’s Way in Nerstand, MN (cheese), Gardens of Eagan in Farmington, MN (vegetable), Cedar Summit in New Prague, MN (dairy), East Henderson Farm (vegetable) in Henderson, MN and Living Land Farm (vegetable) in St. Peter, MN and Riverbend Farm (vegetable), located northwest of the Twin Cities.</p>
</div>
</div>
<a href="http://themix.coop/?q=node/953">http://themix.coop/?q=node/953</a>Local food one way to keep E. Coli at bay in Iowatag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-10:2899966:BlogPost:46702011-06-10T16:33:33.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<p><span class="font-size-6"><a href="http://www.dailyiowan.com/2011/06/10/Metro/23649.html" target="_blank">Local food one way to keep E. Coli at bay in Iowa</a></span><br></br><span class="frontbyline">BY<strong> <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=daily-iowan@uiowa.edu" target="_blank">ASMAA ELKEURTI</a></strong> | JUNE 10, 2011 <span class="timestamp"><strong>7:20 AM…</strong></span></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-6"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.dailyiowan.com/2011/06/10/Metro/23649.html">Local food one way to keep E. Coli at bay in Iowa</a></span><br/><span class="frontbyline">BY<strong> <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=daily-iowan@uiowa.edu" target="_blank">ASMAA ELKEURTI</a></strong> | JUNE 10, 2011 <span class="timestamp"><strong>7:20 AM</strong></span></span></p>
<a class="st-taf" href="http://tellafriend.socialtwist.com/"><img alt="SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend" src="http://images.socialtwist.com/2009092325807/button.png"/></a><br />
<p class="bodycopy">A recent outbreak of the E. coli bacteria hasn’t made its way to Johnson County, and locally grown food may be the key to keeping it that way.</p>
<p class="bodycopy">Several area businesses specializing in locally grown produce said focusing on local food is important in preventing such an outbreak.</p>
<p class="bodycopy">“Supporting local food vendors helps eliminate those scares,” said Jenifer Angerer, the marketing manager for the New Pioneer Co-Op. “We know exactly how our farmers are handling our food. We can go back to that farm. We know exactly how it’s being cleaned, and handled, and processed. Fewer people handling it means there’s more security and safety.”</p>
<p class="bodycopy">Tammy Neumann, the Iowa City Farmers’ Market coordinator, said local produce vendors have been selling their products without problems.</p>
<p class="bodycopy">She said the identifiable source of their food is what appeals to the public.</p>
<p class="bodycopy">“Especially in this community, the farmers are very important to the people,” she said.</p>
<p class="bodycopy">According to the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>, 29 E. coli-related fatalities have been recorded in Germany and one in Sweden since the beginning of the outbreak six weeks ago. No source has been identified.</p>
<p class="bodycopy">In the United States, there has been one confirmed case of this strain of E. coli and three suspected cases in the country. The strains were found in those who had recently traveled to Germany.</p>
<p class="bodycopy">Andy Weigel, a disease-prevention specialist at the <a href="http://www.johnson-county.com/dept_health.aspx?id=4485" target="_blank">Johnson County Public Health Department</a>, said each individual — particularly those who have been outside the country — should be aware of the symptoms that indicate infection.</p>
<p class="bodycopy">“Any persons who have recently traveled to Germany and have seen the signs should see their medical provider, especially if you have signs of the symptoms such as stomach cramps and vomiting,” Weigel said.</p>
<p class="bodycopy">People are urged to take precautions by frequently washing their hands and handling food properly, said Brian Hudson, an environmental health specialist at the Johnson County Public Health Department.</p>
<p class="bodycopy">“I would educate people, obviously, on temperatures,” Hudson said. “When working with food, you need to make sure you’re processing them correctly between freezing, storing, and preparing.”</p>
<p class="bodycopy">Michael Pentella, a University of Iowa clinical associate professor in the Disease Control Administration, said people should comply with efforts to prevent outbreaks, even if that makes them uncomfortable.</p>
<p class="bodycopy">“It’s always important when an individual goes to see a physician, and the physician goes to order a lab test of the stool, that they comply with that request,” he said.</p>
<p class="bodycopy">While Germany may seem disconnected from the local community, Pentella said, everyone should be aware of the problem to prevent further contamination.</p>
