Saturday, Nov. 19 11 AM to 4 PM
Hare Krishna Temple
1283 Prabhupada Road
Sandy Ridge, NC 27046
Three of the presentations will be in relation to a proposed market, most likely in Danbury. Unlike a farmers market, where the growers have to sit and sell one day a week, this will be open every day. Growers get a percentage and the market takes a small share to cover costs.
"We've got to have a wide variety. People aren't going to eat sweet potatoes 3 meals a day" says Ronda, our County Commissioner. "We also want to have a bakery and a restaurant in there, not a regular restaurant, we want a variety, we'd want a Hare Krishna night sometimes, give people something new."
The facility will have provision for storing surplus crops by canning, drying and freezing.
Director of Economic Development, Alan Wood backs this idea as a solid means for building the local economy.
Former Agriculture Agent, Michael Hylton has been in touch with growers in our area. He currently operates a Garden Supply Shop in Lawsonville and has a grip on the variety that can be grown here.
Tentative Schedule, half hour presentations beginning at 11 AM sharp
11 AM -Agriculture, The Resource Beneath Our Feet-Stokes County Director of Economic Development Alan Wood-
11:30 -Domestic Rain Catchment Systems -Ken and Cathy Melvin-
12 -Expanding Variety of Local Crops- Michael Hylton, former County Agriculture Agent
12:30-Creating a Convenient Outlet For Local Food-County Commissioner Ronda Jones
1 PM -Hour Lunch Break- Local Food- Music by Samadhi
2:00-Suburban Permaculture Workshop- Lasagne Gardening Technique- Chris and Stephanie
2:30 -Making Herbal Tinctures- Kula Pavana
3:00 -Rain Catchers www.rain-catchers.net- Janice and Rick Walker- They are in Haiti at present reestablishing Agriculture after the Earthquake. Please see the note below.
3:30-Grant from RAFI- Grain Puffing Machine- Mathura makes his living from the land. Rural Advancement Foundation International wanted to help. They bought him a machine that will puff corn and other grain such as would be used for a breakfast cereal.
http://www.rafiusa.org/
4:00-Wild Food and Herb Walk -Shivananda knows the woods nearby and will give a tour, weather permitting.
More details on some of the speakers;
Rain Catchers- "We are currently working with and training DOD engineers at Private Farms in Fayetteville.Under written by Wal-Mart grant. We would love to do a presentation for this event!
Rick has a solid back ground and will add so much to the event.
We have many successful under ground rain water harvesting jobs in USA. All the way to potable water.
They are truly green being made from recycled plastic bottles.The Farm Center is both a legacy with its wetland restoration and a vision of a sustainable future. We are field testing innovative agricultural practices and concepts. These include the biochar project, innovative rain water collection, solar drip irrigation and "true green organics"-microbes, green pesticides, etc.
We are presently training Civil Affairs Reservists that are getting ready to deploy. We teach simple innovations that can be used in the "theater" they are deploying to. The Center has presently submitted a proposal to the Golden Leaf to train returning vets in small farm sustainability and agricultural innovation that has transferable skill in solar, water storage, crop/plant productivity. Our team will be on site for you on Nov. 19---(Rain Catchers having just returned from Haiti on a project for the Clinton Foundation.) The True Green Organics story with the Arizona Navajo is extremely touching.
It is your call---we can confine to biochar or go into the Center mission. I am just sorry it is not spring when I hope we will be training vets and Reservists and planting corn and vegetables in biochar."
-Expanding Variety of Local Crops- Michael Hylton, former County Agriculture Agent
My presentation will focus on local, organic food production. I plan to give examples of what local farmers are already doing and how this relates to keeping our farms from becoming subdivisions (housing developments, etc). Now that is a scary one! With tobacco production continuing to decrease, this leaves a lot of land to be utilized for other food crops. My plan is to stress the importance of farmland preservation through growing our own food sustainably. I'm passionate about this.
Thanks,
Michael Hylton
Permaculture
Chris Ripley has been studying and experimenting with Permaculture principles since 2007. He is passionate about turning lawns in the city into patches of fruit and vegetables. He will be speaking on the lasagne layering method of gardening, a no-till, low energy method of recycling waste into creative garden space.
-Agriculture, The Resource Beneath Our Feet-Stokes County Director of Economic Development Alan Wood-
"If the price of diesel continues to do what we see it doing, it's imperative that we create our own local food supply. Agriculture is the ticket for economic recovery in Rural NC. I prefer to work with assets that are already in place, namely the land and our agricultural experience."
Alan will show a brief video on buying local. He described the northern corner of our county as a 'Food Desert', with no grocery stores for miles. These would be good locations for small stores selling locally grown products. "We could have several of these stores in our county. This is a model that has worked in other rural places, like the Midwest where there are vast stretches, far from town"Making Herbal Tinctures-Kula Pavana grew up in Poland, farming with horses, is now a Chemist, managing a Laboratory in Reidsville. He lives in the Hare Krishna Community in Sandy Ridge and makes wildcrafted tinctures from walnut hulls, tansy and other items.
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