We're growing! Preparing new fields for 2013

The growing season is winding down and the Mobile Market is in the shop for repairs, so Mobile Market Director Ben has a new project: procuring leaves. LOTS and LOTS of leaves.

Why all the leaves? We're expanding Arcadia Farm! In 2010, we cultivated our first 1.5 acres. In 2013, we're hoping to put about two more acres under cultivation to grow more healthy local food for the community. We're using the leaves as a mulch, which will decompose over the winter and improve the health of our soil. We're also adding horse manure from a local stable as an organic fertilizer.

Those two acres (also known as the lower field) are visible as you drive south on Route 1 from Alexandria. With help from our friends at Mt. Vernon, we tilled the land for the first time in the spring of this year. Then, we planted oats as a cover crop to suppress weeds and we grew a few vegetable crops, including potatoes, kale and radishes.

We're also winterizing our original 1.5 acres using cover crops like winter wheat and red clover, and lots of leaf mulch. Plus, we're still harvesting carrots, spinach, kale and more from those fields.

With the help of those leaves, some decomposers and a new Farm Director (stay tuned for a post about Stephen next week), we're looking forward to making the lower field a beautiful, productive space in 2013.

Sign up for a field trip to Arcadia Farm this fall

We're excited to announce that registration for our fall field trips to Arcadia Farm is NOW OPEN! We'll take 2nd, 3rd & 4th graders and other interested groups of up to 50 students for interactive visits to our sustainable farm.

Arcadia Farm field trips will take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:30am to 1:30pm from September 5th to November 1st, 2012.

The field trips are aligned with age-appropriate curriculum standards, and teach students 1) how to grow food sustainably with the natural cycles of the earth; 2) which fruits and vegetables are available in our region during different times of the year; and 3) that fruits and vegetables can be healthy and delicious!

Click here to register for your Arcadia Farm field trip. Space is limited, reserve your date today! For more information about our field trip program, please contact brandi@arcadiafood.org. You can also visit our Flickr page to see some photos from previous field trips to Arcadia Farm.

We hope to see your group out at the farm soon!

In search of great interns

Our farm wouldn't grow without interns. Period. Neither would our farm education programs. They're so crucial!

We've had an excellent spring crew (shout outs to Rachel, Elin, Steph, Bonnie and Natalie!), but since they're moving on, we're looking to find some new folks.

Check out the description below and share it with anyone who might be interested!


Farm Education Internship Description - Fall 2012

We’re looking for Farm Interns to assist with all facets of our sustainable farm and our educational programming, with a focus on fall field trips and basic farm work. Our 2-acre demonstration farm follows environmentally-sound growing practices. Starting in September, we’ll host educational farm visits for elementary school students from Washington, D.C. and Virginia.

Responsibilities
Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

help maintain our sustainable farm (weeding, watering, planting, harvesting, etc.)
assist with weekly volunteers on the farm
teach hand-on lessons to small groups of students during field trips, and
assist with farm tours for people of all ages.
Interns will report directly to the Farm Director and the Education Manager.
Interns will also work closely with the Mobile Market Director and other interns.

Qualifications
Commitment and reliability
Exemplary communication and organizational skills
Experience working with youth, especially in an outdoor environment
General knowledge and interest in sustainable agriculture and/or nutrition education
Creativity, enthusiasm and a sense of humor
Must be able to work outdoors in various weather conditions and lift 50 lbs
Leadership experience helpful, but not required
First Aid/CPR certification is a plus.

Time Commitment
We’re looking for interns who can commit to two days per week from August 20 to November 9.

Compensation
This is a voluntary position. School internship credit can be arranged for a minimum commitment of 10 hours per week (2 days/week).

Contact Information
Please send your resume plus a note describing your interest and relevant experience with Farm Intern in the subject line to Farm Director Maureen Moodie at info@arcadiafood.org by July 30, 2012.

Looking ahead to fall field trips

Our tomatoes aren't yet ripe, but we're already thinking about squash and sweet potatoes. In other words, school is winding down for the summer (happy last day, DCPS!), but we're already looking forward to hosting field trips in the fall.

Want to know more about our program? Read on.

What will students learn on the farm?
After a farm field trip, second, third and fourth grade students will be able to make the connection that healthy, fresh food comes from the earth, and will understand the process of growing food sustainably. Students will be familiar with and recognize fruits and vegetables that grow near Washington, DC, so that they will be more likely to eat those healthy foods when they see them in the cafeteria or at home.

To learn more about how Arcadia Farm field trips meet 2nd, 3rd & 4th grade learning standards, click HERE for DC standards and HERE for VA standards.

When do field trips take place?
Arcadia Farm field trips in fall 2012 will take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm beginning Wednesday, September 5 and ending Thursday, November 1 2012. Weather cancellations will be rescheduled for Fridays during the season.

How much do field trips cost?
Field trip fees are calculated according to the percentage of students eligible for Free or Reduced Price (FRP) Meals at your school:

70-100% eligible for FRP meals = $50 per trip
41-69% eligible for FRP meals = $250 per trip
0-40% eligible for FRP meals = $400 per trip

Note: We want to make our field trips accessible to as many students as possible. If cost is a problem for you, please let us know.