<p class="bodycopy">“We live in a very global world, so a lot of food supplies are easily transported through the world,” he said. “And because we don’t know what causes this, we need to be on our guard.”</p>USDA Meets with Hispanic Farmers in CA to Discuss Process to Resolve Discrimination Claimstag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-10:2899966:BlogPost:48622011-06-10T15:11:36.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<div class="heading comments"><h3><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HSN-Global-Feed/~3/RoCqBIvaBN4/" target="_blank">USDA Meets with Hispanic Farmers in CA to Discuss Process to Resolve Discrimination Claims…</a></h3>
<p></p>
</div>
<div class="heading comments"><h3><a target="_blank" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HSN-Global-Feed/~3/RoCqBIvaBN4/">USDA Meets with Hispanic Farmers in CA to Discuss Process to Resolve Discrimination Claims</a></h3>
<p><a href="http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/usda-meets-with-hispanic-farmers-in-ca-to-discuss-process-to-resolve-discri/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HSN-Global-Feed+%28HSN+Global+RSS+Feed%29#Comments" title="View Comments" class="comments-link">0 Comments</a></p>
</div>
<div class="post-info"><div class="left">Published at 9:41 am, June 10, 2011</div>
<div class="right"><a href="http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/usda-meets-with-hispanic-farmers-in-ca-to-discuss-process-to-resolve-discri/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HSN-Global-Feed+%28HSN+Global+RSS+Feed%29" class="print-page" title="Print Page"></a><div class="share-this"><div class="stbutton horizontal" id="sharethis_0"><div class="stoverlay"></div>
<img src="http://w.sharethis.com/images/hbutton.gif"/></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="article article-notitas"><div class="image-wrapper onetwentypx"><img src="http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/uploads/images/article-images/latfrme.jpg" alt="Image"/><p class="photo-credits">Photo Credits: USDA Addressing Hispanic Farmer Discrimination</p>
</div>
<p>As part of continued efforts to close the chapter on allegations of past discrimination at USDA, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Fred Pfaeffle held a series of outreach meetings this week with farmers and ranchers to talk about the process that has been put in place to resolve the claims of Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers who assert that they were discriminated against when seeking USDA farm loans.</p>
<p>“The Obama Administration is committed to resolving all claims of past discrimination at USDA, so we can close this sad chapter in the department’s history,” said Pfaeffle. “We want to make sure that any Hispanic or women farmer or rancher who alleges discrimination is aware of this option to come forward, to have his or her claims heard and to participate in a process to receive compensation.”</p>
<p>The program USDA announced earlier this year with the Department of Justice provides up to $50,000 for each Hispanic or woman farmer who can show that USDA denied them a loan or loan servicing for discriminatory reasons for certain time periods between 1981 and 2000. This claims process offers a streamlined alternative to litigation and provides at least $1.33 billion in compensation, plus up to $160 million in farm debt relief to eligible Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers. Hispanic or women farmers who provide additional proof and meet other requirements can receive a $50,000 reward. Successful claimants are also eligible for funds to pay the taxes on their awards and for forgiveness of certain existing USDA loans. There are no filing fees or other costs to claimants to participate in the program. Participation is voluntary, and individuals who decide not to participate may choose to file a complaint in court. However, USDA cannot provide legal advice to potential claimants, and persons seeking legal advice may contact a lawyer or other legal services provider.</p>
<p>Under the leadership of Secretary Vilsack, USDA is addressing civil rights complaints that go back decades and through these outreach meetings, we are taking steps towards achieving that goal. USDA is committed to resolving allegations of past discrimination and ushering in “a new era of civil rights” for the Department. In February 2010, the Secretary announced the Pigford II settlement with African American farmers, and in October 2010, he announced the Keepseagle settlement with Native American farmers.</p>
</div>Join the Co-op Calendar Project!tag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-10:2899966:BlogPost:46662011-06-10T00:46:47.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" width="600">
<tbody><tr><td align="left" valign="top" width="100%"><table bgcolor="#067065" border="0" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK1" width="100%">
