October Farm to School Month: Honoring History & Culture through Farm to School Curriculum, Recap

By Kimberly Koogler 

Kimberly Koogler is the Farm to School Coordinator at Georgia Organics.  

For the grand finale of our October Farm to School Month Wednesday webinar series, we gathered at the Parkside Elementary School garden with Jenna Mobley of Tending Our Common Ground, Tasha Gomes of FoodCorps Georgia, and Suzanne Welander, a founding member of Parkside Elementary School’s garden.

To honor and get grounded in the garden space we were in, Suzanne Welander told us all about the history and evolution of Parkside’s school garden, including all of the many and various contributions made by so many different community members over the past 15 years.

Tasha Gomes Parkside Elementary Garden

We spent a lovely hour together, learning about culturally responsive teaching practices, talking about our favorite meals, exploring how that simple prompt can be turned into a culturally relevant and rich garden project for your whole class that promotes each student’s individual identity and celebrates the diversity in your classroom. 

If you were not able to join us for this, I really encourage you to watch the recording. It will not only inspire you, it will also leave you feeling good. Here are some golden nuggets to take away:  

• Culturally responsive teaching…  

• Honors those who came before us and those who are with us presently. 

• Acknowledges and promotes each of our individual student’s identities and celebrates diversity DAILY. 

• Engages in student-centered instruction, centered on students’ unique interests, abilities, and life experiences. 

• Connects to, affirms, uplifts, and validates your students’ family and community traditions and knowledge. 

• Are you a school garden leader having trouble getting teachers or other school community members engaged and invested in your school garden? Ask them how they want to use it and what they need to do so! How would the school garden best serve them and meet their needs?  

• A favorite children’s book to open the conversation about food and culture is The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin. 

• Have students catalog what they eat all week in a food journal and/or have them choose a favorite meal. Then you can plan your garden together, choosing plants that make up part of the students’ favorite meals. 

• There are many opportunities to invite parents into this process, too. 

• You could compile recipes brought from home into a class cookbook. 

• Encourage and model for students how to respectfully express curiosity about their peers and their lived experiences.  

Tasha Gomes mealtime traditions (photo by Jenna Mobley)

To learn more about FoodCorps Georgia, visit foodcorps.org, and follow them on social media @foodcorps_ga.

To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit georgiaorganics.org and follow us on social media @GeorgiaOrganics and at facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics.  

October Farm to School Month: Livin’ la Vida Okra con Mis Pequeños Genios, Recap & Video

En Español y English (scroll down)

Livin’ la Vida Okra con Mis Pequeños Genios—Resumen

Por Kimberly Koogler

Kimberly Koogler es la Coordinadora de Farm to School en Georgia Organics.

El miércoles pasado, el equipo Farm to School se reunió con María Claudia Ortega en su guardería familiar en Marietta, GA, My Little Geniuses para conversar con ella y ver como ella hace Farm to ECE todos los días con sus estudiantes chiquitos.

My Little Geniuses excited about okra!

Maria Claudia teaching knife skills

Empezamos entrevistando a María Claudia para conocerla un poco más, de donde es y de su familia y su trabajo. María Claudia y su esposo, Jesus Silva vinieron desde Colombia, su país de origen, hace aproximadamente 20 años. Vienen de familia agricultora y María Claudia había estudiado la educación especial en Colombia. Llegaron acá y a pesar de que fue bastante difícil empezar de nuevo en un país nuevo, donde el idioma principal es inglés, lograron a abrir su guardería My Little Geniuses dentro de su propio hogar. Con el correr de los años se ha hecho una guardería de gran reputación con un excelente programa de Farm to ECE.

Luego María Claudia describió para la audiencia dos ejemplos específicos de actividades Farm to ECE que ella ha hecho con sus propios estudiantes:

1. El primer de cómo cortar y preparar el okra con los estudiantes para hacer una prueba de sabor de okra frito al “air fryer”

2. Y el segundo de una exploración de hojas diversas y otra prueba de sabor de diferentes hojas de tres maneras distintas.

(photos: onion bed screen shot, garden tour screenshot) Por último, nos dio un recorrido por su huerta donde se cultivan muchos vegetales diversos para utilizar ahí en la guardería diariamente.

En caso de que no pudiera asistir, aqui hay algunos puntos clave:

• Los beneficios de cultivar y cosechar en un entorno ECE son muchos, incluyendo:

• La comida que uno cultiva y cosecha por si mismo está mas fresca, segura, sabrosa, y sana.

• Ya no hay que comprar tanta verdura del super.

• Es un programa rico y bonito que ofrece oportunidades sin fin de aprendizaje diferentes para los niños.

• Empiece con algo pequeño, poco a poco, sea constante y diligente, y su programa de educación jardinería crecerá con el tiempo.

• Toda cosa (literalmente)y cada falla en el jardín es una oportunidad de aprendizaje para los niños.

• El okra hecho al “air fryer” sale muy rico. 😉

Se puede hacer aderezo “Ranch” de yogurt griego, especies, e hierbas, y a los niños les gusta toda verdura mejor la que tenga “Ranch”.

Un programa de jardinería en un centro ECE queda mejor si se involucran a los padres. Por ejemplo: Maria Claudia nos dijo que la mayoría de las familias de My Little Geniuses son Mexicanas que comen picante, y por eso, cultiva varias clases de chile/pimiento para compartir con ellas.

Echa un vistazo a la grabación para obtener más información sobre My Little Geniuses y su programa modelo de Farm to ECE.

Para obtener más información e inscribirse en Livin ’la Vida Okra, visite bit.ly/livinlavidaokra.

Para obtener más información sobre Georgia Organics, visite georgiaorganics.org y síganos en las redes sociales @GeorgiaOrganics y en facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics.

