The winter farm, where the chickens are surviving the weather like cold blooded dinosaurs, seeds are being ordered, field layouts figured, collaborations with FFVSP, the Full Plate, and ICSD are being made, and a full on YFP fundraising campaign is in the works. A lot happened last month in January; a grant was submitted to the Park Foundation after many, mostly Dan’s, hardworking volunteer hours, I drove across this amazing country with a wonderful friend, my heart warmed in the California sun, and I lost my dear canine friend. I would write about any of those things, but the subject of death, mortality and impermanence definitely trump to top of the list. Ranger, beloved farm dog, died on January 25th 2013. Ranger: dog, beast, friend. I know, I’m about to write about a dog. Some of you may be uninterested by that, it’s true, he was not a person. Maybe you never set foot on the farm, or you’ve never had a dog? If you have had a dog, you may know the nature of that relationship. If you have set foot on the farm, you would know this dog had a love to be reckoned with. You would not leave the farm without having smiled at him and snuggled a bit, or at least wanted to, even those non-dog people out there. He could win anyone over eventually. He was part of the farm and everything we did, even if he did eat veggies right when you were trying to harvest them, or wash them, or pack them... Out in the fields with us he was eating, chasing, digging, tromping on baby plants, or sitting on your feet while you were trying to work, looking up at you with those eyes, you know, those big brown puppy dog eyes that would bore right into your soul, his head resting on your legs, waiting for you to reach down to stroke his proud chest. Some may think his behavior was annoying, or distracting. Sometimes it was, until you found yourself wondering why on earth you were just taking yourself so seriously. I think he thought everyone came to the farm just to play with him, if thinking is what one would call it. Actually I think a lot of our youth farm workers did come because of him, farming too, but also him. Their first words upon arrival at the farm wouldn’t be, Hey Ann, what are we harvesting today? It would be, Hey Ann, where’s RANGER??? This life seems to be such a delicate balance of living in the present moment and planning for the future. Even if no one knows what the future holds, we spend a lot of time making plans for it. I’m pretty sure Ranger didn’t think much about his future plans. Every moment was claimed with an equivalent amount of enthusiasm, regardless of how repetitive it was. He seemed utterly delighted every time his food bowl was filled up, and I fed him pretty much the same exact dog food his entire life. He was filled with identical fervor every single time you picked up his leash or opened the car door. As if he had literally won the jackpot, AGAIN. He looked like his world was falling apart in joy if someone was rubbing his belly, or better yet, when someone was lying on the ground with him, rubbing his belly. You’d be surprised how often I’d encounter that scene. Taking him on a walk in the woods was to witness the wild in him. Watching him bound through the trees like a skilled huntsman, disappearing, than reappearing from a completely different direction, like he had just looped you five times without you realizing, like tiredness was for the weak. He would hop like a goat to get a better view of the squirrel to chase, as if gravity was his antithesis. Then he would stop suddenly, perk his ears, cock his head to the side, and just end up looking like he was posing for a picture, before resuming his hunt for victory. One of the best compliments I ever got was when someone told me I was a lot like my dog. Is it weird to say I can only hope so, minus the inappropriate licking, gorging on dead things and occasional terrible gas? I like to think I can learn from my relationship with him, and how he lived in the world. Ranger shared with me his compassion and empathy and simple expressions of joy all the time. I felt like he knew me like no one else, had more patience with me than anyone possible, would look me in the eye and understand all of me, without having to exchange any words! What empathy! I want to remember the gift he left the day he died. How it is a miracle that I wake each morning with an entire day in front of me with my son in it. That I get to fill up my lungs and breathe, look with my eyes around at this magical world, and live. Not a life tied to a leash, a life tied down to burdens of obligations or expectations or false securities, but with a true heart, honesty, a certain grace and maybe a little wildness. To live with complete abandon and joy, I can only hope to emulate as Ranger did. So in Ranger’s honor, wherever you are today, try channeling some of his energy. Approach someone with gentleness, compassion, and empathy. We are in this life together, and there are never any guarantees. We might as well be kind along the way. Approach something you’ve done a thousand times like it’s the best thing you are going to do all day. There is a lot of kale out there, might as well be the best kale ever. Rest in peace, Ranger. We love and miss you. Call as You Will By Todd Boss —retracing trail until the sun makes up its mind to leave a wilderness behind—you’ll never find the dog who seems (in this most vivid of vivid dreams) alive and fresh, a wish made flesh, who left the leash and now is lost—lost good in the heart’s deep wood. Through vision, passion, hard work (a lot of volunteer hours), and the tangible support of the Park Foundation, as well as the greater Tompkins County community the Youth Farm Project has reached a critical turning point. The Youth Farm Project is poised to make key structural and financial changes needed in order to transition to become a truly sustainable community asset (as it’s clear that we cannot keep riding on passion and hard work alone); one which empowers our local high school youth, while addressing issues of food justice and environmental sustainability within our community. As the Youth Farm Project enters its fourth year, we reflect back on the first three years where we turned an exciting idea into a concrete program, which has positively impacted the lives of many. 25 high school youth joined us for our summer 2012 Program where we managed four acres of vegetable crops, which consisted of planting, prepping beds, weeding, harvesting, trellising, using new hand tools, and learning through practice along the way. The summer program was made up of a good mix of students from Ithaca High School and the Lehman Alternative Community School. In addition, there were also youth from Groton, Lansing, New Field, and homeschool represented. There was an even mix of students