We just wanted to extend a big THANK YOU to all of the folks who made our 25th Empty Bowl Dinner such a success. With your help, we raised $2,500 for local food shelves, CVOEO and HOPE!
Before the dinner, we had the pleasure of listening to presentations from Donna Rose of CVOEO and Lily Bradburn of HOPE, updating us on the state of food insecurity in Vermont. They were pleased to inform us that this is the first year in a really long time that food insecurity in Vermont has actually decreased a bit. We owe so much of that success to the hard work of organizations like these, and to the generous donors, like you, who help to keep them afloat.
We’d also like to extend an extra special thank you to our Sponsors:
And of course, a HUGE Thank you to our Volunteers! Without your hard work moving furniture and decorating, cooking soups and dessert, cleaning and serving, this event would not be possible!
In honor of Veterans Day, we wanted to shed some light on an amazing project that is cultivating a new generation of farmers and food leaders through the collaboration of the farming and military communities. The Farmer Veteran Coalition was founded in 2007 based on the recognition that ever increasing numbers of those enlisted in the US military had their roots in rural America and would be returning in large numbers to small towns across the country, far from the services available to veterans in more populous areas. The idea of opening up our nations’ farms – and all of the beauty and peace and opportunity that they provide – to those returning from war seemed like a captivating prospect. The founders felt a tremendous sense of responsibility to create an organization capable of doing everything it could to serve this important sector of veterans that remained overlooked by most urban-based veteran organizations.
Impact
Since 2009, over 8,000 veterans have become farmers across the country, thanks to an array of educational opportunities in the form of internships, apprenticeships, and other training programs aimed to help veterans build the skills needed for a career in farming. They also offer extensive business resources to budding veteran farmers looking to find land, finance their farm, create business plans & crop plans, develop marketing strategies, and comply with food safety regulations. Additionally, the Farmer Veteran Coalition has awarded more than $1,000,000 to veterans in agricultural grants and farm support through the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund.
A Local Chapter is Born
In 2015, local farmer & veteran Jon Turner of Wild Roots Farm in Bristol helped found a Vermont chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition. Jon served in the Marines from 2003 – 2007, including 2 deployments to Iraq and 1 to Haiti. When Jon left the military, he was troubled by the lack of support for integration back to civilian life. He connected the huge coming need for farmers with the large population of veterans who are returning from combat. Jon believed that this population, which includes over 2 million troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, could benefit from the restorative benefits of farming, and his hope is to provide hands-on training to these veterans so they can fill this need while also finding purpose and community in their new lives.
Wild Roots Farm is an educational operation nestled in the foothills of the Bristol Cliffs with a focus on forest farming and regenerative practices. Jon owns and operates the farm with his wife and their mission is to teach methods of growing and raising food in “unsuitable” farm conditions while maintaining, if not improving, bio-diversity. Their farm offers eggs, vegetables, and mushrooms, along with kids camps and workshops for all ages on topics such as soil building, pruning, mushroom cultivation, forest farming, and regenerative agriculture. These workshops are open to veterans and non-veterans, alike, as Jon believes in the importance of helping veterans reintegrate into their communities. He’s a firm believer in the peace and therapy that come from reconnecting with nature, working with the soil, and interacting with fellow community members.
Homegrown By Heroes
Homegrown By Heroes (HBH) is the official Farmer Veteran Branding Program of America. The HBH logo serves to inform consumers that products donning the logo were produced by military veterans. The program is available to farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and value-added producers of all branches and eras of military service. Wild Roots Farm in Bristol proudly offers their eggs, vegetables, and mushrooms under the Homegrown By Heroes label.
Guiding Principles of the Farmer Veteran Coalition
GUIDE the passion of our veterans so that they may earn for themselves a meaningful, financially sustainable place in the agricultural community. This could entail full-time or part-time employment or a critical supplement to disability-related income.
BELIEVE in the meritocracy of American agriculture, where personal responsibility for one’s actions and individual initiative in pursuit of one’s goals can create personal success. We believe in the fundamental dignity of physical work.
