I asked Anna last night at dinner what she wanted to be when she grew up.  Without a thought she said, “I want my own farm and I’m going to plant stuff”.  What a kid.  Warms the heart right up.  Of course, she also mentioned being a doctor, pet vet and a chef (so that when you eat out, Mom, you can come to my ‘resta-not’).

According to recent surveys, farmers are less than 1% of the population, but 1/3 of them are women.  Huh.  Go ladies go.

Back to the cabin fever.  Do you want some fresh veggies?  …

Read on at Ami’s Farm Blog!

On Thursday we received some mail from the University of Missouri Extension. We regularly work with Extension, attend or help out at workshops and classes, and otherwise take advantage of the help and services they provide to the local farming community.

When we opened this correspondence we were touched to learn that it was to inform us we have been selected to receive the University of Missouri Extension Leader’s Honor Roll Award. We are appreciative of this gesture of our contributions and want to thank the Clay County Extension for this honor. We look forward to accepting the award at their annual meeting on February 28th.  …

Read more at Fair Share Farm’s blog!

Well it is official, the growing season has started. Last Saturday February 4th our two new interns, Dani Hurst and Ryan Stubby, joined us for half a day to initiate the planting of over 12,000 onion seeds. We finished up the planting yesterday with Luke, and will concentrate on tending to your vegetables for the next 10 months.  . . .

Read on at Fair Share Farm’s blog!

For some reason this year the signups for the CSA have been coming in at a slower rate than other years. Perhaps for the better, this circumstance has caused us to review our “marketing” plan and spruce up our image.

So we decided that we should make a video showcasing the wonderful, fun and tasty aspects of our CSA. The first hint to go in this direction was based on comments received at our Jan 22 Core Group meeting (thanks guys).  . . .

Read on at Fair Share Farm’s blog, and see the video at their CSA listing page!

Seeds are ordered, classes have begun, and we will be in the greenhouse before we know it. All the buzz around here has me thinking that it is almost time to be in the field and at market, which reminds me that we have lots to do! There are a few things on our “to do” list that could be accomplished by a handy volunteer, as a scout project, or by a church group. If you’re interested in helping us out, send me an email at rpollock AT catholiccharitiesks DOT org ! Without further ado, here are the two projects.  . . .

Read more at New Roots’ blog!

Are you a fierce advocate of organic (or “better than organic”), pasturing, free-ranging, growing practices?

Do you educate everyone around you about the benefits of eating LOCAL and ORGANIC, and proving FAIR PAY for honest labor and its products?

Do you enjoy sharing knowledge, experiments, and the highs and lows of the Adventure of Farming?

Do you hunger to have a deeper relationship with those who enjoy the fruits of your hard labor?

Are you ready to join a community of like-minded folks who stand ready to support you in your path to food excellence?

Then membership in the Kansas City CSA Coalition might be for you! We are now accepting applications for farmer members for the 2012 season.  We have lots of great projects in the works for this year, expanding our reach to the public and helping our farmers deepen their connection with each other and the community.  If you’re interested in applying, please download the Application, fill it in, and return it to Season Burnett.  And, of course, please let Season know if you have any questions about the Application or membership in general.

We look forward to welcoming you into the KCCSAC family!

Workshops are a big part of our education program at New Roots. Throughout the winter months, we offer both farming specific English Language classes and classes focused on vegetable production and marketing. Farmers are required to attend these workshops to sign a land lease with us for space at the training farm. The workshops can get a little chaotic- yesterday’s session on planting was translated into Nepali, Karen, Burmese, Maay Maay and Kirundi. They are also really rich- yesterday we spent time talking about the ways that people plant seeds all over the world.

Read on at New Roots’ blog!

This week’s offerings include: Arugula, Broccoli, Broccoli Raab, Chinese Cabbage, Eggplant, Kale, Cut Looseleaf Lettuce Mix, Microgreens, Mizuna, Mustard Greens, small Onions, Pac Choi, Pea shoots, Sweet Pepper mix (bell, banana, etc), Bell Peppers, Hot Peppers, Potatoes, Salad Mix (lettuce and greens), Saute Mix (kale, mustard greens, arugula etc), Butternut Squash, small Spaghetti Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Tatsoi, Cherry Tomatoes, Green Tomatoes, and Ripe/Ripening Tomatoes.

Orders must be received by Wednesday evening.  To get a copy of the order form, email Ami and Jim at jaaaz@embarqmail.com.  

You can also call them: (H) 816-690-7161 | (C) 816-694-4432.

One of our new member farms is Barham Cattle Co., in Kearney, MO.  The Barhams are new members of KCCSAC this year, although their farm has been in the family for 100 years.  Besides grass-fed Angus beef, they offer pastured chicken and eggs via their partnership with Windhaven Farms — a great supplement to their shares!  Barham’s CSA distributions begin in November, so check them out and sign up for your share today!

Due to overwhelming demand, Schenker Family Farms will be continuing their CSA through the winter, as well.  They’ve got very detailed offerings –including beef, pork, and lamb — and delivery all over the metro, so check out their listing page and contact them to sign up!

Parker Farms Natural Meats‘ year-round CSA offers beef, pork, lamb, and chicken products.  The Parkers accept new members all the time, so check out their listing page for share details.  The Parkers are also taking deposit for Thanksgiving turkeys, so contact them today for a gorgeous, organically-grown bird for your table — you can also find them on Fridays at Badseed Farmers’ Market in the Crossroads, so drop by and say “hi”!