of color and white students, which has been a core part of the YFP mission from the beginning. Some memorable moments from 2012 included hearing youth yell that they loved the farm as they walked down to the bus stop. Or watching a few young people stay after the program day and hang out with new friends in between rows of cherry tomatoes. We consistently heard from YES coordinators and youth that those youth that came onto the farm not knowing what to expect were loving learning, working hard, and hanging with folks their own age. Through experiences like these we’ve realized that we aren’t just growing vegetables, but cultivating youth leaders who care about their community and the soil. In 2012 we were able to more consistently continue to engage youth through the fall and winter. High school students, college students, and community members continued to join us for our Saturday workdays to harvest potatoes, onions, carrots, radishes, kale, collards, to plant garlic, and to help take down the fencing and irrigation. For the first time, four high school students were employed through the YES, Youth Employment Service, to work after school two days a week and on Saturdays. They braved the cold weather to harvest, to sort potatoes and onions, to bring the farm to a close. In the cold months, they also worked inside making jam, testing kale chip recipes, and helping prep snack with Megan Begart for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program (FFVSP). Near the end of 2012 we convened our first advisory meeting where some amazing leaders in town gathered to help us take us steps towards our fundraising, organizing, and outreach goals. In addition, for the first time we sent out our first annual mailing to family, friends, and community members to raise awareness about the Youth Farm Project and raise money to support us in the New Year. We want to send a big thank you to all those who have been apart of the Youth Farm Project during the first three years and we want to send an open invitation to everyone that wants to be involved in any way. Thanks so much! A few couple months after working at the Youth Farm Project this summer, I find that one of the memories that stands out the most is the development session day at LACS when we played a game called Level The Playing Field. This was my second year on the farm, and this year especially it was a new experience for people. How the game works is pretty basic; but the point is more to get people thinking. To begin, all of us lined up in a straight line while Ann explained that she would read out certain statements with instructions to take a step forward or backward if the statement applied to us. I loved seeing people go from not understanding what was happening to becoming quiet and thoughtful as they saw people who they work with step forward and backward based on categories of race, gender, socioeconomic status, and personal or family history. In the end we were spread out: some people far in the front of everyone, some people in the back, and everyone else scattered between them. The way we were arranged was supposed to signify our “starting place” in society based mostly on factors beyond our control and how those things either set us up for success (or not) according to society. Once we saw the formation of everyone spread out, our job was to find a way to connect everyone together again. I think the group came up with a perfect solution to the problem by forming a circle. I think Emmitt called it a “circle of love”- and although I’m fairly certain he did that partially to get a few laughs, the phrase definitely made sense in a more profound way as well. The discussion that followed the game brought up the point that even though people may be placed under certain categories or labels by other people in society, they have the individual ability to move past the superficial aspects of their lives or their families’ lives that might otherwise hold them back. For a group of people who just met each other in many cases and were just getting comfortable with the idea of working together, learning small pieces of each other’s realities brought a new aspect of justice to the farm. It became clear that we were working on a project that not only helps the Ithaca community, but also actively broadens our understanding of diversity and of the world. The Youth Farm Project summer program came to a beautiful end this past Friday (8/24) after seven memorable weeks of becoming good friends, learning about social justice and food system issues, and growing four acres of vegetables. 25 high school age students ranging from 14-18 and eight older coordinators, including our amazing farm manager/educator Ann Piombino, gathered at 9:15 in the barn three days during the week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) to work out in the fields to plant, harvest, weed, mulch, trellis, irrigate the crops. And on Wednesdays we gather off the farm to learn and cook food together. 1/4 of which is the U-pick for the Full Plate Collective and the other 3/4 of the farm goes home with youth, goes to Markets, and the majority of the food will go into the Ithaca City School District and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Programs (now also at Cayuga Heights Elementary School) once schools start. The Youth Farm Project's Dream is too transition into a full year program where youth can experience the full fall Harvest and can be involved in getting the food into local schools. Because our Mission is to get healthy food into schools for free or at the cost of conventional produce, to provide a place where a diverse group of youth can get to know each other through learning to grow food together, and much more we rely on the support of grants and donations to keep the program going. If you are able to donate please visit the donate tab on our website. And donating isn't the only way to support us: Come find me, Joseph, and Ann on Saturdays from 10am-1pm to learn what were up to and to lend a hand. My name is Rayna Joyce and I am a sophomore at LACS. This summer was my first year working at the Youth Farm Project. I first became interested in working on the farm, while working with a group at LACS called Localvores. Localvores is a group of about 20 high school students, run by the amazing Dan Flerlage, that works to bring fresh vegetables that come from the Youth Farm into our school lunch program. During last school year we made pesto, jam, salsa and many other delicious items from fresh produce and served them as part of school lunch for the entire school. It has been great to work on the other end of things this summer, to actually produce the food that is then used by groups like Localvores and the BJM Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program.
