silo a compost

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The Rural Rambler

Zero Waste Project Featured in Ohio University Publication

Rural Action's "Zero Waste" project has been featured in the Ohio University publication, "Compass."
LABELS: ZERO WASTE

Chersterhill Produce Auction Opening Day 2011, Thursday May 12th

Thursday May 12th is the opening day of the Chesterhill Produce Auction, 8380 Wagoner Rd., Chesterhill Ohio 43728. The public is invited. 2011 will mark the 7th season for this Morgan County local foods destination. The Auction will run Mondays and Thursdays through October, featuring seasonal produce, plants, crafts, and more, at auction and in a wide variety of lot sizes, for both the home and business. Festivities will begin at 3:00pm with a community potluck and speakers followed by the Auction at 4:00pm. Nature activities will be available for children.

This year’s opening day will celebrate the unique combination of public and private investment that has made this regional local foods hub possible. The Chesterhill Produce Auction (CPA) was purchased by Rural Action in 2010 with financial support from the Appalachian Regional Commission, as well as a core group of local community investors, farmers, and supporters, and with a loan from the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development in Berea Kentucky. After working with the founders of the CPA for five years Rural Action collaborated with local stakeholders throughout the region to secure the future of this community based economic infrastructure.

In 2010 The Appalachian Regional Commission announced funding of $50,000 towards the cost of the CPA as part of its economic initiatives in Appalachian Ohio. The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic development agency which represents a partnership of federal, state, and local government. The mission of the commission is to be a strategic partner and advocate for sustainable community and economic development in Appalachia. “The member states of the Appalachian Regional Commission are funding more and more food related job creation projects to take advantage of Appalachia’s resources,” said Louis Segesvary, public affairs officer for the ARC.

“With the increased emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables as a way to improve health, initiatives that support the local farm production necessary to capture those markets allow us to win at both the economic and health level” noted Rural Action Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator Tom Redfern.

For more information on the Chesterhill Produce Auction contact Tom Redfern at 740-767-4938, or tomr@ruralaction.org. Produce Auction results and information are also available at www.ohiofoodshed.org. Rural Action is a membership based organization promoting economic, social, and environmental justice in Appalachian Ohio.

Rural Action Waste Stream Development Project Recieves Cash Infusion

The newly created Waste Stream Development Project at Rural Action, coordinated by Kyle O'Keefe, has been named as a recipient of an ODNR grant to improve recycling and waste stream development in Athens and Hocking Counties. This project is a partnership between Rural Action, Athens Hocking SWMD, The Voinovich School, and other community partners. To view the press release issued by ODNR, click here

Volunteers Needed For Tree Planting On Wayne National Forest

Tree planting volunteers are being recruited to help Wayne National Forest plant 1700 trees and shrubs on a 27-acre site near New Straitsville in Perry County.

Volunteers are asked to meet at the Wayne National Forest Headquarters parking lot on US Hwy 33 near Nelsonville at 8 am on Tuesday May 10, 2011. The project is expected to be completed by 3 pm. Please wear sturdy footwear (boots), bring work gloves, and dress appropriately for the weather. Pack your own lunch and water.

Volunteers can also meet us at the site after 9:30 am. Take State Route 93 north out of New Straitsville approximately 1 mile to the parking area on the right side of the road (just before County Road 41-Rock Run Road to the west). Or take State Route 93 south out of Shawnee approximately 1.5 miles just past County Road 41.

The volunteer planting effort is just one phase of our latest project called “Devastation to Destination,” an initiative to restore public lands after being impacted during the coal-mining era.

By planting wildlife-friendly plants, it will aid in soil stabilization, combat non-native invasive species, provide wildlife food and cover, and beautify the area, making it more attractive for public use in the future. The Forest hopes to also have a hiking trail loop, interpretative signs about the area’s history, and wildlife & bird-watching opportunities in the near future.

You’re invited to spend the day with us, or even just a couple of hours.

For additional information, please contact Gary Chancey, Wayne National Forest Volunteer Coordinator at (740) 753-0862 or email at gchancey@fs.fed.us.

Workshop on How to Conserve Family Lands

Appalachia Ohio Alliance, a non-profit land trust, announces a spring
workshop for landowners interested in protecting their lands for future
generations. Topics will include: forestry management, agricultural
easements, habitat and watershed protection, regional planning goals and
federal tax credits available to properties with qualified conservation values.

Please RSVP to Susi Rankis at (740) 767-4938 or susi@ruralaction.org
The workshop focuses on the Hocking River watershed with outreach to
residents of Southeast Ohio with an emphasis on Hocking, Athens and Fairfield counties.

The workshop will be:
May 12th, 6-8 pm at the Olde Dutch Restaurant in Logan, Ohio. At 5 pm a
room is reserved for a no-host dinner buffet, displays and personnel will be available for individual consultations. Please check AOA's web site https://www.mon-composteur.com/silo-a-compost

Olde Dutch Restaurant
12791 State Route 664 S
Logan, OH 43138-8985
(740) 385-1000

AOA has been actively helping families protect their lands since 2002.

