NEVADA CITY, Calif. June 26, 2012 - Join us on Sunday, July 15th, for Living Lands' Third Annual Farm Tour and Family Fun Festival. Visit three of six local farm sites from 10:00am to 1:00pm and meet the farmers and interns who are the backbone of Living Lands. Then, bring the whole family to the afternoon festival from 1:00pm to 5:00pm at First Rain Farm in Nevada City to enjoy lunch, ice cream, live music, storytelling, art projects, games, butter churning, goat milking, water play, and more!
Living Lands Agrarian Network provides training and mentorship to a new generation of farmers and connects the youth in the community to the sources of their food. Our unique model of cooperative, sustainable agriculture integrates education, resource sharing, community partnerships and celebration around the food we grow. The money raised at this event will help support our education programs for youth and adults. This event is made possible by our generous sponsors: Briar Patch Co-op, Peaceful Valley, United Natural Foods, and Vital Landscaping
Living Lands members are invited to participate in the tour and festival for FREE (Memberships start at $45/person or $65/family). Tickets for non-members are:
$10 per adult/$5 per child for the afternoon festival only
$30 per adult/$10 per child for the tour and festival (includes lunch)
Ride your bike or carpool and tour for only $20/adult!
The tour begins and ends at First Rain Farm, 19832 Rector Road in Nevada City. See the Events page at http://livinglandsagrariannetwork.org/ for directions and to reserve your spot. You can also register at First Rain Farm between 9:00am and 10:00am on the day of the tour, Sunday, July 15th.
If you have questions, or are interested in volunteering at or sponsoring this event, please contact Erika at erika.kosina@gmail.com.
Living Lands Program Highlights for 2012
In just five years of operation, Living Lands has converted more than 20 acres of land into food production, we have hosted nearly 1000 school children at our farms to learn about nutrition and farming, and we have trained more than 24 young people in the craft of small scale, ecological farming. For more details about the impact of our work in Nevada County, or to watch a trailer of the Living Lands film, please visit: http://livinglandsagrariannetwork.org/?page_id=455
New Online Land Bank
Living Lands has created an on-line database where land owners who want to host a small scale, ecological farm on their private property can post details about their property. Local farmers, looking for land, can search the land-bank and look for a potential farms site that suits their own needs. The Land Bank also provides a place for local neighborhoods to connect around the creation of shared community gardens. Visit the Land Bank at http://landbank.livinglandsagrariannetwork.org/.
Changes to Intern Education Program
Our educational model continues to evolve and we have made two important changes this year:
· Community Collaboration: Living Lands has invited interns from several local farms and the Sierra Friends Center to attend classes and workshops taught by experts on everything from biodynamic farming and permaculture to pasture and green house management.
· Focused Internship Program: Living Lands has formalized our internship program for 2012. Interns can now choose from three separate tracks: animal husbandry, market gardening, or youth education.
Mali Dyck, Interim Executive Director
info@livinglandsagrariannetwork.org
Youth Education
Farmer Amanda is continuing to lead the Food Love Project, now in its second year, an education garden where both youth and adults can immerse themselves in the activities of growing, harvesting, and eating fresh food. Our partnership with Live Healthy Nevada County helps facilitate farm-to-school programs for our local youth like the field trips last year that introduced almost 800 children to where their food comes from.
Farmer Leo is one of our founding farmers and is a cornerstone of Living Lands. Leo volunteers his time -- several thousands of hours each year -- to help develop the infrastructure for our farms and to mentor young farmers on the business of farming. Leo created this first Living Lands "Farm-to-School" program four years ago and continues to work with children in our area to help connect them with the joys of growing and eating local food. Leo is leading the effort to develop a new education and farm site for Living Lands in Nevada County, and is already searching for a larger site to accommodate our growth.
New Farms
The Living Lands family welcomes two new additions this year: Zak Starr, a graduate of the 2011 internship program, has partnered with Chris Shehab to work on the Willow Creek farm, and LLAN Farmer and Board Member Tim Van Wagner is the proud new owner of First Rain Farm, which will host the Family Fun Festival after the Farm Tour this year.
Women's Farming Collective
Farmer Maisie is continuing her work with Willow Hein, running Soil Sisters Farm at the Misty Meadows farm site. As a founding member of Living Lands, Maisie has played a key role in the development of its programming, including its communication and mentorship structures, and can share, with her own story, how the organization provides the land, infrastructure, and support for young farmers to create their own local farm business in Nevada City.
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