<tbody><tr><td align="center"><img alt="CA Center for Cooperative Development" border="0" height="204" hspace="5" id="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.129" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.129" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs014/1102248019807/img/129.jpg?a=1105911804669" title="0.7733812949640287" vspace="10" width="430"></img></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" valign="top"><table border="0" cellspacing="5" width="100%">
<tbody><tr><td align="left" bgcolor="#2E5E17" colspan="2" valign="top" width="100%"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table border="0" width="600" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="100%" align="left"><table bgcolor="#067065" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK1">
<tbody><tr><td align="center"><img src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs014/1102248019807/img/129.jpg?a=1105911804669" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.129" width="430" vspace="10" border="0" alt="CA Center for Cooperative Development" title="0.7733812949640287" height="204" hspace="5"/></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF" valign="top"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="5">
<tbody><tr><td bgcolor="#2E5E17" valign="top" width="100%" colspan="2" align="left"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK7">
<tbody><tr><td align="center"><div>Join the Co-op Calendar Project!</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#067065" valign="top" width="180" align="left"><table border="0" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="100%" align="left"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK3">
<tbody><tr><td align="center"><div><b>Quick Links</b></div>
<div> </div>
<div><strong><a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" href="http://www.cccd.coop/coop_year#SponsorTheCalendar" target="_blank">Sponsor the Calendar</a></strong></div>
<div><strong><a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" href="http://www.cccd.coop/coop_year" target="_blank">Submit Pictures and Stories</a></strong></div>
<div><strong><a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" href="http://www.cccd.coop/" target="_blank">More About CCCD</a></strong></div>
<div><strong><img vspace="5" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.159" border="0" hspace="0" width="164" alt="Join CCCD Today!" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs014/1102248019807/img/159.jpg?a=1105911804669" align="right"/></strong></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<div> </div>
<div><div><strong><a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" href="http://library.constantcontact.com/doc203/1102248019807/doc/tH7qIT7MQy5LHXYC.pdf" target="_blank">Join CCCD Today!</a></strong></div>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table bgcolor="#75A633" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr><td height="1" align="left"></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<a name="LETTER.BLOCK11"><br />
</a><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK11">
<tbody><tr><td align="center"><p align="center"><span><b>Cooperatives & The Symbolism of Twin Pines</b></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="center"><img height="120" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.162" border="0" width="120" alt="Twin Pines Foundation" src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs014/1102248019807/img/162.jpg?a=1105911804669"/></td>
</tr>
<tr><td align="center"><p><span>A familiar symbol of the cooperative is the encircled Twin Pines. The symbol was adopted in 1922 by the Cooperative League of the USA (now the National Cooperative Business Association) as a universal cooperative emblem.</span></p>
<p><span>The Pine Tree is an ancient symbol of life; the two pines highlight the mutual nature of cooperation. The pines are encircled to symbolize the roots and the endless quality of eternity. The trees and the circle are dark green, which is the color of chlorophyll, the life principle in nature. The color within the circle is golden yellow, typifying the sun, the giver of light and life.</span></p>
<p><span><span>Over the years, the emblem has been used widely around the world to display a sense of common purpose and identification among cooperatives</span>.</span></p>
<p> </p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
<td bgcolor="#BCE08C" valign="top" width="420" align="left"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0">
<tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="100%" align="left"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK4">
<tbody><tr><td align="left"><p><b>Greetings!</b></p>
<p> </p>
<div><p><span><span>It is not too late to submit pictures for the Co-op Calendar.<span> </span>The Calendar celebrates and commemorates the <i>International Year of Co-ops</i> by providing a calendar of pictures and co-op related information.<span> </span>Significant dates in co-op history will be highlighted in the calendar.</span></span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>C</span><span>o-ops and co-op support organizations from across the US and the world are encouraged to submit pictures and consider becoming a <span>co-sponsor</span>.</span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<span><br />
