Living Roots: RAFI-USA Magazine Issue 1

THE MAGAZINE OF RURAL ADVANCEMENT FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL-USA

SPRING 2023

TUNNEL

VISION

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the raising of a caterpillar tunnel

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RAFI-USA'S WORK WITH FARMERS FARMERS OF COLOR NETWORK Farmer-led technical assistance Funding opportunities ($603,300 awarded to 90 grantees in 2020-2022) Farm tours, networking events, new markets FOCN webinars, trainings, workshops, and more FOCN Membership is available to farmers in the Southeast U.S., lower mid-Atlantic, U.S. Virgin Islands, & Puerto Rico.

IN-DEPTH FINANCIAL CRISIS CASEWORK

Supporting farmers who are conserving and breeding regionally adapted and heritage public seed varieties, adapted for organic production and pollinator habitats.

Currently active in the Southeast U.S.

Farmers not only face a lot of risk but often also must take on significant debt to operate.

When disaster hits, farmers from across the nation call our farm crisis hotline at 866.586.6746.

Our farmer advocates provide farmers with a broad array of advocacy services including financial counseling, technical assistance, and legal referrals We help farmers to understand their options and walk alongside them to help them identify and achieve their goals. Our lead farmer advocate, Benny Bunting has saved hundreds of families from losing their farms.

Available to farmers across the U.S.

RESOURCES FOR RESILIENT FARMS

CONNECTIONS WITH FAITH COMMUNITIES

GROWING THE SEEDS FOR A BETTER FUTURE

We help farmers to access federal resources, particularly small- to mid-scale, specialty commodity producers, or beginning or socially disadvantaged farmers.

We share plain-language information, farmer trainings and webinars, and one-on-one assistance for USDA programs that support greater farm resilience.

Available to all in the service area (see below) with a special focus on RAFI-USA's Farmers of Color Network members.

Available to farmers in the Southeast U.S., USVI, and Puerto Rico.

Empowering faith communities to participate in the creation of a just food system Connecting faith communities & Farmers of Color Network members to create sustainable partnerships Currently active in NC. FOCN: mary@rafiusa.org SEEDS: kellli@rafiusa.org RESILIENT FARMS: jaimie@rafiusa.org FARMS AND FAITH: cttt@rafiusa.org CRISIS HOTLINE: 866.586.6746

contents

livingroots SPRING 2023

The magazine of RAFI-USA

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Kelli Dale and Ben Miller (Reedy Fork Farm) planting double cross corn seeds.

departments 3

Farmer’s Connection

23 Program Spotlight 24 Q & A

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features

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14 Cultivating Climate-

Island Farming Farm Resilience in the US Caribbean Smart Farming RAFI-USA Partners for Regenerative Agriculture

16 Farm Bill Matters ©

Farmers Speak Out

26 Field and Feast 28 Rural Reflections

18 Seeds of Change

Regionally Adapted Seed Development

20 Tunnel Vision

The Story of a Tunnel Raising

On the cover: Martha Mobley, Howard

Allen, and a volunteer work together to anchor a section of high tunnel frame to the ground at Fairport Farms, LLC. PHOTO BY JOE PELLEGRINO

RAFI-USA P.O. Box 640 Pittsboro, NC 27312 Phone: 919.542.1396 Farmer Hotline: 866.586.6746 livingroots@rafiusa.org rafiusa.org

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livingroots™ MAGA ZIN E

Executive Editor Edna Rodriguez Managing Editor Beth Hauptle Editorial Team Mary Saunders Bulan Margaret Krome-Lukens Lisa Misch Joe Pellegrino

Dear Friends,

Justine Post Contributors Carolina Alzate Gouzy Katie Amos Mary Saunders Bulan Beth Hauptle

We are excited to share the first issue of RAFI-USA’s Living Roots farmer-focused magazine and hope you will enjoy your complimentary subscription. We created this magazine to reflect your experiences and address issues you may be facing, so please share your feedback with us (email address below).

Jaimie McGirt

Angel Woodrum Proofreader Mo Murrie Graphic Design Despard Design

RAFI-USA is a registered 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, and as such, donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. EIN #56-1704863. RAFIUSA believes in transparency, ethical accounting, and donor stewardship.

RAFI-USA has earned the 2022 Platinum GuideStar Exchange Seal (now known as Candid) and the sixth consecutive 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. livingroots@rafiusa.org rafiusa.org Union Label

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Thanks to our board, staff, farmers, and funders for their support in launching this new publication and as the growing season ramps up, we wish all the very best season ever!

Warm regards,

Edna Rodriguez Executive Director PS. You can reach us at livingroots@rafiusa.org to cancel or add a subscription and to provide feedback. Thanks!

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BETH HAUPTLE

Justine Post

We offer a number of services for small- to mid-scale farmers, farmers of color in the Southeast U.S., farmers in the U.S. Caribbean (a new area of focus for us), and on a national level, farmers who are experiencing severe financial crisis.

HILARY GRAVES/CHATHAM MAGAZINE

Lisa Misch Joe Pellegrino

farmer’s

connection news/resources/events

Farmers and Advocates Push for a Greener Farm Bill

BETH HAUPTLE

HILARY GRAVES/CHATHAM MAGAZINE

Climate Champions

farmer’s connection

From March 6-8, 2023, RAFI-USA staff, board members, farmers, and advocates joined hundreds of other individuals and organizations who gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Farmers for Climate Action: Rally for Resilience, part of a mass mobilization calling on lawmakers to prioritize climate solutions in the 2023 Farm Bill. Participants hailed from 40 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The event started on Monday, March 6 with a kick-off meeting and reception during which farmers and farmworkers shared their stories about the negative effects of the climate crisis on their farms and livelihoods. The next day, a chilly, windy Tuesday morning, kicked off with a Rally in Freedom Plaza, emceed by RAFI-USA’s Farmers of CO NTI NUE D O N N E XT PAG E

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farmer’s connection

CTTT Conference Save the Date RAFI-USA STAFF member Ray Jeffers served as emcee for the Rally for Resilience in DC and Farm Aid Board member John Mellencamp entertained the crowd with a few numbers.

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Color Network director B. Ray Jeffers, also a farmer and a recently elected member of the North Carolina State House of Representatives. Two RAFI-USA board members also spoke at the rally: Norysell Massanet, a farmer and Agroforester/Educator with La Botica de la Tierra Farm in Puerto Rico and Helga GarciaGarza, Executive Director of Agri-Cultura Network and La Cosecha CSA in New Mexico. In addition to them and other formidable farmer and farmworker speakers, Farm Aid founding board member John Mellencamp, Durham, NC-based Shirlette Ammons, and local group Lil Idli performed. Participants then marched from Freedom Plaza to the Capitol.

Later that day, the group gathered again to receive training and prepare to visit their legislators, which happened Wednesday throughout the day. Rally participants attended more than 100 meetings with Congressional offices on Capitol Hill to emphasize the need for a Farm Bill that invests in farmer-led climate solutions, advances racial justice, and prioritizes communities over corporations.

“I sincerely appreciate all of those who made time to join us in Washington to provide a united voice for farmers of color in the Southeast U.S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands. Organizations working on the ground directly with BIPOC farmers know what farmers need to adapt to climate change and grow their businesses and local food economies,” said Edna Rodriguez, RAFI-USA Executive Director. She continued, “Our goal with the Climate and Equity Policy Project is to ensure that these groups have the funding and resources they need to effectively translate that experience into policy change in the Farm Bill.”

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Mark your calendars for the upcoming Come to the Table Conference scheduled for October 3-4, 2024. The NC location is yet to be announced.

These biennial conferences have been bringing together individuals of faith, farmers, and community leaders since 2007 to address the challenges of food access in their communities.

Job Opportunities We encourage you to keep an eye open for RAFI-USA job openings. If you have experience giving technical assistance, managing federal grants, providing training on market readiness, or helping farmers access new markets, there could be a position for you. Find jobs here: https://www. rafiusa.org/aboutus/jobs/

New Board Members RAFI-USA welcomed four new Board of Directors members and a new Board staff representative in January 2023.

