Growing Local Food Workshops

DDATT has announced that their February Growing Local Food workshops will be scheduled for Saturday, February 5 and Saturday, February 19, 9:30 until noon at the Abbott Memorial Library in Dexter. 

The first workshop, February 5 (snow date February 12) is "Back to Basics" Topics to be covered : location, planning(how big, how much food, how much time), tilling & fertilizing, fencing, choosing varieties, ordering seeds, etc.

The second workshop on February 19 (snow date February 26) "Seeds" covers: starting seeds(planting depth, seed size, containers, potting soil), double transplanting, cold frames, hoophouses, greenhouses, etc. 

Both workshops are free and will be presented by local organic market gardeners Lois Labbe and Tom Roberts of Snakeroot Farm. 

Snakeroot Organic Farm started in 1995 when Tom and Lois moved onto a run out hayfield in an opening in the woods on the Snakeroot Road in Pittsfield, and immediately began to improve the soil with cover crops and compost. 

Today they grow a wide variety of mixed vegetables, fruit and culinary herbs on 5 acres of gardens. Over 30 greenhouse and field crops are sold at local farmers' markets. 

Pre-registration is suggested by contacting dexterareatransition@gmail.com, 924-3836 (eves) or 924-7292 (days).

Bangor Daily News Story

Grants eyed for Dexter renovations Saturday, January 15, 2011
By Diana Bowley of the BDN Staff: DEXTER, Maine — The exterior renovation of the Fossa General Store and Dexter Community Farm Project is nearly complete and local officials are working to secure grants for the interior work, according to Dexter Town Manager Dave Pearson.

Photo taken Friday, January 14, 2011

“I think it looks pretty good. It looked ugly as sin for a couple of years, so I think maybe it was worth the wait,” Pearson told the Town Council on Thursday. 

The work is funded by one of several grants the town has received to spruce up the community. The town also has a Main Street grant to help businesses and a grant to improve housing.

Funds from the Main Street grant, which has income guidelines and requires a match, has been used by the Brewster Inn.

The Country Charm also was awarded a grant to help track its inventory. A third business was awarded a grant but the owner disqualified himself, according to Pearson. About $18,000 to $20,000 remains in the account and those funds will be redirected to another business owner, he said. Any local business wanting more information should contact the town office. 

More than seven projects are under way using funds from a $500,000 housing grant, Pearson said. The money is being used to improve the homes of qualified owners and some funds will be used to replace housing. 

Pearson, Judy Wilbur Craig, director of the Fossa building project and the farm project, along with Jason Bird, the town’s grant writer, are now searching for additional grants to finish the Fossa building. About $300,000 has been invested in the restoration of the building to date, according to Bird. 

Bird said the project received a $40,000 grant from USDA Rural Development to construct a kitchen in the building. The first floor will be retail space and the upstairs will be office space. The emphasis now is to get the renovation work completed and the downstairs finished so the store can be opened, he said. 

The general store will be a year-round farm store and will have a demonstration kitchen. Also planned as part of the farm project is the construction or renovation of a building for a creamery to process milk, yogurt and ice cream, and for use as a warehouse.

"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Saturday, January 15, 2011 edition of the Bangor Daily NEWS and is used here with permission."

Recent Newstory in SvWeekly

Dexter Fossa Store exterior almost complete; interior work to begin

Photo taken January 30th, 2010

Wednesday, January 05, 2011 
 
Written by Grace Lommel: DEXTER –  At the monthly meeting of the Fossa General Store and Dexter Community Farm Project on Jan. 4 at the Dexter Town Council Chamber, farmers, grant writers and community organizers discussed building and construction updates, potential grant opportunities and ideas for fundraising for interior work.

“The exterior trim is 60 percent complete, the deck (77 feet long, 12 foot wide) footings are in and the siding has begun,” reported Dexter Regional Development Corporation (DRDC) President Roger Brawn.

DRDC is the sponsor of the Dexter Community Farm Project whose goal is to create a year round market in the rebuilt Fossa General Store. Both the Project and Fossa General Store were created by DRDC to work with local community farmers within roughly a 25- mile radius of Dexter. 

The exterior work is expected to be done by the end of January. “Once the siding is complete, then we can roll up our sleeves and get moving on the inside work,” said Dave Pearson, DRDC VP and Dexter Town Manager. “We haven't had access to interior,” explained Brawn, citing restrictions of engineers, the federal grant and state contractors. Necessary interior work includes insulation, electrical and plumbing work. 

“The building is not the only thing,” Pearson reminded the group. “The real project is to reinvigorate Central Maine's agricultural resources.” 

Some of the resources available are grants and Sue Watson of the USDA and coordinator of the Heart of Maine Resource Conservation and Development spoke about these possibilities. Watson presented grant ideas for completing the interior of the Fossa Store as well as business plans and training opportunities for small scale farmers. 

The Tilling the Soil 13-week business planning seminar introduced by Watson garnered the most interest for the farmers present. “It gets you to set down and think through the opportunities for growing and marketing your products,” Watson explained. Included in the grant are scholarships to offset the course and instructor fees. 

Judy Craig, Director of the Fossa building and Dexter’s Community Farm Project, offered the possibility of a buying club which would enable collective selling to schools, prisons and supermarkets. Dairy farmer Fred Sherburne of Dexter was very interested in the buying club. “It's essential to get in this [buying club] business this summer,” urged Sherburne. Watson agreed, saying “I think it's worth going for.” 

