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Seattle Tilth Farm Works Open House

Seattle Tilth Farm Works Open House on October 22, 2011

By Lucy Norris, PSFN Project Manager

This morning I attended Seattle Tilth Farm Works Open House. It was a dark and rainy morning but the last few miles of pavement leading towards the farm was beautifully framed by yellow and orange foliage. Unfortunately it was too cloudy to see Mt. Rainier but on a sunny day the farm boasts a spectacular mountain view. Regardless, I was happy to be there.

Established in 1978, Seattle Tilth is a local nonprofit best known for it’s organic gardening education programs. Farmer education is new territory for Seattle Tilth. In fact, it was Burst for Prosperity who piloted the farm program in 2009 and then passed the reigns to Seattle Tilth in 2010. Under the leadership of Seattle Tilth, a true farm incubator program is thriving. Seattle Tilth Farm Works currently operates in Auburn, WA (on land owned by Seattle Parks and Recreation) and it’s where participating farmers comprised of Somali Bantu immigrants “learn how to operate a small farm by actually operating the farm” in a supportive, low risk environment. First year farmers are given access to small plots of about 1/4 acre that can increase during their time in the program based upon demonstrated competency and improvement. The goal is to help refugees, immigrants and other low-income individuals create a better life for themselves through their own farm enterprise. In turn, the foods they grow are marketed locally, increasing healthy food access in their own communities.

Program Manager Eddie Hill guides a farm tour starting at the well.

Program Manager Eddie Hill guided a tour of the farm and explained how the land was previously used as a dairy farm. It took only a hundred days – thanks to a host of farms like Full Circle, compost supplier Cedar Grove Composting and community volunteers (even the Seattle Sounders soccer team!)- to prepare the farm incubator site to be suitable for program participants to grow their first crops in time for summer market season. They grew a variety of gorgeous vegetables like beets, broccoli, romanesco (an Italian heirloom), turnips, cabbage, lettuce, and cauliflower. Recently they sold two goats, the first animals to be raised and sold from the farm.

Seattle Tilth Farm Works in Auburn, WA

This year’s list of buyers was impressive! This summer’s produce was sold at Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market, Highline Community College, Puget Consumer’s Co-op, Central Co-op, a handful of South King County restaurants and smaller grocery stores. They are also selling to Grand Central Baking Co (also a member of PSFN) who turn seasonal produce into delectable and savory pastries. Farm Manager Micah Anderson even participated in the Seattle Wholesale Market that PSFN held in the parking lot of the Mt Zion Baptist Church last August. Seattle Tilth Farm Works joined PSFN in March 2011.

Standing in the rain, Ramadan (from Fatima Farms- a program participant) is holding a fresh-picked turnip

Seattle Tilth’s Executive Director, Andrea Dwyer also announced that Seattle Tilth Farm Works was recently awarded a three-year Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development grant from United States Department of Agriculture for $483,160 to continue their work with refugee, immigrant and other socially-disadvantaged farmers to help them create viable agricultural enterprises growing and selling mixed vegetables and small livestock. PSFN congratulates Seattle Tilth Farm Works for a wonderful year, and we look forward to seeing more great work from them in year’s to come.

Carol Gregory of Burst for Prosperity talks with Ron Harris-White of Seattle Parks and Recreation

For inquiries about the farm or products, please contact Micah Anderson micahanderson@seattletilth.org or call (206) 633-0451 ext. 120. The farm is also accepting applications for farm interns (boarding is included) as well as next year’s round of farm participants. For more information please visit: http://seattletilth.org/about/farmincubatorprogram

Micah Anderson and farmers from the Seattle Tilth Farm Works program show off their fresh chard and collards

Posted by Lucy Norris on October 23rd, 2011

PSFN Member Helps Provide Crucial Summer Nutrition to Kids!

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This Saturday, the City of Seattle kicked off its Summer Food Service Program for Seattle children. The program helps ensure recipients of free or reduced-price school lunches have access to nutritious daily meals when school is not in session over the summer months. This year, PSFN Member Maltby Produce is selling fresh produce to the program.

PSFN is ecstatic to be part of Seattle Human Services Department’s Kids and Teens Eat Free Summer Food Service Program. The program, beginning today and running through Friday, August 26, provides free breakfasts, lunches and snacks for children and youth aged 1 – 18. The meals are served to children at 90 approved sites throughout the city where at least half the children are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches. Sites include designated community centers, Seattle park playgrounds, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and YWCAs, and other community sites throughout Seattle and parts of King County.

: Samples of the produce bags to be included in this year’s Summer Food Service Program. Community guests were able to take these home!