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Livin’ la Vida Okra con Mis Pequeños Genios—Recap

By Kimberly Koogler

Kimberly Koogler is the Farm to School Coordinator at Georgia Organics.

Last Wednesday, the Farm to School team met with Maria Claudia Ortega at her family daycare center, My Little Geniuses, in Marietta, GA to talk with her and see how she does Farm to ECE every day with her young students.

We began by interviewing Maria Claudia to get to know her a little more and learn where she’s from and about her family and work. Maria Claudia and her husband, Jesus Silva, came from Colombia, their home country, about 20 years ago. They come from a farming family and Maria Claudia had studied special education in Colombia. They arrived here and despite it being very difficult to start anew in a new country, where the primary language spoken is English, they managed to open their family daycare center My Little Geniuses out of their own home. Over time, they have gained a great reputation and have created an excellent Farm to ECE program.

My Little Geniuses making air fried okra.

Then Maria Claudia described for the audience two specific examples of Farm to ECE activities that she has done with her own students:

1. The first one about how to cut and prepare okra with students for a taste test of air-fried okra.

2. And the second about an exploration of different leaves and a three-part taste test of different edible leaves.

Lastly, she gave us a tour of their garden, where they grow a bunch of different vegetables to use daily in their ECE center.

In case you missed it, here are some key takeaways:

My Little Geniuses tasting okra!

There are so many benefits of growing food in an ECE setting, including:

• The food you grow yourself is more fresh, safe, tasty, and healthy.

• You don’t have to buy as much produce from the store.

• It’s a rich and beautiful program that offers endless different learning opportunities for the kids.

• Start small, be consistent, and your gardening education program will grow over time.

• Literally everything and every failure in the garden is a learning opportunity for the kids.

• Turns out air-fried okra is delicious.

You can make your own ranch dressing using Greek yogurt, herbs, and spices, and kids like vegetables better with Ranch.

Garden tour with Maria Claudia.

A gardening program in an ECE Center is even better with engaged parents. For example, Maria Claudia told us that the majority of My Little Geniuses’ families are Mexican and like spicy food, so she grows several different varieties of hot peppers to share with them.

Check out the recording to learn more about My Little Geniuses and their model Farm to ECE program.

To find out more about and sign up for Livin’ la Vida Okra, visit bit.ly/livinlavidaokra.

To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit georgiaorganics.org and follow us on social media @GeorgiaOrganics and facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics.

Welcome, 2021-2022 Accelerator Farmer Cohort!

Written by Kayla Williams

Kayla Williams is a Farmer Services Coordinator at Georgia Organics.

When a small-scale independent farmer sets out to run their own operation, there are typically several barriers to them running a successful business, having a good work-life balance, and ensuring that the plants/animals are being taken care of. Farmers suddenly become soil scientists, bookkeepers, a marketing agency, the human resources department, food safety specialists and so much more. More often than not, farmers do not get access to a support system that addresses the specific challenges they face. They are often isolated in rural places with little time to rest, nurture their mental health, pay all the various bills that pile up, and fix equipment that keeps breaking.

The Georgia Organics Farmer Services team supports farmer members in a variety of ways: providing emergency relief funds, assisting farmers to get access to free healthcare, facilitating networking opportunities for farmers to build community, hosting technical workshops, subsidizing fees for the USDA Organic Certification process and the Accelerator program.

Michael Wall, the director of Farmer Services, designed the Accelerator program with “going an inch wide and a mile deep” in mind. Although the program only accepts ten farmers per year, the case managers form deep relationships with the cohort through monthly check-ins and periodic check-ins after the year-long program is up. In addition to accessing this Georgia Organics support system, the farmers have the opportunity to get to know other cohort members and professional consultants, hopefully forming connections beyond Georgia Organics and their time in the program.

In spring 2021, the Georgia Organics Farmer Services team accepted the second Accelerator cohort. The ten cohort members were chosen from a pool of approximately sixty Georgia farmers who applied for the Accelerator program. The year-long program begins with the cohort members getting matched up with a Farmer Services staff member, which will serve as their case manager. Afterward, an intake process is conducted to determine the cohort farms’ key needs, opportunities and challenges. Through coaching with farm experts, conversations with their case managers, and research, the farms can spend up to $9650 on their operation. With approval from the consultants and case managers, farmers have chosen to spend this investment capital on everything from compost to tractor implements, automatic greenhouse watering systems, and tarps. In reality, many investments change a farm’s ability to be successful.

Speaking of success, the Farmer Services team hopes to move towards understanding what it looks like for a farm to be successful through the Accelerator program’s data collection before, during, and after the farm is a part of the program. From a stress assessment to the farms’ revenue and surveys on how the infrastructure investments have benefitted the farmers’ (physically? mentally? time-saving?), the Farmer Services team is interested in ensuring that this program is as effective and impactful as possible. A member from the 2020-2021 Accelerator cohort said during their exit interview, “For us, it did exactly what it set out to do. It gave us an acceleration… You learn so much about specific things you need help but don't spend your money on…We felt so fortunate to be benefactors of the Accelerator program.”

Without further delay, please give a warm welcome to our 2021-2022 Accelerator Cohort!

