AGRItunity Planning Committee announces keynote speaker for upcoming conference – Ben Hewitt Farmer/Author

 Ben Hewitt was born and raised in northern Vermont, where he currently runs a small-scale, diversified hill farm with his family. He lives with his wife and two sons in a self-built home that is powered by a windmill and solar photovoltaic panels. To help offset his renewable energy footprint, Ben drives a really big truck. His work has appeared in numerous national periodicals, including the New York Times Magazine, Wired, Gourmet, Discover, Skiing, Eating Well, Yankee Magazine, Powder, Men’s Journal, National Geographic Adventure, and Outside.


His most recent book is Making Supper Safe: One Man’s Quest to Learn the Truth About Food Safety (Rodale). It was published on June 7, 2011. From dumpster diving, to the battle over food rights, to genetically engineered salmon and the interplay between humans and the bacteria they consume, Ben explores the untold story of food safety with humor and good-natured skepticism. His first book, The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food (Rodale), was published in 2010. It tells the story of a rural, working-class Vermont community that is attempting to blueprint and implement a localized food system.

At the conference Ben Hewitt will provide a keynote address entitled, “The Future’s in the Dirt: Digging into localized agriculture and its potential to revitalize health, environment and regional economies.” He will also conduct a workshop for those who want to learn how he uses alternative energy, which he calls “Sustainable Energy for Sustainable Agriculture: The realities of solar powered food production.”
The AGRItunity Conference and Trade Show will be held at the Sumter County Agricultural Education Center at the Sumter County Fairgrounds in Bushnell, Florida on January 28, 2012. Don’t miss this exciting annual event! In addition to the keynote speech there will be 8 workshops, a large tradeshow, animal exhibits, antique farm equipment and more. Lunch is available for purchase on site from the famous restaurant the Speckled Butterbean. Pre-registration is $15 at http://sumter.ifas.ufl.edu. The cost for the conference is $20 at the door if not pre-registered. For more information call (352) 793-2728 x236 or email sakelly@ufl.edu. AGRItunity is a project of the extension offices in Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Pasco and Sumter counties.

Where are the Food Entrepreneurs?

On July 1, 2011 House Bill 7209 was enacted allowing individuals to prepare certain foods in their homes for direct sales to consumers.  The Cottage Food Law has finally opened doors for people to bake, can or prepare a limited amount of food products in their home kitchen with a permit or license.

This is great news at a time when people are searching for additional income and other people are searching for locally produced artisan foods!  These foods are very much needed at the Wildwood Growers' Market, to compliment the produce and crafts being sold there.

The following foods are now allowed to be prepared in a home kitchen and sold, up to $15,000 gross annual sales.
Loaf breads, rolls, biscuits
Cakes, pastries and cookies
Candies and confections
Honey
Jams, jellies and preserves
Fruit pies and dried fruits
Dry herbs, seasonings and mixtures
Homemade pasta
Cereals, trail mixes and granola
Coated or uncoated nuts
Vinegar and flavored vinegars
Popcorn, popcorn balls
 
So, food entrepreneurs out there - get cookin'!  The public is waiting for your delicious foods and the Wildwood Growers' Market would be the perfect place to sell them!  For a copy of the law or more information please call me at (352) 793-2728 x236.

Summer At The Wildwood Growers' Market

Summer can be a rough time for a farmer's market, with temperatures at their peak and visitors on vacation.  But the Wildwood Growers' Market is still going strong, every Saturday and year round!

If you haven't visited the market in Wildwood, it is on Main Street in front of Wildwood City Hall.  The City of Wildwood sponsors the market and has been great supporters of it since it began on October 24, 2009. The focus of the market has always been locally grown produce when we can get it, and hand made crafts.

This Saturday it is Christmas in July at the market!  Come by and start your Christmas shopping early!  This is an example of what creative market managers do to keep people coming to the market during the summer months.

Don't miss the Florida Small Farms Conference July 15 - 17!

This great conference is gearing up for the 3rd year and anyone interested in farming should not miss this event.  It is jam-packed with information from the workshops and exhibitors and includes time to network and socialize as well.

The purpose of the Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference is to provide farmers with more in-depth educational information, to facilitate networking, dialog, and visioning among members of the Florida small farms community, and to increase awareness of the small farms industry to decision makers, supporting institutions, and the general public.

The conference will provide high quality educational and networking activities geared to small farms. Concurrent educational sessions (presentations, workshops, hands-on demonstration, and discussion groups) will be provided to share results of groundbreaking research and provide educational support for producers to operate sustainable and profitable enterprises.

The sessions will span across the following topics:

• Alternative Enterprises                                                   
• Alternative Energy
• Business and Marketing
• Horticulture
• Livestock
• Organic and Sustainable Farming
• Policy and Regulations

Additional Conference Highlights Include:

• Pre-conference Workshops and Tours
• Featured Florida Farmers
• Livestock Arena with Live Animal Exhibits
• Local Foods
• Large Exhibition Showcasing Products and Technologies
• Farmer to Farmer Roundtable Discussions

To register go to http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu 

Food Entrepreneurs Could Share a Kitchen

Sumter County is home to some of the best cooks, canners and bakers than can be found anywhere.  Our climate allows us to grow almost any fruit, vegetable, dairy, poultry or meat product in abundance.  What is missing in this area is a commercial kitchen that can be used to legally produce food products and sell them.