This was an exciting and eventful week on the farm! On Wednesday we all took a field trip to visit the Good Life Farm in Interlaken. The Good Life Farm is a beautiful 69 acre, organic farm run by Melissa Madden and Garrett Miller. With its rolling hills and view of Cayuga Lake it is simply breathtaking. We were lucky enough to get a tour of the farm and a brief look into the unique, sustainable practices that Melissa and Garrett use. After the tour we helped to mulch two beds of purple cabbage. This opportunity to see some of the wonderful things other farmers in our area are doing was really special to me. It inspired me and left me excited to learn more. If you would like to see more about the Good Life Farm, I would encourage you to check out their website: http://www.thegoodlifefarm.org/. From the farm we headed to Taughannock park for a fun and relaxing picnic. We were joined this summer by Zac and Satira who were working on the educational portion of the YFP. With them they brought us a whole little house full of chickens! Throughout the summer we watched these chickens grow. The hens in fact just started to lay some of their first eggs recently! This Thursday we were able to bring the experience of raising the chickens to a close with the slaughter of three of our roosters. On Thursday morning we were given the opportunity to watch the killing of the roosters. Many of us chose to watch and participate in the processing of the chickens, helping to pluck, gut and remove the meat from the chickens. This felt like such an important step in really understanding exactly where our food is coming from, and the process of turning a live animal into the packaged meat we are used to buying at the store. After the slaughter we had a powerful discussion on the impact this experience had on us. A big shout out to Zac and Satira for the amazing work they are doing. We are so lucky to have them working with us and teaching us this summer! As the week came to a close on Friday we visited a neighboring farm in Danby, where our friend Farmer Harry is raising cows. He gave us a tour of his farm and we helped him to turn a large pile of compost, and remove some stones from one of his fields so that he could mow it. Back at our own lovely farm we got a taste of the chicken meat from the roosters we slaughtered and processed on Thursday. It has been a week full of amazing experiences and learning. The Youth Farmers and their friends and family waiting in line for a delicious meal. The floor was swept at least three times, just that I saw. After you sweep in the barn, there’s always someone who will come along and do it again, just because it’s the nature of the grey concrete floor to accumulate dirt in such a way that it never looks clean. However, it was cleaner on that night than I’d ever seen it before. It made it hard to believe that we’d been making messes at various cooking stations all day, as if trying to dirty the barn as much as possible before we spiffed it up. As someone used to seeing the barn in its everyday state, I was more than impressed with the freshened facility that would greet our families and friends that night. When I arrived at the dinner, it was shocking to see people wearing something other than grungy farm clothes. Was that my co-crew leader in a skirt and sandals instead of a holey t-shirt and old sneakers caked with dirt? Their makeovers were just as good as the one the barn itself received. In addition to the fancy clothes, everyone wore an expression of well-deserved pride. As our older and clumsier parents fought their way up the hill to the fields, we became the leaders. It was us who knew where the bathroom was, which plants were planted where, and all the ins and outs of the irrigation system. I felt automatically more important as I introduced myself to the group, because it was through this simple action that I took my place among those who worked there every day, trekking up the hill to the farthest field and toiling under the hot sun for hours. Every adult there knew someone who worked on the farm too, so there was no way they hadn’t heard about the outrageous heat or the blistering intensity of the sun. But we farmers were united as the ones who had braved the weather to accomplish something. Not only could our parents see it in the beauty of the farm, but they would also taste our success that night. The tart sweetness of the currant crisp perfectly balanced the light pesto, and complimented the kale salad and expertly cooked collards. Meanwhile, the slide show displayed the dynamic of the farm so well! Our jokey shots gave our guests a taste of the lighthearted nature of our community while the pictures of us among the rows proved that we’d done a lot of hard work all summer. Hard work bonds people like nothing else, and the hours in the field that sometimes felt interminable had culminated in this one event from which we could all see that we’d become valuable, contributing members of a community that had just gotten a little closer. My name is Serena Mendola I am 17 years old and this is my 3rd year with the Youth Farm Project. I joined