Community Outreach Farm Leader

Resilient Northern Habitats is a collaborative for-benefit organization in western Wisconsin dedicated to producing nutrient dense organic food and revitalizing habitat using principles derived from permaculture.  We seek a team member to lead development of a public space initiative, assist with farm tasks and develop a unique income stream from the land.   Applicable skills include:  basic accounting, social media and web fluency, strong communication, people and community building skills, farm experience, as well as dedication to ecological principles, organics and community.

Major Responsibilities:

1.  Lead development of Hungry Turtle public space initiative.   50%

Tasks:
Check in regularly on priorities/tasks/research leading to achievement of RNH goals/objectives for the public space as defined collaboratively by team.
Establish schedule and create work flow for task achievement into the future.
Answer phone, establish contacts, research and generally administer organizational matters around the public space as they arise.
Provide light bookkeeping for farm operation.
Collaboratively develop and implement marketing plan for CSA, learning center, and direct sales to customers.
Provide event coordination in conjunction with others.
Update website calendar, photos and blog as needed.
Conduct social media campaign to promote public space initiative.

2.   Assist in implementation of overall farm plan.  30%

Tasks:
Throw boots on and help RNH team with farm work on a regular basis, everything from driving a tractor, to pitching manure with a fork, to weeding vegetables.
Maintain positive team spirit and physical vitality in the face of difficulties, set-backs and failure — creating hope for overall project success, as well as HAVING FUN.

3.  Develop a well articulated business plan in an area of strong interest to produce an income stream at one of the RNH farm-sites, convince team-members the plan will work, pursue plan vigorously, ask for help as needed.    20%

Tasks:
Research and define area to pursue.
Articulate a complete business plan showing how/why the income stream should be pursued, anticipated costs, needed equipment, work flows, potential markets, timeline for bringing income stream on-line, etc.
Implement plan on the ground on a daily/weekly basis.
Monitor plan, update team and adjust accordingly over time

Commitment:

40 hours a week, on average.

Salary:

Depending on experience, $25,000 – $30,000.   Housing options available.

General Conditions of Satisfaction:

Work/tasks are done competently, on time, and meet the requirements of the assignments:  timeliness of task completion and quality of work is high.

Work collaboratively and effectively with others .

Prepared for meetings, with data, input and insights into agenda items.

Confidentiality in dealings, financial, business and personal.

Team-members, customers and the general public are treated well and feel uplifted by their connection with RNH.

Projects, initiatives and events run smoothly, successfully and regularly exceed expectations of RNH team, customers and visitors.

More detailed Conditions of Satisfaction to be collaboratively articulated at beginning of tenure.

The P and R District is a legally constituted taxing authority for property owners along the Apple River in and north of Amery.  Their charter, like many lake districts, is to preserve and rehabilitate– basically to effectively manage– their water resource.

For the last five years, the P and R Disctict has been in technical violation of Wisconsin State Law in that they were managing aquatic plants — through chemical herbicide applications — without a state-approved plan.  So, the work of the committee has brought the P and R District into compliance with State Law as well as elucidated the issues surrounding reduction of excess plant growth in the Amery Flowage.

The long and the short of it is this:  Aquatic plants provide essential natural services in the Flowage, from stabilizing bottom sediments, to preventing bank erosion, to providing habitat for birds, fish and frogs.  Without aquatic plants, the Flowage would become oligotrophic, unable to support either plants or animals — basically a dead water body.

The first thing the committee agreed upon is that maintaining high water quality and natural habitat is the number one goal of Flowage residents.  As a result, chemical applications should be minimized, if not eliminated, since they are known to produce a variety of negative impacts for water, plants and animals.

In their place, under the leadership of new P and R Board President Roland Peterson, the P and R District has chosen to pursue mechanical harvesting as their main form of navigation channel management.  This has the benefit of not only keeping harmful chemicals out of the watershed, but it removes nutrients, like phosphorus, which are the real culprits behind excessive plant growth.