ACKNOWLEDGE the plurality of agricultural crops, practices, scale and markets available to our veterans. We honor, guide, and support the practical farming path chosen by each veteran.
COMMITTED to leveraging our work through a network of partnerships. This allows us to more effectively help a larger number of veterans, particularly those in the onset of their civilian careers.
SUPPORT all valid national, regional, or crop-specific efforts to connect veterans with agriculture and encourage collaboration instead of competition with other groups providing services to our nation’s veterans.
SPONSOR and encourage both employment and self-employment in agriculture, and equally value the contributions made by all members of the agricultural industry who feed America. We recognize the range of opportunities for employment throughout the agricultural economy.
RESPECT the privacy of our veterans, and we will assist when we can to get them the support that will help make them stronger farmers. We support and treat the whole veteran. We are aware of the high number of veterans that return with both visible and invisible wounds.
RECOGNIZE the geographic and psychological isolation common to both farmers and veterans. Creating contact between our farmer veterans and a sense of community amongst them is an important part of our mission.
Want to learn more about the Farmer Veteran Coalition? Visit their website by clicking here.
Interested in donating to the Farmer Veteran Coalition? Click here.
Interested in checking out events and happenings at Wild Roots Farm? Visit their Facebook page here.
We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on Bob’s Red Mill this week to shed a little light on this employee-owned business that has been offering stone-milled grains for nearly 40 years! Member-owners can enjoy 20% off all of Bob’s Red Mill products this week – just in time for holiday baking season. Read on to learn more about their unique business model and their commitment to using traditional stone milling techniques to deliver healthy high-quality grain products to store shelves.
At Bob’s Red Mill, they believe that quality can’t be rushed. That’s why they manufacture their products using time-honored techniques, like grinding whole grains at cool temperatures with a traditional stone mill. Their beautiful stone grinding mills are much like the ones used during early Roman times and unlike the more commonly used high-speed steel rollers, their mills ensure the most nutritious parts of the whole grain remain intact. It was these beautiful antique grinding mills that first inspired founder Bob Moore to start Bob’s Red Mill nearly 40 years ago.
An Employee-Owned Business
On Bob’s 81st birthday, rather than receiving gifts, he decided to give his greatest gift away – his business! Bob surprised all of his employees by giving them total ownership of Bob’s Red Mill through an employee stock ownership program (ESOP). Bob didn’t extend this gesture as a means to step away from the company he had created so he could ease into a comfortable retirement. He did so because of his firm belief in putting people before profit, and giving due appreciation to the people who’ve made a company strong. Despite hundreds of lucrative offers to buy his company as he approached “retirement age”, Bob chose the rare path of putting people first and gifted his company to his dedicated, hard-working staff.
Milling, Testing, Packaging, & Distributing Under One Roof
The folks at Bob’s Red Mill knew from day one that if they wanted to ensure the best products possible and ensure quality every step of the way that they’d have to be able to do it themselves. Their facilities in Milwaukie, Oregon include the 325,000 sq ft headquarters, laboratory, and manufacturing plant, plus a 127,000 sq ft distribution center! Their gluten-free products are produced and tested in their separate gluten-free-only facilities to ensure product safety.
Bob and his wife Charlee at the Bob’s Red Mill Headquarters
Sourcing the Finest Products From Our Farms to Your Table
At Bob’s Red Mill, the relationship with the final product begins at the source. They maintain personal relationships with farmers across the country and make an effort to visit their farms. Together, they are able to ensure that they’re offering the best product available, while always using best practices.
Sourced Non-GMO Pledge
The Bob’s Red Mill Non-GMO Pledge means that the ingredients sourced for their products have been declared by their suppliers to be made without the use of modern biotechnology. The truth is, they’ve always sourced using this practice, but now that commitment is visible on Bob’s Red Mill packages to allow consumers to purchase with confidence.
