SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.,
April 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/
-- In its sixth year of awarding small grants with big impacts
to American farms and agricultural nonprofits, The FruitGuys
Community Fund announced its largest class of grantees to date: 13
recipients of environmental sustainability grants totaling
$47,534.
After receiving a record 130 applications, the Fund's volunteer
review committee chose 20 finalists whose projects and values best
aligned with its guidelines for sustainable farming practices.
Thirteen of those finalists were awarded grants of up to
$5,000 for projects such as solar
power systems, beehives, beneficial insect habitats, growing season
extensions, and unique composting systems. The grantees are located
in California (2), Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin (2). Some of the farms are
traditional family farms; others train aspiring female farmers,
help settle refugees, and grow produce on city rooftops.
"We are excited to be able to fund more farms each year," says
Chris Mittelstaedt, The FruitGuys
Community Fund Project Director. "We started this fund in 2012
because we believe that small, independent American farms are a
core element of a healthy food system, a diverse economy, robust
communities, and a strong democracy."
Casey McAuliffe, a farmer at Moon
Dog Farms in Santa Fe, TX, posted
this note on Instagram upon hearing their project was selected for
a grant this year:
Moon Dog Farms
March 29 at 6:02am · Instagram ·
"Holy smokes, our grant proposal was accepted by The FruitGuys
Community Fund!! We'll receive $$ to purchase 3 caterpillar
tunnels, shade cloths & silage tarps! Thank you so much,
FruitGuys!! #moondogfarms #feelinggood"
The class of 2018 grantees are:
Namu Farm/Choi and Daughters
Produce, Winters, CA. Their
$3,794 grant will allow them to
preserve and improve heritage varieties of Asian vegetable crops by
funding a new hoop house, nursery benches, screens of multiple
sizes, shade cloth, and tools for the hand-processing of seeds.
The Ohio City Farm by The Refugee Response, Cleveland, OH. This six-acre agricultural
nonprofit serves newly arrived refugees. Their $2,780 grant will allow them to purchase two new
walking tractor attachments.
Moon Dog Farms, Sante Fe, TX. Their $5,000 grant will fund three caterpillar tunnel
kits, shade cloths, and a silage tarp to extend the growing season,
protect crops, and improve soil health. They will also host
workshops on how this system can create protected microclimates for
growing in the Texas Gulf Coast region.
Radical Roots Farm, Canterbury,
CT. Their $4,500 grant will
allow them to develop a composting system using black soldier
flies, which consume organic waste and can then be made into
supplemental feed high in protein and fat for their livestock.
Root Mass Farm, Oley,
PA. Their $3,986 grant will
allow them to build a high tunnel and plant 21 fig trees.
Fly Girl Farm, Pescadero,
CA. This four-acre farm gives aspiring female farmers the
opportunity to experience running a small farm. Their $4,856 grant will fund a solar system to power
their farm.
Hope Mountain Farm,
Leavenworth, WA. Their
$5,000 grant will allow them to
transition to no-till farming methods, thereby improving soil
health and minimizing water runoff.
Cattail Organics, Athens,
WI. They'll use their $5,000
grant to create a beneficial insect habitat by implementing a
unique approach to reducing soil disturbance.
The Roof Crop LLC, Chicago,
IL. This urban farm grows produce atop 30,000 square feet of
city rooftops. They'll use their $1,950 grant to add three beehives to their
flagship farm and to amplify their sustainability and educational
practices.
Doce Lume Farm, Frederick,
MD. They'll use their $1,705
grant to build a low tunnel to extend their growing season, as well
as establish a compost system to share with their Beginning Farmer
Training Program network.
Canadian Valley Farms, Lexington, OK. Their $5,000 grant will be used to add
disease-resistant apple varieties and blackberries to their farm,
and to demonstrate that sustainable apple and blackberry production
is a viable enterprise in their climate region.
47 Daisies, Vassalboro,
ME. Their $2,500 grant will be
used to plant an orchard of peach, pear, and plum trees, as well as
native wildflowers to support pollinators, and to install bat and
bluebird boxes for natural pest control.
Christensen's Farm, Browntown,
WI. They'll use their $1,463
grant to increase their number of beehives to eight, one of which
will be an observation hive for local 4-H, school, and community
groups.
Get to know some of the farms by watching their videos
here.
The FruitGuys Community Fund is a nonprofit, fiscally sponsored
project of Community Initiatives whose goal is to support small
farms' efforts to promote greater environmental and economic
health, community engagement, and advocacy that supports
sustainable agriculture. Founded in 2012, the Fund is unique in its
"small farms, big impacts" approach. These grants help farms
enhance pollinator habitats, conserve water, increase soil health,
extend growing seasons, and increase productivity.
For more information, contact Sheila
Cassani, Project Manager. She can be reached at
510-541-4806, or visit The FruitGuys Community Fund website.
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SOURCE The FruitGuys