Took a deep dive into Southern Nevada food systems this week at the Roots 2 Results Conference. On Wed we toured farms and food facilities in Clark County; on Thurs and Fri we conferred at UN Extension. It was really great to meet the local good food community.
extension.unr.edu/roots-2-resu...
I had to miss the Launch Webinar. Will you be posting it?
At 1:30 PM on Thursday, check out the Protecting Immigrant Farmers and Farmworkers Keynote. I am proud that we have put this together - it was a team effort. And so happy with the stellar panel that we've assembled. If you can't make it, you can join on YouTube - there's a link on the web-page.
At 3:30 PM on Fri, check out Cultivating Awe - Farming with a Deeper Sense of Connection and Purpose & learn about Live Earth Farm, the Broz family and the program they created to complement their farming over the last 3 decades. The workshop will include the premier of a new film by Anne Hamersky.
At 1:30 PM on Friday, check out Running a Farm Friendly Food Business. This workshop will give you insights into best practices, if you are sourcing, or want to source, directly from a Farm.
I want to highlight some sessions at the conference for you.
At 10:30 AM on Thursday, check out Preserving Farm-Fresh Produce into Value-Added Products. It's a discussion group, so bring your questions. I'm working with the facilitators and will be there to answer any MEHKO questions, at least.
More details from the folks at Edible Monterey Bay:
ediblemontereybay.com/blog/ecofarm...
I'm very much looking forward to manning the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund booth at the 2026 EcoFarm Conference, Jan 21-14. The conference, as I'm sure you know, is a highlight of my year! If you're going, be sure to stop by the booth in the Exhibitor Tent and say hi.
As for this photo, I was particularly honored that my good friend Amy Wu was recruited to say nice things about me in presenting the award.
Being at the Rural Justice Summit, in a diverse and inclusive gathering with like-minded people, made me want to share it. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion have been a pillar of the work I do to create a better food system- for everyone. That won't change, whatever the rhetoric from certain quarters.
Last January, the Ecological Farming Association gave me the Steward for Social Justice Award - the Justie. I never posted it before - I don't think one touts oneself too much. I am proud of the award. And rather humbled. The social justice embedded in my work is accomplished as part of a community.
Slow Money NorCal's Farm Fest has been re-scheduled to Nov 8. It's still at Veggielution, alas without me (I'm booked elsewhere).
Farm Fests are fun: businesses to meet - and potentially invest in, speakers, farm tours, good food and people. It's only $30; $40 for 2 tickets.
slowmoneynorcal.org
I will be joined in a workshop on home-based food businesses at the upcoming Rural Justice Summit on Nov 8 by a colleague from UC ANR and two great cottage food operators.
Friday is a Farm Tour day. Saturday we confer - and it's free. Say hi if you go.
www.farmerjustice.com/rjs2025
Our next book for discussion at the Gilroy Library will be The Secret History of Home Economics. We'll gather on the patio on Sun, Oct 26 from 3:00 to 4:30 PM for another lively chat.
The history of Home Economics is not what you think.
Join us! -- sccl.bibliocommons.com/.../682e471e...
Join Transition Palo Alto & the Youth Climate Advisory Board at the Halloween Scare Faire and Costume Swap, Sun, Oct 19: bring costumes and decorations in good condition, enjoy crafts and activities for all ages, build community, learn something new, reduce waste.
Free. Info: bit.ly/scarefaire2025.
Chef Laura Stec and I will give a talk/demo on heirloom foods at the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto from 3-5 PM on Sep 21. We'll cover taste, nutrition, community, environment, local economy and more.
The event is free, but RSVP to make sure you get a seat.
www.moah.org/moahevents/s...
I'm thinking of uninstalling the Yahoo Mail and Facebook apps on my phone (and using the web-pages within a browser), because they both have AI "help" that you can't turn off, which says the stupidest, most useless things (and the web-pages don't have this!).
Let's give it the acronym it deserves: BWAHAHA
It's Edible Urban Forest Walk time: Sat, Jul 12, 10:00 - noon.
Join us as we walk from Johnson Park to Gamble Garden. We'll stop and talk about trees with a focus on the edible parts!
Kris Jensen, an arborist from Canopy and I will tell a variety of stories.
Register: canopy.org/event-calend...
Bill McKibben makes an eloquent case for something that should never have to happen.
We had a really nice event. The crowd was almost half students. All of the films had someone in the room who could talk about the film. There were great conversations and ideas, and great connections made. I'm so happy with this inter-generational community building - and look forward to more.
Community Films
) Home Restaurant by Eda Benjakul (Peter Ruddock, film advisor)
) Farm Discovery - Forage by Anne Hamersky
) Worse Than Poop by Vanessa Warheit (Sven Thesen, film advisor)
Student Films
) Threads of Change by Brendan Giang, Emily Tang and Max Reiter
When Hunger Hits Home: The Fight Against Food Insecurity by Neva ) Bapna, Laila Joshi, & Sione Fusimalohi
) The Scopes Monkey Trial by Anjali Ambati and Uma Hemrajani
Last Sunday, Transition Palo Alto and Bay Area Social Justice Student Filmmakers held a film night at the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto.
We showed films about social justice and the environment. 3 from people associated with Transition Palo Alto; 3 from Bay Area high school students.
Our next book group at the Gilroy Library will explore the power of the US food industry - we'll read Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food Industry.
Read the book - the library has copies - then join us at the library on Sun, Aug 24. We always have the liveliest discussions!
I'll offer a corollary: Since there is no plant that everywhere and at every time can be called a weed, there can be no such thing as weedkiller.
Therefore, any substance labeled "weedkiller" is really plant-intended poison (which may poison unintended plants, animals and humans by side-effect).
I want to re-center the definition of a "weed" (per Wikipedia):
"A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, growing where it conflicts with human preferences, needs, or goals" or as I've seen in other situations: a plant that you don't want here, now.
We had a really nice book discussion on Sunday. It wasn't only on "what is a weed"", fixated as I seem to be on that question. We talked about working with and appreciating nature, urban foraging, cooking with "weeds and more.
I'm happy to say that it was a great conference. And particularly happy to report that Therese and I had a great audience for our opening session on Food Hubs. She and I will be talking more about that in the future.
We held our annual FTCLDF Member Meeting today. It's always great to meet with members, update them on progress we've made on various fronts - regulatory support, legislation, litigation. education - answer questions and get feedback.
It's an honor to support our staff in this. They are awesome!
