South Dakota Local Foods Co-op Coming to the Black Hills

The South Dakota Local Foods Co-op will be a new online connection for area residents to access and order local foods and artisan products from across the Black Hills. Community informational meetings are being held in Rapid City and Spearfish on Wednesday, May 29 and Thursday, May 30 for prospective members and producers to learn more about this year-round online farmers market opportunity.
 
The SD Local Foods Co-op currently serves the Brookings and Sioux Falls areas and is ramping up for their launch in the Black Hills. Local producers will list available products on the website (www.sdlocalfoodcoop.org) with descriptions, availability, and pricing. Consumers browse the website at their convenience, place an order and pay online. Then, during the third full week of the month, the products will be collected at the designated drop sites (in Rapid City and Spearfish) and sorted to fill the orders for members to pick up between 1:00 and 4:00pm on Saturday.
 
A project of Dakota Rural Action, the SD Local Foods Co-op is currently recruiting both consumer and producer members with a goal to support local producers, and promote a healthy and sustainable community by connecting more people with food from our Black Hills region, year round. Membership is only a one-time payment of $53, and if you are no longer able to use your membership, the co-op will buy it back.
 
Community informational meetings are being held in:

Bring a friend and your questions to one of the two presentation on this local opportunity to purchase or sell locally grown, farm fresh, healthy food conveniently online with the SD Local Foods Co-op.

Amazing array of products from an East River Member’s order from May

This week, May 20-26, 2013, there are two meetings relevant to the Black Hills Chapter’s campaign to stop uranium mining in the Black Hills.

1) Powertech and the Custer Area Economic Development Corporation are holding a pro-uranium mining information meeting on Wednesday, May 22 at 6:00 in the Custer Fire Hall Meeting Room, 622 Crook Street. Presenters are Raymond Johnson from the US Geological Survey, Dr. James Munro, and Ben Snow from the Rapid City Economic Development Corp. Please come out to represent our anti-uranium mining stance, hold signs, wear the bright yellow anti-uranium mining t-shirt, pass out fact sheets, etc. Becky Leas is taking orders for t-shirts (which may or may not be ready by Wed) and we will have copies of the chapter’s Fact Sheet. They will most likely not allow questions or comments during the meeting, but we can still be “heard” and seen. There are several cars going up from Rapid City – if you’re willing to drive or need a ride, please let Jillian, the chapter’s organizer know at jillian@dakotarural.org

2) There is a pre-hearing conference for Powertech’s Large Scale Mining Permit Hearing on Thursday, May 23 at 10:00am in the Ramkota Sylvan 1 & 2 Meeting Rooms, 2111 N. LaCrosse Street, Rapid City. This is set to go over several aspects of the actual hearing, procedure and scheduling. Rapid City attorney Rex Haag has been appointed as the Hearing Chair. It is very important that we have a large number of people there to be the voice that requests late dates be informed of the process. If you are an intervenor, I strongly encourage you to attend. If you are not an intervenor, you are still welcome. Several members were present at the pre-hearing conference for the water permits. Our presence and voices were heard and made a difference. If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to ask by contacting Jillian at jillian@dakotarural.org.

Thank you for the work you do. Every little bit counts, each conversation you have, letter to the editor you write, question you ask. Keep your voice strong and keep heart as this battle heats up. We’re fighting for the future – the water. Uranium mining is not the answer.

Yesterday, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa and Representative Tim Walz of Minnesota announced the reintroduction of the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2013 in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The two identical bills expand opportunities and remove barriers for beginning farmers and those who wish to pursue a career in agriculture.

The legislation represents a slate of provisions that help new farmers start and succeed in agriculture. The Act maintains and strengthens:

- Conservation resources targeted to beginners through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Stewardship Program

- Loan and credit options offered through the Farms Service Agency and other lenders to new producers.

The bipartisan legislation is an opportunity to build momentum and support for new farmer investments – it’s good public policy and a cost effective approach that can leverage job creation and economic activity in rural and urban communities through agriculture.

Will you make a call today and ask your legislators to co-sponsor these two bills? It takes just a moment – please call your legislators today.

Sen. Tim Johnson
(202) 224-5842

Sen. John Thune
(202) 224-2321

Rep. Kristi Noem
(202) 225-2801

Outside South Dakota

Just pick up the phone, ask for the agricultural aide and share a message like this one:

I am a constituent and a voter (Tell ‘em if you’re a farmer!). I support federal investments that will help get fresh, healthy local food in my community and train the next generation of farmers. Please co-sponsor the Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013 and the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2013 today!

Thanks for speaking out! Your voice will make a difference! Let us know how your call went!

Want more information on the bills? Check National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition’s website for details on LFFJA and BFROA.

DRA Farm Beginnings graduates Danny and Aymee Dyck and family at their farm Deep Root Gardens.