When you see the Sourced Non-GMO Pledge on one of their packages, you can be sure that they’ve worked with their farmers and suppliers to source ingredients that were not genetically engineered. That work includes cultivating trusted relationships over many years and requiring documentation that attests to the fact that the ingredients have not been genetically modified through the use of modern biotechnology. For assurance, they conduct audits of their suppliers annually. They also source organic ingredients whenever feasible, and by definition, foods that are Certified USDA Organic are made only with ingredients that have not been bioengineered.
Recognize this handsome crooner? It’s Fred Barnes, our long time Co-op member-owner and musician extraordinaire. For the past few years, Fred has very generously donated his talent at the piano to provide entertainment and add to the ambiance at our annual Empty Bowl Dinner. Fred has quite an interesting musician’s history. He spent years as a pianist and vocalist on the Cunard Line cruise ships Queen Elizabeth 2 and Countess, and followed this experience with several years as the House Pianist for the Sheraton Russell Hotel, on Park Avenue in New York. In addition to his performance career, Fred has spent 25 years instructing students of all ages in Jazz piano. Currently, Fred is active on the musical scene as an accompanist and soloist. Thank you, Fred, for all you do!
Here’s a word about Fred from Douglas Anderson, Executive Director, Middlebury Town Hall Theater:
“Fred Barnes is a master. He commands a seemingly endless repertoire of standards, all served up with breath-taking technique. He also sings – surprise! – in a clear, un-fussy voice that brings to mind Fred Astaire, with all of the charm the comparison implies. I’d say that no one plays piano like this anymore, except that there’s nothing old-fashioned about his playing. I Fred’s hands, even the oldest standard becomes as fresh as the day it was written.
With his effortless brilliance and genuinely warm personality, Fred turns any event into something extraordinary.”
Did you know that McDaniel Chiropractic Center is part of the Co-op Connection? Thanks to this fun partnership, Co-op member-owners can enjoy 10% off when visiting McDaniel Chiropractic Center! You can find their full-service clinic at 1330 Exchange Street, Suite 105, in Middlebury. They’re our featured Business of the Month for November, so we wanted to tell you a little more about the wide array of health services they provide. Read on to learn all about them!
McDaniel Chiropractic is more than simply a place to go when you’re experiencing neck or back pain. They offer a 360-degree approach to total body wellness incorporating diet, exercise, ergonomics, lifestyle management, and chiropractic care to help you achieve your health care goals! Unlike conventional medicine, which aims to treat symptoms of injury or illness in a reactionary way, Drs. Jim & Julia McDaniel instead hope to offer tools to help you reduce the risk of pain, injury, and illness in a more proactive manner. Their goal is to help you achieve and maintain optimal health through a tailored, personal wellness program that is targeted to your specific needs.
About the Doctors
Dr. Julia McDaniel received her Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Vermont in 1983. In 1990 she graduated from Life Chiropractic College located in Marietta, Georgia. Dr. Julia has been in active practice with her husband, Dr. Jim McDaniel, in Middlebury since 1990.
Shortly after opening their practice, Dr. Julia became very active in chiropractic on the legislative level. In 1992 she was appointed to the Vermont Chiropractic Board of Examiners by Gov. Howard Dean, where she served the State for 9 ½ years. During this time she served two years as chairman of the board. Dr. Julia served as the State delegate to both the Federation of Chiropractic Licensing Boards and the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
Dr. Julia has the distinction of being the first female doctor of chiropractic to serve on the board of directors for the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Dr. Julia has been an active voice for legislative change concerning professional regulation and patients’ rights. She served the Council on Chiropractic Education as a member of the Site Team Academy and as the Secretary-Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the Council on Chiropractic Education. In 2000 the Vermont Chiropractic Association awarded Dr. Julia the honor of Chiropractor of the Year.
Dr. Jim McDaniel is a 1990 cum laude graduate of Life Chiropractic College in Marietta, Georgia. While a student, Dr. Jim served as his class representative to the Clinic Judicial Review Committee. Since opening McDaniel Chiropractic Center in 1990, Dr. Jim has attended many continuing education conferences. He has a special interest in nutrition and neurology, completing over 150 hours of post-graduate training in clinical neurology through Logan Chiropractic College.