Can I bring kids from my summer program on a field trip?
Our own summer program, Arcadia Farm Camp, runs from July 16-July 27, but we can host trips on a very limited basis during other weeks this summer. Email liz@arcadiafood.org to request a visit.

Where can I find more information?
Please contact liz@arcadiafood.org with questions or to be added to our email list. We'll start registering schools during the first week in August. To see more pictures or read stories about past field trips, visit Arcadia’s blog or Flickr page.

Screening of 'American Meat' and panel discussion with Farmer Mo

What: The new documentary American Meat chronicles America’s grassroots revolution in sustainable meat production. The film, an official selection of Food Day 2011, explains our current industrial meat system, and shows the feedlots and confinement operations, not through hidden cameras but through the eyes of the farmers who live and work there. The film then shifts to the burgeoning sustainable, local-food movement made up farmers, food advocates, chefs and everyday folks who could change everything about the way meat reaches the American table.

Who: After the film, at 8:30 p.m., a panel discussion will be held with New York City filmmaker Graham Meriwether and Susan Prolman, executive director of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), and an advocate for sustainable agriculture for more than a decade; Phil Petrilli, Regional Manager, Chipotle Mexican Grill Restaurants, who helped set up the company’s purchase and distribution of grass-fed pork for its restaurants; Maureen Moodie, farm director of the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture, Fairfax County, Va.

Where: E Street Theater, 555 11th St. NW, Washington, D.C. (E Street entrance between 10th and 11th Streets NW)

When: 7 p.m., Thurs., Dec. 1. 8:30 p.m. panel discussion.

Cost: Free seating and free coupons for burritos, sponsored by the Chipotle Company.

Why: Sustainable farming is expanding exponentially as Americans learn more and more about their food and how they can connect with local farmers who raise their animals outdoors. Here is a film that celebrates these farmers, and all farmers, in an unbiased way that allows all farmers and food advocates to sit down and discuss solutions to their common challenges. Perhaps most importantly, the film provokes a spirited but constructive conversation about one of the most important subjects in our lives -- our food.

For further information on community screenings, please visit AmericanMeatFilm.com.

Arcadia Food Hub Farmer Forum

This past Sunday we held a forum with farmers to get advice and feedback on the Arcadia Food Hub. We had a wonderful group of farmers from Virginia and Maryland that gathered at the Columbia Firehouse in Alexandria, Virginia. Our hats go off to Chef Brian Wilson and his staff for providing us with a delicious assortment of food and beverages. The forum was an excellent opportunity to receive constructive feedback from area farmers that we hope to serve and work with. We will be using this feedback to develop and shape the Food Hub, which we hope to have up and running this spring. Once again, thank you to everyone that took time out of their Sunday to join us.

For more information on the Arcadia Food Hub please contact the Food Hub manager, Matt Tremblay at matt.tremblay@arcadiafood.org.

"Food is not a problem, it's a solution."

It was one of a number of memorable quotes from this weekend's "Changing the Way We Eat" TEDx event. Actually, it was a line from a talk given by ECO City Farm's founder, Margaret Morgan-Hubbard. I must say that some of the brief talks given by folks from my own community at the satellite TEDx viewing party at the Letelier Theater were as good as the ones at the official event in Manhattan. And Margaret is right: by fixing our food system we can begin to address so many other social injustices, health problems, and, well, even unemployment rates. We need more healthy food. And we need more farmers to grow it. And more people choosing (and able) to eat it. And a government and communities to support it. Well, perhaps I'm putting some words in her mouth, but I think she'd agree.

Though there were a number of impressive ideas (and people) at the official New York City event, my favorite talk was actually given by a local farmer here in the DC area. Kristen, of Radix Farm (who I really hope will be a part of the supply chain for the mobile market I am developing), spoke eloquently about the need for each of us to pursue that which we most love and can thus help fix our food system, and our world more generally. Whether it's as a farmer, like the path she herself has chosen, or a school food reform advocate, or policy maker, or simply a loving parent or a more conscientious eater, the best thing each of us can do is to figure out what role best suits us and pursue it wholeheartedly. (Incidentally, Kristen also mentioned that she's looking for interns for the upcoming growing season, and I do know that our own Farmer Mo here at Arcadia continues to learn a great deal from her.) Her message rang true, and I've thought about it a great deal in the days since. We can all be a part of this change for the better.

At the end of my own little spiel on Arcadia at the DC screening event -- which, incidentally, was my first official opportunity to speak on behalf of Arcadia (aside from my excited yammering on about the educational farm during the Vices that made Virginia event last fall) -- a number of folks asked me about how they could get involved with the work we are doing. Well, there are lots of ways. Come help out on the farm: Farmer Mo will be welcoming volunteers on Saturdays and Mondays beginning in April. Come get your hands in the ground. Or donate stuff (money, tools, etc.) if that is more what you're looking to do: if so, drop a line to our director, Erin. And to plug my own project, the Mobile Market manager (yours truly) is on the lookout for both funds to get up and running and contacts with local schools and communities around the District to set up one-time as well as weekly stops beginning this June. (Stay tuned for information on the happy hour fundraising kickoff event for the mobile market coming up in a few weeks....)