In addition to daily packaged meals and snacks, participating children will have access to free bags of fresh produce to bring home to their families weekly. The fresh produce bags are an exciting addition to the meal program this year. Because of City of Seattle partnerships made through the Farm to Table project this year, PSFN was chosen to coordinate the produce bag pilot. PSFN’s Karen Mauden and Lucy Norris visited over five serious farm candidates for the program, interviewing only PSFN members. Based on highly competitive selection screening criteria given to us by the City of Seattle, we chose
Maltby Produce/Marshland Orchards as the exclusive local produce grower for this groundbreaking program and we’re confident they will do an exceptional job! Maltby will be selling fresh fruits and vegetables to fill 8000 bags to be distributed among participating children at meal sites over the course of the 2-month program. We hope this will lead to more opportunities for local farms to connect with schools and other city feeding programs in the future.

The Seattle Summer Food Service Program is funded by a $225,000 Walmart Foundation grant. The grant is part of a larger 25 million dollar project to support summer learning programs, nutritious food access and job opportunities for kids and teens over the summer. Through this summer giving initiative, Walmart will feed 8 million nutritious meals to more than 85,000 kids, help 20,000 students enroll in summer learning programs and provide jobs and training to 5,000 youth. This 25 million dollar project is itself part of a broader Walmart commitment promising two billion dollars to help fight hunger in America. Walmart has committed to help areas where federal, state, or other government funding for healthy food access has been cut.

: Natalie Thomson of Seattle Human Services Early Learning and Family Support (ELFS) division, Carol Cartmell, nutritionist for the Child and Adult Care Food Program, Maltby Produce’s Marijke Postema, and PSFN’s Lucy Norris.

On Saturday, Seattle Human Services was joined by PSFN, Maltby Produce, Walmart Foundation representatives and community guests at the New Holly Gathering Hall in Southeast Seattle to kick-off the program! Key speakers included State Representative Eric Pettigrew representing Washington’s 37th Legislative District (South/southeast Seattle area), and U.S. Congressman Jim McDermott. McDermott, a child psychologist as well as politician and a known champion of poverty issues, spoke about how eating well consistently is crucial for children’s proper development, allowing kids to reach their full potential. Human Services Director Danette Smith agreed, saying, “When it comes to our kids, we must do everything possible to provide them the nutrition needed to be healthy, active and ready for the future.”

An interesting facet of the program is the integration of eating, learning, and physical activity. Seattle Human Services Director Danette Smith emphasized the importance of connecting kids to meals and to educational programming over the summer break so that “they may gain, not lose, nutrition and learning opportunities over the summer months.”

Emphasizing this marriage of healthy eating and learning, the launch event included a diverse array of performances and activities. Seattle Parks and Recreation sponsored a performance by the Adefua African Music and Dance Company which offered a rhythm of welcoming and a rhythm of healing for the community members at the gathering. This group will offer free African music, dance, and language education for kids at Othello Park over the summer. City volunteers read the book, From Head to Toe by Eric Carle in both English and Somali. The book encourages children to move different parts of their bodies, and builds confidence in children’s physical abilities by repeating, “yes, I can!” There was also a performance of Mexican music, and dance performance by the Union Gospel Mission’s Youth Dance Troupe! Tabling organizations offered books and information on summer reading programs for kids, free blood pressure tests, and nutrition information from families. Continuing this tie between healthy eating/active living and summer education, as part of the Summer Food Service Program the Seattle Public Library will provide fun and educational programming in conjunction with the feeding program (such as story times in five different languages!) as well as provide free books for children at story time sites.

PSFN Project Manager, Lucy Norris, and Maltby Produce’s Marijke Postema and her husband, John, spoke at the kick-off, expressing their excitement about their business’ involvement in this important summer program. Maltby Produce brought beautiful produce displays including samples of the produce bags which will be distributed through the program. They also provided case loads of beautiful, fresh veggie snacks for the event including baby cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and broccoli for munching on! It was a riot to watch skeptical tots take bites out of rainbow carrots with the tops still on– they were a big hit! Maltby Produce and PSFN are really excited to play a role in introducing new and exciting fresh fruits and vegetables to children and families in need in our community!

This program is a real win-win for Seattle children and Maltby Produce (and all local producers!). It goes to show that connecting fresh, healthful foods with children and families in need is a viable and exciting market opportunity for small- and mid-sized local producers! As PSFN’s Lucy Norris said,

There is ripe opportunity for PSFN to continue working within our region to build a self-sustaining food system that mobilizes businesses and institutions, aids underserved communities and increases the profitability of farmers in Northwest Washington. Opportunities like the Summer Feeding Program led by the City of Seattle can serve as an example for other communities within the region and other parts of the United States.

