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FIELD NOTES Join Rodale Institute’s researchers and staff to learn the latest results of our research projects and visit demonstration stations across our 333-acre experimental farm. Participants will have the opportunity to interact one-on-one with Rodale Institute experts and learn about a wide variety of organic research and demonstration projects. DEMONSTRATION STATIONS ANNUAL FIELD DAY JULY 15, 8:30AM–3:30PM * Farming Systems Trial (FST) and Oat Nutrition * Vegetable Systems Trial (VST) * High Tunnels and Grafted Tomatoes * Organic Vegetables Cropping * Composting * Pest Management - Bats * Soil Microbiology - Soil Pit * No-Till Management * Pastured Swine Production * Integrated Crops and Livestock Systems * Water Purification Eco-Center (WPEC) * Honey Bee Conservancy * Agriculture Supported Communities (ASC) Register online at RodaleInstitute.org. Tuition: $35/person includes lunch and handout materials. For more information, call Maria Pop at 610-683-1481 or [email protected]. PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE 611 Siegfriedale Road, Kutztown, PA 19530 PAID Kutztown, PA Permit No. 92 SPRING 2016 healthy soil, healthy food, healthy people ® from one farm TO ANOTHER Farming has a rhythm to it. A cycle of the seasons. And at Rodale Institute, our entire organization feels the tempo that accompanies nature’s changes. In the spring, we’re bustling. Seeds are germinating, greenhouses are full, we’re transplanting, livestock are breeding, and the entire farm has the great energy and renewal that spring brings. We’re working hard and investing for the bounty of harvest. Systems Trial- the produce companion to our 35-year Farming Systems Trail- comparing conventional versus organic agriculture. Our veterans training is robust- expanding with a second, flexible training option this summer. We’ve partnered with Organic Farming Research Foundation to expand our “Your 2 Cents” grantmaking program. Our research is growing and expanding- we’re currently working on 20 unique projects, including new work on bats. We’re training the next generation of organic farmers, with close to 20 interns on site this season. And, we continue to educate farmers and agricultural professionals about our mission; traveling around the world, and hosting workshops right in our own backyard, to advocate that healthy soil=healthy food=healthy people™. Organic is gaining momentum. Recently, the USDA announced a 12% increase in organic farms in the United States from 2014 to 2015. But we know we can do more. Plant a seed with us. Invest with us. Let’s look forward to the bountiful harvest we can create together. After clearing 20 inches of snow in January, we were fortunate to have an early spring. The farm is green and growing, and our programs are getting into full swing. We’ve started our new Vegetable Jeff Moyer Executive Director NEW VETERAN FARMER TRAINING PROGRAM Please join Rodale Institute for our 6th ANNUAL During this special evening we honor a scientist, farmer and business who are known pioneers in the organic food and agriculture movement. The evening kicks off with a sunset tractor ride into our fields and a champagne toast. Then we feast on an abundant, organic farm-totable dinner fresh from our fields. Organic cocktails, music, engaging speakers and awards round out the evening. All proceeds from the event support Rodale Institute’s important work in organic Saturday, SEPTEMBER 10 agriculture research, education and outreach. REGISTER TODAY! NEW for 2016 In 2013, Rodale Institute cemented our commitment to training veterans for careers in organic agriculture with the launch of our Organic Farming Training Certificate in partnership with Delaware Valley University. This certificate is a one year, 36-credit program. However, we realized we weren’t meeting the needs of veterans looking for a more flexible, short-term program. So this year, we’re proud to announce a brand new Veteran Farmer Training program, providing 2-4 month training opportunities for vets in livestock, orchard management, vegetable growing and gardening. Through both programs, we’ll have more than 16 veterans training with us this summer! Veterans (and sisters!) Jessika and Kristen Greendeer are completing their Organic Farming Certification this summer. The sisters will return to Baraboo, WI with a full knowledge of organic farming in the hopes to open their own farm and share their knowledge with the community. For those who have more time, we’re offering a full-day program, including a tour of the farm, lunch and a cooking demonstration with Maria Rodale, and a look at our cutting-edge research with our team of scientists. RODALE INSTITUTE EXPANDS “YOUR 2 CENTS” BY PARTNERING WITH OFRF Your 2 Cents goes bi-coastal! This year, Rodale Institute expanded our Your 2 Cents program by partnering with California-based Organic Farming Research Foundation. Companies commit to donating 2 cents per case good of their product or agreed upon amount, and Rodale Institute, through OFRF’s grantmaking program, helps fund farmers, ranchers, graduate students, veterans and researchers studying the most pressing challenges in organic agriculture. This year, our partnership has funded projects like soil health for water management, new organic farmers training, organic livestock production, and small grain production. Space is limited. Learn more at RodaleInstitute.org or contact Hallie Guiseppe at 610-683-1489. Inside this issue: ON THE FARM page 2 OFF THE FARM page 2 RODALE IS GETTING BATTY! page 3 ON THE FARM IN OUR RESEARCH RODALE INSTITUTE IS GETTING BATTY! Hands-on training includes seed starting, greenhouse production, transplanting, pest & weed management, soil health, large equipment, harvesting, processing, marketing, customer relations, and working with community partners. Additionally, interns work with MBA