Bread and Butter Farm in Monroe, GA follow them on Instagram and Facebook

Bread and Butter Farm courtesy of Kayla Williams

Bugg Farm in Pine Mountain, GA follow them on Instagram and Facebook

Chattahoochee Queen in Atlanta, GA follow them on Instagram

Chattahoochee Queen courtesy of Kayla Williams

Heritage Farm on Sapelo Island, GA Learn more in this article

Ladybird Farm in Hull, GA follow them on Instagram and Facebook

Ladybird Farm courtesy of Kayla Williams

Levity Farms in Madison, GA follow them on Instagram and Facebook

Rag and Frass Farm in Jeffersonville, GA follow them on Instagram and Facebook

Starlit Roots Farm in Keyesville, GA follow them on Instagram and Facebook

Sunbird Flowers in Lithonia, GA follow them on Instagram and Facebook

Sunbird Flowers courtesy of Sunbird Flowers

Vesterfield Farms in Cochran, GA follow them on Instagram and Facebook

Stay tuned for a deeper dive with each farm over the next several months. Stay in touch with Georgia Organics on social media @GeorgiaOrganics and at facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics

October Farm to School Month: The Secret Succotash Society, Recap

By Kimberly Koogler

Kimberly Koogler is the Farm to School Coordinator at Georgia Organics. 

Next in our webinar series line-up on October 20 is Livin' la Vida Okra con Mis Pequeños Genios presented in Spanish by Maria Claudia Ortega of My Little Geniuses and Lena Enciso of Georgia Organics and translated to English by Kimberly Koogler of Georgia Organics.

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Today is your special day because we’re freely offering to you the steaming secrets of an American treasure, a most satisfying succotash. Welcome to this high society!

In case you missed it, The Secret Succotash Society gathered last week, and the not-so-secret secrets of “suffering succotash” were revealed. Cobb County UGA Extension Agent, Master Gardener, and Food Historian, Terri Carter (pictured below) beautifully laid out some of the intriguing and important histories behind both okra and the old, multicultural dish called “succotash.”

Chef, Author, and Health Educator, Asata Reid gave to us a live demonstration of how to cook succotash, made our mouths water, and shared with us some culinary secrets as well as some suggestions for incorporating cooking into curriculum and/or curriculum into cooking.

Here are some key takeaways, but seriously, check out the recording of this presentation (scroll down!) to make sure you get all the juicy bits:

• Africans, kidnapped and forced into slavery brought okra to the Americas.

• Explore the different names around the world for okra and how okra is used in different cultures.

• Succotash, introduced to struggling colonial immigrants by the Narragansett people, was born out of the genius Native American technology and system of planting known as the “three sisters”. The basic elements are corn, squash, and beans. This brilliant combination of legumes and whole grains provides the amino acids your body needs to create complete proteins.

Culinary secrets:

• To avoid okra slime, cook fresh, whole okra quickly, just until bright green and still firm.

• Or cook okra longer in stews so that it becomes part of the sauce and thickens the stew.

• Make sure you use a heavy pan (it’s better for caramelization and it’s safer in the classroom).

• Don't overcook your corn!

• Use lots of smoky paprika for flavor if you’re not going to use bacon or sausage.

• A whole lot of black pepper is the secret to Southern cooking.

• Serve your succotash over rice for a super sensational and satisfying, not-at-all-suffering, nutrient dense meal.

• This simple dish is bursting with opportunity to learn and teach: history, culture, social studies, math and science, measurements, chemical reactions, emulsification, knife skills, exploration of shapes, size, contrasting colors…

Here is the recipe and scroll down or click here to check out the recording!

Next in our webinar series line-up on October 20 is Livin' la Vida Okra con Mis Pequeños Genios presented in Spanish by Maria Claudia Ortega of My Little Geniuses and Lena Enciso of Georgia Organics and translated to English by Kimberly Koogler of Georgia Organics.

To see all of our upcoming Good Food for Thought events, visit georgiaorganics.org/virtual-events.

To learn more about and sign up for Livin’ la Vida Okra visit bit.ly/livinlavidaokra.

To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit georgiaorganics.org, and follow us on social media @GeorgiaOrganics and at facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics.

Georgia Food Oasis Mini-Grantee Spotlight: Marigold Market

By Suzanne Girdner

BACKGROUND: Marigold Market (marigoldmarket.square.site) received a Spring 2021 Planning Grant and a Fall 2021 Implementation Mini-Grants through Georgia Organics’ community outreach initiative, Georgia Food Oasis. 

Marigold Market:

• Saturdays 10am-2pm, May 1-Dec. 11

• Pittard Park at 115 Parkview Rd. Winterville, GA 30683.

• facebook.com/marigoldmarketwinterville

LEADERSHIP: Sherrie Anderson, Farmers Market Manager; Laura Ney, UGA Clarke County Extension Agent; Dodd Ferrelle, Mayor of Winterville

FUNDING: Funds were used to assist with launching in-person activities, marketing outreach, and market coordination.

Lydia Engelsen of Sungate Farm

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WINTERVILLE—At first glance you may think Marigold Market is a quaint Saturday farmers market at Pittard Park that’s always been there—not a market only in its second season.   Launching in the pandemic Spring of 2020, Marigold was immediately forced to pivot to a pre-order drive-thru market.  And then relaunched in Spring 2021 as traditional in-person farmers market.  Like many markets it’s been a challenging season of reinvention but luckily Marigold Market has an experienced and resourceful market manager Sherrie Anderson volunteering her time and expertise to meet an array of challenges still unfolding as a grassroots market and food hub. 

Sherrie Anderson and Mayor Dodd Ferrelle

After surviving and witnessing the enthusiasm for the market in 2020, Anderson realized many of the Marigold Market farm partners were very small-scale farmers who had barriers to access marketplaces.  Many farmer partners could not afford to sell at other farmers markets due to vendor fees and smaller crop volumes.   Anderson also notes that their farm partners are predominately woman, Black or Brown-owned farmers and/or market-gardeners. This prompted Anderson and UGA Athens-Clarke County extension agent, Laura Ney to think about additional ways Marigold could facilitate market opportunities for these small-scale farmers—what if Marigold Market operated with small-farmer prosperity as its cornerstone?  What if Marigold Market became a hub of market opportunities for these farmers and small food businesses?

