Watch TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” LIVE online on January 21, 2012

Beyond the Valley, Glynwood Institute

January 17, 2012 by Geralyn Delaney Graham

Did you know that last year, over 14,000 computers tuned in from locations all over the globe to watch the live simulcast of the first TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat.” This Saturday, January 21, 2012, the second TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” will be held at the Times Center in New York City.  There, 20 leaders in the field will explore the issues, impacts and the innovations happening as we shift to a more sustainable way of eating and farming. And anyone around the world can share in this exciting day by watching the live webcast at www.livestream.com/tedx from 10:30am – 5:15pm eastern standard time or by attending one of the local viewing parties happening across the country.  It’s easy, it’s free, and it will be both informative and inspiring.

If you’d like to be among like-minded individuals to tune into the talks, you may want to stop in at one of the local Viewing Parties being held from Portland, Oregon to Houston, Texas and even Marseille, France.  To find a list of Viewing Parties and to connect with them, visit the Viewing Party map on the TEDxManhattan website.  Click on one of the map pins in your area to get detailed information on the where and when.  All of the viewing parties are free, and many will feature local speakers who will talk about what’s happening in your community.

This is also wonderful opportunity for people around the world to connect online with each other and the sustainable food movement via these social media tools:

We hope you watch with us and join in the conversation. To learn more about the day and the speakers, visit www.tedxmanhattan.org


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Important News from Glynwood’s President

Notes from Glynwood’s President

January 5, 2012 by Judith LaBelle

Dear Friends of Glynwood:

I have had the privilege and pleasure to serve as President of Glynwood since its founding in the fall of 1995. Today our work is squarely in the middle of one of the most important and crosscutting issues of the day: revitalizing America’s food system. These are exciting and challenging times and we are privileged to be recognized as leaders in this movement that Time Magazine has said may supersede the environmental movement.

Glynwood recently completed the first phase of a strategic planning process that engaged a broad range of stakeholders, along with our board and staff, to consider how the organization can build on and leverage its decade-plus of experience with food and farming issues.

We were gratified that these stakeholders emphatically confirmed the value of our programs. They also called on us to enhance their impact in some specific ways, including by sharing what we learn more intentionally and by increasing our effort to create the networks of relationships that must undergird the strengthening of a stronger regional food system and the development of rural communities.

As we enter the new year, we will begin the next phase of this strategic planning effort – reconsidering the most effective use of all of the organization’s resources. This seemed to me to be the optimal time to transition to a new leader who could assume overall administrative responsibility. I am delighted that the board concurred with the value of making this change now. It is an invigorating prospect for the organization and for me personally.

Our plan is for me to take on a new role we are terming “Senior Fellow” as soon as my successor is in place. This new role will afford me the time to reflect on what we learn and to develop more effective ways of sharing these insights with others; to continue to work closely with the development of a new program called the Glynwood Farm Business Incubator, and with the Glynwood Institute for Sustainable Food and Farming, which I co-founded in 2010; and to serve as a resource to my successor in designing strategic initiatives that “knit the network”.

We begin our search for the new president of Glynwood today and we invite resumes and candidate suggestions for a position that I know is both challenging and rewarding. Details of the job description can be found on the Glynwood website.

On behalf of Glynwood, as well as myself, I want to thank you for your continuing interest and support of our mission. It is an exciting time and we look forward to sharing our ongoing work with you.

Judith M. LaBelle
President


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Bring TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” 2012 to your Hometown via a Viewing Party

Beyond the Valley, Glynwood Institute

December 21, 2011 by Geralyn Delaney Graham

In February of this year, over 14,000 computers tuned in from locations all over the globe to watch the live simulcast of the first TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat.” On Saturday, January 21, 2012, the second TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” – an independently organized event, licensed by TED – will be held at the Times Center in New York City. This one-day event whose lead sponsor is the Glynwood Institute for Sustainable Food and Farming, will explore the issues, the impacts and innovations happening as we shift to a more sustainable way of eating and farming and help to create connections and unite different areas of the food movement.

