News and Announcements
06/27/2008
Green Heron Tools Seeking Input from Women Farmers
Despite the growing number of women farmers and the distinct differences between women's and men's bodies, virtually all equipment is designed for men. They are forming Green Heron Tools, with a mission of providing high-quality agricultural tools and equipment appropriate for women. Please visit http://www.farmtoolsforwomen.com/Survey.html to answer their 11-question survey, which will help them determine how to best meet the needs of women growers like yourself. THANK YOU!
04/22/2008
Kneading Conference Receives Grant from Maine Community Foundation
Skowhegan, Maine -- The Kneading Conference recently received a $7500 grant from the Western Mountains Fund of the Maine Community Foundation (Maine CF) to support its 2nd annual Conference this August 1-2, 2008. The two-day event invites professional and home bakers, farmers, millers, oven builders and innovative community members to participate in hands-on demonstrations and lectures on progressive ideas in the art of wood-fired bread baking and food production, local grain growing and milling, and oven building.
“Grant support from the Maine Community Foundation will enable the conference to expand its outreach to work study participants and Maine farmers through scholarships to attend the 2- day conference and field sessions,” said planning committee member Amber Lambke. “Funds will also be used to offer educational outreach to the local community, including a hands-on demonstration and 'Tasting' reception.”
The idea for the Kneading Conference came last year when a group of local community members, oven builders, millers and bakers got excited about the idea of producing a staple food item, bread, in a completely local process – from Maine farmers growing grain to Maine millers milling the grain and Maine bakers baking the bread in wood fired ovens fueled by locally harvested firewood. To generate momentum for this idea, the group planned and held its 1st Annual Kneading Conference in 2007 to gather interested parties together to share information and form networks. The event brought together over 100 participants, presenters and volunteers from all over Maine and as far away as Hawaii and France. Heart of Maine Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) serves as the fiscal agent and is one of many project partners for this community and economic development initiative. Photos and information are available at www.heartofmaine.org/kneading.
The 2008 Kneading Conference will include workshops, panel discussions and lectures on the topics of grain growing in Maine, small scale milling, wood fired oven construction and wood fired baking. Field sessions will happen throughout the State on July 31st and August 3rd. There will be a community reception, open to the public, Friday, August 1st at 7pm and will feature hands-on demonstrations by presenters, short lectures and a sampling of foods fresh from the oven.
For 25 years, the Maine Community Foundation has been partnering with donors and community groups to strengthen Maine through grants and scholarships. For more information, visit the foundation's website at www.mainecf.org or call toll-free 1-877-700-6800.
04/09/2008
Area Plan Update - Your Feedback Needed
Our projects address locally identified issues AND fall into one of four mandated categories for the RC&D program:
• Community Development
• Land Conservation
• Land Management
• Water Management
The first step in the Area Planning process is to work with our communities to identify challenges and project opportunities. We accomplish this with a survey broadly distributed to our community members. The Area Planning survey takes only a few minutes to complete and will help ensure that our planning process is inclusive and collaborative:
Heart of Maine Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Board, Inc. is a non-profit corporation serving the citizens of central Maine. We work with a wide range of partners to implement projects that make our area better place to live, work and play.
We need central Mainers to identify the issues important to them. We need YOUR input to ensure that our projects are relevant. Please contact Sue Watson susan.watson@me.usda.gov or 947-6622 x137 to receive a copy of the Area Planning Survey by email or snail mail.
By completing this survey, you are helping us to better serve you. Your input is much appreciated and will help us make certain that our time and resources are properly invested. Even if you've never heard of Heart of Maine RC&D, we ask that take just a few minutes to complete this survey. Chances are our projects in some way impact your daily life in central Maine.