This was an idea that well-aligned with Mayor Dodd Ferrelle’s aspirations of attracting more small businesses into Winterville, a small city next to Athens that lacks a full-service grocery store and reliable public transport.  Winterville residents must drive several miles into East Athens for weekly food shopping and needs. Mayor Ferrelle began to think about ways to leverage existing assets to foster more economic activity while meeting the food access needs of residents.   What if Marigold Market was the opportunity to address both of these needs?

Marigold leadership quickly aligned their visions for Winterville residents and nearby farms, and during its first and second market season installed cold storage in a former park pavilion at Pittard Park. Marigold Market food hub was born in the winter of 2021, and is a place for farmers and local organizations to safely store produce.  At the same time Marigold applied for and received a commercial kitchen license for an adjacent kitchen pavilion at Pittard Park so farmers and food entrepreneurs had an immediate space for creating value-added products. The day I visited with Marigold, Sungate Farm was finishing three small batches of salsa with an overabundance of tomatoes.

Cold storage in a former park pavilion at Pittard Park, Marigold Market.

As Marigold progresses through the second season, they continue to refine and develop a plan for making Winterville a hub for small-farm businesses.  I visited Sherrie Anderson to see and learn more about the personality of the market and farm partners, and how Winterville is transforming big ideas into local action:

Tell us a little about yourself?

Sherrie: I’m a Native Floridian that moved to Athens in 2012 and earned Bachelors in Business Administration and Leadership.  In free time I love to read, go for hikes, and thoroughly enjoy sunsets and waterfalls. I’ve always been involved with volunteering and community service opportunities wherever I’ve lived because fostering community connection is important to me. Being a mom of 8 and grandma to 9 keeps me busy and blessed. I love watching super-hero movies and TV-shows because you see so much leadership in their characters in how they make hard choices.  My other creative outlets are sewing and playing the piano.

Why are you a local food activist/advocate?

Sherrie: I have been food insecure, so I know what it’s like. That experience solidified my belief that everyone absolutely deserves fresh healthy food without any form of discrimination.  There should be no shame in procuring food—people are often working very hard but do not have enough money to buy the food they need, and they feel ashamed they cannot purchase what they need.  My vision for Marigold and the Winterville community is to facilitate an experience were everyone can participate and add value to community food projects whatever their means. We see value in what life skills people may have developed, maybe it’s time and transportation for food distribution, or simply volunteering at market, or helping a farmer gather produce.  We want residents to find ways for themselves to contribute in a way that fits their life and talents while it builds up our community. 

A favorite way of celebrating with food?

Sherrie: I love getting in the kitchen, making things up and just seeing what happens. Just allow your creativity to flow.  I do not follow recipes—and today, a few of my kids are the same way.  One time I remember buying an ice-cream cake that said “every day is a day worth celebrating.”  Isn’t that’s such a good mantra to take to heart, how can our busy culture step away and cultivate more celebratory meals and moments in an everyday sense? 

DeijhonYearby of Cozybear Market Garden

How would you describe the market?

Sherrie: Marigold is a very happy market, and we try really hard to head off any signals of stress.  Everyone is very helpful. There’s a beautiful spirit of helping one another versus competing with one another. There’s a sense of comradery farmer to farmer, vendor to vendor. Of course, Winterville and Pittard Park is just a very peaceful and idyllic location for a market with lots of shade, a playground, pavilions, basketball, trails, and more. We are also just off the Firefly Trail, too.

Explain how the partners work together—UGA extension, the City of Winterville, Envision Athens, and Sherrie?

Sherrie: Envision Athens and City of Winterville started collaborating in 2019 on fresh food access in the area. In early 2020, Mayor Ferrelle and Laura Ney from UGA Extension hosted a meeting at the train depot for farmers.

When I attended that meeting, I thought I would volunteer in a minor support capacity. It didn’t take long to realize the Mayor’s vision that all citizens should have access to local, affordable, fresh food so they can live their best life aligned with my passion. He advocates on behalf of Market at City Council and with local businesses. UGA helps with research and fine details of executing the market. I bring the vision to life on a daily basis. You could say we are the three musketeers of the market with our passion, commitment, and fortitude.

Jean Young of Freedom City Gardens

What does success look like for the market in 1 year?  3 years?

Sherrie: Higher SNAP/EBT redemption and more diversity of customers at market.  In a year that looks like having better representation of the community at the market, so it reflects the inclusivity we seek. In 3 years expand into a new commercial kitchen space to better facilitate food recovery and support of value-added food producers.

There’s been a demand for this for a long time which only continues to grow. We would like to facilitate a sustainable local food system that will also benefit the local economy for years to come.

How can people—farmers, consumers, businesses get involved?

Sherrie: Vendors and farmers don’t have to be a vendor at the market to participate in food hub development. It is easy for them to offload or drop off any fresh food that might get composted after a market day in Athens or Atlanta. We would love more local businesses involved and look for ways Marigold can partner with them—financial or in-kind, or ways to cross pollinate our economic activities.

We are so thankful for the consistency of our consumers. One way they can help is to spread the word via their social media and word of mouth. If you’d like to attend or get involved email marigoldmarketwinterville@gmail.com to learn more.

Any special features you’re especially proud of or would like to highlight?

Sherrie: Mayor’s vision of rethinking the traditional farmers market and making it accessible to everyone—we support just compensation of farmers but also seek to meet the needs of our residents. 

I was once told you have to pick a side in the local food system, ‘you’re either an advocate for farmer; or you’re an advocate for consumer.’  And I wholeheartedly disagree. We strive to challenge the stereotypes and ways of doing things to make a more inclusive and viable food system for all.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Sherrie: Winterville is Gilmore Girls meets Mayberry, it’s such a great community.  Please come visit us on Saturdays, 10-2, at Pittard Park. 

