NC Women of the Land Agricultural Network (NCWOLAN)

The results are in for the 5% Recipient Day from Whole Foods, and it is great news: Whole Foods Chapel Hill store raised over $6,000 for us. As one board member put it: "Wahoo!" The donation is wonderful but also we made so many nice connections with the community. Thank you Whole Foods!

Whole Foods in Chapel Hill is sponsoring us tomorrow to be the recipient of the next 5% Donation Day. To support Genesis Farm Educational Foundation, make your shopping list today and shop tomorrow--Tuesday April 29, 2014. Thank you!

We Won!

Thank you Whole Foods in Chapel Hill:

CONGRATULATIONS! Genesis Farm Educational Foundation was selected to be the next 5% Donation Day recipient at the Chapel Hill Whole Foods store. Our team members voted on 3 local non-profits and yours was overwhelmingly the store favorite. Your organization will receive 5% of our store’s net sales on Tuesday, April 29, 2014. We highly encourage you to reach out to your contacts and tell them to save their shopping for next Tuesday. Word of mouth makes a big difference. Thank you so much for applying. We are very excited to support your mission, and become involved in volunteering opportunities in the near future.

If you are in the Chapel Hill area, please shop at Whole Foods next Tuesday, and NC WOLAN will benefit from your purchases. Also, stop by our table and sign up for our newsletter -- Whole Foods will provide cakes (both vegan and traditional, yum!) to entice you to come by, meet and greet. We'd love to talk with you.

Thanks to our friends at Food Tank for compiling this list of amazing women in celebration of 2014 International Women's Day today

http://foodtank.com/news/2014/03/twenty-three-women-changing-food

23 Women Changing Food Food Tank highlights 23 women righting the wrongs of hunger and poverty that are worth celebrating this International Women’s Day.

A Tribute to Miss Daisy
(with apologies to Garrison Keillor, from his poem,
“Meiko Tribute” June 8, 2013)

She was very old, our old dame,
Our cat, ~ 16, Daisy, was her name.
On Wednesday she was not herself at all.
She lay, her face turned to the wall
Silent and subdued
Sunday, she did not touch her food.
On Monday she paced back and forth
Across the bedroom floor
And did not brush our leg or purr
Or make a sound. I petted her
And she seemed very far away.
I knelt by the bed where she lay
And felt desolate and sad
And told her, Good cat, good cat
And then this delicate creature
Of an affectionate nature
Curled up by my side
And waited for the vet’s melancholy ride
To our house where with gentle affection
She was given the merciful injection
As I stroked her and said,
"Good cat. Sweet cat."
And she lay down her head
On my lap
And took her nap.
We miss her gentleness and grace,
Her brilliant emerald eyes, the deadpan face,
The tail flicking where she lay
In a square of sun on a summer day.
Is it childish, to feel such grief
For an animal whose life is brief?
And if it is foolish, so it be.
She was gracious and fun company,
And we miss that gift
Of cat affection while she lived.
Her sweet civility.
A cat has a lot of utility
And beauty is beauty: that's
Why the Lord created cats.
We miss our cat of 16 years
And if you'll sit down by my side
I'll scratch you up behind your ears
Until you are well satisfied
And then bring you a plate of fish
And figs and dates fresh off the tree
Or any treat that you may wish,
In our old cat's sweet memory.
Lullaby little Daisy, wherever you're at
May you lie in the sun and be loved by someone
May you curl up and rest, with a quilt for a nest
May you run, may you leap, and be young in your sleep.

Daisy R.I.P.

Copper Maran hen among the Helebores.

Announcing our program: GoFARM!
Girls On The FARM!
Tuesday through Thursday afternoons during the fall semester, adolescent girls (10-13 years old) come to Genesis Farm to learn all manner of small farm life and sustainable agriculture.
Program details here: http://www.genesisfarmnc.com/gofarm.html
New GoFARM! flyer here:http://www.genesisfarmnc.com/forms/GoFARM!%20flyer%202014.pdf
Sign up now.

GoFARM! Adolescent girls (10-13 yrs old) come to the farm Monday - Friday afternoons to learn all manner of small farm life and sustainable agriculture: plant, harvest and sell crops off the farm; understand the behavior of and care for farm animals; develop skills for building and repairing stuff; learn ab...

~Join in on google hangout on the changing face of agriculture~ February 24th, this Monday.
What tools does USDA offer new and beginning farmers?
As a new farmer, what are some of the challenges I can expect in my first year?
As a farmer, what advice can you offer for those just getting started in the field?

http://blogs.usda.gov/2014/02/19/join-us-for-a-google-hangout-the-changing-face-of-agriculture-with-deputy-secretary-harden/

USDA Blog » Join us for a Google+ Hangout: The Changing Face of Agriculture with Deputy... This week at Ag Outlook, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Krysta Harden will host a discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing women in agriculture. Women represent part of a diverse population that has a growing interest in the future of agriculture, but young people, veterans, socially-d...

~Farmers don't get snow days~ This winter a challenging one for area farmers.
http://growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/2014/02/farmers-dont-get-snow-days-this-winter-a-challenging-one-for-area-farmers/

Farmers Don’t Get Snow Days! This Winter a Challenging One for Area Farmers | North Carolina... Many people came out of last week s snow storm with stories to tell I know of several people who had to abandon their vehicle and walk miles to get home or bunk with a friend when they were not able to make it home on Wednesday Many others enjoyed a couple of snow days ...

~Half the Sky, Half the Earth~ A conference on Women, Food, and Faith
http://divinity.wfu.edu/sky-earth/?utm_source=FINAL+DRAFT+BRWIA+February+Upcoming+Events&utm_campaign=Feb+Newsletter&utm_medium=email

Half the Sky, Half the Earth: A Conference on Women, Food, and Faith Come join us for a stimulating and challenging day as we explore the distinctive intersections of women, food, and faith in shaping a new food ecology. sponsored by the Food, Faith, and Religious Leadership Initiative at the Wake Forest University School of Divinity,with generous support from Kallei...

The February 12-13 snow storm was the biggest in several years. We had seven inches of snow with an inch of ice on top. Lovely to watch during the day, but as a true Southerner -- the promise of 70 degrees next week is most welcome!