Where did Spring go? Between the chaos of the funding cuts and the warm, sunny weather, we’ve been keeping busy in the office and on our farms just trying to keep up with the calendar. We’ve had some great events so far and are planning for another year of on-farm fun. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, we’re in a major pivot to catalyze local efforts to improve local farm economics. Read on to catch up on what’s coming this Summer!
Membership and Website Updates
Right now, we’re knee-deep in overhauling our Membership and improving our website to better serve our community. With a focus on driving business to local producers and increasing collaboration among Members, this renovation will feature:
- Increased Membership Benefits and B2B Discounts
- Updated Membership Directory and Map Tool
- Improved Classifieds and Jobs Board
- Easy-to-Access Members-Only Content
- Equipment Lending Library, Digital Training Courses, & More
We’ll be “going dark” the last week in June to update the website and Member portal. Stay tuned!
Farmers Process - Commercial Kitchen and Value-Added Processing Support
We’re not quite sure which aspect of Farmers Process to be more excited about: our commercial kitchen in Milford or our website, FarmersProcess.org. The kitchen is about 4-6 weeks from opening, barring any unforeseen circumstances. We’ll be able to accommodate producers of all types in making value-added products, and we’re hoping to obtain funding to provide the technical support for processing activities. In addition, we’ll be renovating the backyard patio and garden space to offer a charming venue for intimate farm-to-table events, highlighting local food and driving farm revenues without the hassle of hosting on the farm.
Along a similar timeline, FarmersProcess.org is almost ready to launch and will be the premier resource for all things value-added processing. The site will include a directory of commercial kitchens available to rent along with resources and step-by-step guides to help producers and food businesses navigate commercial kitchens and value-added processing.
Good Grain Documentary and Grain Cleaning Hub
Last month, we were able to watch the first cut of Good Grain, the documentary created in partnership with Hundred Year Films. Highlighting the process of getting small grains from the farmer to the maltster, miller, baker, and brewer, Good Grain will be screened later this Fall at exciting locations throughout NJ.
Complementing the release of the film, NOFA NJ and Morganics Family Farm are partnering on a Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant to purchase and install grain cleaning and processing equipment on the farm in Hillsborough. When installed, the processing hub will be a collaborative space for producers in Central NJ to clean and sort grain, a critical step to open up additional market opportunities for human food, livestock feed, cover crop seed and more.
Grant Projects
Despite the turbulence around federal funding in the start of the year, we’re plenty busy planning a variety of grant activities and events. The Transition to Organic Partnership program continues with producer-group events (Hop and Malt Grain growers, Seed Farmers, Value-Added Processors, and Christmas Tree Growers) to help galvanize segments of the industry. Our TOPP activities will also connect producers with market opportunities, hosting networking events with distributors, retailers, processors and more. In tandem with TOPP, funding from Farm Credit East AgEnhancement Grant will support our work to create a wholesale best-practices guide for producers interested in wholesaling, enabling successful buyer-seller relationships and developing tools and resources for all farms to benefit from.
Funded by the NJ Highlands Council, our 2025 Highlands Sustainable Agriculture Grant project will highlight agroforestry, soil health, pasture management, and the tools, implements and skills required to implement said practices. In partnership with Virtua Health, we’re looking forward to collaborating on a Northeast SARE project supporting NJ Farmer Wellness. We’ll have funding to host on-farm wellness events, movement and injury-prevention workshops, trainings, giveaways, and other activities to boost community wellbeing.
We still wait to hear the fate of our Climate Smart Farming & Marketing project (led by Pasa) and our FSA Increasing Land, Capital, & Market Access project supporting farmers on state lands. With or without these two programs, our plate is full!
On The Horizon
Keep an eye on the Weekly Newsletter as we announce heaps of events and gatherings throughout the state. Coming up next, we have the Muddy Waters “Mudball” on June 12 in Asbury, NJ, which will feature an awesome lineup of musicians as well as a large vendor village. In early July, we’ll be hosting a “Sour Hour” in partnership with Sourland Bread in Hopewell, NJ, a hands-on sourdough learning and tasting experience. A little farther out, save the date (August 9) for FesTomato! at Walking Bird Farm!!