And while not everyone may be able to attend the local event, communities around the world can share in this inspiring day by hosting a viewing party of the live webcast in their hometowns.

WHERE can you host a viewing party?

In your home, a school, a library or other non-profit location, as well as restaurants (certain restrictions apply). And so that as many people as possible participate in TEDxManhattan, the TEDx team has made it simple to host your own viewing party, complete with a video and links to a Viewing Party Tool Kit, which outlines rules and ideas.

There’s a world-class line-up of speakers that are sure to inspire you and guests, including:
• Fred Kirschenmann, farmer, Distinguished Fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, and President of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in NY
• Mitchell Davis, vice president, the James Beard Foundation, cookbook author and food journalist
• Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch
• Gary Oppenheimer, founder/executive director of AmpleHarvest.org, CNN Hero, Master Gardener, Huffington Post 2011 Game Changer, winner of the 2011 Glynwood Wave of the Future Harvest Award
• Michelle Hughes, Director of GrowNYC’s New Farmer Development Project

WHY host a Viewing Party?

Local viewing parties are opportunities for people around the world to connect with each other and the sustainable food movement. While events revolve around the speakers in NYC, organizers are encouraged to invite local speakers and plan activities to engage their participants during breaks. TEDxManhattan Viewing Party Coordinator Jane Orgel reports that there are already over three dozen viewing parties set up from California to Vermont, and in global communities in France and Canada.

To learn more about TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat,” to read about the complete line-up of speakers  and to learn more about host a viewing party, visit www.tedxmanhattan.org.  You can also follow on facebook and twitter:  www.facebook.com/tedxmanhattan and @tedxmanhattan.

What is  TEDx and TED?
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like* experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. *TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. For more information about TED and TEDx, please visit www.ted.com.

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.


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TEDxManhattan Challenge Finalists

Beyond the Valley, Glynwood Institute

November 29, 2011 by Geralyn Delaney Graham

TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” planning is well underway, with 14 speakers confirmed, the venue in place and food details underway. We’ve also chosen our five finalists for the TEDxManhattan Challenge – we challenged people last year to work in their community anywhere in the United States on a project related to sustainable food and farming.

We received around 40 applications from all over the country and have narrowed it down to the final five. The winner will get to speak live from stage at the 2012 TEDxManhattan event. If you would like to vote for your favorite, please email your choice by December 5th to TEDxManhattanChallenge@gmail.com.

We’re also encouraging everyone to set up a local viewing party to watch the event live – if you’d like to watch, please tune in to our broadcast on January 21st at www.livestream.com/tedx. Better yet, set up a viewing party in your neighborhood and invite friends over to watch the talks with you. You can find out more information about viewing parties and setting one up at http://tedxmanhattan.org/viewing-parties/.

The five TEDxManhattan Challenge finalists are:

1. Natasha Bowens, The Color of Food – http://thecolorofood.org/home.html She’s spent the past year creating a space for farmers and food activists of color to connect, work together and share stories, history and traditional knowledge. The Color of Food is a space to raise the voices of communities of color in the movement for food justice.

2. Rick Nahmias, Food Forward – http://foodforward.org/ In 2.5 years they have become Southern California’s largest backyard harvesting for the hungry NPO. Food Forward organizes corps of between 3 and 300 volunteers to harvest excess food from private homes and public spaces, donating 100% to the hungry.

3. Amie Hamlin, New York Coalition for Healthy School Food – http://www.healthyschoolfood.org/ New York Coalition for Healthy School Food has been working with the New York City Office of SchoolFood (they spell it as one word) in a formal partnership for the last few years to develop and introduce plant-based entrees to serve as the protein component in school lunches. They are doing this in 18 schools and have a waiting list of 48 schools.

4. Howard Hinterthuer, Veteran’s Food Production Project
http://www.wuwm.com/programs/news/view_news.php?articleid=9474 Their organic therapy project for veterans, now in its fourth year, is transitioning into a food production program designed to supplement and eventually replace food that they currently purchase through vendors.

