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Minutes

Minutes of the 9/14/10 meeting of FOBK Board

Minutes of the Sept 14, 2010 meeting of Friends of Boulder Knoll board.

In attendance: Kim Stoner, Brenda Caldwell, Greg Melville, Ron Gagliardi, James McGrath, Marion Sparago, Domingo Medina, Fellis Jordan, Lauren Tagliatela, Debbie Kohan, Kathryn Frund and Dan Groberg (on conference call)

Treasurer’s Report

Carol began the meeting with a review of the treasurer’s report. The tag sale on the green raised $3,448.87 which included the sponsorship donations. FOBK received a $500 donation from the Tagliatela Foundation. There is $5,073.87 in an account in New England Bank which will be used to pay Brenda and Wayne, and  $6,703 in the Foundation. We need to pay $1,500 for the purchase of fruit. The season will end with a $7,000 surplus.

An evaluation of the tag sale followed and suggestions where made for 2011. The sale on the green generated an impressive amount of money, as well as raising public awareness for the farm. Meredith Berger did an absolutely amazing job organizing all facets of the event. Clothing, linens and kitchen items which remained at the end of the sale were donated to Acts 4 Women’s Shelter. Charlie Monti, the director of COCO, has expressed an interest in participating next year. Kim Wantroba from Cheshire Community Chorus, was concerned over the confusion surrounding the appropriate place to purchase merchandise. Some sales from their tables went to Boulder Knoll. Better signage needs to be considered for 2011, as well as possibly putting stickers on all items to identify each organization. Due to the success of this year’s event, we will plan to hold a community tag sale next year in April or May.

Water for the Farm

Bob is waiting for the results of the second water test, which should be released within the next few weeks. If the water is good, the town will hook up the well to the farm. There is a single pipe running under the road which connects the wellhead at Kerry’s house to the farm.

Demolition of the Barn

Cheshire Land Trust will be receiving a few beams from the dairy barn which was demolished today. Ann Giddings called Michael Malone inquiring about the demolition.  The town’s plan to knock the barn down first and then go through the debris and retrieve beams, resulting in a minimal amount of recovered wood. Deconstruction of the barn may have resulted in more reclaimed material.

Environmental Education Position

Fellis is looking for a job description and list of qualifications for the environmental education position, as well as possible funding sources. She has contacted Natick Farm to ask for help with this search. Kim suggested that the Community Farming Conference held on Oct 30th, was a possible source for information, as well as contacting Brianne Cassadei of Terra Firma Farm, who generously offered to give us her business plan.

Funding Opportunities

Marion Sparago from Cheshire Nursery School presented to the board a generous donation opportunity.  The nursery school, established in 1952, closed 4 years ago. Their bylaws stipulated the school’s proceeds must go to a nonprofit charitable organization. Several organizations have already been awarded money, including Darcy School and the Cheshire Correctional Center. The remaining $20-$25K funds are available for educational programs. Brenda submitted the farm’s wish list to the board for discussion. The need for an environmental educator best fit the requirements for the funds. The farm’s environmental educator will be an income producing position.  Fellis, Ron, James, Brenda and Marion will meet as a subcommittee to discuss the proposal. Fellis gave Marion a copy of FOBK’s original proposal which specified the type of educational programs the farm wished to offer the community.

Domingo Medina discussed other funding opportunities from private organizations. There are small $5K-$10K grants available which would require matching funds. We would need to research grants and fit our needs to the granting agencies. Kim discussed the $50K Farm Viability Grant which Massaro Farm applied for through a municipal grant. We would need permission by the town of Cheshire to apply for these funds, which require matching – which can be in-kind services. Kim also discussed grants from the Natural Resources Conservation Service to possibly pay for deer fencing, additional buildings or equipment. We need to discuss with our accountant the necessity of filing a Schedule F on our farm income, which would establish us as a farm within 1 or 2 years. This would then enable us to be eligible for government funds. Domingo, Brenda, Fellis, Lauren and Sarah will form a small group to research grants. A wind or solar powered water pump is one possible project we could seek to fund.