One of the most common questions asked at our UF/IFAS Sumter County Extension Office is “how can I sell ­­­my” cookies, jams, pickled okra, eggs, goat cheese and much more.  These budding food entrepreneurs are then bombarded with the truth of the kitchen certification process and the necessary food manager certification.  There are label requirements and permits that must be considered as well.

All foods to be sold to the public must be produced in a permitted commercial kitchen with a certified food manager present.  The Florida Food Safety Act outlines the rules for food preparation and can be found in Florida Statutes Chapter 500.  While it may not be cost effective to build a commercial kitchen for one food enterprise, shared kitchen incubators are providing solutions for farmers and food entrepreneurs that are interested in adding value to their crops or products through processing.  Rather than leave cull berries in the field, they can be processed into many products such as jams and jellies.  Prolific cucumbers and squash can be turned into pickles and relishes and sold at the local markets, stores or on the internet. An inspected mobile processing unit could be used to process poultry and meat animals for sale.

More than ever, consumers are very interested in purchasing locally produced products, as well as gourmet and artisan foods.  At the same time, small farmers and entrepreneurs are seeking ways to make a better living using the resources they have available.  This may be a good time to consider developing a small business incubator that focuses on food products.  If interested in learning more about getting started in a food business please contact Susan Kelly at (352) 793-2728 ext. 236.  Please also take the food processing survey that will help determine the interest in participating in shared food processing facilities at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ProcessingSurvey   .

Get Energy Assistance with REAP

One of the hottest topics of conversation today is the cost and efficiency of renewable and non-renewable energy and associated technology. If you are a small business owner or farmer in Sumter County, you could be eligible for assistance in making your business more energy efficient. The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) is being offered by USDA Rural Development to provide loan guarantees or grants to eligible producers and small business owners.

The goal of the program is to help farmers and small businesses purchase and install renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements. Renewable energy systems could include those that generate energy from wind, the sun, biomass, geothermal sources or that produce hydrogen from biomass or water using renewable energy. To be eligible for the program, the system that you purchase must be commercially available and not something that you fabricated yourself. Energy-efficiency projects could involve installing or upgrading equipment to significantly reduce energy costs.

Energy audits and feasibility studies could also be eligible for assistance through this program. Do you know where your energy dollars are being used in your business or farm? With energy costs rising, this would be a great time to get help in determining ways to become more efficient. There are several good resources for Farm Energy Calculators available that can be used to do energy self-assessments.

Most farms and small businesses operate with a small profit margin, and saving on energy costs is a smart way to become more profitable! For information about REAP and other USDA Rural Development Energy Programs visit http://www.ruraldev.usda.gov For local assistance with renewable energy, energy calculators and other information please contact Susan Kelly, UF/IFAS Sumter County Extension at (352) 793-2728 x236 or http://sumter.ifas.ufl.edu



AGRItunity 2011 was the best yet!

 Thanks to our speakers, sponsors, vendors, volunteers and those of you who came to learn!  We had 472 people attend in some capacity during the day - a new record.  Keynote Speaker Daniel Salatin was inspirational and all of the sessions were well received.  There were 90 exhibitors present - bringing you a first hand look at their products and services - including the alpaca and llamas from Serenity Hills Llama Ranch below, and anitique farm tools and equipment brought by Steve Melton.  Special thanks to our volunteers - we had 43 volunteers during the day and could not have made it without them!  Hope to see you next year - January 28th!

Serenity Hills Llama Ranch, Groveland, FL

Clay Olson teaching class about mushroom culture.

Steve Melton entertains and educates!

Don't Miss A Chance to Hear Daniel Salatin at AGRItunity 2011 Conference

Daniel grew up in the Shenandoah Valley on Polyface Farms, “a farm of many faces” and is the son of author and farmer Joel Salatin. The mission of the farm is: to develop emotionally, economically, environmentally enhancing agricultural enterprises and facilitate their duplication throughout the world. Daniel has spoken at many farm conferences and can relay his experiences working daily on the farm.

Daniel’s keynote address is entitled “Relationship Marketing” and will provide insight into how their farm has developed direct markets such as restaurants, buying clubs, on-site store and retail outlets. He will also present “Salad Bar Beef” during the livestock workshops. This is the term Salatin coined to describe his pasture-finished cattle: fresh daily paddocks and lots of forage species variety. A hard core how-to talk, this one walks the audience though electric fencing, water systems, breeding, movement logistics, forage growth and rest cycles, stockpiling for dormant seasons, and processing.

The AGRItunity Conference and Trade Show will be held at the Sumter County Agricultural Education Center at the Sumter County Fairgrounds in Bushnell, Florida on January 29, 2011. Don’t miss this exciting annual event! In addition to the keynote speech there will be 8 workshops, a large tradeshow, animal and alternative energy exhibits, antique farm equipment and more. Lunch is available for purchase on site from the famous restaurant the Speckled Butterbean. Pre-registration is $10 at http://sumter.ifas.ufl.edu. The cost for the conference is $15 at the door if not pre-registered. For more information call (352) 793-2728 x236 or email sakelly@ufl.edu. AGRItunity is a project of the extension offices in Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Pasco and Sumter counties.