who
funders
events
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2007 Iowa Forum

2006 Maine Forum

 

2006 Report

2007 Report

 


        (Information generated by and for network members.)

Soil Nutrients and Nitrogen

Query from Greg Horner, Cedar Tree Foundation and subsequent responses from SAFSF Listserv members

The Undiscovered Planet: Microbial science illuminates a world of astounding diversity
Written by Jonathan Shaw, the article was published in the November - December 2007 edition of Harvard Magazine.

 

Recommended by SAFSF Members and Friends

Film Databases:

Michigan State University
Database of introductory books and films/documentaries related to food and agriculture (mostly from the last 7 to 8 years).
http://www.msu.edu/~howardp/booksfilms.html
Contact: Philip H. Howard, Assistant Professor, Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies (CARRS) 316 Natural Resources Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824 http://www.msu.edu/~howardp
Phone: 517-355-8431

UC Berkeley’s Media Resource Center
On Food: Production, Consumption, Politics
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/fooddocs.html

Media that Matters
http://mediathatmattersfest.org/mtm_good_food/

Film:

KING CORN
www.kingcorn.net
This is a twofold journey: the story of how two college buddies learned about their agricultural heritage, and the tale of how kernels of corn have insidiously worked their way into America's diet.

FED UP
Genetic Engineering, Industrial Agriculture and Sustainable Alternatives
http://www.wholesomegoodness.org/

TABLELAND
http://www.p1-productions.com/tableland.html/
A culinary expedition in search of the people, place and taste of North American small scale, sustainable food production.

THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN
http://www.farmerjohnmovie.com/Home.html
A film that charts Farmer John’s astonishing journey from farm boy to counter-culture rebel to the son who almost lost the family farm to a beacon of today’s booming organic farming movement.

DECONSTRUCTING SUPPER
http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/decon.html
A journey into the billion-dollar battle to control food production.

FAST FOOD NATION
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0460792/

SUPERSIZE ME
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0390521/

THE GLOBAL GARDENER with Bill Mollison
4, ½ segments about permaculture around the world
http://www.permacultureactivist.net/booksvid/vid%20dvd%20cd.htm

MY FATHERS GARDEN
http://www.mirandaproductions.com/garden/
This film is about the use and misuse of technology on the American farm telling the story of how synthetic chemicals have changed farming and farmers.

BEYOND ORGANIC: THE VISION OF FAIRVIEW GARDENS
http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/bo.html
Tells the story of Fairview Gardens and its struggle to survive in the face of rapid suburban development. It draws a sharp contrast between community-supported agriculture and conventional chemical farming.

ASPARAGUS: A STALK-UMENTARY
http://www.asparagusthemovie.com/
For thirty years, Oceana County Michigan has been the Asparagus Capital of the World. Now its residents and family farms take on the U.S. War on Drugs, Free Trade, and a Fast Food Nation, all to save their beloved ‘roots’.

SEEDS OF HOPE: FEEDING THE WORLD ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME
http://www.creativerealization.com/
About rural communities around the world that are using community-based approaches to battle food insecurity. A woman’s group in South Africa starts small vegetable gardens to feed their families, an NGO in Cambodia that starts a rice seed credit bank and nutrition education, a profile of Patchwork Family Farms in Missouri and a community research project in Colombia that helps farmers produce food more effectively. 4 sections – total 24 minutes. Producer: Sarah Hesterman, Creative Realization, [media for social change];

THE ACCOUNTANT
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0222675/
It's a devastating, searing, off-beat look at the demise of the family farm.

THE GLEANERS AND I
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0247380/
It’s about the practice - now threatened - of people gleaning left-behind produce from harvested fields, mostly a European thing. The film even gets into the modern version of gleaning - dumpster diving!

THE FUTURE OF FOOD
http://www.thefutureoffood.com/
This film by Deborah Garcia offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade.

LIFE RUNNING OUT OF CONTROL
http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/lroc.html
Bertram Verhag’s film offers a thorough examination of the issues surrounding the genetic manipulation of plants, animals and human beings.

EAT AT BILL'S: LIFE IN THE MONTEREY MARKET
 http://www.tangerineman.com/eab.htm
A video documentary by Lisa Brennis about the phenomenon that is the Monterey Market, a family owned produce market in Berkeley, CA. The focus is on Bill Fujimoto, the market's owner. Bill's enthusiasm and experience fuel the enterprise and illuminate the Market's wide world of small growers and diverse customers. The Monterey Market's single store supports many dozens of small (and formerly small) farms. Bill's determination to support the maximum number of small growers and his passion for connecting customers with the very best has attracted a small army of restaurant customers. Bay Area chefs know the Monterey Market's back room is the place to find the season's finest.

SERIES:

SEASONED WITH SPIRIT
http://www.nativetelecom.org/program_sws.html
5-part PBS series about various Native American people and their traditional foods. Loretta Oden; Rt. 4, Box 81; Tecumseh, OK 74873; email: shedreams2@mac.com

CHEFS A’ FIELD
http://www.chefsafield.com/
39 episodes putting farmers and food issues center stage, by taking the nation’s best chefs out of the kitchen and onto family farms across this country to see the real work, love, passion, lifestyle, and labor that goes into growing good, sustainable food for America’s tables.

