This Week’s Harvest
- Potatoes
- Beets
- Salad Mix
- Basil
- Dill
- Tomatoes
- Sweet Peppers (Red Bells and orange Italian)
- Shishito Peppers
- Yellow Watermelon or Cantaloupe
- Garlic
- Zucchini
- Jalapeño Peppers
Farm News
As I mentioned last week, this week’s blog wraps up my summary of the Rally for Resilience. While speeches were inspirational and marching was invigorating, we also had work to do while in DC. The goal was to have as many meetings with members of Congress as possible and with over 40 states represented at the rally, a full day of lobbying was realized with over 100 meetings scheduled on the Hill. The Ohio delegation alone meet with 7 representatives and both Congressman Vance and Brown (well mostly legislative aides but still…)
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) came up with a 2 pager of bullet point asks for participants to bring and leave with their members of Congress. Specifically what we think the Farm Bill priorities should be in areas of research, commodities and crop insurance, nutrition, conservation to name a few. We had a lobby training session so we didn’t go into the meetings blind (although I did forget my business cards which we had been told to bring several times)
We found that most offices had us meet with aides that focused on agriculture. For Senator Vance’s office visit the whole Ohio delegation came and we meet with an agriculture aid as well as one that focuses on science and technology. They were not only very nice but seemed quite receptive to our criticisms of farm consolidation and subsidies, and the barriers young farmers face, handcuffing them from success. Subsidies could be tied to implementing conservation practices but they aren’t and so encourage farmers to adopt risky production methods that are harmful to the environment. Farm subsidies could also be capped, affecting only 1% of recipients while saving millions- which could then be allocated elsewhere within the Farm Bill.
I also meet with Representative Turner’s aide. I talked about how Mile Creek feeds over 300 households, shared pictures of our cover crop fields, discussed organic farming methods, and highlighted how the farm bill has supported regional food systems in the past. Recently, we’ve been in touch with OEFFA policy staff about having Rep Turner out to the farm for a visit! I’ll let you know if that comes to fruition.
(As a side note I got to also visit my Aunt while in DC which was great fun and certainly a bonus to the trip! We did a lot of walking together to and from the metro station before my various events. 2 other Ohio delegates also visited their aunts while in DC! )
RECIPES
Polish Beet and Horseradish Relish (we like to serve this with mashed potatoes)
Zucchini Noodle Spaghetti with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Roasted Beet Soup topped with Potato Dill Salad
Coming up Next Week (our best guess…) Sweet Corn, Cantaloupe, Sweet onions, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Basil, Shishito Peppers, Spaghetti Squash, Garlic, Carrots, Salad Mix