We’re so pleased to be able to be a part of this exciting program. Stay tuned for updates on the project and photos of some of the first produce deliveries!

For more pictures of this weekend’s program launch, visit our Facebook Page
Komo 4 News coverage of the launch: http://rainiervalley.komonews.com/news/parents-kids/special-summer-program-keeps-kids-going-hungry/649299
City of Seattle Press Release: http://www.seattle.gov/news/detail.asp?ID=11854&Dept=21

For more information or to find out where a child you know can receive summer meals, contact Javier Pulido, Program Coordinator, Human Services Department, at 206-386-1140 or javier.pulido@seattle.gov.

Posted by Emma Brewster on June 27th, 2011

2011 Wholesale Market Season Announced – Now Seeking Buyers!

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The details for the second season of PSFN Wholesale Markets are officially released! These business-to-business local food aggregation sites (in Seattle and Mount Vernon) will be open for business beginning the third week in July, and PSFN is now actively seeking business and institutional buyers

Seattle Wholesale Market

Wednesday Mornings 8:45 AM – 10:00 AM

July 20 – August 31

Mt. Zion Baptist Church overflow parking lot, 1634 19^th Ave (and Madison), Seattle

(Eastern-facing grass lot across from church)

More info: http://www.psfn.org/seattle-market/

Skagit Wholesale Market

Thursday Mornings 8:30 – 10:00 AM

July 21 – September 8

Skagit Valley Co-op parking lot, 202 South First St, downtown Mount Vernon

More info: http://www.psfn.org/skagitmarket

PSFN’s Wholesale Markets aim to make locally grown and produced goods easily available to institutions and businesses in Seattle, Skagit County and surrounding areas. The Markets are a great way for restaurant and foodservice buyers to get their produce, grains, beans, meat (lamb, chicken, beef, pork and seafood), and pasta in the same place at the same time, at wholesale quantities and prices! The Wholesale Markets are not traditional farmers markets but rather “pick up and pay” sites for wholesale buyers. Institutions and business that may benefit from this wholesale market include schools, daycare centers, retirement communities, country clubs, hospitals, restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, distributors, and caterers, among others. Because of the business relationship focus, we discourage non-business entities from using the site. (Keep reading to find out how individual shoppers and eaters can play a role!)

Each week, the markets will each feature a diverse selection of fresh, seasonal and value-added foods all produced in the Puget Sound region. Each market will host around 15 unique vendors. While Wholesale Market vendors are all PSFN members, any commercial or institutional buyer can shop – member or not! Interested buyers can visit the markets to shop on-the-spot, to help plan seasonal menus, to sign up for the weekly fresh sheet, and to place orders with producers ahead of time for the next week! While featured vendors will bring a limited selection of product to display and sell, most orders should be placed in advance from the weekly fresh sheet.

Chef Chris Johnson of UNited General Hospital with purchases at the 2010 Skagit Wholesale Market

On Monday, July 18, PSFN will begin distributing the weekly fresh sheet for both markets. The fresh sheet will include vendor contact information, available products, and quantities available for wholesale. To receive the weekly market Fresh Sheet for either the Skagit or Seattle Wholesale Markets, contact Ellen Manderfield (ellen@psfn.org) with your contact information: name, email, phone number, and business name. There is no fee (for vendors or buyers!) to participate in the Wholesale Markets.

While the Wholesale Markets aren’t accessible by every shopper, locavores can help spread the word! If you have a wedding or special event planned for this summer, tell your caterer that you’d like local food on the event menu. Have a favorite restaurant? Ask them for local Thursday or Friday specials inspired by their Wholesale Market purchases! Have family living in a retirement community or receiving senior meals? Suggest a fresh, local lunch to the agency for more nutrition bang for their buck!

PSFN is especially excited to bring this year’s Seattle Wholesale Market to Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Mt. Zion and five other Seattle churches are part of a groundbreaking project with the University of Washington School of Nursing called Moving Together in Faith and Health. They are working to stem the tide of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes in their surrounding community. Bringing local farms, businesses and institutions together at Mt. Zion will be an excellent way for our food community to work together to benefit all. Mt. Zion’s Senior Pastor, Rev. Aaron Williams, says this partnership comes at a crucial time. “As we move together to implement policies that promote healthy eating and active living in our churches, our partnership with PSFN and its Seattle Wholesale Market will make fresh, locally grown produce affordable and accessible. We are empowering our churches and our community by giving them healthy options.” For more details on the public health impacts of the Wholesale markets and other PSFN projects, check out this blog post by Johns Hopkins’ School of Public Health’s Center for a Livable Future!