Georgia Organics Announces the 2021 Class of Farmer Champions

By Lauren Cox 

Lauren Cox is the Farm to Restaurant, Farmer Champion, and Organic Procurement Coordinator at Georgia Organics. 

Fall has arrived and with it a much-needed turning of the season. The past couple of months our Farm to Restaurant team has been busy calculating Farmer Champion 2021 Round One invoices and are finally ready (and excited) to announce the newest additions to our Farmer Champion family. 

2021 FARMER CHAMPIONS 

These butcher shops, bakeries, cafes, and restaurants are located throughout Georgia and demonstrate the diverse way in which local sourcing is possible. Although not always easy, it is our belief here at Georgia Organics, that community-driven sourcing is part and parcel to creative and dynamic businesses that stand out among the crowd. We also know that movements often happen in a groundswell and judging from this list, we’ve got to say, these Farmer Champions are in great company. 

Without further ado, check out our 2021 Farmer Champion family.  

WHAT’S THE FARMER CHAMPION CAMPAIGN AGAIN?  

The Farmer Champion campaign began in 2019 as a way to understand, in earnest, which restaurants around the state source from local farms. Functionally, restaurants submit their purchasing invoices twice a year and from these invoices we calculate what percentage of their total food costs come from Georgia producers. Farmer Champions are the restaurants or bakeries that go through this verification process and spend at least 5% of their food budget with Georgia producers. Beyond that, Farmer Champions receive a Bronze, Silver, or Gold tier based on their percentage of spending after they’ve been in the campaign and submitted invoices for a year.  Some gold tier restaurants spend as much as 80% of their food budget giving money back to Georgia producers (which is huge!).

REFLECTIONS 

Two years after launching the Farmer Champion campaign, we have to admit we’ve learned a lot. Beyond its quantitative value, the campaign has given us the space and opportunity to build a community network for both furthering farmer/chef connections and supporting our restaurant partners.  

In 2020, while the pandemic challenged our local food system in numerous ways, we were able to leverage that network to create Food Fight GA, a locally sourced veggie box program for restaurant employees and their families and partnered with Wrecking Bar Brewpub in Atlanta to host a mid-week farmers market for farmers to make up for lost restaurant revenue. 

Now, as 2021 winds down and we reflect back on the dynamic evolution of the Farmer Champion campaign, we are grateful for the ways in which a simple system for quantifying local food purchases has continued to shift and grow. While our goal of recognizing restaurants sourcing from Georgia producers has never wavered, we have also learned that the Farmer Champion campaign is about so much more than that. It’s about community and connection.  

CELEBRATING OUR TOP FARMER CHAMPIONS (in case you missed it) 

A couple of months ago Georgia Organics held our Annual Awards ceremony where we celebrated our Land Steward and Pollinator winners in addition to four outstanding Farmer Champions that had the highest verified local and local, organic spend from producers here in Georgia. 

We were joined by GO staff, board, partner organization members, and eaters from around the state and it felt great taking the time to celebrate folks doing good work in our Georgia food community despite the difficulties of the past year. 

Moving ahead, each year we hope to continue this tradition of celebrating our top Farmer Champions and have already begun planning for next year’s event. Stay tuned and we'll keep you in the loop.  

KNOW A RESTAURANT IN GEORGIA THAT WOULD BE A GREAT FARMER CHAMPION PARTNER?  

Reach out to Kayla Williams at kayla@georgiaorganics.org to learn more. 

INTERESTED IN READING MORE?  

Read on as Lauren Cox, who leads our Farmer Champion campaign, explores the meaning of this often-overused phrase and why recognizing meaningful farm to restaurant partnerships is so important. Click below to read The Rise and Fall of Farm to Table and Through It All Our Farmer Champions.

to learn more about Georgia Organics, visit georgiaorganics.org. Follow us on social media @GeorgiaOrganics and at facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics. 

Check out the Good Food Guide and be sure to follow all of our Farmer Champion partners on social media!

Good Food for Thought and Conference Announcements

By Ashley Dowling

Ashley Dowling is the former Events Manager and Conference Coordinator at Georgia Organics.

Georgia Organics has always been a convener. For more than 23 years, we have brought people together from every corner of our state and beyond for good food events and, most notably, for our annual Conference & Expo.  

While nothing sounds better than coming together for a weekend at the annual Georgia Organics Conference & Expo, the pandemic has challenged us to continue to re-envision our work. 

For another year, Georgia Organics has decided we will not be hosting a conference in February of 2022. While we are saddened to share this news, we are excited to continue our Good Food for Thought programming year-round.  

We launched Good Food for Thought (gfft.georgiaorganics.org/) to continue our role as a convener by providing opportunities for learning and connection year-round, through panel discussions and webinars along with video resources, digital toolkits, podcast episodes, and more.  

Since the program’s launch in August 2020, we have hosted over 25 virtual events engaging with nearly 800 attendees. Georgia Organics has hosted workshops for farmers, train the trainer lessons for educators and farm-to-school advocates, and brought together community leaders to gain practical experience for coalition building.

We even celebrated our 2021 Land Steward, Barbara Petit Pollinator, and Farmer Champion awardees. We could not have done this work without our partners in this movement, sponsors, and our community of engaged attendees.  

While we won’t be able to gather, learn, and celebrate at the conference – we hope to see you at one of our upcoming events this fall!  

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UPCOMING EVENTS

OCTOBER

Join the Farm to School team every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. for our October Farm to School Month Webinar Series! Each week, Georgia Organics and partners will be highlighting lesson plans and Livin’ La Vida Okra resources & activities for all ages and learning environments.

