Monday, September 20, 2010

Announcing our 2010-2011 Location!

We are very pleased to announce the 2010-2011 location for the Indy Winter Farmers Market. After months of detailed consideration of generously offer locations, we have selected the Maxwell at 530 E. Ohio Street as our new home for the upcoming season!

The Maxwell offers main-level retail space and four stories of contemporary apartments at the corner of Park and Ohio St. in the Cole Noble District, just south of Lockerbie. This location features:
  • ~6,000 sq. ft. floor space (we had about 4,800 last year), with an easy to navigate rectangular layout
  • Natural light with full store-front windows along the front south-facing side creating a welcoming feel with multiple doors for entry and exit when needed
  • A 30 space attached parking garage available for customer parking during the market (If you are easily capable of walking a block or less please leave this parking for those customers who need it more than you. Thank you!)
  • Multiple customer parking options in the immediate vicinity. We'll provide more details in November.
  • Synergy with neighboring and nearby businesses - the Earth House, Sunking Brewery, the Nature Conservancy, City Market and more!
  • Easy access to I-465, I-70 & I-65
  • Great proximity to downtown to attract city visitors to the IWFM as well.
We feel confident this location will be able to meet the varying needs of our vendors and customers. We were mindful of finding a space with more square footage to help with crowd density, and a physical location that is easily accessible to downtown residents and those traveling from outlying Indianapolis neighborhoods, towns and beyond. The Maxwell's relative proximity to notable downtown destinations such as Mass Ave, Monument Circle, City Market, the Central Library, Lucas Oil Stadium, Conseco Fieldhouse, White River State Park, Sunking Brewery, Easley Winery, the Earth House, Fountain Square, many unique neighborhoods, and more makes the location a great starting point for those traveling downtown who may want to spend a Saturday exploring downtown! Just blocks from the Cultural Trail, much of this exploration can be done on bicycle or foot. Check Indianapolis Downtown Inc and the Urban Times for great ideas and event listings.

We'll be announcing the 2010-2011 list of vendors in October.

Interested in being an IWFM volunteer this year? Email info@indywinterfarmersmarket.org or sign-up for our Volunteer Spot announcements here.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Why Sustainable Farming? A Call to Action...

Please read this post to learn more about one of the many reasons the IWFM works to connect you with farmers raising animals for meat using balanced and sustainable farming practices that nurture and nourish their animals, the environment and you.

Action Needed: Ohio wants to dump factory-farm manure in East Central Indiana


Due to the incredible damage sustained to Ohio’s Grand Lake St. Mary’s as a result of animal waste from factory farms, the state is looking to dump its manure issue on the shoulders of East Central Indiana – literally and figuratively.

We will point out that this is not waste coming from the kinds of farms you choose to buy meat from at the IWFM. These are farms raising animals in extreme confined density conditions. This style of farming is not a necessary fact in order to eat meat. It is a chosen form of farming for producing maximum yields of meat at the lowest possible price to the consumer. However, the costs to public and environmental health are great and rising. Such as the state of Ohio is now experiencing and looking to pass off to the state of Indiana.

The lake, Ohio’s largest inland body of water and one of its leading summertime attractions, is dying mainly due to high phosphorous and other nutrient levels as a result of manure run-off from the 15 or so animal factory farms in the lake’s watershed. The lake also serves as headwaters for two of Indiana’s major waterways: the St. Mary’s and Wabash rivers, which means further contaminated run-off into Indiana.

The Ohio departments of health, environmental management, natural resources and agriculture released a plan on July 30th that proposes hauling manure to Indiana for disposal. Reports indicate that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) has assisted farmers wanting to transport manure outside of the watershed.


This is of great concern to the residents of Indiana, as the dumping of this manure from Ohio onto Indiana fields will inevitably lead to:
• Contamination and ecological destruction of Indiana lakes and reservoirs in the area,
• Potential (likely) contamination of drinking water in the polluted areas,
• Subsequent need for clean-up of effected watersheds and other related environmental problems,
• The cost of dealing with these problems falling to Indiana taxpayers.