Check out these stories written about last years’ markets:
PSFN Member Goes Extra Mile To Source Local for Sedro-Woolley Hospital
New Skagit WholeSale Market Brings Local Suppliers, Buyers Together (Grown Northwest)
WholeSale Market Brings Together Farmers and Chefs (Go Skagit.com)
WholeSale Market Aims to Connect Local Producers to Retail Buyers
Farmers cater to wholesale buyers’ needs (Capitol Press)
An interview with Chef Chris Johnson of United General Hospital (Grown Northwest)
Skagit WholeSale Market takes inventory of its first season (Skagit Valley Herald)

We’re so excited for another successful Wholesale Market season! Wholesale buyers, we hope to see you there!

Posted by Emma Brewster on June 24th, 2011

CSA is Ready for Business!

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Contributing blogger Lucy Norris is Project Manager for Puget Sound Food Network. For more information, please see staff bios at http://www.psfn.org/staff

Over the last few decades, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms have sprouted up all over the country responding to a growing desire for food that is good, clean and fair. CSA creates a direct link between farmers and consumers. Households typically purchase a “share” of a farm’s harvest, and receive in exchange a weekly bounty of fresh picked produce as it becomes available throughout the growing season. The money that CSA members pay upfront is an investment in that’s farms future production, and helps increase cash flow. Farmers spend a lot of money during the early months of the year repairing or replacing expensive equipment and purchasing seeds. Home cooks incorporate weekly shares into delicious and nutritious meals at home, but CSA shares can work for restaurants, too!

CSA for Restaurants

In 2005, Slow Food Portland hosted an event led by Chef John Taboada of Navarre and Laura Masterson of 47th Ave Farm. An early adopter of the “CSA for restaurant” idea, John bought shares from Laura who delivered produce once a week to Navarre’s kitchen. It worked well for Navarre’s budget and he was willing and able to change his menu around the contents of weekly shares. Chef Taboada influenced other chefs to incorporate CSA shares into their restaurants. Navarre and 47th Ave Farm built a mutually supportive relationship that benefited both restaurant and farm businesses, but also Navarre’s customers.

Two years ago Chef Chris Johnson, Food Services Director of United General Hospital learned how to use CSA shares in hospital food service. Chef Johnson began bringing local food into the hospital for the first time through two CSA shares from Hedlin Farm in La Connor. “Every Friday was like Christmas. That was the day CSA boxes were delivered.” United General is a small hospital serving about thirty-five inpatient meals per day. About a hundred and fifty employees and guests visit their cafeteria, Coho Café, cafeteria.

Explore your options! If your restaurant doesn’t serve kohlrabi, don’t worry! Some CSA farms are willing to customize the contents to meet individual tastes, provided there is volume demand. Competition with home delivery grocers like Amazon Fresh has increased in recent years and some farms have started to offer a hybrid mix of CSA farm products with specialty or pantry staples in order to stay unique in a competitive marketplace. The contents of a traditional CSA share can vary from week to week, season to season, and include the very best of what can be grown at any given time of year.

Not all restaurants are a good fit for a CSA. Before investing in a CSA for your business, consider the following questions:

Is your staff trained to cook from scratch, or are you able to preserve unused produce?
Does your menu change according to the seasons/ are you open and willing to change your menu weekly based on what’s in season?
Can you accept a weekly drop-off at your restaurant or able send a truck to pick up a share from the farm or market stall to collect your share(s) each week during season?
Do the math! Explore the cost of an upfront investment for 1 or more shares as opposed to weekly invoicing.

Farms are transparent about growing practices, certifications and farm philosophies. We encourage all restaurants to discuss needs and expectations directly with the farm before choosing a CSA the first time. PSFN has learned that some farms are willing to “plant to order” as long as the upfront investment is secured.

Workplace CSA

Although we think CSAs for restaurants is a very good idea, it’s catching on slowly compared to workplace CSAs in Washington. “I have found more businesses are offering their locations as drop sites, making it easy for their employees to participate in CSAs,” says Clayton Burrows of Growing Washington. “We basically utilize businesses and drop-off points for our CSA. We ask that businesses have at least five people sign up for a box, and then we deliver their food to their place of work each week. Some of the businesses pay a portion of the share some do it through payroll deduction. We also do Business Share Snack Packs, where we deliver snack type items (e.g. berries, cherry tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, salads, grapes, etc.), to businesses each week. Our workplace CSA program is going great!”