The new members come from across U.S. states and the U.S. Caribbean and bring rich and diverse sets of experiences and skills.

DAVID PFLUGFELDER

SARAH SOHN

DaraMonifah Cooper, Owner, Conch Shell Media, LLC, U.S. Virgin Islands Norysell Massanet, Agroforester/Educator, La Botica de la Tierra, Puerto Rico David Pflugfelder, Owner/ Livestock Farmer, CATHIS Farm, North Carolina Sarah Sohn, Braiding Seeds Fellowship Co-Director, Soul Fire Farm, New York Justine Post, Director of RAFI-USA’s Come to the Table program, Staff Representative

Did you know…

RAFI-USA submitted eight federal public comments in 2022?

RAFI-USA’s policy advocacy happens both through legislation (working with Congress to pass laws) and through implementation (working with agencies like USDA to ensure good regulations and that programs are administered equitably and well). Submitting public comments is one of the ways RAFI-USA takes administrative advocacy action.

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JOE PELLEGRINO

NORYSELL MASSANET

BETH HAUPLE (2)

DARAMONIFAH COOPER

Climate and Equity Policy Project

farmer’s connection

Climate and Equity Policy is a new project at RAFI-USA that puts farmers of color at the center of policy conversations by providing funding and support to groups predominantly led by or serving farmers of color to engage in climaterelated policy advocacy for the upcoming 2023 Farm Bill.

This year, 14 BIPOC-led organizations were awarded grants to support their policy advocacy work. Visit our website for more information about each organization and their project.

Agri-Cultura Network (NM)* Alliance for Agriculture (Puerto Rico)* Cooperativa Orgánica Madre Tierra (Puerto Rico)* Farm to School NYC (NY) La Semilla Food Center (NM) Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust/Food for the Spirit (NY/ME)* Operation Grow Black Growers (MO) Punjabi American Growers Group (CA)* Salmonberry Tribal Associates (AK) Soul Fire Farm (NY)* Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education, Inc. (GA)* SPROUT NOLA (LA)* Toxic Free North Carolina (NC)* Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition, Inc. (U.S. Virgin Islands)* * Members of the starred organizations joined RAFI-USA for Farmers for Climate Action: Rally for Resilience.

Trainings and Webinars RAFI-USA’s Farmers of Color Network will be hosting several webinars in 2023 as part of a series focused on increasing farm viability.

The first webinar, “Farming is a Business,” was held in March and included information on taxes, business entities, filing a schedule F, and more.

Mental Health Resources for Farmers Farming is a stressful job.

Not only is there a lot of responsibility and pressure to succeed, but also so many factors can exist outside of a farmer’s control. Production setbacks, market disruptions, legal concerns, or family issues can all add to feelings of stress. Fortunately, there are more and more services available to assist farmers with stress relief. Many states have specific funds to increase farmer mental health resources. We suggest doing a quick internet search for ‘(your state) farmer mental health resources’ or ‘(your state)

farm stress resources’ to see what might be available in your immediate area.

The Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network-North Carolina (FRSAN-NC) connects farmers/ranchers, farmworkers, families, and others working and living in agriculture-related settings with stress assistance programs and resources. Farmer resources include covering the costs of counseling or behavioral healthcare for NC farmers, farmworkers, and immediate family members, trained peer support from the farming community, and a 24/7 Help Line that connects individuals with a variety of resources. To learn more, call 844.325.3276 or email info@farmstress.org.

Some recent recordings include: BIPOC Farmer Panel: Stories on Navigating USDA Loan Process Introduction to NRCS Programs (available in English and Spanish) Introduction to FSA Loans

JOE PELLEGRINO

BETH HAUPLE (2)

How and Why to Get a Farm Number

To receive notifications of webinars and other trainings join RAFI-USA’s E-News. Once a webinar is complete, a recording is uploaded to RAFI-USA’s website. See QR code above.

A Helping Hand If you or someone you know is facing a financial crisis on your farm and would like to talk through your options, please call RAFI-USA’s Crisis Hotline at 866.586.6746.

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farmer’s connection New USDA Emergency Relief Programs The Farm Service Agency (FSA) of the USDA has announced two new disaster and pandemic assistance programs: Emergency Relief program Phase Two and Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program. Both programs will run through June 2, 2023. When applying for either program, producers will need to gather supporting documentation including Schedule F (Form 1040), Profit and Loss statements, or similar tax documents for the required calendar years. Other FSA standard forms will be requested.

If a farmer wishes to apply for either program, they should contact their local FSA office to confirm which forms they need to complete. In the case of ERP Phase 2, a ‘qualifying disaster event’ must also be confirmed.

Read below for a quick breakdown of both programs to see if you may be eligible for a relief payment. You can also visit farmers.gov for more program information or contact Otis Wright at otis@rafiusa.org if you have questions about eligibility or how to apply.

SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISON: ERP 2 VS PARP Emergency Relief Program Phase Two

Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program

Purpose

Assist producers impacted by a qualifying disaster event in 2020 or 2021, which resulted in losses to eligible crops

Assist producers impacted by effects of COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in at least a 15% decrease in gross revenue in 2020

Eligible Commodities

Includes crops, trees, bushes, and vines

Includes crops, livestock, livestock or animal byproducts

Excludes livestock, livestock byproducts (i.e. dairy), timber, crops for grazing

Necessary Calculations for Application

Excludes timber, aquatic species, horses

Determine allowable gross revenue in 1) the calendar year when the disaster event occurred and 2) in 2018 or 2019 as a ‘benchmark revenue’ year.** You must be able to show there was an eligible loss in revenue in the disaster event year in comparison to 2018 or 2019 in order to receive a payment.

Determine allowable gross revenue in 1) the calendar year 2020 and 2) in 2018 or 2019 as a ‘benchmark revenue’ year.** You must be able to show there was a 15% decrease in gross revenue in 2020 in comparison to 2018 or 2019 in order to receive a payment.

** If you did not produce in 2018 or 2019 or if they are not representative of average revenue, an adjusted revenue can be calculated

** If you did not produce in 2018 or 2019 you can include expected 2020 gross revenue instead

Calculation Exclusions

When calculating allowable gross revenue, producers should only count revenue that applies to eligible crops in their total. For instance, if a farmer raises cattle, honey bees, and grows peanuts, they can only include revenue related to peanuts.

When calculating allowable gross revenue, producers should only count revenue that applies to eligible crops in their total. For instance, if a farmer raises cattle, perch, and grows peanuts, they can only include revenue related to cattle and peanuts.

Payment Limitations and Program Conditions

$125,000 payment limit per person or entity. This limit is combined from Phase 1 and Phase 2. A separate $125,000 payment limit applies to speciality/high value commodities.

$125,000 payment limit per person or entity.

In order to receive a payment, producers must obtain crop insurance or NAP coverage for eligible crops involved in revenue loss. (BIPOC, limited resource, beginning, veteran, and women farmers are eligible for free NAP coverage)

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BIPOC, women, limited resource, beginning, and veteran farmers will receive a higher ERP payment at a percentage rate to be determined.

BIPOC, women, limited resource, beginning, and veteran farmers’ payments will be calculated at a rate of 90% (the difference between revenue in 2018/2019 compared to 2020). Other producers will have payment rates set at 80%.

JOE PELLEGRINO

Underserved Producers

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farmer’s connection

FSA Forms to Have on File and Why USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) provides a wide range of programs and services for farmers such as farm loans, disaster relief programs, and conservation programs. The presence of local county offices further helps FSA reach and serve farmers across the country. Even so, there are many farmers who do not yet have a connection to their designated local office. At RAFI-USA, we especially hear from farmers that produce on a small or diversified scale, women farmers, beginning farmers, or farmers of color that don’t always feel that FSA programs or FSA staff serve their particular needs and interests.