On October 6, take a virtual field trip to Maple Park Homestead in Winder, GA with Farmer and Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher, Brooke Lewis-Slamkova as she demonstrates how to pickle okra and other vegetables using lacto-fermentation, including how to turn this into a STEM lesson for students. Register here!

Then on October 13, Chef, Author, and Health Educator, Asata Reid, and Cobb County Extension Agent and Farmer, Terri Carter, will share the history behind the dish known as "Succotash" and demonstrate how to prepare this dish with students. Register here!

Additional webinars include a Farm to ECE demonstration in English and Spanish by Maria Claudia Ortega of My Little Geniuses Center and a session on how to use the school garden as an outdoor classroom with FoodCorps at Parkside Elementary School.

FARMER FIELD DAYS

NOVEMBER

Georgia Organics is excited to announce two upcoming Farmer Field Days! These on-farm workshops are designed to deliver continued education opportunities to current farmers, space for each on-farm workshop is limited. Registration coming soon!

Join us as we team up with farmers Lindy Kloepfer and Daniel Guzman of The Little Farm Tractor School on Sunday, November 14 for “Tractors: Soil Health and Safety with the Little Fox Tractor School” hosted at Little Fox Farm in Douglasville, GA. Attendees will spend the afternoon learning tractor safety and education, strategies for utilizing tractors to optimize soil health and gain a deeper understanding of cover cropping using a tractor.  

This field day is for any beginning farmer or farmer looking to gain knowledge on tractor safety. The tractor safety lesson portion of this field day is a pre-requisite tractor safety course with Little Fox Tractor School – after completing this session attendees will be able to take more advanced tractor courses with Lindy and Daniel as they become available.   

december

Then on Monday, December 13 register for Proper Planning for the New Year: Crop Rotation Workshop hosted by Daniel Parson, Farmer & Educator at the Oxford College Farm, and Lauren Cox, of Georgia Organics.

Crop planning can save you time and minimize stress when looking towards the future. At Oxford College Farm at the Emory Campus in Oxford, GA, attendees will see a field rotation in action and learn about a tried-and-true rotation model. Following the farm tour & presentation, attendees will have the option to participate in a working session where you can bring your pen, paper, or computer to tackle building out your farm’s crop rotation for 2022 with the help of Daniel Parson and the Georgia Organics Farmer Services team.   

Daniel Parson, by Anthony Masterson

This field day is best for diversified fruit and vegetable farmers;  farmers that want to increase production; farmers with CSAs; farmers interested in Organic certification; and farmers looking to integrate or gain a deeper understanding of cover cropping.

Stay tuned to your email and social media as we release registration for these events in the coming weeks!  

To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit georgiaorganics.org, and follow them on social media @GeorgiaOrganics and at facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics.

Farm to School Innovation Mini-Grants In Lieu of Golden Radish Awards

By Kimberly Koogler

Farm to School Coordinator at Georgia Organics

When I started working at Georgia Organics four and a half years ago, part of my job (and one of my favorite parts) was to encourage School Nutrition Directors across the state to apply for an annual Golden Radish Award, the prestigious award that recognizes GA school districts who are doing extraordinary work in farm to school.

We would then review those applications, determine award levels, and help plan a swanky, celebratory award ceremony for the much-deserving awardees.

Applications from districts all over the state would start rolling in in May, and we would spend the summer months poring over their stories, data, and photos. And the photos were SO GOOD (see below)!

As we reviewed submissions and their most adorable accompanying photos, we were able to get an idea of how farm to school programs across Georgia were starting, taking shape, growing, and impacting students.

It was joyful and inspiring to get to bear witness and participate in this process.

The pandemic has deprived us of Golden Radish for two years in a row now, and we have been hungry to know how farm to school programs have been impacted. We also just want to be in closer touch with the School Nutrition heroes and farm to school champions of our state. It is why we are so thrilled to announce our 2021 Farm to School Innovations Mini Grants Program, the next best thing we could come up with!

For four years in a row, Georgia's School Nutrition Departments told us in post-Golden Radish Award surveys that what is needed is money to support Farm to School programs.

Out of a strong desire to support the amazing work that farm to school stakeholders do on a daily basis, we decided we should just give them the funds we would have used on an awards ceremony to support innovative farm to school projects, such as school garden sustainability initiatives, school garden expansion, stipends for hosting a school-based farmers market, equipment/supplies to support menu development, and more. The funds are intended to support farm to school initiatives that:

• increase access to local, fresh, organically grown food,

• include culturally responsive food and education,

• increase local food procurement,

• and/or benefit Georgia certified organic farmers in other ways.

Through this process, we also hope to see how farm to school is looking these days, and find out how the pandemic has impacted farm to school programs.

If you work in School Nutrition, we encourage you to apply! If you don’t, we encourage you to reach out to your school system’s School Nutrition Department to encourage them to apply. APPLY HERE.

Applications are due by September 11, and we will announce the awardees on September 24.

To learn more about this mini grant program or the Golden Radish Awards, visit farmtoschool.georgiaorganics.org/golden-radish-awards, or send an email to kimberly [at] georgiaorganics.org.

Follow Georgia Organics on social media @GeorgiaOrganics and at facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics.

The True Cost of Local Small-Scale Poultry

By Kayla Williams, Georgia Organics Farmer Services Coordinator 

A craving for chicken parmesan hits you. You plan to make the sauce with the delicious tomatoes you picked up at your local farmers’ market but ponder where to get your chicken. Sure, you could grab some chicken raised in Georgia and labeled as American Humane Association Certified Humanely Raised (Certified Humane), from a nearby grocery store.   

What does Certified Humane really mean though? Consumer Reports defined the label as meaning that “the animal was raised on a farm and slaughtered in a slaughterhouse that met the organization's "core criteria." These criteria include meeting basic needs, such as food and fresh water; providing care for sick and injured animals; and humane treatment on the farm, and during transport and slaughter.”