New USDA Rule Encourages Purchasing Of Local Produce

Agriculture Under Secretary Kevin Concannon announced that USDA’s child nutrition programs are implementing new rules designed to encourage use of local farm products in school meals. The final rule, published in the Federal Register, will let schools and other providers give preference to unprocessed locally grown and locally raised agricultural products as they purchase food for the National School Lunch, School Breakfast, Special Milk, Child and Adult Care, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable, and Summer Food Service programs. The rule is part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 signed into law by President Obama and one of the key provisions to bolster farm to school programs across the country.

“This rule is an important milestone that will help ensure that our children have access to fresh produce and other agricultural products,” said Agriculture Under Secretary Kevin Concannon. “It will also give a much-needed boost to local farmers and agricultural producers.”

The rule supports USDA’s ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ initiative which emphasizes the need for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and consumers. The effort builds on the 2008 Farm Bill, which provides for increases and flexibility for USDA programs in an effort to revitalize rural economies by supporting local and regional food systems. ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ is helping to break down barriers that keep local food systems from thriving, create new opportunities for farmers, ranchers, consumers and rural communities, and expand access to healthy food throughout the country. USDA expects consumer demand for locally grown food in the U.S. to rise from an estimated $4 billion in 2002 to as much as $7 billion by 2012.

The Farm to School component of this effort is designed to help connect schools with regional or local farms in order to serve healthy meals using locally-sourced products in their cafeterias. USDA currently is sending teams out to select school districts to work on farm to school issues. Some of these programs also incorporate nutrition-based studies, as well as food-learning opportunities such as farm visits, gardening, cooking, and composting activities.

Improving child nutrition is also a focal point of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act that recently passed Congress and was signed by President Obama on December 13, 2010. This legislation authorizes USDA’S child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program and the Summer Food Service Program. It will allow USDA, for the first time in over 30 years, the chance to make real reforms to the school lunch and breakfast programs by improving the critical nutrition and hunger safety net for millions of children. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act is the legislative centerpiece of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative. To learn more, visit www.LetsMove.gov.

USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs including the Summer Food Service Program; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; the National School Lunch Program; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; and the Emergency Food Assistance Program. Together these programs make up the federal nutrition safety net. USDA administers these programs in partnership with state and local agencies and works with faith and community-based organizations to ensure that nutrition assistance is available to those in need. Additional information about the programs can be found at www.fns.usda.gov and the USDA’s Farm to School initiative at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/f2s/.

Spring Float Down Raccoon Creek

Join the Raccoon Creek Water Trail Association for a spring float down Raccoon Creek Sunday, May 1st at 10:00AM. Bring your own boat or reserve a canoe for free! We will be meeting at Hope School, which is located across from the Lake Hope State Park dam in Vinton County. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED for all attendees! Canoes are available on a first come, first serve basis, or bring your own. Get your reservation in soon! There are a limited number of canoes available for free.

Please check our website for updates or changes, www.raccooncreek.org. For directions, maps, or to reserve a canoe, visit www.raccooncreek.org, email molly@freestylecanoeing.com, or call 707-6655.

Sunday Creek 5K "Dash For The Darter" - May 21st

Registration is now open for the Sunday Creek Watershed Group’s (SCWG)“Dash for the Darter” 5K and nature hike on Saturday, May 21st, 2011 at 1:30pm! Dash for the Darter 5K is a trail race at Burr Oak State Park. The 5K is on the Buckeye Loop, which winds its way through deciduous and pine forests, open meadows, and lake vistas. Pre-registration, due by May 16, is $12 for adults and $10 for high school students. Day of race registration is $15. Medals, made by local artist Jim Hart, will be given to overall winners and first place racers in each age category. Registration is open from 12:15pm – 1:00pm and the 5K starts at 1:30pm. A nature hike led by Joe Brehm, Rural Action Environmental Education Coordinator, is free and open to the public. The nature hike will start at 1:40pm. It will be a great day to enjoy the spring weather and view the wildflowers in the watershed. Registration is available on line at www.sundaycreek.org. For more information contact Amber Leasure-Earnhardt at (740) 767-2225, amber@sundaycreek.org. Dash for the Darter 5K Sponsors include: Frog Ranch Foods, Irish Ridge Pet Grooming, Smoke Rise Ranch, Airclaws, Bryant Heating and Cooling, Glouster E-Z Mart Subway, Purely American, Burr Oak State Park, Holzer Clinic, and Road ID.

Healing Heart Herbals Health And Harmony Fair

Health & Harmony Fair and Fund Raiser - 2011

Fun Filled Opportunity to Support Sustainable Work both locally: food project for donating produce in Meigs County and globally: send funds to help the people in Japan.

When? April 30th,11-7 & May 1st,11-3:30.

Where? Meigs County, 32654 McCumber Rd.- Rutland, Ohio.

Vendors * Classes * Door Prizes

Experienced folks sharing knowledge and products focusing on healing, trees, herbs, tarot, massage, movement, meditation, aromatherapy, green cleaning, community, spirituality, gardening, cooking, green energy, and more.

Recycle * Reuse

Donation station for “stuff” some people are ready to let go of and that someone else can use.

Thanks to all for co-creating this special day!

All donations greatly appreciated.

For more information or to receive tickets, and map, contact:
Cindy Parker: 32654 McCumber Rd.- Rutland, OH 45775
hhherbals@frognet.net; 740-742-8901; www.HealingHeartHerbals.com