Recently Peace Health St. Joseph Medical Center joined forces with 10 Whatcom County farms to form a CSA subscription service offering St. Joe’s caregivers a convenient way to access to locally grown fruits and vegetables. “The PeaceHealth mission includes promoting individual and community health. The St Joe’s Farm Share program does both. We are encouraging our caregivers to enjoy healthy foods at home while supporting farmers and a vibrant local economy. CSAs also help create a sense of community at the workplace. PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center offers employees CSA opportunities for all of these reasons.” explains Chris Phillips, Director for Community Affairs.

Businesses of all kinds are developing wellness and sustainability initiatives and this is great news for local CSA farms. “Working with business CSAs allows the farmer to maximize the amount of produce sales with one convenient drop off point. It also helps develop the communication between farmers and businesses to help them think about their role in the food system and educate the work force about the importance of local agriculture and the relationship to personal health,” says Cheryl Thornton of Cloud Mountain Farm, and one of the 10 Whatcom farmers working with Peace Health St. Joseph’s.

There are a variety of CSA farms in the Puget Sound Food Network and they can be researched by clicking on the links above or by using your membership login at www.psfn.org. Before choosing the CSA that’s right for you, business owners should keep in mind that each producer is unique in terms of certifications, geography, delivery options, products offered, cost and seasonal share availability. They include:

Sol to Seed Farm
Willie Green’s Organic Farm
Hedlin Farm
Viva Farms Incubator and Grower Collaborative
Full Circle
Oxbow Farm
Raven and the Spade
Whidbey Green Goods
Willowood Farm of Ebey’s Prairie
Greenbank Farm
Growing Washington
Maha Farm

For more information about choosing a CSA for your business or restaurant, please contact info@psfn.org or login to PSFN with your membership ID and search CSAs in the member profiles, paying attention to the names of the above farms. You can also find a directory of CSAs in the Puget Sound Fresh 2011 Farm Guide or online at http://www.pugetsoundfresh.org/csa.htm.

Posted by Lucy Norris on April 12th, 2011

NABC and PSFN in the National Spotlight!

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On March 2, PSFN and NABC were honored by a visit from U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Kathleen Merrigan. Merrigan was on her way to Portland State University to speak to students and local leaders about farmer-consumer connections and decided to drop by Seattle to pay a special visit to PSFN/NABC projects.

Deputy Secretary Merrigan chose to visit Central Area Senior Center to check out and show her support for the growing Farm to Table (F2T) project PSFN is involved with. One of Merrigan’s many roles at the USDA is leading the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food effort, an initiative with which F2T aligns well. The Farm to Table project, which connects fresh local produce to typically underserved communities such as lower income senior meal programs and child care centers, is part of the larger CDC-funded Seattle and King County public health effort: “Communities Putting Prevention to Work” (CPPW). (See the CPPW F2T Update in this newsletter).

The morning of Merrigan’s visit, Kia Armstrong of F2T Producer Partner and PSFN Member, Nash’s Organic Produce, personally delivered cabbage, parsnips, and triticale flour to Senior Services’ Chef and Nutrition Site Coordinator, Anthony Herts. This was the first F2T produce delivery to Central Area Senior Center, and the first F2T delivery to a Senior Services-managed site! Chef Herts then prepared a delectable meal for regular Central Area Senior Center diners and special guests. (See an interview with Kia in this newsletter).

At the meal site, NABC was also honored by the presence of Seattle Mayor, Mike McGinn. Mayor McGinn and Deputy Secretary Merrigan (former classmates at Williams College) both spoke on the importance of local food connections and praised PSFN’s work on the Farm to Table project as well as the work NABC does to strengthen the regional food economy. McGinn and Merrigan recognized the dual nature of the project, which helps small and mid-size farms find untapped institutional market opportunities, while also helping to provide the freshest, healthiest produce for those most in need in King County.

After a delicious lunch, Deputy Secretary Merrigan and her staff joined PSFN/NABC-affiliated local producers and NABC staff at Central Market in Shoreline. Producers had an opportunity to introduce Ms. Merrigan to their products featured at Central Market as they toured the store together. Merrigan spoke to each producer individually and sampled their high-quality products. Merrigan and local producers then set up camp in the abundant produce department at Central Market, where she candidly fielded questions from producers.

What a day! NABC was extraordinarily honored by Deputy Secretary Merrigan’s visit and level of engagement with producers. Thanks to all the PSFN/NABC-affiliated producers and partners who made the trip to Seattle for this momentous day!

For a full photo album of Deputy Secretary Merrigan’s visit, see PSFN’s Facebook Page.