It’s a good start, but the label doesn’t require that the chicken’s natural inclinations like roaming free in a pasture is met, and the farm only needs to meet 85% of the requirements, although customers are not given the privilege of knowing which 85% of requirements are being met versus not met.  

Pasture raised chicken is typically difficult to find in a typical supermarket but it’s easy to check with the poultry farmers at your local farmers’ market. Pasture raised means exactly that – the chickens are raised in a pasture, and frequently moved (sometimes daily, sometimes weekly) to another part of a field to eat bugs and fertilize the land with manure for future healthy crops to grow on (you can harvest crops 90 days after manure has been applied to the field).  

Now, imagine a world in which you didn’t have to look up a label, didn’t have to guess about the kind of environment that those chickens were being raised in and knew exactly where your money was going. That world does exist, even within Georgia! The price may be higher than what you’ll find at your local supermarket and it may be a bit more labor on your end to find that local chicken, but there are some really good reasons why that price is higher.  

The current Georgia Department of Agriculture’s poultry processing rules favor the large producers, stating that only farms that raise less than 1,000 birds can process on the farm. This means that if you raise more than 1,000 birds per year, you need to use an off-farm processor.

Gabriel Jimenez of Caribe United Farm

As Gabriel Jimenez of Caribe United Farm put it, “Finding a good processor is like finding a good mechanic. It requires a lot of trust, because I love and care about my animals and when I give them to the processor for them to finish, I have to trust that they are going to treat them with the same love and care.”  

Melissa Nisbet of Four Bellies Farm in Bowdon, Georgia generally books with a Kentucky-based processor, a five-hour drive from the farm, one full year in advance to ensure she can get her batch processed. The Kentucky processor had a labor shortage due to COVID-19 which has been common for processors across the country which gave Melissa the impetus to find another processor as a backup plan. She has also used a processor in Sylacauga, Alabama, just an hour and a half away.  

Four Bellies Farm

When I spoke to Melissa on the phone recently, her husband and business partner, Avery Nisbet, had just driven the batch to be processed in Alabama the previous evening. A few days later, he’ll go get the processed meat and trailer that he left there. That’s six hours of driving back and forth, which is notably less than the roundtrip to their former processor in Kentucky but still a significant amount of time in a farmer’s week! Gas, time, and processing fees add up. To process the approximately 580 chickens (including some getting cut up, some getting turned into sausage, as well as additional processing for feet, livers and hearts), Melissa expects they’ll spend approximately $4000 at the processor.  

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Until recently, there were no USDA-inspected poultry processing facilities open to small scale producers. In spring of 2021, Shaun Terry of Grateful Pastures Farm, Georgia’s only local pasture raised certified-organic chicken producer, partnered with a nearby deer processing facility in Loganville, GA to open Atlanta Poultry Processing and began filling the void for small-scale poultry producers in Georgia. 

Shaun Terry and Beth Johnson

The first year Shaun started farming, he tried to process 100 birds on the farm. It took him a week to process 70 birds and after that, he decided he’d process off farm. Finding a reliable processing facility in quality, availability and convenience was always a difficulty for Shaun until he took matters into his own hands. After renting storage freezer space at one of Beth Johnson’s deer processing facilities several years prior, Shaun and Beth decided to open a poultry processing facility within the deer processing facility. He noted that having Beth’s processing wisdom, combined with the knowledge of Shaun’s former processor in Kentucky (the same that Four Bellies Farm used to use) made it possible for the Atlanta Poultry Processing facility to start up quickly.  

Atlanta Poultry Processing

Folks who work with Shaun and Beth have ranged from beginning farmers coming from all over Georgia and the surrounding states with less than fifty birds up to 600 bird batches, the size of Grateful Pastures’ typical batches. When asked if creating a facility closer to home changed retail-prices, Shaun replied “No, in fact my processing costs have gone up.” The Kentucky-based processor is part of the Mennonite community so labor is cheaper, making the price per bird less than what Atlanta Poultry Processing can charge to keep themselves afloat. 

Want to get in touch with Shaun and Beth? Email atlantapoultryprocessing@gmail.com.  

The price of feed adds to the retail cost of local poultry as well. For a little perspective, Four Bellies needs more feed every 5-6 weeks (Freedom Ranger chickens need about 9-11 weeks to mature to full size). They buy 5 tons of non-GMO soy-free feed for their flock and most recently, it cost them $569/ton including a delivery fee. This feed goes towards both the mature chickens (who went to the processor in Alabama) and the chicks in the brooder (who will move to the tractor in a few weeks). The chicks eat a lot less than the more mature chickens so it’s hard to say exactly how much feed costs per the recently processed flock, but either way, feed is expensive. And this feed isn’t even certified organic. The prices for certified organic feed are higher–Shaun Terry pays $1100/ton.  

In April 2021, a “Notice of Intent to Amend Poultry Inspection–Poultry Processing Rules” was released from the Georgia Department of Agriculture that would change Rule 40-10-2-.02. from being able to process on farm if you only raised 1,000 birds or less to 20,000 birds or less.

This rule has not yet been implemented by Commissioner Gary Black and his administration but it has been approved. If a farm has the processing equipment and labor force to process on farm, this change of rule could potentially save folks time, money, and stress. When asked if they would process on farm given the new amendment, Melissa said “At this point, probably not because we don’t have the labor or equipment, but if we were just starting out our operation with this new rule, we might.”

For Gabriel, he searched for over a year before finding anyone to help him on the farm without even considering the labor required processing on farm. Gabriel also noted that as the requirements currently stand, if you process your birds on farm, you can only sell them direct-to-consumer (like at a farmer’s market) as opposed to selling wholesale.

