Northern New York Farmers' Partnership
LOCAL FARMERS who value PEOPLE, THE LAND, and ECONOMIC AUTONOMY working together with all members of the COMMUNITY
Donahue Farm Gouverneur, NY
Further development and more information needed on the group website. Three members have volunteered to work on this project and serve on a Website Committee: Brad, David Belding, and Brian Hicks. Brad volunteered to be the Website Committee representative on the Leadership Committee.
Renee and Roseanne learn about cow homeopathy
Nancy has taken a leave of absence from the group for personal reasons. The Leadership Committee will need an additional representative from the Livestock Committee. Heather has been asked to fill this position and has agreed. She will also fill in as Secretary for Ro until elections are held in September.
Elections were last held in April 2008, so current Co-Presidents, Secretary and Treasurer positions are up for elections. Elections are open to all members and are for a 1 year term. Elections are scheduled for the September meeting. The September meeting date/location is pending and members will be notified.
Our group is growing! This presents more opportunities for members to proactively participate in the group committees, programs and events. Members discussed adding committees for coordination of speakers (outside speakers or members to present what they have learned to fulfill their obligation to the group), agendas (meeting dates/times/locations), and field days/ evening events. A new Membership Committee would be established to welcome newcomers to the group. Ann and Brain would like to serve on this committee to recruit new members, and welcome them into the group with a packet of assembled Heifer Project information. Ann and Brian have also volunteered to help with the youth committee. Their daughter Catherine attended today's meeting as a new youth member.
The Leadership Committee brought this suggestion to the attention of the group. It was suggested to treat this as a paid position due to the amount of time that is required. The Manager would be a bridge between the Leadership Committee, ANCA, Heifer Project and the members. The growth of our group and subsequent increase in membership numbers has increased the amount of time that Martha (our original facilitator) has been working on the group's business. There was a lengthy and thorough discussion regarding establishing this position. After much discussion, the general consensus reached by the group was that the position should be held by someone within the ANCA organization. The group would offer a 1 year contract to fill the position and the Leadership Committee would decide the duties, pay, responsibilities of the position. Some new member committees may be established to further involve members based on group feed back (see item #4 above).
Members and guests enjoyed a lovely potluck lunch on the lawn. Additional refreshments were provided by Oneida S&W Conservation office by Bill Paddock, and Horizon Organic.
NNYFP Member learns about raw milk from Martha Pickard
Member Heather Donahue talked about her NNYPF sponsored trip to Wisconsin to participate in a two day workshop on alternative veterinary treatments for dairy animals. The workshop was very informative and Heather detailed many of the approaches used including: homeopathy, essential oils, tinctures, botanicals products, vitamins and trace mineral, probiotics and acupuncture. Soil health was stressed and an important foundation for farm health.
NNFYP Facilitator Martha Pickard spoke about raw milk, including the history of reasons behind the pasteurization movement, the low incidence of foodborne illness related to milk, and natural compounds in milk that protect it from harmful bacteria. Martha stressed the importance of raw, whole milk in a diet and the changes that pasteurization creates in milk proteins and enzymes that may be related to allergies to milk products. Martha gave a personal testimony of the difference that drinking raw milk has made in her life and health.
Bill Paddock, Oneida Soil and Water Conservation Service
Bill Paddock from the Oneida Soil and Water Conservation Service took members and guests out to the fields to see the conditions of the pasture. Participants were given grazing sticks (courtesy of the NY Grazing Lands Initiative) and Bill demonstrated how to use them to figure out how much forage was available for the cows . Bill talked about plant species in the pasture and feeding grain in the barn. He also talked about the differences in EQUIP grant terminology to guide applicants to make better choices when planning applications.
Pasture Walk, measuring forage