</span><p><span><span><b>Submit Pictures and Graphics</b></span></span></p>
<p><span><b>Selected pictures and photographer & submitter will be credited and receive a free calendar!</b></span></p>
<p><span><strong> </strong></span></p>
<p><span><b>Please <span>submit pictures</span></b></span><span> by June 15 with accompanying brief stories about a personal experience, observation or your co-op/co-op support organization's experience(s) with:</span></p>
<ol type="I">
<li><span>ANY of the 7 Co-op Principles</span><span>.</span></li>
<li>ANY international experience, project, endeavor or work involving co-ops or co-op support organizations; non-US co-op development; international cooperation involving US co-op development.<span> </span></li>
<li>A special/unique community co-op outreach or charitable project or event.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<a name="LETTER.BLOCK5"><br />
</a><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="5" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK5">
<tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="2%" align="left"><span> </span></td>
<td width="98%" align="center"><p><span><b>Help Finance this Undertaking: </b></span></p>
<p><span><b>Become a </b></span><span><b>Co-Sponsor!</b></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr><td valign="top" align="left" colspan="2"><p><span> </span></p>
<p><span><span><b>Twin Pines Sponsors</b></span><span> contribute $5,000 or more:<i>includes name & logo recognition on calendar (with premium size and location), on CCCD website (with link to your website) and on all calendar correspondence; 50 free calendars, discount on additional calendars ordered, and CCCD non-profit membership;</i></span></span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span><span><b>Co-op Flag Sponsors</b></span><span> contribute $3,000 or more:<i>includes name & logo recognition on calendar, on CCCD website and on most calendar correspondence; 25 free calendars, discount on additional calendars ordered, and CCCD non-profit membership;</i></span></span></p>
<p><span><i> </i></span></p>
<p><span><span><b>Cooperator Sponsors</b></span><span> contribute $1,000 or more<i>:<span> </span>includes name recognition on calendar, 5 free calendars, discount on additional calendars ordered, and CCCD non-profit membership;</i></span></span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span><span><b>Co-op Supporter Sponsors</b></span><span> contribute $500 or more:<span> </span><i>includes name listing on calendar and a free calendar.</i></span></span></p>
<p><span><i> </i></span></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li><span><i><a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" href="http://library.constantcontact.com/doc203/1102248019807/doc/gcIv5ZysbMGm6MKD.pdf" target="_blank">Click</a> </i></span><span><span>for form to include with your </span><span>sponsorship or photo submission</span></span></li>
<li><span><i><a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" href="http://www.cccd.coop/files/CCCDMembershipApp_distributed.pdf" target="_blank">Click</a></i></span><span><span> for information on <span>CCCD </span></span><span>Membership</span></span></li>
</ul>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<a name="LETTER.BLOCK10"><br />
</a><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="5" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK10">
<tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="2%" align="left"><span> </span></td>
<td width="98%" align="left"><p><span><b>California Conference Provides Wealth-building Strategy for Disadvantaged Communities</b></span></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr><td valign="top" align="left" colspan="2"><img src="http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs014/1102248019807/img/161.jpg?a=1105911804669" name="ACCOUNT.IMAGE.161" width="176" vspace="5" border="0" alt="Conference on Serving the Underserved" align="right" title="0.8380952380952381" height="227" hspace="5"/><p><span>On June 15 the Federation of Community Development Credit Unions will kick off its conference in Hollywood with an organizing symposium.</span><span><span>Community Development Credit Unions (CDCUs) and Low-income Credit Unions (LICUs) are community-owned, financial cooperatives that offer affordable credit and financial products that build wealth in low- and moderate-income urban and rural communities nationwide. Also known as community development financial institutions (CDFIs), CDCUs help residents of disadvantaged communities survive difficult economic times by building a culture of a savings, providing access to responsible financial products, shared equity and active member-ownership that places people before profits.</span> <br/> </span></p>