 
The Keystone XL pipeline is in the final months of review, and TODAY is the deadline to get comments in on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. Below are some talking points and issues related to the DSEIS that you can use while drafting your comments, as well as an outline you can use for your email.

To send in your comments, you must email them to keystonecomments@state.gov. Please also send them to sabrina@dakotarural.org so we can track the comments sent in from South Dakota!

Talking Points

The Keystone XL pipeline lacks appropriate safety measures

Deficient Economic Benefits & National Security

Unanswered Questions

Agricultural Impacts Not Considered

Sample comment email:

To the US State Department regarding the Keystone XL DSEIS:

I am writing to ask you to reject the Keystone XL pipeline DSEIS for the following reasons:

1: The DSEIS does not adequately address the safety concerns raised by constructing and maintaining a diluted bitumen pipeline in rural areas, including a lack of emergency response infrastructure to deal with inevitable spills.

2: The benefits to the United States are minimal; the pipeline will not create sustainable jobs nor will it add to US energy security.

3: The DSEIS does not take into account the amount of lost good agricultural land and resources, nor the risk to water supplies that sustain South Dakota’s agricultural producers.

For these reasons, I urge you to reject the Keystone XL DSEIS.

Thank you,

[Your Name]

For more information, contact Sabrina King at sabrina@dakotarural.org or 605.716.2200

Will you join Dakota Rural Action and BOLD Nebraska on April 17-18 for two days of events and hearings around the proposed Keystone XL pipeline? We want a good representation from South Dakota to ensure that throughout this process, our voices are being heard.

Click here to RSVP and we will help coordinate ride shares and lodging, or call the office at 605-697.5204.

Nebraska is the only state to get a hearing on this phase of the State Dept.’s Environmental Review. We will continue to post updates here on our blog and on our Facebook page.

Events

Tarsands-Free BBQ and Prayer Circle

April 17th, 4-8pm
Location: Jim Tarnick’s farm, Fullerton (map & address)
Come eat some tarsands-free beef raised in the Sandhills. We will have veggie food also. Tribal and faith leaders will guide us in a prayer circle at 6:30pm. Food starts at 5pm.

State Dept. Hearing
April 18th, noon-8pm CT (registration to speak/testify starts at 11am, a break happens from 3:30-4pm)
Heartland Events Center, 700 East Stolley Park Rd., Grand Island

Unable to attend?

Make sure to submit your comments to State Department by April 22th (Yes, Earth Day): keystonecomments@state.gov

Find the DSEIS and more information here.

SD Local Food Producers – we invite you to please take the iGrow Local Foods Center Producer Survey  by Wednesday, April 17. Your input will help create a virtual clearinghouse of targeted educational and technical assistance for local food producers related to marketing your products for profits.

Dakota Rural Action is working SDSU Extension, and other organizations, on a project titled “Developing Strategies to Build Capacity in South Dakota’s Local Food System.”

Through this survey of South Dakota producers, the goal is to identify your specific educational needs – where you feel there are gaps in current resources and training opportunities for local food production.

We realize that your time is valuable and have attempted to keep the requested information as brief and concise as possible. It will take approximately 30 minutes to complete the questionnaire. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact SDSU Extension Community Development Field Specialist Kari O’Neill at 605-685-6972 or kari.oneill@sdstate.edu.

Please complete the survey before Wednesday, April 17.

Thank you in advance for your time and thoughtful responses.

 New Food Safety Rules

In early March, Dakota Rural Action joined 270 organizations, food businesses and farms to ask the Food and Drug Administration to give farmers and consumers more time to review and comment on proposed food safety regulation.

The FDA has not responded to our request or extended the deadline.

Tell FDA to allow farmers and consumers more time to review and comment on the proposed rules. 

Since the FDA issued the proposed rules in January, we have been analyzing the 1,200 pages that regulate every aspect of growing, harvesting, and processing foods. We’ve already identified some concerns about the requirements for water tester, record-keeping, animal-based soil amendments and the FDA’s plans for enforcement.

The looming May 16 comment deadline leaves little time for consumers and producers to understand how the rules may affect them and submit comments to influence the direction of the final regulation.

Join us in sending a strong message to FDA that we need more time to review and comment on the 1,200 pages of new food safety regulations by signing our petition. When we reach 500 signatures, we will deliver the petition to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.

Stay tuned for Dakota Rural Actions’s analysis on the proposed rules and talking points for public comments to submit to the FDA.

Dakota Rural Action Joins New National Coalition

Representing South Dakota’s landowners, Dakota Rural Action has joined a new coalition aiming to bring to light the risks associated with the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, and to make sure landowner voices are heard in the ongoing national debate.

The All Risk and No Reward Coalition focuses on the risks to landowners, water, and the environment posed by the Keystone XL pipeline – risks that are on display in recent Arkansas tar sands spill. The Pegasus pipeline spilled over 80,000 gallons of diluted bitumen, the harsh chemical-ridden substance that will be flowing through the Keystone XL pipeline. But while the Arkansas spill happened in a well-populated area with quick emergency response teams available, any spill that will occur in South Dakota will not have that kind of support.