Barbara Sha Cox of Indiana CAFO Watch was called on Saturday about the staging of manure in Henry County. She also received a call on Monday indicating that manure from Ohio was being spread on a field in Randolph County, with a truck dumping every 15 minutes. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) spokesman Barry Sneed is quoted by the East Central Indiana Star Press as saying, “We have not had any discussions with Ohio EPA to date," Sneed said. "IDEM is keeping abreast of the situation, but there are no laws or rules that allow us to prevent their plans from being executed."

If you find this situation disturbing or unacceptable, we encourage you to contact your state, local and federal representatives (contact information below), urging them to take a stand and encourage the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to talk to EPA Region 5 (the corresponding federal regulatory agency) and come up with a better solution than making Indiana Ohio’s dumping ground.

If you are interested in learning more about this situation and costs to public health and the environment of high-density confined animal farming, please check out the resources below.

Contact Your State & Local Representatives

Indiana Department of Environmental Management
800-451-6027
b.pigott@idem.in.gov

EPA Region 5 Water Division
Tinka Hyde, Division Director
312-886-9296
hyde.tinka@epa.gov

Governor Mitch Daniels
317-232-4567
mdaniels@gov.in.gov (may not work),
Contact Form: www.in.gov

IN House of Representatives
800-382-9841
Hdistrict#@in.gov

IN Senate
800-382-9467
Sdistrict#@in.gov

Senator Lugar
202-224-4814
Indy Office 317-226-5555
Lane_Ralph@lugar.senate.gov

Senator Bayh
202-224-5623

Please contact your Federal Representative - For those in Rep Pence district, email your thoughts to ryan.jarmula@mail.house.gov.

Additional Articles

http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20108300315
http://www.journalgazette.com/article/20100829/EDIT10/308299957/0/FRONTPAGE
http://www.naturalnews.com/029517_poultry_arsenic.html
http://epa.ohio.gov/portals/47/citizen/GLSMactionplan.pdf
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/the-price-of-cheap-meat-a_b_635599.html

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Going Local Week Today Sept. 5 - Sept. 11, 2010

GOING LOCAL WEEK 2010
Starts Today!


GOING LOCAL Week 2010 will be celebrated in the Hoosier state starting this Sunday, September 5 through Saturday, September 11, 2010. It is a one week “challenge” to Indiana citizens to eat at least one Indiana locally grown or produced food at each meal during the seven day event.

“I encourage everyone to take part in GOING LOCAL WEEK,” said Lt. Governor Becky Skillman. “If you don’t already, visit a local farmers’ market this week and buy local grown produce and meats – or try Indiana Artisan special creations such as hot sauces, delicious baked goods or Indiana wines. I have traveled and enjoyed these different local foods all across our state. I am so proud of our Hoosier producers and the high-quality, delicious foods they offer each community.”

The objectives of GOING LOCAL Week are to:

· Create an appreciation for the abundance and diversity of the Indiana food shed.

· Make Indiana citizens more aware of the availability of local foods in their own communities.

· Provide support and recognition for Indiana local food producers.

· Increase Indiana residents’ consumption of locally grown/produced foods in a long-term effort to encourage them to regularly purchase more locally produced items for their weekly meals so that the consumption of Indiana locally grown and produced foods will become the norm, not a novelty at Hoosier dinner tables across the state.

“Here at the Department we are going to celebrate with field trip to the Original Farmers’ Market in Indianapolis on Wednesday and then enjoy an in-office potluck of locally grown foods on Friday,” said Indiana Agriculture Director Joe Kelsay. “I encourage everyone to join us in celebrating Indiana’s incredible local foods and destinations.”

GOING LOCAL Week was created in 2008 by Indiana local food blogger, Victoria Wesseler, who authors the GOING LOCAL site (www.goinglocal-info.com). She notes, “If half the families in Indiana shifted $6.25 of their current weekly food budget to the purchase of Indiana grown or produced local food this effort would provide an annual contribution of $300 million into the local Indiana economy. Is this impressive? Yes, but that's not the final number. Studies consistently show that a dollar spent locally will multiply itself by 3 to 5 times making the actual economic impact of that one dollar in the local community where it was spent far greater than a buck. Initially it may be impossible to believe but, with a subtle shift in our food spending habits, we can make a $900 million to $1.5 billion economic impact on Indiana in one year.”


