Practical Farmers of Iowa is looking for a responsible person to serve as Office Assistant in our Ames office. This part-time position pays $12 per hour for 15-20 hours per week, with the possibility of more hours in the future. Please check out the full job description and apply by April 6 if interested. Send resumes to Patrick Burke at patrick@practicalfarmers.org.
Did you miss the annual conference in January? Audio recordings and PowerPoint presentations from some conference sessions are now available for download.
Fedele Bauccio, Ron Rosmann, and Laura Krouse at the 2012 PFI Conference.
PFI’s 2012 annual conference is just seven weeks away! Don’t forget to take advantage of our early registration discounts: Register before January 4 to save $10 per registration per day.
Here are a few other ways to save money:
The holidays can be a busy time — Register now before you forget! If you’ve got any questions about conference registration or your PFI membership, don’t hesitate to call me at (515) 232-5661 or email patrick@practicalfarmers.org.
Helen Gunderson
A guest post by PFI member Helen Gunderson.
I hear the hum of the refrigerator and the noise of the fan above the stove.
I get a pot of sliced cucumbers and onions out of the refrigerator. The salt water brine has made the cucumbers bright green and the onions bright white. I think of all the time I spent slicing them.
There is a nostalgia to the work. I remember my grandmother, DeElda, and other neighborhood women who gardened.
I have become immersed, especially since moving to a large lot in Ames in 2006, in growing food and promoting the use of locally-grown produce. Although I derive great pleasure from preparing and eating food that I have grown, my greatest pleasure is in being able to connect with people through food whether for lunch on the back porch, a potluck dinner, or a meal at my church.
I like the solitude of working alone in my garden. I also enjoy gardening with other people. But in either case, it would be folly to invest so much time, energy, and money into producing so much food if it were only for me. It is neat when I am deciding what cucumber seeds to order in January, then planting them in June, and later harvesting and pickling them in July–to know that I can share the pickles. (more…)
Just a reminder that applications for PFI’s Savings Incentive Program are due tomorrow, October 14th.
SIP recipients Nicholas Leete and Alice McGary
Beginning farmers, if you’re on the fence about applying: Go for it! You’ve got nothing to lose, and plenty to gain, including two years of mentoring from an experienced farmer, help creating a business plan, and a dollar-for-dollar savings match to put toward the purchase of a farm asset.
SIP is a great way to jump-start your farming operation — Don’t miss this opportunity!
To be eligible, you’ve got to be currently farming, live or farm in Iowa, and be a member of PFI (you can join online instantly!).
What are you waiting for? Apply today.
… and so do more than a thousand other folks on our Facebook page. Last week Beaman was the 1,000th person to give us the thumbs-up by clicking the “like” button. Thanks, Bill — We’re so tickled, we’re going to send you a PFI hat!
Bill Beaman (left) and Edwin Ramsey discuss ridge-tillage
Beaman, who farms in southwest Iowa and is a published novelist, has been a member of PFI since 1997. Says Bill:
We’ve been looking for some different farming systems other than corn-soybeans, corn-soybeans, ways to better market our products and take care of our land. That seems to be what PFI stands for – sustainable farming and sustainable communities. It’s been a real asset to us.
You can read more about Beaman’s Grazier Farm in this interview from last January, or at his website, The Iowa Farmer.
If you haven’t already, please check out our Facebook page — It’s a great way to stay up-to-date on our blog entries, see photos from recent events, and chat with other members and PFI staff.
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