GMOs- Rich Pecararo droppin some knowledge

 Boulder County farmer Rich Pecoraro of Abbondanza breakin it down on his view of Genetically Modified Crops.

http://vimeo.com/33322802

Happy Holidays- R.A.S. Farms Holiday Gift Baskets now available

 RAS Farms is offering a small variety of Holiday gift baskets. The gift baskets are an extension of our summer farm stand, with products from many of our farm stand/ CSA partners. The baskets are original and unique collections that represent the best of our local and global communities.

 The Small Market - $39 + shipping
1 can of coffee (RAS Farms x Conscious Coffees- Farmer's Select)
3 pack of RAS Farms handmade soaps
all packed in a small market basket from Bolga Baskets International

The Gardener's Basket- $76 + shipping
1 bucket of Vital Earth's Mega Worm castings
1 can of coffee
3 pack of soap
6 pack of seeds from Abbondanza Seeds and Produce
all in a medium Bolga Basket

The Farm Stand Basket- $103 + shipping
2 can set of coffee
3 pack of soaps
1 bottle of olive oil from Oils of Paicines
1 pack of quinoa from Keen 1 Quinoa
1 applesauce from Ela Family Farms in Colorado
1 peach jam from Ela
2 bags of roasted nuts from Olomomo Nut Company (1 small and 1 large bag)
all included in 1 large Bolga basket. Perfect for the farmers' market, grocery store, or garden

We are also open to custom orders. Please email rasagriculture@yahoo.com for a quote.

RAS Farms hemp/ organic cotton t-shirts and hoodies are available, along with soaps and coffee on our merchandise page. http://www.rasfarms.com/merch.html

Happy Holidays. We give thanks for the support.

GMO's in my green chilie?????

Right on the heels of the posting from yesterday-

http://news.yahoo.com/green-chile-lovers-fired-over-genetic-research-220534995.html

"It's been 10,000 years for some crops. They don't even remotely resemble their wild species anymore," said Pam Ronald, a plant pathologist from the University of California, Davis, who is known for her work with rice.

Ronald and others say the difference with genetic engineering is it's modern and more precise, and genes from unrelated species can be added to a plant's genome.

"It's a fine line philosophically what people will accept, and there are reasons of course for not wanting a particular type of crop," she said. "But if you think about the great issues of our time — sustainability, can we grow more food using less land and less water as resources diminish, can we reduce insecticides — if genetic engineering can enhance the sustainability, then why not use it?"

Who says any of us want "genes from unrelated species" in our crop plants. Also, it's not only a philosophical fine line, it's an ethical fine line. Just because Pamela Ronald and her cohorts think it's the wave of the future doesn't mean all of us want it.
The pro-GMO pundits >>>> http://www.biofortified.org/

Speaking of rice for example, Vandana Shiva writes "Now industry wants to turn malnutrition into the next market through genetic engineering and industrial fortification of food. An example of high-cost, highrisk ‘fortification’ proposals is Golden Rice, genetically engineered to provide more Vitamin A. In fact, the genetically modified rice provides seventy times less Vitamin A than coriander, fenugreek, curry leaves or drumstick leaves! In addition, since genetic engineering is based on the use of antibiotic – resistant markers and viral promoters, it introduces new and unnecessary health risks. GM rice is a high-cost solution. The Golden Rice is patented, and patents generate royalties. That is the objective of patents.
Governments might pay for these high-cost, high-risk options, but this still uses public money which could instead be used to promote biodiversity-based organic farming as an ecological fortification strategy. Corporate greed and deeper industrialisation of food through artificial fortification are not the answer to malnutrition. Greed robs the poor of food. It is at the root of hunger."

To be continued......

Socrates- Rest In Power

Socrates was one of my favorites when I fell in love with the game as a little dude. Sick player, activist, doctor. Not too many tall dudes playing back in those days.

Article- Monsanto spreads roots into modified produce

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2011/11/28/monsanto-spreads-roots-into-modified-produce.html

The consolidation of the seed industry sped up several years ago. The quote below is very telling......

