Guidestone to Host Senator Schwartz for Roundtable Discussion

Guidestone has invited Senator Gail Schwartz to participate in a roundtable discussion on May 27th. Check out The Mountain Mail article below that gives all the details.

Schwartz solicits farmland feedback

By Arlene Shovald Special to The Mail
5/3/2010

Sen. Gail Schwartz will be in the Salida SteamPlant Annex from 1:30-4:30 p.m. May 27 for a public dialogue regarding farmland preservation, the Guidestone Land-Link Initiative and the local food economy.

Local organizations and businesses are invited to participate in a panel discussion outlining initiatives underway, barriers faced and solutions they envision toward fulfilling their ideas of a local food economy.

Planners said it is intended as a dynamic dialogue to inform state representatives and solicit their active support.

The meeting will be hosted by the Guidestone board. The organization is dedicated to preserving integrity of agricultural resources of the Upper Arkansas River region.

Intent is to foster a local food economy, stewardship of agricultural land in production, educating toward ecological literacy and supporting maintainable development.

The Guidestone Land Link Initiative partners farmers in need of space to grow food with land owners willing to lease or sell land for that purpose.

Schwartz is interested in advancing conservation efforts in central Colorado and developing land use policies contributing to maintaining rural communities.

She wants feedback about ways the Colorado Legislature can support goals of various organizations working toward those objectives. She said she plans to include Colorado Agriculture Commissioner John Stulp in discussions.

To prepare, the Guidestone board developed a survey to guide the program and provide Schwartz with an understanding of challenges in the Upper Arkansas River Valley.

The survey requests a description of food production such as dairying or farming done by the organization, how a group contributes to the local food economy, conservation efforts, barriers encountered and policy changes or financial strategies government might enact or support to help alleviate barriers.

Those interested in participating may get a copy of the survey at Natural Habitats, 202 N. F St., Unit B in The Palace Hotel or at www.guidstonecolorado.org and click on the "survey" icon.

Cottonwood Meadows Cleanup Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who came out to Cottonwood Meadows last Saturday to help with the cleanup! We had a great showing and the cleanup was a smashing success. Check out the photos below.

Earth Day Celebration in Salida - April 22

The Central Colorado Foodshed Alliance (CCFA), and the Greater Arkansas River Nature Association (GARNA), are partnering to host an Earth Day Celebration in Salida.

A short film, sponsored by the CCFA, Coming Home, by the EF Schumacher Foundation, will be shown at 7:30 PM.

Local projects, ideas and businesses, will be featured at the celebration. Local energy projects, alternative currency, local farms, CSAs, farmer's markets, farm education projects, land trusts, a nature association, a foodshed alliance, greenhouses, a bioregional magazine and Transition Town will be some of the featured projects.

It will be held at the Community Center, April 22, 6:30 PM - 9 PM. The cost is free, however, a donation will be appreciated.

Please attend and celebrate our locavore living on Earth Day, 2010.

Guidestone Fundraiser Set for April 11 at the Boathouse Cantina in Salida

Spring is coming out and so is Guidestone! Come learn who Guidestone is and what we are doing to ensure the future of agriculture in this valley. You can help us continue this vital work!!

Join us for a celebration and fundraiser on Sunday, April 11, from 5 till 8 pm at the Boathouse Cantina in Salida next to the F Street Bridge. A 5 dollar bill will get you in and buy you a chance at some tempting raffle prizes and to hear some foot stompin’ music by “Local Honey”. Tickets available at the door.

Special guests will include Commissioner Frank Holman, who is participating in a new Guidestone initiative called Land-Link, a unique partnership between landowners and new farmers.

Guidestone will also roll out its plans for this year’s Farmhands education program, a popular hands-on interactive program to introduce children and their families to the total farm experience. An additional Farmhands teaching location will be announced at this event!!

A healthy local food economy equals healthy, happy people….be a part of Guidestone’s efforts to promote and support a sustainable future for the Upper Arkansas River Valley.