Over time, using a mechanical harvester strategically and repeatedly to take down plants like curly leaf pond weed (CLP), it is hoped undesirable plant communities will be reduced, Flowage water quality and habitat improved, and channels and access corridors maintained for navigation.

All of this is dependent upon quality administration being provided by the P and R District, as well as support from Polk County and WDNR water specialists.  For instance, the timing and location of intensive harvesting is crucial to the reduction of CLP, which is an exotic invasive.   To achieve this, the harvester operator needs modern GPS equipment along with exquisite timing derived from insight of the reproductive cycle of CLP.

It is this level of focus and management expertise that will allow the P and R District to finally get CLP and other aquatic plants under control.  Previous harvesting operations were too sporadic, random and untargeted to have much effect on undesirable plant communities.  And, as the report clearly shows, spraying herbicides in moving waters like the Amery Flowage has never, and will never, effectively reduce plant growth or excessive nutrients upon which they depend.

The Apple River Association has pledged $5,000.00 toward the purchase of a harvester upon WDNR acceptance of a non-chemical based APMP, as well as ongoing logistical and labor support to achieve P and R plan goals.

The ARA Board hopes that P and R leadership, harvesting equipment and professional plan development will initiate a new era in Flowage management as well as a level of cooperation between the P and R District and the larger ARA community.

But first, the APMP must pass public muster.  The Plan is available for public review and comment.  To obtain a copy, or to get one downloaded, click to the Amery P and R District website:   http://arprd.org/ .

For now, a hearty thanks and congratulations for all Flowage residents and other professionals who contributed to APMP development.  Well done!

Here is a PDF of the Summary Final Plan.

ARPRD APM Summary d2

Project Overview:
Resilient Northern Habitats seeks qualitative and quantitative research data on how mobile high tunnels impact small to medium size organic food producers in northern growing zones 3 and 4.

Project Goals:
Data sought:  plant/harvest dates for specific crops, crop yield figures/comparisons, fertility inputs, revenue generation from tunnel, and grower narrative about overall compatibility/feasibility of mobile tunnel technology within organic food operation.

Grower Eligibility:

• Must not currently own or utilize a mobile high tunnel as part of growing operation
• At least three years of organic food production sales immediately prior to 2011
• Must commit to three years of organic food production starting Fall of 2011
• Must be committed to record-keeping regime as outlined by RNH below
• Attendance at “tunnel raising” near Amery, Wisconsin in August 2011
• Prepare @ 36’ x 165’ flat organic field for high tunnel by August 2011
• Ongoing communication with project coordinator and other participants
• Must be an operation with less than $1 million in organic food sales

Application:
Please respond cogently as each area is scored by reviewers.
High scorers will be interviewed as finalists.

1. Tell us about your current organic growing operation — including farm location, field sizes, crop specialties, crop rotations, irrigation techniques and fertilization regime.
2. Explain your current marketing/sales orientation and business strategy, including specific crop emphasis, markets served, rough monthly sales figures, marketing channels and prospects for expansion or growth.
3. Explain your current record-keeping practices with regard to crop production, plant and harvest dates, inputs, sales tracking and accounting for production costs.
4. Describe your experience or understanding about issues involved with growing in a high tunnel in general, and with mobile high tunnel growing in particular — if any.
5. Describe the layout at your farm vis-a-vis where you would put the mobile high tunnel and its proximity to other farm features.  Include a sketch or aerial view indicating proposed tunnel location and surrounding elements.
6. Why do you want to be a part of this research project and what do you hope to gain/learn as a result?
7. Can you commit to an August tunnel raising in Wisconsin, three years of organic food production maximizing the use of a mobile tunnel, record keeping as described below and regular communication with other project participants and RNH staff?