Ideas to celebrate GOING LOCAL Week:

· Do some of your weekly shopping at local farmers’ markets, farm stands, and farm markets.

· Bring in fresh Indiana fruit for the staff instead of pastries during the week.

· Have an in-office potluck lunch where everyone brings in something they’ve made with a local ingredient.

· Go out to an after-work “happy hour” at a local winery or brewery.

· Dine out at a restaurant featuring locally produced food items.

· Visit an orchard or U-Pick and harvest your own produce.

· Ask your local market if they sell locally grown food. Find restaurants that do the same. Support these establishments.

· Participate in a CSA.

· Take a farm tour in your area.

· Research special foods that may be local to your area and seek them out.

· Take a cooking or food preservation class which features local foods.

· Encourage others to join you in this effort during GOING LOCAL Week. Host a pitch-in picnic or covered dish party and ask everyone to bring something made with local ingredients. Spend the evening talking about the food’s origins and learning about what’s available in your area.

· For more ideas about how to celebrate GOING LOCAL WEEK or information about Indiana local food and producers, visit the GOING LOCAL site at www.goinglocal-info.com.


Information about Indiana food and producers, listings of local food events and farm tours, as well as recipes featuring Indiana’s fresh, local, and in-season foods can be found on the GOING LOCAL site (www.goinglocal-info.com).

GOING LOCAL Week 2010 contact:

Victoria Wesseler

GOING LOCAL

victoria@goinglocal-info.com

www.goinglocal-info.com

Phone: 765-325-1000

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Sept. 17-19: Yoga to Benefit Kelly Funk of Seldom Seen Farm

A weekend of Yoga to Benefit Kelly Funk – September 17, 18 & 19, 2010

Three Indianapolis Yoga Studios are teaming up to support Kelly Funk of Seldom Seen Farm.

Kelly was struck by lightening on July 8th while working on the farm. She is making gradual progress toward recovery, and Kelly’s extended “farm family” has launched a number of efforts to ease the family’s financial burden during this difficult time. You can read more about Kelly’s recovery process at www.seldomseenfarm.com. All donations will go to the Kelly Funk Recovery Fund (www.kellyfunkrecoveryfund.com).

Everyone who knows Kelly knows her warm smile, strong will, and endless positive energy. We invite Indy’s yoga community to join a class - or all three - and send strength, grace and love back to Kelly and her family. If you are part of another studio that would like to participate, please contact Laura Henderson, laura@indywinterfarmersmarket.org.

Friday, Sept. 17th @ 5:45 p.m. – Invoke Studio – 970 Fort Wayne Ave. Suite C – www.invokestudio.com - 317.631.9642

This benefit Vinyasa class will be lead by Laura Henderson. Laura has been lucky enough to know Kelly and her husband John for a few years. Not only have they critical supporters of and participants in the Indy Winter Farmers Market, but they have been mentors and co-inspirers to Laura and her husband Tyler as they have begun their farming path.


All are welcome with a donation of any amount. Additional donations made out to The Kelly Funk Recovery Fund may be left in an envelope c/o Laura Henderson at any time.

Saturday, Sept. 18th @ 11:00 a.m. – The Yoga Center – 6245 N. College Ave – www.theyogacenterofindiana.com - 255-9642

This benefit Slow Flow class will be lead by Karen Fox. Kelly grew up in the Broad Ripple area. Seldom Seen Farm has now been an emblematic grower-vendor at the Broad Ripple Farmers Market for several years. Kelly’s parents and brother frequently help work the market. Since Kelly’s accident, friends and farm patrons have stepped in to help the family work the market.


All are welcome with a donation of any amount. Donations will be received at the studio all day on Saturday Sept. 18th.

Sunday, Sept. 19th @ 1 p.m. - CITYOGA– 2442 Central Ave. – www.cityoga.biz - 317.920.9642

This benefit Vinyasa class will be lead by Jocelin Romero. Jocelin has gotten to know and enjoy John and Kelly through the Trader’s Point Creamery Summer Farmers Market, where she works with her own family selling Raw Gourmet Delights. Her parents are loyal Seldom Seen CSA members.


All are welcome with a donation of any amount. Additional donations made out to The Kelly Funk Recovery Fund will be received at CITYOGA through Sept. 19th.