Bob discussed an income opportunity by selling scrap metal to Albert Brothers in Waterbury and donating the funds to FOBK. Dan will post the information on our website and have interested members contact Bob for details.

Event Idea for 2011

Brenda proposed “A Family Fun Day” for CSA members, friends and the general public. Activities include planting garlic, workshops on preparing the ground for next year’s garden and an educational demo on preserving food. Hay rides, pumpkin painting and delicious food from the Cheese Truck would be part of the 3 hour festivities.  It’s free to FOBK families or $10 for non members.  A donation jar and the sale of pumpkins could offset some of the expenses of running the event. We decided to put this into the plan for next year.

Thank You Letter

Greg formatted a thank you letter for FOBK. Based on comments, he will make changes and email a revision to Kim.

Additional Business

Fellis will look into the VoAG program at Lyman Hall, as well as a grant for a Yale student to intern at the farm. Dan will link our website to Jordan Caterers. On the farm, Fred will be mowing the fields.

Gleaning and an Extra Share Out

An extra share out will be offered to 25 people. The price is tentative set at $10 for members and $15 for those on the waiting list. Gleaning for CSA members (pick what you need) is available after this final harvest. Brenda is still harvesting vegetables for the restaurant and the soup kitchen. The portable toilet will be removed at the end of the month.

October Annual Meeting and Agenda

The board and invited guests of FOBK will hold its annual meeting on October 28. We will gather at Fellis Jordan’s home for a pot-luck supper at 6:30 pm followed by the meeting at 7pm. The agenda will include:

  1. the year’s accomplishments
  2. the installation of a new board
  3. a report on the CSA from Farmer Brenda
  4. a look to the future of FOBK and the CSA
  5. treasurer’s report

Kim and Greg will be stepping off the board, and Dan and Meredith will be joining. During this transitional time, there are some CSA members who have expressed interest in becoming involved in FOBK, they include: Lauren Tagliatela, Leslie Mangelo, Tom Scannell, Debbie Kohan and Domingo Medina.

Categories
Updates

Our Fruit Supplier in the News

We just found this article about High Hill Orchard, where we get our ecologically-grown fruit for our CSA shareholders!

Frosty Harvests, A Season in Reverse
by Jan Ellen Spiegel, New York Times
October 1, 2010

In the dead of winter when other farmers are ordering seed, Mr. Young, 51, will be dealing with farm chores and customers. “It’s kind of like — January and February: ‘Oh, what am I doing here? Oh yeah, I got paid for it a long time ago,’ ” he said. “It does drag it out a little longer with a winter C.S.A. than you might want.

But that has been Mr. Young’s choice for the last dozen or so years. Not that he is the only one taking advantage of the exploding demand for local produce year round. He is, however, one of the few who focus on fruit in winter. His farm, High Hill Orchard in Meriden, has 13 acres of apples and 8 acres of pears among 25 cultivated acres that also include peaches, plums and other strictly summer fruits and vegetables, which he sells directly from his farm stand.

Click here to keep reading…

Categories
The World of Sustainability

Wal-Mart and Local Food

LocalHarvest provides an interesting take on Wal-Mart latest initiative to buy more local produce, with a goal of 9% of the produce in its U.S. stores being from local (within the state of a given store) sources by 2015. The company also plans to provide training to over one million farmers and farm workers in crop selection and sustainable practices.

Here’s LocalHarvest’s take, from their latest email newsletter:

In college I dated someone whose response to ambiguous news was always, “Who’s to say what is good and what is bad?” At 22 I thought myself an excellent judge of the good and the bad. Needless to say, the relationship didn’t last. I have thought of his question often over the years, though, and it came back to me last week when I read the New York Times article describing Walmart’s decision to make a major investment in local and sustainable foods.

On one hand, the thought of Walmart sticking its gigantic foot in the local food door seems potentially ruinous. The company is known for setting extremely low prices with its suppliers, and the margins on real food are already achingly slim. Would contracts with Walmart actually help farmers, or ultimately hurt them?