Send complete application or address questions to:  pfhenry@resilientnorthernhabitats.com

Record Keeping Requirements:

• Plant and harvest dates for specific crops in the mobile high tunnel, including row sizes, plant spacings and days to maturity.
• Yield amounts on specific high-tunnel crops and assessment of fruit quality, including fruit size and appearance.
• Specific inputs for soil fertility, whether compost, manure or liquid fertilizer.
• Revenue generation attributed to tunnel operation, including yield per square foot per week.
• Summative narrative covering all aspects of using a mobile high tunnel, from maintenance to moving, soil fertility to irrigation, fruit quality to specialty crops.  To be completed after three year trial.

Resilient Northern Habitats takes responsibility for providing standard forms and techniques for gathering data, including a formula for calculating yield per square foot per week.  Our intention is to make data gathering easy, helpful, and a means from which insight can lead to better farming practice.

Agreement:
At time of selection, each participant will be asked to sign an agreement outlining terms for receiving a 30’ x 48’ Four Seasons Tools mobile high tunnel from Resilient Northern Habitats.   In exchange for meeting the agreed upon terms and gathering data as described, participants will be given title to the mobile high tunnel with the understanding that it be used to produce organic food for local consumers and markets, and that they become a resource for other farmers seeking to learn about mobile tunnel technology and techniques.

Mobile High-Tunnel Study Needs Organic Growers

Resilient Northern Habitats, a permaculture-based, for benefit organization, seeks to regenerate local economies through organic food production, revitalized habitat, and collaborative community investment.

As part of its mission, RNH is initiating research into mobile high-tunnel food production in growing zones 3-4.  The project involves the purchase and placement of three 30’ x 48’ mobile high tunnels at existing organic farms to determine their effect on food production, season extension and producer income.

Three experienced organic growers will be selected through a scored application process.  The selected growers will be required to prepare adequate field space at their site for erection of the 30’ x 48’ high-tunnels.  (Note:  with seasonal positions, land requirement is @ 36’ x 165’.)

In August 2011, RNH will sponsor a “tunnel raising” at their farm in western Wisconsin.   Each grower will learn to erect their high-tunnel, and with instruction from experienced high-tunnel grower Mike Bollinger of Decorah, advanced growing tips.

At that point, each grower will receive their 30’ x 48’ high tunnel kit (@ value $12,000), with explicit instructions on data gathering and reporting requirements.  It is expected that each grower utilize the new technology to establish fall/winter crops in 2011 that benefit local consumers and markets.

The research project is envisioned as a three-year study.  The data gathered — planting/ harvesting dates, inputs, production yields and additional farm revenues — will be compiled and published as an article in a prominent national publication.

Upon study’s completion, each participating grower receives title to their high tunnel with the expectation that they integrate it into their farming practice and become a resource for others seeking to do the same.

Responsibilities of the grower:  scrupulous record keeping, observation of reporting deadlines, responsible stewardship of the high tunnel, full commitment to organic nutrient-dense food production on a year around basis.

Responsibilities of Resilient Northern Habitats:  delivery of three 30’ x 48’ mobile high tunnel produced by Four Season Tools of Kansas City, quality instruction in its erection and growing techniques, clear communication of data reporting requirements, eventual publication of study results in appropriate forum.

Applications available at:  www.resilientnorthernhabitats.com

Application Due Date:  June 1st, 2011

One thing is certain:  rural communities are being run-down, depleted and impoverished by the modern American food economy.   Ken Meter, an economist who specializes in rural analysis, has developed a large amount of data that is incredibly persuasive on this score.  Even though rural communities produce a huge surplus of commodities — and do so with great efficiency given dwindling numbers of farms and farmers — and are considered the heart and soul of American prosperity, freedom and independence, there is a world of hurt being inflicted on rural communities.  Downtowns in small communities are literally drying up in terms of business and blowing away.  Young people go away to college and never come back.  Young families are settling in urban and ex-urban areas where they have access to better schools,  jobs, transportation and amenities.  Farmers themselves, despite the good year in 2010, are typically in debt, dependent on government programs and steered into practices that are unsustainable long term and create negative environmental impacts short term.