Guidestone would like to thank the following businesses for their support in making this event possible. Our sponsors include, Alternative Choices, Antero Hot Springs, Colorado Grown, Colorado Local Market, Natural Habitats, Ploughboy, South Main, Foresight Multimedia and more. Raffle items are being donated by massage therapist Denise Ackert, Eddyline Restaurant and Brewery, Eliza’s Bed, artist Jimmy “Rocketman” Descant, Mount Princeton Hot Springs, Free the Monkey Consignment, and more.

Hope to see you there!

Weathervane Farm Garden and Fruit CSA Shares Available

By Caitlin Roberts

The CSA model of food production creates honest connections between the producer, the consumer, and the land. In joining the Weathervane Farm CSA share you will be an integral part of the effort to produce quality food for our community, while sustaining the health of our local farmland and our local economy. Weathervane Farm provides a weekly share of the harvest, including a newsletter to connect with the farm, and recipes to aid in the use of all the delicious farm produce.

Weathervane Farm will once again offer garden and fruit shares this season. The share season runs 16 weeks from June 19^th to October 9^th. The garden share will include a bounty and diversity of vegetables harvested in season, washed, boxed, cooled and ready to enjoy. Though the bulk of the produce in the garden share is grown on site, we also work with other organic and no-spray growers to provide hot weather crops difficult to grow outdoors at 8000ft. We work with Austin Family Farms of Paonia, CO to provide the fruit for the fruit share. Designed to provide you with a diversity of fruits throughout the season including cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, berries, melons, pears and apples, the fruit share is a great way to experience the bounty of Colorado’s fruit growing region. To learn more about the shares follow this link to the Weathervane Farm website. http://www.weathervanefarmbv.com/products/shares.html

Weathervane Farm also raises chickens for eggs and meat. Eggs will be available at the farmers market stand and meat will be available fresh on the day of harvest. To learn more about Weathervane poultry products and reserve fresh birds ready for your oven or freezer please follow this link to the Weathervane Farm website. http://www.weathervanefarmbv.com/products/poultry.html

New Milk Shares Avilable at Cottonwood Creek Dairy

Cottonwood Creek Dairy welcomes the newest (and cutest) member of the herd! Dot was born on a chilly, snowy morning last week, but she was quickly up and nursing on mom, Angie. Luckily, the three older calves (Chloe, Clara Belle, and Charlie) had just freed up the calf pen and moved into their new home where they have a new shelter and plenty of room to run. So now Dot has the cozy corner pen of the barn to stay warm and be near mom for her twice a day nursings. Please stop in and check out the new calf palace and say hi to Dot when you come to get your milk in the coming weeks.

All this excitement on the Dairy means that we now have an abundance of raw milk shares available for new members. We are also able to offer more extras to our members in the form of yogurt, cottage cheese, fresh mozzarella, and cream. We also have our own delicious milk-fed pork available by the piece. You can try our bacon, sausage, pork chops with out having to buy an entire share of pork this time! Please contact Amy at amyemcmillin[at]gmail[dot]com or call 719-221-9630 about signing up for milk shares or buying pork.

Colorado an "Island of Tranquility" in the Realm of Raw Milk

Many of you likely know David Lynch of Cottonwood Creek Dairy, Colorado Grown, and Guidestone fame. But you may not be aware that David is also the President of the Raw Milk Association of Colorado. This organization advocates for the availability of traditional raw milk products and for a high standard of safety in the supply. Last weekend, the organization held its annual gathering. Blogger David Gumpert of The Complete Patient attended the meeting and wrote about it at this link.

From As Controversy Over Raw Milk Swirls About, Colorado Is an Island of Tranquility:

"I attended the annual meeting Saturday of the Raw Milk Association of Colorado, and also gave a talk that traced the state and federal crackdown on raw milk over the last four years across the U.S., and how it relates to proposed federal food safety legislation. Afterwards, a number of Colorado farmers and consumers came up to me and said they never realized the extent of government harassment that’s been going on around the country. “It’s a scary situation,” one attendee told me.

But in Colorado, legislation enacted four years ago that allows distribution of raw milk via herdshare arrangements seems to be working well."