<p><span><b>For more information visit: </b></span><a shape="rect" href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=ktshzucab&et=1105520260448&s=1&e=001lMzUsC11kh6dSv3sD1zF_UizBoFjas4shQTVhWWWu_nOLa4zRjJtCcZHdldgZ8hECdfwLVOZtUnbfUM-NEzTwBIu8o5ABtHfn5gs_yIOpR7PEwg4c9Sftw==" target="_blank">37th Annual Conference on Serving the Underserved</a><span>, or contact Rafael O. Morales at:</span><a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=rmorales@cdcu.coop" target="_blank">rmorales@cdcu.coop</a><span><span>, or (800) 437-8711 (800) 437-8711 x206.</span> </span></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
<tr><td valign="top" width="100%" align="left"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" id="content_LETTER.BLOCK6">
<tbody><tr><td align="left"><div><div><p><span><span>For more information visit our website: </span><span><a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" href="http://www.cccd.coop/" target="_blank">www.cccd.coop</a><span>; email us at: </span><a rel="nofollow" shape="rect" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=coops@cccd.coop" target="_blank">coops@cccd.coop</a><span>; or call us at 530-297-1032.</span></span></span></p>
<p align="center"><span><b> </b></span></p>
<p><span><span><b>THANK YOU </b></span><span>for your help with this undertaking</span><span>!</span></span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>California Center for Cooperative Development </span></p>
<p><span>979 F Street, Suite A-1, Davis, CA 95616</span></p>
</div>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>northern california soy and tofu festival, june 11tag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-09:2899966:BlogPost:47642011-06-09T23:14:33.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<p><a href="http://blog.angryasianman.com/2011/06/northern-california-soy-and-tofu.html" title="permanent link"><font size="3"><b><font color="#000000">northern california soy and tofu festival, june 11</font></b></font></a></p>
<div class="blogPost"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://www.angryasianman.com/images/angry/soyandtofufestival2011.jpg" vspace="6" width="450"></img> <br></br>Aw yeah, Bay Area. It's time to get your soy on at the very first <a href="http://soyandtofufest.org/"><b>Northern California Soy and Tofu Festival</b></a>. Pesented by the Nichi Bei Foundation, it's a day-long festival focusing on…</div>
<p><a href="http://blog.angryasianman.com/2011/06/northern-california-soy-and-tofu.html" title="permanent link"><font size="3"><b><font color="#000000">northern california soy and tofu festival, june 11</font></b></font></a></p>
<div class="blogPost"><img src="http://www.angryasianman.com/images/angry/soyandtofufestival2011.jpg" width="450" height="267" border="0" vspace="6"/> <br/>Aw yeah, Bay Area. It's time to get your soy on at the very first <a href="http://soyandtofufest.org/"><b>Northern California Soy and Tofu Festival</b></a>. Pesented by the Nichi Bei Foundation, it's a day-long festival focusing on the health benefits of soy and tofu, with vendors, performances, games and a dessert competition. It's happening Saturday, June 11 in San Francisco Japantown’s Peace Plaza at Post and Bunchanan streets. Here are some more details:<blockquote><font size="1"><b>Northern California Soy and Tofu Festival: Discover the Joy of Soy</b><br/><br/>Saturday, June 11, 2011<br/>11 a.m. to 4 p.m.<br/>San Francisco Japantown's Peace Plaza<br/><br/>This day-long festival will focus on the health benefits of soy and tofu, feature various soy-related vendors, and center around a Tofu Dessert Competition.<br/><br/>There will be live performances, audience participation games and a raffle as well.<br/><br/>Performances from:<br/> San Francisco Taiko Dojo Rising Stars<br/> guitarist Michael Sasaki (Cold Blood/ Hiroshima) and band leader George Yoshida<br/> Genyukai Berkeley (Okinawa sanshin)<br/> Halau Ka Liko Pua O Kalaniakea (hula)<br/> Kaa'la Carmack (ukelele)<br/> The Asian American rap group Scojourners.<br/><br/>Food Vendors:<br/> Kikkoman<br/> Hodo Soy Beanery<br/> Traveling Takoyaki<br/> Tofu Yu<br/> San Jose Tofu<br/> Megumi Natto<br/> JapaCurry food truck</font></blockquote>
Discover the joy of soy. Proceeds from the event will go towards the Nichi Bei Foundation and help continue publication of the <a href="http://www.nichibei.org/"><b><i>Nichi Bei Weekly</i></b></a>. For further information about the event, including the full list of vendors/sponsors and the day's entertainment schedule, go to the Soy and Tofu Festival website <a href="http://soyandtofufest.org/"><b>here</b></a>.</div>Q&A: Why Nick's Organic Farm Shouldn't Get Turned into Soccer Fieldstag:coopunderground.ning.com,2011-06-09:2899966:BlogPost:47622011-06-09T15:02:42.000ZMike Simpsonhttp://coopunderground.ning.com/profile/MikeSimpson
<div class="story"><h1 class="title"><a href="http://news.change.org/stories/qampa-why-nicks-organic-farm-shouldnt-get-turned-into-soccer-fields" target="_blank">Q&A: Why Nick's Organic Farm Shouldn't Get Turned into Soccer Fields</a></h1>