Benefits of an Active FSA Record While some farmers experience frustration with their local USDA offices, there are clear benefits to farmers developing connections with their local FSA office, getting a farm number, and having their farm information on file.

• When you connect, you will be notified of updates on FSA programs.

• Those with FSA farm numbers and basic forms on file are able to apply for other USDA programs, like EQIP, and are set up to experience a smoother process for any emergency relief programs.

JOE PELLEGRINO

Form CCC-860 marks you as eligible in FSA’s system for certain program benefits, like higher payment rates, dedicated pools of funding, automatic enrollment in basic NAP (a type of financial disaster assistance/coverage). It also makes you eligible to serve on your FSA county committee.

Form CCC-941, Average Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) Certification and Consent to Disclosure of Tax Information asks farmers to certify whether their AGI was less than $900,000 in a year. Why? Farmers who make over $900,000 in adjusted gross income are not eligible for most USDA assistance.

Form CCC-902I or 902E, Farm Operating Plan for an Individual (or Entity for 902E) requests info on capital, land, equipment, etc. Why? Some programs may require this form with the application. Also, when USDA knows what commodities you’re producing it can send you commodity-specific updates.

Form AD-1026, Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation Certification certifies that a farmer won’t produce an agricultural commodity on highly erodible land without a conservation system nor plant on a converted wetland or convert a wetland for agricultural production. Why? To show basic eligibility since program and loan dollars cannot be used for agricultural production on at-risk land.

Form CCC-860, Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning Farmer, and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification allows farmers to identify themselves as belonging to one of the following groups: Socially Disadvantaged: groups that have been subject to racial, ethnic, or gender prejudice: Women, American Indians or Alaskan Natives, Asians or Asian Americans, Black or African Americans, Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders, Hispanics. Limited Resource: a farmer’s direct or indirect gross farm sales do not exceed a certain amount over a certain period of years.

Beginning: farmer has not operated a farm or ranch for more than 10 years. Veteran: farmer has served in the Armed Forces and either 1) has operated a farm for less than 10 years or 2) is a veteran who first obtained veteran status in the last 10 years.

Why? Marks you as eligible in FSA’s system for certain program benefits, like higher payment rates, dedicated pools of funding, and automatic enrollment in basic NAP coverage.

Contact Otis Wright at otis@rafiusa.org if you have questions

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ISLAND FARMING

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Farm Resilience in the US Caribbean

AFI-USA has long recognized the inequities that many farmers in the U.S. face. Several of our programs and projects address these on a national level such as our Farmer Crisis Hotline and federal policy work. Due to our organization being centered in North Carolina, we’ve focused much of our work on supporting small to mid-scale farmers in NC and the Southeast U.S. However, in the past few years, we’ve extended programming even farther south, developing relationships with several nonprofits in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Farmers based in the U.S. Caribbean territories face many of the same challenges as mainland farmers, however the Indigenous and colonized histories of the islands, current U.S. governing structures and underrepresentation as territories, trends in agriculture land ownership, effects of hurricanes and climate disasters, dynamics of tourism and oil refinery industries, along with supply chain challenges all feed into the equation that demonstrates the critical need for resources to support farm resiliency.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a long history in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands starting in 1898 when the U.S. took territorial control as a result of the Spanish-American War. At that time, agriculture was the mainstay of the economy in both territories. The USDA recognized this and established several experiment stations focusing on research in tropical agriculture.

In more recent times the USDA has faced allegations of discrimination against farmers and ranchers in the U.S. Caribbean territories, much like it has on the mainland. Several cases, including one in Puerto Rico, resulted in the USDA reaching a settlement with a group of farmers who had accused the agency of discriminating against them based on their race and national origin. Similarly, in 2015, a group of Black farmers

IN OROCOVIS, PR farmer, Esli Arroyo shows RAFI-USA staff his tomato varieties, grown for niche markets like hotels and restaurants.

BY JAIMIE MCGIRT AND CAROLINA ALZATE GOUZY

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in the U.S. Virgin Islands filed a class-action lawsuit against the USDA, alleging that the agency had discriminated against them in the distribution of loan programs and other benefits.

The USDA has also faced criticism for its handling of disaster relief efforts in the U.S. Caribbean territories, particularly in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017, with the agency being accused of failing to adequately support farmers and ranchers, leading to significant economic and agricultural losses.

Given the particular challenges and inequities farmers experience in the U.S. Caribbean territories, RAFI-USA sought out and entered into a Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Cooperative Agreement with the USDA in 2022. This project includes formal partnerships with Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition in St. Croix, USVI and Alliance for Agriculture in Puerto Rico. This agreement enables RAFI-USA to work with these groups to strengthen technical assistance programs in support of producers with place-based or culturally appropriate farm conservation strategies and to help farmers apply to USDA NRCS programs for on-farm conservation efforts. In order for RAFI-USA staff 10

to fully understand the landscape and deepen the working partnerships, several staff members, including RAFI-USA Executive Director Edna Rodriguez, visited with the USVI and PR partners this winter.

U.S. Virgin Islands — St. Croix In December, RAFI-USA team members traveled to St. Croix for a deeper dive into the partnership with Virgin Islands Good Food Coalition (GFC). The agrarian and farm production context on an island that is approximately 84 square miles is vastly different than in mainland Southeast U.S. The GFC staff helped the RAFI-USA team to gain a better understanding of the social, environmental, and economic factors affecting the island’s food system and efforts for food sovereignty. Through our travels across the island we saw some farms facing arid conditions, seasonal fires, shortening water tables, and well-water salinization. We also encountered many farms dealing with flooding, soil erosion, severe pest pressure, and challenges in transportation. Regardless of topography, all farmers shared some struggles in common: lack of access to land ownership, supply chain gaps, and the

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(LEFT): CAMPOSOFIA, a rural education project in Utuado, PR provides an economically accessible educational option for farmers’ children.

(RIGHT): RAFI-USA Staff Carolina Alzate Gouzy, Jaimie McGirt, and Executive Director Edna Rodriguez visit Puerto Rico in support of conservation technical assistance work in the US Territories (BELOW): NRCS presentation and activity with PR farmers in the Organic Farmer’s Market in Placita Roosevelt, San Juan, Puerto Rico

innovation and resilience needed to innovate within a food system in which 98% of food is imported.

In spite of these intensifying challenges, GFC and farmers in St. Croix are actively asserting themselves as land stewards and market innovators. Where wells can no longer be drilled or soil erosion is rampant, farmers are slowing and redistributing water on their landscape by capturing rooftop rainwater in self designed-systems, irrigating efficiently, mulching, terracing, and more. The significance of on-farm conservation in the USVI cannot be understated: farmers are stewarding not only the land they own or manage, but also the resources “downstream” of them, which is exactly what GFC, RAFI-USA, and NRCS want to further support by reducing financial barriers that stand in their way.

While the NRCS EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program) program can provide cost-share support for farmers who plan to remediate resource concerns on agricultural land, the NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) rewards producers who are already proactively conserving resources with a small annual payment. While RAFI-USA aims to engage farmers in NRCS EQIP, we also want to increase awareness and participation in CSP, so that more farmers can receive credit for their long-standing conservation efforts and receive CSP’s financial reward.

A Visit to Mr. Charles Burton’s Farm A teacher and professional engineer, Mr. Charles Burton farms perennial fruits and annual vegetables in the east-central region of St. Croix, prioritizing soil and water conservation.

After observing his efforts to terrace beds, mulch crops under cardboard, and use rainwater collected in a self-built rooftop catchment designed according to NRCS specifications, NRCS Caribbean Area Director Luis Cruz-Arroyo and USVI District Conservationist Rudy O’Reilly agreed that Mr. Burton would be a great candidate for CSP. The proof was in the pudding: when he pulled back the cardboard and dug his spade into the terraced turmeric bed, the soil was rich: moist, dark, and with a good, loose structure. O’Reilly noted that cardboard is a common mulch material in USVI because it’s easily available, free, and does a decent job of capturing moisture and suppressing weeds. NRCS proposing the incentive program to the farmer rather than steering him away from it was perhaps the most inspiring part of the trip.