The gist of Ken Meter’s work shows that as commodity agriculture continues to grow in size and importance, the revenues and benefits flow up and out of rural areas, into companies whose actions and values have little interest or respect for what happens to the little people growing crops on the land.

Right now, the small community on our doorstep has about a dozen buildings for sale on Mainstreet, and it’s been that way for years.  Traffic crawls through town and out to the mall where the hardware, grocery, liquor stores and Post Office relocated years ago.  One place serves breakfast downtown, and on a good night there are a couple of dinner venues, neither of which has any connection to locally grown food or specialties.  Probably the largest food vendors in town are chain stores, burgers and sandwiches….  a McDonald’s franchise is on the way as if that is somehow going to make a crucial difference.  So, even here, when it comes to meeting basic food needs, money drains out of town to large corporations, happy their truck can deliver products from thousands of miles away.

It’s sad really.  But like frogs left in a pot of water that is slowly rising in temperature, it’s hard for folks out here to really pinpoint what or how this is happening to them.  They’re just squeezed.  Their money doesn’t get far these days.  Health care is expensive.  College is too.  Try to raise kids on an hourly wage job.

I bring this up in relation to a very inspiring talk at MOSES by Tom Stearns of High Mowing Seeds in Hardwick, Vermont.   Now here’s a rural community that is fighting back and taking matters into their own hands.  And why not?  What do we have to lose by trying to find a new paradigm for doing business around how we eat?

Look at the reality of the American food system, as detailed by Tom Stearns:

• The food production system in America, including farming and distribution, is the number one consumer of fossil fuels.
• It is also the number one polluter in terms of emissions of harmful atmospheric gasses associated with global climate change.
• It is  also the number one polluter in terms of runoff, erosion and nutrient loading into our lakes, rivers and streams.
• And, for all this, for this incredible cost that is truly unsustainable, the end result is that the food we eat is the number one factor in American mortality rates.

Let me ask that you read the bullet points above one more time, just to make sure this sinks in deeply.

That’s a lot of number ones.  And they are all in categories we absolutely need to change — have to change — if we have any intention of leaving a decent way of life for the very fine human beings we leave behind on this planet.

So, how do we step out of the dismal reality of our current commodity-based food system and into something healthier, saner, more economically sound and better for our environment?

It starts with understanding the importance of food.  Local.  Organic.  Low input.  Healthy.  Food.

This is a long story but the themes are really quite simple.  If we get our food from local farms, the money stays in our communities.  We have a direct connection to what we are supporting:  young people making a living on the land and able to raise children.  We embrace small-scale, low impact farming that will ensure better soil and water for future generations.  And, we get to eat great tasting, dynamic, healthy and nutritious food that keeps us young at heart and strong of body and mind.

These changes are profound.  They are real.  And they are being successfully implemented in places like Hardwick, Vermont, where High Mowing Seeds has become the number one producer of organic seed in the United States;  where 25 farms are fully certified organic within 10 miles of town, where a local CSA restaurant is community-owned and supported, where local farmers are pooling resources and creating regional brands to increase sales and reduce costs.  I could go on and on.  The fact is:  there is no lack of creativity, innovation or adaptation in the heart of America’s rural communities.  There is still plenty of time for the frogs to look around and realize that they are being boiled to death, literally destroyed by the very companies that established this system of rural impoverishment after the Second World War.

And the time to start is now.  In this area of western Wisconsin, the Northwest Wisconsin Regional Food Network is just getting started, March 24th and 25th in Rice Lake at the Technical College.  At RNH, we are working every day, planning, thinking, imagining, how to make this transition from the Sysco truck to the local farm plot a reality.  You can help by joining in.  Show up at the conference, shop at the farmer’s market, examine food labels, refuse to give your lifeblood over to what we all know is bad for our economy, bad for our environment, bad for our bodies — and even worse for the future of our planet.  Demand fresh, local food and build your lifestyle around others who understand the imperative that can and will change this country and make local self-sufficiency and resilience a reality.