Giving back to the community has always been important to Dr. Jim. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Addison County branch of the American Cancer Society and the Parent-Child Center of Addison County. Currently, he is the treating chiropractor at the Middlebury Open Door Clinic and serves on the advisory council for the health careers program at the Hannaford Career Center in Middlebury. Dr. Jim is currently the Immediate Past President of the Vermont Chiropractic Association.He serves on the board of directors for the Council on Chiropractic Guidelines and Practice Parameters (CCGPP).
Dr. Erik Vose holds a Doctorate of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic West in California and a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and Applied Physiology from the University of Colorado. After earning his doctorate degree, Dr. Erik received two years of additional chiropractic and sports therapy training in Walnut Creek, CA. Following his time in California, Dr. Erik started his own practice in Boston and joined OMBE, an integrative health center located in Copley Square, where he worked in conjunction with many practitioners including acupuncturists, naturopaths, dietitians, massage therapists, and yoga and pilates instructors.
Dr. Erik treats patients for a range of conditions from sports injuries to chronic pain by focusing on the entire musculoskeletal system. Dr. Erik combines soft tissue therapy with ultrasound, electric stimulation, stretching, and chiropractic adjustments. He is proficient in the diagnosis and treatment of extremity injuries as well as those associated with the spine. Dr. Erik develops comprehensive treatment plans that focus on both alleviating symptoms and helping his patients achieve optimal strength and well-being.
Services & Techniques
McDaniel Chiropractic offers a wide range of safe, comfortable, and effective services & techniques to help you achieve & maintain optimal wellness:
Advanced spinal correction adjustments using state-of-the-art chiropractic techniques
We’re taking orders for fresh, local Stonewood Farm Turkeys! Come into the store and sign up at the registers, or just give us a call and we’ll reserve one for you! What’s so special about Stonewood Farms Turkeys? Let’s find out:
Their Turkey Friendly Barns are not over-crowded and are open-sided providing lots of fresh air & natural sunlight. These birds are All Natural – raised free of hormones or antibiotics, and never fed animal by-products. Stonewood Farms Turkeys receive Humane Care “ Just plenty of Vermont air, cold nights, good feed and tender loving care on our family farm” — Paul Stone (Grandpa Stone). A USDA processing plant is located at the farm and operated by the Stone family. All turkeys are individually hand graded to ensure the highest quality.
All of this adds up to what Stonewood promises to be the finest All Natural Fresh Turkey, ofsuperior flavor and juiciness. The slow growth of the turkeys ensure a delicious and naturally self-basting turkey.
Our Member Loan Drive is underway and we’re over two-thirds of the way to our goal! We are SO EXCITED and wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude to those who have invested in the future of our Co-op thus far. We truly are growing together!
The positive feedback from member-owners has been overwhelming and has served as a helpful reminder of why this project is so important. Here are some of the wonderful words of encouragement we’ve received:
“The Co-op is more than my source for healthy foods and products; it’ my community. It has invested in our local economy, and I am delighted to invest in the co-op’s next expansion.”
—Abi Sessions, educator, grandmother, community volunteer
“MNFC is one of the most critical centers for wellness in our community. The growth and well-being of our families, friends and neighbors depends on all the goods—literally and figuratively—that our local Co-op provides.”
—Jack Mayer, MD, MPH Rainbow Pediatrics
“The Co-op reflects our values…. Backing the expansion means enlarging our ability to create fair wage jobs, to support local farmers and food companies, and to provide healthy foods to a broader segment of our community. We’re in!”
—Amy Sheldon, state representative & Ashar Nelson, architect
“We see loaning money to the Co-op for its expansion as an investment in community prosperity.”
—Will & Judy Stevens, Golden Russet Farm, producers
“MNFC exemplifies environmental responsibility, but also community connectedness. It’s one of the places that makes Addison County what it is!”