Tamita Brown of Caribe United

Shaun stated that if he hadn’t just opened the Atlanta Poultry Processing facility, he might have considered processing on farm depending on the details of the rule. If he could process whole birds as well as cuts, he might consider. If the infrastructure rules required a drainable floor, walk in cooler, and walk in freezer among all the other equipment required to process, he probably wouldn’t process on farm. Small amendments like these have the potential to open doors for small poultry farmers but unless the rules favor flexibility in cuts and accessible infrastructure, many folks will continue to outsource for processing.

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Are you craving chicken parmesan still? Follow these folks to find out where you can buy some local poultry.

• Four Bellies (@fourbellies on Instagram and Facebook)

• Grateful Pastures (@gratefulpastures on Instagram and @gratefulpasturesfarm on Facebook)

• Caribe United (@caribeunitedfarm on Instagram and Facebook)

• Grassroots Farms (@grassrootsfarmsga on Instagram and Facebook)

• White Oak Pastures (@whiteoakpastures on Instagram and Facebook)

Follow Georgia Organics on social media @GeorgiaOrganics and at facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics.

Creating Rich Environments: In the Compost Bin & the Classroom!

By Kimberly Koogler

Kimberly Koogler is the Farm to School Coordinator at Georgia Organics.

Last week, in partnership with teacher and farm to school expert Jenna Mobley, our Farm to School team presented a bilingual workshop all about composting and teaching composting lessons to English Language Learners. “Creating Rich Environments: In the Classroom and the Compost Bin” (click to view) was, much like compost itself, packed with super rich content.

We covered the why, who, what, how, and where of composting—the benefits, the decomposers, the compostable ingredients, and the containers and spaces for composting—in English and Spanish. We interspersed all of that information with interactive, dynamic lessons that teach composting in a way that is accessible to English Language Learners and fun for everyone, using the ten key components of Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE).

Farm to school expert Jenna Mobley

If you imagine all of the info, facts, rules, tips, and tricks that were presented as brown ingredients and all of the fresh, juicy lessons as green ingredients, our workshop itself resembled a healthy compost bin.

We sang, danced, made compost cake, even used some sign language, and we learned A LOT.

You can teach a group of students how to compost, the science behind it, and why it’s important, in such a way that they are also learning English and having fun. What a productive way to teach and what a rich environment you create in doing so!

Some key takeaways in case you missed it:

• Everyone can make compost! Choose from a diverse array of compost bin options for affordable, indoor and outdoor composting.

• There are many “rules of three” by which you can help yourself remember the how-to's of composting and troubleshooting.

• The FBI (fungus bacteria invertebrates) have a very special job—decomposition!

  • We can help them by giving them home, food, water, and air.

  • For their food, remember: if it grows, it goes.

  • We can put it in the pot, and let it all rot, for compost stew!

If any of the above left you wondering, you definitely need to check out the recording of this workshop, as well as our composting resources: Georgia Organics Composting Handbook in English and Spanish.

To learn more about Farm to School at Georgia Organics, visit farmtoschool.georgiaorganics.org, and follow Georgia Organics on social media @GeorgiaOrganics and at facebook.com/GeorgiaOrganics.

ECE Sourcing Solutions...sort of!

By Kimberly Della Donna 

Kimberly Della Donna is the Farm to School Director at Georgia Organics. Kimberly has always been interested in local foods systems and distribution, and finds the challenges Early Care and Education (ECE) providers have finding local food supply chains especially intriguing. She thinks that seeking local sourcing solutions for early care providers seems like a good strategy for job security. 

Two years ago, Georgia Organics embarked on a research project we optimistically called our “ECE Local Sourcing Solutions” project. If you’re an early care and education provider struggling to find sources of local produce, you know just how optimistic that title is!

Together with a researcher from GSU and another researcher from UGA, I set out to identify all the possible sources an early care provider in Georgia could tap for local food. We reached out to over thirty distributors and farmers that we thought definitely or possibly distributed local fresh food in Georgia. We were disappointed to only confirm and interview 15 sources, but it was exciting to create a directory of those sources specifically for ECE providers.

The Local Food Sourcing Directory listings include definitions of “local food,” as well as information on how each distributor identifies the grower of the food in their catalog. We tried to put all the information a provider needs to choose the vendor who fits with their local purchasing goals.  

The Local Food Sourcing Directory

Our next steps were to connect at least four of those vendors to ECE providers with local food sourcing goals so we could follow their progress of the purchasing relationship and note their process. We hoped to document their challenges and successes and create models to make it easier for other ECE purchasers to set up new, local purchasing programs. We never imagined it would be so challenging! Besides the challenge of finding the right geographical matches, providers who could meet distributors minimum orders, and farmers who had the time to even talk about direct purchasing relationships, there was COVID-19- which slammed the breaks on our project for over four months while upending supply chains and ECE environments. Needless to say, we didn’t find a long list of “ECE Local Sourcing Solutions”. 

Sourcing Solutions Best Practices

Sourcing Solutions Recommendations for Support Organizations

In the end, we were able to document four successful ECE local purchasing programs from different regions in Georgia. As those of us who work in early care know, there are so many different sizes, shapes, and styles of early care environments that one- size will never fit all when it comes to local purchasing. This short report shares some best practices that most providers seeking to create a local purchasing program can use as a guide, though.  

There are also some common challenges (too many challenges!) to be aware of when setting your expectations.  

There are even recommendations for agencies and organizations who support ECE providers.   

My favorite parts are the “Success Stories”, which share the innovative and inspiring ways that four brilliant business owners have created programs that support the health and wellness of Georgia’s little eaters, those who care for them, and their communities. 

Read the Farm to Early Care Sourcing Strategies infographic report here