Cincinnati Farms Motion Before City Council Feb 4th

Next Wednesday (February 4th) the Cincinnati City Council will vote on the Cincinnati Farms motion, which will allow farmers to lease city-owned lots for urban agricultural production.  If you'd like to show your support for this idea, you can sign the petition.   If you really want to show your support, come to City Hall no later than 1:15 pm on February 4th (be sure to allow time for parking and to pass through security) and fill out a speaker card, which will allow you to address City Council for up to 2 minutes. 

Home Cheesemaking Group/date change

The cheesemaking group's first meeting has been changed to Thursday January 29th, still at Tino Vino at 7pm.

Happy Cows Give More Milk

A study by Newcastle (UK) University's School of Agriculture published yesterday by the British journal Anthrozoos (which reports on human/animal interaction) found that cows who are treated as individuals -- given names, and called by those names -- give up to 500 pints (about 65 gallons) more milk each year than cows who are herded as a group.

Small dairy farmers may have known this already -- both herdshares I've been a member of have named all their cows, and the farmers know each cow by name.

Sustainable Earth's 2009 Food, Farm, and Energy Conference

Sustainable Earth, an Indiana nonprofit working to support sustainable family farming systems and community food systems, is holding their 2009 Food, Farm and Energy conference, Building Local Sustainability, on February 21st in Indianapolis at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

This year's session topics for the all-day conference include The Future of Eating, Local Food & Fine Dining, Why Weeds Matter, My Green Home, The Community Farmer, Becoming A Farmer, and Home Grown Fuel.

Registration is $10 for an individual, $25 for a family. For more information call Steve at (765) 463-9366 or visit the conference site to download a brochure.

Home Cheesemaking Group Forming

A home cheesemaking group, a spinoff of the Cincinnati Local Foods Group, is forming for the Greater Cincinnati area. Anyone interested in making cheese at home is invited to join. The group is meeting now online and will be holding their first in-person meeting at Tino Vino (in Hyde Park at 3665 Erie Ave, 45208) on Wednesday January 28th Thursday January 29th at 7:00pm. Future plans include in-home cheesemaking demonstrations, tours of artisan cheesemakers, and cheese tastings.

To learn more or join the online discussion group, visit Cheese Makers.

Snowville Creamery Non-homogenized Milk

For those interested in milk that hasn't been ultrapasteurized or homogenized, one alternative to buying a herdshare is non-homogenized milk. It's not easy to find, though.

Madison's at Findlay Market is now carrying Snowville Creamery (in Meigs County near Athens, Ohio's local-eating mecca) pasteurized but non-homogenized milk at $2.99/half gallon for whole, 2%, and fat-free.

Because the milk hasn't been ultrapasteurized or homogenized, it's usable by home cheesemakers. It won't provide the same quality cheese as raw milk, but for those who can't join a herdshare, it's probably the next best available choice.

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Starting A Co-op

The Catholic Rural Life Conference and the OK River Valley Chapter of OEFFA (Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association) are offering the Second Annual Local Foods Seminar: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Starting A Co-op.

Whether you are a producer or a consumer, learn what defines a cooperative, when a co-op is beneficial, the legal requirements for setting one up, and what resources are available to help get started. The featured speaker will be Dr. Tom Snyder, Director of the Ohio Cooperative Development Center. A representative of the Ohio Department of Agriculture will also speak. Seminar is free and open to the public.

Sunday, January 25th 1pm - 3:30pm
St. Michael's Catholic Church
220 South High St. (US Rt.68) Mt. Orab, Ohio
For more information call Pat at 937-378-4769 (days) or 937-378-4560 (eves) or Julie at 937-392-1543.

Dayton Daily News article on Raw Milk and Herdshares

The Dayton Daily News had a great article yesterday on the increased demand for raw milk.