'Monsanto’s goal: to dominate today’s $3 billion global market for produce seeds, much as it already has done with corn and soybeans.
“This isn’t a hobby. … We’re serious about it,” said Monsanto Chief Executive Hugh Grant, who expects the company’s vegetable-seed revenue to rival its $1.5 billion soybean business in the next decade.'

Save your own seeds. Preservation of genetic diversity is a must.

Values!! Conscious Coffees

http://www.dailycamera.com/lifestyles/ci_19426109

Here is a nice article about our friends at Conscious Coffees. I like the emphasis on having and maintaining your values...... business and otherwise. That's why we like working with their crew. Maximum respect to all our coffee farming people in Ethiopia!!!

RAS Farms x Conscious Coffees Farmer's Select Batch 1 and 2 are still available!
http://www.rasfarms.com/merch.html

Farmer's Select Batch 1 getting canned up. (Big up to Joel @ Conscious Coffees)

Thanks Giving- Food for thought

NY Times- Young Farmers Face Huge Obstacles to Getting Started

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/us/young-farmers-face-huge-obstacles-to-getting-started.html?scp=1&sq=young%20farmers&st=cse#

RAS Farms Gives Thanks for all of the support through the years.....seasons........cycles

Interview with a veteran green coffee buyer

http://www.coolhunting.com/food-drink/geoff-watts-intelligentsia.php

81st Inniversary of the Coronation of Haile Selassie I

Each Must Contribute

Let there be no mistake: in modern Ethiopia, each man must contribute. There is no protection from the demand that a man's worth be assessed by his achievements. Education and learning offer no escape from the obligation of toil. Social position and high birth provide no guarantee of soft hands and a life of ease and comfort. High origins are no passport to high position. To those who contribute willingly, to the best of their abilities, who, in sweat and toil, work for the good of the nation with little thought of self, to them will much be given, even to the governing of the land. Nor should anyone today mistakenly believe that only in the cities can he serve his country. The greater need today is among the people, with those who work the soil, who provide the nourishment and sustenance upon which Ethiopia feeds. The University National Service Program has pointed the way. Today's younger generation must maintain their ties with the people who are the bulk and backbone of the nation. The problem of the many must become the problem of the few, for only in this way can the progress we earn be lasting and real and of benefit to all.
"This very institution of Parliament is itself a striking example of the reshaping and molding of custom and tradition which has at every step marked Ethiopia's development over the years. To serve in these Chambers, a man must possess high ability and demonstrated talents. Indeed, you Deputies must, in addition, have persuaded your constituents that you dispose of these qualities in abundance, for you owe your claim to sit in this deliberative assembly to their votes, cast in free and open elections.
"In the months ahead, much will be asked of you. You will be called upon to consider diverse and complex legislation, proposals prepared by experts after long and painstaking efforts, enactments vital to the life and growth of the nation. Study them carefully and dispassionately; seek emotional involvement but objectively, as representatives of a united nation and people, with the public welfare your constant concern."

From a Farmstand, New and Old Insights- NY Times

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/from-a-farm-stand-new-and-old-insights/?scp=1&sq=farm%20stand&st=cse

Thanks to everyone who supported the farmstand and CSA this season. The last drop comes with 8 inches of snow on the ground!!

NY Times- Hiring Locally for Farm Work Is No Cure All (ones getting soft??)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/05/us/farmers-strain-to-hire-american-workers-in-place-of-migrant-labor.html?scp=2&sq=colorado%20farming&st=cse

A few statements really stick out for me........
1. "Still, Mr. Mattics said, he can’t help feeling that people have gotten soft"

2. “Farmers have to bear almost all the labor market risk because they must prove no one really was available, qualified or willing to work,” said Dawn D. Thilmany, a professor of agricultural economics at Colorado State University.


Agriculture, A Sacred Task!

Food Ark- National Geographic

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/food-ark/siebert-text

There is a portion of the article that discusses variety and seed saving in Ethiopia as well.

Season is almost over......... Stock up now.

Only 2 more Thursdays left this season for the RAS Farms Pop-Up Farm Stand. It's not too late to stock up on produce, soaps, coffee, or any of the other farm stand items...... seeds, growing supplies, quinoa, roasted nuts, olive oil.