5. Billy Mawhiney, Fresh Mitchell – http://freshmitchell.info/ Fresh Mitchell is a group aimed at changing the way rural Mitchell, South Dakota, eats. They began marketing their Farmers Market, got accepted for SNAP and credit cards, and began a CSA through a 5th generation farm about 30 miles away (called the Goosemobile). They recently hosted their first Fall Harvest Celebration, a night of Old Fashioned fireside stories from the South Dakota food movement to raise funds for an edible classroom, demo area for the market and CSA support.

Please email your favorite finalist by December 5th to TEDxManhattanChallenge@gmail.com.


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Feeding the Soil

Fresh from Our Farm

August 11, 2011 by Meg Tobin

I recently caught up with Glynwood’s CSA program manager, farmer Dave Llewellyn, to get the scoop on veggie growing practices here at the farm. His scientific approach to farming focuses on feeding the soil, which feeds the plants, which feed us. The health of a farm rests on the health of its soil, and understanding and improving soil fertility and micronutrient content is another focus of practices here on the farm.

Dave believes that feeding the microorganisms in the soil helps transfer energy to the plants. In addition to practicing sustainable farming techniques like cover cropping, crop rotation, and composting, he carefully tests the soil for 16 basic nutrients that are essential to plant health. Dave told me that in the years since he has been farming with a focus on soil fertility management, he has produced noticeably healthier crops with improved pest resistance, higher yield, and better flavor.

In order to better understand how to address deficiencies in micronutrient levels in the soil, Dave sends soil samples to three different labs in the spring and the fall. For each field’s sample, he takes four bits from different spots in that field, to gain a comprehensive understanding of its soil composition. Two independent labs and Cornell’s agricultural lab, AgroOne, test the soil using both strong and weak acid tests. Dave explained that the weak acid test subjects the soil to an acid that is only slightly stronger than water, and determines what nutrients are actually being made available to the plants in the short term. The strong acid tests what nutrients the soil potentially holds that are not immediately plant-available, but that might become so in the long term. Conducting both types of tests gives a broader picture of the nutrient content of the soil, and helps Dave determine how to address whatever deficiencies might be found.

Dave is a master brewer of nutrient-dense liquid plant foods, and he can often be found in the greenhouse mixing up appetizing brews like the one pictured above, which he then pumps through the drip irrigation system in a particular field, somewhat like feeding the plants through an IV system. This one’s fulvic acid, liquid fish, and molasses; a regular in the drip line IV system. Dave has also been known to brew micronized Calcium in stockings, and to inoculate his potting soil with mycorrhizal fungi.

One of Dave’s pumps for adding micro-nutrients to the drip line system.

Now that it’s officially summer, the 2011 season is in full swing on the farm here at Glynwood! Stay tuned for updates about what’s been going on around the farm- information about the day-to-day operations of the farm as they change throughout the season, as well as insight into the unique mechanics that contribute to the success of our unique farm.


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Greetings from the 2011 Growing Season!

Fresh from Our Farm

August 7, 2011 by Meg Tobin

There’s been a lot of experimentation going on around the Glynwood farm. The diversity of its operations mean that there is never a dull moment for Ken Kleinpeter, the director of Glynwood’s farm and facilities, or Dave Llewellyn, the manager of Glynwood’s CSA program, which doubled in size this season. In addition to opening up 5 acres of land for vegetable growing, the farmers of Glynwood have incorporated a stunning new barn into their livestock raising practices, and have received funding from two different USDA grants to respectively construct an enormous high tunnel for vegetable production and conduct extensive research on rotational grazing. This is all in addition to growing high quality, nutritious food for 100 households in the local community, and managing the grazing practices of hundreds of pastured goats, sheep, cattle, pigs, chickens, and laying hens, all while keeping the improvement of the fertility of the soil and the health of the surrounding environment as the foremost goal of stewarding these acres. These guys give new definition to the idea of a busy workweek!

Last season Ken wrote a great post about rotational grazing, and I was lucky enough to get a detailed visual explanation of the results of his thorough research.