<div class="details"><div class="by">by <a href="http://news.change.org/authors/sarah-parsons">Sarah Parsons</a> · June 09, 2011</div>
<div class="topics">Topics: <ul>
<li class="topics"><a href="http://news.change.org/farming">Farming</a> · …</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="story"><h1 class="title"><a target="_blank" href="http://news.change.org/stories/qampa-why-nicks-organic-farm-shouldnt-get-turned-into-soccer-fields">Q&A: Why Nick's Organic Farm Shouldn't Get Turned into Soccer Fields</a></h1>
<div class="details"><div class="by">by <a href="http://news.change.org/authors/sarah-parsons">Sarah Parsons</a> · June 09, 2011</div>
<div class="topics">Topics: <ul>
<li class="topics"><a href="http://news.change.org/farming">Farming</a> · </li>
<li class="topics"><a href="http://news.change.org/food-policy">Food Policy</a> · </li>
<li class="topics"><a href="http://news.change.org/food-security">Food Security</a> · </li>
</ul>
<a class="show-more-topics" href="http://news.change.org/stories/qampa-why-nicks-organic-farm-shouldnt-get-turned-into-soccer-fields">show more</a></div>
<div class="shares"><a class=" facebook" name="fb_share" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.change.org%2Fstories%2Fqampa-why-nicks-organic-farm-shouldnt-get-turned-into-soccer-fields%23share_source%3Dblog-top_fb&src=sp" id="fb_share"><span class="fb_share_size_Small"><span class="FBConnectButton FBConnectButton_Small"><span class="FBConnectButton_Text">Share</span></span></span></a><div class=" twitter topsy_widget_data topsy_theme_blue" id="topsy_id3-5-3-1-0-7-3-1"><div class="topsy-sm"><a class="topsy-sm-total snap_noshots" href="http://topsy.com/news.change.org/stories/qampa-why-nicks-organic-farm-shouldnt-get-turned-into-soccer-fields?utm_source=button">10</a><a class="topsy-sm-retweet snap_noshots" target="_blank" href="http://button.topsy.com/retweet?nick=change&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.change.org%2Fstories%2Fqampa-why-nicks-organic-farm-shouldnt-get-turned-into-soccer-fields%3Fshare_source%3Dblog-top_tw&title=Q%26amp%3BA%3A%20Why%20Nick%27s%20Organic%20Farm%20Shouldn%27t%20Get%20Turned%20into%20Soccer%20Fields&shorturl_service=bit.ly&shorturl_user=change&shorturl_auth=R_3a1c479fc46337e4147ba05ee91801fd">retweet</a></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="views">181 views</div>
</div>
<div class="content"><p><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-9742" src="http://change-production.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/wordpress_copies/food/2011/06/nicks.jpg" height="187" width="250"/>Nick Maravell of Maryland's Montgomery County has run<a href="http://www.savenicksorganicfarm.org/">Nick's Organic Farm </a>for the past 31 years. Maravell leases the site from the Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE), which plans to eventually build a public school on the land once the region's schools become overcrowded.</p>
<p>Year after year, the BOE renewed Maravell's lease — <a href="http://news.change.org/stories/thirty-year-old-organic-farm-to-be-turned-into-soccer-fields">until this year</a>. Beginning in 2012, the BOE will lease the land to the County, which plans to partner with a private organization, Montgomery Soccer Incorporated (MSI), in order to build soccer fields on the site. There was no public hearing on the issue, and no one even informed Maravell that his farm could get taken away until two weeks before the decision was made.</p>
<p>Fans and supporters of Nick's Organic Farm are understandably upset, and they <a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/turn-a-30-year-old-organic-farm-in-maryland-into-a-food-education-hub-not-soccer-fields-2">started a petition here on Change.org</a>. We caught up with Maravell to talk about why Nick's Organic Farm should become a food education hub — not soccer fields.</p>
<p><strong>SP: Tell me about your farm.</strong></p>
<p>NM: I started in 1980 as a vegetable farmer. Over the years as I’ve expanded my operation, <a href="http://www.savenicksorganicfarm.org/">Nick’s Organic Farm</a> in Potomac has become primarily seed production. I am in a location where I’m not near other agricultural fields, so as an organic farmer, I produce seed that is free of GMO contamination. I have another farm about 30 miles away, and I use my seed there to produce corn and soybean and other crops. I also use some of the seed to mix into my feed that I use for poultry. We have free-range chickens and turkeys.</p>
<p><strong>SP: What role does Nick’s Organic Farm play in the community?</strong></p>
<p>NM: There aren’t many organic seed farms in the area, and there are <a href="http://news.change.org/stories/thirty-year-old-organic-farm-to-be-turned-into-soccer-fields">no organic seed farms in Montgomery County</a>. Part of what I do is sell seed to other poultry producers in Montgomery County and the surrounding areas because it’s certified organic seed. This feeds into many other farmers who are raising poultry. I sell my seed both directly to farmers in the area as well as to small seed companies that handle organic seed.</p>