Our limited release RAS Farms x Conscious Coffees Farmer's Select Batch 1 & 2 are now available online. http://www.rasfarms.com/merch.html

Flooded Farmers Learn To be Creative- NY Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/dining/flooded-farmers-learn-to-be-creative.html?src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Fdining%2Findex.jsonp

"Wheat Grass" video- DJ Cavem

http://blogs.westword.com/showandtell/2011/10/dj_cavem_wheatgrass_teachers_l.php

Looooong road.

http://news.yahoo.com/long-road-farm-fork-worsens-food-outbreaks-090306716.html

Know your food!!

RAS Farms x Conscious Coffees Limited Release Coffees

RAS Farms is proud to announce Farmer's Select Batch 1 and Batch 2.

RAS has teamed up with Conscious Coffees on two limited release coffees highlighting producer regions in Ethiopia. The collaboration, dubbed Farmer’s Select Batch 1 and 2, are both packaged in Conscious Coffees' reusable steel cans with collectable labels on each. Batch 1 is an unwashed, light roast Sidamo, with flavors of mixed berry and cocoa from Abela Galuko Cooperative. Batch 2 is a dark roast Yirgacheffe from Negeli Gorbitu Cooperative, and features a caramelized orange peel note and a strong, long finish.



available as a two can set

Cans are available starting today at the RAS Pop-Up Farm Stand, and will go online 10/6. Single 12oz. cans are $14 and the set is $26. Go to www.rasfarms.com or email rasagriculture@yahoo.com for more information.

works........

Ethiopian New Year Ilabration

the summer

monsoon

Rocky Mountain sunset

monsoon

camping at Mishawaka

Farming, the next generation

5 questions for farmer Joel Salatin- Eat Local Week

http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder/ci_18771758

Eat Local Week is going on this week......
http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-6308-the-local-food-shift.html

Fruitful gains...........

http://news.yahoo.com/fruitful-gains-farmers-markets-113732224.html

along with the Food Stamp nation...........
http://news.yahoo.com/usa-becomes-food-stamp-nation-sustainable-160645036.html

Boulder County group sorts through opinions on GMO crops....

http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-news/ci_18721872

Reading the comments following the article reveals how 'hot' this topic is locally and globally. The debate in Boulder County is proving to be a crucial. What happens here could set the precedent for how communities deal with GMOs on Public Lands.

As Farmers' Markerts boom, some see a glut in the making.....

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/us/21farmers.html?hpw

"In New York, farmers’ markets in some parts of the state have started to “cannibalize each other’s customer base,” said Diane Eggert, the executive director of the Farmers’ Market Federation of New York. "

 - Very telling...... In Colorado we have grocery store chains that call themselves "Farmer's Markets"......... vampires and cannibals.

Boulder County nearing decision on GMO crops........

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_18641636

From what I've heard from a few general Boulder County Ag meetings is that CSU Extension and the Open Space folks are pushing the "coexistence" of organic farming and conventional farming with possible GMO use. Some of the farmers that want to grow GMO crops are basically saying they HAVE to due to economic constraints, and the fact that they should be allowed to use the technology in order to be successful.

I strongly disagree with the view that farmers shouldn't be on the advisory committee. The citizens certainly should have a voice......all of us.....producers...... consumers. Farmers need to help guide those decisions. There are several organic farmers on the Cropland Policy Advisory Group, and they are doing their best. It's WAY bigger than just a citizens rights land use issue. I wouldn't want too many non-farmers on a Croplands Policy Advisory Group. Wouldn't seem right......

Get Up, Stand Up!!

Poudre River Reggae Festival this Weekend at the Mishawaka

RAS Farms will be set-up with a booth on Saturday and Sunday with the finest in Hemp and Organic cotton t-shirts, hoodies, soaps, cd's, books, etc. Stop by the stand for some true culture and community building.

RAS Farms Pop-Up Farm Stand Tomorrow

The RAS Farms Pop-Up Farm Stand will go off tomorrow between 3-6PM. Our good friend Dave Mallin will be on site cooking up some samples of our farm offerings to sample.

** HELP WANTED **

***HELP WANTED***

RAS Farms is looking for a few good people to help out for the remainder of the season.