Foreground: Ken pointing out the Multiflora Rosebushes. Background: One of Glynwood’s mobile chicken houses

The invasive and tenacious Multiflora Rosebush has made itself quite at home on the farmland of Glynwood. Sheep and cattle can’t eat the Multiflora Rose, which prevents much of the land from being cleared and used as pasture. Ken has been engaged in studying the best ways to sustainably and efficiently eradicate its presence so the land may be used for pasture or put into agricultural production. His research has primarily focused on grazing goats intensively on the same land. Ken explained that using typical rotational grazing practices, the goats would consume the leaves of the plant, but the plant would continue to thrive once the goats moved on. Ken has been studying what happens if the goats don’t move on, measuring the effects of intensively grazing the goats on the same plot of land. He found that after two entire seasons, eight goats were able to completely eradicate even the stumps of the bushes. Ken’s theory is that if the goats are put through the same parcel of land a sufficient number of times, the seed bank in the soil will be emptied- since the goats will eat the plants before they have the chance to mature, new seeds will not be added, and the goats will consume the existing seeds as they sprout, eventually emptying the seed bank. Then the land will be able to return to pasture and take part in the complex choreography of the farm.

An experimental section of land- the dead bushes where goats grazed intensively for two seasons


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TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat”: How You Can Join the Conversation on February 12

Beyond the Valley, Glynwood Institute

February 4, 2011 by Geralyn Delaney Graham

If you are one of the many Americans who want to help change the way we eat in this country, you will want to tune in to TEDxManhattan on Saturday, February 12.  Listen to an amazing array of speakers, all big thinkers in their field, each of whom give short, thoughtful talks about how we can shift our industrial food system to one that provides fresh, locally produced food for everyone, all in the TED spirit of  ’ideas worth spreading’.

So you don’t live in Manhattan?  Well, the good news is you can still be a part of this inspiring day!  TEDxManhattan has helped over 100 communities in the US and Europe set up local viewing parties, where you can get together with like-minded people in your community to watch the event live; many cities will have local farmers, officials and food advocates there to speak about what’s happening in your own region, and most will serve locally grown foods at their party.  To attend a local viewing party in your area, visit http://tedxmanhattan.org/viewing-parties/ for information.

Can’t make a Viewing Party but want to be a part of TEDxManhattan?  You can take part from the comfort of your own home.  Just turn on your computer, go to www.livestream.com/tedx between 10:30am – 6:30pm eastern, and tune in.

TEDxManhattan will feature inspiring thought leaders at the cutting edge of their industry, each of whom will talk about the importance of finding new ways to redefine the way we grow and eat food from their perspective and field of expertise.  To learn about the speakers, their work and to view a schedule of when they will be giving their talks, go to www.tedxmanhattan.org/event.

We hope you will join The Glynwood Institute for Sustainable Food and Farming for this exciting day of  learning, listening and sharing.


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Bring TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” to Your Hometown

Beyond the Valley, Glynwood Institute

January 1, 2011 by Geralyn Delaney Graham

TEDxManhattan “Changing the Way We Eat” is being held in New York City on Saturday, February 12, 2011. Sponsored by The Glynwood Institute for Sustainable Food and Farming, this one-day TEDx event will explore the food system — from what happened, to where we are, to what we are doing to shift to a more sustainable way of eating and farming. The goal of “Changing the Way We Eat” is to create new connections and collaborations across disciplines, to unite different areas of the food movement and to introduce the audience to the exciting and innovative work being done in the field of sustainable food systems.

But if you don’t live in New York or you missed out on the opportunity to apply for a ticket, there is still a way to share in this exciting day: you can Host a Viewing Party of the live webcast!

But first, let’s talk about the world-class line-up of speakers that Diane Hatz, Glynwood Institute co-founder/director and organizer of TEDxManhattan, has arranged. To read more about these leaders in the sustainable food movement, go to the website, www.tedxmanhattan.org.