CHEFS A’ FIELD – KIDS ON THE FARM
http://www.chefsafield.com/
Now in it’s third season, Kids on the Farm takes the nation’s best chefs – and their kids – out to the source, to learn where their food comes from, to meet the people who passionately grow their food, and finally – into the kitchen where they partake in the creation of a family meal. The series companion book features kid-friendly cooking tips, ideas for supporting sustainability, sourcing notes, health and nutrition information, and one of the most comprehensive arrangements to date, of activities designed to encourage families to engage and share in the joys of food, cooking, and farming, together.

DOCUMENTARY SHOTS
http://www.chefsafield.com/ http://www.warnerhanson.com/
For more information on both contact Heidi Hanson, Warner Hanson Television

HOW TO MAKE A PIZZA
This story is about how making a pizza can be good for the environment. "How To Make A Pizza" features George Schenk whose mantra is to use only local and organic ingredients from farmers and artisans close to home.

LUNATIC FARMER
Farmer Joel Salatin is considered by many as the “high priest of the pasture.” Restaurant reviewers say Chef Cathal Armstrong “steeps into another reality using local ingredients…to produce dishes that are subtly, intriguingly unique.” As the two connect on film, along with Armstrong’s kids, Eve 7 and Eammon 4, on the rolling pastures of Joel Salatin’s idyllic Polyface Farm, we get a lesson in where our food comes from and how to care for the land.

 

Green Beyond Grants - a toolkit for greening your organization's operations
Grantmaking isn't the only way to support the environment! There are easy ways to go "green" through your organizational practices. Green Beyond Grants is a toolkit for greening foundation operations brought you by SAFSF, the Environmental Grantmakers Association and the Sustainability Funders. This guide offers simple advice and specific steps to start your foundation on the road to practicing environmental sustainability. Featuring five key recommendations for greening your day-to-day operations and special event planning, plus related tips and examples and an extensive resource list, this concise handbook can help you substantially (and affordably) reduce your foundation's environmental "footprint."


Ways to Stay Current on Agriculture and Food Systems Issues

December 6, 2004

Note: This partial list of resources is the product of discussions and conversations as part of the ongoing SAFSF Federal Ag Policy conference call series. We hope you find it to be of use. Please forward any additional suggestions or corrections to Virginia Clarke-Laskin at vclarke@safsf.org as we plan to update it regularly.

US Congressional House Committee on Agriculture
http://agriculture.house.gov/
This site lists all Committee members, subcommittees, and tracks all related legislation

Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee
http://agriculture.senate.gov/
This site lists all Committee members, subcommittees, and tracks all related legislation

Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports
http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRS/
The Congressional Research Service (CRS), part of the Library of Congress, prepares reports for the U.S. Congress. This site lists reports on issues areas including agriculture, forests, natural resources, pesticides, and others.

United States Department of Agriculture
http://www.usda.gov/

Sustainable Agriculture:
For generalists and people interested in substance and analysis as well as breaking news:
  • http://www.ers.usda.gov/Amberwaves/April04/ - USDA-ERS 'Amber Waves' publication" provides valuable information and analyses on public policy issues related to agriculture and comes via email.
  • http://www.ers.usda.gov/updates/ - weekly email updates from the research arm of USDA on the environment, agriculture, food, and nutrition
  • http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/ - ERS 'briefing rooms': approximately 75 individual briefing rooms - each devoted to a particular area of research or topic that ERS covers. Inside each briefing room are multiple links to individual reports or analyses or other information available on the topic. There are often links to ERS staff who will respond to questions or requests for further information. The briefing rooms are updated regularly and new briefing rooms are established if a topic becomes hot.
  • "Making Hay" -is a sustainable ag e-mail bulletin with news on federal agency activities, as well as brief descriptions of reports and other events relevant to sustainable agriculture. This bulletin is produced by the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (SAC). To Subscribe contact Martha Noble, Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, mnoble@msawg.org
  • http://www.sare.org - USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program provides grants for sustainable agriculture projects and information on sustainable agriculture for producers, researchers, and educators.
  • http://www.sustainableagriculture.net/enews13.php - National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture - monthly AgMatters E-News
  • http://www.cfra.org/newsletter/current.htm Center for Rural Affairs Newsletter
  • http://www.agpolicy.org/articles04.html Wide ranging weekly column by Daryll Ray, agricultural economist of the University of Tennessee's Agricultural Policy Analysis Center
  • A New Agricultural Policy, by Dennis Keeney (IATP) and Loni Kemp (The Minnesota Project). The paper is included in a new book: The Role of Biodiversity Conservation in the Transition to Rural Sustainability available at: http://www.iospress.nl/navfr/searchfr.html
Animal Production/Welfare Conservation

Faith and Food

Food Safety

  • http://www.foodsafetynetwork.ca The Food Safety Network provides current, generalized, public risk perception information about rapidly changing issues. This information is culled from journalistic and scientific sources around the world and condensed into short items or stories that are distributed daily by electronic mail to thousands of individuals from academia, industry, government, the farm community, journalism and the public at large. They have a series of listservs to which one can also subscribe, see: http://www.foodsafetynetwork.ca/subscribe.htm
  • http://www.tacd.org Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue provides regular international information on obesity, food, antibiotic use in animals and other food-related issues. TACD includes groups like Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, USPIRG, Public Citizen, and several European consumer groups).
Food Security Health and Environment Nutrition Rural Subsidies