Sunday, March 6, 2011

[TheUWfarm] Farmweek Newsletter March 6, 2011

Farmweek Newsletter | March 6, 2011

Upcoming Farm Events and General Information

Tuesday Farm Lunch

All quarter, T 12:30-1:20 in FSH 108

Monthly Pizza Bake

This week, Friday March 11

3 pm - 6 pm More info here

February All Farm Meeting

April 6, 5 - 6 pm Botany Greenhouse

_____________

New ways to get farm information!

We have a website!

(and blog)

Facebook Fan Page - become a fan!

___________

Send all submissions for the weekly newsletter to michelle@uwfarm.org

During the academic year, the newsletter will go out weekly on Sunday evenings.

___________

Farm To-Do

General Action Items:
-Clean out chicken coop and get shredded paper
-Check planting calendar to see when cover crops need to be chopped in (Triticale need about 1 month and Favas need about 2 weeks before beds are ready to plant)
-Pull up frozen plants and Re-start frozen beds ( if pulling up starts erase them from the planting chart)
-Pull chickweed and other weeds
-Build sturdy top for pallet compost bins in the back forty
-Outplant favas on 8-10 bench when they are ready(perhaps plant some in the
     brick border bed in section A)
-Weed hillside and berry bushes adjacent to the Burke-Gilman trail.
-Add new pictures to Farm Bulletin outside, laminate Daily article for sign next 
     to the Burke-Gilman.
-For Monday, outplant Lettuce in Quanset hut.
-Harvest Arugula leaves and take them home and eat them
Area A:
-Check A-1 buckets and chop in cover crop
-Realign first long bed, Bed should extend all the way out to plastic piping
-Take Kale out of buckets and replace with new kale
-Fill buckets with compost
-Get fish emulsion
Area B:
-Sow beets directly in remaining pots of B1
Area C:
-Area C-1 : Harvest for Pizza bake or eat edibles (like leeks from amongst favas) before chopping in cover crop
-Add compost to all beds after chopping in cover crop
-Finish the chicken tractor
-Plant starts to
Independent Opportunities:
-Someone with a driver's license email Ariadne and Beth about days & times to 
    pick up manure this week(you will be driving Ariadne in Beth's truck).
-Farm Handbook/signage project, please speak with Nina to get involved!
-Are you interested in writing a love letter/poem to the farm?  If so, email Lily
   @ lilystar@u.washington.edu and let her know
-Research microgreens/aquaponics operation(Ross has been doing some of this,
   maybe speak with him!)
-Speak with Pete about putting chamomile in beds near Burke (Is it ok to interplant  with garlic/romanescu

Ongoing Action Items:
-Pick up coffee grounds (do NOT go get coffee grounds from H bar until after 3 pm.  If it is busy, go back later)
-Get wood for cob oven(any wood will work!)
-Look at farm calendar for green team schedule and planting schedule for starts
-Take seed garlic from near farm sign and plant it at your house
-Interested in fungi?  (Speak with Nico) 

Trouble viewing this newsletter? View it in a web browser here.

UW Farm Updates

Need Volunteers for the Honors Spring Break at the UW Farm Event!

Based on our conversation, here is the plan for Monday, 3/21:

8:00 am - Meet on campus, mingle, snacks
8:30-9:30am - Beth gives a talk framing the larger food systems issues
9:30-11:30am - Stations (soil, compost, planting, etc) and work around Farm
11:30am-12:30pm - guided walk from UW Farm site to CUH Farm site, focusing on edible plant foraging
12:30-1:30 pm - Lunch and conversation with UWSFC
1:30-5:00pm(?) - Work at CUH Farm site
5:00-5:30pm - Walk back to UW Farm/pizza oven
5:30pm- on - Pizza back with UW Farm/UWSFC community

If you're going to be around during spring break and would like to help out, email Beth at Wheat@uwfarm.org.

What's in a Name? Help us name our new farm space!

As of now, our new partnership farm has been labeled something along the lines of the UW-Farm-Seattle-Youth-Garden-Works-Farm. Doesn't really roll off the tongue, does it? We're looking to find a name that encompasses the identity of the partnership, and want to hear ideas from the general public.