1. Fall Internship- We had a great experience with our Spring Intern, so now there is a Fall Internship space available. Ideally, we'd like to have someone in a school program who can get some credits out of the deal.

2. RAS also has 1 very part time, paid position available for the right person. This person must be flexible, hard working, able to withstand the extremes of Colorado weather. Hours and pay are flexible. Experience is a plus, but not a necessity.

3. CSA Work Trade- There is also 1 CSA 1/2-share work trade available for the remainder of the season (mid- October).

Anyone interested in any of the opportunities listed above should contact Adam- rasagriculture@yahoo.com

Farm Stand 7/21----- Haile Selassie Earthlight Week Festivities

Greetings~

The farm is growing well after all of this blessed rain from the monsoon. We're working hard trying to stay on top of everything..... that IS the farmer's challenge.

Please join us this Thursday from 3-6 PM for the Pop Up Farm Stand. This week we will have some special guests. Chris from Keen One Quinoa and Joel from Conscious Coffees will be at the stand to share some samples, talk about their products, and just hanging out. We will hope for some "settled" weather this Thursday so that everyone can hang without doing the Thunderstorm drill!!

 

http://www.keenonefoods.com/

http://www.consciouscoffees.com/

Haile Selassie I, Jah Rastafari Earthlight ilabration and Benefit

the season continues

back alley coffee ground collection. RAS Farms x the Cup x Conscious Coffees.

monsoon

pollen gathering

bloomz

the season ~ 2011

"farmers"

"farm boys"

farm stand

"Pop and Liv"

"soap crafter"

Poudre River Reggae Festival 7/29-31

stop by to check out the RAS Farms x I*CULTURE booth!!

Farm Stand with Natural Chef demo tomorrow (6/30/11).

The Farm Stand will be open tomorrow from 3-6PM. RAS Farms will be hosting long time friend David Mallin tomorrow. David is currently studying in the natural chef program at Bauman College in Boulder, Colorado. He will be on hand demonstrating the preparation of our fresh produce. All are welcome to come by, check the farm, meet the crew, and sample some food. Feel free to email questions to rasagriculture@yahoo.com.

RAS Farms Interview and Slideshow

http://www.examiner.com/sustainable-foods-in-boulder/ras-farms-interview

Follow the link to an interview conducted out at the farmstand along with some good pictures of the farm.

Forward Ever~

RAS Farms Pop-Up Farm Stand

It's SUMMERTIME......The Farm Stand in open for business. Hours are 3-6PM every Thursday. See map for directions.We have email access on site, so please contact rasagriculture@yahoo.com with questions.

Many of you have taken advantage of the wide range of top notch products. Keen 1 quinoa just got some
nice press in the Daily Camera. You can check the article here- http://www.dailycamera.com/food/ci_18270217

Also, our olive oil partner, Oils of Paicines, just won the Gold Medal at the Los Angeles Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition. You can find more info on them here- http://www.oilsofpaicines.com/ . There is plenty of growing season left, so please feel free to browse through our seed rack from Abbondanza along with growing supplies and organic fertilizers from Vital Earth's.

1love-

WASH YOUR PRODUCE!!

I know it's scary- http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110606/ap_on_he_me/eu_contaminated_vegetables_europe

I believe one must look at the dangers of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria in general, before we go around pointing the finger at organic farmers. The over use of antibiotics is a major contributor towards the rise of some of these "super" strains. Please don't take my word for it...... do your research.

In general, it is a safe practice to wash all produce at home before consumption. As always, know your farmer and know your food.

Listen to Eliot Coleman via podcast

http://www.grist.org/article/2011-05-18-victual-reality-with-eliot-coleman-podcast

Eliot- "All of the best organic farmers I know are NOT certified organic."

This is certainly worth a listen. Eliot's techniques have been replicated far and wide. At RAS Farms, we call him 'Don Eliot'.

Agriculture, A Sacred Task.......

Big up to RAS Scott of the Word Sound Power Collective for finding and sending along this unique picture of H.I.M.

Introducing the RAS Farms Pop Up Farm Stand

Springtime at the farm.......

Big props to Tilah I, Miles, and Zach for the works.