Plans were made to meet on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. to identify the most applicable and available grants and to also gauge local interest. 

When meat and vegetable farmer Dan McGarry of Abbott asked “What can we do now?” several fundraising ideas were discussed. Billi Barker of St. Albans suggested a dinner party on March 5 to celebrate Carnival, the last day of Mardi Gras. Farmer and fiber artist Mia Abbott of Blanchard offered adding value to the meal with a raffle or auction of local agricultural products as a preview of what the area has to offer. Barker agreed, declaring that "people want to know what's going on" with the building and the farm project. 

This area is wide open with opportunities,” said Watson  “We're creating a new old economy,” predicted Craig.

"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the SVWeekly.com and is used here with permission."

1st meeting of 2011

Hi Farmers, friends and DRDC members,

Happy New Year!!!

2011 is going to be a great year for Dexter's Community Farm Project.  We are starting off with a nice looking (so far) building on Main Street.  The foundation is done, they put in the windows, the outside trim is going up and next is the siding.  That is supposed to be done by the end of the month!!!  Then the building is ours to get going on the inside.  We have to come up with some fund-raising ideas, grants, volunteering, etc.  Bring your ideas to the table on Tuesday.  

I took some pictures last week and you can see them at http://picasaweb.google.com/fossageneralstore/123010

It is starting to look like a General Store with the windows and notice how they match the rest of Main Street Buildings.

We need YOUR input and ideas to get the excitement going again with our project.  The next meeting is this Tuesday, January 4^th at 7 pm at the Dexter Town Council Chambers on Main Street.  

Mark your calendars, the Farm Project meetings are always the 1^st Tuesday of the month (unless weather is bad).  We need to start meeting regularly now that the holidays are over and the building is progressing.

I will have some snacks and drinks available (will that entice you to come?)

Also let us know how your growing season went in 2010, what new things you are doing and what are your plans for 2011?

On another note, but pertinent, I am now working at Heart of Maine RC&D (HOM) in Bangor 3 or 4 days a week.  If you don’t know, HOM works  with farmers and rural programs in the Penobscot, Piscataquis & Somerset Counties. ( www.HeartofMaine.org)  Sue Watson who attends our meetings, works for USDA and is the Coordinator overseeing  Heart of Maine, which is a 503C nonprofit.  It will be a great partnership for our group and HOM. 

I hope to see you on Tuesday and if anyone would like to bring some of your own snacks, feel free!!!

It is going to be a great year for the Fossa General Store and the Community Farm Project.

judy

Agenda for January 4th:

OLD BUSINESS:

1)     Building / Construction update  (Roger)

2)   Financial status

               

NEW BUSINESS:

1)     Farmers updates on the 2010 season & what’s coming up

2)   Sue Watson from Heart of Maine will talk about grants, applications & about pertinent upcoming farm workshops –  Heart of Maine’s plan to help the Dexter Farm Project in the.

3)   Volunteers need to help find $$ (Tim)

4)   What’s next?  Idea and suggestions!

7) General Discussion AND  Q & A

Next meeting:  Tuesday, February 08th  at 7 PM

Vision Statement: Building our local economy and community with local people, farms and markets.
Mission Statement: Locally Grown, Locally Processed, Locally Marketed.

No December meeting

We will NOT be having a Farm meeting in December with so much going on for the holidays. We will resume in January on the 4th.

The store is coming along and we can see progress now.  They put the new roof on this past week and are putting in the new windows.

The roof is the rubber membrane 'stuff'.  I will try and get pictures soon to show the progress.

The General Contractors will be done at the end of December (I think) and then we need to find money, supplies and such to work on the building.

Money just doesn't go very far these days, and as many of you are aware, the $280K only got us a foundation and the shell of the building.  New windows, siding, roof.

We still need to do electric, heat, plumbing, insulation, etc.  WE CAN DO IT!

Busy week

It is a busy week for speaking engagements for me this week.

On Tuesday, I am the guest speaker at the American Legions dinner saluting the Boys State & Girls State participants being held at the Tri County Vocational Center.  I have asked Fred Sherburne to come along and help explain our project.

On Wednesday night I am traveling over to Hartland for a potluck dinner for a the Hartland Couples Club members.  Brenda Seekins from the Sebasticook Valley Chamber of Commerce contacted me and thought that the members would be interested in our project.  She mention that most of the members are of senior citizen age, and they will remember doing business at the Fossa Store in the early days.  I am hoping Dave Pearson is going to accompany me to that shindig.  He may have another commitment, so if any other Farm member would like to come, let me know... POT LUCK dinnner.... yummmm

I went down and took some pictures at the store Saturday (between showers) and here is the link...
Construction link

I have also gotten a few other invitations to speak at groups... I wish we had more visual aids to show & tell, but have been told by the architects that it will cost more $$$ to have a composite picture.    Oh well...

as always, call if you have any questions, concerns and best of all IDEAS and or want to join our group.
Judy

Monthly Meeting tonight: Agenda

NEW BUSINESS:

1)  Jason Bird:  needs your help to work on USDA Grant

2) Sue Watson: grants and applications & about pertinent upcoming farm workshops

 

OLD BUSINESS:

1) Building / Construction update

2) Interview with Channel 2 last week

2) Volunteers… need DRDC members & Farm input  (invite friends, family & neighbors)

3) whats next?  Idea and suggestions!

               

7) General Discussion AND  Q & A

Next meeting:  November 2^nd at 7 PM (???) election night