Community CROPS December 2008 Newsletter

CROPS Updates

You might think that we have nothing to do here at Community CROPS during the winter months, but in reality there's always plenty to do. Here are some of the things we have done in the last week: took care of chickens, watered plants in the hoophouse, developed farmer training for 2009, posted dozens of recruitment flyers for the farm program, wrote and submitted two grants, finalized the CROPS calendar for printing, planned advertising for the CROPS market for 2009, finished up record keeping for this year, provided information on the project to a number of people, met with new volunteers, cleaned up at the gardens and farm and much more.

Read on to find out about everything we've been up to!

Community CROPS Gift Ideas

CROPS Calendars are here!

Community CROPS has just created our first ever wall calendar, just in time for the holidays. This 2009 calendar features beautiful community garden photos on each page, tips for gardening, big spaces to record reminders, and more. They're available for just $15 each (including sales tax) for a limited time, so order yours now! Check out the calendar order page for ordering details. You can also get a free calendars are with a $100 donation.

More CROPS gift ideas

Need a way to introduce someone to local food? Want a fun gift you know they don't have? How about a Community CROPS Gift Certificate? Available in any denomination you choose, the gift certificates can be used at any of our market stands, or towards a CSA subscription. Gift certificates come with an attractive brochure explaining CROPS and how they can spend it. Visit the order page

CROPS also has a limited number of cloth bags, pints of honey and Asparagus to Zucchini Cookbooks remaining. Order here.

You can also make a donation in someone's name and we'll send you a card you can present to them.

New Farmer Recruiting

New farmers are welcome to apply to Community CROPS to be part of the 2009 training class. This year, we will have a comprehensive training program from February to April, and then families will be eligible to start farming at our incubator site. We'll assist them with the planting, marketing and other aspects of starting their business. Refugee, immigrant and low-income families are welcome. Deadline to apply is December 31st. See the farming page for informational flyers in multiple languages and applications.

Upcoming Community CROPS Workshops

We are planning workshops for the winter to help you get started on a great garden for the spring. Below are the classes we have scheduled already. All classes will be at the F Street Rec Center.

Saturday, January 31, 10:00am, Bread Baking

Tuesday, February 10, 6:30pm, Garden Prep: Indoor Seed Starting

Tuesday, February 24, 6:30pm, Beginner's Guide to Selling at Farmers' Markets

We will send out more details as the classes get closer. We are also opening up the farm training classes to anyone wanting to start their own farm business. Classes will be Saturday afternoons beginning about February 21st, and we'll charge a modest fee. Let us know if you are interested and we'll send you the full schedule.

Community CROPS Garden Map

Thanks to Erin Frank, the CROPS Intern this year, we now have a map of the community gardens on Google! It's a great way to see where all the gardens are in Lincoln, see photos of them and read descriptions. Link to the awesome Community Garden Map

CROPS Director wins award

Ingrid Kirst, Director of Community CROPS was one of five Americans recognized nationally as a “Crusader for Feeding the Hungry.” This prestigious honor, initiated in 1991 by Gardener’s Supply, honors those who improve the world through gardening.

From the nomination:

Ingrid, a lifelong gardener, Master Gardener from 2004, and Executive Director of Community CROPS from 2005, dedicates herself to increasing food security for refugee, immigrant, and lower-income residents in Nebraska.

Ingrid’s easygoing personality and cultural sensitivity are key in developing the project to reach those who need it most. Through sustainable gardening, participants reconnect with family, raise culturally familiar foods, improve nutrition, and contribute to household income.

Interesting Article on how Small Farms are More Productive

Have you heard that large farms are more efficient than small and mid-sized farms? While large farms do indeed have higher labor productivity due to mechanization, small and mid-sized farms make more efficient use of land. The most widely accepted definition of efficiency among economists is “total factor productivity,” which averages the efficiency of the numerous factors that go into production (i.e.; land, labor, inputs, capital, etc.). Across the globe, it has been shown that small farms have higher total factor productivity than large farms and are, in fact, more efficient than industrial farms. In the U.S., according to Peter Rosset, peak efficiency is “likely achieved on mid-sized farms that have one or two hired laborers.” Source: Peter Rosset, The Multiple Functions and Benefits of Small Farm Agriculture, Food First (www.foodfirst.org)