ARTfarm, run by Luca and Christina Gasperi in the arid southeast, showcases its farm resiliency through innovative and diverse practices, a thriving on-farm retail base, and site-specific problem-solving practices. Such practices include rotational grazing fencing, native tree establishment, R AFI USA.ORG /M AG A Z I N E

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A TEACHER and professional engineer, Mr. Charles Burton farms perennial fruits and annual vegetables in St. Croix, USVI, prioritizing soil and water conservation.

micro-mister irrigation, and a black soldier fly incubator. In a closed-loop farm input strategy, black soldier fly larvae use food waste to produce nutrient-dense feed for poultry, reducing farm costs. Every day, food waste is added to a barrel, which attracts black soldier flies that lay eggs. As the larvae hatch, they attempt to leave through a hole in the barrel, but instead fall into a container where they are captured as a protein-rich feed for poultry.

Beyond farm visits, GFC and RAFI-USA team members held outreach events, helping to build bridges between farmers and staff members of NRCS of the Caribbean Area. Luis Cruz-Arroyo and Rudy O’Reilly shared information about available NRCS programs and talked about the practices commonly implemented and cost-shared in the USVI. After a dramatic decrease in EQIP and CSP contracts in USVI in 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, contracts and awarded funds are increasing again, and NRCS wants to reach even more historically underserved farmers and ranchers for stronger conservation outcomes on a vulnerable island.

Puerto Rico RAFI-USA had a fruitful trip to Puerto Rico as well, where 12

RAFI-USA staff met with farmers and partners to achieve several objectives, including strengthening the organization’s relationship with its NRCS project partner and subawardee, the Alliance for Agriculture (AFA), aligning strategies to increase farmer access to NRCS programs, and fostering connections between Puerto Rican farmers and RAFI-USA. RAFI-USA staff visited several farms to understand their challenges as well as learn about the impressive agroecological collectives they are a part of that employ a systemic approach to improving the local food system from diverse perspectives.

Agroecology, as a set of practices and a social movement, is alive and well on the island. Farmers with smaller operations have developed various agroecological techniques and employ diverse horticultural and fruit production approaches.

The island’s major challenges include hurricanes, climate change and the desire to gain the sovereignty to produce and consume their own food. (Farmers are still struggling to overcome the damage caused by Fiona in September 2022.)

A visit to the Organic Farmers Market in San Juan allowed us to identify, together with farmers, some crucial conservation practices that fit well with agroecology and that can be supported by NRCS: tree/shrub pruning and establish-

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ment, living barriers against the wind, mulching What is a USDA Cooperative Agreement? or ground cover, residue management and tillage, use of vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides, a RAFI-USA has been the recipient of several United States perennial grass) for erosion control, and many Department of Agriculture (USDA) cooperative agreements. more practices.

Under a cooperative agreement, the USDA provides financial In reviewing agricultural education opporassistance to a recipient organization, which may be a state tunities, we were encouraged to hear about the no-cost, farmer to farmer agroecological courses, or local government agency, a nonprofit organization, or an in which each farmer has a specific number of institution of higher education. The recipient organization is students and they together learn about agroecoresponsible for carrying out a specific project or program that logical practices on a farm. We also visited the aligns with the USDA’s mission and priorities. rural education project, Camposofia in Utuado, In recent years, the USDA has prioritized efforts to address which is a successful, economically accessible educational option for farmers’ children. The issues of racial equity in the agricultural sector, including initiative seeks to stimulate repopulation and through the establishment of the Office of the Assistant Secopportunities in rural areas of the country. The retary for Civil Rights and the creation of the USDA Equity school’s approach is inspired by Waldorf EduCommission. The agency has also created new funding opporcation which emphasizes a holistic approach tunities, such as the Socially Disadvantaged Groups Grant to learning, focusing on the development of Program, to support organizations working to address systhe whole child — their intellectual, emotional, social, and physical capacities. The curriculum temic racism and discrimination in the agricultural sector. integrates academic subjects with artistic and The USDA also engages in cooperative agreements and practical activities, including the study of biopartnerships with organizations focused on climate change dynamic agriculture. and sustainability. For example, the USDA Natural Resources We saw examples of cooperative work at Conservation Service (NRCS) works with farmers, ranchers, Cooperativa Orgánica Madre Tierra, a farmer coop that provides educational and marketing and other landowners to implement conservation practices training for agroecological farmers who sell that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance carbon their products in the Organic Market of Placita sequestration in agricultural lands. The USDA also partners Roosevelt (also organized by the cooperative), with organizations focused on climate-smart agriculture, which the first organic farmers market in San Juan. includes practices such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, And we met members of the Cooperativa de and improved nutrient management that can help mitigate and Porcicultores de Puerto Rico, a pork coop that integrates more than 70 small pork producers adapt to the impacts of climate change. as they work to maintain sovereignty through local pork production.

As for market innovations, we were impressed by Puerto Rico Produce, a group of entrepreneurs who share a great passion for food and are to farmers since the start of the project by Good Food Coalireconnecting communities with local producers. They are tion and Alliance for Agriculture, the NRCS cooperative providing direct access to local products through a CSA agreement partnership shows promise in helping farm(Community Supported Agriculture), an online market, and ers access financial support for farm viability and natural a restaurant Cocina Abierta, where local farmers’ ingredi- resource conservation. Whether it’s publicly funded cost-share ents are transformed into high-end gastronomic cuisine. assistance or private philanthropic infrastructure funds (or There is also an innovative project, Fideicomiso de Tierras a combination of the two), the role of trusted local partners Comunitarias para la Agricultura Sostenible (Community is crucial in order to connect with and support the farming Land Trust for Sustainable Agriculture), that aims to secure community. the perpetual use of arable land as communal assets for the We at RAFI-USA appreciated the hospitality and thoughtrural residents of Puerto Rico and promote food sovereignty ful sharing of both the unique issues faced by our U.S. by fostering sustainable, ecological agriculture practices.

Caribbean territory partners and the incredible assets in these Between these trips and the technical assistance extended island communities.

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CRIMSON CLOVER is one of the cover crops used in the Southeast US.

Cultivating Climate-Smart Farming A New Partnership Forms to Foster Regenerative Practices

by Katie Amos and Beth Hauptle

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RAFI-USA is pleased to join A Greener World and Soil Health Institute as recipients of a USDA Climate-Smart Commodities grant, one of 141 projects announced in late 2022. This grant program is part of a historic $3.1 billion federal investment and, according to the USDA, this major commitment will deliver on its promise to expand markets for the U.S.’s climate-smart commodities and leverage the greenhouse gas benefits of climate-smart commodity production.

“Increasing Accessibility to Regenerative Farming Practices and Markets for Small and/or Underserved Producers” will be led by nonprofit certifier A Greener World (AGW) with RAFI-USA and Soil Health Institute (SHI) as partners in implementation. The project, slated to receive up to $4 million in funding, will assist small and underserved producers with climate-smart regenerative farm planning and emissions reduction plan design, as well as incentivize participation and climate-smart practice implementation.

AGW also plans to provide customized marketing support to project participants who earn its Certified Regenerative by AGW certification, enabling them to access new climate-smart markets and sell commodities for a higher premium. RAFI-USA and SHI will work alongside AGW, with RAFI-USA providing technical support in regenerative plan development and SHI providing practical and scientific expertise in soil health analysis and measurement.

The term regenerative agriculture has been increasingly covered in the media. While not a new concept (after all, humans have been using regenerative practices for thousands of years), regenerative has become one of the latest farming buzzwords — and opportunities. AGW Executive Director Emily Moose says, “Here at A Greener World, we’d go so far as to say that the collection of practices described as regen-

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erative could have huge potential to put the brakes on — and even reverse — many of the negative impacts of intensive agriculture.”