• USDA Coordinator of “Know Your Farmer Know Your Food” Lucas Knowles
• Chef/owner/sustainable food advocate Michel Nischan
• Dr. Tenley Albright, Director of MIT Collaborative Initiatives and Faculty Member Harvard Medical School
• Professor Frederick Kaufman from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
• Filmmaker and star of the Peabody Award-winning film King Corn, Curt Ellis
• Josh Viertel, President of Slow Food USA
• Glynwood Harvest Award Winner & the first US farmer awarded a MacArthur Genius Award, Cheryl Rogowski
• President of the Environmental Working Group, Kenneth Cook
• President of the Angiogenesis Foundation Dr. William Li
• Farmer and President of the Dairy Education Alliance Karen Hudson
• Windowfarms creator and artist, Britta Riley
• TED house band ETHEL is TEDxManhattan’s house band/entertainment curator

So, where can you host a viewing party? In your home, a school, a library or another non-profit location [i.e., restaurants and other retail locations are not eligible venues]. And in an effort to let as many people as possible participate in TEDxManhattan, the TEDx team has made it simple to host your own viewing party, complete with links to a Viewing Party Tool Kit, which outlines rules and ideas. To find out how to sign up to host an event, visit the tedxmanhattan.org site and click on the viewing party tab to learn the details.

Local viewing parties are opportunities for people around the world to connect with each other and the sustainable food movement. While events revolve around the speakers in NYC, organizers are encouraged to invite local speakers and plan activities to engage their participants during breaks. TEDxManhattan Viewing Party Coordinator Carrie Blackburn reports that there are already over 20 viewing parties set up across the country, including ones in NV, KY, NH, KY, OK, AZ, CA and even Poland!

About TEDx, x = independently organized event
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like* experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for
the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.

*TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives.
The annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Bono, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

For more information about TED and TEDx, please visit www.ted.com.


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Souper Comfort Food

What We’re Reading & Eating

November 17, 2010 by Geralyn Delaney Graham

Potato Leek Soup

If I had to choose one thing to eat for the rest of my life, it would be soup! This is one of my favorites because it is delicious AND can be table ready in a half hour. Pair it with some crusty bread and a seasonal salad for a quick and easy comfort food supper.
Makes about 6 – 7 cups

3 large leeks
1.5 pounds potatoes [about 4 medium]
4 -5 cups good quality chicken stock
5 – 7 fresh thyme sprigs
Milk or half and half
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut off the tough dark green part of the leeks, using only the white part. Slice each in half lengthwise, then cut into thin half moon slices. Rinse well in a colander.

Peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices.

In a 12 or 16 inch sauté pan with deep sides, add the leeks, potato and thyme sprigs. Add enough chicken stock to just cover the vegetables.

Cover the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, remove cover and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes.

Remove thyme sprigs. Puree the soup in batches, adding a small amount of milk or half and half to thin out the soup to your desired consistency.

Season to taste. Reheat before serving.


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Supporting Beginning Farmers

Fresh from Our Farm, Gleanings from the Valley

November 10, 2010 by Dave Llewellyn

Donald Arrant, staff member at Glynwood Farm. Photo by Sara Forrest.

The average age of farmers in the Hudson Valley was 57 years old in 2007 (according to our analysis of data from the most recent Census of Agriculture), up from 55 years old in 2002.

But, we saw an increase in the number of farmers under the age of 25.

For farming to survive, it must be a viable career for a new generation of farmers. Getting some “new blood” into the profession is essential, and equally critical is equipping those farmers with the skills to survive as businesspeople, particularly as our agricultural economy continues to transition.

Glynwood, in collaboration with Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, plans to pilot a course on farm budgeting, business planning, and financing in the spring of 2011.  We hope that the success of this effort will lead to a range of collaborative program offerings on farm management training.

Dave Llewellyn, Glynwood's CSA Manager. Photo by Sara Forrest.

In preparation, our CSA Manager Dave Llewellyn has been exploring resources that will help us do that. He recently attended a meeting of the USDA Beginning Farmer Learning Network, and files this report:

READ MORE

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