Because the IRS does not consider diluted bitumen to be oil, companies transporting tar sands oil are exempt from paying into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. The tax-free tar sands product flowing through South Dakota in the Keystone XL pipeline would be exempt from paying into the fund which is used to pay for oil spills. This means South Dakotans will have to rely on taxpayer dollars to pay for a spill, because the state legislature has declined to require a bond from TransCanada for the pipeline.

The risks in South Dakota include spills over water bodies, impacts to agriculture and livestock from both the construction and the operation of the pipeline, the impacts on local communities from temporary work camps during construction, and the on-going risk of taxpayers losing money when tar sands oil spills in South Dakota.

“The press is always talking about the jobs they’re going to create,” says DRA Board Chair and landowner Paul Seamans. “TransCanada’s original estimate was 5,000, now it’s 20,000. I’ve even seen 100,000 mentioned. But even [President] Obama knows it won’t create those jobs, and it’s going to be an export pipeline – it blows out their jobs and oil independence arguments. And when they first put an easement in front of us, they wanted us to assume the risk.”

A group of Dakota Rural Action landowners and allies will be traveling to Nebraska for the State Department hearing on the Keystone XL pipeline April 18, and will be meeting with coalition members to discuss ways to ensure the safety of landowners, our water, and our environment. Neither the state of South Dakota nor the landowners crossed by the pipeline should be asked to take all the risk for a no-reward pipeline.

The All Risk, No Reward Coalition includes: Oil Change International, League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, League of Women Voters, Indigenous Environmental Network, Bold Nebraska, Keystone XL Truthforce, STOP Tarsands, Sandhills Beef, Nebraska Farmers Union, Nebraska Interfaith Power and Light, League of Women Voters Nebraska, and Dakota Rural Action.

Dakota Rural Action is hosting their annual Earth Day Celebration with co-sponsor Brookings Area Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Saturday, April 20 with a free family fair from 10 am to 3 pm and an evening celebration from 6 to 9 pm, at the Restore, Brookings.

Bring your willingness to learn something new because the free family fair will feature over 30 exhibitors offering workshops, demonstrations, displays, food tastings, and activities for kids. Informational offerings through videos, factsheets, and hands-on activities will include:

Kids won’t want to miss ‘The Bug Guy,’ a solar bus, smoothie blender bike, mural painting, worm tunnel and story time with Brookings Library Children’s Librarian at 10:30 am. The Cadette Girl Scout Troop 50250 will also be providing a helping hand to make sure younger fair goers can enjoy all the activities.

Other exhibitors include the Brookings Sustainability Council, SDSU Ecology Club, Brookings Area Humane Society, SDSU Horticulture Club, and homegrown produce and products from Brookings Farmers Market producers. Raffles for homemade crafts, business services, tasty food, and more will be available throughout the day. Fair goers will also be the first to pick up the newest Dakota Rural Action Local Food Directory, a consumer’s guide to eating locally in South Dakota, and the Restore will announce how to take part in it’s Salvage Art fundraiser, taking place in November.

BellaLuna, a mobile pizza oven mounted on a ‘52 Chevy operated by Joan Williams of Arlington will be available to purchase lunch and scoops of Trevor’s ice cream from The Pheasant Restaurant will also be for sale.

The evening celebration begins at 6 pm with a social featuring hors d’oeuvres and beverages and special how-to’s and tastings. There will also be a high energy panel presentation and guest presenter, Lisa Taylor. The panel discussion “Dig in for Fun and Food: Make a Garden Fit Your Life,” is aimed at providing practical tips, while recognizing our busy lives. Lisa Taylor, author of Your Farm in the City: An Urban Dweller’s Guide to Growing Food and Raising Animals, will share her passion and knowledge, along with other local food producers, urban farming advocates, health practitioners, and leaders who engage kids around gardening and tasty, fresh foods. A freewill donation of $12 is suggested for the evening celebration.

Saturday’s activities are part of Brookings Greenfest Weekend 2013. On Sunday April 21, from 1 to 4 pm, the Brookings Sustainability Council and SDSU’s Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Committee will host free afternoon activities and presentations at McCrory Gardens that feature a keynote presentation by Lisa Taylor, titled “Backyards of Plenty: How Growing Vegetables Can Save the World” and a presentation by Dr. Michael Wimberly, “Regional Land Cover Change and Environmental Sustainability in the Northern Plains.”

The teach-in will feature a presentation by geologist Dr. Hannan LaGarry and be moderated by Talli Nauman, an international environmental journalist and Dakota Rural Action member, with time for questions by attendees. The teach-in is open to the public.

The Black Hills Chapter is a community-based affiliate of Dakota Rural Action members. The Black Hills Chapter organizes around local food, community, renewable energy, natural resources, sustainable agriculture and land preservation issues.