The term regenerative agriculture is generally used to refer to a range of sustainable stewardship practices, many of which have been used by Indigenous and traditional agricultural communities for thousands of years.

However, rising interest has led to wide and growing variation in how regenerative is defined and practiced.

As commitments to adopt regenerative practices increase, so does the risk of misusing the claim to imply sustainability without delivering it. Indeed, a number of regenerative programs and initiatives have sprung up

some of whom have had farming passed down through many generations.”

George and Krista High from Cedar Seeder Wellness Farm in Snellville, GA, and recipients of a 2021 RAFI-USA FOCN Infrastructure Grant say, “We practice regenerative agriculture as an approach that gives back to the land where the result is heartier soil that is nutrientrich. As the soil grows richer, the crops grow healthier.”

In fact, one of the primary drivers for AGW’s launch of the new Certified Regenerative by AGW label last summer was this uncertainty and ambiguity of the term.

AGW’s Emily Moose explains, “Certified Regenerative isn’t something we just pulled off the shelf to jump on the regenerative bandwagon. It is the culmination of more than four years of work across four continents to develop effective, appropriate, and workable standards, based on the understanding that regenerative certification should be inclusive and accessible to farms of all sizes, shapes, and backgrounds.”

Certified Regenerative by AGW is the only third-party certification system that measures change by meeting producers where they are and partnering on a journey of measurable regeneration. It is also the only one that audits in conjunction with a Regenerative Plan, ensuring site-specific, measurable progress. The program also stands alone in measuring change through soil, water, and air, while also requiring regenerative practices in biodiversity, buildings, animal health and welfare, and assurances of key social responsibility principles.

Certified Regenerative by AGW is a tool for measuring and managing the process of regeneration with continual improvement expectations until a state of ecological equilibrium is reached.

“We recognize the constant struggle to meet the everchanging demands of a market that is disconnected from agriculture,” says Moose. “One of our goals is to address sustainability in such a holistic context that farmers are effectively ready for any new food fashion — in other words, trend-proof,” she concludes.

Details on how farms can participate in this project will be available later in the Spring of 2023. For more information on the status of the project, sign up for email updates from RAFI-USA and see the QR code for more information about AGW’s Regenerative Agriculture Certification.

Regenerative agriculture... gives back to the land ... As the soil grows richer, the crops grow healthier. around the world. Some are well-considered and commendable; others are vague and misleading.

“There is incredible momentum around regenerative farming, but we need transparency to prevent regenerative from becoming another meaningless industry claim.

Our program offers a way to define, validate, and certify that the farming systems using the regenerative claim are truly regenerative,” says Moose. “Farms making an AGW-certified regenerative claim clearly show customers that they are building healthy, biologically diverse soils that produce nutritious food while enhancing the environment and the farmer’s livelihood.”

Writing in the now defunct publication The Counter in mid-2021, author Joe Fassler says that “the growing, still-incipient movement harbors a secret below its hopeful surface: No one really agrees on what ‘regenerative agriculture’ means, or what it should accomplish, let alone how those benefits should be quantified.” He continues, “Significant disagreements remain — not only about practices like cover crops, or the feasibility of widespread carbon capture, but about market power and racial equity and land ownership. Even as ‘regenerative’ gets increasingly hyped as a transformative solution, the fundamentals are still being negotiated.”

RAFI-USA’s Executive Director Edna Rodriguez says, “We can share numerous examples of farmers we work with in our Farmers of Color Network (FOCN) — Black, brown, Indigenous and other farmers of color — who have been farming this way for a very long time and

Adapted from an article originally published in the Fall 2022 issue of AGW’s Sustainable Farming magazine by Katie Amos.

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FARM BILL

MATTERS

Farmers and advocates share what matters to them in the 2023 Farm Bill

The Farm Bill is the primary agriculture and food policy legislation of the federal government, passed approximately every five years.

This omnibus bill determines policy and funding levels for agriculture, food assistance programs, natural resources, and more under the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The current Farm Bill expires in Fall 2023, and Congress — especially its Agriculture Committees — will spend much of 2023 working on the next Farm Bill.

We’re always talking with farmers at RAFI-USA through the work of our various programs. We asked a few farmers and local food advocates we’ve worked with to share with us why the Farm Bill matters to them.

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Farm Bill programs can provide opportunity for historically underserved farmers as they seek sustainability into the future.

“Programs in the upcoming farm bill are extremely important to small farms like Fourtee Acres, as they present new and ongoing opportunities at sustainability and relevance for us, and particularly for minority growers and landowners. With the changing and ever-shifting dynamics related to climate change, bounce back from the pandemic economically and other decade-long obstacles, this is a chance at meaningful hope and change. We embrace the challenges and triumphs possible in the new bill and look forward to its passage to impact Black farmers to forge a new path to generational wealth and successional endeavors to cement our legacy in this space.” –Tyrone Williams, Fourtee Acres Farm

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TYRONE WILLIAMS

Farmers need support for traditional, ecological, and knowledge-based conservation practices.

“If the funds for programs that recognize and encourage traditional practices were increased, I think it would benefit us because the practices that our ancestors used were very successful. When I was planting malanga (similar to potatoes or yams) one time, a student came to help me, and he quickly said “It’s impossible to plant if a machine is not inserted,” and I said “no, it’s not necessary.” I YOLANDA HERNANDEZ showed him my practice and he finally agreed! Not all the answers come from new technology. There is a need for more education so young people can see traditional practices first hand. –Yolanda Hernandez, Mattei Family Farm in Utuado, Puerto Rico, a third-generation farmer

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Increased USDA investment in conservation programs can help farmers mitigate and adapt to climate change.

“I am a farm owner and operator in Vacherie, LA. My farm is presently working to lessen the impact of food insecurity in the River Parishes. I produce LEROY CONISH AND A NONPROFIT PARTNER vegetables for Louisiana Nourish, Second Harvest, Louisiana Department of Agriculture FMNP, and sell directly from my farm.

My farm is impacted adversely by climate change. Crop yields have diminished due to hurricanes, drought, and floods. Food insecurity and hunger are directly related to climate change and can be addressed in the Farm Bill.

I want to see it support farmer-centered research, provide incentives for on-farm conservation, and expand the local agriculture market for farmers. The 2023 Farm Bill can help make family-owned farms more sustainable and improve food access in food insecure communities.” –Leroy Conish, Farmer, Vacherie, LA Farmers want to serve their communities and contribute to hunger relief efforts.

“I’m hoping to see efforts in the 2023 Farm Bill make it easier for local farmers to contribute to hunger relief efforts and cultivate community at farmers markets with folks who use nutrition MAGGIE FUNKHOUSER benefits like SNAP/EBT and Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP). More and more farmers markets are not only accepting SNAP/

EBT but offering incentives like Double Bucks for participants to shop at farmers markets. Increased funding for programs like Seniors FMNP and WIC FMNP as well as for incentive grants like GusNIP directly benefit farmers and shoppers both — and promote access to fresh, local food at farmers markets for all of our community members. The Carrboro Farmers’ Market, along with the other farmers markets in North Carolina’s Triangle, has worked for many years to build our SNAP/EBT and Double Bucks programs, and we have seen first-hand the direct benefits of connecting SNAP participants and farmers. –Maggie Funkhouser, Market Manager, Carrboro Farmers’ Market, NC

Farmers need access to seeds that are publicly available and adapted to organic and sustainable production in their specific bioregion.

As reported in Claire Kelloway’s Food & Power March 23 Newsletter, the USDA released a new report that outlines “how seed indusBEN MILLER AND KELLI DALE try consolidation paired with restrictive intellectual property regimes are stifling small, independent, and public seed breeding programs.”

