Hello Farm to Fork Friends,
National Farmers Market Week is this month, August 7-13. Use the great list our friends at Utah Farmers Market Network put together to find a market near you, and stock up on delicious seasonal produce. Many markets accept both SNAP and Double Up Food Bucks, allowing you to stretch your dollars even further when buying local. Find out more about using these benefits here.
What to Harvest This Month
It’s tomato time! Hearty beefsteaks, green and yellow striped beauties, lumpy heirlooms and sweet cherry tomatoes are all here. Make it a goal to try a new type of tomato this summer and let us know how you like it on Instagram @utfarm2fork or on Facebook @utahfarm2fork.
Get Involved!
Save the Date for the Utah Apple Crunch
Save the date—the 6th annual Utah Apple Crunch will be held on October 19, 2022. This is our annual celebration of National Farm to School Month, and we encourage everyone to join us by crunching down on a delicious Utah-grown apple. We’ll have registration, an updated crunch guide, and additional information posted at https://www.utfarmtofork.org/utah-apple-crunch later this month. Remember, if you participate in the National School Lunch Program, Utah apples purchased for this celebration count towards your local purchase total for enhanced reimbursement.
Calling all Third Grade Teachers
Now is the time to register your class for the Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program. Bonnie Plants believes growing your own garden should be simple, accessible and attainable. To that end, they send more than one million free O.S. Cross, or “oversized” cabbage plants to 3rd Grade classrooms across the country each year. If properly nurtured, kids can cultivate and grow cabbages that may tip the scale at more than 40 pounds! At the end of the season, teachers from each 3rd grade participating class select the student who has grown the “best” cabbage, based on size and appearance. The program then awards a $1,000 scholarship to one student in each participating state. Learn more and register here.
Webinars & Trainings
Let's Sow Fall Crops, Wasatch Community Gardens, August 6, 10:30 am-12:30 pm
It may be hard to believe, but now is the time to get busy prepping your garden beds and organizing your seeds for all those amazing cool season crops if you want to be harvesting fresh, healthy veggies in October, November, December and beyond! Come join us in our new teaching gardens at the Wasatch Community Gardens' Campus to discuss the "when, where and how" of planting quick-maturing and cold-tolerant varieties of all your favorite greens and other cool season veggies. As a bonus, each student will receive a selection of fall veggie seeds to take home and sow. Learn more and register here.
Job Opportunities Director of Agriculture, Thanksgiving Point, Lehi
Our evolving and expanding working farm is visited by millions of guests annually. We believe in the universal importance and impact of the future of farming, and act on that belief by ensuring our Living Farm has meaningful interactions and educative experiences. It has inspired multiple generations to become part of the solution as more informed consumers, advocates, and even backyard farmers themselves! The Director of Agriculture is part of Thanksgiving Point’s Joint Management Team. The selected candidate will be responsible for developing and maintaining best practices, managing our wonderful team, as well as leading the execution of the day-to-day work outlined in standard operating procedures and other managerial duties. This is a full-time job that pays $60,000-$75,000 per year. Learn more and apply here.
Funding Opportunities
Start an Orchard with the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation
FTPF programs strategically donate orchards where the harvest will best serve communities for generations, at places such as community gardens, public schools, city/state parks, low-income neighborhoods, Native American reservations, international hunger relief sites, and animal sanctuaries. Our orchard donations are available for recipients who pledge to care for their trees and utilize them for a charitable purpose. If selected for an orchard donation, FTPF provides high-quality fruit trees and shrubs, equipment, on-site orchard design expertise and oversight, horticultural workshops, and aftercare training and manuals. This funding opportunity has a rolling deadline. Learn more and apply here.
FFA Living to Serve Grants
Living to Serve Grants provide an opportunity for FFA chapters and state FFA associations/foundations to seek funding to support various types of service projects through a competitive application process. Applicants must identify a community need that falls within one of four focus areas: community safety; hunger, health and nutrition; environmental responsibility; or community engagement. The Day of Service Mini Grants provide up to $400 for a one-time event. The application is always open! Applications received by the 1st of each month are awarded by the 15th. The Fall Semester Grant application opens August 1st and closes September 6, 2022. Learn more and apply here. Be sure to share your upcoming events, grant opportunities, and jobs with us so that we can share them here!