So, have any ideas? An interesting word, a meaningful phrase, a favorite food? If you'd like to suggest a name for our new farm, reply in the comments of our blog post here. We'll be looking at suggestions in the coming month or so, and will announce our new name when we make a decision!

End of Quarter Pizza Bake!

Come to the last pizza bake of the quarter! All are welcome! Come meet all the lovely members of our urban farm community and check out what's a-growin'! Delicious pizza to eat and live music to groove to.

$5.00 Suggested donation. You can view details here.

UW Farmer Blog: Blog Posts this Week

Be sure to take a look at our farmer blog! Here is an overview of new stuff this week:

While you're at it, become a fan of our Facebook Fan Page, and follow us on Twitter!

New Fungi Committee, Get Involved Now!

Interested in what is beneath the soil? What about edible and medicinal mushrooms? How about being involved in projects revolving around soil ecology? If these things interest you, then you might be interested in being part of the UW Farm Fungi Committee!

Want to get more involved?

Check out our updated calendar page for work parties, pizza bakes, and committee meetings!

Off Farm Stuff

Short Course in Biodynamic Husbandry

This Short Course of four full days will introduce participants to proven biodynamic approaches to soil, crop, and animal husbandry through lectures, experiential exercises, hands-on learning, and on-farm activities. You will learn of scientific research, some of it conducted in our own region, validating the unique biodynamic field spray and compost practices. You will also be introduced to the complementary Goethean way of science, the primary background for the biodynamic approach to ecological farming. You will witness the inherent economic and ecological sustainability of biodynamic food and fiber production.

When: Fridays March 11th, 18th, and 25th AND Saturday April 9th

Where: WSU Puyallup Research & Extension Center, Puyallup, WA (Friday classes) 
and S&S Homestead Farm, Lopez Island (Saturday farm tour)

For further description, curriculum outline, and registration form, please visit this site.

For more information, please contact:
Barry Lia at barrylia@comcast.net
Pre-registration required. Limited to 25 participants.
Supported by WSU Pierce County Extension, Zestful Gardens CSA, Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, and S&S Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

Support Kids Garden Education Program in Rainier Beach
The Rainier Learning Garden teaches 500 children to grow fresh food in a fun, hands-on program. Kids participate in all of the activities required to tend the garden, learning about plants, soil and critters. This beautiful garden was built in 2009 and sits behind South Shore School and Rainier Beach Community Center, in one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in Seattle.

Get Involved – Volunteer at the Rainier Beach Learning Garden! 
Practice your gardening and teaching skills in a fun, supportive environment by volunteering in the garden. Find out more about volunteer and internship opportunities at an upcoming Volunteer Orientation:
- Monday, Feb. 28, 6-7 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 23, 6-7 p.m.

Meet in the main lobby at South Shore School, 4800 S. Henderson, Seattle, WA 98118. 
Get directions. If you know you're interested in volunteering, please fill out a volunteer application.

Find out more about:
Rainier Beach Learning Garden opportunities, Garden Steward and Teaching Internships, and Volunteer Orientations.

Northwest Film Forum Presents Queen of the Sun: A film about bees

March 4-10 at 7:15 and 9:15pm daily

(Taggart Siegel, USA, 2010, 82 min)
Seattle Theatrical Premiere!
Sponsored by KBCS 91.3FM 

When documentary filmmaker Taggart Siegel released his debut feature The Real Dirt on Farmer John, he knew he was onto something special. A new wave of local environmental concern since that film's release has become nearly commonplace in Seattle. Queen Of the Sun, like Farmer John, provides a profound, alternative examination of the tragic global bee crisis, known as Colony Collapse Disorder. Featuring Michael Pollan, Gunther Hauk, and Vandana Shiva, Queen of the Sun reveals both the problems and the solutions in reforming a culture to be in balance with nature.

More information & tickets here

Conservation NW Gala: Support this Local Nonprofit

Hello UW Farm and Friends! I am reaching out to this wonderful community on behalf of Conservation Northwest, a non-profit based here in Washington that works to protect and connect wildlife and wild lands from the Washington Coast to the British Columbia Rockies. Some of our ongoing projects are the Columbia Highlands Initiative, connecting wildlife passageway through I-90, as well as trail work parties in local communities. 