Posted by Emma Brewster on April 6th, 2011

A Big Day with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Kathleen Merrigan, & Seattle Mayor, Mike McGinn!

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On Wednesday, Kathleen Merrigan, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture and manager of the USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food effort, paid a special visit to PSFN/NABC projects. Deputy Secretary Merrigan (who made the trip up to Seattle from Portland just for us!) chose to visit Central Area Senior Center (where she was joined by Seattle Mayor, Mike McGinn!) to show her support for PSFN’s Farm to Table involvement. Deputy Secretary Merrigan then met with PSFN/NABC-affiliated local producers at Central Market in Shoreline, where she toured and sampled their high-quality products. See the full photo album on our Facebook page!

The day began with the first F2T delivery to Central Area Senior Center (the first Senior Services site to receive a F2T delivery!). Kia Armstrong, Manager of Nash’s Organic Produce in Sequim, WA, personally delivered cabbage, parsnips, and triticale flour to Senior Services’ Chef and Nutrition Site Coordinator, Anthony Herts.

Seattle Mayor, Mike McGinn, and Deputy Secretary Merrigan both spoke on the importance of local food connections and praised PSFN’s work on our Farm to Table project which connects produce from local farms with senior meal programs.

Deputy Secretary Merrigan with members of the CPPW Farm to Table Partnership. From left: Karen Mauden, PSFN Farm to Table Coordinator; Charlie Thomas (Senior Services); Emma Brewster, PSFN Farm to Community Coordinator; Deputy Secretary Merrigan; Maria Langlais, Farm to Table Project Manager (Aging and Disability Services); Lucy Norris, PSFN Project Manager; Tricia Sexton-Kovacs (WSDA Farm to School Program).

After a delicious lunch, Deputy Secretary Merrigan and her staff joined local producers and NABC staff at Central Market in Shoreline. Producers had an opportunity to introduce Ms. Merrigan to their products featured at Central Market.

Deputy Secretary Merrigan and local producers set up camp in the produce department at Central Market, where Merrigan fielded questions and listened to producers’ concerns.

What a fantastic day! Thank you, Deputy Secretary Merrigan and staff! Special thanks to Central Area Senior Center Chef and Nutrition Site Coordinator, Anthony Herts for hosting us and preparing such a lovely lunchtime meal. Thanks also to Charlie Thomas, Program Manager of Community Dining for Senior Services, and Cynthia Andrews, Director of the Central Area Senior Center and her wonderful staff, volunteers, and meal attendees. A final thanks to Central Market-Shoreline for hosting us and for featuring so many quality local products on your shelves.

Posted by Emma Brewster on March 4th, 2011

Farm to Table Project – Call for Producers!

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The PSFN Farm to Table team is hard at work connecting local producers to our three senior meal programs. We have several committed producers, but are looking for more.

We want YOU!

PSFN Farm to Table (F2T) is looking to fill the pipeline of produce deliveries for January, February, March and April. We would love to speak now with anyone that has winter produce to sell. In fact, we would love to speak to you if you have any produce to sell in 2011 – if you want to work with F2T, this is the time to be heard while you have the opportunity to order and plant seed for our project.

PSFN’s role is to connect farms directly with senior feeding sites and childcare centers. We will work with you, the producer, to figure out the logistics, coordination and timing of deliveries should there be any challenges. It is a new business model and we are in the initial stages – we welcome you to join us to provide input. By April we will have established the systems and networks we need to get the job done. We want to hear what you have to say now as this will help us create the best future business model for all involved.

What can you bring to the table?

Our mission is to bring local fruits and vegetables to the meal sites, so produce is our top priority. We are currently looking for available winter produce in order to meet our commitment to bring fresh food to the tables of local seniors by March 2011. The pilot stage of the project will continue through the height of the growing season and we will be seeking an enormous diversity of spring and summer produce.

Benefits

Our F2T partner sites can offer you these benefits:

1. Volume sales

Catholic Community Services (Lakewood) is serving 500-800 meals/day

Chicken Soup Brigade (Seattle) is serving 200 meals/day + 120 grocery bags/day

Two new sites (Auburn, Seattle) are requesting produce as well – each serving 120 meals/day

City of Seattle Childcare will be ready for orders in the near futureDon’t have large volumes? We’re happy to try to aggregate products from several area farms to meet volume needs while offering steady business to many producers.

