December 2023 Newsletter - Solstice
Happy Solstice, friends! In Latin, “solstice” means “the sun stands still,” which for me is an added reminder to embrace the stillness and haunting beauty of the darkest day of the year. I hope you find space today to pause in the frenzied pace of the holidays and find gratitude for the stillness, for the pretty lights and warmth that soothe the long nights and chilly days.
Since becoming a farmer, I have come to adore winter. All of her–from her dissipating daylight to the cold, harshness of the air that always lingers a while in your bones despite layers and heavy blankets. I am a summer baby–a Leo–with a reputation amongst my family for having lava for blood, always running hot whether it's about an injustice in the world or just the perpetual need to have a fan and ice water at hand. As a farmer, working in the fields for 10+ hour days as soon as the sun instigates new life in May and on into heat that still loiters well into October–I welcome Winter’s cold and her idling darkness with the embrace of an old friend. My body rejoices in leaving behind the tending to thousands of tomato plants in a high tunnel that supercharges the sun’s energy to reach 120 degrees on a cloudless day. Unlike my tomatoes that seem to exuberate in the sun’s intensity, I wither and melt. All for the joy and flavor that only comes with something you’ve nurtured with your own hands.
One of the most treasured parts of my farming journey has been the intertwining and tethering of my existence to the natural cycles. It’s been a process of letting go and surrendering, giving my body permission and my spirit patience to adjust to the melting, the numbing, the aching, the healing. For me, winter is rest and recovery and a time to put myself, my home and my routines back together. Growing in the winter has become one of my most favorite things; to trek through the snowy fields and open a high tunnel bursting with greenery and frosted vegetables that sparkle and wink at you with all their sugary sweetness. And to trek back inside and find a spot to nap, or at the very least, stand in stillness like the solstice sun.
Soothe your soul on this solstice by crinkling your once-sunburnt nose into the cold breeze or finding a squishy place to sit and avoid the hustle, and consider what magic or mystery does winter bring to you? And hopefully take a nap.
Cheers and may your Winter holidays be joyful,
Anne Massie
Co-Executive Director
NWI Food Council
Region Roots Local Farm & Food Hub
On this, the shortest day of the year, we are taking some time to reflect on the beauty of the rhythms of nature. The solstice is a great reminder to slow down, with animals, plants, and humans alike taking advantage of longer nights and cooler days to rest and rejuvenate before the return of light, sun, and growth. Though many may think of this as the “off” season for farming, most farmers use this time to cozy up to their seed catalogs and planting schedules for the coming year. Those amazing tomatoes off the vine, sweet corn, and the abundance of summer harvests don’t happen overnight- the harvest is simply the last step in a months-long process that begins now, in the darkness of December. If you are hoping to see something specific in our catalogs next year, please reach out to us in the New Year so we can start those conversations with plenty of time to plant!
As the year comes to a close and schools close for the holidays, our Region Roots staff have also enjoyed a slower pace- and time to celebrate our successes over the past year! Over the last year, we’ve learned Region Roots Local Farm and Food Hub, a program of the NWI Food Council is a pretty unique model, and because of our non-profit status we’re able to do some pretty cool things to simultaneously support farm viability and food justice in our region. You see, we believe that these things should be worked on in tandem- without one, the other is weakened. I’d like to share a little more about two of our recently launched programs.
Over the last few months we’ve been incredibly busy launching the Local Food for Schools program, which ensures that small scale and socially disadvantaged farmers are paid a living wage for their products. From there, we have the privilege of distributing that food to schools in our region that have high rates of students receiving free and reduced lunches. We’ve been blown away by the enthusiasm of food service directors, who have been making and serving incredible locally sourced meals to students in our communities- ranging from eggplant parmesan, to stuffed peppers, to weekly “Thank a Farmer” tasting opportunities (and so many more. To follow along with the Local Food for Schools program be sure to follow us on social media to see all of the yummy food being served!
We also launched a brand new program this fall, called FarmHer to Mama. The FarmHer to Mama program leverages the power of collaboration, by working with our friends at Nurse Family Partnership and the Purdue Nutrition Education Program. Through the program, we are serving first time moms who are living at or below 250% of the federal poverty level. Moms who are already receiving wellness support and home visits from NFP, are also receiving monthly CSA-style food boxes, filled with local fruits, veggies, proteins, and grains. We’re also including extras whenever possible (flowers, honey, spices), because we hope to build a community of care that is rooted in local food and our region. We hope you’ll continue to follow along as we grow these efforts in 2024, and consider contributing to their sustainability if you’re able!
Virginia Pleasant
Co-Executive Director
NWI Food Council
Policy Updates
Farm Bill:
Although we still don't have a new Farm Bill, there is still a lot of great advocacy work happening across the country!
National Young Farmers Coalition shared that they delivered a letter to House and Senate Agriculture Committee leadership signed by 175 national, regional, and local organizations in support of the Increasing Land Access, Security, and Opportunities Act (H.R.3955, S.2340). If funded through the Farm Bill, this program would support community-led land access initiatives. Read more here.