“Having seed that is locally produced and grown specifically for our region and environment allows farmers to grow crops more efficiently and effectively, making for a better quality and more cost efficient product. It allows local farmers to have more of an impact and give more feedback easily to help improve the seeds they need to continue to be able to improve their crop year after year.” –Ben Miller, Member Southern Seed Coop and farmer, Reedy Fork Farm, Elon, NC. R AFI USA.ORG/M AG A Z I N E

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(LEFT) JAIMIE McGirt and Kelli Dale planting wildflowers at (right) Kamal Bell’s Sankofa Farms in Efland, NC.

seeds of

CHANGE Regionaly Adapted Seeds for Sustainable Agriculture

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program has been developing two projects: Southern Farmers Seed Cooperative and NC Seed Stewards. RAFI-USA’s Just Foods program director Kelli Dale diligently oversees the development of both these programs, which were born directly from farmer input. “I’m not coming out as an expert and telling them how to run their farms, I’m just there as a tool to help them achieve something new,” she tells us.

Southern Farmers Seed Cooperative is focused on agronomic commodity crops, and began as a soybean program.

Currently, five farms comprising 11 farmers grow and share four different varieties of regionally adapted soybeans. The cooperative was born out of the intersection of two organic seed trials attempting to find varieties best suited for Southeastern growing conditions. Trials were done at both North Carolina State University research stations and on organic farms across North Carolina over a three-year period. The results of these trials were very promising, but after being approached for distribution, no seed companies were interested in mass producing seed varieties as they viewed regional niche seed varieties to be an unjustified cost.

The allowance for niche is a common problem in profitdriven agricultural firms, but it is a problem that can be addressed comfortably at the local level if given the opportunity.

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BETH HAUPTLE

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any farmers today are facing a harsh reality: the price of inputs is constantly growing, while their share in the sale price is constantly shrinking. A large reason this problem persists is the consolidation of production and distribution into fewer, larger firms and the resulting corporate dominance it brings.

Much of the public conversation about this corporate consolidation has focused on animal products such as beef, poultry, and pork, but another crucial element that has placed an increasing burden on small- to medium-scale farms is seed.

Seeds are essential inputs to any agronomic or horticultural operation. The concentration of the seed market into a small group of megafirms has led to fewer available varieties of seeds, less genetic diversity, less biodiversity in our agroecosystems, supply chain gaps for specific regions and of course, higher prices.

At RAFI-USA, our goal is to empower farmers, and in an attempt to alleviate some of the pressure on growers caused by corporate consolidation in the seed market, our Just Foods

BETH HAUPTLE

By Joe Pellegrino

BETH HAUPTLE

BETH HAUPTLE

A majority of the organic soybean seed offered by corporate entities was developed in the Midwest, and is far from ideal for Southeastern climates. The same is true of corn, which the cooperative is currently trying to branch into. The process is slow, as seed specifically adapted to the region can only be found in quantities that could fit in a pint glass. However, the cooperative is working hard breeding and replicating corn that could save Southeastern farmers a tremendous headache in the future. Kelli Dale finds this new breakthrough the most rewarding part of the project so far, “These corn lines would probably be sitting in storage somewhere if I hadn’t had a group of farmers willing to listen to some crazy idea about producing a double cross corn line, something that hasn’t been done in North Carolina in almost a hundred years!”

The NC Seed Stewards are focused on NC wildflowers, and are composed of members of RAFI-USA Farmers of Color Network. It all began during an advertising campaign for Burt’s Bees, in which the company pledged that for each customer who bought a container of lip balm, 1,000 wildflowers would be planted. RAFI-USA was contracted to plant the wildflowers on farms in North Carolina.

During the process, a surprising problem presented itself.

While it is possible to purchase wildflower seed mixes spe-

cialized for the Southeast, it is hit or miss whether those flowers are ideally suited for the ecotype of North Carolina.

Kelli decided to turn to the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill as a reference for what could be grown, and settled on four species to grow for a new seed mix. With the first seeds hopefully being harvested in Spring 2023, this new NC wildflower mix has the potential to assist in attracting native pollinators, adding biodiversity to agroecosystems, and providing new market pathways for NC farmers allowing them to increase their dollar-per-acre output.

Both of these programs assist in bringing new autonomy to regional farmers. With corporate consolidation funneling the seed market into few, expensive options with little diversity, we strive to see farmers taking power back into their own hands.

We see the importance of developing farmer-driven programs that address practical problems only truly visible with boots on the ground. While both of these programs are still in their infancy, and ultimately only a piece of the puzzle in pushing the balance of power back in favor of farmers, we are excited to watch these seeds grow.

Joe Pellegrino wo rks as RAFI-USA’s Communications Coordinator. Prior to joining RAFI-USA, Joe worked as a photojournalist and studied Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at North Carolina State University.

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tunnel vision

A High Tunnel Raising

by Beth Hauptle | photos by Joe Pellegrino

(FROM LEFT) RAFI-USA staff member Carolina Alzate Gouzy, Michael Daye, and Nathan Bullock stabilize the tunnel frame.

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hen you hear the saying “Many hands make light work,” you might think of community cleanups, food drives, or barn raisings. In a twist on the traditional barn raising, RAFI-USA recently cohosted a high tunnel raising at Fairport Farms in Kittrell, NC. It all started when Elvin Eaton of Fairport Farms was on a call with RAFI-USA’s Jaimie McGirt about working with the NRCS. Knowing his need for a high tunnel and his admiration of market gardener and tunnel expert Howard Allen of Faithfull Farms, Jaimie introduced the two producers.

As Howard mentored Elvin through the process of selecting a caterpillar tunnel kit conducive to Fairport Farm’s operation, it was clear the construction of the tunnel could be a unique learning opportunity for other beginning farmers. Elvin’s idea of a tunnel-raising was born: The Eatons would purchase the tunnel kit, Howard would captain the tunnel-raising crew, and RAFI-USA would help promote it as a farmer brigade to members of its Farmers of Color Network Members of the Farmers of Color Network have participated in this kind of brigade in the past, and like other times, the turnout was great. On February 27, 2023 31 volunteers arrived, ready and eager to help and learn, and in nearly ten hours, the high tunnel was ready.

Elvin had been wanting a high tunnel for several years. High tunnels — also known as hoop houses or polytunnels — help farmers by protecting crops from harsh weather conditions and creating a more optimal micro-climate for extending the growing season in both directions. Because of the extended growing season, farmers are able to produce a wider variety of crops, leading to increased productivity and profitability. High tunnels are an increasingly popular piece of infrastructure for small farmers trying to improve their produce quality and competitive advantage in seasonal marketplaces.

When the growing season can be extended, farmers are able to produce a wider variety of crops and the need to transport food from other regions is reduced. Additionally, the controlled environment can help reduce pests and diseases, thus making organic and regenerative practices easier to adopt. This ultimately leads to improved soil and water quality. When best management practices like drip irrigation, mulching, intercropping, and covercropping are applied, high tunnels conserve water. By producing in high tunnels, farmers are highly productive in smaller areas and likely reducing tillage of open acreage.

Natural resource conservation is a by product of well-managed high tunnel production, not only improving crop health, but livelihood across the farm landscape.

RICHARD HEWLIN and William Landis work together with other volunteers to install the first section of roof on the high tunnel.

GREG BRUHN hammers rods into the ground to serve as a base for the high tunnel.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP VOLUNTEERS WORK together to ensure the high tunnel frame is even.

FRANKLIN COUNTY Extension agent William Landis brings a section of roof to the construction site.

THE FINISHED Tunnel sits at Eaton’s farm in

Kittrell, North Carolina after a long day of learning and volunteer work.

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USDA EQIP PROGRAM High tunnel systems are growing in popularity. Farmers can apply for financial assistance to obtain one through USDA’s NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). RAFI-USA is currently working on a Cooperative Agreement with the NRCS, and as a part of that work, we are providing technical assistance so that farmers, particularly farmers of color, can take advantage of conservation programs that provide cost-share opportunities for particular practices like High Tunnel Systems.

