Farm School NYC July Newsletter

07/19/2023

𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻!
• 𝘚𝘰𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴:
Are you curious about the ancient origins and current practices of soilless food cultivation? Would you like to learn about aquaponics and hydroponics? If so, consider joining our Soilless Practices public course!
Participants will be able to hear from experienced soilless ecosystem stewards and visit Universe City for hands-on learning about system design, operation, and maintenance. Whether you’re a seasoned farmer or a curious beginner, Soilless Practices offers a unique opportunity to explore more sustainable, space-efficient ways to grow food. Learn more and register here!

• 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴:
Would you like to learn how to preserve and prepare the food you grow for safe storage and sharing? Have you been curious about canning for ages? If yes, register for our CFA course today.
Participants will learn about processing and preserving food through canning, pickling, drying, fermenting, and medicine-making. Our facilitators also cover relevant food safety standards. This year, there will be a class trip to Rise & Root Farm, where everyone prepares a value-added product together. Learn more and register here!

𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗥𝗲-𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴
If you’ve been reading the FSNYC newsletter for a while, you’re probably familiar with our monthly Citywide Program updates and excited about getting involved. We love the enthusiasm surrounding the program and hope you can channel this into patience as we revise our Citywide Program for the coming year. Our re-envisioning process means we won’t be accepting a new cohort in 2024.
We are thrilled to revamp the program, adapt it to the evolving needs of our world, and we need time to carefully examine the program with the help of facilitators. This will allow us to create the best possible experience for future participants. We are confident that this temporary pause will lead to an even more incredible program and can’t wait to share more details with you as they emerge. In the meantime, we sincerely appreciate your support and patience. Your excitement fuels our dedication to creating a top-notch comprehensive program. If you would like to support the re-envisioning process, donations are greatly appreciated to ensure we can continue to compensate our facilitators and fund this work. Stay tuned for more updates as we embark on this exciting journey together!

𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗩𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻!
FSNYC is in the process of adding new members to our Board of Directors and we need your help! We are inviting current and former faculty, staff, students, and our partners at BFU NYS to vote. If you belong to one of the aforementioned groups, keep an eye out for an email containing your ballot.
In the meantime, follow this link to the submission videos and written responses of our nominees . Before voting, watch all of the videos and read all of the written answers. To vote, rank the nominees based on the materials in your ballot. You must rank six nominees. We will announce the newly elected board members in the next newsletter on Tuesday, August 15th. Voting closes Tuesday, August 1st!

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿
• Congrats, 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘝𝘰𝘯!
CheVon Cooper, FSNYC facilitator and Urban Agriculturist at Bronx Green-Up, made the Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center 40 under 40. The Rising Stars in NYC Food Policy list has featured several FSNYC faculty and students, and today we congratulate Che! Read more about his work here.

• 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘟 𝘓𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘍𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭
The Liberated Lands Festival, organized in collaboration with Roots and Culture Farm in Marlboro, NY, is set to take place this year. The festival serves as a joyous celebration of the Earth and its stewards. On September 9th-10th, you are invited to join in uplifting spirits, observing and honoring the Earth’s cycles, sharing space and knowledge, and expressing gratitude for the Earth and its caretakers.
The event will bring together farmers, herbalists, healers, musicians, foragers, and other New York City and Hudson Valley collaborators. Together, they will bid farewell to summer, embrace the arrival of fall, celebrate the fruits of the summer harvest, tend to fall crops, and prepare the Earth for a period of rest. Register here to celebrate, learn with, and give back to this vibrant community.

• 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘐𝘻𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦
Join the virtual Culinary Herbs offering from Trans Equity Consultants and, FSNYC facilitator and friend, Cris Izaguirre on Thursday, August 17th 5:30pm – 7:00pm. RSVP by emailing events@transequityconsutling.com

• 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘍𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦
Join the upcoming BFU Community work day at Farm Fresh Caribbean Growers on July 30th. Registration will close this Wednesday, July 19th, and visits will be limited to the first 15 registrants. Black Farmer Fund will support transportation costs and coordinate carpools for folks traveling from similar areas. Registration is open to Black farmers, land stewards, food actors, and organizers based in NY looking to build community. These events are intended to be Black-only spaces, and if you have intentions of bringing a family member or friend, please indicate that in the registration form.
Lunch is provided at these outdoor workdays, so indicate dietary restrictions in the form below. All attendees must test for COVID (PCR, rapid or at-home tests are all suitable) within 72 hours of the scheduled visit. If you feel ill or have any COVID symptoms stay home, rest and recover!
Please reach out to Sonja with any questions and register here!

• 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘳𝘮 3𝘋 𝘚𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦
𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴: 𝘋𝘐𝘠 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴
Head to Soul Fire Farm on Friday, July 21st, from 10am-4pm with Antonia Estela Pérez of Herban Cura for this transformative workshop. Antonia will support participants in connecting with, identifying, and respectfully harvesting plants for healing. You will learn to make a balm, glycerite, and tincture with herbs including anise hyssop, plantain, dandelion, and goldenrod. The workshop is designed to be a culturally relevant and safe space that centers Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (read why here).
“We all embody a lineage that connects us directly to the plant world as a source of living energy and ancestral genetic information. Colonization attempted to erase people’s connection to land and medicine to take their autonomy away. Keeping this connection alive is part of our legacy. Our people have used plant medicine for survival for generations, including utilizing what some consider to be ‘weeds.'” Register and learn more!

• 𝘜𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘦
The NYC Urban County Committee (UCOC) works through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to represent and connect with NYC growers. They will examine the NYC urban agriculture landscape and how FSA programs and loans can work in the NYC context. If you want to get involved, share input, or learn more about the Urban County Committee, please email Mirem Villamil: Ana.Villamil@usda.gov. NYC Urban County Committee Elections are coming up quickly! There is still time to get involved. Here are two ways to participate now:

1. Register to Vote: Fill out a quick online registration form, and your ballot will be mailed to you.

2. Register to Run: If you’d like to serve on the Urban County Committee, email Mirem Villamil for the next steps and eligibility information.

𝗭𝗼𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘂𝘁
Equity Advocates, Black Farmers United, and Food for the Spirit have two remaining sessions of ‘Y’all Come: Farm Bill Advocacy Meeting.’ Join to hear from partnered organizations on their Farm Bill campaign and learn how you can engage in the 2023 Farm Bill Advocacy Campaign. Participants will not only share laughs and come together as a community to discuss the upcoming Farm Bill; they will gain access to Farm Bill Campaign materials and get trained on how to use them. This is an opportunity to hear directly from special speakers and presenters on their Farm Bill advocacy efforts. We are excited to support this collective farm bill equity work and can’t wait to see you there!

Remaining sessions: July 18th and August 15th, 2023 (Tuesdays, 5-6pm)

𝗝𝗼𝗯𝘀
Edible Schoolyard- Garden Coordinator

New York Restoration Project – Various Positions

Brotherhood/SisterSol – Environmental Program Facilitator

Lower East Side Ecology Center – Part-time Compost Associate

Central Park Conservancy- Assistant Manager, Playgrounds & Park Infrastructure

Westchester County Parks, Recreation & Conservation- Tree Climber/Pruner

New York Green Roofs- Horticulturist / Urban Gardener

Central Park Conservancy- Natural Areas Technician

Randall’s Island Park Alliance- Irrigation Technician

Brooklyn Bridge Park Corp. – Seasonal Gardener

Isaiah’s Figtree- Gardener / Horticulturist