2. Opportunity to sell surplus produce and “seconds”

Should you have any produce that would otherwise be written off as lost sales, we have sites that will pay for that produce

3. Potential for long-term, large-volume local customers

4. The opportunity to participate in the nation’s first-ever senior-focused, wholesale, institutional, direct marketing local food project

Pricing

Price – it is always an issue, what are the sites looking for? Generally, an EP (Edible Portion) price of $.50-1.20/lb; AP (As Purchased) pricing of $1.50/lb or less. If serving a whole portion, such as an apple, the sites generally stay in the 20-30 cents/each range.

We will not ask you to price your product in any specific way. You are in business, and we want you to have a sustainable business, one that can support you and those that work for you, and help your farm continue profitably. We are pleased for any way that the F2T project can help you, and any way that you can help F2T.

Contact

If you’re interested in participating in or learning more about the Farm to Table project, please contact Karen Mauden, Farm to Table Coordinator: (425) 466-8722; karen @psfn .org

Thank you for your interest in helping us ensure ALL of our neighbors have access to fresh, healthful food.

Posted by Emma Brewster on January 11th, 2011

Puget Sound Food Network Receives Specialty Crop Block Grant Funding Through WSDA

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On September 17, Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced the award of block grants to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture.

The 54 grants total approximately $55 million, funding 827 projects in fifty states. Funding supports the competitiveness of specialty crops and America’s specialty crop farmers. Washington State Department of Agriculture received $3,744,666.16, the third highest award recipient following California and Florida. Puget Sound Food Network (PSFN) was granted $95,009 of Washington’s award.

The beneficiaries of PSFN, a project of Northwest Agriculture Business Center, are primarily small to mid-sized specialty crop producers of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, herbs, and nursery crops. The approximately 10,000 farms and 4 million eaters in Northwestern Washington are the target beneficiaries of PSFN through increasing direct market opportunities close to production, building lasting relationships in the community, preserving sustainable food production close to home for prosperity as well as positive environmental impacts. The economic impacts of PSFN will be felt immediately through direct farm sales. PSFN focuses on connecting buyers and sellers of all sizes by creating or enhancing production, processing, distribution, sales, and marketing opportunities for specialty crop producers.

The ultimate goal of this PSFN is to build a strong food community in the Puget Sound region by being the liaison for specialty crop producers, buyers, service providers, community partners and consumers to connect and conduct business. By offering a central online network space complimented by personal relationships with account managers, PSFN will strengthen food community connections across a regional, values-based supply chain, and increase market access and profits of regional specialty crop producers.

For more information about PSFN or to join, please visit www.psfn.org or contact Lucy Norris, Project Manager, at info@psfn.org. Summaries of all USDA SCBGP awards can be viewed at www.ams.usda.gov/scbgp.

Posted by Lucy Norris on September 25th, 2010

Seattle WholeSale Market Press Release

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“The wholesale market at Whole Foods Market Interbay store offers a great opportunity for local producers to make new direct market connections with a variety of institutional buyers, from restaurants to school districts and hospitals.” Mary Embleton, Cascade Harvest Coalition.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Lucy Norris; Puget Sound Food Network (PSFN), 360-336-3666

Calling all Buyers for Seattle WholeSale Market Pilot Beginning Wednesday, September 15

September 7, 2010 [Seattle, WA] – Local food producers are ready to sell their products to wholesale buyers in the parking lot of the Whole Foods Market Interbay store located at 2001 15th Avenue West in Seattle. This pilot market will be held three weeks consecutively on Wednesday mornings from 8:30-10:30 a.m., starting September 15th and ending September 29th.

A wholesale farmer market-as-distribution hub is not a new idea. This year PSFN partnered with Skagit Valley Food Coop to launch the Skagit WholeSale Market. “The market attracts buyers from all over Skagit, Whatcom, Island, and even San Juan County but we know Seattle area buyers want to participate but can’t because of the distance,” says Lucy Norris, PSFN Project Manager, “Whole Foods Market Interbay store parking lot is perfectly situated minutes from Seattle’s great food neighborhoods. Buyers who want a quick and easy collection site for wholesale volumes of local food will like this market, even if it only lasts three weeks.” “Supporting farmers and other artisan food producers has been a cornerstone of our business for 30 years. We are very pleased and excited to have the opportunity to partner with the Puget Sound Food Network to provide a new venue at our Interbay store for local farmers to connect with wholesale buyers in our community,” adds Denise Breyley, Whole Foods Market Pacific Northwest Local Forager.

PSFN gathered input from Cascade Harvest Coalition, Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, Seattle Farmers Market Association and Seattle Chefs Collaborative. “Creating new market opportunities helps address farm viability issues as well as increasing the availability of local food. Really a win-win for the community,” says Mary Embleton Executive Director, Cascade Harvest Coalition. Farmers Markets have long understood the important role their markets have in connecting Seattle chefs to local farmers. “We’re interested in this pilot as a way to better understand the local foods wholesale market and how we might continue to serve it,” says Chris Curtis, NFMA Executive Director.