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rafi-usa program spotlights

Challenging Corporate Power RAFI-USA’s Challenging Corporate Power Program has two main goals. First, we advocate for policies that limit the abusive power of big companies in the meat industry by enforcing stronger regulations and antitrust laws. This will protect farmers, workers, and citizens from unfair practices by big corporations. Second, we advocate for policies that will build inclusive and ecologically sustainable regional food economies in which farmers and their communities share equitably in profits and benefits of the food system they create together.

In 2023, the program is working on four campaigns to achieve these goals. First, we are pushing Congress and USDA to ban unfair contract payment systems for poultry and cattle farmers, either through new laws or rules. Second, we are advocating for investments in local meat processing businesses and reforms to the government’s meat purchasing. Our third campaign is pushing for new antitrust laws and rules that will make it harder for big corporations to dominate the industry. Finally, we are gathering a network of people to partner with us in developing ideas for how to make a just transition to a more democratic and sustainable food system.

Come to the Table Come to the Table’s is one of RAFI-USA’s longest standing programs and has a mission to empower faith communities to participate in the creation of a just food system. The Farm & Faith Partnerships Project was created to support partnerships between faith communities and farmers from RAFI-USA’s Farmers of Color Network. We are excited to support faith communities that are passionate about investing in self-sustaining, mutually beneficial, long-term relationships with farmers of color. We believe that these partnerships will build congregational capacity and increase a church’s ability to partner with other community-based organizations and local farmers.

RAFI-USA is currently supporting partnerships for more than 20 faith communities and 12 farmers of color. These partnerships usually take the form of congregants signing up for community supported agriculture (CSA) shares. RAFI-USA supports the organizing faith community as they offer their spaces as packing and distribution sites for the produce shares. This opportunity increases market access for farmers and provides a meaningful way for faith communities to strengthen their local food system.

If you are a farmer interested in connecting with faith communities, please contact Jarred White (jarred@rafiusa.org, 919.548.4730) for more information. Or scan the QR code to watch a video about the program.

FARMER KEN

Daniel plans his CSA offerings. His story is one featured in the video linked below.

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Q&A

FreshPoint Shares Tips and Insights into Local Sourcing

Angel Woodrum (AW): Tell me about your work with FreshPoint and what FreshPoint does.

Lauren Horning (LH): I develop the local sourcing program for FreshPoint, a national distributor and subsidiary of Sysco. FreshPoint has 27 warehouses in the U.S. and defines local as made or grown within 250 miles of a warehouse. FreshPoint is known as a produce distributor, but we also carry dairy and local artisan items.

FreshPoint is North America’s largest exclusively owned produce distributor, whose customers include restaurants, schools, healthcare facilities, and more. At the heart of FreshPoint’s values is sustainability, both economically and environmentally. FreshPoint supports local farmers and artisans because buying locally strengthens communities, helps support family farms, and provides the fresh local options many demand.

RAFI-USA had a chance to talk with Lauren Horning, Director of Local Sourcing and Sustainability at FreshPoint, to get a better AW: How does FreshPoint engage with farmers? understanding of how farmers can partner with FreshPoint.

LH: We strive to be a key partner with local farmers, and a large part of that partnership involves communication. When we identify a local farmer to work with, we strive to provide the farmer with the level of information needed, such as crop planning, assistance with market pricing, and education on wholesale readiness like packing a crop for distribution. We aim to be more than just a buyer, and more so a strategic business partner.

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(L-R) ORGANIC student Mike Montagano, Tami Purdue, Owner and Operator of Sweet Peas Urban Gardens in Garner, NC, and Lauren Horning, Director of Local Sourcing and Sustainability at FreshPoint

AW: What sort of contract is in place for farmers selling to FreshPoint?

LH: We don’t set formal contracts with local farmers. We strive to build a trusting relationship with local farm-

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AW: If a farmer is interested in selling to FreshPoint, what should they do?

LH: New farmers are welcome to reach out to me directly (Lauren.Horning@ freshpoint.com), or to the buyers at the FreshPoint site closest to the farm. For fresh produce items, we do require a GAP audit, and we accept either GroupGAP or individual. Some states have a GAP cost-share program, or local nonprofit organizations that assist with funding the GAP audit. By connecting with organizations like RAFI-USA, we’re able to spread the word and share these opportunities with local farmers.

We aim to be more than just a buyer, and more so a strategic business partner.

A FRESHPOINT produce supplier harvests carrots.

ers where they feel comfortable offering us the crops that they’re growing. We do offer crop planning to provide suggestions on crop varieties to grow and in weekly quantities that we could buy.

When working with a new local farmer, we look to start in smaller quantities to build a trusting relationship as we and the farmer grow together.

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AW: How does a farmer plan their crop production when working with FreshPoint? (Expect to harvest year round, storage crop planning, etc.)

LH: Crop planning takes place several months in advance of buying seed.

Farmers can let us know the crops that they prefer to grow and we can provide weekly volumes and case sizes that we’d be able to commit to. If the farmer is open to growing crops outside of their current plan, we can provide suggestions on crops for which we have a need.

AW: What are some tips farmers who haven’t sold wholesale before should know? Or best practices you see from farmers who currently sell with FreshPoint?

LH: It’s important for farmers to have multiple customers, including both direct customers and wholesale customers. Farmers will make more money selling direct-to-consumer (DTC), so small farmers will typically want a greater percentage of their sales going DTC. Wholesale prices are often cheaper, but move greater volume. I would also suggest new wholesale farmers consider cold storage, logistics, and packaging.

Cold storage extends shelf life, logistics gets the products from the farmer to the distributor, and packaging protects the product during shipping. Farmers who consider these key aspects of the supply chain, along with great communication with the buyer, are more likely to be strong partners with us.

AW: What products are always in demand? What do you wish more farmers had to offer?

LH: This is a common question we receive, so I like to preface this answer with the thought that if every farmer grew what was in demand, there would no longer be a demand. Success grows from a need in the market. Currently,

we see a consumer interest in specialty crops, crops with excellent flavor, and crops with a story or geographical relevance. Often, new farmers believe that they need to be a large farm to sell wholesale. We’ve seen many successful small farms though, and they often grow specialty heirloom crops or seeds with regional flavors.

AW: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our farmers that I didn’t ask about?

LH: Farmers tend to become farmers due to a love for the land and growing.

Being a salesperson isn’t always associated with being a farmer, but that’s a key role of selling wholesale. Posting photos of crops on social media and following up with buyers weekly are essential to selling and building strong relationships. I often see that these key aspects of sales can be forgotten when farmers get busy in the fields, but it’s important for farmers to always keep their “selling hats” on.

RAFI-USA thanks Lauren for her time answering our questions about wholesaling to FreshPoint, and providing insight into the process of working with a wholesaler. For more information on building the capacity for wholesaling, Lauren Horning has offered her her contact information above. RAFI-USA also offers the Expanding Farmers Market Access program. For more information on that contact Angel Woodrum at angel@rafiusa.org.

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Field and Feast

High on the Hog: A Journey Through African-American Culinary History By Mary Saunders Bulan

LAST SUMMER I ATTENDED a Chow Chow

festival event (a culinary event that celebrates the food culture of the Southern Appalachian Mountains) about Malinda Russell, the author of the first known cookbook by a Black American author.

I was working the event as a volunteer for the Organic Grower’s School (Asheville, NC), behind a table selling T-shirts and water bottles, and handing out flyers. The attendees were foodies, locals, and visitors to Asheville, NC, who had paid $150 a ticket to eat nine courses prepared by a few of the hottest celebrity chefs in town, and to hear a panel of historians and cookbook authors discuss Russell’s cooking, her life, and the importance of her recently rediscovered 1866 text, A Domestic Cook Book: Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen.

