News from the Food System Collaborative

Good Food News

The Newsletter of the Sacramento Region Food System Collaborative

In This Issue

Agriculture & Air Quality: An Incentive Program

Food Literacy Month Celebration

Fresh Food Access Funding Opportunity

Upcoming Events

In Other News...

New frontier for entrepreneurs: farming

Loss of Campbell's cannery caps long decline of Sacramento-area food processing

News from up the creek: the shrink

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Issue #18

September 2012

Dear ,

This harvest season is being celebrated with plenty of fall events in September and October -- not to mention our farmers and farmworkers doing the harvesting! Check out the events section below as well as two articles on recent events. tomatoes

At the FSC fall convening this week panelists Margie Erwin of CARES, Asael Sala of Pesticide Watch, and Chris Aguirre of Valley Vision addressed healthcare issues across the region in relation to the food system. Click on their names to link to their presentations. We also reviewed results of the FSC participant survey and talked about goals for the coming year based on survey results. To learn more about the goals and engage with the subcommittees that will address them -- Policy, Development, Outreach, and Visioning -- please contact Robyn Krock, and I will connect you with the subcommittee chair.

In this issue we share information about an incentive program for farmers, the Agricultural Pump Electrification Program, and the merits and improvement areas of the program discussed at a recent meeting of the Cleaner Air Partnership. Following that is an article about the Food Literacy Fair held this past Saturday at the Oak Park Farmers' Market held in celebration of the first annual Food Literacy Month.

We are excited to announce that AB 2367, allowing the sale of produce from school gardens has been signed by the Governor! AB 2367 was introduced and championed by Assemblywoman Bonilla (D-11) after originating from a conversation between FSC partners at the Center for Land-Based Learning and the Office of Sacramento City Councilman Jay Schenirer. Thank you to Joe Devlin of Councilman Schenirer's office for his follow-through, updates, and support of healthy food and the FSC!

Finally, prize winners were randomly selected from everyone who responded to the survey. Prizes include tickets to Hoes Down Harvest Festival, Glide Ranch venue rental discount, and Buy Local totes and bumperstickers. Prizes are first come, first served for the prize winners:

Katie Valenzuela
Judy Robinson
Martha Escobedo
Geneve Villacres
Charity Kenyon
Marshall Graves
Jeana Hultquist
Deborah Tamanaie
Walt Scherer
Alan Lange

Please contact Robyn to claim your prize!

Cheers,

Robyn

Agriculture and Air Quality: One Incentive Program

Incentive programs have invested over $151 million in the Sacramento region to help businesses with early conversion to lower-polluting equipment. The Agricultural Pump Electrification Program, which helps farmers convert from diesel to electric water pumps, is an example of a program that not only helps with the cost of conversion but can result in immediate cost savings.

Frank Muller, an owner with Joe Muller and Sons, said they have converted more than 50 pumps to electric through this program. "It was an easy decision," Frank shared recently at a meeting of the Cleaner Air Partnership. "We preferred electric pumps and saved money immediately." Frank also shared unanticipated challenges uncovered at the end of their 10-year contract, and offered recommendations for improvement with future contracts such that participants are rewarded for implementing more efficient practices that result in reduced water and energy usage. Despite the challenges, Frank expressed the confidence his farm has in the incentive programs highlighting that they have purchased over 20 new tractors through the Carl Moyer program (an air quality standards attainment incentive program) and found that in addition to polluting less, new features such as the GPS guide system has increased their efficiency resulting in a 15-20% reduction in fuel costs.

Approximately $1.3 million is still available in this funding cycle of the Agriculture Pump Electrification Program. Applications are accepted on a first come first serve basis through December 31, 2012. Click here for more information about the program, and here for other incentive programs.

Food Literacy Month Celebrated in Sacramento

By Amber Stott

Sacramento celebrated healthy eating all month as ACR-161 passed, declaring September Food Literacy Month in California. The resolution was sponsored by California Food Literacy Center and authored by Assemblymember Roger Dickinson (D-9). The resolution aims to raise awareness, combat the 38 percent childhood obesity rate in California and promote healthy eating.