—Bill McKibben, environmental activist, author & Sue Halpern, author
If you haven’t yet had a chance to check out the details of the proposed expansion and the Member Loan Drive, we invite you to click here and read all about it!
Interested in checking out the latest site plan from the architects? Click here!
Are you ready to invest in YOUR community Co-op?! Give us a call at 388-7276, or email our Member Loan Drive Coordinator, John Barstow, at jbbarstow@gmail.com. We’re happy to answer any questions you might have and if you’re ready to invest, we’ll send a packet containing all of the information needed to complete the process. Our deadline is December 1st.
Thank you for your continued support. Whether it’s helping to provide capital for our next evolution through the Member Loan Drive, or the support you offer every time you choose to shop here at the Co-op, we’re extremely grateful! Stay tuned to the Big Carrot at the store entryway to track our progress!
We’re casting our Co-op Spotlight on Scott Farm this week to shed a little light on the work they’re doing to preserve heirloom and unusual apples on their 571-acre land trust in Southern Vermont. All of their organic apples and quince are 20% off for member-owners this week! Read on to learn more about this unique organic orchard and its rich history:
Scott Farm Orchard is a 571-acre gem located in the rolling hills of Dummerston, VT. The orchard is home to over 120 varieties of heirloom and unusual apples. The farm itself is something of an heirloom, settled in 1791 by Rufus Scott. The orchards were planted in 1915, and in 1995 Scott Farm was gifted to the non-profit historic preservation organization Landmark Trust USA.
The renowned apple maestro, Ezekiel “Zeke” Goodband, took over the management of the orchard in 2001. His search for old varieties has taken him to abandoned orchards throughout New England and as far as Kazakhstan, the birthplace of apples. A long time ago, Zeke learned that the less he sprayed the orchard, the less he had to spray. Zeke’s formal educational training was in the field of ecology and he realized early in his orcharding career that if he respected the orchard as an ecosystem there were fewer “pest” problems.
Their goal at Scott Farm has been to enhance the biodiversity of the orchard ecosystem – the more complex the ecosystem, the more stable it becomes, minimizing the potential for significant pest explosions. They have moved beyond organic into what they refer to as ecologically grown fruit. Scott Farm produces 120 varieties of ecologically grown apples – with beautifully poetic names such as Roxbury Russet, Belle de Boskoop, and Cox’s Orange Pippin, along with unusual apples like Winter Banana and Hidden Rose. Other fine fruits include quince, gooseberries, medlars, Asian pears, plums, elderberries, table grapes, pears, blueberries, nectarines. The apples and quince can be found at the Co-op, and the remaining fruits are sold directly through the orchard’s Farm Market which is open every day at 707 Kipling Road, Dummerston, Vermont from Labor Day to the day before Thanksgiving. Over 75% of the Scott Farm crop stays in Vermont!
We’re casting our Co-op spotlight on Lotus Foods this week to bring awareness to their grassroots rice revolution that is helping to bring sustainably grown, organic, and non-GMO rice to your dinner table! All of their products are 20% off for member-owners this week. Read on to learn more about the groundbreaking agricultural practices that are making this possible, and the impact that it’s having in rice-growing parts of the world:
Lotus Foods was founded in 1995 with the intent and vision to support sustainable global agriculture by promoting the production of traditional heirloom rice varieties, many of which may otherwise be extinct, while enabling the small family rice farmer to earn an honorable living. They learned that up to one-third of the planet’s annual renewable supply of fresh water is used to irrigate rice and recognized that this practice is not sustainable. These wasteful agricultural methods are depleting our water resources faster than they are being recharged, creating water scarcity. For this reason, in 2008, Lotus Foods committed to partnering with small-scale farmers who radically changed how they grow rice, using less to produce more.
Lotus Foods feels strongly that sustainability is premised on an ethical framework that includes respect and care for the community of life, ecological integrity, universal human rights, respect for diversity, economic justice, and a culture of peace. They believe that eradicating poverty and promoting social and economic justice must begin with agriculture and must be accomplished in a way that protects and restores the natural resources on which all life depends. At the crux of this challenge is rice, which provides a source of living to more than two billion people, most earning less than $200 per year.