Also from NYFC: Representatives Yadira Caraveo, Gabe Vasquez, Elissa Slotkin, and Brittany Pettersen also introduced the Small Farm Conservation Act (H.R.5354) in the House, a companion to a version introduced in the Senate in June. If passed, this bill will help more farmers implement on-farm conservation practices that will protect our environment and cultivate a more sustainable future.
To get more involved and follow along with the efforts of NYFC, check out their Farm Bill Action Center!
Seasonal Updates
When he days are shorter, colder, and more grey, we find ourselves wanting to curl up with a book, cook meals that feed our souls (and our tastebuds), and, let's be honest, sometimes veg out with a good movie or Netflix binge. If you're looking for the next book to put on your shelf, check out Food and Wine's Best Food Books of 2023 or Observer Food Monthly's Best Books of 2023 list. WIth books covering everything from cakes, to farming, to culinary heritage and history, there's sure to be something for everyone! If cookbooks are more your style, check out these lists from Bon Appetit and Smithsonian Magazine! For the streamers out there, Cozymeal just put out a list of the 15 best food movies streaming on Netflix right now.
As we reflect on the past year, we're also excited to continue building our vision for the future. We are excited to continue growing with input from you, the communities we serve! In the coming months, we'll be hosting opportunities to provide input on our regional community food plan; this plan will update and expand the 2012 Food Study that was completed by the Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission. Keep an eye out for more information soon! In the meantime, we'd love to hear from you about resources we can provide on our website. Please take a minute to fill out our survey so we can make sure we're providing the resources you need! (We promise it will only take about 5 minutes!)
Jobs & Other Opportunities
Program Manager, Nutrition Initiatives
The Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) is accepting applications for our Program Manager, Nutrition Initiatives position on a rolling basis. The position is housed within IPHI’s Center for Policy and Partnership Initiatives, which works to convene multi-sector partners to promote health and health equity with a policy, systems, and environmental change approach. The Program Manager will lead implementation of the food and nutrition strategies that are part of the Illinois State Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) Program cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Program Associate, School Food Systems
Illinois Public Health Institute is seeking a Program Associate to work with staff and partners to administer the Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub and implement key components of its training and technical assistance offerings and evaluation and reporting activities. The Program Associate may also support other food systems and/or nutrition policy work as funding allows and will report to CPPI’s Program Director for Food Systems and Nutrition Policy.
Director of Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative
CFPAC is hiring a Director to steward the Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) toward achieving its goal of creating an institutional food procurement system that is more equitable, healthy, and sustainable - where access to good food is a right, not a privilege. The Director is a strategic and adaptive leader bringing the ability to activate multiple stakeholders in a Coalition membership model that will work collectively to achieve that vision. The Director is a strong relationship manager, nurturing external and internal partners toward achieving the mission and vision of GFPI reflective of CFPAC's culture and values.
Grant Opportunities
FSA On Farm Food Safety Reimbursements
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds specialty crop growers that assistance is available for producers who incur eligible on-farm food safety program expenses to obtain or renew a food safety certification through the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program. Producers can apply for assistance on their calendar year 2023 expenses through Jan. 31, 2024.
Young Farmer Grant Program
In our fifth and final year of the program, we are celebrating distributing 50 grants to a new cohort of young farmers and ranchers in 2024! This year, forty-five awards will go to businesses already in operation, and five to farm and ranch operations starting up in 2024. Our grant program is available to support farmers and ranchers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, in addition to the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Due January 15, 2024.
Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grants
The Patrick Leahy Farm to School Grant Program is designed to increase the availability of local foods in schools and help connect students to the sources of their food through education, taste tests, school gardens, field trips, and local food sourcing for school meals. Grants can launch new farm to school programs or expand existing efforts.
The fiscal year (FY) 2024 Farm to School Grant awards projects of 24 months in length for funding up to $500,000. Applicants are required to provide matching support of at least 25 percent of the total project budget in the form of cash or in-kind contributions. The RFA offers three tracks - Implementation, State Agency, and Turnkey - to support a variety of projects and implementation stages. Due January 12, 2024.
Partnerships for Local Agriculture and Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS)
Chef Ann Foundation is seeking proposals for projects led by groups of local partners with systemic and equity-driven approaches to transforming school food supply chains. Projects should seek to build and strengthen relationships among community-based food system stakeholders and School Food Authorities (SFAs) as well as expand scratch cooking in schools in order to build more nourishing school meal programs. Due Jan 22, 2024.
Fund-a-Farmer Grants
FACT awards competitive grants of up to $3,000 to working, independent farmers located in the 50 United States and five major U.S. territories who raise beef cattle, bison, broiler chickens, dairy cows, ducks, geese, goats, laying hens, pigs, sheep and/or turkeys. Grants are intended to help farmers build capacity a/or pursue animal welfare certifications. Due Jan 15, 2024.
Support NWI Food Council
All funds raised go toward programming and outreach to support Northwest Indiana's local food system. We're a a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and donations are tax-deductible.
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Please make checks payable to “NWI Food Council” and mail to:
PO Box 530
Crown Point, IN 46308