the Youth Farm Project because I feel immense pride in healthy relationships and healthy food. In our third development session of the summer program we discussed the concept of food Justice. As a group we explored the different degrees of food insecurity. We determined that food justice is not only when everyone has enough to eat. But that food justice is when everyone has access to vitamins and minerals found in wholesome good food and is not just meeting their calorie needs by eating Twinkies. On this same development session day we had Jhakeem, a member of the Ithaca community, come in and speak to us about his philosophy that led him to create Ithaca's Congo Square market. Congo Square Market is from 4pm-8pm and features a lot of great vendors! Check out the website @ http://www.congosquareithaca.com. I think it is fair to say that Jhakeem was able to spark one of the most interesting and inclusive discussions we've had. He shared with us his belief that everyone is forcefully pressured to be self enslaved primarily as a result of the systems we abide to. He introduced us to his strong belief that we as an international community will not be free until we have the freedom to witness the outcome of our seemingly innocent actions. For example, actually seeing the negative effects we have on far away places may enable us to make the decision to fight for change. After our discussion with Jhakeem we cooked a nice lunch using kale and garlic from our very own farm! In addition to lunch we had a blind taste test of local and organic cucumbers vs. conventional cucumbers. Most of us were able to notice the distinct difference between the two cucumbers. Not surprisingly we concluded the local organic one was super crunchy, more colorful and more tasteful then the conventional cucumber. My name is Natalia, and I just graduated IHS. In the fall, I'll be heading to Cornell but for now, I'm just enjoying being in Ithaca all summer working at YFP!
When it was late June in 2011 and I still had no summer job, I was just getting tired of filling out applications, but my parents were actually concerned about my lack of employment. When a friend told me about the Youth Farm Project, it sounded perfect. It was the first job I'd applied for that I actually really wanted. When I got there, it was better than I'd imagined. The sense of community is prevalent with this project on many levels: within Ithaca, as our neighbors are provided with the produce we grow locally; in the barn through team building games and a mutual sense of accomplishment; and within our crews, because of the strength of bonds built by good, hard work. Every day, as we give ourselves a final round of applause and the dust jolted off our hands floats toward the ceiling, the feeling of pride and accomplishment between all of us is enormous and empowering. At 1:45, it's hard to remember toiling in the fields, smearing tired hands across our sweaty foreheads, stretching our aching backs, and counting down the minutes until break. But every moment spent pulling weeds and pushing a trowel into the hot, hard dirt was worth it because each day, we can see what we've accomplished. It's hard to believe that this group hasn't been together for even a full week yet--- but also not, because it's easy to see that we've already seen what we're capable of, and motivated ourselves to keep working. I'm looking forward to where we'll go from here. _The Youth Farm Project supports the BJM Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program by growing vegetables for the program. Help the fresh fruit and vegetable program expand to Cayuga Heights Elementary School. Follow the link below to donate and watch their awesome video below. http://www.indiegogo.com/snacks?c=home Our program has started officially! We now have four crews of about six people in each, and things sure have started to pick up around the farm. Even though we've spent half of each of these first two days doing orientation stuff in the barn, our short stints in the fields have produced incredible changes! This photo shows our crews weeding pathways in the U-pick on our first day of work: Whereas it used to take hours for our small start-up group to weed one pathway, now our real crews can work together to get a whole pathway weeded in less than an hour! Today was our second day together and we weeded four pathways and planted two and a half beds of brussel sprouts! Check back this fall for our Brussel Sprout harvest- last year they were a big hit and we were able to bring in some income for the farm from selling this crop to school families and friends. It's also been great meeting all the new folks in our program over the last two days. We've had some really thoughtful go-arounds with the group to talk about why this project is important to us and our communities, what community means to us, and our goals and vision for the summer. Check out our Mission and Vission under the "The Project" tab if you haven't already and get in touch with us if you have any way of contributing to this awesome effort! |
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