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Save The Date -- January 10, 2012 !

Friends, Supporters, Stakeholders,

The Jefferson Farmers Market in Charles Town will be holding a brainstorming session on Tuesday January 10th at 7 PM, in the large meeting room at the office of the Jefferson County Development Authority, 1948 Wiltshire Blvd in Bardane.

All are welcome! Please come help us develop a strategic plan for the growth of the market in 2012 and beyond!

 As plans for further development of the downtown of Charles Town / Ranson proceed, we want to make sure the Farmers Market grows and develops along with it. To best facilitate this process, we thought it wise to assemble as many of the stakeholders in the market as possible and come up with as many new ideas as possible to enliven the market, broaden its vendor base and increase its outreach to the public.

Customers:  tell us what you want to see at the market! 
Vendors:  tell us what you need to make the market your best of the week!
Council Members, Commissioners, Board Members: Come tell us what you would like to see the market doing! Listen to what your consituents have to say.

For more information, visit our Facebook page, call the JCDA office at 304-728-3255, or email Shepherd Ogden at  agdev(at)jcda.net .

Jefferson Farmers Market at Charles Town Heritage Festival

Heads up!  Its going to be a great day this Saturday, both weatherwise – sunny and cool – and in terms of activities. Saturday is the second day of the three day Charles Town Heritage Festival, and there will a super selection of events and activities for the whole family. We’ll be setting up on the north side of the 100 block of E Washington Street (just around the corner from our usual spot. Come visit us, and take home some of the best of the season’s pickin’s.

Same time:  9 AM to 12 Noon…just right around the corner from the usual spot. We’ll see you there!

 PS:  if you want to check out the full list of events and activities at the Festival, visit their web page, or their Facebook page.

Free Farm Forestry Meeting Oct 17th

Come out for an evening with your local forester!            

Listen to, meet, and talk with state and consulting foresters about the services they provide to private woodland owners.  Learn ways to make your woodland more productive, beginning with forest stewardship plans, cost share opportunities and more!

Featured speakers will be Ben Kunze, WV Landowner Assistance Forester, Dave Warner, private consulting forester, and Dr. Dave McGill, WVU Extension Forester.

This workshop will be held at the WVU Jefferson County Extension Office on October 17^th.  Registration will start at 6:00p.m. and the program will begin at 6:30p.m.

To RSVP and for directions, call Meg McCuen at (304) 293-5741

Download Meet Your Forester _flyer

FB / CC Annual Picnic -- RSVP by August 2nd

Mark Your Calendar and Sign Up Soon! The Jefferson County Farm Bureau and Chamber of Commerce are holding their annual summer picnic Tuesday August 9th from 6 PM on at Never Say Never Racing Stables in Shenandoah Junction. There will be fun and food: Catering will be by Paul's of Oakland, and there will be an introduction of a new breed of horse in America, the Gypsy Vanner.

This breed is usually of pinto coloring and has many draft horse breed characteristics such as a broad build, endurance and abundant feathering on the lower legs.  These horses were bred to be a wagon horse.  A demonstration with these horses will be given during the tour.

 

Tickets are $16 for Adults and $7 for children.
Download 2011 Farm Bureau-Chamber Brochure

Make Reservations by calling the
Jefferson County Extension Office:

304-728-7413 Ext. 0

or Chamber of Commerce: 304-725-2055

Reservations will be taken until Monday, August 2, 2011

 

Understanding The New Federal Food Safety Act

Heard about the Food Safety Act? Wonder how it might impact you?  The Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), also known as the Food Safety Act or S. 510, was signed into law on January 4, 2011.  The Act amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to safety of the food supply.  The Act is aimed at helping the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prevent food safety problems, and it gives FDA new enforcement authorities and new tools for managing imported foods. 

For a very informative FAQ about the act, check out this web page.

Bakerton Farmers Market Opens

Bakerton, WV is unique. It is one of the few small villages in the county that has the big three: a post office, a market and a church...and starting Friday July 8th, it will have a weekly Friday farmers market from 4-7 pm, hosted by Stony Ridge Farm in the parking lot next to the market.

Come on down, buy some fresh local veggies, and stop into the market for cold drinks, hand made sandwiches and a wide range of gift items. And tell Wanda and Jerry I said "HI"... 

The Grand Opening celebration will be Friday, July 15th at 4 PM...

USDA Offers Value Added Grants

Deadline for applications:  August 29th.  The USDA announced recently that up to $37 million will be made available to assist independent producers and cooperatives to study, plan and launch operations to increase the value of agricultural products through processing and packaging. Typically this would be include canning, freezing, pureeing, or otherwise packaging goods to increase profits or lengthen the season over which they are available.

If you are a producer interested in this, or know somebody who is, please tell them to get in touch with the Jefferson County Agricultural Development Office for more information and assistance. They can be reached at 304-728-3255 or by email at agdev@jcda.net . To see if you are elgible, and have an appropriate project for funding, read the USDA announcement.

What Do We Mean By Local Food?

An interesting study published recently by a group from the University of California shows just how complex unraveling both the meaning and the logistics of local can be. We are blessed with a good growing climate here in Jefferson County, but not as much as Santa Barbara County in California.

Santa Barbara County ranks in the top 1% nationwide for production of fruits and vegetables, so one might think it would make a good case study of how localizing food production and consumption would reduce "food-miles" and thus both save energy and reduce greenhouse emissions. Unfortunately that is not what they found out. Instead the researchers discovered that more than 99% of the produce grown in the county was exported and more than 95% of the food consumed there was imported -- sometimes locally produced food was consumed locally, but only after being shipped out to a central warehouse in the Bar Area, and then shipped back in.

Clearly, there are structural issues at work here, and they will need to be resolved if we are to maximize the balance of food production and consumption on a local or regional basis. The question is where we can restructure the food system consciously, or have it done "to" us by rising energy costs.

To read the complete article click here.

Disease Resistant Blueberries

Research results just released by USDA-ARS point out that there is a range of resistance to the fungal disease mummy berry among different blueberry cultivars.

The fungus wages its attack in two stages. During the first stage, small, cup-shaped structures bearing the fungus' spores sprout from berries concealed among leaf litter in the ground. Wind spreads the spores to nearby plants, infecting newly emerging shoots and leaves. During the second phase, the fungus penetrates the berry, causing it to shrink, shrivel and turn whitish. Eventually, the "mummified" fruit drops to the ground and overwinters, setting the stage for a new cycle the following spring.

The researchers analyzed blighting-resistance data collected from 125 cultivars over two to six years, and fruit-infection-resistance data from 110 cultivars over two to five years. Among a small group of cultivars found to be resistant to both stages were "Brunswick" and "Bluejay."

To see the full ARS article, with quite a lot more on blueberries, click here.

Jefferson County Farm Day 2011 - June 18th

 

Enjoy a free self guided tour of local, active farms...it's Jefferson County Farm Day 2011. On Saturday June 18th (10 am to 5 pm) show your self around a few of our showcase farms (and markets) to learn where local food is coming from and where it's going. Roxley Farms, Taylor Mountain Farm, White Rock Farm and the new Morgan's Grove Market are on the schedule. Visit them all to enjoy a lively and lovely day in the country.

For more information, contact Jane Tabb at 304-728-7413 Ext 7 or email Jane.Tabb(at)mail.wvu.edu

Download FarmDay2011_Brochure