Practical Farmers of Iowa

Mostly I just love the name of this group:
https://practicalfarmers.org/
But I like their purpose, too:
We use farmer-led investigation and information sharing to help farmers practice an agriculture that benefits both the land and people.
And the fact that it's a farmer-to-farmer kind of organization. 

And I skimmed this from their values.
Curiosity, creativity, collaboration and community
I want every group I am a part of to embrace these. 

I learned from a Civil Eats story today that the Leopold Center has been defunded. It really makes no sense to me how a party that defines itself as conservative - you know which one - is so short-sighted. Because not supporting research in sustainable and resilient agriculture trades the best of our past and our hope for the future away in the service of present day greed. 
There's a whole lot of bad stuff going on beyond D.C.

When there's nothing decent on Netflix

I'm not sure why I am just discovering this resource now: live streams and then archived interviews and panels on food system issues from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley in cooperation with The Edible Schoolyard. https://edibleschoolyard.org/ee101
I must say that I find a little Alice Waters goes a long way, but the speakers are top notch and the topics timely. I'm going to watch a few of these - perhaps even some in real time this evening, or a week from tonight when they tackle regenerative agriculture - and then offer a few substantive reviews. Stay tuned.

Book review

Eat Less Water 

by Florencia Ramirez (Pasadena; Red Hen Press, 2017)

My overall impression of this book is that Ramirez tries to do too many things. Part travelogue, part
cookbook, with facts (some footnotes and references) and opinions, it’s an interesting book to stroll through or dip into, but a bit scattered in its argument. 

I do like the food-by-food chaptering, which encourages one to think about one facet of diet at a time. For example, with ecotarian goals I need to think more about the amount and sources of dairy in my diet. I’m not sure, though, that the numbers at the chapter’s head make sense. Does a pound of butter really require more than eight times the water to produce than a pound of cheese does? Maybe I ought to give up butter and just eat more cheese? Or it may be  that the numbers don’t tell the whole story, since the by-products of both cheese and butter making do have uses that share their water burden. I am also really sure that I don’t need to purchase milk from dairy cows treated with homeopathy. 

Which leads me to mention that I’m not sure the author’s always choosing organic in everything she

purchases is best. There are farmers using no or greatly reduced tilling whose crops are not certified

organic, and may be a better choice than products of large scale organic farms. 

On the positive side, I’m still pondering Ramirez’s instructions for purchasing flour. If you don’t know

how the wheat was irrigated, purchase flour from the Dakotas and Montana where it isn’t irrigated,

she instructs. I was happy a year or so ago, thinking closer is usually better, to find organic whole

wheat flour from California; am I wrong to be buying it? 

Finally, a big plus is the author’s inclusion of beverages: coffee, wine, tequila, and beer. I’m a

cider drinker myself these days; but do you know how many gallons it took to produce that

six-pack of beer? 

Climate Change and our food supply

I can't possibly include all the resources I have amassed in the short paper I'm working on for the Episcopal Networks Collaborative. So here's an article on one of my favorite fruits, cranberries - just so I won't lose it.
https://foodprint.org/blog/cranberries-climate-change/

Where I buy it when I don't grow it

Imwalle Gardens
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/10538928-181/santa-rosas-imwalle-gardens-a?fbclid=IwAR2M_Tiaf2vCr4Fk3LBcqJuzGaLRnXoRy6KEZMqxANr5GEYQ0D5wx4HWGUk&artslide=4&sba=AAS

And in season, Chiatri de Laguna Farm
https://www.farmtrails.org/business/chiatri-de-laguna-farm/

Both are less than two miles from where I live.

Winter gleaning

Bountifield

Years ago I asked what anyone might know about an organization called CTI, promoting sustainable technologies for global agriculture. I've never found anyone in my local circle who had an answer. A little online research just now revealed that they have been rebranded as Bountifield, with a focus on Africa, providing support for improved and sustainable post-harvest technologies, such as storage and getting crops to market. Ninety percent of the farmers they help are women. It seems critical work to reduce hunger and food waste, and to improve the lives of rural women. You can read all about it and support them through this website https://bountifield.org/