students at Lehigh University to formulate a business plan for their own future organic enterprise. Training the Next Generation of Organic Farmers Rodale Institute is committed to transitioning more farms, acres and farmers to organic. Part of that commitment includes training the next generation of organic farmers. Interns have arrived on the farm from all over the country for our renowned training programs. Pictured are four of our new interns, who will participate in an eightmonth program for our ASC (Agriculture Supported Communities) farm share. St. Luke’s Rodale Institute Organic Farm Turns 3! St. Luke’s Rodale Institute Organic Farm is in year three! This year the farm will produce more than 73,000 pounds of fresh, organic produce for the staff and patients of St. Luke’s University Health Network. Additionally, the farm is partnering with The Children’s Home of Easton, a nonprofit providing longterm care to children in need, to train teen apprentices for careers in organic agriculture and the Kellyn Foundation, to start a “Mobile Food Market,” bringing organic food to neighborhoods in need. This spring our research team began using acoustic monitoring equipment and bat boxes to assess bat populations for a better understanding of how farmers can attract the animals for pest management. Bats, whose populations are being decimated by white-nose syndrome, can provide an economic service to farmers by freeing time and money with pest management, while reducing the need for environmental pollutants and supporting ecosystems. New Visitor Center This spring Rodale Institute is proud to unveil a brand new Visitor Center to enhance education and outreach on the farm. The Visitor Center, generously constructed with funds from The Wyncote Foundation, was created by enclosing a pavilion located next to our Garden Store. The Visitor Center includes a theater screen and sound system, allowing us to showcase educational content, host films and speakers, and to engage the public with the history and mission of Rodale Institute. INSTALLING AMERICAN KESTREL NEST BOXES In partnership with Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association, we installed new American Kestrel nest boxes at the farm. In the past, our land has been successful at attracting breeding pairs of Kestrels so this year we added an additional location on the farm. The American Kestrel is our smallest falcon and utilizes farmland. This bird is in decline in the Northeast and these boxes will be monitored and as part of research on the birds. We’re happy to support farmland raptor conservation! OFF THE FARM Executive Director Jeff Moyer recently visited the White House to advocate for organic farmers. Jeff had great meetings w i t h t h e U . S . I n t e r n a t i o n a l Tr a d e Commission, a team from the White House Counsel on Environmental Quality, and with company representatives from Honest Tea, Applegate, Organic Valley, Elevation Burger a n d m o re. O u r g o a l ? To f o s t e r a n environment that supports organic farmers, companies and consumers, and encourages more farms to transition. An Organic China Spring 2016 | 2 Chief Scientist Kris Nichols has been busy getting the word out that organic farming has the power to reverse climate change through carbon sequestration. This spring Kris spoke at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. with Regeneration International and in San Francisco with the Sustainable Food Trust about how healthy soil means healthy people AND a healthy planet. FN 10 15 Jeff Moyer and our Chief Scientist Kris Nichols recently traveled to China to expand organic agriculture in the most populated country in the world. They joined 160 organic farmers, policymakers, educators, and agribusiness professionals in the opening of Organic Food and Development Certification Center Training Workshop in Haungshaun, visited a local organic rice farm, toured a 6,000 member CSA and met with staff A Message on Climate Change Maria Rodale, Co-Chairman Chairman & CEO Rodale Inc. Paul McGinley, Co-Chairman Gross McGinley Drew Becher Elizabeth Kucinich Corby Kummer Journalist The Atlantic Roberta Lang General Counsel and Global Vice President of Legal Affairs for Whole Foods Market, Inc. Grant Lundberg CEO Lundberg Family Farms Dr. Andrew Smith recently joined Rodale Institute as the Director of our new Vegetable Systems Trial (VST). Andrew has a Bachelor’s Degree in Agronomy and Crop Science from Cornell University, Master’s Degree in Entomology from the University of Maryland, and recently, a Ph.D in Molecular Ecology from Drexel University. Andrew has also studied Integrated Pest Management in Guatemala with the Peace Corps as well as managed a fruit and vegetable farm for more than nine years. from the Organic Food and Development Certification Center and Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIES). Board of Directors Kim Larson Community Advocate INTRODUCING Dr. DREW SMITH AND VST Rodale Institute Visits the White House! Our Mission Through organic leadership we improve the health and well-being of people and the planet. Rodale Institute’s new VST is a side-by-side comparison of organic and conventional vegetable production systems. As Director of VST, Andrew oversees the project, measuring soil quality, economic profit, insect damage and weed tolerance, and nutritional quality (quantity of nutrients and other components) in organic versus conventional vegetables. Vegetables to be studied include produce that are widely grown, common for pesticide use, and are of the root, leaf, and fruit families, such as potatoes, lettuce, broccoli, and squash. Spring 2016 | 3 Helen Piszek Nelson Copernicus Society of America Maya Rodale Author Jeff Moyer Executive Director Rodale Institute Louise Schorn Smith, CPA President Countryside Consulting, Inc 611 Siegfriedale Road, Kutztown, PA 19530 610-683-1400 [email protected]