Women in Agriculture (WAgN)

This year we have had a seemingly endless string of cloudy, rainy, cool days. In my gardens this translates into slugs (lots and lots of 'em), weeds, Japanese beetles, and cucumber beetles. So far we have avoided the dreaded late blight which was apparently shipped into the northeast on some tomato plants. Even though I started my plants from seeds I'm keeping a close eye on them because there are a lot of gardens in my area and the spores travel through the air. If this fungus is allowed to spread it could result in significant loss of tomato and potato crops for the season. Of course the cool weather means an abundance of leafy greens but it has left my warm weather loving veggies looking sad and lethargic. The flowers seem to be loving the frequent shots of water though and as long as I can keep the beetles from devouring them the colors, varieties and height is remarkable.

On another note entirely...If you are a farmer in Vermont that also has an artistic calling you might be interested in the following:

Are you a farmer? Are you an artist? Are you a farming artist? If you answered YES to these questions, the Center for Sustainable Agriculture would like to invite you to show your work in Bounty: a Celebration of Vermont’s Farming Artists.

This project is still in the planning stages, but there is a possibility that it will run for up to 12 months and travel around the state. The subject of the work is not limited to farming or food! Work can be 2-D or 3-D. In addition, there will be opportunities for short readings and music at the opening and closing of the show. Finished, framed work is preferred when appropriate to the medium.

If you, or a farmer you know are interested in being a part of this celebration, please contact Rachel Schattman at the Center for Sustainable Agriculture, UVM Extension (rschattm@uvm.edu, 802-656-9140).

Finally, if you live in the northeast and you are planning to apply for a SARE Farmer grant now is the time to get started. I know it seems like a really long way to the December deadline but competitive grant proposals take some planning and thought to develop. You might start now by making some notes about potential project ideas as they come to you. Then this fall you can flesh out the idea and begin to recruit technical advisors. By the deadline you'll have a really competitive proposal.

Changes in the legislation surrounding sales of raw milk have many farmers wondering if this could be a viable income stream. Before you make any decisions it is wise to conduct some research. Fortunately there are some great resources available to help you do exactly that. A great place to begin your research is at http://www.uvm.edu/~pasture/?Page=rawmilk.html where you'll find resources shared at a series of workshops held recently.

Consumer education is an important part of this legislation and farmers considering selling raw milk should be prepared to help consumers understand both the risks and benefits of consuming raw milk. For more information on the legislation and to see more information check out http://www.ruralvermont.org/food.html.

Well let me say right off that I don't know the answer to this question. From a marketing perspective trends are far better investments for the small business owner so of course I would love to be able to say that consumers are trending toward local purchasing. Trends are deep (they generally effect many people), wide (they tend to remain true across geographic regions), have staying power (usually last a long time) and best of all, you can see them coming from a distance so you have time to prepare your strategy. Trends that most of us are aware of include: our graying society, women in the workforce, less time spent on food preparation, and growing demand for organic and/or healthy choices in foods.

Fads come into being quickly, garner a lot of media attention, and then fade away just as quickly. Although "quick" is a relative term and could easily mean months and years rather than days and weeks. Surely everyone can identify at least a couple fads. Strangely many of the ones that stick in my mind are diet-related. Think Low-Carb, Low-Protein, Fat-free, Sugar-free, etc.

So, where does the "buy local" movement belong? I certainly would like to see it as a trend. One that will endure for a long time with prosperous outcomes for our rural communities.

Before "buy local" can be categorically determined to be a trend rather than a fad it seems that we need to know more about the drivers behind the movement. How related is the economic recession to people's desire to buy locally? Do consumers view local as synonymous with safer or more secure? In other words are people choosing locally produced goods and services out of fear of the alternative? If so, this would seem more fad-like. When things turn around will consumers return to their old purchasing habits?

It would also be useful to know who the 'buy local' consumer is? Is it people with discretionary income? Those on fixed incomes? Families? Seniors? Or younger consumers who can be counted on to relocate several times in the next 10-15 years? All of these variables will help to frame the "buy local" movement as either an enduring trend or a fad that will soon give way to the next compelling thing.