Two weeks ago, improbably, I was in a hot air balloon floating above Albuquerque, New Mexico. My daughter and I were doing a little sightseeing ahead of the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) Forum, which I attended with our longtime partners at Resourceful Communities and Men and Women United for Youth and Families. I love our home landscape in North Carolina, but it was refreshing to get to visit a very different part of the United States and see it from a new vantage point! It’s good to be reminded how vast and diverse our country is.
Similarly, my perspective was broadened at the Forum by meeting organizations from across the country who, like Working Landscapes, are working to establish more sustainable and just food systems. For example, I visited Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network, a community-driven food justice organization that aggregates products from small-scale New Mexico Farms (dried beans! chiles!) and helps them grow. At a breakfast hosted by one of our funders, Growing Justice, I met the folks from Spirit Farm, a Diné (Navajo)-led organization advancing regenerative grazing techniques. I spoke with ClimateWorks, which is marshalling philanthropic resources to tackle the climate crisis, and I met the founder of the Institute for Ecology, Scholarship, and Health, a Texas organization innovating in sustainable economic development.
I’ve already been on a call with the Institute since the Forum, providing input on their plan to prepare and serve fresh-cut vegetables in schools across greater Houston! Connections like this remind me how much we have to gain by sharing ideas among groups that are engaged in similar work in different places. I’m filled with appreciation for these peer organizations who are out there doing good work in their communities, as well as my Working Landscapes team whose achievements give me such good knowledge and experience to share with others. I’m reminded that there really are a lot of us working for a more just and healthy world; together, we are truly a force to be reckoned with.
This month, we are excited to highlight our after-school program, Food for Thought. This program was launched this past fall, and was created in partnership with the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. The program provides Warren County high school students with opportunities to gain research skills, learn about climate and agriculture, and develop public speaking and project management skills.
Each month, we have invited a guest speaker to host an interactive workshop where students can explore topics such as soil health, oral history collection, and climate modeling. Guest speakers have included Jereann King Johnson with Heritage Quilters; Sierra Sackley and Katey Zimmerman, two colleagues at Sound Rivers; and Dillon Robinson, Warren County’s 4-H Coordinator with Cooperative Extension. This year, we supported 11 students through the program and held our Food for Thought symposium during the Bluebird Festival, where students had the opportunity to present their individual projects (see pictures above/below). Projects ranged from paintings of historic agricultural scenes of Warren County, to a digital scrapbook of recipes and farmer profiles, to a taste test of culturally relevant foods for the diverse populations that call Warren County home, such as the Haliwa-Saponi tribe and the growing Hispanic population.
We are grateful for the funding provided by the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) Community Science Initiative to help support this program. Our Director of Operations, Jenni Rogan, will speak about the Food for Thought program at the ASTC Conference in September.
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This month we are spotlighting Melissa Ferens, ByWay Foods Administrative Coordinator, this month. Melissa grew up in Vance County and has been with Working Landscapes since 2021. Melissa’s favorite part about her job is the strong emphasis on teamwork in everything we do. “We frequently come together to brainstorm or work on projects, and that feeling of shared ownership of our goals makes everything feel even more fun and motivating. I appreciate being given so many opportunities to contribute across our programs, and I really appreciate all of my coworkers.”
Melissa doesn’t have an “average” day at the office; she handles a variety of tasks. These include meeting with the food safety team to discuss urgent needs, reviewing food safety paperwork, entering invoices, gathering data, and possibly mailing a farmer’s soil sample to a laboratory for analysis.
When Melissa joined Working Landscapes, she did not have a background in food systems or agricultural work. However, she quickly learned how interconnected the food system is to various aspects of life, including our health, culture, economy, and the environment. Melissa’s favorite local vegetable is sweet potatoes, which are plentiful in North Carolina. We are grateful to have Melissa on our staff!
We are proud to provide a fully-equipped, commercial-grade shared-use kitchen in the Hive, located in downtown Warrenton. Whether you’re launching a new business, perfecting a recipe, or completing a one-time project, our kitchen is designed to help you succeed. From state-of-the-art tools to ample workspace, The Hive’s kitchen offers everything you need to turn your culinary ideas into reality. To learn about the space and how to sign up to use the space click here.
Our new t-shirts are here! If you would like to purchase a t-shirt, please reply to this email and share what size you would like. The shirts are $20 and will be available for pick-up downtown Warrenton.
Are you a farmer or landowner interested in making biochar? Rent a kiln! We have two kilns available for rent for farmers and landowners. The Ring of Fire Kiln (shown in the flyer above) is best for larger amounts of debris, while the Oregon kiln is best for smaller amounts. Kilns will be available for pick-up at our food hub in Warrenton. We can also provide you with resources that share best practices for making biochar and applying it to your fields. To rent a kiln, please fill our the interest form here or email Jason@workinglandscapesnc.org for more information.
First Friday Poetry Night
Join the Warren Artist Market on First Fridays to hear local poets, storytellers, artists, and musicians! This event happens every first Friday of the month from 7-9:30p.m in the Hive.
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