Sept. Notes
Sept 6, 2017
Meeting notes for the Regenerative Farming and Grazing Alliance (second meeting)
In attendance: Turie Norman, Pam and Steve Sherman, Ryan and Shelby, Clark Harshbarger, Karel and Alice of Golden Hoof, Kena and Mark of Ollin Farms.
Initial reasons for forming the group: recognition and concern of rapid desertification process in Boulder County.
Introductions of attendees and what they want to see come from this group.
Turie Norman: veterinarian concerned about farm animal welfare. Sees regenerative practices as a means to not only improve the lives of farm animals but of the environment, ecosystem, community, economics and food. She is a Savory student.
Clark Harshbarger: works for the USDA and does soil health monitoring. He has an interest in strengthening markets and supporting producers. Embraces progressive farming ideas. Has a wealth of information and connections.
Elvira: believes everyone who has land has the right to grow food for themselves and the community.
Kena: owner of Ollin Farms, is interested in educating youth about the importance of regenerative farming.
Steve: long time ag student and gardener, constantly researching ways to improve the soil and gardening practices.
Pam: long time student of soil health, student of HMI. Does soil monitoring. Passionate about heritage seeds. Wants to create teaching core.
Marc: owner of Ollin Farms. Needs help on his farm, interested in creating volunteer core. Interested in education and public outreach. Puts on Carbon Sequestration Fest. Interested in data and compiling research for best practices. Interested in advocacy.
Shelby: owns compost tea company. Volunteers to do soil health monitoring interested in research. Recent CU grad wants to build connections with CU professors, students to support our cause. Interested in networking and building her business.
Karel: owner of Golden Hoof Farm a demonstration farm for best practices. Looking for credibility and acknowledgement that what he is doing matters. How to change people’s understanding about food and recognize what is optimal food health through testing and labeling. Big on self- education and experimentation for best farm practices. Recognizes that farmers need less regulations around direct consumer transactions. Sees a need for activism.
Alice: owner of Golden Hoof weekly does farm education and tours. She is interested in allowing farmers and others to live a subsistence life style. Make it legal to sell your produce.
Ryan: owns a compost tea company. Volunteers to do soil health monitoring. Is networking and educating himself. Very interested in outreach to the community.
There were a lot of ideas and concerns expressed after the introduction, so I did my best to organize them.
Advocacy and Outreach
It was agreed by all that change must be driven by the public. So how to get the public on board with complex issues like: county land left alone degrades, using animals to improve the land, regenerative farming practices, using annuals, cover crops, key-lining, fire, legumes, foliate sprays, drip or pivot watering systems.
Boulder hired a new ag manager
Subsidies from county for cover crops, building soil, testing.
Carbon tax
Carbon trading
Have county hire a master driller to serve all farmers instead of each farmer buying and maintaining own equipment.
Decrease regulations on Colorado Farmers look to Wyoming Freedom Act.
Advocate for Class A biosolids, closes human loop and outperforms compost.
Kena pointed out that farmers have already come together and spent time and energy drawing up their needs. Don’t reinvent the wheel, let us find this document.
Mentorships with Ag schools.
Opinion, don’t involve oil and gas money to support soil regeneration like Australia.
Short term goals: table at Soil Revolution Conference Dec 14th
Upcoming Jared Polis town hall, need more information from Karel.
Community
Create community gardening and food share. Create an education core to reach out to backyard gardeners.
Involve food banks
Create volunteer core modeled after Wildlands Resource Volunteers
Create outreach program modeled after Pollinators group, like Bee friendly neighborhoods, involving high school students.
Model after Al Gore’s educators. he intensively educates a small group of people every year and they go forth and spread the word.
Event to get involved in Young Farmers Coalition at Ollin Farms.
Education
Educate the public through the schools at PTO meetings, farm to table school fundraiser, making a Hip and sexy video to show in schools. Example watch Funny Farm
Have a booth at the County Fair
Keep the message SIMPLE
Bring in CU ecology, environmental departments in to group to help volunteer, test, and monitor.
Bar codes on smart phone ap- soil composition of apple you buy, is the food in season, where did it come from.
Ryan saw amazing example of the very complex East Slope Watershed presented to the public very simply.
Dr. Britains work in the 1970’s show that small farming systems are more profitable
Talked about Pollinators group and Al Gore’s model of education.
Must also focus on continuing education within the group: Clark has access to Consumer Revolution put on by the Savory conference. Pam will attend Slow Money conference. Soil Range Management conference in Pueblo Nov 1st.
Pam wants a list of everyone’s specialties
Markets
Create Awards and recognition for best practices.
Create a Boulder County Brand based on our criteria involving monitoring and testing.
Bring in chefs, restaurants, vendors to buy and support and market brand.
Start a food revolution modeled after Air B+B or Uber
Close of meeting- plan to meet the first Wed of every month at 6:30. Next location 7856 Baseline Rd, Boulder 80303 at Turie’s house.