<p><strong>SP: You lease the land for Nick’s Organic Farm — you don’t own it. So why do you think what the County is doing is so egregious?</strong></p>
<p>NM: The land is not owned by the County, either. They’re leasing it. The land is owned by the school board and it’s a future school site. What I do for the school board is I maintain the land in its current condition while it awaits school construction. In effect, I’m the caretaker of the land. I can’t do anything that would alter the land—I can’t build on it, I can’t drain it, I can’t dredge it. You’re only allowed to use it for agricultural purposes.</p>
<p>The County simply said to the school board, “we don’t want any farmers on that land. We want to lease it, we want to bulldoze it and put in soccer fields.” <a href="http://news.change.org/stories/thirty-year-old-organic-farm-to-be-turned-into-soccer-fields">They’re going to have a partnership</a> with a private soccer organization, and that soccer organization would charge anyone who wanted to use the fields. They would not be generally open to the public. So this wouldn't be local soccer fields for neighborhood or school children. This is private use of the property.</p>
<p><strong>SP: Not only do you want to save your farm, you and your supporters want to turn Nick’s Organic Farm into a food education center. Tell me about this plan.</strong></p>
<p>NM: My lease has always restricted me to traditional agricultural activities. What we’re proposing is for Montgomery County to use Nick's as an asset. There’s probably not another piece of land in Montgomery County that’s been farmed continuously organically for the past 31 years, and we would like to <a href="http://news.change.org/stories/thirty-year-old-organic-farm-to-be-turned-into-soccer-fields">create an educational opportunity</a>. It would be a learning center where people were able to see what an actual farming operation can do and its contribution to the environment, food security, and food safety.</p>
<p><strong>SP: What are the next steps with this campaign?</strong></p>
<p>NM: Our objection has always been that the County <a href="http://news.change.org/stories/thirty-year-old-organic-farm-to-be-turned-into-soccer-fields">never had a discussion</a> over what the use of this site should be — they decided themselves it should be used for a private soccer organization, and <a href="http://news.change.org/stories/county-executive-responds-to-pleas-to-save-nicks-organic-farm">there was never any consideration</a> of alternatives. We’ve never had any public discussion or opportunity to discuss in any open way the alternatives, so we're asking our supporters to come to a <a href="http://www.savenicksorganicfarm.org/news.htm">meeting on June 9<sup>th</sup></a> to discuss these alternatives with the County. The meeting is sponsored by the County, and it’s designed to discuss the concerns about issuing a proposal for soccer fields.</p>
<p><em>To attend the June 9th meeting or find out more information about it, <a href="http://www.savenicksorganicfarm.org/news.htm">visit the campaign's Web site here</a>. You can also <a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/turn-a-30-year-old-organic-farm-in-maryland-into-a-food-education-hub-not-soccer-fields-2">sign the petition asking Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett to prevent Nick's Organic Farm</a> from becoming soccer fields.</em></p>
<p><em>Photo credit: <a href="http://www.savenicksorganicfarm.org/">Nick Maravell</a></em></p>
</div>
<div class="author"><a href="http://news.change.org/authors/sarah-parsons"><img src="http://change-production.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/9/qj/qa/uHQjQacrqKgPZBa-50x50-cropped.jpg?1273518201"/></a><a href="http://news.change.org/authors/sarah-parsons">Sarah Parsons</a> is Change.org's Sustainable Food Editor. Her work has appeared in Popular Science, OnEarth, Audubon and Plenty.</div>
</div>
<div class="related-petition"><div class=" section-header"><h3>RELATED <strong>PETITION</strong></h3>
</div>
<div class="related-petition-content"><img src="http://change-production.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/2/ic/sb/IYICsbgzRDsKfFB-300x110-cropped.jpg?1301954397"/><h6 class="title"><a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/turn-a-30-year-old-organic-farm-in-maryland-into-a-food-education-hub-not-soccer-fields-2">Turn a 30-year-old Organic Farm in Maryland into a Food Education Hub, Not Soccer Fields</a></h6>
<a class=" bubble-button" href="http://www.change.org/petitions/turn-a-30-year-old-organic-farm-in-maryland-into-a-food-education-hub-not-soccer-fields-2"><span class="background"><span class="content">SIGN PETITION</span></span></a><br />
<div class="signatures"><span class="count">4,860</span> <span class="unit">People</span></div>
</div>
</div>