On the other hand, Walmart is going to get its apples and broccoli and onions from somewhere. It might as well be close to home, with some type of sustainable practices. Decentralizing food production is a good idea. If the planet’s biggest grocer turns sustained attention toward buying a significant amount of local food (which, according to the Times, they define as within the state) they could do a great deal to encourage the establishment and growth of mid-sized farms across the country. That would be a good thing.

Walmart may be able to procure foods grown within certain geographic boundaries, but for many of us, local food means more than that. For me, “local food” is a kind of shorthand for an entire ethic. In this ethic, food is produced under quality conditions, on a scale that feels human rather than corporate, by people whose focus is on natural resource stewardship as much as it is on the bottom line, in a business whose owners do right by their employees. On the consumer side of this ethic, the food is purchased, prepared and eaten with awareness of its true value.

All week I have been thinking about what single word would capture the feeling behind this ideal. The word I came up with was ‘kindness’. In my estimation, there is a broad, radical kindness that underlies the emerging alternative food economy, which ultimately is an economy based on relationship. It is hard for me to imagine that kindness and relationships are at the heart of the megastore’s buy local campaign. But it is also hard for me to imagine a future without grocery store chains. I fully expect that the groundswell of support for authentic food and small farmers will continue to grow and flourish. If, alongside it, the nation’s grocers begin engaging local farmers in their response to consumer demand for higher quality food, and if farmers are able to get fair prices, that would also be a good thing.

Is the fact that Wal-Mart will be purchasing more food locally, and reducing green house gas emissions in the process, a good thing? As LocalHarvest discusses, that’s an interesting question.

At Friends of Boulder Knoll, however, we believe that food is about more than the lettuce you pick or the potato you dig up. Food is about making connections. It’s about education, about learning where food comes from and how it is grown. It’s about people: the farmer and the consumer, not a brightly lit grocery store aisle.

We urge you to come out to the farm and find out what we’re all about. In the meanwhile, please share your thoughts on Wal-Mart’s latest move, and about what this means for the local food movement.

Categories
Events

Annual Meeting and Potluck

Friend,

The Board of Friends of Boulder Knoll invites you to be our guest at our Annual Meeting on October 28. We will gather for a pot-luck supper at 6:30 pm, followed by the meeting at 7:00 pm.


We will review the year’s accomplishments, install a new board, hear a report on the CSA from Farmer Brenda, look to the future of FOBK and the CSA, and more.  Join us on Oct. 28 at the home of Fellis and Hap Jordan.

For more information, or to let us know that you plan to attend, please email info (at) friendsofboulderknoll (dot) com.


Sincerely,
Friends of Boulder Knoll

Categories
Updates

Boulder Knoll Barn Demolished

Friend,
We recently shared with you the news that the barn at Boulder Knoll was set to be demolished. Today, the town began the deconstruction process. We asked you to share your thoughts on the demise of the barn, and here’s what you had to say:

“I had hoped that the barn would become a vibrant headquarters and civic center for historical exhibits, education, experimentation, conservation, horticulture and agriculture: a place for local people to meet and participate in activities fostering responsible use of land.”

Can you help us take better care of our community?

“I would like to see the barn and the land around it used to highlight issues regarding the preservation our CT agricultural heritage, support existing local farmers & raise awareness of the importance of Open Spaces in our state.”

Become a member and celebrate Connecticut’s agricultural heritage.

“Simply saying that the barn would make a great educational site without taking all the financial factors into consideration is naive.”

Contribute today so that next time, we have the resources to step up and get our voices heard.

Thanks for all your help,
Friends of Boulder Knoll

P.S. We did learn some good news about the barn… Salvageable lumber—inlcuding 200 linear feet of center board and 19 first-floor columns—from the Boulder Knoll barn will be put to good use at the Ives Farm property in Cheshire! Can you support us so that we can continue fighting for sustainable communities?

Categories
Events

Photos from the Farm Dinner

Photos from the Farm Dinner

Thank you everyone for an incredible event this evening!