The resolution was observed at a Food Literacy Fair, hosted at the Oak Park Farmers' Market. Festivities included food demonstrations by 16-year-old chef Mark Brunkhorst of Leo A. Palmiter High School Culinary Academy and Feeding Crane Farms, a scavenger hunt, face painting, live music and more-all in an effort to inspire the community to experience California-grown fruits and vegetables.

Over 2,000 people, 19 farm stands, and 15 food-related nonprofits attended the event. To learn more about food literacy, and to find printable scavenger hunt forms that you can use, visit http://californiafoodliteracy.org/.

Assemblymember Roger Dickinson with (from left) Shannin Stein, Feeding Crane Farms; Amber K. Stott, California Food Literacy Center; Pam Canada, NeighborWorks at the Food Literacy Fair

Fresh Food Access Fund -- Deadline October 18th!

from Sacramento Region Community Foundation website

The Fresh Food Access Fund is a new donor advised fund of the Foundation. The fund's main goal is to support the growth of volunteer-led community and school based gardens. Fresh food access is a key indicator of a healthy community and living environment. Families with access to fresh fruits or vegetables from community and school gardens are able to make healthy food choices. Nurturing relationships with soil and knowledge of how food is grown helps improve individual and community health. Building community and/or school gardens is one small, but vital, step toward expanding access to good, clean, fair food.

The Fresh Food Access Fund offers small grants in the range of $500-$1,000 and will only cover the capital expenditures to create new food-producing gardens or expand or improve existing gardens. Funds cannot be spent on personnel or administrative costs.

Please visit the website to download the RFP. Deadline to receive applications is October 18, 2012 - 5:00 pm. For questions or to submit an application, contact Jeannie Howell at jeannie@sacregcf.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Fall Plant Sale!

Date & Time: September 29th, 8am-2pm

Location: Soil Born Farm, American River Ranch

Focus: Learn about fall planting and winter gardening while you stock up on plant starts from the Soil Born greenhouse!

Slow Food Sacramento's "Back to School Gardens"

Date & Time: September 30th, 11am-2pm

Location: Sacramento Waldorf School
3750 Bannister Road, Fair Oaks

Focus: An open house invitation for all young gardeners, teachers, school garden fans, advocates, and community partners! Please RSVP -- volunteers are still needed!

Hoes Down Harvest Celebration

Date & Time: October 6 & 7th

Location: Full Belly Farm, Guida, CA

Focus: 25th Annual harvest celebration supporting sustainable agriculture and rural living. Good food, music, lots of kids activities, educational workshops, farmer's market, exhibits, and FUN!

Contact: Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

CORE Convening

Date & Time: October 12th, 9am-5pm

Location: Sierra 2 Center for the Arts & Community, 2791 24th Street, Sacramento

Focus: Join advocates from across the six-county Sacramento Region for CORE's Fall Convening! Attendees will participate in guided discussion forums around key policy issues and build skills to help them in their campaigns. This is a free event and all are welcome.

Contact: Please register at

www.coalitiononregionalequity.eventbrite.com. For more information, contact Katie Valenzuela at 916-455-4900 or katie@sachousingalliance.org.

Harvest Sunset Celebration

Date & Time: October 14th, 4-8pm

Location: Feeding Crane Farms, Natomas

Focus: Visit and tour the farm in North Sacramento. Snack on appetizers made by local celebrity and up-and-coming chefs; taste local beer, wines and non-alcohol beverages. Enjoy live music & lively conversation. Play garden games that are fun for all ages!
Contact: Purchase tickets from Sacramento Natural Foods Coop.

ready, set, kids... cookoff!

Date & Time: October 21st, 2-5pm

Location: 3rd Avenue between 34th Street and Broadway (near Old Soul @ 40 Acres), Sacramento

Focus: Join local chefs Patrick Mulvaney of Mulvaney's B&L, Noah Zonca of The Kitchen, and John Bays of Red Rabbit along with youth chefs for this Fresh Food Street Fair.

Contact: For more information 916-38FRESH or info@freshproducers.org.

Want your events listed here? Email Robyn Krock and we'll add it to our calendar so FSC members know about it!

The Sacramento Region Food System Collaborative links rural and urban efforts working towards a viable and inclusive food system in the six-� county region.