New Year News From NOFA/RI

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Join us as we welcome a new year of programs, events, workshops and outreach for Rhode Island organic farmers, gardeners, and consumers.

Mark your calendar for Sunday March 4th and NOFA/RI’s biggest educational event of the year.

NOFA Rhode Island’s 5th Annual Winter Conference will be held at Hope & Main, Warren, RI.

Join us for a full day of workshops.
Registration Now Open.

Currently accepting proposals for SPONSORSHIPS andand VENDOR requests.  Contact  nofari@live.com.

  NOFA Welcomes New Staff

Jason Valcourt joins NOFA/RI as both the 2018 Winter Conference Coordinator and as one of our newest Farm Advisors.  Learn more about our Farm Advisor Program  here.

 

Katie Steere of Deep Roots Farm will be the NOFA/RI Livestock Workshop and Advisor Coordinator.

 

  Free Legal Services for Farmers

Many farmers qualify for FREE legal services through the non-profit Legal Food Hub, www.legalfoodhub.org!  Legal Food Hub helps farmers with legal assistance and advice on a range of topics.  Planning to buy or sell to other businesses? Have questions about leasing land, even a handshake kind of agreement?  Do you have workers, interns or apprentices on your farm?  You may qualify for free legal advice.

The Rhode Island Legal Food Hub coordinator, Sumana Chintapalli, will be happy to speak with you, at schintapalli@clf.org, 401-228-1906.

  Do You Know the Cost to Farm?

How profitable is your farm?  Do you know?  A profitable crop is one that covers all business expenses with some money left over to pay the farmer.  Over the past two years, NOFA-NH, NOFA-VT, and NOFA/MASS worked with 30 organic vegetable farmers to determine the cost of production of vegetable crops commonly grown in the Northeast.

The data collected offers insight into farm practices that can impact your bottom dollar.  It’s no surprise that hand weeding time is the largest cultivation expense, yet the data show these costs can be significantly reduced using preventative weed control.

The project was sponsored by the USDA and you can review the eight fact sheets resulting from the project.  Click here to learn more.

NOFA/RI Receives DEM Grant

DEM Promotes Growth Of Local Farm Economy With Latest Grant Awards
 “Kudos to these grant recipients for their innovative efforts to strengthen markets for specialty crops and foster growth in this important economic sector,” said DEM Director Janet Coit. Grant recipients include: Northeast Organic Farming Association of Rhode Island (NOFA/RI).

Funding supports NOFA/RI’s efforts to train and provide technical assistance to local organic farmers. Specifically, efforts will include targeted technical training, innovation sharing and business-skill building workshops, and organic farming educational conferences for farmers. Participating farmers also have access to an advisor to support them in producing high-value organic crops.