A Grassroots Rice Revolution
More Crop Per Drop is how Lotus Foods refers to their rice grown using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI). SRI is a not a new seed or input, but rather a different way of cultivating rice that enables small-scale farmers to double and triple their yields while using 80-90% less seed, 50% less water, and less or no chemical inputs. That’s revolutionary!
Why is SRI so Important?
This unique agricultural method addresses some of the most important challenges we face this century – namely to feed several billion more people with dwindling land and water resources and without further degrading the planet’s environment. SRI has been largely grassroots driven, fueled by marginalized male & female farmers and the non-profit organizations (NGOs) who advocate for their welfare, like Oxfam, Africare, WWF and many dedicated local NGOs and individuals. The reason these farmers are so excited about SRI is because it represents an opportunity for more food, more money, better health, and more options – in short, for a way out of poverty.
Lotus Foods sees SRI as a logical extension of their mission. They offer six exceptional SRI-grown rices, and call them More Crop Per Drop to bring to special attention to water as a diminishing resource. Fully one-quarter to one-third of the planet’s annual freshwater supplies are used to irrigate and grow the global rice crop. And in Asia, where most rice is grown and eaten, about 84% of water withdrawal is for agriculture, mostly for irrigating rice. Water scarcity is having an increasingly significant impact on agriculture. According to the WWF, “The SRI method for growing rice could save hundreds of billions of cubic metres of water while increasing food security.” Check out this cool video from the Better U Foundation to learn more about SRI:
What about Organic Certification, Fair Trade Certification & Non-GMO Verification?
Most of their rices are already certified organic, while others are in the process of becoming certified, and still others are working to help develop a certifying program in their country of origin. These organic and transitional rices are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or ionizing radiation. Their rices are 100% fair-trade certified and non-GMO verified. Lotus Foods has also been B-Corp certified since February of 2012. B corporations are legally obligated to consider the impact of their decisions on their employees, suppliers, community, consumers, and their environment. Lotus Foods shares the conviction that we can change the world for the better with how we choose to do business.
At the Co-op, you’ll find several varieties of Lotus Foods rice in our bulk department, and in the grocery department you’ll find their packaged rice and also their delicious rice ramen noodles. Visit their website for excellent tips and recipes!
You, our loyal member-owners have been asking for it. Now, together we’ll build it!
We’ve officially launched our Member Loan Drive, and it’s off to an exciting start! We’re thrilled with the support we’ve received thus far from member-owners and we’re making steady progress toward our goal.
Why Member Loans?
Member Loans provide the Co-op member-owners with a strong local investment they can visit every day, and provides the co-op with cost-effective financing. Co-ops across the country have relied on member-owner investment programs as a long-standing method to raise money and community support for their stores. Member-owner investment demonstrates the commitment of loyal customers, convinces banks to loan additional money, and reduces debt service, making our Co-op stronger!
Thirteen years ago, in 2003, you, the member-owners invested nearly $500,000 to help build our current store. All of these loans were paid back, with interest, within the term limits. Now it’s time to grow again and become an even better version of the store you love. This time around, our goal is to raise $1 million in member loans, and we’re off to a great start! We’d like to extend our gratitude for those who have already invested. If you’d like to be part of this exciting next evolution of your Co-op, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact Member Loan Coordinator John Barstow at jbbarstow@gmail.com
Here are the goals for this expansion:
50% more retail space overall
Wider aisles and better layout for ease of shopping (and visiting…)
100% more fresh meat, prep room, and coolers
New Co-op Cafe with double current seating and own entrance
100% increase in cheese retail space, with new island
Commitment to expand without increasing our carbon footprint
Improved deli, with 75% more retail space, hot bar, and more
Enlarged deli kitchen for more prepared food, faster service
New customer service desk
Improved store entrance with air lock
Wider, longer, safer driveway entrance
More open produce layout with 20% more space
Better insulated, more energy-efficient building overall