Puget Sound Food Network members represent the bulk of nearly twenty vendors participating in the wholesale market pilot. This market will feature producers such as Willie Green’s Organic Farm, Full Circle Farm, Ninety Farms, Sherman’s Pioneer Farm Produce, Golden Glen Creamery, Hedlin Farm, Viva Farms, Lavender Wind Farm, Aldrich Farm, Twin Sisters Mushrooms, Hidden Meadow Ranch, and more!

Vendors will bring limited product volumes on the first week and then buyers are encouraged to preorder from weekly fresh sheets, and then pay and collect at the market site or request larger volumes for delivery. Vendors will manage invoicing and delivery options independently. Like the Skagit market, PSFN will distribute weekly fresh sheets that include contact information for each vendor, available products, wholesale prices where applicable, promotions and minimum quantities available. Buyers interested in participating in the Seattle Wholesale Market or the Skagit WholeSale Market are strongly encouraged to sign up for weekly product updates. All wholesale buyers are welcome. There is no fee to participate as a vendor or buyer.

Those interested in learning more or wish to participate as a Seattle WholeSale Market buyer or seller should contact Lucy Norris at info@psfn.org. The Puget Sound Food Network is a project of the Northwest Agriculture Business Center. NABC is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to farmland preservation by helping to make farming in the region more profitable. For more information about PSFN, visit www.psfn.org. Map and directions to the Whole Foods Market Interbay store are posted at http://wholefoodsmarket.com/storesbeta/interbay.

Posted by Elliot on September 8th, 2010

PSFN Receives CPPW Grant Funding for Partnership with Seattle Human Services

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On July 21, 2010, City of Seattle-King County Public Health announced the 2010 award recipients who applied for $8.9 million in Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) grants. Award recipients represent many talented and passionate local organizations committed to increasing healthy choices for King County residents.

Seattle Human Services Department was awarded two HEAL (Healthy Eating/Active Living) grants and Puget Sound Food Network (PSFN) is receiving partial funding for its participation in one focused on connecting local food to Seattle’s least served communities through the Congregate/Home Delivered Meal Program. The goal of this project is to make healthy foods, preferably local products, affordable for senior congregate and home-delivered meals and child care centers by cooperatively purchasing fresh local produce through a Farm-to-Table partnership.

Aging and Disability Services will set up regular Farm-to-Table coordination meetings to create a strategy for and track the progress of the cooperative purchase of local produce from local farmers. Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) will assess senior meal provider capacity to plan seasonal menus, store and prepare fresh produce. WSDA will also train meal site managers as needed. WSDA and PSFN will work together to identify and link meal program purchasers to ethnically diverse farmers who have produce available at an affordable price. Clean Greens Farm will expand growing capacity within existing land to offer produce that meets meal provider cost and produce specifications. Meal providers will purchase processing equipment as needed, facilitate staff training, and pilot test cooperative purchasing at 2 to 3 meal sites. After the pilot test, meal providers will implement cooperative purchasing for home-delivered and congregate meals. WSDA will assess the feasibility of expansion of cooperative purchasing to ELFS child care centers.

PSFN is receiving a total of $57,624 of the $200,000 awarded to this specific project to hire a contractor who will serve as “benevolent broker” for a 12-month term, and act as PSFN’s project liaison working directly with local food producers on behalf of senior meal services, childcare centers and public school sites identified by Seattle Human Services in underserved South Seattle. It will be PSFN’s responsibility to directly identify local food sources, negotiate pricing and create solutions that will lead to a richer understanding to create opportunities for expansion and modeling for similar models in other cities, especially underserved communities. PSFN will be tasked with tracking and reporting our contributions to this project, identifying key obstacles, and creating new solutions for the future. The full project’s duration is twenty months starting this month. Recruitment for the 12-month HEAL project contractor will commence in late 2010.

PSFN is proud to be engaged in this new partnership because it has enormous potential to make a positive impact on the health and sustainability of both urban and rural communities, while helping to preserve our rich farming traditions in Northwest Washington by creating diverse market opportunities for local food.

For more information about CPPW, it’s goals and a full list of direct grant recipients, please visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/partnerships/CPPW.aspx.

Please contact Lucy Norris, PSFN Project Manager, at lucy@psfn.org for information related to PSFN’s role in this important new project.

Posted by Lucy Norris on July 28th, 2010