Every year, a significant portion of funding for our conservation work comes from the annual Hope for a Wild Future auction and gala fundraising event held in the summer. This year, at the eighth annual auction, we're hoping to combine the forces for nature and recreate a great success and fun experience for everyone. If you own a farm and can offer a tour with some hands-on activities, or own a vineyard and would like to share with the wider Washington audience your tasty wines, here is an invitation to you. We're looking for anything fun and/or could contribute to more appreciation for nature. Gift certificates, cabin stays in WA or beyond, apple trees... you name it!

For more information on the organization and the work we do, visit our website at http://www.conservationnw.org/, or find us on facebook or twitter. To donate or for more specific questions, please contact Tiffany at auction@conservationnw.org.

-Tiffany Chao, UW '12

Wasting Food: Why so much food ends up in the trash and what we can do about it.

Did you know that America wastes enough food each day to fill the Rose Bowl? Food waste occurs at every point from field to fork, with steep environmental, economic and social costs. Please join the UW Evans School Graduate Environmental Policy Forum and the UW Program on the Environment for a panel discussion about the sources of and solutions to the problem food waste in Seattle and across the country.

Tuesday March 8, 2011
7pm to 9pm
William H. Gate Hall (UW Law School)
Room 133 

Panelists
Jonathan Bloom, author of American Wasteland
Carl Woestwin, Program Manager, Seattle Public Utilities
Laura Johnson, Grocery Rescue Program Manager, Food Lifeline
Micheal Meyering, Project Manager, UW Housing & Food Services

Moderator
Ashley Zanolli, West Coast Climate and Materials Management Forum Coordinator, U.S. EPA Region 10

Let others know you're attending on Facebook. For more information contact morrigan@uw.edu.

Volunteer Opportunities with the Community Alliance for Global Justice

There's lots of activity going  on at the Community Alliance for Global Justice and its Food Justice Project. We need you to take part!  If you aren't able to come to meetings but still want to be involved, here are some immediate needs. You can email Chris at 84chris.w@gmail.com if you are interested in anything beyond the SLEE dinner.

SLEE volunteers: We need lots of help at our Strengthening Local Economies Everywhere Dinner and Fair, coordinating certain pieces to make this event a success!  Roles include a Table Captain Coordinator, Food & Drink Procurement, Outreach to Event Sponsors & Cosponsors, Co-Coordinate Silent Auction, Co-coordinate Dessert Auction, and Food Service.  Contact Heather at hred2011@gmail.com if you can take on any of these roles.

Community Education/Presentation Development: As you can see below, we are forging ahead on the initial pieces of our Community Education program, with the initial focus being putting together a solid series of modules and activities for presentations and workshops.  Help go over our current materials and developing new ones, or be a part of giving these presentations at various venues.

Trivia Night Team: Join the team helping to put together CAGJ's first ever trivia night!  This event will help educate the community on issues and have some fun at the same time.  Help determine the program, logistics, outreach, etc.

Know Your Foodshed: outreach, project development
Our Food Our Right: editing pieces, layout, distribution
Teach-Outs: help coordinate by contacting sites, publicizing and doing outreach - making flyers, finding places to post them, etc.
All these ongoing projects can always use more support!  See more about them in the notes or on the FJP webpage.

Outreach: Help keep CAGJ's calendar updated, and organize the FJP section of CAGJ's webpage, maintain blog and social media presence, and more.

See the Movie FRESH on March 30, Support the Danny Woo Children's Garden

Come learn about the changes you can make in the local food movement while supporting Seattle's own Danny Woo Children's Garden! The evening features an exclusive screening of FRESH, a film focused on celebrating the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Join us for a prescreening reception in the lobby where you can meet our resident chickens, learn about worm bin maintenance and enter in to win raffle and silent auction items from local Seattle businesses like Poppy, Theo Chocolate, Chaco Canyon and more! Doors open at 6PM, screening begins at 7PM with a short discussion to follow.

Visit www.dannywookids.blogspot.com for more information
www.brownpapertickets.com/event/158448

All proceeds benefit the youth education program of the Danny Woo Children's Garden. See you there!

UW Student Farm | uwfarm@uw.edu
University of Washington Campus

 


No comments:

Post a Comment