Hello Farm to Fork Friends, Does the summer sun have you wishing you had space for a garden? Or maybe you have space but just no time. Either way, Wasatch Community Gardens is hosting a Yard Share program that can make your garden dreams come true. The program pairs gardeners with available spaces to create a situation where everybody wins. The program is not limited to the Salt Lake area! Learn more and sign up to participate here.
What to Harvest This Month
What’s bigger, better, and sweeter than a Bing Cherry? The Utah Giant Cherry! Developed in Logan in the 1980s, these sweet fruits are ripe and available at farmers markets now, along with other sweet cherry varieties. Looking for something on the savory side? Zucchini and summer squash are also ready to harvest and should keep producing throughout the summer.
Get Involved Farm to Fork Task Force Quarterly Meeting Join us for our quarterly task force meeting, July 21, 11am-12:30pm to hear updates on our work. We’ll be meeting via WebEx.
Be a Featured Farmer We’re highlighting Utah farmers and ranchers on our social media all summer long. Fill out this short form to be featured on our Facebook and Instagram pages.
Webinars and Trainings Integrated Pest Management
USU Extension is hosting two webinars in July to help growers better understand integrated pest management. These meetings include a brief presentation on an IPM topic, review questions with prizes, and an open discussion with our experts and other vegetable growers.
July 13 (7pm) Common Pests of Melons
July 27 (7pm) Beneficial Insects: Beetles and True Bugs
Improving Equity Bystander Intervention Training
Creating safe spaces requires those with privilege to stand up to harassment. But that can be easier said than done. Hollaback provides bystander intervention trainings that give you the skills to push back against race and gender-based harassment. White folks, men, straight cis people- this one is for you.
Confederate Soybeans and How the USDA Catered to White Farmers
What does an article on soybean names have to do with racial equity? In the mid-20th century, many soybean varieties came to be named after confederate generals. This essay from Zocalo outlines how in even small things like cultivar names, the USDA assumed its job was to serve white farmers at the expense of any others.
Job Opportunities Woodland Biscuit Company, Woodland Woodland Biscuit Company serves local grass-fed beef, dairy, eggs, and of course delicious biscuits made from local flour at the food of the beautiful Uinta mountains. We are searching high and low for servers and line cooks. Any time commitment from full-time to one shift per week is available. Please contact Laurel at laurel@woodlandbiscuit.com to apply. Seed to Table Educator, Youth Garden Project, Moab Youth Garden Project is hiring a Seed to Table Educator to collaborate with Youth Garden Project (YGP) staff, community partners, and Grand County High School to lead young adults in a variety of youth programs at YGP. We are looking for an individual who is flexible, collaborative, able to work independently, exhibits strong leadership, and is enthusiastic about using the garden and process of growing food to teach academic and life lessons to youth of all ages and backgrounds. This is an AmeriCorps position that runs from August 2021 to August 2022. Learn more, including how to apply, here.
Funding Opportunities Little Seeds Pollinator Pals Grants This grant is designed to support youth garden programs interested in preserving and creating pollinator habitat to help rebuild declining pollinator populations. In 2021, eighteen programs will be awarded a check for $500 to support the development of new and expansion of existing pollinator gardens in communities across the United States. Any nonprofit organization, public or private school, or youth program in the United States serving at least 15 youth between the ages of 2 and 14 is eligible to apply. Learn more and apply here. The application deadline is July 30, 2021.
Urban Agriculture and Innovation Production Grants The USDA has made available $4 million for grants to support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production projects. There are two categories under the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (UAIP) competitive grant opportunity: Planning Projects and Implementation Projects. Planning projects initiate or expand efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, government officials, schools and other stakeholders in urban and suburban areas, while implementation projects accelerate existing and emerging models of urban, indoor and other agricultural practices that serve multiple farmers. Learn more here and then apply on grants.gov. The application deadline is July 30, 2021.
Local Food Hub Startup and Development Fund This fund is a one-time legislative appropriation of $112,500 that will give one or more food entrepreneurs access to see funding to use toward the development of a food hub that connects farm fresh food to consumers along the Wasatch Front. Applicants must be one of the following: Utah based for-profit business, Utah based non-profit organization (with existing 501-c3), Utah farmer or group of farmers, Utah rancher or group of ranchers, agricultural industry group, or an agricultural marketing entity. The application deadline is Friday, August 27, 2021, at 5 pm. 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!