The African roots of food we eat in the United States is a subject I became aware of gradually. In my hometown in Lowcountry South Carolina, we were served rice and gravy with fried chicken 26

and green beans every Thursday in the high school cafeteria. My Asian immigrant mother fed us greens, fish, and rice almost daily, but when I left home I came to understand the turnip or mustard greens or collards and rice we ate in local “meat and three” restaurants drew from African, not Asian traditions. Only later did I see that what I understood as a uniquely Southern food, turnip tops without the roots, was originally the unwanted half of the crop that enslaved Africans were allowed to eat, and a substitute for leafy greens their ancestors had prepared and eaten back home.

As a bonafide foodie myself, a farmer, and a Southerner, I pricked up my ears when I heard from friends that Netflix had a documentary on African-American cuisine called High on the Hog. I watched one or two episodes of this surprisingly moving series. But besides kids shows and March Madness, I’m not much for TV, and so I recently found myself picking up the source text by Jessica B. Harris instead. High on the

Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America, was published in 2011. Part memoir, history lesson, and cookbook, it reads like a picaresque biography of multiple subjects, making lemonade out of a hard life in the early, middle, and present-day U.S. Harris has published multiple African-American cuisine-focused cookbooks and worked for years as a travel editor for Essence magazine. In this book, she writes with an engaging, narrative style as she travels to Africa and throughout the U.S. on an exploration of culinary and cultural connections. Harris draws expertly from original texts to tell stories of Black cooks and chefs, community leaders, entrepreneurs, and controversial luminaries, from pre-Columbian Africa to the America of Down Home with the Neelys on the Food Network.

Harris brings to life historical figures like Hercules, the much-esteemed head chef of President George Washington who eventually escaped from Mount Vernon; and James Hemings, Thomas Jefferson’s Black chef who trained in Paris and ran the famed kitchens of Monticello. After his stay in revolutionary France, Hemings petitioned Jefferson for his freedom, and was granted it on the condition that he remain in servitude until he had trained a satisfactory replacement.

Harris answers questions you may have never thought to ask about plantation rations and various historical approaches to feeding enslaved people. She memorably and devastatingly quotes from WPA-era oral histories and contemporary journal entries.

Harris details complex alternative food economies that developed in enslaved communities: men and women who gardened, fished and hunted after hours, and then sold or bartered the surplus. In cities like Charleston, SC, some enslaved laborers wore metal badges registered to their owners as

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they sold produce or worked skilled trades for hire.

Harris is a natural storyteller. She evokes the soundscapes of early U.S. cities with Black food vendors hawking “fine Rocka-a-way clams” in NYC, and Charleston peddlers, whose loud cries gave the streets a distinctly African feel and inspired irate letters to the newspaper editor. She touches on the life of Mary Ellen Pleasant, a convention-defying woman who went West, and parlayed her culinary skills and business acumen into a real estate fortune in post-Gold Rush San Francisco.

She introduces us to Harlem’s “Pig Foot Mary,” whose legal name was Lillian Haris Dean. She quotes The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, who as a young writer had conducted WPA interviews

in the 1920s and 30s. One of Ellison’s fictional characters from the novel lives in Harlem and is briefly transported to his Southern past with the smell of a street vendor’s baked yams.

Harris wraps up her narrative with a brief foray into the modern politics of African-American food. She takes us through the civil rights actions at a lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, and describes the strict no-pork policy of the Nation of Islam. She points to Alex Haley’s 1977 autobiography Roots, and the subsequent television series, giving license to Americans of African descent to explore the bounty and traditions of their heritage. Travel to West Africa by the diaspora boomed at this time, and in Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria, Black tourists discovered familiar tastes and

culinary connections in a homeland their ancestors were forced to leave. I got the sense that Harris’s own journey began around this era.

Harris’s candid, personal style of writing and focus on extraordinary people makes the often harsh and bitter hardships in her subject matter easier to digest. Whether you watched High on the Hog or not, there is plenty to sink your teeth into here. The book concludes with an index of names and subjects, a formidable bibliography for further reading, and naturally, a few dozen recipes.

Yassa au Poulet: marinated lemon and chili chicken, grilled and poached in sauce, was mouth-watering. I’ll leave it to other readers to kitchen test “Possum and Sweet Potatoes”.

TECHNOLOGY CORNER

FarmRaise Tracks

The New App for Farmers to Streamline Expense Tracking KEEPING FARM RECEIPTS organized is not as much fun as digging a hole in the ground, but it’s still necessary.

As a farmer myself, deep into tax season I find myself wishing for a better system to track business expenses. Enter FarmRaise Tracks. This new app is designed to help farmers with record keeping, and allows for categorizing expenses the same way they are reported on Schedule F. (Schedule F — Form 1040 — is used to report farm income and expenses.)

The app allows one to quickly capture and summarize expenses by category and date so you can monitor your expenses for taxes or other business use. All your information can be downloaded to a .csv file (spreadsheet format).

At our family farm, Little Farm Black Mountain, we’re making early season purchases of seeds, soil amendments, and

tools, so I tried to log some of these expenses into FarmRaise Tracks. It’s a pretty intuitive user interface, where you can (+) Add Expenses, and enter the vendor, price, and category. You can also assign the expense to a specific enterprise, such as buying biodegradable cow-manure based pots and charging it to the “Seedling Sales” piece of your business. One receipt can also be split among categories, such as if you’re buying both seeds and tools from a vendor like Johnny’s.

You can take photos of receipts to attach it to the expense, which works easily. There is also the option to upload a file with a receipt in it, say if you save an email receipt to PDF and want to upload the file. This function did not work for me, however. The app is still in Beta testing. Another downside is that if you decide you need a different photo of the receipt, you can’t edit it once you have saved the expense.

FarmRaise Tracks can be accessed on a mobile device through the App Store: FarmRaise Tracks on the App Store (apple.com) for a fee of $40 per month.

MARY SAUNDERS Bulan is RAFI-USA’s Farmer Services Director.

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rural reflections

who will be the messenger of this land Jaki Shelton Green, Poet Laureate of North Carolina

who will be the messengers of this land harvesting its truths bearing unleavened bread burying mutilated crops beneath its breasts who will remember to unbury the unborn seeds that arrived in captivity shackled, folded, bent, layered in its bowels

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we are these messengers whose ears alone choose which spices whose eyes alone name basil, nutmeg, fennel, ginger, cardamom, sassafras whose tongues alone carry hemlock, blood root, valerian, damiana, st. john’s wort these roots that contain its pleasures its languages its secrets we are the messengers new messengers arriving as mutations of ourselves we are these messengers blue breath red hands singing a tree into dance

Jaki Shelton Green, ninth Poet Laureate of North Carolina, is the first African American and third woman to be appointed as the North Carolina Poet Laureate. She is a 2019 Academy of American Poet Laureate Fellow, 2014 NC Literary Hall of Fame Inductee, 2009 NC Piedmont Laureate appointment, and the 2003 recipient of the North Carolina Award for Literature. Jaki Shelton Green teaches Documentary Poetry at Duke University Center for Documentary Studies and was appointed the 2021 Frank B. Hanes Writer in Residence at UNC Chapel Hill.

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who will be the messenger of this land wrapping its stories carefully in patois of creole, irish, gullah, twe, tuscarora stripping its trees for tea and pleasure who will help this land to remember its birthdays, baptisms weddings, funerals, its rituals denials, disappointments and sacrifices

we are their messengers with singing hoes and dancing plows with fingers that snap beans, arms that raise corn, feet that cover the dew falling from okra, beans, tomatoes

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who will be the messenger of this land count its veins speak through the veins translate the language of water navigate the heels of lineage who will carry this land in parcels paper, linen, burlap who will weep when it bleeds and hardens forgets to birth itself

Since our beginning, RAFI-USA has worked one-on-one with farmers of color to overcome systemic institutional, economic, and societal barriers and to help create sustainable prosperity on the land. In 2017 RAFI-USA launched the Farmers of Color Network (FOCN) to more intentionally support Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) farmers in the Southeast U.S. (and now in the U.S. Caribbean) so that they are improving their economic viability, keeping their land, and gaining generational investment.

Isabel Soto, Florida

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