We raised nearly $1,700 for Friends of Boulder Knoll, and had some delicious eats thanks to the generosity of Caseus Bistro and Jordan Caterers.

Thank you to everyone who attended and helped support our cause. Friends of Boulder Knoll and Boulder Knoll Community Farm are a product of your support, your donation of time and/or money, and your concern for local, sustainable communities. We couldn’t do it without your help, and we are constantly humbled and amazed by our community of supporters.

Liese Klein joined us this evening and took some great photos of the event. Check out the pictures, and please join us again at a future event (such as our upcoming tag sale!).

Categories
Events

2nd Annual Tag Sale

2nd Annual Tag Sale

Did you know that our second annual tag sale is rapidly approaching? For more details on the sale, visit our Tag Sale page at friendsofboulderknoll.com/tagsale. The tag sale is one of our biggest yearly fundraisers, and every dollar raised goes straight toward supporting our mission of making our community more sustainable.

You can help us by donating your unwanted items to our sale. Have items you want to donate? We’d also love your clean, in good working order, and sellable donations for our tag sale .

Drop off of donated items on Saturday & Sunday Aug 7 & 8, and Saturday & Sunday  Aug 14 & 15 from 10am – 1pm at 163 South Main St. in Cheshire. Access to the property is on Cornwall Ave.

Please do not drop items off outside scheduled hours.

Thanks so much for all you do!

Categories
Events

A Casual Culinary Event on the Farm

A Casual Culinary Event on the Farm

You are invited to attend …

A Casual Culinary Evening at the Farm

Caseus of New Haven and Boulder Knoll Community Farm
come together for a special evening of edibles and education.

Come learn what’s going on at the farm and enjoy a gourmet picnic dinner!

Best grilled cheese ever, gazpacho, salad, beverages,
and dessert provided by Jordan Caterers.
Please contact us for more information.
All proceeds to benefit Friends of Boulder Knoll

Tickets must be purchased in advance.
If you wish to pay by cash or check, please contact us.


Wednesday, August 18, 2010 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Boulder Knoll Community Farm 850 Boulder Road, CheshireCT 06410

Register for Casual Culinary Evening at the Farm in Cheshire, CT  on Eventbrite

Categories
Events

2nd Annual Tag Sale

Friends,
Our 2nd annual tag sale is here and we need your help. Visit www.friendsofboulderknoll.com/tagsale for all the information. We’d also love your donations for our tag sale . Drop off of donated items will be Aug 7, 8, 14 & 15 from 10am – 1pm only at 163 South Main St. in Cheshire. Access to the property is on Cornwall Ave.


We thank you for your continued support.

Gratefully,
Meredith Berger
Boulder Knoll Fundraising Committee
203-272-0217

P.S. We also need volunteers and sponsors… If you are interested, or know someone who might be, let me know and I’ll be sure to get you all the information.

Categories
Events

We’re NOT Having a Party

Fellow Farming Enthusiast,

The board of directors of the Friends of Boulder Knoll Farm cordially invites you to a “fairy tale” of a fundraiser. You will learn just how much of a “fairy tale” it is when you read the enclosed invitation. However, there is a serious purpose. We hope you will be entertained and in return will contribute generously to our Friends’ coffers when you learn how much you will save by “participating” in our extravaganza. Your tax-deductible donation will be placed in our account with the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven and will be used to pay for the day-to-day expenses of operating our CSA and to assist us in funding our education programs.

Please feel free to copy our invitation and to pass it on to your friends and acquaintances who might be inclined to “join you” at our event. Should you choose to purchase a ticket to our “Phantom Phundraiser,” please make your checks payable to the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven and write “Friends of Boulder Knoll Farm” at the bottom of the check.

We have no suggested amount for your donation. We feel that we should leave the amount up to you and that you will base it on your “entertainment quotient” as well if you decide to benefit by adapting our concept to raise funds for groups to which you belong: we give you our permission to follow our lead.

Yours in friendship,


Kim Stoner, President
President, Friends of Boulder Knoll Farm
Box 1329, Cheshire, CT, 06410