GOOD FOOD
FOR THOUGHT
2020
conference 2020: Alice Waters Visit Highlights Farm-to-School Momentum in Georgia
Story by Corinne Kocher and photos by Bailey Garrot of Shared Plates.
Georgia's reputation as a farm-to-school leader was on full display during Alice Waters' Edible Schoolyard Project lunch at the Georgia Organics conference.
While Alice Waters may be most well-known as chef and owner of Chez Panisse, she was a Montessori teacher before she started the restaurant. This background informs her work today with the Edible Schoolyard Project, a nonprofit she founded over 25 years ago. The ESP supports a network of over 7,000 schools that have a garden, kitchen classroom, farm to school lunch program, or curriculum that involves ecology, sustainability, and building community.
LONG-TERM HOOP HOUSE RESEARCH AT WOODLAND GARDENS
Celia Barss, owner of Woodland Gardens, a 12+ acre organic farm just outside of Athens in Winterville, Georgia, know the benefits and weaknesses of hoop houses firsthand.
With about an acre and a half of hoop houses, the oldest one at the 15-year mark, Barss recounts how her hoop houses started to suffer a decline in production, due to pest and disease pressure, around year ten.
One of the prime issues in Barss' hoop houses, which is common to most growers, is root knot nematodes, parasites that build up to large numbers in beds and destroy root systems. "Everyone will end up having problems with it, because they're present in our soil - it's a matter of time," says Barss.
WEEDS: ORganic Farming’s biggest challenge
Dr. Nick Basinger, Assistant Professor of Weed Science in UGA's Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, knows this challenge well - and he's ready to speak about it during his session, "Know Your Enemy: The Biology of Weeds" at the Georgia Organics Conference.
Basinger says that the timing of the Georgia Organics Conference is perfect for this discussion.
"Come February, farmers are going into a critical time of the year," he says. "If farmers can have weed control as part of their plan of action, they can essentially start with a cleaner field before some of the more challenging times later in their season.”
Black Farmer Prosperity Track focuses on ideas of abundance
"We were asking, 'How do we create a track that is about honoring the ancestors, the people currently farming, and the folks who aren't even here yet?'" says Matthew Raiford, Chefarmer at Gilliard Farms in Brunswick.
Chefarmer Raiford helped shape the 2020 Georgia Organics conference Black Farmer Prosperity Track with a committed group of farmers and Georgia Organics staff along with the funding for the track being provided by Southern SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education), which was championed by Brennan Washington, Southeastern Outreach Coordinator and 1890 Land Grant Liaison for Southern SARE.
The track’s sessions include:
Funding your Farm: Understanding FSA Loans, Community Banking, and Non-Traditional Options;
Collards Aren’t the New Kale;
Black Farmer Prosperity in Action;
and Cooperative Principles and Black Farmer Strength.
Regenerative ag research in Georgia: Rodale's Regional Resource CenteR
The South saw the most growth in organic farming from 2011-2016, and the Rodale Institute is looking to contribute to that expansion - through providing scientific research, economic models, and educational outreach at a Regional Resource Center (RRC), about an hour outside Atlanta in Chattahoochee Hills.
"There's some data to show that areas that have research and education tend to have a higher concentration of organic farmers," says Andrew Smith, PhD and Chief Scientist at Rodale. "We're hoping to use this center to spark a movement and start to expand the amount of organic farmers in the region.”
Dayspring Farms unique in Georgia for Cleaning, milling
DaySpring Farms saw early on in their business that there was an acreage threshold, even in organic commodity farming, to making a profit. Caught in the middle, DaySpring did a side step, getting into value-added commodity production and storage crops. Providing on-site cleaning and milling allows DaySpring to make a larger profit percentage off of what they grow.
being the change: 3 PORCH FARM TAKES RESPONSIBILITY
Steve O’Shea takes his environmental footprint seriously. Alongside his wife Mandy, he owns and runs 3 Porch Farm, an organic flower and fruit farm in Comer, Georgia. For the O’Sheas, organic farming is the way they can combat global warming and be a force for good. “This farm isn't an occupation to me,” O’Shea said. “This farm is our contribution to the world.”
FIRST-TIME FARMERS thriving AT LADYBIRD FarM
Derek Pope and Sydney Buffington of Ladybird Farm are new to the Athens Farmers Market, but have already established a following of customers. They stand out with a fresh aesthetic, a well-presented variety of produce offerings with a flair for the unique and, of course, their youthful demeanors.
“We are the youngest people here by far as owner-operators,” Sydney said. “Most people do this as their second career and I’m really happy that we’re doing it as our first.”
molly canfield: athens good food champion
To Molly, there's something about "the spirit of Athens" that leads community members to be so supportive of one another. For her, she saw this support first-hand while working with a group of citizens to change a city planning ordinance that banned both front yard gardens and backyard chickens. Four years later, her front yard garden is abloom with tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers.
A tradition of comfort
When Jessica Rothacker imagined a restaurant all her own, she dreamed of combining the best of what she’d experienced working elsewhere.
She opened Heirloom Café in 2011, with the communal, local, seasonal, and inspired at the forefront of their offering. It was a fast success in a town that cherishes all of the above.
serving athens “daily”
The Daily Groceries Co-op has been "centered in Athens culture" for more than two decades, according to Theo Horne, Daily's Outreach and Marketing Coordinator. "Most of our customers stop in several times a week, and many folks we see every day."
inspiration kept erin wilson in athens
After coming to University of Georgia in 2007 to study Public Relations, Erin quickly fell in love with the vibrant Athens community. The city's energy pulled her to stay after graduation, where she found a home in the local restaurant scene.
experience the plate sale
Behind the bar, Shyretha Sheats is using a shaker to pour out tall cocktails for the waiting crowd. Past a narrow hallway, food runners darting to and fro, Mike Sheats is grilling sliced okra over flames in the kitchen. Shyretha and Mike are the couple behind The Plate Sale, a multi-faceted food concept that, tonight, is a pop up.
overheard at the athens farmers market
The Athens Farmers Market is full of characters with something to say. To catch a glimpse of this community, we asked six market attendees the same three questions.
thurman keeps the athens farmers market thriving
At the Georgia Organics 2020 Conference in Athens, Sarah Thurman will be speaking about FARM Rx and about identifying resources within your community for program funding. Her talk will focus on helping smaller communities who are interested in developing similar community programming.